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To read archived reports from 2025, see below.
July 26th 2025
Some good days but bloody cold in the mornings and honestly i am getting old but don’t remember south westerly winds every single morning for weeks upon weeks ,must be my age.
The whiting are in good supply in close when the snot weed is not too bad but lots in the maroon hole ,rous channel up from the red with a few mackerel and tailor in the channels running of the rous towards amity.
The tailor are around cylinder beach and closer to home Brisbane river and st Helena and mud island especially dawn and dusk in the shallows
Plenty of tiger squid still around but would not say cuttlefish and arrows are in any great numbers at the moment and the school mackerel have not ventured on the western side of the bay yet ,has to be soon.
be careful with the westerlies in the bay and keep safe.and have to mention water tower bait and tackle have found some delta boards and are on there way in my opinion as good as the yamashita boards so maybe ring and place you’re orders at around 30 dollars they are a bargain and would brilliantly i have been using them for a long time.
July 16th 2025
Some beautiful days on the bay with plenty of whiting showing up at maroon hole and amity banks and the rous near the red as well,but you need to get run in the tide for them to come on the bite,the school mackerel vanished very quickly fro rainbow and one mile but the pro net folks got plenty south of peel between the islands it was reported,they should make there way close in soon.
don’t forget snapper season has closed for a month till august the 15 th..but there are plenty of nice big painted crayfish in the bay,and plenty of nice bream now that we cant catch squire.
the cuttlefish and arrows are not in any great numbered but they should be so hoping end of the month will get better,
and please be careful in small boats in the westerlies our drownings have all come in the westerly winds in the past ,better to put of a trip then risk you’re life and you’re passengers life’s.
July 7th 2025
Some nice days for the school holidays with plenty of table fish in the bay ,school mackerel were thick in the rainbow and one mile and turned up in the rous in the last couple of days by end of July august they should get over to the western side closer to home,the whiting have resurfaced in big numbers in the rous channel with many boats bagging out in short time and the snapper and squire are in the artificial reefs but lots of small fish before you can get a decent one,cuttlefish and arrows are slow to what they should be at the moment .
June 27th 2025
Weather still freezing but when you get a few days of calm its worth a trip out into the bay,the school mackerel have shown up in the rainbow channel and the tailor as well in the gutters of the rainbow channel ,the whiting are in the deeper water in the rous channel not on the banks and also wynum foreshores out towards st Helena the tigers are on the eastern side of green island and the cuttlefish and arrows are in much deeper water 32 to 40 ft depth eastern side of wellington point and green i would be trying east of mud as well.so keep warm and hope this cold snap goes away.
June 13th 2025
Talk about freezing ,i unwillingly said yes to going prawning yesterday as my friend who loves it told me there were lots and big down lamb island between the two ferry terminals ,so i dressed like never before with beanie,long pants and two long sleeve jumpers and was still freezing going in that ungodly hour of 6 am .
but at the end it was was fun with lots of big prawns some fun banter with the other 40 boats most good human beings with the exception of a couple of morons .got some great footage of the net landing on big school of prawns which i love to see,and the benefit is they taste so damn good,next week the weather looks settled and good for a few fishing days..keep warm
June 8th 2025
The winds eased and there was plenty of fish whiting the whiting are in good numbers in close to wynum especially north of Darcy light and the big fish are definitely taking yabbies or whole prawns worms are good as well but getting the smaller fish.
The tiger squid are big and aggressive at green north and south in the shallows and the cuttlefish are hit and miss with the arrows but should get much better over the next few weeks.
The prawns have really come on my friend sent thru a photo where the bottom is thick and in one cast got 8 lbs of them and everyone that’s gone south this week all got plenty .and plenty of crayfish in the bay at the moment as well.
May 29th 2025
A few ok days but looks like the rain is returning and not much fun is a small boat when wet,managed a nice day out close in but still blowing 12 knots plus but the whiting are big and in good numbers at Darcy and surrounds and a little north as well in 6 to 7 ft depth ,found the big buggers taking whole prawns compared to the smaller ones on worms only tried whole prawns because a friend told me they were getting some good fish on yabbies and it worked.
A few tailor and good size around western side of green back to the leads and a bonus nice big flounder made it a good day .also a few nice mackerel caught at the spoiled grounds just north of harry s with some nice squire but the sharks are sharing with the catch.
A few days of more work on the little boat while the wet weather hits us.
May 24th 2025
What fantastic weather this week south westerly winds dropping off in the morning to glassy conditions on the bay and a perfect time to go out on my new little boat :karavaki” Greek for little boat and it was fun with plenty of fish and squid and some funny happenings as well,forgot to put bung in,forgot to untie strap and forgot to take tackle box but it was OK not having a trailer boat for 46 years what else would i expect..but martha and i are loving it.
