Xmas day 2024
Merry xmas everyone .
The good news is the weather looks like improving a little with a few windows of opportunity to get out ,and please wait for those windows don’t put yourselves at risk or family and friends to go out when the weather is terrible its no fun remember you are the captain and you can say NO.not today.
The mackerel school and spotties are in the bay and i mean all over the bay i don’t think there was a spot not reported to me this past week where someone did not catch a schoolie or spotty so get the trolling boards out white or orange the 3 inch spoons or smith jigs and kimberly spoons and a few chrome slugs to throw into feeding schools on the surface and have some fun and get a fresh fish on the dinner table.like my little friend Ethan out with dad caught lots and had lots of fun.
December 22nd 2024
Great weekend on the water dead calm and the school mackerel with a few spotties really came out to play,spotties are hit and miss and you will get hit trolling anywhere in the bay but the schoolies are thick from the one mile around Douglas light along the two reds eastern side of peel over to the two greens at amity banks all the way to the start of chain bank beacons seemed the best last of the outgoing tide and with the water being a terrible color. and the whiting are in excellent numbers in the rous ,chain banks amity banks and pelican banks ,so hope the water holds and everyone can get a fresh fish for dinner..
i would like to wish all the readers of the moreton bay reports a wonderful and merry xmas and a happy healthy and good fishing new year to do it all again for another year.
December 18th 2024
Took a quick trip out again today as is was dead calm and hot and humid ideal weather for the spotties but the rain squalls were not much fun so lucky to pick up a couple in between green and the artificial reef only a small school of about 12 fish ,and headed home as this south east change was on the cards .but plenty of schools on the eastern side of more ton again today but lots of mac tuna also everywhere,just remember they swim differently to the spotties ,there is an article on spotty mackerel for the bay i wrote years ago worth a read.
December 17th 2024
Some good news for the bay the big female spotties are in much better numbers on the eastern side of the bay with schools of 30 to 40 fish lots of bonito around but you cant miss the spotties so get youre spoons and chrome slugs out (making some up for water tower bait and tackle as we speak }and go get a few big spotties 75 to 85 cm are excellent fish and lets hope the males follow in in a few weeks time in bigger numbers.
December 14th 2024
The forecasts were all over the place and so was the weather the 10 knots turned into 15 to 18 and the bay with big tides and wind against the tide was no fun at all,managed Friday for a fish surprised to pick up a couple of schoolies with the big tides as normally they sit and don’t bite but happy and a friend picked up a very large spotty east of green while trolling also was told there were a few schools up towards harry last week ,so we just need a few dead calm days to see them.
The whiting were in ok numbers at amity banks but the big fish were at chain banks and the rous channel,and some nice squire and sweet lip at green island,lets hope the blow comes and goes quickly so we can get out there again.
December 7th 2024
A couple of nice days on the bay the whiting have shown up at chain banks and rous channel where it meats small boat passage still plenty at amity banks for a feed and banana banks have plenty as well.
The school mackerel are around the last green towards peel on amity banks and a few scattered around hope banks a few were caught at the 4 beacons today as well but i have not heard of one spotty being caught this week lets hope as the water clears we see some as there is a ton of whitebait and bluebait in the bay i even managed a scoop of blue bait for dinner.
a few mud crabs around but not to full i have been told ,the one i got was not full either.
The snapper and squire season and sweet lip is going very well managed fish at green peel and spoiled grounds so plenty about.
December 3rd 2024
Weather ok Monday but the northerly came in on Monday and blew all night and today was not much fun with a straight northerly pretty awful coming back from peel island ,but the fishing yesterday was very good with plenty of whiting on the amity banks and being such a big tide they were all the way on to the banks where normally its too shallow,the big schoolies were in the drop off at the amity banks as well in 13 to 18 ft depth and frog mouth pillies is what they eating the tide change was happening and lots of them a few also on the south eastern side of hope banks worth the huge run in tide .
Plenty of sandcrabs in the bay as well
Snapper fishing went out of the window with tide against wind at peel so got organized for the whitebait and they turned up in the thousands have not seen such a huge bait ball behind the boat so it was well worth the overnight stay it is one of our favorite thing to eat.weather predictions seem ok but if its a straight northerly with no east in it it gets very lumpy.
November 29th 2024
Lots of schoolies thru out the bay and a few spotties showing up mixed in at the moment and a few bait balls starting in the rous and north of spoiled grounds so hoping like crazy its going to be a good year in the bay for the spotties,there are thousands of mutton birds come into the bay which a great sign the bait is is and the water temp is perfect at the moment not too hot so we will see.
