June Fishing Report

The Post floods have presented plenty of fishing options for the Bundaberg region. Lake Monduran has still been fishing well with plenty of Barra caught through the month of May, but now winter is just around the corner the Barra fishing will definitely slow down as colder water temps set in. Barra will head to warm water which is generally at the backs of warm shallow bays where they will sit shoulder to shoulder trying to keep their body temps up and preserve as much energy as they can over the colder months. This is not to say these fish will not bite and stealth is of the utmost importance as they will spook easily. The trick to maximising your chance of hooking a winter Barra is to downsize your line class to 15 to 20lb braid where we would normally use 30 to 50lb and 30 to 40lb leader when we would normally use 60 to 80lb. Also switch to smaller surface lures like the 4 inch Zman frogs and use smaller subsurface hardbodies and plastics like Jackall Squirells, Tilsan Barra,s  4″ hollow bellies and the 4″ Zman Swimmerz. Over the previous 8 years of fishing the lake I have learnt to use winter as a starting point to the next season. The reason being is that these fish will not wander far from their winter warmth and when the first spike in water temp comes around ,you will be all over it. If you do have the chance to do some winter fishing and find where the Barra are , it gives you a great advantage for the coming season, when the water warms back up and they begin feeding more aggressively again.

 

Estuaries in the Bundaberg  Region.

 

As many would have heard ,the Kolan river system has been fishing exceptionally well for Barra and Bass. Escapees from the lake have been  filtered  throughout the system providing great fishing opportunities for the land based angler and kayak fisherman. If you are fishing this system make sure you fish within the guidelines and are no closer than 400m from any weir or barrage as heavy penalties apply.

Baffle creek has been producing good catches of Barra, Mangrove Jack and Grunter and as winter approaches we will see big Queenies, Golden Trevally and  Flathead  not to mention a good number of Sand Crabs will be around. I would have to say that Baffle creek is one of the most pristine estuary systems I have had the opportunity to fish with a wide variety of fishing options available.

Gary and Elaine Kirk operate a B&B at Winfield on Baffle creek, which is a great place to base yourself ,for a few days fishing and exploring the vast Baffle creek system. Unfortunately their beautiful  waterfront establishment has been affected by the floods and at the present time is undergoing refurbishment and will  re-open in September. Gary & Elaine provide quality accommodation and their  knowledge of the baffle creek system is both interesting and helpful. Gary is always happy to help anyone needing up to date information on how the estuary in fishing. You can contact Gary & Elaine on 4156 6299.

May Fishing Report

Lake Monduran’s water level has stabilised and the Barra fishing is back on track. When the water levels in any stocked impoundment are on the rise, or on the decrease it always makes the fishing a little harder. In our case, the barra sense the fluctuation in water level which changes their normal behaviour patterns and in affect, can put them off the bite.  The post flood fishing has been the best we’ve had this season so far and on a recent charter I had clients hook up to 14 barra and boat 8 of those fish, which were all around the 65cm mark in a great little session.  Recently, on a reconnaissance trip I came across a large number of barramundi schooled up under a patch of lily pads, in only 1 to 2m of water , in a spot I have not fished for many years. Finding these barra isn’t an easy task and is only a result of many hours scouring my hummingbird side imaging sounder, which is the ultimate barra hunting tool. Once you find where the barra are holding up, it’s then a matter of getting them to bite and this little spot has produced at least 4 and up to 8 barra per session over the last month for my clients. Suspending lures have been the standout performer. I had a young client on charter that made a beautiful cast in against a section of lily pads, only to get his line tangled. While we were untangling his line, a barramundi came out from underneath the lily pads and smashed his lure. The Jackall Squirel lure would have been suspending in front of that lilly pad for at least a minute before it got nailed. I generally pause my lures for around 10 to 20 seconds but it goes to show that a longer pause time may just get you the result you desire.

May is one of my favourite months to fish with moderate to warm days, beautiful sunsets  and not to mention high barra activity, as they  tend to feed a bit harder before the cold arrives and water temperature drops. Early morning and late afternoons have been great bite times just as the sun is rising and setting.

For all the latest up to date fishing information you can contact me on 0410 599 147. Check out our website for low season deals on accommodation and camping sites at www.lakem.com.au and don’t forget to drop into our fully stocked store for all your tackle needs with up to the minute information on where and how to find one of these iconic fish.

robs fishing photos 327

 

Welcome to our new website

Hello, welcome to the new Lake Monduran Houseboat Hire website, which now includes ROB’S FISHING REPORT.

This page will be updated Monthly with all the info you need to catch yourself the fish of a lifetime here at Lake Monduran.