The squid are in excellent numbers close in at green island northern and southern end of the island from 2 to 3 ft at high tide to 5 to 6 ft as the tide drops,nkn yamashita color worked the best by far 3.5 weight.
The whiting are in good number close in from the Darcy light channels all the way to the mouth of the river around the 7 ft mark seems best
and the snapper squire have been on the chew around wellington point with the run out tide,have not been for mackerel and tailor but will be looking for them this week .have to say its great to be back on the water fishing and will be better when i get used to the little boat ,just been out in the bay is what its all about.
May 19th 2025
Weather has been hit and miss with calm days on predicted windy days and the opposite on predicted calm days but that’s weather for you,the good news is the cuttlefish and arrows squid have started in earnest and the tiger squid are in the breeding season judging by the sounds of it in the way they are attacking each other and the squid jigs ,so time to get out there in the shallows for the tigers and the deeper water for the cuttlefish and arrows ,a small sinker on the top of the squid jig is how i catch the cuttlefish and arrows about a foot of the bottom ,with those with little electric motors a very slow motoring trolling a squid jig behind has been catching plenty of tigers,personally i like to cast and retrieve but trolling slowly for them can be fun as well,
The whiting are starting to show up close in which is good for some of us that only have small boats now so worth a drift between Darcy light and the northern tip of st Helena .
The prawning and crab season is really good at the moment and have been told the prawns are moving south and also in big numbers in the Brisbane river.so plenty to go and and catch and pls be careful with the westerlies always catches many of guard out in the bay .
May 5th 2025
The few days that were ok to fish produced some nice fish ,the mackerel are starting to show up closer in even a few getting caught of the rock wall at the entrance of the marina and a few tiger squid also along the fore shore at night at high tide,the whiting have been in the deep water of harry s and the amity banks in 25 to 30 ft depth normal for this time of year before many moving in close in the winter months around the Darcy light and towards the port entrance.
The tiger squid are in good numbers thru out the bay and green is producing plenty and the cuttlefish have started seeing the amount the trawlers are raking up while catching prawns ,not many arrow squid yet .
The reef fishing has been good worth plenty of squire being caught at the artificial reefs in the bay and the bay islands and the crab season seems to be going extremely well looking at all the photos of the sand crabs and mud crabs i have been sent and prawning looks like hit and miss some day bagging out and other days in the same area 2 and 3 per cast.
so cooler weather has arrived should be a very good school mackerel and tailor season and soon my new little boat should be ready for maiden voyage ,i cant wait have not been fishing in the bay fr 6 weeks ,longest ever time without fishing in all my life.see you all out there soon
April 19th 2025
What fantastic weather for Easter break no wind glorious calm days and plenty of fish in the bay, whiting are plentiful at the sand hills and blue hole and plenty of tiger squid as well,the school mackerel are on the chew around the hope banks and peel island on the northern side and some lovely squire being caught at the shallow reefs ,the crabs are in big numbers mud and sandies and the prawning fraternity are getting bucket loads as well.so we cant complain plenty out there but be careful and stay alert there are thousands of boats in the bay so stay safe. and if you are after a special treat my friend michael from new farm sea food is carrying the pilchard fillets which are delicious grilled or pan fried. and for most that read the reports sold my beautiful old boat “westray” and getting my new bon wood putt putt ready for its fishing days in the bay called “KARAVAKI ” greek for small boat ..so the old man will soon be back out in the bay.
April 8th 2025
Some wonderful weather at the moment and the prawners are having a whale of a time north and south the prawns seem to be thick ,my friend Seb took me to the north of brisbane river yesterday and it was unbelievable the screen lit up with prawns and i got a great shot of the net on top of the prawns as Seb was closing the net you can see them going up into the pocket …lots of fun and we bagged out pretty quickly.
A few mackerel around the bay on the south eastern side but you have to watch the hundreds of crab pots in the area ,a mate Stuart picked up a nice one and remember if you are catching spotty mackerel (joke grinners) you have the boards toooooo far back..
April 6th 2025
Weather has not been to bad once the rain stopped again bay is cleaning up nicely apart of some big logs floating around.
the whiting have been hard to find in the southern bay normal areas but plenty at moreton in front of the small sand hill along the the drop off south where all the boats anchor up for the day.
The school mackerel have surfaced again in good numbers along amity banks heading towards peel and a few very large broad mackerel are also in the bay closer towards wellinton point and toward raby bay there were some caught in the rainbow as well.