So get you’re diving boards and spoons ,the new two hook ones work well as do the Kimberly spoons and smith jigs ,if they are feeding on small bait spoons are best but Kimberly and smiths work best if they are eating razor pillies so get ready and also get some chrome slugs for the surface feeding spotties ,water tower sell my chrome slugs at a great price compared to some named brands and i can guaranty you they work a treat.
November 27th 2024
Hooray finally weather brilliant fishing brilliant what more can we ask for ,great news first spotties are in the bay but don’t get to excited not yet balling up bait but are mixed in with the schoolies which have come on thick ,eastern side of hopes all the way to peel and the rous channel and north of spoiled ground lots caught over the last two days.
the whiting are east of the second green towards peel amity banks rous channel and banana banks plenty of quality fish .
whitebait in horseshoe bay if you have one of my butterfly nets so yummy.
the snapper and squire were in very good numbers around peel island ,so no complaints lots of fish and great weather..even caught a chinaman at peel a few around lately.
November 15th 2024
Plenty of nice mornings even if the weather wind forecasts are saying 10 to 15 its been very fish able till lunchtime on most days plenty of whiting at banana banks and amity banks and a few showing up again north of Darcy light and plenty of nice big cod as well in the bay from the rock wall at amity all thru the marina and bay islands ,and as mentioned lots of crabs in the shallows sand crabs and mud crabs as well,the weather looks like its going to settle in the week ahead ,keep an eye out for floating debris trees and other as huge tides and lots of rain has lots of odd things floating in the bay.
November 11th 2024
lest we forget.
The weather has been terrible with only a day here and there to get out for a fish,the whiting are still in the maroon gutter and amity banks and also some nice fish at banana banks.
the squire and sweetlip are in good supply if you can get a comfortable time with wind and tide in same direction peel and green have been good.
school mackerel reports southern end of bay are not good at all but a few caught on the northern side measured mile beacon and shark spit but with all the rain and dirty water coming out we will have to wait and see. looks like a horrible week ahead so all we can do is wait.
October 24th 2024
Finally a few really good days on the bay with plenty of whales out there around hope banks and plenty of fish.
The whiting seemed to slow down in fisherman’s gutter but plenty opposite on the east side of maroon gutter and amity banks and nice big fish as well,the chain banks should start to fire up soon as well,i found plenty at amity banks this week.
The squire and snapper has been fantastic with fish caught from all the close in bay islands and the spoiled grounds north of harry s peel fished really well .and plenty of big sweetlip mixed in.
The school mackerel are quiet this part of the bay but a few showing up around shark spit and north on the banks the odd one getting caught around peel but nothing to speak of.
The crabbing seems to be on fire with plenty of sand crabs and muddies in the creeks.
Hopefully the water temp gets a little higher but not to high as the indications for spotty mackerel are looking good with coral spawn and bonito chasing lots of bait and the blubber jelly fish coming into the bay as well we can only hope.
October 14th 2024
Some great days in between the wind and rain and rewarded with snapper plenty of whiting and a few mackerel all over the place.
The snapper and squire were eastern side of green and st Helena and plenty around peel from hole in the wall to the area south of hanlon like there are a few areas of coral but you need to be careful to fish between the green zones witch surround the bommies. garfish and whiting worked a treat.
the whiting are still in good numbers in fisherman’s gutter and amity banks and on the banks east of maroon gutter as well.prawns peeled worked best by far .lots of crabs thru out the bay with pots everywhere from the shallows to the deep water. and i have to say nothing beats snapper wings on the bbq.
October 10th 2024
Hard to get a day out but managed half a day on Monday ,and there were thousands of boats out ,tried a nice quite spot at st Helena but it was lie being in a washing machine with all the boats going past,snagged two nice squire and a nice tailor so well worth while ,and a few good reports of nice snapper at mud and spoiled grounds and harry s ,still lots of whiting in fisherman’s gutter .so maybe end of week when rains and storms ease it will be worth a trip out .ps good reports of plenty of sand-crabs as well in the bay ,schoolies a little slow with big tides and dirty water at the moment.
October 6th 2024
Windy windy and windy with only one day in-between but at least the fish are still waiting for us,the school mackerel have moved out a little around harry s and spoiled grounds and over to shark spit ,they should move back in a little in the next few weeks ,the whiting are in big numbers and quality in the rous channel ,fisherman’s gutter and amity banks martha and i got plenty ,and the squire snapper are in good supply around the bay islands and the artificial reefs so just have to be patient and wait for the calm days no good risking a really shitty day just to get a fish. and check out the new kimberly spoons and 3 inch chrome spoons lots of bling on and have been working a treat . watertower just got them in so get a few .
