Photo: Pete Sweatman with an awesome mud crab caught after last week’s rain at the Bribie Island bridge.
Another holiday period come and gone, so let’s hope the horrible fishing conditions have gone as well.
In saying all that, the fishing hasn’t really suffered with an increase of the so called scavenger species since the rain. What I mean by that is an increase in fish that aren’t overly fussy what they take. They thrive after rain as they will feed in the murky water where as a fish like whiting which has a choice diet tend to go quiet until the waters clear. Bream are the best example of this as you will find them in the middle of a gushing inflow feeding after the rains. All the creek mouths and the mouth of the two canal estates are the best places to find these bream.
Flathead are also a species that will actively feed in murky waters, especially the larger species like the duskie and the bartail. They like nothing better than to sit in a weed bank and ambush any shadow that moves above them. Remember as they are a flat species and their eyes are on the top of their heads, they are always looking up. That is why darker lures and plastics work really well in murky water as it’s the shadow the flatties are after not the colour. As mentioned any weed banks are the choice spots especially on the mainland side of the passage from the bridge to the Ningi Creek cross marker.
Another species that has made a surprise come back is snapper, they are normally a winter fish but they are also another scavenger species. The rains have certainly fired them up around the bridge area and the moored boats on the mainland side of the passage. Their increased activity has also bought in the pelagic species with mackerel of one metre plus following in the unlucky snapper near the bridge. This is a good sign as it shows that the passage is full of bait for both the snapper and the ever hungry mackies.
Bribie Island Beach and 4×4 report
The rain has done us a favour by hardening up the sand and making the trip onto the beach a little easier. Now that the crazy times are done for a little while we can start to settle back into a routine but Easter is fast approaching so if you haven’t done so I would start to think about your camping needs now as there aren’t many sites left and as they say the early bird gets the worm (and the campsite). For those who didn’t know you can now have a fire up the ocean beach in the fire rings in the campsites. So book early to avoid disappointment.