Fisho's Weekly Fishing Report - 30th May 2025
by Fisho's Tackle World Hervey Bay 30 May 05:31 BST
30 May 2025
Chloe Arnold had a ball catching reds such as this one with Aedan and their son Leo © Fisho's Tackle World
Cool change heralds arrival of winter
Spectacular weather last weekend saw boats scattering across the bay and beyond, and many good fish caught in what was a pretty good new moon bite. Heavy inshore fog made things interesting Sunday, and the sheer time that it lingered created an eerie and at times daunting experience for many boaties. The warm spell thereafter was most enjoyable and very likely our last significant one for a few months.
Winter officially kicks off this weekend, and it feels like it too. Light rain arrived last night, plummeting our daytime temperatures whilst keeping our nights quite mild. Rain is expected today and tomorrow. It should clear before Sunday. Scattered showers are possible for the early part of the working week, until sunny times return mid-week.
Wind-wise, there will be minimal breeze today. Maybe 10 knots from either side of southerly. Expect a bit more breeze Saturday. Somewhere around 15 knots from the south-east. Sunday will be the breezy one, with more like 20 knots from the south-south-east. Not a great weekend forecast unfortunately, but still very much fishable for those that aren't made of sugar and can handle a bit of rain.
The wind should ease dramatically Monday whilst maintaining an onshore flow sub-10 knots. A swing back offshore thereafter will add a little more chill to the air and remind us that winter has arrived. Westerly winds should be light enough to enable access to the bay, and even beyond for those keen to head offshore before a subtle onshore breeze returns later next week.
The moon is waxing again post new moon as we approach the first quarter period this Tuesday. This means neap tides once again, with diminishing tidal flow before the tides commence 'making' again beyond Tuesday. Whilst not a great forecast, ample opportunities remain for fishos keen to get amongst our inshore species, our estuary predators, or continue the feast of crustaceans and cephalopods.
Authorities kept busy on local waters
It was sheer chaos at our boat ramps last weekend, and parking was once again found wanting. Many of you would have encountered the water police and fisheries inspectors on the water as they were out in force. There was some sort of apparent blitz on, and big numbers of boaties were pulled over both on-water and in the boat ramp carparks. The new life jacket regulations were of particular interest to the cops, as they paid particular attention to any sole operators of smaller vessels.
The ones that really have their work cut out for them around these parts however, is Marine Parks. The blatant poaching that is going on in our green zones on a regular basis is downright shameful. Perhaps it was the fog that tempted some to break the law last weekend, but listening to a couple of law-abiding fishos recalling how many tools they saw fishing in our green zones (whilst sharing their disgust) was very disappointing.
They almost laughed as they told of watching the cops wander over to intercept one boat slowly creeping from a green zone only to watch others bolt flat chat in the other direction. These skippers knew exactly where they were. Some even anchored in the green, others trolled, whilst the majority seemed to be drifting and flicking lures for fish or squid. The top of Woody Island got hammered, as did Little Woody and Boon Boon Rocks, just to name a few sights mentioned by shop regulars. Some perpetrators even had the gall to brag about the fish they caught apparently - can you imagine?
Seriously, get familiar with our marine park zoning plan and download the free app if you haven't already. Wasted words on you good folks reading this report no doubt. Those flouting the law obviously couldn't give a toss about the rules or the damage they are doing to the sanctuaries contributing to sustainability in a heavily fished marine park such as ours. How dare they!
Pier restoration works extended but not far from completion
Restoration works continue well beyond the proposed conclusion date, but they aren't far from completing their task. Access is denied beyond the 3rd light from the deep end at present, which is expected to be shifted to the 2nd light soon and so on until they run out of pier and their work is done.
Whilst a tad frustrating for pier fishos keen to regain access to the very end of the pier, these works haven't stopped those regulars and occasional visitors from catching fish. Broad-barred mackerel have been the most sought after of the pelagics, whilst large queenfish and the odd lingering giant trevally draw plenty of attention too.
There are stacks of herring sheltering between the pylons, so flathead catches remain fairly consistent. The flatties have been responding to live baits in both the first channel and out along the slope nearer the deep end. The bream are yet to turn up, but they won't be far off. The full moon in a week or so will have pier bream fans dusting off their favourite outfits in readiness for the first crack at them for the season. This cool change will aid them in their endeavours as our water temp drops further and triggers the spawning migration to commence.
Our town beaches have been relatively quiet fish-wise. More action has been on offer around the local creek mouths and our rocky foreshores. Flathead and blue salmon have been the most common catches, whilst grunter have been a chance, along with quite large bream.
