Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the winds around the Bundaberg area being a little bit too strong for fishing well offshore, most of the fishing options have been coastal and out to the inner reefs. The Cochrane Artificial Reef and the Two-Mile Reef both produced a few school mackerel, trevally, grass sweetlip and grunter. There has been a few schools of mac tuna and the odd bluefin tuna busting up the surface, and this has been great fun. High speed spinning with metal slugs and jigs has been working a treat.
THE BURNETT RIVER
With the amount of pressure this system gets, it is still fishing really well with bulk amounts of bream being caught along the rock walls and gravel beds, and there is also plenty of grunter about. You do have to put up with a few small ones to get a big one, but grunter to 60cm have been caught. Further upstream, there is still a few flathead, whiting and a few sickle fish on the flats, and plenty of big blue salmon in the upper reaches of the river. Blade-style lures are doing the damage on the salmon. The Strada X-Blade is still the stand-out lure.
THE RIVER MOUTHS
All of our coastal river mouths have been producing some great fishing, with plenty of small trevally, queenfish, schoolie mackerel and some nice tailor. Trolling small four inch chromed diving Minnows has been working well, with a stand-out lure being the Tilsan Barra lure in the colours “Classic” and “Blue Herring”. These lures dive to ten feet, swim great and the tailor love them.
BAFFLE CREEK AND THE KOLAN RIVER
Both of these systems are fishing well with plenty of large jew and flathead being caught inside the river mouths. There are a few sand whiting on the sand flats, with the first of the run-in tide being best and fresh yabbies as bait. A few of the deeper holes have produced a few grunter and a few mangrove jacks, mainly by live-baiting. The Kolan has also had a run of blue salmon with most being caught on soft vibe lures.
THE ELLIOTT RIVER
There is plenty of whiting and dart around the mouth and out among the beach, a few flathead and bream up around Shark’s Nest and a few odd cod and jacks coming in off the rock bars, with live bait being the better option for the cod and jacks.
VMR FISHING COMPETITION
The annual Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Family Fishing Competition is being held this weekend on Friday 29th June, Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July near the VMR Base at Burnett Heads. This is the Bundaberg area’s largest fishing competition. You don’t need to catch fish to win, you just need to register and be present at the draws. With over $70,000 in prizes and lucky draws, including three boat, motor and trailer packages, it’s sure worth putting this one on your calendar!
Till next time
Tim Mulhall
