Freshwater

TOOWOOMBA Jason Ehrlich

fishability1@bigpond.com

Spring is my favourite month to be on the water. Warmer days, without the bitterly cold winds, are much more attractive than what winter can dish out. Everything seems to come to life. The plants, bugs and animals on land are first to show the season has changed.

The fish too will change their habits but you’ll be witnessing this more through watching your sounder and how they react to your offerings. Almost all species step it up a notch this month with bigger Murray cod being an exception. They go through their breeding routines and have other things on their mind until that’s all over.

Of all the fish on offer this month, impoundment bass are my favourite. We can also start chasing their river mates again this month from the 1 September but it is those big fat monsters in the dams that excite me most. After the breeding season, the dam fish don’t lay their eggs so the females are still full of roe and in prime condition. Across lakes like Somerset, Cressbrook, Wivenhoe and Hinze, 2kg+ bass will be plentiful. All the other bass lakes are capable of producing similar sized fish but they are usually fewer in numbers. Somerset is the true home of the giants and there are plenty of bass over 3kg and the occasional 4kg+ specimen to be caught.

With COVID lockdowns becoming a part of life, all we can hope for is we have access to the great fishing all over the state this month. I urge you to get out and have a go at every opportunity because you never know when you won’t be able to. Support the businesses around your fishing destinations. The small servo, kiosk, campground, pub, fishing guide and tackle shop all need to make a dollar during these tough times. If there’s a window of opportunity grasp it and enjoy the great freshwater fishing on offer in Queensland. Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel.

CRESSBROOK

CLOSEST TOWN:

CROWS NEST

Cressbrook Dam has been fishing quite well for the past month. The bass numbers aren’t huge but there have been enough to keep most people happy. The fish are being caught around the dam from will fire up in the deeper parts of the lake this month. The lack of thermocline allows the bass to comfortable sit in 20m of water. Big schools of fish will be found in 10-20m of water out in front of the boat ramp and on the deeper points up Beams Creek.

Soft plastics and spoons will be the way to entice the fish tend to hold up on the shallower areas around 10m deep. Despite nailing better numbers close to the boat at this time of year, I still like to fire out a long cast to look for these bigger fish. The Raptor Slow Fall Jig and 30g Slow Blatt will be a good options on these bigger fish. If they aren’t eating it on a slow wind, try hopping the lure across the bottom back

You can lose the big jackets and beanies this month. Big fat bass, like Ian Ryan’s fish, will be on offer.

several locations with schools fish of the same class. If you can track down the bigger ones, you can expect to nail several quality fish. The bigger bass are around 50cm long and the average one is around 40cm.

A lot of smaller bass bites. Once fish are located, I like to position myself in deeper water and fish back to them. If they choose to come over and stack up below the boat, they are usually more willing to eat in the deeper water where they will suspend well off the bottom. The bigger to the boat. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. With the change of season, the dam hours change this month to 6am to 8pm.

SOMERSET

CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY

Home to arguably the biggest bass in Australia, Somerset is the place to be if you want a trophy-sized fish. I love this place in September. The big bass are catchable in August but if you pick a nice September day to chase them the numbers are usually way better. The fish chew harder this month and can be caught in several locations around the lake.

The biggest bass tend to hold at the top end of the lake. This has been a common winter/spring pattern over the last four or five years. Fishing the flats within sight of Kirkleigh will put you in with a good chance of scoring big numbers of big fish. The big ones can also turn up in smaller numbers right around the lake where they will be mixed in with the smaller classes of fish. Kirkleigh area tends to hold them in under 10m of water but as you venture into the lake’s middle reaches around Pelican Point, they can be much deeper in around 15m of water. Wide on Pelican Point, Happy Clappers and out from Red Rock on the deep flats will be holding bass and there are early signs they will show up in Bay of Plenty and in the mouth of Beam Creek. These deepwater schools are best hit early in the morning. By mid-morning, they start to break up and can be difficult to find again until late in the afternoon.

Spoons and soft plastics will be the lures of choice all over the lake. If plastic fishing, paddle tails and curl tail grubs around 75mm long rigged on 1/2 or 5/8oz jigheads, will get the bites when slowly retrieved. Spoons or metal jigs from 20-40g can be used and different styles will perform better under different circumstances. Gang Bangers, Halco Twisties, Nories Wasabi, Slow Blatts and Raptor Jigs are some of the more popular ones. • Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website www.somersetfishing.com.au. They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch. WIVENHOE

CLOSEST TOWNS:

ESK, LOWOOD

Boats were finding fish on the deepwater flats out from Billies Bay last month. They were reluctant to bite but spring should switch them on. Good numbers of bass will be on offer with early mornings being a great time to be on the water. Spoons are hard to beat at this time of year as the bass feed up on bony bream. You can also get them using soft plastics, blades, soft vibes and tail spinners. Trollers will also be able to get into the action but may need to dig out their deepest lures.

Works were carried out to allow boats to launch from the Billies Bay area so there is no need to travel all the way around from Logans Inlet. This saves a lot of travel time as it certainly adds up when motoring at the 6-knot speed limit. If you are petrol powered, you need to have a 4-stroke or low emissions outboard and travel at 6-knots in all areas when on this lake.

Mix it up when fishing spoons for bass to see what they want most. Some days it doesn’t matter, but other days spoon choice and technique makes a huge difference.

