With the sights and sounds of a nearing festive season flooding our eyes and ears, in the back of our minds we know this can lead to one very important scenario, days off work!

I don’t know about you, but a day off work with light winds and sunny weather on the forecast is my idea of a perfect excuse to hit the local waterways for some serious rest and recreation. With this in mind, be sure to check out my monthly tip to get the most out of your opportunities.

This area is a fishing haven at this time of year with many of the adjoining rivers and creeks providing good action for many recreational anglers. Elimbah Creek is one of the favoured areas around these warmer months with good bream and flathead being found under overhanging trees, laydown snags and good current flow corners.

The odd juvenile mangrove jack has also been reported over the last fortnight, with live baits like freshly netted poddy mullet being the go-to bait.

Sand whiting have also been prominent around the mouth of Elimbah with many locals using live yabbies to great effect. Using red tubing along your trace has been a must while fishing in the area as it has been producing many more bites. Ningi Creek has been less productive, with bream and flathead only coming after our seasonal afternoon storms pushing bait out of the creek. Lime Pocket, Mission Point and Coochin Creek have been the sand whiting hotspots for this month along with the usual southern beaches around from Buckleys Hole to Skirmish Point.

The Peninsula has been going well over these warmer months with the fish being found when bait schools are prominent. Bream numbers have been steady with cranks and soft plastics working well during the dusk and dawn hours.

Snapper numbers over these last few weeks have been good, with the usual areas like North Reef and Woody Point being densely populated on the days of good weather. The odd grassy sweetlip has also been reported off the reefs along with estuary cod keeping anglers very amused.

The warmer currents have bought good bream and flathead to the flats outside Newport Waterways during the high tide, with the weed laden muddy bottom providing good ambush grounds for these predatory scavengers.

Margate foreshore has been the pick of the fishing areas with anglers picking up good sand whiting over these hot months. The area has been really busy at times, with many anglers choosing the multi rod option to maximize their catch rate.

Hays Inlet has also produced good whiting with the run-out tide being the choice of the right time to fish. Sand crabs are finally starting to show up around the peninsula as well with Bramble Bay being the pick of the areas to lay your pots.

Deception Bay has started to fire after a slow start to the summer but the incidence of our customary afternoon storms has proven to be fruitful for the area.

The Pine has normally been quiet the stalwart of systems over the hotter months, but over the last few months it has been a bit slow for our liking. Flathead have been the common species caught with Deep Water Bend and Dohles Rocks leading the way in flathead catches.

Patient anglers have been getting good bags of flathead under the Ted Smout Bridge around the full and new moons with the run-out tide being favourable.

Upriver has been fruitful on the opposite end of the tide with good bream, flathead and even the odd small mangrove jack has been pulled when fishing closed to the mangroves either drifting with an electric motor or anchored up.

Preparation is the key. Keeping your boat in ‘ready for the next trip’ mode is the key to never forgetting important things for your next fishing journey. After each trip, spend a little extra time after your wash down and engine flush, to have your boat fully prepared for whenever the next expedition may occur. This ensures a smooth departure without wrecking your brain for the things you forgot!