Big whiting on the bite

There have been big whiting caught throughout deeper sandy channel at Jumpinpin and the Broadwater.

There are not as many fish or as good quality in the rivers and creeks, especially south of the Brisbane River, but northern rivers are clearing and starting produce a few.

There are lots of small bait-stealing bream throughout all estuary waters with just the odd fish up to a kilo inside bar entrances on the top of the tide.

Flathead have been in excellent numbers but once again the larger waterways are producing the better quality and numbers, and there are very few fish in muddy waters.

No mulloway have been reported as yet but I’d expect them to be on the bite inside bar entrances over the next few weeks.

Mud crabs have been in excellent numbers, with deeper holes producing the best results, especially at night.

There have also been sand crabs on the eastern side of the bay from Dunwich to the Canaipa Passage.

There have been large schools of spotty mackerel moving throughout Moreton Bay over the past few days.

Schools have been surfacing between Cleveland Point and Peel Island, and there have also been numbers around the Four Beacons area, shipping channel markers and at the northern end of the Rainbow Channel.

In the bay island shallows there have been good catches of sweetlip, snapper and plenty of small bream.

There have also been better quality snapper on the artificial reefs and wrecks.

Offshore fishing was excellent over the weekend with good catches of snapper, Moses perch and tuskfish on the bottom by those float lining as well as small amberjack, kingfish and cobia by those live baiting and trolling lures has turned up Spanish mackerel.

There have also been quality mulloway on the bait grounds and just off bar entrances.

In the freshwater there’s been great catches in all impoundments.

North Pine Dam is producing good numbers of bass and yellowbelly on both live shrimp and lures.

There are a lot of small bass on the bite at Hinze Dam. The western boat ramp is now open, but the eastern ramp is still closed.

Somerset and Wivenhoe are fishing better than they have for some time with bass in good numbers around rocky foreshores and yellowbelly in the timbered areas.

Redclaw catches have also improved, especially in the shallows.