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Weather/ Fishing / Forecast Warnings Hervey Bay Waters: Fraser Island Offshore Waters, Sandy Cape to Double Island Point: Fraser Island Fishing report courtesy of Sailfish Apartments, Happy Valley: Ph (07) 4127 9494 Hervey Bay Rainbow Beach Report courtesy Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters Freshwater Report Lake Lenthalls Report Lake Monduran Report : Courtesy Jason Wilhelm Charter Operator Lake Awoonga Report : Courtesy Jason Wilhelm Charter Operator Fishing Report from Local Guide, Mark “Bargy” Bargenquast

▲TopWeather/ Fishing / Forecast

▲TopWarnings

A gale warning has been issued for waters between Gladstone and Cape Moreton, including Hervey Bay. A strong wind warning is current for remaining waters.

▲TopHervey Bay Waters:

A gale warning has been issued.

Thursday until midnight: S/SE winds 20/30 knots. Seas to 2.2 metres. Rain areas, isolated thunderstorms.
Friday: S/SE winds increasing to 25/35 knots during the morning with seas to 3 metres. Rain areas and isolated thunderstorms.
Saturday: SE winds 25/30 knots.

▲TopFraser Island Offshore Waters, Sandy Cape to Double Island Point:

A gale warning has been issued.
Thursday until midnight: S/SE winds 20/30 knots. Seas to 2.5 metres in open waters on a 2 metre SE swell. Rain areas, isolated thunderstorms.
Friday: SE/E winds increasing to 30/35 knots during the morning with seas rising to 3.5 metres in open waters. Rain areas and isolated thunderstorms.
Saturday: SE winds 30/35 knots.

▲TopFraser Island Fishing report courtesy of Sailfish Apartments, Happy Valley: Ph (07) 4127 9494

Whiting and bream are being caught just past the maheno on sand worms and pippies. Some nice jew up to 7kg are being caught on whole pillies. It looks like the rains set in over at the island leaving some very wet campers.

▲TopHervey Bay

Over the last week the bay has been fishing well with plenty of reports coming in from both land based and boat fishermen. However with a strong wind warning issued and winds of up to 35 knots for the next few days the fishing scene will be fairly quiet. The Burrum seems to be the safest option with some nice bream and flathead being caught on plastics over the last few days.

The Urangan Pier has been fishing well this week with some good catches reported from the 1st and 2nd channel. Bream, whiting and gar have been caught in the 1st channel with live yabbies and sand worms working best. Towards the end of the pier school mackerel, mac tuna and golden trevally have been caught using either live herring, 50gm Flasha spoons or 3-4 inch soft plastics. The best plastics seem to be the clearer colours like Berkley Power Minnows in pearl watermelon and galaxia green and Squidgy Flickbaits in pilly, evil minnow and gold finger colours. At night good bream are being landed close to the pylons using fresh strips of herring and mullet for bait.

River Heads is still producing a lot of mackerel off the bank with metal spoons being the lure of choice. There are a lot of smaller mackerel mixed in the schools so remember the size limit of 50cm for schoolies. On the incoming tide bream are being caught on cubes of pillie and chicken gut with some good fish also being caught on 3 inch gulp soft plastics.

At Gatakers blackall and squire are being caught on yabbies and hardiheads fished with a light pea sinker and a chemically sharpened hook. The odd trout and cod are also being caught with live herring and pike working best. Soft plastics have been accounting for catches of mixed reef species with black and gold Squidgys working well. Some nice bream are also being caught off the bank using mullet gut. Good schools of winter whiting are around the Gatakers Bay and Dundowran Beach area and can be caught on squid, worms, yabbies and prawns. Quite a few anglers have been opting to use the Berkley Gulp Sandworms with camo, bloody and natural all working. These bio-degradable, pre scented worms can be fished on a standard whiting rig and look just like the real thing.

The Arti has been producing some choice snapper with fish up to 8kg being caught. Half pilchards, hardiheads and herring have been working well fished on either suicide or circle hooks. The beauty with using circle hooks is the fish hooks itself with 9 times out of 10 the hook ends up in the corner of its mouth. Just remember if you are using circle hooks since its has a curled point don’t strike the fish as you will pull hooks, wait till you feel the weight of the fish then gently lift the rod to set the hook. 4-5inch soft plastics have been producing fish as well with powerbaits, gulp and Squidgy pro range lures working best.

