November is prime time for mega-flathead with fish to 5kg caught every season, mostly on large soft plastics but bait fishers also encounter larger fish.
Prime spots to try are shallow banks on flooding tides, like the shallows around Mangrove Island in Pambula Lake. Fish areas like this with light to medium jig heads and reasonably large soft plastics.One of my favourite places to target them are creek mouths on the bottom half of the ebb tide. Small mullet and whiting have to leave the shallow flats of creeks and usually there is only one place to go.
A good place to start around here is BoggyAlmost every system has creeks flowing into it so it pays to have a look around your local waterway.
This month we will also see an increase in whiting numbers, with fishos using live bait like bass yabbies, worms and even fresh prawns catching plenty.
Try areas that have a combination of sand and weed for best results. A few bream will also haunt you, especially during low-light periods.
Offshore has been fishingSnapper, morwong and flatties are making up the majority of the catch, but November usually sees a few pelagics turn up. Kingfish, bonito and striped tuna are real possibilities for those trolling lures.
Out wide we should see yellowfin tuna, albacore and the outside chance of an early season striped marlin turn up, if last year is anything to go by.
We had a ripper start to the game season last year and let’s hope this year is the same.
Trolled lures are the go early in the seasonaround the shelf and beyond, you get to cover a lot of ground.
Bream, whiting and mullet will keep the beach fishos happy, with beachworms and pipis the best baits.
Most beaches will hold fish, but Tura and North Tura would be the pick. Look for a small deep gutter running close to shore for best results. A little bread berley in the shore dump will greatly improve your chances.
The salmon will still be around, but numbers will be down as the water warms.A few drummer, bream and blackfish are around the washes so if the surface action is a little slow, there’s always another option. Bread, cabbage and cunjevoi should work well, with berley enhancing chances.
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