JACKS ARE STARTING TO WARM
Hi everyone, hope you have all had a good week. Some great conditions midweek for getting out for a fish on the Gold and Tweed Coasts was well received by local fishos. It looks like we will see some storms and much-needed rain over the coming weekend and week, which will be great for fishing in the coming weeks as the weather heats up.
As the weather warms, mangrove jack have been more active and with a few storms forecast to roll in over the weekend this is a great time to target these hardfighting estuary thugs as the atmospheric pressure changes just before the storm hits.
Customers have reported a few jacks showing up in the Coomera River from the weir downstream to Coomera Waters in the North Arm and the South Arm to Paradise Point around Sovereign Islands. These areas will start to fish better when the bait fish get flushed out when we receive more rain as we head towards summer months.
Structure is essential and these areas offer multiple options to fish such as rock walls, bridge pylons, natural rock bars, and pontoons with or without moored boats. Spots like these are all prime target areas as they will hold bait fish trying to shelter from predators in the main river.
Throwing soft plastics is a popular method. I still enjoy bait fishing and it is my go-to option if things are quiet on lures – live herring, mullet, silver biddies and winter whiting are great bait.
The Nerang River, Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek and Logan River all offer great structure to target jacks, cod and trevally.
Good catches of big snapper and quality jewfish again this week has been the norm on the shallow reefs with local angler Ben White (see photo in report) coming up trumps with an impressive 89cm snapper he landed from the close reefs off the Seaway. He also found a couple of great sized jewfish later in the week.
In the Broadwater and around Jumpinpin try your luck for a mixed bag of whiting, flathead and bream with some great catches coming in. Yabbies have been by far the best bait for all three species and worms are always a favourite for the big whiting.
Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports this week was once again highlighted by some excellent top water action with the surface lures producing a lot of fish. Double hook-ups on whiting and bream were a common occurrence using a combination of bassday sugerpen and mmd splash prawn lures. The exciting news is the topwater action is here to stay for months now through to April.
Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports this week at the Broadwater the highlight was some excellent fishing for sand whiting and bream. The yabby banks were the place to be with the bigger new moon tides, and we caught up to 30 sand whiting a session with the biggest measuring 44cm during the day.
Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports out on the shelf there are blue marlin, yellowfin tuna and some big mahi mahi, try using up to 15inch skirted lures. Back in closer to the 50s, amberjack, kingfish, snapper and pearlys are still biting.
Stay healthy and safe and if you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went.