May is a lovely time of year to fish Hervey Bay waters.

The winter months are usually more predictable and the cooler conditions are a nice alternative to getting baked in the hot summer sun. Yellowtail scad (yakkas) school up in big numbers around most local reefs and channel markers and are prime bait for most winter species.

Up the creek has been a very rewarding way to spend a day lately. Bream, chopper tailor and estuary cod have been on the chew and good numbers of prawns have been in the Burrum, Susan and Mary River systems. This is a fun way to collect bait for bream and estuary cod, and a good feed for anglers.

In the Bay, Spanish mackerel and golden trevally are on the move at The Arch and Six Mile, while snapper are being found just off the edges of the bait schools.

Baits have been the best bet, but a few adventurous anglers are using soft plastics successfully.

Cod and blackall are worth a try at Moon Ledge either side of the tide and it’s well worth having a try at the Arty for snapper and coral trout.

The Hervey Bay Boat Club Game Fishing Club Yuna Challenge was held on the weekend of 18 March after being postponed due to poor weather. While the weather wasn’t much better, it did little to deter the enthusiasm of the competitors and they were rewarded for their efforts with some hardcore longtail and mack tuna.

Kim Strathearn and Gordon Low, of team Northern Blue, scooped the pool with 66 points, which was an outstanding effort considering the weather restricted the tournament to just one day! John Meiers and Ed Dale shared Champion Angler Spin, and Champion Team Spin was won by Team Triumph (John Meiers and Alex Wayne) of Bribie Island. Champion Female Angler was Josie Nye and Christopher Proston won Champion Junior Angler.

A special thank you to the Quinn family who donated a fly rod, reel and sunglasses in the honour of their late son Matt. Matt was an accomplished flyfisher who will be remembered with a perpetual trophy as a tribute to his life.