The great drop in temperature will bring on some of the greatest the Passage has to offer: mulloway, flathead, tailor and bream.
There have been some cracker bream coming out of the Passage and this should continue throughout June and beyond. Any rubble patches throughout the Passage will be a hot spot for these guys and will continue to yield great results. The bream are scavengers so they love feeding in these areas.
Elimbah Creek and Glasshouse Mountain Creek have been the go-to creeks for a lot of anglers in the area. Bait is the best option, and I recommend yabbies or pilchards. Use the flesh of the pilchards as I find that always works a treat.
Whiting have been a popular catch in recent weeks. You will need to fish the high tide, and try to fish in the shallows up on a yabby bank and move around quietly until you get onto a few. I have found recently they’ve been biting better just before the turn of the tide. The majority of the fish have been small, but in saying that there have been some good elbow slappers amongst them up to around 40cm. A good day on the water catching the humble whiting and bream will give you one of the best feeds the Passage has to offer. These fish are great on the plate.
As always, when the weather cools off we will see anglers starting to get amongst the winter whiting. Head to the Cockle Banks out from the mouth of the Passage as this is without a doubt the best spot for whiting. The easiest way to find the Cockle Banks is to head towards all the other boats as there’s usually quite a number of anglers making the most of this popular fishing spot.
Snapper are taking both baits and plastics at the southern end of the Passage. They’re not in any big numbers or size but they are still worth the hunt. You should also get onto the mulloway (jew) in this area. I suggest the ripples or under the Bribie Bridge. I fish around the turn of the tide around 45 minutes either side of the turn. Fish with plastics or live bait and you’re sure to get onto a great fish. Very early mornings and after dark are the best times in these areas as this is when boat traffic is at a minimum.
The larger flathead have slowly started to show themselves and this will only get better through winter and into spring, with September being the best month for this species. You can get onto some great flatties by trolling hardbodies as you can cover a lot of country and find the results you’re after. Try heading to any of the gutters or drop-offs throughout the Passage that hold weed and bait. If you prefer bait I suggest pilchards or live herring.
The most recent catches have been mostly small, with sizes varying from 35cm through to 60cm. The bag and size limits are five fish per person with a 40-75cm slot limit. Please take good care of the larger fish as once they get to 75cm the chances are they will be females full of eggs.
If you’re after a feed of crabs, I suggest chasing sandies. Put your pots in the deeper channels on the southern end of the Passage. You might get onto some muddies if you’re keen but you will need to watch your pots. Glassy and Bullock creeks have been producing some very respectable crabs.
The tailor should start to come in during June, with July normally being the cracker time for tailor in the Passage. Keep an eye out for any surface action and have a line rigged up with a slug ready to go just in case.
Reads: 2264