The weather and bar conditions have been good and we have seen some great fishing over the last month.

Most of our fishing has been in close with good numbers of spotted mackerel. School mackerel are also still thick and it’s pretty easy to catch a feed for the family.

A bit further offshore, parrot, snapper, Moses perch, pearl perch and a few red emperor are showing up, with parrot making up the bulk of the catch.

I found the reef fish particularly fussy last month, but I think this only brings out the best in fishermen. When the fishing gets tough, I usually begin with a standard two-hook dropper rig (paternoster) using 60lb trace and 5/0 or 6/0 hooks. This works well on an average day and will catch a variety of fish species from small hussar to large red emperor.

However, when all you seem to be catching is undersize fish, making your tackle lighter by switching to a floater rig is a good option. Start with as light a sinker as possible, a 3/0 keeper hook and a 4/0 or 5/0 hook tied straight to the main line of 30lb. Just by doing this I have filled an empty esky with pearl perch, snapper and large sweetlip without picking up anchor. On quiet days, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Berleying up is another option. This can attract fish from the immediate area, and perhaps a moving school of snapper. Fish pheromones like Ultrabite often produce the desired effect, while glow beads or sinkers work particularly well on overcast days and at night. Soft plastics and live bait can also make a huge difference on a quiet day.

Small tuna are really active and continue to feed freely at Inskip Point. I watched a bloke pulling them in one after the other off the beach. He was using a white 2” River2Sea slug.

The good old flathead are biting well around Bullock Point. Rainbow coloured Squidgies and Berkley Gulp 4” Minnows in pumpkinseed should do the trick.

Squid are also on the menu. You can catch a great feed of calamari just near Carlo Point with pink or orange prawn jigs working a treat.

There are some nice size whiting being caught in Kauri Creek on live worms and yabbies in the very early morning.

More tailor have turned up again around the Oaks at Inskip Point but they are lacking in size. I am sure their bigger siblings will appear with the colder weather.

The beach is still in good condition with little weed to report. This has allowed fishos to gather a good feed of whiting, bream and dart.

July nearly always delivers consistently good fishing and with a cool change in the weather things should hot up offshore.

The Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic is on later this month from July 20 to 28 and it sure to be a fun week.

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