’Ave a good weekend
BRAG BOARD
The good news as we head towards the weekend, at the time of writing my report, the weather forecast is looking fantastic, literally the best, we have seen for the past four weeks with light winds and a small swell predicted for both Saturday and Sunday.
I always recommend having the most up to date weather forecast before heading out. Let’s have a look at some options for the weekend.
Heading offshore will be high on the list of many fishos. With the weather being so hit and miss lately this is the first twoday weather window we have seen for a long time.
In close there have been some good catches of spotted mackerel landed the past week from Palm Beach Reef, the Gravel Patch, Mermaid Reef and the Bait Grounds southeast of the Seaway entrance. Try slow trolling a rigged WA pilchard, a small diving lure or small skirted lure to cover ground around the reef. This can help you to locate feeding predators.
Once you locate fish, anchor up and feed back unweighted WA pilchards rigged on light wire with a float and also live baits. It pays to throw a small metal slug while you are waiting for a bite. You will attract fish close to your boat and baits and also this a very effective and fun way to hook spotty mackerel.
A few Spanish have started to show up the past couple of weeks around the Gravel Patch, the 18-fathom reef off the Seaway and also the 24s. Most Spanish have been taken trolling diving lures, which is a great way to find fish if they are a bit spread apart.
Once numbers of Spanish improve, slow trolling live baits on the surface and also on the downrigger is a very affective method to catch a feed. Just remember the new bag limit of one fish per person or two fish per boat limit for 2 or more anglers.
It will be good to see how everyone goes on the marlin this weekend. There have been a few landed but no big numbers for a few weeks now.
The fads have been holding a few nice dolphin fish. Current permitting the 50 and 36 fathom reefs have been producing a mixed bag of snapper, jobfish, pearl perch, tusk fish, yellow tail kingfish, amberjack and trag Jew. In closer the 18 and 24 fathom reefs have been fishing fairly well seeing some good-sized snapper, spangled emperor, silver jewfish, trag Jew, Moses perch, Maori cod and a few spotted and Spanish mackerel.
It has been good to see some nice quality Mangrove Jack have been landed around the Gold Coast the past week, which is good news for fishos keen to these aggressive red fish.
Conditions have not been the best so far this season with lots of rain dumping heaps of fresh water into the local waterways. Jacks can also be caught in fresh water so a bit in the normal system won’t usually put them off if the bait is still around.
It will be worth a look around the Coomera River given the amount of run off at the weir. Try a bit upstream and work your way down the south arm of the Coomera, fishing Hope Island to Sovereign Islands as this area can hold numbers of good sized fish around the many rock walls, pontoons and moored boats in the general area.
Fingers crossed we don’t get too much more rain and the fishing keeps improving during February.
Try casting or trolling lures along the rock walls and pontoons and around bridges. This can be very rewarding when you get that hit from a Jack.
The Tweed River has been fishing pretty well and also target the Nerang River, Runaway Bay Canals, Paradise Point bridges, Ephraim Island, Sovereign Islands and the Gold Coast Seaway.
Estuary Cod and Trevally will also respond to this method. Live herring, yakkas, mullet, garfish and pike are fantastic bait. Also mullet fillet and WA pillys will do the trick if you do not have a cast net or bait jig handy.
If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went email brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au