OFFSHORE – early last week had some good reports of fish out wide on the hards with no current. off i went to di on sat did an overnighter and got nothing. i went out to the shelf and the current was roaring. 2 x 32oz sinkers were skipping on the bottom. lots of shows of fish all the way out and back but nothing was wanting to chew. we still got heaps of everything we didnt want amberjack, cobia, trag jew, mowong all the good stuff. i ended up with a fed of pearlies, parrot and moses but no big reds and snapper which is what we were after. this week i hear the fish are back on the bite. must me me ay.

this week – sweetlip and parrot from caloundra 9 mile. parrot and moses from murphys. snapper and lots of cobia at caloundra 12 mile. cobia, snapper, pearl perch from the hards. snapper, cobia, red throat, moses, pearlies and maori cod from the banks.

ESTUARY – Didnt get too many reports this week. some big tailor off mudjimba beach. flathead and bream through  the deeper holes in the passage. chopper tailor and golden trevally off the rocks at pt cartwright.

SOMERSET DAM – Fishing has been really consistent at the moment with most anglers getting amongst good fish in good numbers.  A trip on the weekend yielded 10 – 15 bass with the biggest being 53cm to the fork and others being just over or just under the 50cm mark.  Other reports have some guys catching up to 40 bass with many of them 2.5 – 3kg.  Small blades (40mm) have been working by sitting just off the school and casting to the school.  Big hops off the bottom has been the go to technique, the fish have been smashing the lure on the drop.  White and bright green plastics such as rippers, sliders and wrigglers (100mm) have been doing the job also.  Pelican point and the Spit have been producing well with midweek being the pick time to go.

BORUMBA – Fish are still schooling up across from the boat ramp and up the dam to the first main point that has standing timber.  If you head up the dam and get in tight to the timber you will give yourself a real shot at picking up some Bass.  Reports have been that fishing can be tough but on its day there have been up to 100 bass caught in a session recently.  Jigging blades, Ice Jigs and plastics produced on this day.

Hope this helps,

Brendan

OFFSHORE – Caloundra 12 mile – snapper to 7kg, pearl perch, sweetlip, cobia. Redthroat emperor, parrot and squire at the banks yesterday. Snapper to 6 kg, pearlies, sweetlip and moses perch at murphys reef. Snapper to 7kg, cobia and sweetlip on noosa north reef. plenty of good fish around and the weekend is looking great weather wise. well done to John Marais who caught a 23kg cobia from caloundra wide last week. awsome fish check it out in our brag wall.  i had a comp last week to send in your best snapper shots from this year to win a tub of gulp alive. i didnt get one photo guys and girls come on. so john since you were the only one to send in a photo and the cobia was huge come in and see me and ill give it to you.

ESTUARY – Tailor and  bream at night around river mouths. big flathead under motorway bridge on drifted live baits. school jew on plastics in the cod hole. whiting on worms arounf chambers island. trevally near bli bli bridge on poppers. trevally and tailor in woods bay at dusk. bream, dart, tarwhine chpper tailor from the beaches.

i spent 3 days last weekend down the gold coast at the afta trade show. some new and very nice things coming out over the next 6 months from daiwa and shimano plus rods from samaki and lox plus new lures from most companys. ill keep you posted on whats new.

talk next week,    ben

SOMERSET DAM – A midweek fish saw a good haul of a dozen or so bass over the 45cm mark.  These fish were all caught at Pelican Point on blades and darker coloured soft plastics.  The blades that are still working well are the little max blades in ¼ oz with blue gill colour being a favourite as it mimics the plentiful banded grunter in this dam.  If the fish are shy small offerings like berkley big eye blades 36 mm with built in rattle as this may tempt these timid fish.  Soft plastics with paddle tails such as atomic ripperz and slider grubs rigged on 3/8 oz jig heads worked through the schools slowly has been producing consistent fish and generally of better quality.  The old faithful, soft jackals will account for some better offerings as far as size goes.  Cast and slowly lift and wind or hop the lure back to the boat, many fish being caught on the drop.

