As we continue into the rainy season the ever present storm cells and constant downpours have provided anglers some memorable opportunities while cancelling out a few other fishing opportunities.

All is not lost though as the areas that have fired have been well worth the effort and have been rewarding anglers with some stunning fishing and some great memories.

Our local creeks and rivers have seen a lot of fresh in the last eight weeks and as storms continue to roll through, dirty water can be a problem. While most crabbers welcome this, it can also be beneficial to anglers. As water cleans with pushing tides, entrances to creeks and bays become feeding zones for all sorts of marine life. Both the Pine and Caboolture rivers have been fishing particularly well for crabs, jacks and whiting. Larger bream are showing up in most creeks about now as they follow small bait schools seeking protection in these areas. Flathead will be on the improve this month and larger plastics are a great way to target those trophy fish.

The previous release of water to the Brisbane River has made fishing the upper reaches a real treat for those who made the effort. Large bass, goldens and silvers have been caught right through the upper and mid waters of the river. All forms of artificial lures have worked well recently with spinner baits and chatter baits making a hefty comeback with a lot of anglers we’ve spoken to lately.

Impoundments continue to fish very well throughout southeast Queensland and surrounding areas with North Pine a stand out again. Don’t forget about Saratoga; these fish love our hot humid conditions this time of year and are always exciting targets, particularly on fly. Redclaw are in good numbers and shrimp are a great by catch for bottom or float baits alike.

Heavy seas have kept a lot of offshore fishos at home in previous weeks but reports are starting to filter in of good catches from most offshore areas. Mackerel of all types should perform well as summer pushes on, and wahoo also showing up in reasonable numbers. Mahi mahi are a great target this time of year and provide us with outstanding sport and tucker. Remember to take your photos quickly as these fish lose colour very quickly after coming on board.

Knowing how to read your sounder is a must for offshore anglers these days with a good example being the location of wire weed for pearl perch. Pearlies will frequent this type of country and identification of these areas will improve your catch greatly. Wide Caloundra is a good series of reefs for these fish.

The bay will always provide good fishing through out summer with the northern end and Redcliffe coast being some of my personal favourites. Spotties should be present as well as school mackerel and mac tuna with all located very close to some shorelines at times. Look around Scarborough Reef for rough bottom that holds a maze of hollows and trenches - this is fantastic snapper and cod habitat. The Redcliffe coast is best viewed during the day at low tide if you are thinking of fishing this area, but some of your best results will be at night. This type of bottom is also very good at holding berley trails in place for longer periods. Be aware of local green zones and give Redcliffe a go.

Sands crabs are on the move and open water shallow banks right across the bay are producing well.