This month is sure to be a good one with quite a few fish getting on the bite.

Water temperature is a big factor when it comes to the fish's feeding moods. I've found a lot more anglers have been coming into the canals fishing for bream, mulloway and flathead, three of the main species on most estuarine anglers list this month!

Already I have seen a lot of flathead caught, nearly every time I go for a flick I get at around 3-5 with one large specimen. I'm telling you, blades are the go right now and also in the upcoming months, slowly retrieved with hops, lifts and always keeping in contact with the bottom. Good flathead areas include most months of canals; Nerang River, Jacobs Well, Runaway Bay with lots more on the list.

Whiting have been in good numbers, taking a variety of surface lures. My favourite lure is the Strada Chaos 45mm and most 'walk the dog' lures fishing over the sand flats. You will get quality whiting nearly everywhere on a sand flat. Some favourite areas include in Coombabah River (throughout the main channel you will find sand flats), Council Cambers in the Nerang River, and throughout the Jacobs Well area. All you need to remember is always keep that popper moving no matter what. Do not stop it even if a whiting is behind it. If you stop it, most of the time they will swim away. If you’re a bait fisho, you can't beat bloodworms!

In Jacobs Well there are plenty of mullet full of roe. Mullet are very good crab bait and the ones at 10-20cm make exceptional mulloway bait, both live and their fillets. There are also a few luderick around throughout the Passages around Tipplers.

Squid! There are a lot of squid getting around, mostly around weed beds and under lights at night. A few areas I've got in mind include the marina near the Bayview Towers in Biggera Waters and Runaway Bay. Best lure on the market is definitely the IKA Squid Jigs in pink!

This is the last month of winter. It has sure been a cold one with temps getting as low as 4°C at times! The water temperatures will very slowly start to increase in the next couple of months. The surface bite has been average, but I do put my surface lures away unless there is some surface action, but now I will start getting them back out. The odd bream will take a small surface popper. Lures with a nice mouth on it that will push water forward are the best, like the BOLT poppers and Lucky Craft G-Splash are couple on my list.

Hope Island, Coomera River, Sovereign Island, Nerang River and Coombabah are some giant trevally hot spots around this time of year. These fish will smash the surface chasing tiny baitfish, whether from deep into the canals right down to the mouth of the canal. Casting a small plastic at around 2.5" with a small TT Lures Hidden Weight System jighead is the perfect set up for this situation as you will have a ball! A few more GT spots include Jacobs Well and Tipplers Channel, but keep in mind that these pelagics are always on the chase for bait, so keep your lures in the strike zone! For the bait fishos, try white pilchards and prawns on the run out tides.

Until next time, keep a rod in your hand because there's plenty of fish to offer in August within our local Gold Coast Canals!