From September 1, 2011 our creeks and water ways are open to bass fishing again. Most of the creeks and rivers have seen very little fishing pressure over the last three months so hopefully anglers should experience some amazing action.

Small hard body diving lures that dive roughly between 0.5-1.5m will be ideal. Spinner baits are definitely worth trying and are perfect for targeting the deeper sections of rivers and creeks. Make sure you cast as close as possible to the edges, and use a slow steady retrieve. Sometimes the bass will have a couple of goes at it before you get a solid hook up.

Lake Kurwongbah could also be worth a try in September. As the water temps start to rise , the insect activity will increase and so will the saratoga activity. Small stick baits, surface poppers, frog imitations and cicada lures will work better late after noon or first light. A stealthy approach is a must as they are often close to the shore and can spook very easily.

The redclaw were still being caught in winter so numbers should only increase this month as the days start to warm up.

August saw squid finally arrive in reasonable numbers with quality specimens coming from Shornecliffe jetty, the shallows along Scarborough Peninsular and out around Mud Island. Catches of 30-40 squid have not been uncommon with some gun Egi fishos catching 100+ per night. Just a quick reminder that a bucket of salt water over the area you’ve been fishing will help keep it clean for others to enjoy.

Unfortunately the end of July saw a light green weed commonly called snot weed enter a lot of the creeks and rivers making places like The Pumicestone Passage difficult to fish at times and practically impossible if using plastics or lures. Hopefully it won’t hang around for long; it should start to disperse within a couple of weeks.

Bream have still been present in all the usual haunts around the bay and in most river systems. Some of the best action has come from casting small hard body lures or blades in and around the edges of prominent weed beds. Using a slow rolling retrieve with long pauses has been the most successful technique. The best lures to use so far have been the Atomic Hardz, the Impact tackle Bladez in white bait colour. Using this method should also see some by-catches of flathead, tailor, trevally, and whiting.

Big flathead have been around in excellent numbers with the Pine River again fishing very well. The Highway bridges have been the number one spot lately, with the area from the mouth of Bald Hills creek down to the Hornie brook bridges also fishing well.

We’ve had reports of some decent schools of tailor coming through with the best spots lately being Woody Point jetty, Scarborough reef area, Brisbane river mouth, The Pine river and Nudgee beach. Most of the fish have been around the average chopper size, but there have been some crackers taken on bonito or tuna fillets.

With days starting to get longer and warmer, the local jack population should start to fire. Cast netting live poddy mullet and herring for bait is the most popular method, but it won’t hurt to take some dead with out with you; we’ve had sessions where it has out fished livies, particularly when the fish are a little sluggish.

Jacks will also take a wide range of hard body lures, soft plastics and flies. One of the best overall lure is the good old Prawnstar. Its ability to be able to be worked through the snags at various depths is invaluable when chasing Jacks. There is a variety of sizes and colours available with the Prawnstar junior in the bloodup colour being one of the most popular. Accurate casting is a must as they live and feed in close to structure and the fight is usually a dirty one. As soon as you get hit, you need to strike hard to try and turn the fishes head or the fight may only be a short one. For best results use 20-30lb braid and 30-50lb leader and make sure your drags are set tight. Good Luck.

Various species of tuna should be available through out most areas of the Bay. Most will be bonito or mac tuna but the highly sort after long tail tuna is definitely on the cards with schools popping for a short time then disappearing again. It pays to have a spin rod rigged and ready for action when travelling throughout the bay just in case.

During September we should see an increase in the numbers of cobia in and around the bay. One of the most popular spots is the Four beacons, but many of the main shipping beacons can produce fish. Another favourite spot is called Western Rocks, located just north of Cape Morton. Sending large live baits down a well prepared berley trail is a popular method, however well presented dead baits such as slimey mackerel, whole squid or decent sized pilchards will also work. Cobia are commonly caught while floating whole baits for snapper, so be certain to use strong ganged hooks like the Mustad 7766 because the long hard fight will test terminal tackle.

At The Tackle Shop we are continually expanding our range. We now have a lot of new products in store at very competitive prices. We also have one of the largest ranges of quality fresh and frozen baits in Brisbane. Our business hours are from 5.30am-6pm Monday to Friday, Saturday from 4am-6pm and Sunday 4am-4pm.

If you would like more information on tips and techniques, locations or for an up to date fishing report please give us a call on (07) 3862 9015 or just call in to say g’day. Myself and my team are all mad keen fishos and are always happy to help.