Page 38 - BNB Fishing mag | May 2020

With temperatures sliding down the ther- mometer, water colour has changed from deep clean cobalt blue to a green and cold 22C ocean. While still holding fish, numbers will start to thin out over the next month or so.
My young bloke Mitch has got into sur- face fishing for spaniards using big stick baits and poppers, which has resulted in some insane surface action and multiple air strikes from big fish.
The local bars are all in need of a good flush out. Tweed’s sand bank is starting to build out wide towards the bar, with it being 4m deep on a full tide for about 30m – it is a big bank.
Mitch landed this snodger 50lb wahoo on a livie.
DSurface spinning for spaniards and giant trevally
OES this remind you of when you stonker of a hoo towing a livie, which were 17 – grounded and not al- pulled the scales down to 50lb.
lowed to go to the pub or club? As summer fishing comes to a close you
Gold Coast
by HEATH ZYGNERSKI
At least we still have fishing. After a few will find the fish seem to get bigger before
nervous days early on, fishing was finally declared exercise, and just in time to catch fantastic weather and fish on the chew.
off one day and not turning a reel the next, which can be frustrating.
heading north. There have been a few snap- per caught already, so fingers crossed we are in for a good winter season this year.
The water temperature started to ebb off, signalling the change of season. While a big weather event is typical in late April to early May to kick things along, so far the long-range forecast hasn’t indicated it.
To add to the craziness of the times, fishos landed a red emperor south of the border, which had the whole boat flabber- gasted, though it wasn’t the first time a red was caught that far south.
In rivers and creeks mangrove jack are still being caught in good numbers and flathead are starting to bite readily too.
Doggy mackerel and wahoo are sure signs of the season change, with the spot- ted mackerel starting to migrate north we should get a couple of good runs before the water turns cold.
West Coast Poppers Reef Stick and Leg- endre have been doing the damage with fish seemingly unable to resist them. This is a step up from what I am used to. I liken it to spinning for spotties but on steroids, with everything strengthened to cope with the hard frantic strike from an angry spaniard.
Currumbin was good after the rain but recently has silted up, with a few small * continued P39
Do you love your reSpanish mackerel will hang around well into May and possibly June depending on water temperature. Spaniards have been running hot and cold – chewing their heads
Be prepared to beef-up your gear because anything low quality will quickly be re- vealed and result in a lost fish, and with good quality lures costing in excess of $50, you don’t want to be losing too many.
A red is a red, especially when you get it this far south.The fish was released.
Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, May 2020
On the local reefs, schools of big cow- anyoung have provided excellent bait to use for targeting pelagics and as fillets for snapper. This has drawn in mackerel, and wahoo and marlin, which rarely refuse such prime bait. Mitch landed an absolute
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The other advantage is you can be in for some interesting by-catch, with giant tre- vally and wahoo hitting surface lures. I’ve found GTs tend to like dirtier water as water temperatures begin to drop. An afternoon session proved to be the right decision for fishers, with one fish ticked off the bucket list in the shape of a few solid GTs.