September 25th 2024
Fishing is great but the whales in the bay at the moment are spectacular especially around the hope bank area mum and calves and males roaring from female to female trying to have there way ,with tail slapping and breaching all over the place and calves resting on the mothers head upside down and so close to home it is truly a sight .
The whiting are in great numbers in the fisherman’s gutter and amity banks and the shallows around Darcy light in close ,snapper fishing has been really good around the shallows at green and wellington point and the spoiled ground north of harry s artificial reef .
With the dirty water and big tides the mackerel at the moment are western side of moreton island and stradbroke and till the water clears and smaller tides that’s where we will have to go ,north of shark spit is where i would try along the two sandbanks ..
Crabs have really come on as well with mark ethan getting plenty and lots of whiting as well.and my wife with a very large tiger squid from amity banks.
September 14th 2024
A few windy days but overall pretty good fishing conditions ,plenty of mackerel and tailor in close from east of green all the way down to ormiston and plenty of tailor mixed in as well ,kimberly spoons working best or floating out pillies, plenty also in the rainbow channel north of welsby to bar amity side.i have added a photo of what you should be seeing when fishing for school mackerel on you’re sounder on the bottom. the whiting are thick in fisherman’s gutter at the moment.
August 30th 2024
The wind predictions have not been the best over the last week with dead calm conditions nearly every morning and some days dead calm with wind not starting till midday or afternoon,so with the mackerel in close it has been pretty good to pop out for a fish ,get a few and be home by lunch if not earlier eastern side of green king island all the way down to ormiston has been excellent and even between green and king depending on the tide but if you troll any of these areas pretty sure you will get a feed,or you can anchor up and float our pillies while burlying with a few chopped up pillies. any way they are here in big numbers and plenty of small ones which is great news for the up coming months,try releasing the small ones without killing them which is hard to do sometimes.
August 25th 2024
More good weather in the bay and the fishing is very good,plenty of snapper and squire close in islands and artificial reefs plenty of schoolies and tailor in close from green island to Ormiston ,pockets of small fish but big fish mixed in,great to see lots of small fish for the following months they grow pretty quick.
If you don’t want to troll spoons they are taking pillies very well ,but be careful with the big schoolies sharp teeth and gang hooks around hands spells trouble sometimes.
The other good news seems the cuttlefish seem to be more prevalent again and big buggers not in massive numbers but i had a drift for an hour and picked up 4 and dropped 2 in 31 ft depth east of wellington point.
Whiting are in big numbers and size in fisherman’s gutter and when you get a phone call to say i have a big octopus for you spero how can you not get excited ,thank you ross.
WHITING RIG
Seeing the whiting are in really good numbers in the bay i am going to share a rig i have been trying out for a while now and it works a treat and it might also stop the argument about which is better a paternoster or a running rig catching more whiting , i have combined both together and i recommend you try it …good fishing.
August 25th 2024
More good weather in the bay and the fishing is very good,plenty of snapper and squire close in islands and artificial reefs plenty of schoolies and tailor in close from green island to Ormiston ,pockets of small fish but big fish mixed in,great to see lots of small fish for the following months they grow pretty quick.
If you don’t want to troll spoons they are taking pillies very well ,but be careful with the big schoolies sharp teeth and gang hooks around hands spells trouble sometimes.
The other good news seems the cuttlefish seem to be more prevalent again and big buggers not in massive numbers but i had a drift for an hour and picked up 4 and dropped 2 in 31 ft depth east of wellington point.
Whiting are in big numbers and size in fisherman’s gutter and when you get a phone call to say i have a big octopus for you spero how can you not get excited ,thank you ross.
August 21 st 2024
The weather gods are doing the right thing and the fishing in the bay is exceptional,plenty of whiting in the rous ,fisherman’s gutter,banana banks and close in north west of darcy.
The school mackerel have moved to the close in areas wello and green and around the hope banks mixed in lots of tailor on spoons or drifting with pillies.
The snapper season started and the fish have been in good supply ,all the close reefs from ormiston,wellington point green and st Helena and mud are all fishing well i bagged out today at green in an hour and quality fish .
Cuttlefish are not completely gone they are in 30 plus feet of water.
August 16th 2024
First happy birthday my friend the whiting master after a terrible year .came out with mate cal and we had a great day.
The fishing as soon as the rain stopped was pretty good managed to go out the last two days whiting one day and mackerel the next ,whiting were ok at the north eastern side of Darcy light and also banana banks a bit quiet at amity and rous but they seem to be moving into fisherman’s gutter.
The schoolies are in the rainbow and around the small ship club but some nice fish caught around Welsby and across to amity and the bar entrance.so beautiful weather and good fishing you cant complain..
