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Wet and Wild
  |  First Published: January 2010



This year is starting off wonderfully with plenty of summer rains already. A lot of the rain came down during the holiday period, but don’t let it get you down, as this wet weather will only improve fishing in the coming months.

The Burnett River

With the holiday crowds now gone it’s time for the keen anglers to put in a few more hours and reap the rewards. The rains have flushed plenty of nutrients into the river, which will bring the baitfish and in turn attracts the predators.

You can expect a dawn troll around the mouth to produce various species of mackerel including some Spaniards.

A good mate of mine, Tony Baylis, gave me a red hot tip: make sure you’re trolling a Halco Scorpion 3m in the purple colour – it’s a big Spanish magnet.

For the anglers who don’t need the heart-pounding, adrenalin-pumping run of a 20kg Spanish mackerel to ruin their morning there have also been a few nice grunter caught in the deeper holes of the river. Fresh prawns have been the gun bait for the grunter and they have also accounted for the odd fingermark at night.

The Baffle

Due to the decent rains there is fresh water running in the river. If the rain continues the amount of fresh will increase, flushing most of the fish into the lower section of system, moving around as the tide rolls in and out.

To snag a feisty mangrove jack at this time fish the incoming tide and move with it as it pushes clean salt water up river. With the dirtier water the jacks will respond well to hardbody lures; Tilsan Barra’s, Frenzy Flicker Shads and Bevy shads are all proven jack magnets.

Kolan River

I’m often asked why I rarely report on the Kolan and it’s because I don’t often fish it and neither do many of my mates. Recently however, I have been getting reports from customers that frequent my shop.

They have reported some great crabbing and even some good prawns in the Kolan. There has been a few keen lure fishers heading right up into the upper reaches and scoring some decent jacks in some wild country.

I have fished in the tops of the creeks in this system and I found them hit and miss but when you do find fish they are usually good quality.

Monduran Dam

Monduran was certainly popular over the Christmas break with those who got a park near the water being very lucky. Being in retail means my trips over the break were limited to the public holidays and there were lots of boats on the water.

The dam fished pretty well with the boats trolling picking up fish and those casting enjoying plenty of hits and bust-ups.

February should see more of the same, usually the shallows heat right up and the fish move deeper but with a good influx of water the margins should stay a little cooler.

I like early mornings in February on the dam and getting there in the dark is truly peaceful. Try an early morning fish, head into town for a counter lunch (but don’t get stuck) and then head back for a late afternoon onslaught as you will be better off resting in the hot part of the day.

Berkley Hollow Bellies and Slick Rigs have been working well in the plastics area and my favourite Halco Laser Pro 120 in gold colour is a must.

If you’re working an area you believe holds fish and they are not responding try burning your lure by winding it in flat out with the odd pause, and don’t forget to hang on!

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