FLATTIES ON THE CHEW
HI everyone, hope you are all having a nice week, it was great to see some good weather last weekend on the Tweed and Gold Coast.
After such a bad run of wind and rain the sunny conditions were very well received seeing plenty of happy people throwing in a line and spending some quality time outdoors.
We have had a bit more wind and rain during the week but conditions have been OK if you stick to sheltered waterways. I always recommend checking the latest forecast before heading out on the water.
The Flathead fishing has been great the past week with local fisho Jackson Ford having a great trip on Sunday around the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. When it comes to tides you can find good numbers of fish on either the runin or run-out tides depending on the areas you choose to fish. On the run-in tide Flathead will tend to move onto the tops of sandbanks, up close to the shoreline and get among the mangrove tree bases searching for bait fish and prawns to feed on.
On the run-out tide the same fish will then tend to move as the water recedes and then sit on the drop offs waiting head into the tide for the bait to be washed off as the water get shallow. In the deeper water like the Jumpinpin Bar or the Gold Coast Seaway on either the run-out or run-in tide it is a matter of keeping an eye on the sounder and locating an area that is holding bait. If the bait is there the Flathead usually will be feeding nearby. This time of year is when the big trophy breeding females are around in good numbers accompanied by lots of smaller male fish fighting for their attention. If you manage to catch and release a big fish there are usually good numbers of male fish around which are the perfect size to keep for a feed or just great fun to catch and release. I have seen pictures over the years of up to 20 male fish hanging around one female.
It pays to have a few different options when it comes to lures until you can find the right size and colour that switches the fish on to bite.
When it comes to soft plastics generally anything from 3 inch all the way to 7 inch will do the job, just match the jig head size and weight to suit the plastic size, and current and the depth of water you are fishing. Prawn imitation lures are also very popular and very effective given the number of prawns that school up in the area.
These can be fished weedless or with a standard jig. I also like using soft vibes with Zerek fish traps being on of my favourite lures.
The action on these lures tends to fire the fish up and get the bite.
If you prefer to use bait, drifting is the most productive method try using live yabbies, white pilchards, WA Pilchards, Blue Bait and strips of mullet fillet. Some good spots to try are the Gold Coast Seaway and rock walls along South Stradbroke Island, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Tipplers Passage, Never Fails, Jacobs Well, Bedrooms, Jumpinpin Bar, Kalinga Bank, Crusoe Island and the Logan River.
If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, email us at brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au