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GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT

 

DATED: 22/06/06

Light winds strong winds, that seems to be the phase at the moment and it looks as though it’ll be similar over the weekend. Plenty of rain earlier in the week is slowly flushing the systems out so we should see an increase of fish being caught over the next few days. Offshore and beach fishing has been dismal due to the weather although in the estuaries, plenty of bream, a few jew, flathead and tailor have been caught. Be sure to check the latest weather report prior to departing.

JUMPINPIN

Fishing the Jumpinpin region produced a mixed bag of flathead, bream, a few whiting, tailor and the odd jew from the entrance all the way upstream towards the Powerlines. The sand flats and shallow channels around Cobby, Squire and Eden Islands, the mid reaches of Canaipa Passage and down in the lower reaches of the Pimpama River held plenty of decent size school flathead and a few small to average size bream. Most were caught on either shallow diving lures or Squidgie soft plastics. Those fishing the deeper waters around the bar entrance landed a few larger bream, the odd jew and a few tailor during the early morning tide change and later in the afternoon on the run in. Areas such as Kalinga and the main channel in front of Swan Bay scored the best catches. A few extra large flathead were also caught from these areas. Despite the water cooling down quite rapidly now, a few quality whiting have been caught and netted throughout the pin region. My bet for a catch is to fish the Gold and Green Bank and in the channels throughout the bay on the southern side of the bar entrance. Wriggler worms, beach worms and yabbies should work well. Remember to use light line and little lead.

Beach fishing has seen a few sea bream and tailor being caught from the gutters behind the Bedrooms and further down behind Currigee.

Off shore fishing has been a touch quiet due to the weather.

HOPE ISLAND TO RUNAWAY BAY

Throwing a line in to the channels around the Aldershots, the entrances to the Coomera Rivers, the lower reaches of the Pimpama River and down around Sovereign Islands scored anglers a good haul of flathead, average size bream and a few small big eye trevally. Soft plastics and shallow diving lures worked well whilst drifting with white pilchards also produced a few. Casting yabbies and soft plastics around the eastern and southern sides of Sovereign Island produced a few legal size squire earlier in the week. These fish have started to show up in numbers throughout the Broadwater and I don’t think it’ll be too long before we soon see a larger specimen landed. Drifting along the shallow channel of Crab Island also scored anglers a feed of flathead and for those after a catch of tailor, a few have shown up in the main channel adjacent Currigee near the red marker. Fishing this area on the late afternoon run in tide with W.A. pilchards worked best. Up in the Coomera River, fishing along the Paradise Point wall and around the highway bridges scored anglers a few average size bream and small school flathead. Bites have been few and far between but should increase once the weather abates.

SOUTHPORT

The boy’s from Doug Burt’s Fishing Tackle World at Labrador reports the seaway region fired up well during the week for those after a catch of bream, trevally, tailor, a few jew and luderick. Drifting along the walls and fishing with fresh yabbies scored some of the better quality bream especially on the ebb tide. Quite a few luderick have shown up along the walls as well with a few kilo plus fish landed. Try fishing below the tower and over along the wall of Wavebreak Island. A few generally show up this time of the year along the rocks adjacent the grand boat ramp. Black weed and green moss are the two best baits to use in these areas. A few schools of baitfish have venturing into the seaway region and feeding amongst them are tuna, trevally, tailor and a few larger fish such as kingies. Casting metal lures such as Lazers into the feeding frenzy will pretty much guarantee a positive hookup. Remember it’s best to match the lure to the size of the baitfish being eaten. This is commonly called matching the hatch. If the lure is too big, the fish will simply shy away. Trolling shallow diving lures around the moored boats along the marinas scored a mixed bag of bream, small big eye trevally, the odd flathead and a few small chopper tailor. Up in the Nerang River, a few large bream have been taken from the eddies behind the bridge pylons mainly on live herrings and small pieces of flesh baits. The entrances to canals and further up around the old ski gardens are producing a few average size bream and whiting.