The Booral Flats are due to fish well again this week. Make the most of the offshore breeze down that way and wander out across the mudflats to meet the early rising tide. Whiting may not be as aggressive as they will be closer to the full moon, but they can be a fun target on tiny topwater lures all the same. Flathead are bound to make their presence felt and are probably the easiest target species at present. The chances of blue or threadfin salmon remains reasonable, and grunter are not out of the question down there.
Winter whiting Fishos starting to make an effort
The dark of the moon last week saw an improvement in winter whiting catches from local waters. There are still only small numbers of whiting fishos making any sort of effort, but at least some of those are being rewarded. The best catches have been from off Woodgate and Toogoom this week. No huge numbers, but a satisfactory feed.
Small numbers have showed up at places such as the NU2, and even south of the harbour. Gatakers Bay is bound to be in the path of whiting schools at some time very soon, which will be quite obvious to all and sundry as boats gather in plain view of the esplanade.
Winter whiting fans can look forward to ever-improving catches as our waters cool further. We are still enjoying 22C inshore at present. That number should be lower by this time next week. So, if winter whiting are your thing, then drop in and pick up some of our you-beaut 2x3 bait jigs, a scaler bag and some squid and worms.
Many folks have converted to the bait jigs over conventional long shanked hooks etc due to their impressive catch rate and sheer simplicity. If I get the chance next week, I will include a couple of pics of both these and some interesting new rigs from select tackle suppliers that will enhance your whiting catches without too much extra expense. In the meantime, get out and get your share of the early run, and remember the bag limit is still 50 whiting per person (in possession).
Slow start to snapper season
Prevailing warmth could be used as an excuse for the slow start to our snapper season so far. Catches last week were certainly encouraging, but the numbers are yet to impress. Of course, it is early days yet in the overall scheme of things, but the significant lack of fish for this time of year is still highly notable when compared with the bay's past snapper history.
Large knobbies; the true 'snapper' of the clan have been quite rare to date. 'Squirey-snapper' measuring in the 60's have been slightly easier to find, along with smaller squire. Reefs dotted across the 'banks' have given up the majority of the fish we have heard about as yet. No doubt there have been other fish caught off the Burrum and maybe Moon already, and the Roy Rufus is due to shine sometime soon.
Sharks make snapper fishing very challenging around the commonly known grounds these days, as they do all forms of fishing. Your efforts to minimise shark depredation will show your maturity as a thinking fisho, and hopefully will see you rewarded with a good feed here and there, along with a few true trophy fish to brag about.
Unlike the absolute losers that consider it acceptable to drop in on other fishos on relatively unknown hotspots and flog those spots relentlessly until the sharks are drawn in by all the increased boat traffic. Such low acts only bettered by literally dumping fish frames on the isolated patch of reef in spite when made to feel unwelcome by those that came before them. Of course this is not any of you, dear readers, but a small feral element that has no respect for slow growing fish or reef management, that even go so far as to think getting sharked is part of the fun!
Good times lay ahead for keen snapper fishos, and each and every full and new moon period that rolls past in winter adds migrating snapper to the biomass that assembles in Hervey Bay. I wish I could say we might see a return of the large numbers of the past, but I believe that would be wishful thinking. So, enjoy the fishery as it unfolds, but please respect the slow-growing nature of the species and consider returning the largest breeders to the water unharmed. Keep a bag limit of fish by all means when the going is good. Turn your attention to other species if mass slaughter is part of your approach to fishing.
Fishing tackle companies seemingly never run out of new ideas and approaches for popular fisheries and snapper fishing is one such fishery. Your favourite snapper lollies from one year are often retired to experiment with the latest offering from the more reputable stables. I will be writing an article (a blog they call it these days) to guide you in your hunt for snapper this winter. I believe it will come out next week; separate to this fishing report. Look out for that one and see if you are tempted to add any of this season's new lures to your snapper fishing arsenal.
Make the most of prevailing warmth inshore
Whilst snapper fans solicit the gods for colder water temps, those happy to catch trout, cod, sweeties and other warm water species do not. It won't be long and getting a bite from these species will be significantly more challenging as their metabolisms slow down and their eagerness to feed is diminished.
The main biomass of grassy sweetlip will move on from inshore, yet enough larger versions of their clan will linger into winter. Mixed sizes and reasonable numbers remain with us for now, so make the most of that if you like your sweeties. You may not catch many at all in a month's time. Those that you do should be quite sizeable (50cm+) and often caught after dark.
