Mackay

MACKAY Keith Day

habdays@bigpond.net.au

Spring warmth, sunshine, northerly winds and fish on the chew, that’s September in Mackay when the last of the ‘winter’ weather has gone and the really hot humid heat is yet to arrive. Good times for anglers!

Over the last couple

Sooties in the river or dams are always great fun and Matty Richardson loves getting up the Pioneer River and nailing a few like this ripper on lures or fly.

of months there has been a smattering of small mackerel and tuna species throughout the district, but this month should see the winds swing more E, ENE, NE, and N, and when that happens huge schools of baitfish come close inshore and, of course, the predators follow. And they won’t all be small macks either, as generally speaking our Spanish mackerel bite is best during the winter months, there will still be plenty around chasing the bait schools.

A great angling experience is to drift around on a glassed out sea near Mackay harbour, with tuna smashing bait balls on the surface, and macks and trevally patrolling underneath scoring all the injured baitfish and the leftovers from the carnage above. The noise is awesome, and the mac tuna in particular get so focused, I have had them hit the side of the boat, and even had one jump across the boat once!

Casting shinies and jigs on spin tackle gets massive hook-ups and runs with maximum fun for the angler. Letting a jig sink below the mayhem often gets a bigger doggie, spotted or Spanish mackerel and multiple hook ups are common and comical with anglers swapping positions, and lines going over and under one another! Great sport and the end result, if you look after them, will be top meals of the freshest fish.

The expected calm seas will also give smaller boats a chase to get out further and chase reef fish like trout, reddies, nannies and red throats. If a northerly is forecast, then by noon the wind is usually up and means a rough, slow and wet trip home. If in doubt, stick close to the shore, as there are plenty of spots around the close islands where trout, cod, grass lippers, stripies, and such, can be caught.

The close islands produce plenty of blueys and

September will be a great month to have a crack at them. Blueys feed up in the shallows hunting small crabs, but they are very alert and wary fish. Most local ‘guns’ chase them using live or very fresh prawns and sometimes use a bunch of yabbies to get the bite.

Blueys seem to know every rock in the general area, and specialise in getting in and around those rocks at breakneck speed once hooked. More are lost than landed, but if you get them turned and landed, you will have one of the best eating fish in the ocean. Visitors or newbies should have a chat to the guys at Tackleworld on tactics, spots, baits etc.

Moving into the creeks and estuaries, the run of good sized whiting should continue through this month, with the Pioneer River being the best spot for a feed. Land-based anglers can get among the action around Sarina Inlet, McEwans Beach, and the beaches to the north of the city and up into the NFZ. Freshly

pumped yabbies are the prime bait, but Tackleworld sometimes have live worms available.

Flathead, grunter and pikey bream will feature among the estuary/creek systems during September. Flathead in particular should be in good numbers through this month and have really been on the chew all winter. Drifting the sand flats in Sarina Inlet or on the north side of the Pioneer River is a very relaxing way to spend a few hours flicking small lures or flies for flathead. Plastic minnows, curl tails, and prawns will all find favour with the flatties, and deceivers, pink things, clousers and prawn style flies will work equally well. This is great fishing in clean clear water and the chance of getting a lovely fresh feed of flathead, no wonder it is so addictive.

The spring weather means barra will be way more active and close handy spots like the V and the road bridges on the Pioneer will get plenty of attention from live baiters and lure anglers alike. The fact that you are in with a chance of landing a metre salty right in the middle of the city shows how good the system is. The mangrove forests on the north side, the Gooseponds and the many kilometres of freshwater all contribute to the health of the system, despite the number of weirs, all of which prevent migration of the barra, mullet and other species.

Barra will be on the chew from Rocky Dam in the south to the top of the NFZ, and every creek no matter how small will have some barra at various stages of the tides. Many of these dry out to a few holes at low tide, and that is the spot to chase barra. I expect there will be plenty of action around the neap tides in places like Constant Creek’s barra hole, Murray Creek and the creeks in the St Helens area. Victor Creek at Seaforth will also come in for plenty of attention with the deeper bank just upstream from the moorings often producing good barra.

The warmer weather will also liven up the dam barra, and anyone who doubts the success of MAFSA’s stocking

program, only has to check the ramps at Teemburra and Kinchant dams around the full moon to find parking areas chockers with trailers. Kinchant now has lots of artificial structures to attract baitfish and barra. The co-ordinates for these are listed at the dam boat ramp and on Mackay Regional Council website. Trolling large minnows, paddle-tails or swim baits near these structures is a great way to connect to one of Kinchant’s famed monster barra.

If you prefer casting, stick to the shallower waters and work any weed islands or fish lanes through the weeds. Any ‘inlets’ in the main weed bodies should also be targeted. Stick to water up to about 5-6m deep and place accurate casts along the weed edges or around weed islands. Work your lure right to the boat as often hits come just as the angler goes to lift the lure from the water.

Teemburra is a ‘points’ fishery and a timber’s fishery. The points are

generally fairly open and don’t have much if any timber although cut off stumps may be nearby. The timbers are much harder to fish because of the amount of timber, but sneaking along on an electric and firing casts in and around timber, fallen logs and lily pads is about my favourite way to chase barra. In the open areas, plastics are hard to beat but in the timbers, hardbodies or surface lures are the go-to tools.

I have only scratched the surface of what’s available to anglers in Mackay during September, when we have great weather and red hot fishing from the rainforest to the reef. See you at the ramp.

Mac Cowelly fished the NFZ with Inshore Fishing Mackay and was rewarded with this beautifully marked black spot estuary cod. A top catch and tops for the table too!

A beaut 65cm bluey caught by Tim Swann on a live crab bait fished up in the shallows around the close inshore islands. Tim got smoked by several others during the session.