The weather has been fairly inconsistent over the past month, with only small windows of opportunity to get offshore, and plenty of storms too. Those who have found windows to get out have been doing really well, and reaping the rewards across all forms of fishing.

While the barra season has been closed, there’s been plenty of mangrove jack firing in the Boyne. A local charter operator has been regularly getting 6-7 in a session, which is fantastic fishing. The best results have come mainly on Lucky Craft G-Splash 70s and other topwater offerings.

A few anglers have been hitting the local golden snapper (fingermark) population, and soft vibes over the rock bars seems to be the most reliable method at the moment.

A lot of barra were caught in the closed season, which is a good sign for this month when the barra season re-opens.

There are heaps of grunter getting around at the moment. They were in great form through winter, and they’ve carried right through to summer! The standout area for grunter has been Tooloola Bend.

Whiting are still in fine form, and a couple of local anglers have been catching them with topwater presentations. Seven Mile and Turkey beaches have been producing good whiting catches and walk-the-dog lures have been the pick for lures. There’s nothing more relaxing than cruising the beach and casting into shallow water for some tasty sand whiting. Grab some little topwater lures and give it a go!

Offshore fishing has been really good, with both inshore and offshore reefs giving up some fantastic catches. It’s been a matter of choosing a good weather window to venture out, but those who do, usually end up getting their bags on reefies.

Red throat emperor have been thick, and getting a bag of trout hasn’t been too tricky either.

Further out, big stickies have been working for trout and big GTs. GTs have also been out on the wrecks as well, with the odd golden trevally mixed in with them. I actually went out recently to jig a wreck offshore, and we could get our jigs to the bottom because the trevally were so thick!

Red emperor are generally hit and miss at this time of year, but as soon as it starts to cool off, they will come back on the bite.

Good luck this month. Pick a good window, and you too should be in for some great fishing.

• For more information on what’s biting, or to stock up with all the tackle and bait you need, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler Gladstone at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. You can also check out the latest news, photos and specials at Facebook Compleat Angler Gladstone.