Sunshine Coast Fishing Reports

QFM March 2011

Expectations are still low for this year’s season after the disappointing showing at the Gold Coast Tournament plus failures at Cairns and Townsville for the juvenile blacks.  That said, we were all doom and gloom up to Christmas last year too but it turned it on when the bait turned up.  We still have potential March or May bites to come as those months have had their moments the last few years.   Already the weather is the bigger talk of the town with the flooding all over Queensland during Christmas now the cyclones including Yasi.  Two tournaments have been post-poned thus far, (Bribie Island and Moreton Bay).  Moreton Bay went ahead with their random draw though and young Mikey Johnston was the lucky winner

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QFM January 2011

The gamefish action continued right through October and into early November for South East Queensland anglers.  The Mooloolaba sailfish kept going for the first three weeks of October and once they started to give out a run of blue marlin came in on the shelf.  A week of strong northerlies followed by a week of strong southerlies put paid to further trips just as the current seemed to crank up and sweep them south.   The blues were at their best on the Cape Moreton Canyons but action was experienced all the way down the shelf as far as the Tweed Canyons.  The best day was experienced by the SCGFC Carribean Bangalee who had a four from five day on the blues with one of

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QFM November 2010

Finally some billfishing to report on though the run of small black marlin in tropical north Queensland is a bit of a worry for South East Queensland fishos.  Early in September Sunshine Coast anglers were treated to a good bite of large size black marlin on the 18mile grounds.  These fish were feasting on some large slimey mackerel schools.  Mixed in were a couple of sailfish but the blacks were all 50 to 120 kilograms with the odd striped marlin.  The 34’ Black Watch Ymer even decked a 23kg mahi mahi which is a pending Australian and Queensland record on 8kg line class for Daniel Smith.   Local charter boat the 34’ Black Watch Outside Edge set the ball rolling for this action.  They had

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QFM September 2010

Typical of mid winter there is not much to report on the gamefish front from South East Queensland.  There has been the odd striped marlin and medium sized black marlin tagged or seen on the wide offshore grounds by both gamefishermen and bottom fishing anglers in the deeper locations like the 42 and 50 fathom reefs off the Gold Coast, Deep Tempest off Moreton Island and the Hards off the Sunshine Coast.  For the purists they would be the places I would be trying along with the bait schools off the Sunshine Coast for a sailfish or Spot X off the Gold Coast for a black marlin or striped marlin anywhere from 50-100kg.   The Gold Coast did experience a mini bite on when a

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QFM July 2010

July can be a tough month for gamefishers.  Lots of anglers will focus on blue marlin but there is always a chance of a striped or black marlin anywhere big bait schools of slimey mackerel are.  Off the Sunshine Coast and waters further north sailfish are a chance any time.   Only one tournament was held over the past month, the Back to Tangalooma Tournament.  Unfortunately it ended up a bit of a tuna fest though I think quite a few boats had their chances on billfish.  Cool Runnings a 35’ Bertram out of Redcliffe dropped a heavy tackle fish when the leader parted,  the crew from Jimmy McKinnon’s 685 Haines Hunter Patriot dropped a sailfish and a black marlin local to the Cape and

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QFM June 2010

June will see gamefishers move into the worst time of year for billfish. There may be sporadic blue bites on both coasts and off Brisbane, sailfish bites off the Sunshine Coast and black or stripey bites off the Gold Coast on the deep bait schools on the 42 or 50 fathom lines.  Bottom fishermen floating pillies out for snapper will probably see more marlin than game anglers these next few months but we need someone to crack a technique or spot for these bigger blacks on their return journey north.  We also need someone to find a spot like the Port Stephens Car Park as striped marlin do swim past SEQ from NSW and tagging results indicate a lot are caught by longliners off Central

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