Saw a boat today tied to the Huybers beacon try to tell him that its a huge fine but either he did not understand or who knows,anyway remember you cant tie up to a beacon i paid 380 dollar fine 20 years ago so who knows what it is today,i learnt the hard way.
August 10th 2024
Seeing the whiting are in really good numbers in the bay i am going to share a rig i have been trying out for a while now and it works a treat and it might also stop the argument about which is better a paternoster or a running rig catching more whiting , i have combined both together and i recommend you try it …good fishing.
August 6th 2024
Had to wait for the weather again to become fishable and it proved worth waiting for ,plenty of whiting on amity banks,banana banks ( but be careful a mackerel shark net is across the banks a friend just got tangled today) rous channel east of the red at entrance to maroon gutter and Darcy light close in still has enough for a feed, some really nice Flathead as well and tailor are still thru the southern bay, the good news whales have already been spotted in the bay so keep an eye out taking the family out ita a wonderful experience to witness,but be aware the rules regarding getting to close to the mums and babies. A few sand crabs still around and plenty of lobsters on the coral around the bay.
August 8 wasn’t the greatest day on the bay weather wise. wind was really up on the eastern side of the bay but the trip to the rainbow channel was well worth it with the schoolies showing up in good numbers .
July 29th 2024
The whiting are in excellent numbers from wide of the Darcy light to amity banks and banana banks still,decided to go looking for the arrows and cuttlefish as they have been very scratchy in the last few weeks and they should be in big numbers this time of year,nothing in the tried and true areas where they normally are but found the cuttlefish in much deeper water 32 to 35 ft east of green island which is not the usual depth for them,quiet slow as the tide changed but they came on much better as the run in the tide got better,but did not find a single arrow squid the NKN and daiwa emeraldas orange EBI worked best and i have to say i don’t know why Yamashita have stopped making the NKN its been the best working jig for many many years( then again they stopped producing the best trolling board as well ) so who knows,but below are the best for jigs i have found to work best red/orange not as good this year.
so with this cold snap this week i am hoping the mackerel move closer in as normal ,and cant wait till the whales start showing up in the bay.
July 25th 2024
Finally some beautiful weather on the bay and hopefully the snapper are getting bigger time to catch whiting and save the heads for bait and the bodies for burly,plenty of whiting around from Darcy light area in the deeper water to amity banks outgoing tide best and banana banks as well readers point has some big whiting as well ,our friend the whiting master had a good day out ,if you can and want to help a little release the big ones as they are full of roe you can see the roe orange colour at there anus part so not hard to see.
Mackerel have moved from the one mile and are now spread all over around the pelican banks is not a bad spot for a troll and down the rainbow as well ,lots of small ones starting to show up around peel so a good season ahead.
Plenty of tailor south of peel and around the bottom bay islands .friend shane got some nice fish this past week.
July 15th 2024
Time is upon us snapper /squire season closed today till august .
Lucky for us the school mackerel are in excellent numbers from the rainbow all the way past Myora one mile front of Dunwich all the way down to Deanbilla bay and even pelican banks ,trolling in the shallow water takes a little practice so you don’t catch one million grinners ,so my advise is keep bringing line closer to boat till grinners stop , wind looks like being up all week so they might start moving over to the western side of bay, been using the new double hook spoons and they are working well ,shiny chrome but i do ad a little bling in gold or yellow which in my opinion work better and you might need to put some chrome slugs in the kitty for the tailor moving around the bay,water tower stock both .
The whiting are still close in northern side of Darcy light all the way north to western side of st Helena just have to find the depth they are in normally around 9 to 11 ft.and plenty at amity banks and the maroon gutter some should be showing up in fisherman’s as well very soon,pelican banks area is producing sove very large whiting as well.
Arrows and cuttlefish are a little slow and my concern is the big cuttlefish are full of eggs which is a sign they are ending the cycle of life and the arrows are very scarce,looks like they are north and and gold coast,maybe this cold snap might trigger something .
July 11 th 2024
Finally the winds abated and we were out there catching a fresh feed of fish ,whiting have been really good in close and maroon gutter and amity banks with a few nice flathead mixed in i,have not been down to pelican banks but have had a few reports from reliable people who have been catching plenty down there as well.
Have not had a chance to go for schoolies around the rainbow and western side of north stradbroke but this Friday is the day i am planning for ,again i have good reports of schoolies all thru the shallow water around the southern bay islands,but i cant guarantee this info as no photos were forthcoming.
Some nice squire and snapper again this week at wellington point reef and green island and pike were the flavor of the week for them ,whiting heads worked well too.
