This month will be the first time most Fraser coast anglers will have to deal with restrictions on where they fish.

The latest release of green zones comes in to affect as of August 1 so you will need to familiarise yourself with the new restrictions. Little Woody Island, the Middle Banks, Rooneys Point, Sandy Cape and several areas in the Sandy Strait region have been proposed for closure and there are many other blue zones or ‘habitat protection zones’ that will affect us all.

Commercial netters have had a special zone created for them south of Moon Point all the way down to Rainbow Beach allowing them to still operate, which is a kick in the teeth to all recreational anglers. The best bet to make sure you are in the right area and abiding by all the rules is to pick up a copy of the Great Sandy Marine Park at your tackle shop or visit the EPA website at www.epa.qld.gov.au.

There are still plenty of fish to be caught outside these zones!

The fishing has been great for the past few months and will continue as the water starts to warm. Trolling and casting lures such as Mann’s Stretch 15+ in desert sunset has been very effective for flathead in winter. Deep diving minnows bounced along the sandy patches around rocks have been working well as have soft plastics. Berkley 3” power minnows in pumpkinseed, emerald shimmer and watermelon are my favourite and have taken many flathead and other species as well.

In the Bay, school mackerel have been around in good numbers hitting lures and swimming baits. Longtail tuna are a little scarce but when you find them they are of good size and the ever present mack tuna are always a safe bet even in the cooler months.

So, even if a few of our angling hot spots have been taken away from us there still is a lot of productive water around Hervey Bay for anglers to enjoy.