General News
30 April, 2026
Mangrove jacks are the pick
JUNGLE perch active in rivers, flatheads in estuaries and mackerals offshore.
Freshwater
WITH the inconsistent rain, the rivers and creeks continue to rise and drop, making it difficult for freshwater fishermen to line up their free time with the small windows of clean and lower water levels.
Although, those who have lined it up have done exceptionally well, with plenty of reports of very big sooty grunter up into the high 40cms.
Once again the main mid-sections of the river systems seem to be producing better fish.
The jungle perch have also been active, with plenty caught in the lower and upper sections of creeks.
The jungle perch have slowed up on the topwater bite from the cold mornings, so a soft plastic with a spinner attached has been the go-to.
Once the sun warms up the water, the topwater bite improves, meaning midday onwards is a good time to tie on a surface lure. The Mintoss Johnson has been the standout surface lure of late.
Estuary
MANGROVE jack fishing has been fantastic in recent weeks, with lots of customers reporting some great catches.
There have been a few catches on the outgoing tide, but the incoming tide has been fishing the best, as the cleaner water pushes up into the mangroves.
To target these jacks, skipping soft plastics up into the snags is the go. Lures like the new Molix RT Flex paddle tail and the Arma skip doctor are a great option for skip casting and have been the standout lures on the mangrove jacks.
Bait fishing is also a great option for jacks, as there’s been plenty caught sinking a fillet of mullet or a dead herring next to the snags. Barramundi continue to be tougher to get, being either a hit or a miss on most trips, with not much of a feeding habit to follow.
There have been very mixed reports of lures and live bait that have been working. One day they want a hardbody diver and the next they are only hitting a live mud cod and vice versa.
Because of this I’d recommend trying a few different tactics on your next trip.
If you’re after a bit of an easier fish to target, the flathead has been out in force due to the cooler days. Many anglers have been having a great time catching them.
Fishing over the sand bars and sandy drop-offs will ensure a good catch. Flatheads are a very underrated fish in our area. They are great for the table and easy to catch, making them a great fish to target with the kids.
Simply put on a small paddle tail soft plastic or a shallow running hard body and start casting over the shallow sand bars, around the 1m of depth is ideal.
If you want to use bait, running a very small sinker and using mullet or prawn as bait, cast up current of the sand bar, let your bait drift along the bottom and hang on.
Offshore
Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been the best in the last few weeks, although we have had a few small breaks in the wind and those who ventured out have had great success.
The Spanish mackerel and school mackerel have already been reported in numbers with many anglers having great trips chasing them. The reaper rig has been everyone’s weapon of choice – they are super simple and easy to use.
– Ryan Sanger, Tackle World Tully
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