Whiting should be biting
Good numbers are thanks to high rainfall that’s pushed extra schools out of rivers
It was a wet and windy weekend on the Tweed and Gold Coast followed by more moderate southeasterly winds and showers.
While the swell has eased, we are still expecting a bit to hang around and showers as we look forward to the weekend. Inshore waters will be the best option unless the wind and swell eases offshore.
Whiting have been in good numbers in the Broadwater over the past couple of weeks, with fishos landing some great feeds. The good numbers of fish are courtesy of the high rainfall received during summer that has pushed extra schools of whiting out of the local rivers out into the Broadwater seeking better quality water to feed in.
Good numbers have been landed in the channels from the Sundale bridge north to Paradise Point. Yabbies have been the best bait followed by beach worms.
As the water quality slowly gets better, the rivers should start to produce better catches of whiting and less vermin like catfish and pony fish. Fingers crossed the rain gives us a break and the fishery a chance to recover.
The good thing about the rain is future fishing will benefit from the big flush-out. As the rivers slowly return to some normality, it will be worth having a look.
Try the Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek, Currumbin Creek, Nerang River, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point and the Logan River.
When choosing the right gear, I would recommend a nice light rod from 7 to 9 foot with a sensitive tip, matched with a small reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a long 6lb fluoro carbon leader, size 3 to 5 ball sinker depending on the current and a size 4 to 6 bait holder hook to suit your bait of choice. Best baits are live bloodworms, beachworms and yabbies.
With plenty of bait getting around the main waterways, chasing flathead will be a good option. The water quality closer to the ocean entrances has been the best and a good place to start looking.
I usually use a mixture of soft plastics, soft vibes, metal vibes, surface lures for the shallows and diving lures to cover ground. If you are fishing in an incoming tide, the bait will tend to make its way on to the tops of sandbanks and also the shallow edges close to dropoffs. When chasing flathead, these are good areas to concentrate your efforts.
It does pay to keep an eye out for bait getting skittish or being hit by predators. This will mean you are in a good area if you notice this.
Work you way up with the water as it rises, and you will give yourself the best chance of finding flathead feeding.
The same principle works in reverse on the run-out tide – work your way off the bank with the bait and fingers crossed you will find flathead lined up along the edges waiting for an easy feed to swim past. If you are keen to try some trolling some lures, the best advice is to always troll with the current where possible because flathead are predominantly ambush feeders and tend to lie head into the current to get a clean strike at the baitfish. If you are trolling against the current, the flathead will have to turn around to strike, which normally means you can miss a large number of fish because they cannot get a clean hit at the lure. Also try to troll as long as possible.
Some good places to try your luck are the Tweed River,
Currumbin Creek, Tallebudgera Creek, Wave Break Island, North and South Walls of the Seaway, Crab Island, Brown Island, Tipplers Passage, Aldershots, Never Fails, Jacobs Well Shoals, Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Kalinga Bank and Canaipa Passage.
The Gold Coast Seaway has once again seen big schools of yakkas feeding on the surface. If you can get some of these great live baits and get them out, you will have a great chance of catching a good variety of species.