Beach fishing has been up and down due to the weather but still a few anglers managed to sneak out and score a catch of dart, sea bream and the odd tailor from the surf side of the southern bar wall and further south towards Narrowneck.

Offshore angling has been quiet due to the weather. A few cobia, snapper and trag jew should be taken from the 18’s and 24’s over the next few days. The wider 36’s east and north east of bar should also produce a catchy of squire, snapper, parrotfish and trag.

CURRUMBIN

Fishing the creeks has been a little quiet due to the weather. Those fishing the waters ion the lower reaches scored a mixed bag of bream, small whiting and a few school flathead. Some better catches were taken further upstream towards the highway bridges with a few larger bream being caught along with the odd squid, pike, trevally and luderick. In the mid to upper reaches, the sand flats throughout the Tally have been holding school flathead with most readily taking soft plastics such as Squidgies. Walking the banks produced the best catches with most being caught on the run out tide. Fishing the lakes has been up and down as well with only a small catch of bream, flathead and the odd trevally being caught from the 19 th Avenue and adjoining lakes further upstream.

Spinning the headlands and rocky outcrops has been the better spots to wet a line over the past week with a few dart, sea bream and tailor landed.

Reef fish saw a mixed bag of reef fish being caught from the local Palm Beach and Gravel patch Reefs and for those fishing the wider Kirra Bay grounds, expect to catch a few trag, squire, the odd cobia and parrot fish.

 TWEED HEADS

Kyle from Cushy Fishing Charters on the Tweed Coast reports fishing on the Tweed river this week has been a little slow due to the rain, but surprisingly there was a few keen anglers still out and about. Fishing the river under Boyds Bay Bridge and further downstream towards Jack Evans Boat Harbour scored anglers a catch of blackfish with most readily taking black weed and green moss on the run out tide. Fishing from the hospital to the mouth also scored anglers a catch of tailor with most being caught on the incoming to ebb tide. Quite a few whiting and flathead were also caught from Chinderah to Tumbulgum, with the majority being caught near the piggery.    
Beach fishing has been quiet with only a small catch of tailor and dart being landed from the deeper gutters adjacent the jetty and down off the Fingal Headland. On the offshore grounds, crew onboard Kyle’s charter boat scored a feed of parrot fish, snapper and trevally from the 24’s east of the Nine Mile whilst back in close around the Mud Hole, a mixed bag of snapper, pearl perch, maori cod, moses perch and a 26kilo kingfish were landed.

 KINGSCLIFF SOUTH

The rivers just over the border have been holding a few bream and flathead from the shallow channels around the bridges and further downstream towards the entrances. Casting out lightly weighted yabbies, white pilchards and soft plastics scored the best catches. A few luderick were also landed around the pylons and the rock walls mainly on the ebb tide. Fishing the wash areas around the entrances scored the better quality fish.

Spinning around the entrances with metal lures such as Lazer’s scored anglers a few chopper tailor, the odd dart and trevally. Fishing with yabbies fired up well with dart, sea bream and the odd whiting being landed and for those fishing the deeper gutters found the conditions a bit appalling due to the wind and swell. Once it abates and eases expect more tailor and jew to be landed.

No reports off shore due to the conditions.

 BALLINA

Brett from Ballina Bait and Tackle reports estuary perch have been taken over the last week mainly around Emigrant Creek with plenty being caught on hard lures and soft plastics. Best times have been at the bottom of the tide and the start of the run in. Good numbers of bream have been caught throughout the river however there are a lot of under size fish amongst them. The southern break walls of the bar and the bream hole have been fishing well with most fish taking chicken gut, mullet fillets or herring. Flathead are still being caught up on the shallow sand flats on a mixture of lures and baits. White pilchards and drop bear Squidgies have worked particularly well around the flats in Mobb’s Bay and in North Creek.

Some nice tailor have been caught on the beaches and around the headlands with most readily taking lures and W.A. pilchards. Most fish landed have been around the kilo mark with odd larger fish landed at night. Due to the rough weather there have been some good jew on the both the northern and southern break walls falling to slowly retrieved minnow style lures.