Our inshore coral trout and estuary cod will become very lethargic as soon as water temperature plummets enough. They remain active for now and are a fine target for jigs, softies and live baits plonked in the pressure face of reefs when the tide is slack. Nannygai will hopefully continue their recent feeding habits around our deeper inshore reefs right into winter. They sure are a handsome and tasty addition to any catch, and especially welcome when fishing in the southern bay.
Often sharing similar waters to snapper and nannygai, our autumn-run grunter remain at large around a few select inshore reefs. Larger tides see them most mobile and pushing up into shallower terrain where they are easy targets for both bait and lure fishos. Good rains this summer and autumn have provided the tucker for the grunter and good catches can be expected for some time to come.
Mackerel fans spoilt for choice right now
Love 'em or curse 'em, Hervey Bay is home to many schools of mackerel right now. Spaniards are thick, broadies are turning up all over the joint and schoolies are terrorising the bait schools as they move in closer. Take your pick, or see if you can score the mackerel trifecta. Indeed, there is a Fisho's Cap and Fisho's Brag Mat up for grabs for the first of you to send a pic to me c/- that displays all three species in the one shot - caught this week of course. If someone achieves this trifecta, then the winner will be declared and the photo shared next week. (For obvious reasons, this little offer excludes charter boat captures).
Your chances of connecting to spaniards gets better and better the further up the bay you travel. They can be found from the Outer Banks to the Gutters at present. Don't write-off the waters off the Burrum either. Trolling slender-profiled diving lures capable of speed will soon see you connected, or you could go for maximum fun by dancing stickbaits across bait rich reef systems at dawn. Keep it simple and send out a live bait if you prefer, as hungry spaniards enjoy a wide-ranging diet that includes all baitfish in general, not to mention small reef fish and even schoolies.
You won't have to drive far at all to find the broadies. They can be caught in Urangan Channel for instance, and are quite commonly caught at the bait grounds and all reefs from the Fairway across the banks to Coongul. It won't be long and broadies will be worth keeping an eye out for whilst squidding in the shallows. They cruise some of our skinniest water in winter feasting on hardy heads and garfish and have a nasty habit of snipping off expensive squid jigs. If you see one homing in on your jig, stalling it is your best defence by the way, as trying to wind it faster to out-run a broadie will definitely trigger a strike.
Avoiding schoolies can be harder than finding them when fishing our deeper inshore reefs at this time of year. They are a pest for snapper fans trying to jig plastics etc around bait schools and reef systems as they are partial to swiping at anything that moves. Lots of school mackerel fans enjoy trolling for them, so they will be in their element in the future. Look for herring schools amassing around reefs and beacons and you will soon find the schoolies. Take a few home with you from the Bait Grounds and you will be doing the reef fishos who drop in there for livies a big favour.
Queenies make up for lack of longtails
Finding schools of longtail tuna has been challenging this past two weeks. There are still fish out there in the bay, and some quite close inshore, but the main biomass has moved on for another year. Lingering in the bay into winter will be pods of larger longtails that will change their feeding activity to chase baitfish such as yakkas and herring etc deeper in the water column, rather than the surface-hugging garfish and baby long toms etc that excited them mere weeks ago.
The making tides next week could see large longtails making their way into the straits in small numbers. Shark activity has made catching them a real nightmare some days of late, so they can be excused for being extra spooky. This late in the season, mature fish very likely associate engine/boat noise with shark depredation they have witnessed often, so they can be hard to get close to.
Turning your attention to the perennial queenies of the southern bay and straits can see you still enjoying explosive surface strikes on your favourite stickies. Their speedy runs might not match the longtails, but their acrobatics certainly make up for that. This set of neap tides won't excite them into action like the next full moon will.
Look for queenies around the bay islands, along Fraser's western ledges, the flats of the Burrum Coast and down the straits. Pockets of fish can be found around quite a number of isolated reefs out in the bay and up the island. Try to subdue them as quickly as you can once hooked, as not only will this help attract less attention from noahs, but reduce the exhaustion they suffer in protracted battles. Queenies fight 'til their last, so limit time out of the water once subdued and spear them back a.s.a.p.
Mac tuna schools are still cruising the open waters of the bay and Platypus Bay for those that can be bothered with them. Bonito schools have settled into the bay life and are a consistent feature on select reef systems of Platypus Bay and the Outer Banks. Those of you that enjoy catching golden trevally have plenty to look forward to as schools of quite large fish move in with the baitfish that draw the snapper in close in winter. Any well-presented softie and plenty of varying jigs will tempt them when they are in the mood. When they aren't; well, then they are just big arches on a sounder that will frustrate you drop after drop.