Over the past few week catches of nannygai, trout, snapper and cod have been reported from Roonies. Live baits have been the best method as well as Berkley 7 inch Gulp Jerk Shads. The usual pelagics have been caught as well on white Snapbacks and 50gm blue Lazers retrieved quickly. At the shoals some good red emperor have been caught with one fish estimated at 12kg. Red throat sweetlip are also being caught with bait and Berkley Gulps catching fish.

▲TopRainbow Beach Report courtesy Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters

www.rainbowbeachfishing.com.au
Ph: (07) 5486 8666

With todays Charter cancelled on the Bar I have decided to do this report early as there will be no fishing for probably a week. Wednseday mornings forecast of 15-20 was way out as the wind got to 30+ knots. Last weekend produced quite good catches, with Saturday spent on the close reefs, as it was a bit rough early. Some good squire were landed, along with grassy sweetlip, scarlett sea perch, pearl & moses perch, and a few gold spot cod between 6 and 14 kgs.

On Sunday we fished well offshore to find llittle current and much better conditions.Our catch included red emperor, gold spot wrasse, pearl and moses perch, hussar, maori cod, parrot, and a few cobia.No snapper were landed and they are still hard to find in any numbers, maybe the water temp is still too high. Pearl perch on the wider reefs are also hard to locate.

Wayne from Rainbow Beach Tackle says there have been some good jewies taken from the beach towards Inskip, and there are a few whiting also from the beach. Reports of spotty mackerel catches have filtered through with fish taken in the Sandy Straits & the sand blow area. Thats all for this week, hopefully the wind will drop early next week and good weather will return for the long weekend. Tony Stewart.54868666.

▲TopFreshwater Report

▲TopLake Lenthalls Report

Lenthalls has been fishing well for bass with the most popular lures being Squidgy pro range fish rigged on weedless or resin heads. These lures are best fished around the lilies. River 2 sea bubble pops in the black colour have also been producing fish of a morning and afternoon.

▲TopLake Monduran Report : Courtesy Jason Wilhelm Charter Operator

Monduran is fishing very well this week with plenty of 1m+ barra being caught on stiffy boney breams. A few fish have been caught on top water with slick rigs working around the weed beds. If your trolling a few fish have been caught around the main basin, try using lures with a loud rattle to increase your chances.

▲TopLake Awoonga Report : Courtesy Jason Wilhelm Charter Operator

The fringes of Awoonga have been the most productive spots this week with pro range slick rigs being the lures of choice. Metre plus fish are being caught during the day with most of the barra sitting in 4-6ft of water with the odd one sitting deeper. Hardbodied lures like reidy’s b52s, bombers and stiffy boney breams have also been working well. If you prefer trolling a few fish have been caught using classic lures.

▲TopFishing Report from Local Guide, Mark “Bargy” Bargenquast

Hi all, looks like this weekend will be pretty hard for fishing with 25 knot SE winds predicted as well as showers, the good weather couldn't last could it. Fishing has been good with some great whiting captures in the shallows throughout the straits and some good winter whiting south of round island. Big flathead have started to show with fish over the legal maximum size of 70cm about.

Snapper have been taken in all the usual haunts like the roy rufus artifical reef, rooneys, southern gutters and wathumba. Fresh baits work well and soft plastics have taken to this fishery well with berkley gulps working well. Good numbers of squid are reported throughout the bay with big pencil squid about, hang a squid jig over the side while whiting fishing and leave the rod in the holder, the wave action will do the rest.

Bream have started there annual spawning congregations and we caught a few on small poppers last week with the biggest over 40cm, the biggest suprise was a 45cm snapper also on a popper, the first I have heard about on a surface lure in Hervey Bay! Some great longtails are about with one client landing a 14kg longtail on fly tackle on his third cast with a saltwater fly outfit, not a bad start to saltwater fly fishing.

Offshore fishing this weekend will be out but the fishing has been great with coronation trout, big reds and assorted reefies taken wide of double island point last week. Big snapper were caught close inshore over the full moon also with some over 9kg. Till next week, tight lines. If you would like to book a trip with Bargy just give him a ring on 0427 230 261 or visit www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au