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Summer bite approaching
  |  First Published: October 2012



The air temperature hasn’t been the only thing that has increased over the last month in our Northern Bay. There has been a sharp rise in fishing action in all areas of the bay, and many anglers are starting to get excited to see summer.

The Northern Bay has had its fair share of ups and downs over this year but with all the swings and roundabouts, we are holding our own when producing good numbers of fish. Whether offshore or inshore, anglers have shaken off the winter chills and gained in numbers to start enjoying our salubrious weather.

Flathead catches have been in good numbers over the past month with these sea floor stalkers being picked off around river mouths, sandbank run-offs and rubble flats.

The Bribie hotspots are Mission Point and White Patch, Clontarf foreshore, lower reaches of the Pine River and the mouth of Nudgee Beach. They have shown great consistency in flathead numbers with anglers all agreeing that the flooding tide is the best time to chase these ambushing hunters.

Larger shad style and paddletailed plastics have been the pick of the artificials with good numbers also coming on the ‘usually used for breaming’ smaller deep diving cranks around the 30-40mm mark. The rattling element of these cranks has been the selling point to the flathead community as it grabs their attention with considerable ease. It is also worth a trying bright colours as flathead have a passion for bright things.

Another species that has hit the accelerator in the past few weeks have been the ever-spirited bream. Pretty much turn to page 63 in your Beacon to Beacon book, close your eyes, swirl your finger and land on a spot and you are going to catch a bream in that area.

Bream fishing has gained great momentum over the last few years with the introduction of a vast array of bream specific tackle aimed to turn any avid angler into a breaming machine (just add water…).

We are blessed in the Northern Bay to have a backyard big enough to accommodate all breaming techniques whether it’s surface fishing at Donnybrook Flats or Cooks Rocks, to pitching plastics at Newport Waterways at Scarborough. If you love bream fishing, it’s your time to shine!

After a cracker winter bite throughout the bay, it has been another productive month in tailor numbers. These toothy speedsters have had their fair share of battle wins but their reign of terror is drawing towards a close as their annual run begins this month.

North Reef at Scarborough, Suttons Beach, Fisherman Island Rockwall and the upper reaches of the Pine River have been the tailor hotspots of late with the majority of anglers having success on live baits and shad style hardbody lures around 50-60mm. Popular live baits are herring or poddy mullet with some fishos snipping their tails for added scent.

Numbers of summer whiting are on the rise as our weather starts to warm up with the Pumicestone Passage and the southern beaches at Bribie starting to fire with these delectable table fish. The true essence of summer I believe is panfried fresh whiting fillets, sprinkled with lemon and washed down with your favourite brew.

Whiting have been reported up Coochin and Ningi creeks on the receding tide. Good bags are also coming from the surfside at Red Beach around to Skirmish Point with bloodworms doing most of the damage.

When venturing out for a fish in one of the many abundant estuaries over this month, be sure to drop a couple of crab pots out as mud crabs are starting to show their faces throughout the system. Aim to drop your pots in shady areas, tight against structure and ensure they are properly visible to boat traffic. Don’t be shy with your baits with whole or filleted mullet working a treat. Chicken frames are also being a popular choice.

A few fishers of late have been encountering some spectacular bust offs around the rock bommies of Redcliffe and Scarborough leaving them puzzled with speculation. But with further investigation, the summation drawn of the culprits have been the humble estuary cod. With increasing bait schools and water temps in the area, a few of these dirty rock fighters are being landed lately. Be prepared to upgrade line class or leader strength to 6-10lb to minimalise ‘dustings’ as good size estuary cod are known to reduce anglers to tears!!

Here are a list of a few breaming hotspots and some lure suggestions:

Donnybrook Flats:

Atomic Crank 38 Mid, Jackall Chubby Shallow, ZMan 2.5” GrubZ (Bloodworm)

Cooks Rocks:

Luckcraft NW Pencil, Atomic Crank 38 Mid, Pontoon 21 Crackjack 48SP Mid

Rock Bommies of Redcliffe:

Jackall Chubby Deep, Atomic Crank 38 Deep, Ecogear CX40HS, CX35HS

Pine River (Dohles Rocks, mangrove edges and upper reaches):

Atomic Bream Shad, 2” Gulp Shrimp (1/20oz jighead), Cranka Crank Deep (BBQ Prawn)

Brisbane River:

4” ZMan StreakZ, Austackle Sakana DD40F, Daiwa Presso Minnow 6F, Shads Lures 4” Flick tails (Tequila)

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