This summer has been one of the best seasons for black marlin for several years and many Hervey Bay anglers were lucky enough to catch a billfish.

Inside Rooneys Point anglers have had several shots a day at marlin and with 100kg+ fish around it’s not a bad time to take up gamefishing!

All the mackerel and tuna species have been firing throughout the bay and Sandy Straits area. Jigging lead slugs around the beacons and channel markers has accounted for cobia, mackerel and golden trevally.

The Picnics have fished well for giant trevally, golden trevally and queenfish on plastics, slugs and poppers. There have been a few local prawns on the move in the Mary and Susan rivers.

The Urangan Pier has fished well right through summer with good numbers of broad bar and school mackerel, mack tuna and golden trevally taking live herring and lures. Queenfish and barramundi are a worthwhile target this month especially at night if you’re fishing from the pier. Fishing live squid and herring mid water around the lights has accounted for many quality fish over the years and some good rain will help stir things up and get a few barra on the bite. Be aware of the regulations regarding barra if you’re lucky enough to hook one.

Fishing poppers on the shallow sand flats and right in close around the mangroves and rock ledges has been producing all kinds of species.

Most pelagic species can’t refuse a well presented popper but they are also very effective on bream, flathead and other bottom dwellers.

The beauty of surface lures is that they are practically snag proof, which makes them great around rocks and mangrove roots. They can also be fished in a couple of centimetres of water and are deadly on flathead. Strikes are common in the first few twitches of the retrieve, showering water for metres around the lure and are guaranteed to wake you from any cast and crank mindset.

So the next time soft plastics and sub-surface lures aren’t working for you clip on a popper and give it a go – you might be surprised with the results.