July 1st 2024
We have been waiting a while for the schoolies to show up in good numbers on the western side of the bay and they have been a little late as they have shown up on the eastern side instead the rainbow channel one mile all the way down to pelican banks and they are plentiful so a board and a 3 inch spoon or a pillie floated out in these areas should get you a feed and they are so much fun to catch and taste great.
Sand crabs just keep getting caught in very large numbers with 12 to 14 crabs per pot and very large .
Whiting are starting to slow close in but rous amity and fisherman’s gutter will be the next areas for these ,and the cuttlefish are in good supply but arrow squid are very disappointing so far this year.but the cuttlefish are in good numbers with some jigs working the best .
June 27th 2024
Great week on the water got my best mate out after all the heartbreak we have had over the last 6 weeks and he cleaned up on his favorite fishing catching whiting ,i even let him bag out this time , but he had fun,still in close the whiting 10 ft mark east of Darcy light all the way to west of st Helena.
Cuttlefish still in good supply but not as many as i thought would be around at the moment and catching an arrow is hard to do i hope it improves.
Squire and snapper have been good at wello reef and green and st Helena and the spoiled ground has a good supply as well.
hopefully the schoolies will come out of hibernation very soon.
June 21st 2024
The weather has been perfect during the day as soon as the south westerlies stop mid morning and the fishing in close has been very good especially the whiting along the drop off from wynum manly marina leads 10 to 12 ft all the way north to the western side of st Helena and plenty of big fish as well,the cuttlefish are still running on the eastern side of wello all the way to mud but not as many arrow squid as you would expect and the tigers are slowing up in the shallows ,reef fishing has been a little slow as are the schoolies might have to look for them down the rainbow channel and the western side of morton ,tailor were in good numbers around mud the last few days as well.and a few big tusk fish around mud island as young tim found.
crabbing just keeps getting better as some pots are bringing up 12 to 14 crabs at a time.
June 17th 2024
Weather has been ok south westerly every morning sometimes a little stronger then we like but easing of mid morning so fishable,lots of whiting in close along the drop off from Darcy light to the western side of st Helena ,big cuttlefish and a few arrows showing up eastern side of wellington point to mud island lots of tailor around mud island and Cleveland and a few schoolies down the rainbow channel mixed in with the bonito ,crabbing is amazing eastern side of st Helena so there goes the theory of months with R in them for sand crabs, had a few great days out with some good friends and the kids well not kids anymore but lots of fun dad Shane, kade and Mackenzie who cleaned up on the whiting,and also met up with mark and son Ethan cleaning up on crabs and whiting as well ,great to see young ones having fun in the bay.
June 10 th 2024
Westerlies have started early and the first thing i will say pls be careful with the westerly winds ,you cant see the whitecaps from shore but you will see them coming back home ,we have lost too many lives in the bay with strong westerly winds.
One other thing a couple of newspapers and experts keep telling fisherman the limit for winter whiting is 23 cm that is not correct there is no limit for winter whiting its 50 fish total but no size limit.
So back to the report plenty of whiting in close in 10 to 11 ft depth from leads at manly all the way to st Helena but they are at a certain depth but once you find them they are plentiful.
The cuttlefish are in good numbers and the arrow squid have started as well ,pls take what you need so they can breed and we can have lots every year.
Mackerel are not in big numbers but there are enough and the tailor are with them ,reef fishing is very quiet at the moment hopefully with the colder weather we should start getting a few squire .
May 30th 2024
Terrible conditions but the school mackerel in pretty good numbers wide of wello leads in 32 ft depth with change of tide,plenty of whiting on the north western side of green island if you dont want to go all the way to amity banks and cuttlefish and squid around green and wellington point.
May 28th 2024
Weather gods have been kind and the bay is producing some lovely eating fish ,the whiting are pretty thick at the maroon gutter and hole and amity bank side,the school mackerel with the smaller tides are showing up in good numbers from wide of wellington point to the hope banks and a few closer in as well with some good size tailor as well,the tiger squid are still in good number eastern side of green island and amity banks and the cuttlefish are ramping up from wellington point to mud island and they quite large for the start of the season.
Had some nice squire around green island but some bigger sharks are being very annoying especially when they take both good fish of the morning 50 plus both of them.Some very nice painted lobsters around the islands as well.
Crabbing especially sand crabs are still in big numbers and still lots of mud crabs around the southern bay islands ,and my good friend keeps bringing prawns so i know the season is going well..
