June is an exceptional time to head to the Pin and try to catch a feed of fish. The cold weather and westerly winds fire up the bream, juvenile snapper and tailor. The other main Pin species, such as flathead, mulloway and whiting, should also be around in good numbers.

Traditionally, winter is bream season so you can expect to see this species dominate your catch rate. The larger ones are mainly caught at night near the top of the tide as the flow slows down and they come out of their snags to feed.

Be sure to berley up and put on enough bait on your hook as the little pickers will go straight to the bait and have a nibble then the larger fish will move on in and hit the bait that’s left. That’s why baits like mullet and chicken gut work so well because they hold the hook well and give the bigger fish a chance. Baits like yabbies, prawns and pilchards are great for catching bream but come off the hook too easily.

For a feed try around the Mouth of the Pimpama River, Flat Rock, the Powerlines, Kalinga Bank, Five Ways and the eastern point of Short Island.

Small to medium juvenile snapper also turn up at this time of year and are great fun on light gear. They should be attracted to the same baits as bream or you could try flicking 5-7” plastics when you find a patch of fish. Try looking for gravelly patches or small coral, like along Macleay Island, or you should be able to find them in all the usual bream spots.

Tailor have finally shown up with the odd greenback amongst mainly choppers. Heading to the top of South Straddie and walking to the surf has been proving fruitful with good catches coming on dusk and just after dark. Floating pillies is working well around the Pin Bar and the yellow beacon off the point of Crusoe Island or, as usual look for the birds diving and cast lures into the schools.

Flathead are still going great guns with plenty of good lizards on offer. They seem to be everywhere at the moment being caught on all sorts of baits; from pillies, prawns and whitebait, to shallow diving hardbodied lures being trolled along the weed patches, to 3-5” soft plastics twitched along the bottom. Try around the drop-offs of Kalinga Bank, Tipplers Island, Little Rocky Point, the bottom of Kangaroo Island and the flats at the mouth of the Logan.

Not too many whiting are about, or maybe not too many people are fishing for them as there is so many other fish to catch. If you are keen for some whiting try using blood or beach worms around Alberton Sands, Slipping Sands, Tabby Tabby and Tipplers Island.

One of the latest trends is chasing whiting with small poppers. You need calm shallow water to only about 2ft and blip your popper slowly across the surface. Waiting until low tide and walking the sandbanks is an excellent way to fish like this and proving very productive.

Mulloway anglers love this time of year as the bigger specimens come out to play on cool clear nights with small tides. Using live mullet, pike or herring is a must when chasing them but remember to be patient as mulloway will play with the bait for ages before eating it and if you jump the gun and strike chances are they won’t be back. The hot spots are the deep water off Swan Bay, Kalinga Bank, the Powerlines, Marks Rocks and Giants Grave.

I recommend sticking with the crabbing as the season seems to be going longer this year. Try around the mouth of the Logan, Cobby Passage, Tiger Mullet Channel and around Woogoompah Island on the drop-offs.

Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in. If you need to order any bait or want up-to-date fishing information give me a call at Gem Bait & Tackle on 3287 3868 or email --e-mail address hidden-- I’ll catch you next month.