NOW that the festive season is over it’s a lot quieter on our rivers, creeks and dams, and now is the time to get stuck into some good lure and fly fishing. February can produce some amazing fishing action, but it can also have some pretty wild weather.

The Burnett River has been producing some great fishing when the wind hasn’t been blowing out of the east. My clients have been taking lots of small pelagics, including Spanish mackerel, trevally and queenfish, all taken on soft plastics and bibbed minnows. Working Prawnstars deep along the rock walls has also produced some big fish, including a 50cm mangrove jack and some thumper cod.

The Baffle has been fishing well on the building tides, and that bit of rain over Christmas seems to have helped a bit with most people’s results. The mouth has had a good run of flathead, and working Slider soft plastics slowly along the bottom has really got them chewing. The ever-present trevally have been hitting the Sliders as well.

Recent trips to the Burrum have been average, with plenty of small fish mostly taken on soft plastics and Prawnstars. Now the crowds have gone the Burrum’s fishing should improve.

Lake Lenthall has had a good rise in water level which has slowed the fishing down, but it won’t be long before the lake starts firing again. While on charter recently at Lenthalls I saw plenty of rubbish left at the ramp and also saw some very ordinary boat driving. This lake has an 8-knot speed limit, for those who don’t know.

Monduran Dam has been producing some hot and cold fishing, with the wind direction being a major factor in getting good results. If you do give it a shot, look for the warmer water. If it’s blowing south-east, try chasing the bass.

I recently fitted a new MinnKota RT55 bow mount to my boat after my previous MinnKota bow mount had its fifth birthday. I’ve had my new toy in the water a dozen times so far, and am impressed with the improvements over the earlier model. Quicker response on turning has certainly made my job easier when going in to retrieve hung-up lures. The motor also has easier lock-in while moving, which helps when you do this dozens of times a day. Having the autopilot switch on the head means it’s easier to turn on and off, and the three-year warranty really sold me.

I also now have a new Legend 3005 Humminbird fishfinder. This piece of equipment is essential when it comes to fishing impoundments. I’ve only had it on for a few trips and am still learning to read it, but so far it looks to have some of the best definition I’ve seen on a sounder its size.

All in all, these new toys will come in very handy in the BASS and BREAM tournaments I’ll be competing in this year.

This year will be a big year for the B.R.E.A.M. and B.A.S.S. tournament series. Bundaberg will be hosting the second B.R.E.A.M. qualifying round for Queensland on the Burnett River on August 2-3, and this is a must for all of our region’s mad-keen sportfishos! There are plenty of tournaments to fish in both B.A.S.S and B.R.E.A.M, and there’s a group of anglers from Bundy that will be travelling to most of these. If you’re in the area and are thinking about competing, give me a call at Topwater Sportfishing Adventures on (07) 4155 3357 and we can organize a bit of a travelling team.