May 14th 2024
We managed a few days out and we got some surprises as well.school mackerel close in are hit and miss there are a few being caught in the rous ,but there are lots of tailor close in even the rock wall at the manly harbor in the early mornings with the high tides , the squire are in good numbers but the sharks are no fun at all lost a beautiful 3 to 4 kilo to a 8 to 9 foot bull shark yesterday . the fun at the moment are the cuttlefish and tiger squid ,tigers in the shallows and cuttlefish in the 20 plus ft depth east of the close in bay islands wellington point best at the moment, got a great surprise this week i was given a lovely panted lobster caught of green island the boys managed a few ,who says the bay has no fish in it, and the crabbing seems pretty good as well ,westerlies have started early morning the coolness has come quick.
May 9th 2024
A dew good days before the weather turned but it was fun to see the cuttlefish back in the bay and a little early from east of wellington point and green st Helena and mud is the area they tend to congregate in between 20 and 35 ft depths ,so a ball sinker on top of the jig or a paternoster rig with jig about 6 inches of the bottom while drifting is the way to get them,some colours work better then others so try a few and remember they tend to grab middle of jig many times so the cheap razor squid jigs sometimes work a treat and very cheap,oranges and pinks and silver work well and sometimes blue and green,i find dull colors on dull days and bright colours on sunny days work best.
School mackerel are getting better and lots of tailor in the bay as well close in,mackerel have been eating razor pillies so i am finding smith jigs and Kimberly spoons working well,and still plenty of crabs in the bay .
May 1st 2024
Good news the school mackerel are getting bigger and are close in any where from green island across to wellington point and across to the two greens at amity banks and lots of tailor in the same areas, and mud crabs seem to just keep getting caught everywhere and sand crabs in big numbers as well..bit blowie next few days so get you’re new two hook spoons from water tower bait and tackle with stainless steel hooks, worked a treat this week on the mackerel and the tailor a little heavier very similar to the best spoons on the market many years ago the makka spoons.
April 29th 2024
Not a bad few days with the weather and the fishing is pretty good depending on what you are chasing ,whiting are now on the eastern side amity banks,maroon gutter and hole ,fishermans and the rous ,the school mackerel are very large at the moment in the south eastern side of hope banks and a few are showing in close as well and some nice tailor showing up ,bit lumpy out there today but plenty of fish for a couple of hours out trolling.
April 25th 2024
A week or more with horrible weather and wind but leading up to Anzac day a few great days out on the bay ,whiting have now moved top of rous maroon gutter maroon hole and fishermans gutter and plenty of tiger squid in all these areas as well good idea to have a jig behind the boat as you are drifting catching whiting.
a few big tides have slowed the school mackerel down and i thing the spotties have gone with maybe like last year you might catch the straggler that has not left the bay ,a horrible spotty season again, long tail tuna are in big numbers in the bay and some bonito as well don’t go spending lots of money on slugs with fancy colors the 34 gram chrome slugs work just as well for a couple of dollars from water tower bait and tackle.
Wont be long before the cuttlefish and arrows start but i am hoping the tigers stay around for a while as they were late starting.
Aprril 14th 2024
What great weather on the week end and looks like the whole week is a typical calm autumn week.
The fishing was great lots of big school mackerel southern side of hope banks ,whiting were in big numbers in the maroon gutter both ends rous and peel but better at peel end in the shallows eastern side and lots of tiger squid in the area as well any dark weed grounds was holding lots ,and lazarette produced some nice 38 to 42 cm squire and sweet lip so great week end fishing.
April 11th 2024
Some nice days for a fish and a little bit of a shock with change of temperature but the fishing is good ,lots of whiting in the maroon gutter all the way from rous channel entrance and amity banks,squid in the same area and good school mackerel south east of hope banks and an occasional spotty ,plenty of tiger squid as well at green and Victoria point and even the marinas are full of squid and prawns,so need to get out and catch a few weather looking forward looks promising .crabs are also thick in the bay and some nice coral crabs north and the prawns when you find them are thick,my friend seb cleaned up the other day and looking how many in one cast you can see why he has a huge smile .
April 3 rd 2024
A few good days on the water a few mackerel lots of squid and my friends tell me lots of muddies and prawns ,which i am so grateful they dropped off.
April 1st 2024
no April fool jokes , the weather was not to kind over the long brake with wind and rain on Sunday Monday the only good news was the school mackerel and a few broad mackerel were hungry Eastern side of hope banks towards naval banks ,hiding in the lazarette gutter a few squire and even a king fish turned up ,no chance for squid and whiting as it was too lumpy for the family.
one thing this year seems like the crabs especially the mud crabs are in plague proportions as they are being caught in large numbers.
March 21 st 2024
Lucky we managed a few days as the strong wind warning happened as BOM predicted and i have to say BOM has been fantastic lately for the bay predictions.