BOONDOOMA

CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY

Boondooma is fishing well with plenty of bass holding in big schools in deeper water. Searching in around 10m through the main basin should reveal their location. Once found they are suckers for spoons and vibes. The bass bite should continue all month and golden perch will start to become a more regular capture.

Most goldens will be taken as by-catch when casting for bass. It is still a bit soon to troll up good numbers on hard body lures but they won’t say no to a live shrimp floated down in front of them.

COOBY

CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS,

TOOWOOMBA

Cooby will still be steady this month but a few more golden perch will start to fall for lures. Slower presentations will be most effective. TN60 Jackalls worked slowly around the weed beds or a hopped ZX40 in schooling fish will get most bites.

Lure trollers will get the occasional fish and can increase their catch rate by switching to a 60mm lipless crankbait and adding stops and starts to their normal troll run. During the stop the lure action stops and it sinks triggering a lot of bites. Allow just enough time for the lure to fall to the bottom before moving off again. There were a few cod about over winter. The smaller fish should still be active but the big ones may be scare if they are on the nest. LESLIE DAM CLOSEST

TOWN: WARWICK

Leslie had a good rise over the past few months. It is good to see the water already clearing up a bit. The edges of the dam will produce golden perch and Murray cod. It is one of the few Queensland lakes where shore-based anglers stand a good chance of landing quality fish.

Bait fishers can try a mix of live shrimp, worms and frozen saltwater yabbies. Shrimp are ideal in these conditions and are likely to get the best response.

Lure fishers should look for the clearest water, which is likely to be found down near the dam wall or right up the back. If visibility is at least 30cm you stand a chance and as this increases, the artificial action should only get better. Jigging small blades is always popular when targeting golden perch. In Leslie, I like to upsize my offering a bit and use a soft vibe jigged vertically or hopped across the bottom. The bigger profile will be easier for the fish to find in the coloured water. Trolling will produce as soon as the water is clear enough. Try a slow troll using the electric motor to work a hard bodied lure or lipless crankbait.

Cod were quite active last month and some quality fish were fooled with big swimbaits. The Jackall Giganterel did most of the damage and accounted for quite a few chunky fish. The mornings are prime times to explore the lake edges and flats when the bigger fish are actively cruising. The action is likely to die down due to the breeding season and fish being on the nests. You could see the evidence of this in some of last month’s fish as they were preparing them and

Jason Robinson scored this 109cm cod last month slow winding a Jackall Giganterel. The cod may be tougher this month but there will still be a few about. had red fins from fanning suitable sites. • Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street has all your fishing needs covered. They can set you up and point you in the right direction. GLENLYON

CLOSEST TOWNS: STANTHORPE, TEXAS

The dam will still be quite dirty this month as it has had good inflows in recent months. This is ideal for the future and we will see good numbers of Murray cod and golden perch caught on lures when it clears up. For now, bait fishing will be the best way to catch them. Live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies are great baits for a mix of species with catfish added to the list. • The Glenlyon Tourist Park is a great place to stay. You can opt for a campsite or stay in the warmth of one of the cabins. Brian and Debbie are very passionate about Murray cod and their kiosk has a good range of lures for sale to target them. You can make bookings by calling (02) 6737 5266.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA

CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE

I had a couple of short sessions on the dam over the past couple of months. Both produced fish and bites and it should only get better as the weather gets more stable and temperatures build.

Good numbers of barra can be found outside the weed edges around the main basin. These fish can take a bit of finding but if you search each area using your side image on the sounder you will find the areas, which are holding them. The bays and points would be my first points of call and I would also concentrate on the windy shorelines. Even if fish numbers are low, if there is dirty water, there is a good chance they will be there to feed. The barra love hunting in the coloured water as it allows them to ambush prey. The bays would be my daytime port of call and the points more suitable later in the afternoon and into the night.

Suspending lures are definitely worth using. The Jackall Squirrel and Super Squirrel or Samiki Redic are perfect. Long pauses between rips and twitches will get the fish to bite. Soft plastics can be worked outside the weed edges or over the top of submerged weed beds. Rig them to suit the depth the fish are holding. Some fish may still be holding deep in the healthy weed beds. Weedless rigged frogs and paddle tail plastics can get the bites in the thick weed. We heard a couple of barra feeding boofs deep in the weed last trip after dark. • Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake. He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. He successfully guides clients onto fish right through the year and has a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and this is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing. com.au. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, self-contained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033. CALLIDE CLOSEST

TOWN: BILOELA

Barra were a bit quiet over winter. This is normal for this lake as it has a huge variation between day and night time temperatures. Things will start to improve this month and I’d be happy to say you could easily bang a couple of barra each session provided the days are nice and warm and weather stable.

Based on last year’s fishing and lake level, I think we’ll be in for more deepwater fishing. The big barra have learnt the bait is thick and are happy to live and feed out in the open water of the main basin. With little in the way of a thermocline this month the fish will be able to move freely through the water column. Sounding will play a huge part in establishing what depth they are holding and help in choosing your presentations.

Last year a lot of the more active fish were feeding around 3 metres deep at the start of spring. Soft plastics rigged on 1/2 or 5/8oz jigheads or the 5.5” Zerek Mullet will be ideal until they move deeper. • You can stay close to the dam at Lake Callide Retreat. The park has basic camping, powered sites for camping and vans and also selfcontained cabins. There is a well-equipped camp kitchen and toilets and showers up in the main part of the park near the office. Make sure you bring all of your fishing tackle. The kiosk has a limited amount of fishing gear but it is well suited to the lake.

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