Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months (which would of been flooded anyway), you can’t help but notice the effect the weather has had on our beloved fishing. And the Northern Bay hasn’t been exempt from the deluge.

A combination of the freshwater run offs into the Caboolture River and the opening of the North Pine Dam’s floodgates into the Pine River have really affected the water clarity around the bay and throughout the surrounding estuaries. Coupled with strong easterly winds and increasing swells, things don’t look so easy for our favourite hobby!

But it’s not all bad news. Good days have been appearing and letting fishos get out for a weekly fishing fix.

Changing your method of attack during these testing times seems to be the recipe for success as reports of good fish being caught have still been coming in. Targeting dirty water lines where freshwater meets the salt seems to the best option. Fish patrol these areas during feeding times for any elusive prawns or baitfish filtering through the waterways.

Also seek out areas of fast flowing currents and back eddies around your local estuaries will show that there is a presence of good freshwater filtration resulting in an increase in the water’s salinity.

The Pine River has shown this recently with reports of good bream and flathead being caught on the rising tide at Dohles Rocks, the picnic grounds at Deepwater Bend and upriver from the Highway Bridge. The use of long leaders and lightly weighted baits like thin mullet strips, squid and even chicken breast have brought the best success in these high current areas. For the lure fanatics the picks of the month have been Atomic Shad 40 and 50, Lucky Craft Flash Minnows, Jackall Colt Minnows and Bassday Kangoku Shads as they all possess suspending capabilities just right for pausing in those current lines. As for colours, solid contrasting colours are the wise choice to counteract the poor water visibility.

As Redcliffe Peninsula has also been affected by the recent weather patterns it has still managed to produce good fish about. Bait schools have decreased in size but increased in frequency as wind and tide patterns have forced the bait into reef bommies and closer to the shore making it easier to target predatorial species without driving your boat too far.

Chopper tailor and pike seem to be the main destroyers; especially around Redcliffe Point, Margate Beach and Osbourne Point just south of Queens Beach boat ramp.

Bream have started to increase in numbers around the Peninsula as the weather has warmed up. Best targeting these aggressive feeders on the rising tide as they have a handy knack of herding up baitfish in the shallows. For shore-base anglers, try the eastern side of Woody Point Jetty, Redcliffe Jetty and rocky points around Drury Point and Castlereagh Point with the pick of the baits being mullet strips and peeled prawns. For boaters, try outside North Reef and Scarborough Point and south of Scotts Point Green Zone where you may even come across the odd squire.

For tackle junkies, the bream have still been smashing the lures in the past month with the Atomic Crank 38, Jackall Chubbies and Maria Japan D38F Cranks being the outstanding picks. But you will be thanking your lucky stars that you bought those extra lures as the estuary cod have started to rear their lure-stealing heads of late. To combat this costly practice, upgrade your leader strength to 5-6lb and avoid running drag. This will hopefully limit your chances of donating to the lure gods!

Topwater action should start to fire soon as warm currents are beginning to filter through. The best lure choices are the Megabass Dog X Jr, Zipbaits Fakie Dog DS and Lucky Craft NW Pencils with bright colours bringing the most success.

Summer whiting have started to grow in numbers with reports of good catches around the eastern beach of Bribie between South and Skirmish Points. Blood worms are the pick of the baits at the moment with catches also recorded on thin squid strips. Try the shallows around Deception Bay and Cooks Rocks at Sandstone Point.

With summer just around the corner be sure to practise sun safety when out on the water for prolonged periods. Long sleeve shirts and wide brimmed hats are a must as nobody likes nursing a nasty sunburn. Also be more alert when travelling to and from your favourite fishing spots as water activity is rapidly on the increase. More and more people are taking to the waters to enjoy these warmer days, and couple this with a bit of boat ramp patience and we can all enjoy the summer we have grown to love!