May your December catches be merry and gold GLADSTONE
Liam Jones
The talk around town is all about Awoonga Dam. The dam is fishing the best it has since the 2010 floods and it has got the entire state talking. The boat ramp car park is full nearly every day and the best part is everyone is catching fish. Best of all,
a little more effort than others but as a general rule right now, if you’re fishing the right area and right depth they will bite. The standout hardbody lures over the past two months are the Duo Realis 100DR, Yakamito Hyper Jerk 90, Jackall Squirell 79 Hunk Tune and Lucky Craft Pointers in the 78XD. As for colour, nothing has really jumped out from the crown in these lures. Just
Cortney Meiers with a Gladstone Harbour golden snapper taken on a Yakamito Hyper Jerk.
An 85cm Awoonga barra. This was the best fish the author caught last month. Expect to see some bigger fish starting to turn up through December. 90% of the fish being caught are in the 60-80cm category with the odd one over 80cm and there are reports of a few coming in over the magic 1m mark. At the moment the fish are hanging in the free standing timber, deep in it, which makes the fight short and hard. The fights either end in angler delight or donating another lure to the Awoonga Dam. No particular part of the dam is fishing better than any other, it just depends on the elements, wind direction and human pressure as to where produces the most fish on the day. I have now found fish in every corner of the dam. Deciding where I am going to fish for the day will generally depend on what way the wind is blowing and if that direction has been consistent in the days prior. For example, if the wind has been blowing constantly to the New Zealand gully side of the dam I will find a bay or point with some free standing timber on that side of the dam and work that until I find the fish. Of late they haven’t been too hard to find. These fish are luckily still in the ‘dumb’ stage where they aren’t too hard to entice to bite. Of course certain days require From page 52
Good numbers of grunter are being caught in the narrows along with the odd blue salmon still kicking around. They are mainly being caught in the deeper holes on the neap tides but fishing up on the flats during the bigger tide sets can also be quite rewarding. Grunter can’t resist a well-placed soft vibe, blade or plastic, so if you can find them schooled up you’re in for a ball. FOR THE KIDS Whiting and flathead fishing is very good at the moment throughout Wild
about every colour has been accounting for fish. Personally I’ve been going for whites, naturals and dark colours, but I know others have been catching fish on golds, silvers and chartreuses. In the plastics there have been three standout lures that have been catching well above the rest and that’s locally made Happy Rock Softies in the Medium Willies and Maxx swimbaits, Castaic Jerky J shads in the 5” and Lunker City Shakers in the 5” and 6”. The Castaics and Happy Rock Medium Willies are generally being rigged on flashy swimmers, while the deeper body profile on the Maxx and Lunker means rigging on a tradition jighead is much more efficient for hook up ratios. Those fishing sun up and
sun down using surface lures have been killing it on the ZMan pop frogs, Duo Pencils, Rapala X-rap Props and Zerek Geckos. There’s not too much that beats this and early morning barra surface strikes, so don’t be afraid to chuck on a surface lure if fishing the shallower bays and weed beds. While the saltwater barra closure is on there is no better time to get out and explore the amazing fishery we have on our doorstep. In the salt the mangrove jack have well and truly fired up in just about every system from Baffle Creek to Port Alma. The lack of fresh flow in all the major systems have kept all options open throughout November. Traditionally, once the likes of Baffle Creek, Deepwater Creek, Turkey Beach area and Calliope River start flowing fresh the jack fishing becomes harder and harder and you have to start looing elsewhere. Although we desperately need some decent rain I am not complaining on that front. What’s been working? The new Nomad design 85mm DTX minnows have been
