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Braining the bream
  |  First Published: June 2016



That would have to be one of the mildest autumns we have had for years! Don’t worry, there is no complaints from this happy angler, as the weather gods have finally cast a generous eye on us over the last few weeks, allowing anglers to spread their wings throughout the bay.

The last two months have been all about our bread and butter species of bream, flathead and whiting, with all of them firing in many reaches of the Northern Bay. Gentle winds and mild mornings have been quite conducive to good fishing, making it easier to justify those early morning starts as the weather cools.

PUMICESTONE
PASSAGE

The Passage goes through many changes at this time of year, and the fish really make the most of it. In the cooler months at Bribie, we tend to get excessive weed growth throughout the passage, making it very difficult to fish, especially around bigger tides. To combat this, it may pay to fish out of high current flow areas and fish in back eddies or behind rocky points and fish with lighter weight, reducing your bait’s sink rate. For the lure and soft plastic enthusiasts, run shallower lures than you would normally use and fish lighter in your jighead selection.

Bream have been nibbling throughout the whole system with rising tides being the favourable. Mangrove edges around Donnybrook, Elimbah Creek, Glasshouse Creek and Bullock Creek at Meldale have been fruitful for the last few weeks, which should only last the rest of the month as many of the bream make their annual spawning run up to Caloundra through the cooler months.

Flathead numbers have also been on the rise with size and numbers growing as the mercury starts to fall into brisker conditions. There are many run-offs and creek mouths that enter the Pumicestone, and targeting these areas is the key for flathead fishing in the area. Run-out tides and guttering drop-offs work quite well in the Passage, with places like White Patch and Ningi Creek being great target areas.

Diver whiting are being caught in good numbers at the Cockle Banks with bloodworms and squid being the preferred baits, so be sure to get out there early on a calm day, as it has been known to get busy.

REDCLIFFE
PENINSULA

This would have to be one of my favourite times of year to fish Redcliffe, as the transition to winter has fish acting rather aggressively in their feeding patterns. Lower lit hours have tended to be rewarding for some strange reason unknown to me, but I imagine it’s the combination of spawning cycles and moon phases that really get the fish fired up.

Juvenile snapper numbers have been stable over the last month, with anglers being rewarded for their efforts, especially keen overnighters. North Reef has still been the pick of the areas with Queens Beach and Woody Point still producing the odd good fish.

Legal tailor have also been roaming north of the Peninsula following the bait schools.

Bream numbers have been solid over the last few weeks, with their annual spawn giving them ample excuse to feed up before and after the full and new moon phases. Shallow to mid-running hardbodied lures have been working a treat around rocky points and bommies, with grub style soft plastics showing good cause.

Inside North Reef, Queens Beach, Osbourne Point, Shields Street and Redcliffe Point have all been good breaming spots of late.

Squid numbers have slowly been filtering through with the cooler westerlies dropping the water temperature nicely for the them to spawn. Be sure to keep an eye out over the next few weeks, as this is a great time to start chasing these delectable cephalopods.

PINE RIVER

The Pine generally fishes well over the cooler months with flathead and bream being the most common catches. Diver whiting are currently being caught in Bramble Bay with the Compass Adjustment Buoy and outside Eventide being good places to head to.

Sand crabs are also present in Bramble with many anglers setting pots from the lower reaches all the way out into the bay while out chasing some whiting.

Bream have been patchy upriver, with ebbing tides working well, especially when fishing along the abundant mangrove-lined banks. Dohles Rocks and Deep Water Bend are the pick of the areas, especially on dawn and dusk, with fresh baits keeping anglers very happy with their catches.

Flathead quantities have remained stable of late, with the lower reaches showing good form as per usual. Further along from the Pine, flathead are also being found through the Eventide foreshore and even through to the mouth of Cabbage Tree Creek.

Monthly Tip
Many crabbers have noticed other anglers tampering with crab pots that are not their own. Please be sure to respect other anglers’ property and not to touch what isn’t yours.
Reads: 1983

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