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Jumpinpin hot in winter
  |  First Published: June 2012



Winter is bream time when fishing around Jumpinpin and that will be the focus of most fishers this month.

They will be around in bumper numbers and the trick will be to find those better quality 30cm+ fish congregating around the many snaggy structures that make up this fantastic fishing haven.

Make sure you use enough weight to get to the bottom and that you can stay there as long as possible to give yourself the best chance at a bite. Some good spots to try are Kalinga Bank to the Pig Styes, the deep water off the bottom of North Straddie, the mangroves south of Slipping Sands, around the base of the Powerlines, the northern entrance to Cobby Passage or Short Island’s eastern tip.

The baits that have been catching the best fish are peeled prawns, whitebait, pippies, pillies, mullet and chicken gut. I prefer to use a 01 or 1/0 long shank baitholder hook when chasing bream because the bait stays on longer and I find I get more hook ups.

This is also a great time of year for chasing a few flathead. The water quality is improving, which is great for lure fishers whether they’re using plastics, diving lures, or vibes. Flathead will follow lures all the way in so keep working the lure until the end. I had a 40cm lizard follow my plastic up 30ft near Kalinga Bank but because I cranked in the lure over the last few meters the fish gave up just below the surface, much to my disappointment. So keep persisting with the lures and the results will come.

The pick spots to try for flathead this month are the sand and weed banks and mud flats between Cabbage Tree and the Powerlines around the three green beacons. Also try the Slipping Sands, Kalinga Bank, the drains on the Western side of Short Island, Cobby Passage and Tipplers Island. Good quality prawns, small pillies, yabbies and whitebait fished on the first of the run-out tide will hopefully yield flathead for dinner.

June has many cold, still nights with small tides, which is great to head out for a jew fishing session. Livies are the best bait to use, be it either mullet, herring or worms but they will also take strip baits of bonito, tailor and mullet. Jewfish are a very cunning predator known for being finicky and playing with the bait for ages before swallowing it, so patience is the key. Best spots to try for a jewies are the deep water off the bottom of North Straddie and the hole in Cobby Passage.

Jewfish must be over 75cm and there is a bag limit of only two per person.

As summer whiting become scarce their smaller cousins the winter whiting become more prevalent. Distinguishable by small black spots along their flanks winter whiting have no size limit and a bag limit of 50; they are easy to catch and taste fantastic.

A mate of mine got six fish on one piece of worm, which is great fishing in anyone’s book. So use small line, small sinkers, small hooks and small bait around sandy shoals and yabby banks and you’ll be on a winner.

The run-in tide is the best time to chase some tailor this month, although most should just be choppers as it’s been pretty quiet so far this year on the greenbacks. If you’re using metal lures try to use smaller 10-40g ones as the bigger ones aren’t getting the hits.

The tailor should be schooling up so keep an eye out for the birds working and move with the schools. If this doesn’t work, try floating a pillie or dropping one to the bottom in the deep water off Kalinga Bank or Crusoe Island. The odd tailor has been caught around Tabby Tabby as well.

If you have any reports of fish, any questions, need to order bait or just want to yarn give me a call on 07 3287 3868, come in and see me at Gem Bait & Tackle on the way to the ‘Pin or e-mail --e-mail address hidden-- .

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