The Fraser Coast has been looking a bit brown and dry which is a stark contrast to last year when floods were our main concern. Hopefully some summer rain arrives and the place starts to look a little greener!

On the fishing front sharks are still proving to be unavoidable at times. Fishing heavy tackle and deck winches can help but you can’t avoid the tax man for ever. Some anglers have resorted to not fishing after dark to avoid the most taxing times. Here’s the rundown for this month.

The local reefs have fished well with coral trout, cod, sweetlip, golden trevally and tuskfish all being consistent catches. Flesh baits, squid, crabs, plastics and livebait are all working well and the fresh is best approach always improves your catch rate.

At this time of year pelagic species are available throughout the Great Sandy Straits and with spotted and school mackerel, longtail tuna, mac tuna, bonito and barracuda all within access to the smallest boats - there is always sport fishing options a short distance away. Trolling, casting slugs/plastics and livebaiting all work at different times and are all worth trying - if you are equipped for these three methods something will work.

On the flats big flathead are prevalent taking plastics and hardbodies, whiting are biting on the building tides and golden trevally are in and around all the creeks and ledges that infringe Fraser Island.

Good catches of threadfin salmon, jack, cod, flathead and queenfish are taking cast and trolled lures. Whiting, bream and flathead are taking worms, yabbies and plastics and a few crabs have been on the move.

If you can get the weather right the trolling has been good outside the bar with school yellowfin tuna, longtail, mahi mahi, cobia and marlin all responding to a well set spread of lures. Working contour lines, bait schools and reef systems are all working for boats towing lures. Just remember to check in with VMR 466 before attempting a bar crossing.

Inside fishing has been similar with longtail, mac tuna, mackerel, mahi mahi, queenies, trevally, cobia and black marlin taking trolled and cast lures and live bait. Hot spots include Porpoise Shoal, Rooneys and Wathumba.