On the fishing front the whiting have moved from the chain bank area so we will need to find the schools and where they have gone to i would assume further into the small boat passage ,amity banks and maroon gutter and fisherman’s but would not have moved to far ,some good reports of good whiting north of Darcy light in front of wynum in around the 10 ft mark,will have to check it out close to home.
‘The schoolies are not in big numbers yet a few good size fish east of hope banks and the good news a few big spotties in the same area managed a couple so that’s good news they should hang around till Easter ‘The schoolies are not in big numbers yet a few good size fish east of hope banks and the good news a few big spotties in the same area managed a couple so that’s good news they should hang around till Easter ,and a few nice bonito in the same area.
Tiger squid are showing up in better numbers so finally the season has begun ,dolphins were giving them a touch up last week at the sand hills ,just a tip where there are lots of turtles in the grass areas is a good sign for squid in the area.
March 19th 2024
Great few days wind wise bay looked like a sheet of glass ,a few schoolies around but no spotties i think north of peel will be the place to look for them ,reef fish were good around green and no shark this time and plenty of small tigers on the eastern side in the shallows, worth a try a half razor pillies for the reef fish and burlying up with the tails seemed to work a treat.
March 16th 2024
What a week plus of horrible fishing weather crabbing and prawning in the sheltered areas seemed the best option except Thursday afternoon and half of Friday so i sneaked out as it looked like the only window for another week of winds, went for a troll and managed a couple of schoolies saw a small school of big spotties but they only up for seconds and gone ,a couple of nice reef fish at green but the sharks were in the majority so fished east of green where there were plenty of small tiger squid ,got inked but all worth while and managed to get home before it blew a gale by 11am BOM got it perfect with their predictions for Thursday Friday ,lets hope wind eases by end of this week.
March 8th 2024
Wind has caught up with us so time to spit and polish fishing gear and for the ones that like crabbing and prawning in the sheltered areas is a perfect time to go get a few,and reports are pretty good so is the delivery from some good friends to the house as i don’t crab and cant throw a net for prawns ,very grateful…Tingalpa creek seems to have plenty of prawns and down to Coochi and north to Nudgie but seems like from what i have been told its hit and miss one day bag out next day half a bucket, lots of crabs in the bay and lots of muddies close in to the southern bay islands this time last year the Brisbane river was also full of sandies and mud crabs,lets hope some turn up at home (haha).
Looks like a whole week of wind so patience is needed don’t go out if its terrible a good day is around the corner, i made the mistake and went out for a couple of hours and it was horrible.
March 3rd 2024
Some nice weather out in the bay with glassy conditions but so hot and humid ,first time i remember hoping for a breeze,the whiting are still in good numbers around the entrance to small boat channel both sides and in the deep water depending on tide and depth and a few arrow squid in the same area ,green island also starting to produce some tiger squid as well.
School mackerel are hit and miss at the moment and a few big bonito is large schools showing up ,lots of small schoolies and spotties {baby’s} so looking OK for winter for the schoolies ,i dont know where the spotties have gone to but all i see is very small schools with 3 to 5 fish and they cant hold a bait ball so i think its wait and see obviously they are not in big numbers in the bay.
A few decent fathead also in the sandy areas around the small boat channel so a nice mixture of fish ,my friends who prawn have been getting some nice feeds and so have the crabbing folks muddies around the southern islands and plenty of sand crabs around the close in bay islands.
so a good week lets hope this southerly cools us down a little.
February 25 th 2024
Great week for fishing crabbing and prawning school mackerel hard to find but if you put the time in you will get one or two from Hyubers out to around hope banks depending on the tide southern or northern side lee side always is best,spotties are not thick but the ones being caught are huge 80 cm plus schools still small but a few been caught on the spoons trolling for schoolies.
My friend Anthony and his father in law vicente all the way from Spain had a good day out with a bucket of whiting and a few schoolies.and my friend the whiting master caught plenty and a few tiger squid which are starting to show up as well.
Whiting are staying around the small boat channel from chain bank side to sand bank south of channel.and plenty of smaller ones north of Darcy light if you don’t want to go out to far.
Prawns seem to be getting caught around Coochiemudlo island Nikki and Scott netted a lovely feed .
so weather is turning but looks like a good day here and there.
February 21 st 2024
A few very nice days on the bay ,plenty of whiting in the chain banks area a few tiger squid showing up as well, the schoolies are hit and miss with the building of the bigger tides and the big spotties are teasing us but when you get one it is a lot of fun ,not staying up long but they are eating whitebait instead of razor pillies like last week ,so hopefully they will find the acres of whitebait further into the bay and if the schools get bigger they will be able to hold the bait balls together a little longer,looks ok for another day or so .
