The harsh weather conditions that have smashed the entire Queensland coast has had localised effect in most towns.

Hervey Bay has received good rainfall but nothing like the monsoonal deluge that flooded Rockhampton and surrounding areas. The Sunshine and Gold Coast beach erosion was the worst the region has had for over 100 years, yet the Bay’s beaches were only affected minimally.

Fraser Island is the barrier that protects Hervey Bay from most weather fronts and it hasn’t fared so well. The Island’s beautiful beaches have taken a hammering this past storm season and erosion has taken its toll.

The bypass at Ngkala Rocks is impassable at the moment cutting off 4WD access to the top of Fraser Island. Even though this won’t affect too many visitors to the Island, as most stick to the tourist friendly areas, it does pay testament to how bad the weather has been and how much the island protects the bay.

Most local hot spots will be inundated with catfish that have been pushed out the rivers with the recent rain. These greasy specimens can top 10kg at times and hit like a freight train, often fooling anglers into thinking they have hooked a quality fish. They will infiltrate all areas out to Rooney’s and the gutters but they won’t last too long and should thin out soon.

If you can get past the catties, coral bream should be of good size and numbers and scarlets are a good proposition inside Platypus Bay.

The gutters and the coral patch will be a good bet for an early season snapper and expect cod, coralies, red emperor and scarlets to be on the move as well.

Flathead and bream have been on the chew on baits and artificials around rock bars and creek mouths. Summer and winter whiting are also being taken on yabbies and squid strips over the yabby beds.

Permit are an unusual species that are generally associated with surf beaches in this area but I have had reports of vast schools patrolling sand flats south of Kingfisher Bay, so a trip down that neck of the woods could be worth a shot, especially when the weather is a little sour.

Hopefully there are good things to come and a few local gurus are predicting a bumper snapper season this year, fingers crossed!