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All the fish of the Rainbow
  |  First Published: October 2011



Although the weather has been far from perfect we are still getting out amongst the fish.

OFFSHORE

We've been targeting snapper and testing out the new bag limit laws of four snapper per angler, with three fish under 70cm and only one snapper over 70cm.

The only problem is that we have caught many at 70cm. A snapper of about. 4.5kg is around 70cm long and it is not really a big fish, so I think this rule is a bit silly. I'm no mathematician, but I would have thought that perhaps increasing the minimum size to 40cm would work out better considering snapper begin breeding when they are about 28cm long and it would give the smaller fish a couple more seasons to breed.

We've been getting some great catches of snapper, especially on our light gear. Those who have been fishing on the boat with 20lb line have been getting their bag limit easily.

Floating pilchards with a little three ball sinker, a single hook and 5” soft plastics on a 3/4oz jighead have been doing the trick every time. My pick of the plastics lately have been the Gulp jerk shads in glow colour.

Like last month, hanging off the main structures and using lots of berley is still the way to get them going.

Pearl perch continue to bite well in close, and we have also been picking up quite a few coral trout while fishing for the pearlies.

Cobia have also been biting really well. They seem to be present on all of the wrecks and high ground that is loaded with bait. The best way to catch these hard fighting fish is live yakkas or slimy mackerel, floated down on a six ball sinker.

We have also been picking up quite a few blue fin tuna using the same methods in the same vicinity.

ON THE BEACH

Whiting have been biting particularly well around Inskip Point, just near our famous new sinkhole.

Quite a few tailor have been landed off the beaches and some really big specimens around 6kg taken off Double Island Point. Smaller chopper tailor have been biting well in the evenings, pretty much along the entire stretch of beach, with late afternoon reaping the best rewards.

GREAT SANDY STRAITS

It’s a similar story in the Straits with whiting biting really well, particularly on the southern end of Fraser Island, near the barge landings.

Flathead are also on the chew and fishing the banks around Garys Anchorage with soft plastics has been producing plenty of flathead, many of which are oversize.

Mud crabs have slowed down, but catches will increase with the water temperature coming into our warmer months.

October is another great month for offshore fishing. As in past years very good runs of snapper will continue through October and it is also one of the pick months for red emperor.

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