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Beware the Crab Thief
  |  First Published: February 2009



Firstly, whoever stole my crab pots I hope karma catches up with you and secondly, whoever stole my crabs out of my other pots I hope they made you crook. This problem has been going on for far too long and something needs to be done about it. If you have any ideas let me know at Gem Bait & Tackle and hopefully we can get either the Water Police or Fisheries to stop this grubby behaviour on our waterways.

Summer has seen a few crabs about with plenty of sandies north of the powerlines down to Cabbage Tree Point and muddies in the Logan River and Redland Bay Channel.

Flathead are being caught on soft plastics from Kalinga Bank to Swan Bay in 30-40ft near the top of the tide and during the first of the run out. I’ve been catching heaps lately around the 35-50cm mark on anything from 2” Shrimp to 5” Jerk Shads. Successful colours vary but you can’t go past nuclear chicken red and green, clear white with silver flecks and black and gold. I’ve even picked up a few trolling shallow diving hard bodied lures in 3-4ft of water in fluro pink and trout colours.

Other good spots to try for flathead during February are the mangroves just south of Slipping Sands, Pandannus Island, up the top of Canaipa Passage near Willis Island and near the Five Ways.

We’ve had reports of a few tailor up to around the 2kg mark off the beach of South Stradbroke Island. Inside the ‘Pin bar there has been smaller choppers taking pillies and small 10-20g slugs either trolled or flicked around. Just outside the Bar there has been small mack tuna, the odd mahi mahi and small black marlin. There was also a monster 38lb wahoo caught recently. Trolling Skirts has been the best way to hook a marlin but I’m told the hits to landing ratio are about 5:1.

Whiting have been quiet this season with small to medium fish being caught on Bloodworms in Canaipa passage near the entrance to Cobby Passage, Tipplers Island, Never Fail Islands and the mouth of Whalley’s Gutter. In past years there have been larger whiting to 40cm being weighed in on a more regular basis but for some reason this year is a lot quieter.

Bream and the odd good squire can be caught near the top of the tide from Kalinga Bank, Short Island, Flatrock, Little Rocky Point and Cabbage Tree Point. Use live yabbies, prawns, mullet gut, or whitebait and for the lure preferred anglers small soft plastics are working well too.

There are quite a few Moses perch about which are a great fighting and eating fish that take prawns, pilly bits, squid and yabbies. Try around rocky areas like the Powerlines, Giants Grave, Little Rocky Point and Flatrock.

Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in and if you’d like any up-to-date fishing info drop us a line at --e-mail address hidden-- or call us on 32873868.

I’ll catch you next month!

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