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Luring the creeks
  |  First Published: November 2004



As I promised last issue, here is a run down on a few creeks north of Bundaberg.

Moore Park Creek

This small creek can produce some fantastic lurefishing for mangrove jack, estuary cod, flathead and tarpon. The creek is a canoe or car-topper only option or you could walk it if you’re feeling fit. The best tides are the highs later in the afternoon, especially if there’s a thunderstorm about. Natural coloured lures work well in the clear water.

This is a great creek for surface luring as there are rampant schools of trevally and tarpon that cruise and hunt in packs. Rapala Skitterpops, Zara Pups and the Aussie-made Smaks should be in your tacklebox if you’re going to give these fish a razzle on top.

Where this creek hits the beach is also a great spot to chase flathead, and it’s a good idea to use heavy wire jigs if you’re going to use plastics as there are a few jew that hunt this water as well. You can check out a selection of great Aussie-made jigheads at www.nitrofishing.com.au. There is now a great heavy wire selection for bigger fish.

Kolan River

This is probably one of the most inconsistent systems in our area; it can really fire on a particular set of tides then be dead as doornail on the same set a month later.

Miara Caravan Park, located at the mouth of this river, is a great place to stay if you’re heading there for a holiday, and some of the best fishing can be had off the bank in front of the park. The mangrove system at the mouth is home to a few jacks, cod and bream, and can fish really well when there are baitfish in the area.

As you head further up the creek the rockbars start, and all of these are great places to start targeting the big jacks that inhabit the area. I like to fish these rockbars with big Prawnstars, and they do work better when the prawns are on the river.

A few years ago the big barra decided to bite and there were some absolute monsters caught and released on deep diving Mann’s Stretch 20s. At the same time the big jacks, including a very healthy 62cm fish, had a chew and all the local tackle shops quickly ran out of Stretch 20s. These fish still live here, along with plenty of their mates, and I’m sure the same technique will still catch fish. As you head upriver it splits in two which gives you plenty of water to fish, with varying habitats from deep snaggy banks to shallow sand flats, which are all worth a fish. The upper reaches will fish their best this month as the temp rises, so if you’re going to give it a go, do it now.

LittaBella Creek ACCESS

Littabella is a sensational creek with great fishing that we should all be able to share, and it gets my blood boiling that access is restricted to the privileged few who have land or know someone who has land that fringes it. For many years the only public access was through Bundaberg Sugar’s private land, but thanks to the threat of litigation if there was an accident on their land, the company had to close the access off.

I made some inquiries about public access using the public road that runs right to the creek. The council’s reply was that they had a waiting list on boat ramps, including several more for the Burnett River. I pointed out there were already ramps on the Burnett but nothing on Littabella Creek. I was told if I got the support from both departments of Transport, Marine and Main Roads, they would consider an application and if it was successful it would have to wait for a study and then finance. The guy I spoke to obviously couldn’t be bothered in pursuing it, so I did.

It was easy enough getting info and support but when I rang back I got the same enthusiastic guy who said there would be a lot of opposition to the ramp and it would take a lot of time and paperwork to get this thing happening. I said there would also be a lot of people who would support this move, and I asked for his name and where I could send letters of support to. He suddenly changed his tune and said he would look into it and get back to me. He hasn’t, so I’m still making inquiries and still being run around. I’ll keep you in the loop.

The next system up is the Baffle, which I have written about in past QFM issues. You can check them out at www.fishingmonthly.com.au in the Archives section.

Polycraft 4.1 challenger 18 months on

When I first got my Poly boat I was inundated with questions on what I thought of the craft, and my standard answer was I loved it and the only test it hasn’t passed was the test of time.

It’s now 18 months on and my Poly has travelled thousands of kilometres, from Forster to Hinchinbrook, and it hasn’t failed me yet. I have upgraded my 40hp four-stroke EFI Mercury to the 50hp Mercury just to give me a little more out of the hole, and it currently top speeds at 36mph (GPS). I have got a Vengeance 13” stainless prop on it, which really helps with jumping onto the plane, and the fuel economy of the Mercury has to be seen to be believed.

The hull has a few scratches that you can’t see until you have a close look, because the hull (which is about 10mm thick) is the same colour all the way through. The carpet I fitted is showing a few signs of wear and tear and I will be replacing it soon with a better quality carpet.

If I was to fit my rig out again from new I would extend the back deck a metre and mount the seats on it, to make lure fishing three up a bit easier. I would also move the console over enough to run rods down both sides of the boat.

The livewell has been fantastic in tournaments, and also for when I take the kids fishing. They think it’s great to watch the fish swim around and it keeps them amused for hours.

Polycraft has made a few upgrades to the hull since mine came out of the mould, adding moulded handles for the hatches, a more modern console with storage and a few other improvements. I am still impressed with my boat, as are most people who have been in it, and only even more time will tell how far it will go.

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