The weather has been heating up with muggy hot days and afternoon storms. This has helped the fishing with regular flushing of the creeks into the main estuaries. The fish get all stirred up waiting for food to get washed into the system so take advantage of this time of year and get out there to grab yourself some really geed fish.

Flathead are on the bite at most of the usual haunts. Kalinga Bank, outside Swan Bay, the points off Crusoe Island, the Stockyards, Rocky Point, JW Channel and the Pandannus Banks are all worth a try. Soft plastics are going really well with 3-5” plastics yielding the best results. The best colours to try are red/green, white fleck, pink, pearl and chartreuse. Other than that, try drifting with pillies, whitebait, froggies, large prawns or herring. If you’re into trolling try shallow diving lures in 6-10ft of water. Some great fish have been coming to the trolling brigade.

Bream are around in good numbers but there is no size to them at the moment. Heaps of little pickers that’ll steal your bait are on offer but if you’re chasing a few larger ones try heading out near the top of the tide at night or dusk. As the current slows drop large prawns, gut, squid, whitebait or live yabbies down to the waiting bream. Fishing light is best, but make sure that you’ve got enough lead to get to the bottom.

The whiting are coming back on with great catches near Cabbage Tree Point, the eastern point of Short Island, the Gold Bank and the Never Fail Islands. Stick with worms as bait or, if you want to have a variety of baits, small yabbies are working well too.

We still seemed to have missed out on a tailor season with only small catches inside the bar and a few larger greenbacks off the beaches of South Straddie.

Jew are around in good numbers but due to the increased size limit (now 75cm) not a lot of keepers are being found. Plenty of schoolies are on offer from Marks Rocks in the Logan River, Giants Grave and out from Swan Bay with the only decent fish coming from the Pin bar area and further south around the Gold Coast Seaway.

While fishing for flathead at the top of Crusoe Island Geoff Williams flicked out a 5” nuclear chicken plastic and was immediately smashed on the surface by what he thought was a wayward mullet but turned out to be a 1.6kg tarpon, which are rare, but really great fighting fish. His mate Neil Brudenell got a great lizard around 60cm in the same spot and in the same boat Thomas Obrien also cleaned up on plastics with a 62cm flatty. What a day those blokes had.

The crabs are coming on again so get the pots out there. Between Cabbage Tree Point and the Powerlines is going well for sandies and the rivers in the mangroves have been good for muddies.

Thanks for all your great reports and keep those fish coming in. If you need any up to date weather or fishing information drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on (07) 3287 3868 or email --e-mail address hidden-- . I’ll catch you next month