LAKE MACDONALD – This dam has slowed down of late with massive numbers of up to 90 fish sessions dwindling to more conservative 10 or 12 hauls.  Bass are still hanging around the botanical gardens and the boat ramp on the opposite side of the dam.  These areas have been producing the bigger fish, you will just have to be patient and plough through a few smaller fish before you get a reward.  In these areas cast away from the boat and slowly draw your lure back to the boat, try not to be too hasty with the retrieve as you want to keep the lure in their faces for as long as you can.   The 3 ways have also produced fish but the size has not been that impressive.  Here you will need to cast back to the weed edges and hop the lure down into the deeper water where the fish have being lying in wait.  Once again blades and slider grubs have been producing, try using the smaller blades like strike pro cyber vibes, berkley big eye blades in 36mm.  When in doubt on this dam look for flocks of birds and ducks as they are a good indication of where the fish are schooling.

Hope this helps

Brendan

OFFSHORE – Well the snapper have certainly showed up the last 2 weeks. Great catches of snapper all over our coastal reefs from di to caloundra. this week has seen most action we have heard at caloundra 9 mile with snapper to 4kg. 12 mile there catching snapper to 7kg and some big cobia to 18kg caught by local angler adrian. these reefs are also producing good sweetlip, pearl perch and parrot. just past the blinker some boys have been catching snapper on plastics to 5 kg. top end of the banks pearl perch, snapper and cobia. Amberjack at caloundra wide.

Send in your best snapper photo caught this year for you chance to win a 7” gulp alive tub worth $30. winner will be notified by email and drawn next friday. send them in admin@barrajackskawana.com.au

ESTUARY – flathead down the mouths on doa prawns, trevally in the canals early morning on poppers. bream in the deeper holes of maroochy. tailor off rocks at noosa and pt cartwright. few bream, chopper tailor and dart off the beaches on low tide. few school jew on live bait in the cod hole .

Freshwater report – check out our web site. i received a good report from Brendan weil this week.

catch you next week…………   ben

Somerset dam has been producing some massive bass to 3kg on the flats near the spit.  Use 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz little max blades aswell as slider grubs (green and yellow clours working well) on 3/8 to 1/2 oz jig heads.  The technique has been to cast not far from the boat and work the lure with some extended rips.  Pelican point is still producing solid bass to 2kg with plenty of rats and banded grunter thrown in.  Eagles nest across from bay 13 is producing plenty of fish but many of them undersized.  Slow rolled blades on the bottom is taking care of these fish in both locations.  Trolling jackalls through Queen street has been consistently producing legal bass with some larger ones taking blades cast towards the rocky point in this area.
Borumba dam has produced some huge hauls of fish with some being over the magical 50cm mark.  Blades and slider grubs hopped off the bottom and drifted through schools has accounted for these fish.  Places to try are across from the boat ramp and the first main point 500m down the dam on the left.

Hope this helps,

This report is from brendan weil,  thanks for your help mate

ESTUARY – Jewies at night in the cod hole on livies and soft plastics early in the morning. Tailor off the rocks at pt cartwright and the mouth of caloundra. blackfish off the rocks at pt cartwright and noosa. garfish schooling up around mooloolaba wharf. flathead on the drift at the mouths of the river on an outgoing tide. few bream and flathead around bli bli bridge. trevally in the marrochy canal  on soft plastics. trevally and queenfish in pelican waters canal.

OFFSHORE – Pretty crap this week as far as weather goes. early on the week i got a few reports of sweetlip, parrot and pearlies on most of the inshore reefs. cobia and snapper out on the banks. its been pretty tough i hear lately for offshore fishing so dont feel too bad if your not catching too many. the weather is looking best for sunday with the swell and wind dropping off.

BEACHES – Lots of jew around which is great to see. fishing at night in your deeper gutters hold the best chance of hooking one. I always love fresh squid and mullet fillets as bait. if you can get a few live mullet and get them out there hold on.  theres plenty of bream and tailor about too. off the rocks at noosa there is tailor and up the nth shore at di theres jew, tailor and bream.

FRESHWATER – I said last week about the big haul of bass at somerset. what it didnt find out was where exactly they were caught. sorry. i have heard again this week thats there lots of smaller ones schooling up so use your sounder to find them. young mad keen fisho josh got some cracking bass at borumba this week 54cm and 52cm on blade lures. well done son.

those of you hanging out for chartreuse bio dips look no further. i haven’t received the spike it brand but berkley have released there range of bio dip in chartreuse, red, orange and blue. ive got these all in stock.

i also received  the latest limited edition stiffy poppers and top dogs. drop into store to see these limited edition great colours

this week i topped up my range of evergreen blades to as many as i can get for those who love these lures

talk to you next week

ben

dont forget our offshore charter trip on the 28th of august still need some people