The Fraser Coast has been much the same this past month; the same pandemonium that is! The fish, crabs and prawns have all improved on already good numbers and now the quality has got even better.

The Artificial Reef was fishing well leading into Easter with good baby snapper taking plastics bounced on the slack tide. Bigger fish are taking live and freshly caught fish and squid baits fished as light as possible.

Coral bream are abundant but there has been a lot of smaller fish amongst them. Big GT are working most parts of the Arty on dawn and dusk so take the gun gear and big poppers if you’re up for an arm stretching. Sharks are still a problem with a lot of quality fish being taxed close to the boat and a few big ones over 3m have been seen.

The southern gutters/25 fathom grounds is producing snapper, jack, trout, coral bream and cod on live and dead baits and plastics.

On the surface, mack tuna, longtails, cobia, barracuda and Spanish mackerel are working the area taking floating baits and lures cast or trolled.

Whiting and bream are sucking down surface poppers fished in or near the dirty water spilling from most Fraser Island creeks. Big flathead, shovel-nosed shark, broad bar mackerel and most other predatory fish are working the many prawn and baitfish schools that litter the creek mouths and adjoining flats.

Prawns have been copping a flogging from man and animal over the Easter break and still they are thick. Using the boat to spook them helps cut down on the prospecting casts and makes the bigger and better schools stand out, then all you need is a cast net and a strong arm to secure a feed.

Mud crab numbers are still good and there are some good crabs being caught you just have to sift through the many undersize and jennies that are about.

So whether land-based or in a boat there is plenty on offer this month in Hervey Bay.