July is just a wonderful time of year to head out to the ’Pin with cool, clear days and light winds making for top fishing conditions. The bream have been on the bite with some great catches coming in.

The best report of a bream catch so far has come from Matt Morshead, who got a 996g monster from Jacobs Well jetty. This is great news for shore-based anglers but I reckon he should have added a sinker or two to get over the kilo mark.

Bream will continue to be on the bite throughout the cooler months, so for a feed the best spots to try will be the southern side of Short Island, the dead trees at the bottom of North Straddie, Tipplers Island, the Coomera River mouth, Kalinga Bank, Flat Rock and the north wall of the Seaway. Chook gut, mullet gut, whitebait, prawns and pillies are some baits to try to get the bream on the chew.

Some big elbow-slapper whiting have been caught from near Marks Rocks and Alberton Sands in the Logan River. Try these areas at night with some live bloodworms just as the tide turns and you should have some decent whiting – if you can brave the cold that is. Other good spots are the Gold Bank, Slipping Sands, south of Russell Island and Little Rocky Point. Stick with worms, yabbies or peeled prawns as bait.

Tailor have been caught in good numbers but of no real size from the top of Crusoe Island, out from Swan Bay and the bar. They are scattered throughout the ‘Pin and I caught two the other day about 500m from Cabbage Tree Point boat ramp. If you fish off the beach of South Straddie or go through the bar, the size has been better with the odd longtail tuna, bonito and mackerels.

Flathead are being caught on soft plastics from the pandannus weed banks, Whalleys Gutter and Kalinga bank. The water quality has been good so the lures, both soft and hard, have been working well. For the bait anglers, pillies and big fresh prawns are the go and drifting seems to be the best method of tracking them down. Try along Kalinga Bank towards Swan Bay, Flat Rock, Redland Bay channel and Little Rocky Point. Khlye Reeves got a kilo flattie from the rock wall in the Logan River and weighed it in at the shop. He was wrapped because the rock wall usually only produces catfish and bream but every now and then a good flattie, jew or whiting are also caught there. So more good news for the shore-based angler!

A few sandies have been potted from Cabbage Tree Point to the Powerlines and in Cobby Passage as well. Muddies are a little harder to come by so stick to the deeper drains at high tide and get right into the mangroves.

Tim Sidaway weighed in a massive 3kg grunter that he caught on a prawn out from Horizon Shores towards Jacobs Well. We don’t get many of these weighed in and this was definitely the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Another great fish weighed in was a 1.78kg mangrove jack by John Miers caught from the mangroves near Slipping Sands on chook gut. The fish tried to steal the rod but John managed to grab it before it exited the boat. After a good fight, a very happy John had himself one of the best eating fish getting around.

While fishing from the beach off South Straddie Pat Jordan got the shock of his life when a 16kg Spaniard smashed his pilly and took off. After a 15minute fight on 15lb line the Spaniard was beached and then Pat had to figure out how to get it back across the island along with five good tailor he caught.

Thanks for all you reports and if you need any up to date info on what’s biting drop me a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on (07) 3287 3868 or email --e-mail address hidden-- . I’ll catch you next month!