February 15th 2024
Well we had to wait for the weather but a few good days and fishing was good whiting around the chain banks is slowing up and they will probably move onto the banks and further into the channel , plenty of boats catching plenty.(i just wish those scale bags were never used).there are a few tiger squid showing up and a few small black king fish in the whiting grounds as well.
The spotties are in but small schools and not staying up for long and the reason is they are eating herrings and razor pillies and not blue bait or white bait i don’t know why as the schoolies are eating the smaller bait,anyway the spotties are north west of hope banks and hard to get if you aint got a fast boat and you can see them swimming on the surface or just under ,they are taking the chrome slugs but its hard work ,lets hope they find the blue bait (froggies) or whitebait and start balling them up on the surface so the turns can point an arrow to where they are..the good news is the school mackerel are around the hope banks and lots of 6 to 8 inch babies in large numbers so it should be a great autumn and winter season for them,and a couple of things one don’t throw the back frames away they have so much meat on and are so so tasty, second thing the laws are back so ring netters can catch spotties with nets again so don’t abuse the pros pls they have a license to ring net in the bay.
February 5th 2024
Patience has paid of a few schools of spotties in the bay and it should get better get youre chrome slugs and go chase a few.
February 4th 2024
Some really good days with light winds and the water is cleaning up nicely with the smaller tides and the school mackerel are back biting a little better around the hope banks ,got tod by a friend he caught a spotty but i need to see picture first.
Whiting are still in big numbers in the small boat passage so no reason not to get a feed and the kids can have some fun and a good day out ,my wife had a ball with the whiting caught so many her hands were sore.
I had a great morning at peel island on the snapper and squire around the hole in the wall ,perfect outgoing tide with not lots of run fresh whiting heads what more can snapper and squire ask for..
Mackerel should get better with smaller tides early this week ,and outgoing tides are perfect for snapper..
Whiting will be around for a while but will be moving up on the southern bank in the next few weeks.
January 25th 2024
Nice day middle of 3 or 4 blowing ones but big tides kept the schoolies a little quite managed 3 on the way out with my mate for a whiting fish so day ended up very good lots of whiting entrance to chain banks ,next few days looks pretty ordinary but going up for a look for spotties next week when weather settles wide of shark spit will let you know if i see any..good time to stock up on some slugs for throwing at the spotties or jigging for schoolies my 35 gram chrome slugs are sold at water tower bait and tackle very cheap and the ones with trebles are only a couple of dollars extra. these have been catching fish for me for 30 years so i can tell you they work a treat ..till next time good fishing.
January 22nd 2024
Weather turned out great and lots of boats out in the bay catching plenty of fish ,whiting were thick in the small boat channel around the chain banks with over 30 boats catching a nice feed ,bait of choice was definitely blood worms or beach worms prawns and squid were ok but the grinners loved the squid .my better half had a good day out catching plenty.
The schoolies were hit and miss around hope banks but the bigger tides did not help a few were caught ,but the best news was that a few big spotties have turned up so keep an eye out when the weather settles again .a friend Andrew caught a big fish on the troll on a spoon,
January 19th 2024
Some really nice calm days out in the bay for the last week of school holidays and plenty of fish for all ,schoolies were good around hope banks hour each side of the tides and the lee side when the water is streaming in or out,no spotties in the southern bay yet.
The whiting are in great numbers in the small boat passage chain bank side and very large fish.
The sweetlip are in large numbers along the bay islands and wellington drop of with some nice squire mixed in ,just got to put up with the green sea toads and extra large cat fish and a few sharks thrown in but worth the quality of the reef fish.
January 12th 2024
Finally the school mackerel have come back on the bite around the hope banks and a few as well at the measured mile beacon and a couple of big fish in the rainbow ,but sad to say not a sign of any spotties yet in the southern bay,oh well schoolies taste as good.
The whiting are in good numbers and big in the small boat channel entrance and maroon gutter and there are lots of squire sweet lip and tusk and Moses perch all around the bay island mullet flesh and whole green prawns worked very well for the sweet lip..
A few windy and wet days ahead but middle of next week looks ok.hope a couple of dead calm days like last week would be great.
January 6th 2024
Not the best day in the bay especially when wind against tide but lucky for us the whiting were thick in the small boat channel and chain banks.got our bucket and left .my old mate does not like to much rock and roll.
Water colour was terrible for mackerel but temperature has dropped a little since all the rain so hopefully next week if the water clears the spotties might make an appearance we can only hope.
WHITING RIG
Seeing the whiting are in really good numbers in the bay i am going to share a rig i have been trying out for a while now and it works a treat and it might also stop the argument about which is better a paternoster or a running rig catching more whiting , i have combined both together and i recommend you try it …good fishing.
