This month, our local water temperatures increase and so do the fish numbers. We’re spoilt for choice as the pelagic fishing fires up towards December.

Anglers will be dusting off their mackerel and tuna lures in anticipation for another cracking summer season. Currently there are good numbers of marlin, sailfish, school mackerel and tuna all on the chew.

Our deeper, reefs and wrecks wide of Caloundra and the Barwon Banks are producing good quality snapper, tuskfish, pearl perch, cod and kingfish. There are good numbers of cobia about and you know how much I love to rave on about these brutes. Take the time to gather live bait. Whether you’re on a reef or a wreck, work the moon phase and tide changes and you’ll be connected in no time at all.

The close inner reefs around Mooloolaba, Gneerings, Currimundi and Caloundra are producing a mixed bag of species including snapper, sweetlip, kingfish, cobia and mackerel. Provided you fish sun up or sunset periods of the day, you’ll no doubt have bends in rods. As the water temperature increases, so does the day temperature – the good old “Slip Slop Slap” is a must.

In the later part of the day, it’s best to locate yourself in a depth of 50m+ and sometimes 100m. Areas east of the Barwon Banks and the Hards are the best to fish. Do the miles and get the smiles. These wider grounds around November are a pelagic playpen for marlin, tuna, mahimahi and sailfish as well as quality bottom dwellers such as snapper, pearl perch, tuskfish, cod, and kingfish.

Use a mixture of fresh bait, livies and lures and always be on the lookout for busting bait schools and working birds. You never know what lurks below. The estuaries have been slower as of late due to the increased water temperatures, especially in the shallow areas of the Pumicestone Passage and surrounding waterways. There are still plenty of bream about to be caught, but work the deeper holes, drop offs or shaded pontoons for best results.

We should see more flathead and whiting being caught throughout November – the Pumicestone Passage, Military Jetty and the Caloundra River mouth are all notorious hot spots. Hardbody lures worked in and around structure such as bridge pylons, jetties and pontoons. Early morning or late afternoon will see you battling more aggressive XOS bream. Please remember to release the larger fish as we need these to continue our breeding cycles. Fish for the future!

There will be a good change this month to rustle up a tasty feed of mud and blue swimmer crabs. November and December are prime months for both varieties to be out and about. There are so many different spots to fish around the estuaries and canal systems right across the Sunshine Coast but one of my all time favourites is the Maroochy River system. The famous Cod Hole, Chambers Island, and the many flats and shallows around this area are awesome.

I love taking my family to the river, whether I’m onshore, in the tinnie or the kayaks, there’s always plenty of smiles because fishing with your family and friends is the best therapy you can get. If heading offshore this month, pack an arsenal of overheads, spin gear, baits, lures and sunscreen, because as the temperature turns up, so do the fish!

1

Taylor with a flathead caught in Pumicestone Passage.

2

Bryce with a snapper caught at the Currimundi Reef.