By Andrew Chorley – @herveybaysportfishing
Spring is upon us, bringing a change of species and an exciting time for anglers on the Fraser Coast. This time of year offers something for everyone, from land-based anglers chasing whiting and flathead to offshore anglers targeting big pelagics like Spanish mackerel and cobia. Here is the latest fishing report for our local areas:
Burrum
The upper Burrum has been producing barramundi, mangrove jack, trevally, and queenfish. Flathead and whiting are coming from the sand flats and beaches out at Burrum. At the mouth of the river, golden trevally can be found in the channel on live baits and trolled lures. Further out, good school mackerel are on the Burrum 8 Mile, with 40g metal slugs working well.
Wide Grounds
The wide grounds have started to fire for big coral trout, with live baits working well. Some big scarlet sea perch are also about. Anglers have also reported the usual mix of parrotfish, hussar, sweetlip, and cod. Tuna schools are abundant out that way as they feed on the small bait moving in.
Urangan Pier
Off the pier, the crew at Anglers Den report longtail tuna, school mackerel, queenfish, and golden trevally coming from the second channel on live baits. In the first channel, whiting are biting on bloodworms and yabbies. The beaches of Torquay and Urangan are also well worth a look for whiting, with the night tides producing the best results.
Local Reefs
Off Point Vernon, school mackerel can be found rounding up herring schools; trolling and spinning metal lures has been effective. For reef species, early morning starts are best. The Roy Rufus Artificial Reef, Sammies, and the channel hole are all producing sweetlip, cod, coral trout, and blackall.
Platypus Bay
Mackerel tuna can be found up the island, with small 20g slugs working well. On the reefs, small scarlets are taking bait and jigs, with golden trevally, queenfish, and longtail tuna also present. A few snapper are still around, with most reported at the smaller 50cm size.
When targeting snapper, look for the yakkas schools, which can be given away by diving gannets or locating them on your sounder. Once you find the bait, the snapper won’t be far away.
Good luck on the water!
By Andrew Chorley – @herveybaysportfishing