accounting for some serious fish when worked over deep rock bars and snags. The trusty Diesel minnow in Houdini and Lunker City 3.75” shakers have been a standout when fishing overhanging timber. Golden snapper are starting to turn up in the Calliope River and throughout the harbour in bigger numbers and better size. Any deep structure is a starting point for these fish. The rock bars around Tide Island and Quoin Island are good places to start, while the train bridge and Bund wall in the Calliope generally holds fish. Live mullet or, even better, squid if you can get it will account for the best fish, while vibes, Gulp grubs and the new Gulp King shrimp have been enticing the bite for me of late. Big grunter have moved offshore to spawn and have turned up at all the usually haunts. Once again the most entertaining and exciting way to catch these fish is slow pitch jigging. When schooled like they are at the moment they can be easily sounded up on offshore gravel bars and around wrecks. They will bite aggressively and continuously on just about any coloured jig if worked correctly. The last few times I have been out chasing them I’ve had the
most success on the Yakamito Spirit Jig in 60g and the Storm Koika in the same size. These jigs are easy to work and have a great action on the drop, which is when 90% of the fish will hit. Other lures that have worked well are the Gulp King shrimp and the 93mm Madness vibe. This vibe is like no other on the market as it has a hard silicon texture that will not rip on fish and is moulded over a solid wire rather than the tradition multi-strand wire most other vibes come rigged with. This not only means longevity, but also that the vibe can be bent to vibe more aggressively and also bent back into shape after being wacked by them bigger fish. Offshore the bigger red throat have started turning up and the trout have began grouping in shallower water. This is the perfect time to get out and start throwing some stickbaits and poppers over the shallow reefs for big trout lipper and GTs. Expect the big GTs to start turning up at some
of the closer spots like Rundle Island, Hummocky Island, Bustard Head and Sable Chief Rocks. December should fish exceptionally well offshore providing the weather gods play nice. The crabs have been slow and will continue to be pretty ordinary until we get some much-needed rain. Hopefully in the coming month we see some decent rain to liven things up for the following months, although not too much that we send that dam wall over again. All the hard work we see go into Awoonga Dam, the last thing we need is to lose all those fish again. • For more information on what’s biting, or to stock up with all the tackle and bait you need, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler Gladstone at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. You can also check out the latest news, photos and specials at Facebook Compleat Angler Gladstone.
MIKAT CRUISES
THE FISHING EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! • Reef, Deep Sea and Sport Fishing • Swains, Samurez, Cap Bunker Group • Dories available • LUXURY 20m Cat. New V8 Scanias. Large comfortable and stable. • Air conditioned and fast (cruise up to 16 knots) • Professional crew (over 22 years experience) • Cater for groups up to 12 people from 3 to 10 days • BYO or fully licenced bar • Desalinate unit • Trips designed to suit your requirements
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The author with a 13kg red emperor taken in the last good weather window. Cattle Creek and the lilies. Early morning making tide, as the fish are just starting to feed up into the shallows, is the preferred time, but they can be caught throughout the day. Hands down the best bait in our region for these fish has to be yabbies, so make sure you head down to Wild Cattle and pump a few before you head out. • The staff here at Pat’s Tackleworld Gladstone have their finger on the pulse as to what’s going on out at the lake, so don’t hesitate to drop in or even give them a call. They are more than happy to
help get you onto that fish of a lifetime! They have a huge range tailored to barramundi fishing, keeping up with new trends and are still stocking the old faithfuls. For all the latest news on what’s biting and where, drop into Pat’s Tackle World Gladstone at 23 Lord St, Gladstone Central and chat to the friendly team. You can also follow Pat’s Tackle World on Facebook ( w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / PatsTackleworldGladstone), Instagram (@ patstackleworld) or check out their website at www.tackle worldgladstone.com.au.
Excellent small boat mooring in front of the Campground Catch Coral Trout, Red Emperor, Sweetlip etc within an hours boat trip from the Campground
Easy access to great Reef & Estuary Fishing and Mud Crabbing 100 powered sites with 27 absolute beachfront sites with fireplaces
Bookings please phone 0749 749286 Website: 1770campingground.com.au Email: camping1770@tpg.com.au Bookings essential weekends and school holidays DECEMBER 2018
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