Fresh fish for Christmas
Weather conditions look favourable to get out on the waterways and stock up
There has been a pretty good run of weather leading up to Christmas with light to moderate winds, small swell and the occasional shower of rain making fishing conditions good for those trying to stock up on some fresh seafood.
Towards the weekend the weather is looking pretty good, with just a few showers on the cards with light to moderate southerly winds tending more northerly on Sunday.
For Christmas Day the northerly winds are tipped to increase along with a few showers. Just a reminder the waterways will be extra busy over the Christmas break so take care and have a great time.
I always recommend having the most up-to-date weather forecast before heading out. Let’s check out what’s been on the bite.
For the offshore fishos some great news that good Spotted Mackerel numbers have shown up in time for the Christmas break with some good catches, along with a few School Mackerel, landed from Mermaid Reef, Palm Beach Reef and the Gravel Patch.
The Jumpinpin area, the bait grounds and also the 18 fathom reef off the Gold Coast have also seen some nice fish over the past week.
Like any form of fishing, keep your eyes peeled for tell tail signs of bait on the sounder, splashing on the surface of the water and also birds diving into the water to signify predators feeding in the area.
Most of the boats will tend to anchor up over a good show and get a cube burley trail going.
Try dropping back a half or whole WA Pilchard or a live Yakka rigged on light wire into the trail to entice a bite. While you are soaking the baits it pays to cast around a metal slug, around 40 to 60 grams, and retrieve this in as quickly as possible.
This can get a reaction bite and also fire fish up in the area and entice them close to your boat to also hopefully hit a bait.
In on the closer 18 to 24 fathom reefs the current has been fishable the past week bringing good mixed catches, including some good-sized Snapper, Trag Jew, Moses Perch, Tusk Fish, Maori Cod and some very good quality Silver Jew between 12 to 15kg.
With the current out wider on the 36 and 50 fathoms reefs still running strong it is worth checking out the fads for a feed of Dolphin Fish or having a troll around for a Wahoo or Black Marlin and work any areas you can bait on.
Whiting have been biting well so far this summer and are a great edition to the menu over Christmas, with some great fish being landed.
The bigger tides over summer help stir up the Whiting’s natural food source off the bottom making it easier to find better numbers.
In saying that, it may take several moves to find the fish – try your luck for about 15 to 20 minutes in each area until you get consistent catches.
Just make sure you are using a sinker that is heavy enough to keep your bait on the bottom where the fish are feeding.
If your sinker is too light you will catch lots of Bream instead. Live bait is always best – try Bloodworms, Beachworms and yabbies.
A light outfit from 7 to 9ft long with a soft tip makes a perfect Whiting rod matched with a reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a 6lb fluoro carbon trace, a 3 to 5 ball sinker depending on flow and a small, short shank baitholder hook. Some good spots to try are the Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek, Currumbin Creek, Nerang River, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well Shoals, Cabbage Tree Point, Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel and the Logan River.
If you are chasing fresh crabs for Christmas the bigger tides have stirred up a few nice Mud Crabs through the Broadwater, Tweed River and Jumpinpin waterways.
The rise in traffic throughout the area, means setting pots late in the afternoon and picking them up first thing in the morning is the best practice.