BEAT THE CROWD FOR DAWN BITE

HI everyone, hope you have all had a good week. The rain was quite persistent at times this week with heavy falls around the Gold Coast. At the time of writing my report the weather pattern of moderate wind and rain looks to be hanging around until early next week. Saturday looks like the pick of the days with a strong southerly change tipped to move in on Sunday. Let’s have a look at some options if you are keen to wet a line this week.

Weather permitting, the fishing offshore has been pretty consistent the past week with nice catches. The closer 18 to 24-fathom depth line has been producing good, mixed bags consisting of big snapper, jewfish, trag jew, tusk fish, moses perch, Maori cod and tailor.

An early start is important when targeting the close grounds as the fish seem to respond well to the dawn bite and it also doesn’t hurt to try to beat all the other boats heading out in search of action.

I always recommend spending time sounding around the reef to try to find the most life possible to anchor on or drift around. You are looking for signs of bait fish and more solid fish arches which will indicate predators are in the area on the hunt.

Float lining is the most productive method of fishing and will usually always produce more quality fish than a paternoster drop -tyle rig in the shallower depths as the bait is lowered in a more natural manner triggering a strike on the way down.

Whole WA pilchards, large whole squid, mullet fillet, bonito fillet or live or dead yakkas are my pick of the best baits to try.

This time of year fishing the 36 and 50-fathom lines is very current dependent. If you can crack a day with little to no current the bottom fish should produce samson, amberjack, yellowtail kingfish, pearl perch and snapper. If the current is up it will be worth a look around the Fads as a few rat dolphin fish have started to show up.

Fishing Jumpinpin, the Broadwater or your local rivers and estuaries this weekend will depend on how much rain we have received during the week. At the time of writing the report the tail end of the week was looking to be the wettest with a large amount of rain due to fall.

If you are looking to target a feed of ream, the rivers and estuaries will be your best bet after the rain as they seem to fire up and feed well. The Nerang River, Tallebudgera Creek, Currumbin Creek, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point and the Logan River should all produce a feed.

Try using prawns, white pilchards, blue bait, mullet fillet and yabbies for bream. Closer towards the ocean entrances it will be worth a look if you are targeting some larger predators as they will frequent areas that have better quality water on the incoming tide. The fresh water pushing out of the system will tend to concentrate bait schools on the tide lines in turn you should find flathead, squire, trevally, jewfish and tailor.

Fishing live baits like herring, silver biddies, pike or mullet should do the trick. If you prefer lures, soft plastic between 3 to 5 inches should match the hatch along with soft vibes, metal vibes or micro jigs.

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au