It’s all going off at the moment with just about every species targeted at this time of year fishing well. If we don’t get blown away this month, it should be a beauty!

In the bay the northerlies have shut down a lot of fishing opportunities with small windows of weather being the only chance to fish further afield. Local reefs and up the creeks have been more accessible and some good fish have been caught.

The reefs are producing snapper, coral bream and blackall on deadbaits, coral trout on trolled hardbodies and plastics and some good cod on live herring and pike on the tide changes.

Small sharks, undersized broadbar mackerel and tailor have been a problem mauling livebaits intended for better fish, so if you get on to the livies load up on them, you can always let them go later.

The Sandy Straits and creeks have fished well for summer whiting on the building tides with night tides fishing best.

Flathead are still thick, threadfin, blue salmon and barra are taking livebait, hardbodies, Prawnstars, Thready Thrashers and plastics fished deep.

Grunter and mulloway are becoming more common, and some mulloway are topping the metre mark.

It’s a good time to fish a few livebaits in the deeper holes in the Mary/Susan rivers. Kingfisher Bay seems even more lively than usual with masses of baitfish, small GT, barra, mackerel, tailor and kingfish all actively feeding around the jetty. Down deeper jewfish, bream, goldies and flathead are taking live herring, plastics, yabbies, squid and flesh baits.

The Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic is back after having to cancel last year’s tournament. If you’re into gamefishing or want to learn, keep the weekend of the 8-11 November free.

The committee have worked hard to solve fuel barge service issues. Full mothership facilities and fuel barge are available and, with black marlin numbers increasing inside Rooneys and good reports further north, this year is shaping up to be a cracker!

For more info go to www.hbgfc.org or call Brad Rocke on 0431 611 196.

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Dave Taylor with his first cod taken on a live herring