NORTHERN BAY Tackle World Lawnton

I’ve been looking forward to winter season more this year than previous years. Probably because our weather has been all over the place and hoping winter will bring some normal patterns back. Winter can be a great time to get out and about and catch some RIVERS

Winter can be a great time to fish the estuaries. Bream will be about actively feeding through the systems, but most commonly you will see them around structure or towards river mouths chasing a feed. Bream can be taken on a variety of baits, and are aggressive lure takers, which can be great fun. Small profile plastics, especially prawn profiles work well

Mulloway will be around in June. Put in the work and you will be rewarded.

fish. Yes, it’s a little harder to get up early with those frosty mornings, but for those that make the effort the rewards will be there! POST FLOOD

Finally the rivers are getting back to some good fishing. Excellent catches of flathead and bream throughout the systems, but best catches have been towards the river and creek mouths and hanging off structure, such bridges and jetties. We are seeing more catches of snapper and grunter bream everywhere from the foreshore out to the rubble grounds.

There have been some excellent quality bass caught in the creeks since the flood as well. but they will also take small diving shads and crankbaits on the regular.

Last year saw one of the better seasons for tailor we had seen in years and fingers-crossed we will be in for another good one this year. The start of winter is usually the time we start seeing them more regularly in our systems. They are great fun to catch and are a great feed – best eaten fresh. They are often caught along the beaches chasing bait, but they can also be regular catches in our rivers as well.

Tailor are a tackle shop’s best friend (sharp teeth means lost hooks) so if they are around make sure you’re prepared. A pilchard rigged up on a some gang hooks with a free running sinker is a great start and adjust your rig depending on where you’re fishing. If the tailor schools are thick, make sure you’re prepared and have a metal slug on a rod ready to go. A nice fast retrieve through a school is usually too tempting for tailor.

If you want to put in some hours, mulloway will start showing up in better numbers throughout the colder months in our estuaries. For best results, it’s worth heading out at night. Look for holes and bait on your sounder around the bridges and hopefully some of those silver ghosts won’t be far away.

A quick note for those on boats. The floods from previous months have seen some shallow sand banks build up and other obstacles arise throughout the rivers and creeks. Please be safe and cautious as we navigate the ever-changing systems. OFFSHORE

With the waters clearing up and some good weather on the horizon, what’s not to be excited about fishing offshore in winter? Yes the number of pelagics will slow down, but now is the time to turn your attention to other species, such as snapper, grassy sweetlip, winter whiting, to name a few. It’s also prime time for squid as well. What a feed!

Starting with winter whiting try to target the shallow sandbanks anywhere from Bribie through to the northern bay. The good news is they fish well during the day, so you don’t always have to get up early for the bite. As always, with whiting, fish a nice light line and light trace. A long shank hook in size #4 or size #6 is the way to go and make sure you adjust your sinker size so you get to the bottom. The best bait for whiting is beach worms and bloodworms, but they also take a variety of other baits.

A little tip: If you can’t get any worms, buy some squid and cut into some fine small strips. Marinate them in a red food dye solution similar to what is done to preserve beach worms. Perfect!

Snapper are also going

Prawn imitations, like the Shads Tough Prawns work great on bream.

Schooled up bass are on the bite.

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Winter time bream on cranks equals great fun.

to be doing the rounds this month in the bay. Snapper, even though you can catch them during the day, the peak bite is going to be early morning. Try fishing off the points at Redcliffe and the small inshore reefs. The good news is snapper can be caught many ways – from a simple paternoster rig to float lining out pilchard on gangs. Don’t be scared try plastics on them as well, they love them. FRESHWATER

The good news is the dams are starting to fish well since the shock of the flood. Some good catches of bass and yellowbelly have been made and this should only get better as we get into the cooler months. Winter means big fat schooled up bass and with some good catching already happening it’s looking like a great winter ahead. Spoons, slow batt jigs and those ultra deep diving crank baits are going to come into play for the lure throwers. But don’t be scared to throw other offerings as well.

Unfortunately, the flood also brought an influx of unwanted guests into the dams and creeks as well, with many reports of tilapia being caught. If you do catch any of these pests make sure you don’t release them back into the water and dispose of them in the correct manner. Legal requirements suggest killing the fish immediately and either burying the fish or disposing in the closest rubbish bin. • For more up to date information on fishing in and around Brisbane call into the guys at Tackle World Lawnton and they can point you in the right direction. The friendly staff at Tackle World Lawnton cater to all levels of experience and offer the widest range of brands at the best prices. They are located at 640 Gympie Road Lawnton (07) 3205 7475 or find us on Facebook and Instagram.