Big reds and trout brought the smiles if you did the miles
You really have to put some serious miles between you and local boat ramps to catch red emperor and big coral trout these days. Many years ago, you only had to drive to the Gutters to fill eskies with these most sought-after delights, but now you need to stretch your legs and fuel tank even further. Grounds way off into the wide blue yonder north of the bay and Fraser Island that you never shared with another boat now have you monitoring the horizon for other vessels. The rewards are there, as proven once again last weekend when the wind was minimal and the dark of the moon bite quite solid.
Tidal flow was a major limiting factor in many waters, so focusing efforts around tide changes was mandatory. Big reds came on the chew at times in daylight and in darkness. Nannies joined in too, so no doubt there were some pretty impressive colours adorning eskies for the long haul home. Esky space shared with the likes of tuskfish and maori cod meant that less-appealing grassies and spangos etc gained their freedom boatside for the most successful crews.
Squirey-snapper made an appearance on some grounds, including the Gutters. Jigging prawn imitations along the ledges out there was foolhardy where the sharks remain a nuisance, so time spent sounding for smaller isolated lumps and bumps proved time better spent. Nannies bit well across the flat country no doubt as the big tides triggered migratory movements of crustacea in the area.
The Gutters is hosting schools of spanish mackerel and enough cobia to keep some crews happy. Dedicated reef fishos look to avoid both species when they can, but few can altogether. Grassy sweetlip make up the bulk of some catches after a session at the Gutters, particularly for those that have realised the benefit of tough baits such as squid over soft baits such as pilchards. The tuskies bit well up that way, as they do with plenty of run in the tide. These pretty fish will feature even more in winter catches from the fringes of those reefs.
Deep dropping saved the day offshore
Those mongrel sharks made conventional bottom bashing too frustrating for some crews that headed north-east of Fraser. Whilst some enjoyed success on the shoal country, others didn't, and couldn't even get the hussar past the bities. Having a back-up plan that includes deep dropping arsenal soon saw them write-off the 50m 'shallows' in favour of the depths over the shelf.
Eskies filled quickly as a procession of fat pearl perch, squirey-snapper and various jobfish species were hauled unceremoniously from the depths. Bar cod joined the shinier species on ice from some grounds, as did the delightfully tasty comet cod for the odd lucky fisho. There was minimal current offshore, so heading wider and deeper very likely appealed to those sporting the larger and more depth-capable electric tackle. For most though, it was the usual 150-250m range that they settled in and their catches were typical for those waters.
Rivers and creeks alive with prawns and crabs
Saving on fuel and filling up on crustaceans was a popular pastime for several folks last weekend, but not nearly as many as you might expect. Woodgate prawns were amassed as thick as ever, and word was out, yet the number of boats that headed up that way was surprisingly small. Maybe the primo weather was just too good to waste inshore, but whatever the case, those that returned from Woodgate had boat limits of fat bananas on board and were happy as.
The Burrum's four rivers are also prawning well, as large bananas amass in deeper holes showing clearly on modern sounders. The Mary's prawns are on the move too, but seem to be drawing less attention than the larger and cleaner prawns to their north. If you slip down the straits this week, then ensure you have a cast net on board down their too, as prawn numbers are peaking in select creeks.
Crabbers continue to feast often, with both mud crabs and sand crabs on the move. The muddies are marching back upstream in our creeks and rivers, whilst the sandies remain at their most prolific out in the bay. The muddies might soon be harder to find or tempt into a pot as our water temperature bottoms out, but the sandies will remain active.
Fish-wise, it has been the Burrum's barra that have drawn the most attention up that way, except for those few fishos happy to spend their time catching bream, whiting and flathead in the lower reaches. Grunter catches in the Burrum are more incidental than consistent, but they remain a viable target over the larger tides. If you haven't scored any mangrove jacks from the Burrum or elsewhere this season, then you are fast running out of time. Bait fishing will be the most viable option for tempting the red devils as we head into the depths of winter, and even then, they will be a challenge.
Down the Mary, it has been plagues of blue salmon that have entertained some and annoyed others. Big barra and some fine threadies are on the cards, as always, just a little harder to tempt now that our waters are cooling. Flathead have provided some timely distractions for those keen to flick lures around drains and creeks, and they are also lurking around rock bars and gravel beds in the lower reaches.
River Heads has seen a little effort from boaties jigging in the deep and fast-flowing waters that wash past the headland. Jewies are a major target from this time onwards as they fire up in cooler conditions. GTs can make an appearance unexpectedly at times, and large broadies can even wander into the river mouth with the cleaner waters of the flood tide. Otherwise, its blues, cod, the chance of threadies and increasing numbers of jewfish for future forays at the heads, unless you are keen to intercept the massive run of bream about to swarm in that area soon.