ANGLERS ENJOYING HOLIDAYS

WITH the first week of school holidays almost over it was great to see families having a great time enjoying Gold Coast waterways, while catching some nice fish.

Nice to see kids so keen to have a go at fishing and even better when they land one.

Last weekend’s weather was kind to anglers heading offshore and try their luck.

Regular contributor Wayne Young took his mate Brett Van Lathum for a run offshore and they came up trumps with Brett landing a new personal best, 110cm jewfish.

Better numbers of quality snapper are finally starting to show up, but are still a bit spread out between the 36, 24 and 18 fathom lines.

Fishing the deeper water has produced some big snapper, along with a few nice yellow tail kingfish, amberjack and pearl perch.

The 24 fathom grounds off Surfers Paradise have been fairly consistent with a mixed bag of snapper, trag jew, jewfish, tusk fish, moses and the odd cobia.

The 18 fathom area can be a favourite for some anglers and does produce some big trophy snapper.

Coomera Houseboat Holidays staff member Adrian had a good trip on Sunday morning, nailing a few nice snapper fishing at Nine Mile Reef off the Tweed.

Best baits have been the humble WA pilchard, whole large squid, mullet fillet, bonito fillet and live yakkas.

Reports of some nice bream being caught was great news. Try fishing around some of the local bridges land-based around Coomera, Hope Island, Paradise Point, Runaway Bay, Biggera Waters, Southport and the Nerang River.

Bridges offer protection and will attract bait fish and, in turn, attract schools of hungry bream.

If you have a boat, drifting for a flathead is also a great option for the kids, as it is a very easy but effective method.

I recommend a long shank hook rigged with a white pilchard and then just cast it out and pass your kids the rod.

I also recommend drifting over the tops of sandbanks on high tide, or on edges of sandbanks and drop offs as the tide runs out.

Try your luck around Wavebreak Island, Paradise Point Middle Banks, Brown Island, Tipplers Passage, Bedrooms, Whallys Gutter, Eden Island, Kalinga Bank and Canaipa Passage.

Plenty of other species can also be caught using this method. Kids also like to wind the rod in and out a lot, when fishing for flathead. That is a good thing, as they are keeping the bait on the move.

Brad Smith Fishing Charters have reported good numbers of flathead being tempted on metal blade vibe lures, or drifting white pilchards in the Nerang River and Tweed River systems. They have also been finding their customers some quality bream, whiting and flounder.

Schools of white pilchards have been moving around the southern Broadwater and have attracted a few nice tailor towards the top of the tide.

If you see a bird diving it’s worth a look, try throwing a metal slug into the action.

Hope you all have a good weekend and get out for a fish.

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went.

Feel free to contact us at: brett@coomerahouseboats. com.au