No reports from offshore due to rough seas.

 EVANS HEAD TO YAMBA

Dave from Yamba Bait and Tackle reports bass are about in great numbers from the channels around Brushgrove and further downstream towards Shark Creek. Squidgie soft plastics and spinner baits worked best. The Broadwater just upstream from Maclean fired up well with plenty of flathead being caught on soft plastics and white pilchards. Other catches taken from the area were luderick, a few small big eye trevally and bream. The bridge at Harwood has been a little quiet with only a few school jew, flathead and bream landed. The hot water outlet at the Harwood sugar mill has also been holding a few big eye trevally, flathead and bream over the past week. Further downstream, bream and school jew have been caught in the hole at Brown’s Rocks, along the main river walls and along the bar walls. For a catch of luderick, try around the old ferry approach at Iluka and along the rock walls at Yamba. Green and black weed scored the best catches with most being caught on the run out tide.

Beach fishing has been quiet due to the weather but those who persisted managed to snare a few bream, the odd jew and tailor from the walls and headlands.

Reef fishing has been no good due to the weather.

FRESHWATER

Steve Wilkes from Freshwater Fishing Adventures in the Hinze Dam reports plenty of bass were caught earlier in the week with most of clients catching and releasing a bag full within a few hours. The best spots to fish at the moment are in the lower reaches as most of the bass are fully rowed up and are currently schooling around the points near the boat ramps and further down towards the wall. Fishing with live freshwater shrimps scored the best catches and a few were also caught on the troll. Fishing the first couple of points and around the small grassy island in the lower reaches of the western arm were the best spots for fishing the Hinze Dam this week.

FISHING WHOPPER

A few weeks ago I took a few friends out squid fishing in the broadwater.

They had never been fishing for them before so they didn’t really know what to do when they caught one.

After slowly drifting along the edge of a weed bed for about half an hour I finally hooked up and slowly started to reel him in. I told the guys to quickly grab the net and before I knew it they were all hooked up as well. We must have drifted right through a good school.

With my squid next to the boat, I managed to net him and quickly put him into the esky before he squirted black ink all over the place. The other guys pulled theirs straight out of the water and into the boat and before I could say no, black ink was being squirted everywhere.

My nice clean boat was dripping with black ink from the bow to the stern and as they managed to dodge the squirts, I was as black as the ace of spades! All they could do was laugh but I got the last laugh when I made them clean the boat after the trip!

Peter Gibson. (Address supplied)

Got a whopper? Then why not send it in to P.O Box 2669, Nerang, 4211 or email to paulburt@iprimus.com.au and if published you will WIN a $20 Gift Voucher from Doug Burt’s Fishing Tackle World at Labrador.

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Young three-year-old Brook Kimble with a quality 40centimeter plus whiting he caught whilst fishing the Tallebudgera Creek. He was using a yabbie for bait. Well Done!

 Caught a great fish? Then enter ‘Doug Burt’s Fishing Tackle World, Catch of the Week Competition’ and win a $20 gift voucher. Send your photo and a stamped self addressed envelope to P.O. Box 2669, Nerang, 4211 or email to paulburt@iprimus.com.au

TIDE TIMES – GOLD COAST SEAWAY – Fri 23 rd June– Thurs 29 th June 2006

MOON PHASE – New Moon Monday 26 th June 2006

AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE – 20-21 degrees

 

DATE	LOW WATER AM	HIGH WATER AM	LOW WATER PM	HIGH WATER PM
Fri 23	0030 0.34	1154 0.13	0604 1.08	1854 1.65
Sat 24	0125 0.29	0658 1.04	1238 0.13	1940 1.70
Sun 25	0214 0.25	0746 1.02	1321 0.14	2023 1.71
Mon 26	0259 0.23	0831 1.01	1402 0.16	2103 1.70
Tue 27	0340 0.23	0915 1.01	1443 0.18	2143 1.65
Wed 28	0420 0.25	0955 1.00	1522 0.21	2220 1.59
Thu 29	0458 0.27	1035 0.99	1602 0.26	2257 1.52