Summer is almost here and so far this one is shaping up to be a beauty.

Summer whiting over 500g have been taken out of the Burrum the past couple of months. Dart have been thick around the Picnics and bluey parrot have been keeping anglers on their toes with numerous reports of 30lb+ fish on offer.

It has been a bumper season for flathead this year, which could be a direct result of the introduction of a minimum (40cm) and maximum (70cm) size limit.

The pelagic action in Hervey Bay has been hotting up lately with good numbers of spotty mackerel, Spaniards and longtail tuna taking baits and lures.

When casting slugs to surface feeding fish it pays to watch which way they are feeding (usually into the wind) and take a steady side on approach rather then tearing in and sending the fish down. Trolling is a very effective way to target the bigger fish especially with the big soft plastics that are on the market these days. Tuna and billfish love the big gar and mullet imitations and they are surprisingly robust and last several strikes unless a mackerel takes a liking to them.

The Albermale Gamefishing Classic is on 17-19 November. The briefing will be held at the Hervey Bay Boat Club at 1pm on Thursday the 16th.

As mentioned last month a fuel barge is available enabling trailer boats and larger vessels the opportunity to refuel at sea instead of making the hour and a half run back to port each day. Mothership services are available and a shower and a hot meal is a nice way to unwind after a hard day’s fishing.

For more information go to www.hbgfc.org.au and follow the prompts or phone 0411 175 141.