Things are improving after all the rain with the water clearing and reports of prawns, squid and snapper increasing in numbers.
The Gutters, Fathom Hole and Rooney’s Reefs have kept up the pace with trout, cod, sweetlip, hussar and snapper all being boated regularly during May. It’s a similar story on the local reefs with blackall, Moses and snapper being more prevalent in close. Sharks are still a constant at most areas throughout Hervey Bay.
The Burrum, Mary, Susan and Fraser Island creeks from Moon Point south are producing jack, barra, threadfin, jew, grunter, bream and flathead. We have even had a confirmed sighting of a crocodile 2.5-3.5m long up river from Beaver Rock so keep your wits about you in this area.
The bay was still full of life last month with a varied mixture of species feeding on the same bait schools. Smaller fish like yakkas, scad and jellybean sized mac tuna have been feeding right alongside bigger mac tuna, longtails and sharks. On my last trip up the island there were two sharks about 3m long gorging themselves on a bait ball off Station Hill and after witnessing that you tend to up the ante every time you hook up on a fish!
Spanish, school mackerel and golden trevally are also working the area and are often found working beneath the surface action. If you are chasing pelagics for the first time keep in mind that you are trying to replicate a baitfish fleeing for their life. A slow retrieve won’t cut the mustard for tuna and after watching a couple of jet skis doing everything wrong even after I tried to help them I feel it’s worth mentioning the basics again.
Always approach the school from the side at a medium pace. Cast in front of the school, give the lure a few seconds to sink and then wind as fast as you can. If you do this, take a selection of different sized lures and watch what the birds are doing, then you will soon come up tight on whatever is busting up on the surface.
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