With whale season in full flight and the weather improving, if you needed any more convincing to load up the family and come and see what all the fuss is about well there’s always the fishing!

The creeks, beaches and estuaries are alive with big flathead hoovering up anything they can fit in their mouths in order to spawn. Plastics and hardbodied lures fished light are the best way to find the fish either cast or trolled, just remember the bigger fish are the breeders and are guaranteed to be full of roe at the moment.

Tailor numbers were good in August with hot spots like Kingfisher Bay and River Heads producing fish to 60cms. Raiders, lasers, most baitfish profiles and spinners work very well with hardbodied lures being a good choice for trolling. Plastics are effective but hook up rates and tail mortality keeps me going back to more traditional offerings.

Late season snapper, coral bream, parrot, trout and scarlets have all fished well this past month at the coral patch, gutters, 25 fathom and the many smaller reefs in Platypus Bay.

In closer, Moon Ledge, the Arty, Bagimba and McKenzie’s ledge have had cod, squire, blackall, trevally, trout and scarlets on a mixture of bait and plastics.

As mentioned last month, the water temperature is on the rise and so are trolling options in Hervey Bay. Across the bar the shoals hold most pelagics and depending on what depth you troll depends on the variation of species in the mix.

Out wider all the tunas, wahoo, dolphin fish, Spanish and billfish are the main targets and as you get in closer to the reef, GT, barracuda, shark mackerel, sharks and many reef species come in to play. Varying lure size, type snd troll speed can help to cater to what is on offer in the area. The 13 mile had black marlin and sailfish this time last year and September has always been one of the best months for sails up that way. Look for bait schools and work the contour lines outside the bar crossing. Closer to home the Porpoise Shoals, 6 mile, Rooneys Point and anywhere in Platypus Bay you find bait is worth a look. After last year’s billfish boom, if the fish come back in the same numbers this year it’s going to be a cracker. With the prospect of a bigger run of fish this year, watch this space. I’ll keep you posted as the season progresses!