Prawning has been very good since the rain stopped everyone has been getting them north and south in the last couple of weeks i was taken out yesterday to woody point and it was not a great day with lots of wind and about 40 boats but managed some nice size prawns ,thank heavens i don’t cast i just drive my friends boat and seb does all the heavy lifting of casting the net.
the crabbing sand and mud has been excellent with big catches of sand crabs in the deeper water and plenty of mud crabs in the mouths of creeks .
have not heard much on reef fishing in the bay at the moment but fairly sure there would be plenty on the shallow reefs.
i had a great night speaking on school mackerel on how when and why to catch fishing in the bay to the power boat angler club which i was invited to do by my friend graham bell and it was a lot of fun meeting lots of fisherman that read my reports .
March 23 rd 2025
Happy to say went out this week and it was lots of fun ,have not been out since boat was sold so it was an experience going out in a tinny fast and bouncy and no cover but an old friend took me out so lots of fun.and appreciated the trip very much,whiting have gone of the chew in all the whiting areas since last Sunday ,could be the very small tides or they have moved into the deeper water for a week or so,the school mackerel not in huge numbers but goo for a few around the two greens of amity banks and also the western side of hope banks water is quite good ,plenty of tiger squid in the bay especially in the rous from the chain banks all the way thru to the dogleg and in most weed banks around maroon gutter,
Was told the prawns are thick redlands way as i write this and the crabs are thick on the deeper water east and south east of hope banks with hundreds of pots so when trolling keep you’re eyes open.
The squire and sweet lip have not taken looking to get back on the bite but small sharks are a problem ..couple of nice fish from Shane and tom this week.
March 18th 2025
Hope most survived the cyclone and i for one would be more then happy not to ever see another one ,it was scary stuff being over the top of us in Brisbane and living on the bay side thank heavens for moreton and stradbroke islands are there to take the power out of it,but feel for the folks living on the islands.
The water is not the best but the whiting by all reports are in good numbers in amity banks and the rous channel,have heard nothing on the reef fishing front but some nice broad mackerel in the rainbow channel where the water is much cleaner then further in the bay ,a few years back when we had floods the school and broad mackerel were between stradbroke and moreton and into the rainbow .
The crabbing seems to have taken of big time with the sand crabs in big numbers opposite the lazarette gutter along maroon and amity banks and plenty of mud crabs close in the mouth of most creeks,no news on the prawning in the last week i think there is lots of rubbish still floating out of the rivers..
March 4th 2025
Morning everyone ides of march are upon us who thought cyclone of the top of us ? the prediction is scary and being thru one on a boat in the Whitsundays many moons ago its bloody scary thing to go thru ,so everyone take care and keep as safe as you can ,lets hope we get thru it without any catastrophic destruction.. and we will all get back sooner rather then later back to normality,stay as safe as you can.
February 23rd 2025
Lots of windy days to get ready and wait for the calm,good news is the prawns from all reports are pretty thick everywhere from north to south in all the known spots like tinny creek ,salt works ,cabbage creek and so on ,this all comes from friends that prawn i don’t i just hope they drop me some in.Nd if you get a net full of herring don’t swear and curse excellent snapper bait.
The school mackerel are still around the hope banks south east of the banks and they are starting to show up on the western side before the deep trench before you hit the hope banks,and lots as well just inside the bar between amity and Moreton,and still a few around shark spit.
Whiting are in big numbers at amity banks ,fisherman’s gutter and in the rous against the maroon banks and banana banks has enough for dinner and some really nice size Flathead.
The tiger squid are in good numbers in the rous and chain banks amity banks and fisherman’s as well.so as soon as the wind drops no reason not to get a fresh feed.
The crabs have moved out into the deeper water with plenty about but lots just under size.
just for everyone to know i am no longer with a boat so reports will be second hand and from 46 years of records that i have for the bay,and lots of good friends that are like me and want to help folks catch a fish. So till next time good fishing, spero
February 11th 2025
Some nice weather at the moment and plenty of fish around ,still some good schoolies around a little quieter with the big tides building but enough to get a feed ,best bet is around the hope banks at the moment incoming tide is best,there were even some yesterday west of hope banks .
The whiting are still around the chain banks but the big numbers are in fisherman’s gutter and the rous channel and the tiger squid are in good numbers in the same areas and aggressive so worth a jig behind the boat while whiting fishing or two or three jigs and concentrate on squid fishing,its worth it.
February 8th 2025
Weather has been ok with big tides in the morning not the best for mackerel trolling in the bay but still a few around with the incoming tides ,plenty of nice big sweetlip at green island with the outgoing tide ,just have to be patient and wait for them to come on ,and plenty of whiting in the blue hole and amity banks ,with plenty of squid on the western side of the bay where the water is nice and clean,the western bay water is terrible as trawlers have been working all night between hope banks and green island ..plenty of big mudcrabs around at the moment i managed a giant in the marina the other day.
