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GC surface bite heats up
  |  First Published: October 2016



With the rise of the water temperature throughout SEQ canals, we are seeing our canal systems start to liven up once again, and the surface bite will get better!

Early morning and late afternoon sessions are best for surface, especially a late afternoon along a rock wall after a hot day. You should see a great deal of bait clinging to the water’s edge.

Flathead are probably the main species for most estuarine anglers around this time of year, and I don’t blame them, some big lizards have been caught recently all throughout the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. With the annual Flathead Classic, flathead fishing may take a couple of weeks to pick up again afterwards, but don’t be dismayed. There are quality fish out there on the prowl!

Fishing around spots that look likely to hold bait, for example, weed beds, drop-offs, rock or retaining walls, bridge pylons, jetties and so forth, should see you connected to some lizards. A good starting point for lures are 4” plastics with a jighead around size 3/8o, and ZMan offer a range of colours. A few I would recommend are pinfish, electric chicken and bubble gum.

Mangrove jack are thick, and some anglers are catching several jacks per session, which is a great achievement. They are a hard species to hook, let alone land, but I like to keep things simple. Cast at jetties throughout the canals using a 4” paddle-tail lures and should be in with a shot. White colours usually works a treat. Throwing six to eight casts at each jetty is a perfect amount, where you’re not over or under fishing it. I usually go two on the front, one or two on each side and, if you can, one behind. A slow, constant roll is by far the most successful technique when casting at jetties.

In the next month, we will see air and water temperatures rise. With hotter weather, we may see an increase in afternoon storms or scattered showers throughout days. But then again, this is a good sign when fishing – just before a storm the fishing often fires up!

I spoke to Will Smedley, who fishes the southern Gold Coast canals, and he let me know that the action is picking up down there as well. Southern Gold Coast canals such as Tallebudgera and Currumbin creeks will also start to have a heavier amount of jelly prawns holding on structures such as pontoons and rock walls. Bream, flathead, mangrove jack and trevally are the main species to target with jelly prawn imitations, as these fish will gorge themselves on these tiny shrimp.

A great lure to use would be a ZMan 2” GrubZ in hardihead colour or other transparent colours to properly imitate the shrimp. Light jigheads, such as TT HWS, in 1/40oz will create a very natural suspended action just like a shrimp hovering in the same spot or tight to structure.

October is another awesome month of the year where we start to see a glimpse of how hot summer will be! The fishing fires up, and some solid fish are on the bite, so make the most of it!

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