We have been copping a blasting weather-wise with strong southeast winds hindering quite a few trips.

The wind has kept the beaches mostly weed free and the swell has been surprisingly small, so beach fishing has been the obvious choice.

A few chopper tailor have turned up and the Oaks on Inskip Point and Middle Rock towards Double Island Point have fished quite well during early morning sessions.

Bream and dart are also on the bite in the deeper gutters around Double Island Point and Teewah Beach. Whiting have been caught in good numbers around the lagoon that has formed on the Rainbow Beach side of Double Island Point.

While the wind blows, the Straits are the place to be. It’s easy to get out of the wind and explore the upper reaches of the main creeks, Teebar and Kauri, and you have a good chance of taking home a feed. Whiting, bream and flathead are biting well in all the nooks and crannies of these mangrove lined creeks. Be sure to take a good selection of soft plastics, particularly Squidgies, these are terrific lures.

The rain has also stirred up some nice mud crabs so take a couple of pots with you. However, stay close by as there is still a bit of pot and crab borrowing going on. DPI&F Patrol have been informed of this and it is just a matter of time before the inconsiderate parties are caught.

It’s been a bit of a mixed scene offshore. I have only managed a few trips due to the weather.

Small black tip reef sharks plague some of the close reefs around 4 miles. This is great if you are into flake, but they don’t give other fish a chance at the bait. A little further around 7 miles, you can get away from this problem and catch sweetlip, parrot, pearl perch and Moses perch.

Dolphinfish have been the highlight of my offshore fishing recently. I was anchored up, chipping away at some reef fish when a school of dolphinfish gathered around the boat. After quickly berleying up the water became a swirl of activity. What I first presumed was a small school of fish began to multiply in a crazy frenzy! These fish were only small, between 2-6kg, but were very entertaining.

We had great fun catching a fantastic feed for ourselves and it provided a great opportunity to test different lures. I tried about 20 metal and plastic varieties and found TT Assassins outstanding.

Hopefully the weather will be a little kinder to us. In past years we have seen quality runs of snapper come through around May.

If you would like to have a fish with Ed Falconer on his charter boat Keeley Rose, give him a call on 0407 146 151.