The spotty mackerel have gone very quiet but reports came in of big schools east of caloundra so hoping they make there way into the bay..good fishing.
February 5th 2025
Managed an overnight trip but Tuesday was no fun at all whitecaps everywhere but lucky the school mackerel were in excellent number south and south east of hope banks bigger fish on the smith jigs but plenty on the single hook halco with gold splash ,green island produced plenty of squire in the 35 to 40 cm range so it was fun to get out of the wind and catch a few catch and release was lots of fun ,the bigger fish were on Wednesday morning on the eastern side..so home before the rain ,week end is looking ok on the weather prediction front so we will wait and see.
February 3rd 2025
Well not much fishing in the last week with howling winds out in the bay unless you are from amity or dunwich or fished and crabbed and prawned in the sheltered waters,for the rest of us its wait and wait till the winds ease ,which if predictions are correct is Tuesday afternoon onward ,water is a terrible color with big winds and big tides so i would be looking at rous channel fisherman’s gutter and amity banks for our whiting fix,and snapper and sweet lip around the bay islands ,mackerel also on the western side of more ton and rainbow channel,squid have been improving on the eastern side of bay and should get better in the coming weeks.crabs are still plentiful and all the prawners are waiting for the starters gun to go off ,seems like lots of talk but no great action yet ,is what i have been told…any way lets see what this week bring hope to go out for a few days and see.
For ll those thinking where has the whiting master gone he is just going thru a pretty terrible time fighting the big C but hoping to have him well soon.thank you to all that have sent messages to ask.
January 21st 2025
a few magic days on the bay in between the strong winds with lots of fish ,the school mackerel have moved from the rous and are more around the hope banks and the basin at peel island the spotties are not ravenous at the moment with small schools of females not really interested in much food they are all over from the hope banks to spoiled grounds and east of mud island lets hope the males come in to get them going in the next week or so.
The whiting are slowing up in the chain banks and lots have moved into the fisherman’s gutter and amity banks still good to get a feed at chain banks but you need tide run ..a few squid in fisherman’s and chain banks as well even a few little arrows mixed in.
some lovely snapper and sweet lip at green and spoiled grounds just need to put the time in as there are many sharks as well.
January 15th 2025
A few great days on the bay weather wise big tides put the school mackerel down a bit in the middle of bay but they congregated in the rous channel in the thousands some small fish but i found fishing away from the bait and sharks were the bigger fish anyway it was lots of fun ,and seeing the young ones getting into them with grins from ear to ear was very satisfying.
The spotties also a little quit hoping the males come into the bay in big numbers soon.
the whiting are around the chain banks shallows at high tide and deeper as tide drops and the tiger squid are also showing up in same area.
January 9th 2025
Beautiful morning till we got belted with storms in the afternoon ,we made back in safe and sound,the school mackerel are in extraordinary numbers in the bay around the hope banks in the rous channel between fisherman’s and entrance to maroon gutter ,and peel island opposite the lazarete..
Went up north today to see where the spotties are and they were east of mud island at the western corner of the green zone,not big schools and definitely not sitting up feeding the small fast boats that put the time in to go hard and get a few casts to a few fish chipping was fruitful with some nice spotties being caught.
Whiting are still at the chain banks and rous channel but you need run in the tide,anyway we had fun catching a few nice mackerel for the day.
January 7th 2025
Great weather for the week and plenty of folks out with the kids catching some whiting and mackerel around the chain banks ,nothing like hearing kids so excited catching a fish and a few tiger squid are showing up in the same area as well,even the mackerel are turning up in the shallows reducing whiting to half their size,a pillie at the back on a float is worth having out.,plenty of whitebait at night western side of green as well and lots at horeshoe bay as well,tasty little critters.
Looks like the big female spotties are resting lets hope in the next week or so the thousands of males come into the bay ,worth looking down south around peel for spotties with ton of bait in the area.
January 3rd 2025
Happy new year to all ,well it was a good year fishing wise plenty of our local fish in the bay whiting,mackerel,squire and snapper ,Flathead the only species not the best this year were the prawns ,and squid and cuttlefish,but cant complain we had fun caught fish and even the whales this year were so much fun in so close..
Well the weather the last week has not been great with big tides and wind against made it very uncomfortable to try and fish the mackerel went down with these big tides as usual but the whiting were in great numbers at amity banks ,banana banks maroon gutter and chain banks and nice size fish as well, but when you can go out get a few whiting and turn them into beer batter tempura on the same day it does not get any better..
Week coming up is looking much more settled with smaller tides so spotties and schoolies should be on the bite ..and remember to take you’re butterfly nets plenty of great tasting whitebait in horseshoe bay.and yes i hand scale all my fish ,i hate the green dream nets to scale them.
hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year and good fishing.
