Fishing tips for Moreton Bay in March

February proved to be a very good fishing month and there is no reason why things can’t continue through March.

Crabbing and prawning

March can be a good month for crabs and a good month for cast netting banana prawns.

Banana prawn catches are continuing to increase. Good catches for the cast netters have been coming from the Caboolture and Pine Rivers in particular. The banana prawns and are also moving out into Bramble and Deception Bays and elsewhere in Moreton Bay for their spawning run.

While there are no size limits on taking banana prawns, there is an in-possession limit. The limit is 10 litres per person and 20 litres per boat (with two or more people on board). You can’t have prawns with the heads, or any other part removed in your possession, unless you intend to eat them immediately.

Blue swimmer crabs have been active throughout Moreton Bay. March can be a good month to target them locally. They can be in the shallower water as well as the deeper channels. All the creeks and rivers that drain into Bramble and Deception Bays, and Pumicestone Passage can produce mud crabs this time of year with exactly where being dependent on rainfall. When it comes to crab pots, you get what you pay for, and I have always been a fan of the sturdier pots.

Blue swimmer crabs in Moreton Bay are prone to infection from the parasitic barnacle called Sacculina granifera and this may have impacts on their population. This is not the standard barnacle on the surface of the shell. The visual external symptom of an infected crab is a large mass of soft tissue under the abdomen that looks superficially like an egg mass of the crab, but on closer inspection no distinct eggs are present. Infection rates tend to be higher in more nearshore waters. The infection can prevent blue swimmer crabs from successfully reproducing.

Estuary and land based

A couple of land-based cobia were caught in February, and March can also be a month for surprise catches. It is a good month locally for dusky flathead on lures and bait, with live bait such as herring being a consistent producer of fish. The best locations include Hays Inlet, and the Pine and Caboolture Rivers but they will be around most of the foreshore. You should expect a bar-tailed flathead or two mixed in with them.

Bream are active throughout our estuary systems and canals this time of year. They are fattening themselves up for their spawning run which will commence in May. While they take most baits, always have a variety on hand as the larger fish can change their preference from day to day. Strips of mullet or a well-presented fresh prawn are two reliable baits for them. The Ted Smout Memorial Bridge and the rocky foreshores will all produce fish this time of year.

It has been a really good season for mangrove jack throughout Moreton Bay. They are more common and widespread these days than many people think. Those that have put in the effort have been consistently rewarded. Live baits and hard body lures are the most reliable approaches for targeting them. This method will also produce estuary cod and trevally this time of year.

Mulloway have been caught by those targeting other species such bream on bait and by anglers throwing around hard body and soft plastic lures. The legal size of mulloway is 75cm and most of the local fish, while fun to catch, will be below this size. Make sure care is taken when releasing them to give them the best possible chance of surviving capture.

Inshore reefs and bay waters

The shallow inshore reefs around the Peninsula will have grass sweetlip, snapper, Moses perch, barred javelin fish and estuary cod.

Barred javelin fish grow substantially larger than spotted javelin fish and both species have different legal sizes. Both can be found around Redcliffe but the barred javelin is typically the more common species around the reefs. The small spotted javelin fish has a minimum legal size of 30cm whereas the barred javelin fish has a minimum legal size of 40cm. Therefore, it is important to be able to tell the two species apart! Failure to do so risks a fine for keeping an undersized fish if the 35cm javelin fish you retain happens to be a barred javelin fish.

If you are venturing over towards Moreton Island, the dedicated anglers that use crabs for bait on heavy gear will be catching “blueys” or more correctly black spotted tuskfish along the reef ledges. They are the gangsters of the fish community. A truly tough fish to target and land, but rewarding when you do nab one.

Beaches

If you are heading to Moreton Island, the northern beaches between Comboyuro Point and North Point will again be the best location.

March will see the run of chopper tailor continue with the late afternoon and evening along this stretch of beach being the best. I prefer to fish around the high tide and the early part of the run-out tide for them.

While sand whiting can still be caught, they start to taper off in numbers this month. However, swallowtail dart are ever reliable. Best locations include Comboyuro Point, Tailor Bite, North Point but they can bob up anywhere. Keep your eyes open and you will see them in the waves. A few bream and tarwhine will be around in the shallow gutters along the beach as well. Although tarwhine do not have the best reputation as a table fish, they are better than most people realise. The key is to make sure they are bled and iced as soon as possible.

Offshore and pelagics

Weather can be a problem for the offshore angler this month as southeasterly winds (often strong) will predominate. If you can get out, expect pearl perch, teraglin, venus tuskfish, various cods and Moses perch will be the mainstays.

Wahoo have also been caught on the troll around Hutchinsons Shoal. Good catches of spotted mackerel have occurred between Moreton and Bribie Islands, but exactly where depends on where the baitfish are concentrated on any given day.

Tight lines everyone!