The weather has been a little bit up and down, which is par for the course at this time of the year, however the fishing continues to be terrific.

We are still not getting out as much as we would like to, but have managed a few trips offshore and the pelagics and bottom dwellers are all still biting really well.

There are a lot of Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi getting caught off Rainbow Beach. We have been picking up a few spotted mackerel, but they continue to be a bit patchy.

On the reefs we have been getting some ripper catches. Some beautiful red emperor, coral trout and coronation trout have been some of the fancier ones we have been putting in the box. Some big catches of parrot, Moses perch and bucket loads of hussar have been coming from out on the wider grounds and we have been picking up some lovely scarlet sea perch, snapper and estuary cod on the close reefs.

The die-hards that chase the mangrove jack and barramundi have done really well. Catches of these two species have to be getting better and better every year and I have to wonder if the increase in seasonal temperatures is the cause. I even know of a couple of barramundi that were caught right next to the boat ramp here in Rainbow Beach.

There have been a lot of diver whiting caught around Big Mick beacon and Teebar Creek. These little fellas are not only pretty good to eat, but they make excellent live bait for catching golden trevally off Inskip Point.

On the days I haven't been able to venture offshore, I have partaken in my fair share of beach fishing and have done very well on the summer whiting in the shallow gutters and drains along the beach towards Inskip Point. I have been using live yabbies and beach worms with a lot of success. I think the live yabbies may have a slight advantage over the beach worms at the moment as they seem to be producing the larger fish.

May heralds the start of our prime fishing months where we should see an increase in snapper and pearl perch catches. In the past we have seen some of the best red emperor catches of the year throughout the month. Bring on the cooler weather.