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Moreton Island - Overlooked Opportunities

By Jacob Iedema

Moreton Island, just off the coast of southeastern Queensland, is paradise and the fishing is no less impressive. There are many species to target, with a plethora of techniques that can be applied at various locations. From longtail tuna and kingfish just five hundred metres from the western shore, to beach fishing for tailor on the east, Moreton Island has it all. Bread and butter species, such as bream, flathead and dart are often overlooked as accessible target species on the western beaches. While all of these fish can be caught in the surf, the techniques utilised while targeting them in the shallow, crystal clear water, makes for some of the best light tackle sport fishing that Moreton Bay has to offer.

Lure and Gear Considerations

The crystal clear water found on the picturesque western shore often leaves fish with a wariness to feed. With enhanced vision and vulnerability to larger predators, fish in these conditions are cautious to approach a lure, so often the most natural presentation possible will see greater success. Surface poppers, walkers, shallow and deep diving hardbodies, soft plastics and blades are all deadly on most fish that hunt in the shallows. 

Factors such as sink rates, profile, transparency, presentation, colour and the retrieve are important to take into account when attempting to mimic natural bait sources. Sink rates and where a lure is presented in the water column is about simply presenting a lure to the fish in a natural fashion, making for an easy meal for active fish. The profile of a lure comes down to physical size and bulk, for example a ZMan 3" Slim SwimZ and ZMan 3" MinnowZ are both three inch long soft plastics, however the Slim SwimZ is a smaller presentation, being more slender and lighter than a MinnowZ.

Such subtle details could be the difference between a rewarding session and a tough grind. The transparency of a lure also impacts its subtlety, as a lure that reflects light will throw a more dominant silhouette than a translucent lure. Presentation relates to how a lure sits in the water and the action that it portrays, and this is vital in order to match the natural bait. Finally each lure has specific retrieves that make it appear a more natural imitation of the food source. It takes some time to figure out what food sources are available in each situation and from there do your best to imitate the natural bait.

A 1-3kg or 2-4kg outfit is perfect for this fishing. A light fluorocarbon leader is a necessity when sight casting or blind casting in these waters and weights under 8lb are best. Fish the lightest weight that feels comfortable to you and this should work.

My top five lures for bream, flathead and dart on these calm beaches would have to be;

1. ZMan 2.5" GrubZ 
2. ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ 
3. TT Lures Switchblade
4. ZMan 3.5" EZ ShrimpZ 
5. ZMan 2" GrubZ

Covering Ground

With a great expanse of beach and little structure, the key to success in this environment is covering ground. Structure is precious in this environment and anything, even as little as a few small oyster crusted rocks, can hold fish. Any large submerged structure will hold an abundance of life, so fish these areas thoroughly.

That's not to say that large schools of fish can't be found cruising in open water. The open flats and shallow sands make for some incredible sight fishing and therefore, scanning the water for signs of fish can be very effective, even while blind casting. Landing lures parallel to feeding fish and watching them battle over a meal is certainly a sport and it is exhilarating once a big bream or flathead is hooked on six pound gear.

Bream 

Bream are one of the primary light tackle target species on the calm side of Moreton Island. As well as being there in numbers, there are some cracking fish to be caught. The bream also seem to be less fussy than urban bream, despite the clear water, eating larger profile presentations and hunting them down as long as they appear as natural food. Fish can be found in large schools of up to around fifteen fish, cruising the flats, as well as in pairs or just single fish. Often single fish will take a little more tempting to entice a bite, while schools can often aggressively compete for a lure. Food can be relatively scarce in the calm shallows at times, so if a fish sees or suspects your presentation to be a potential meal, they will be inclined to investigate.

Slow rolling soft plastics, whether it be curl tails or paddle tails, is a great way to target bream. Occasionally allowing your lure to sink to the bottom or including additional twitches to your retrieve, to imitate a wounded baitfish, can be the switch that triggers fish to feed. Twitching and pausing jerkbait style hardbodies or slowly rolling crankbaits is equally effective, nevertheless surface fishing is by far the most enjoyable and visual technique when targeting these shallow water brutes. 

Bream are a year round target, although fishing is best from autumn to spring. The average size fish is about 33cm, however 36-40cm fish are not uncommon. It has to be one of the best light tackle bream, sight casting fisheries in the Bay and the backdrop is stunning.

Flathead

Flathead are the best table fish found along the western beaches and they are not lacking in size or numbers. Although fish can at times be fairly spread out, it's just a matter of covering ground and finding the fish. Large vibes, blades and soft plastics have proved to be most effective on these fish.

The biggest mistake that people make when fishing on these beaches is to wade straight out into the deepest water possible and then try to cast as far as possible. This is counterproductive as the fish sit within the first five metres of the shore, especially flathead. Flathead will sit as shallow as possible, often right behind the small breaking waves, ambushing the prey that is swept around. Flathead are also a year round target but are best here in spring and summer. The average size fish is around 45cm, with fish nudging the 60cm mark not uncommon.

Dart

The most underrated fish on our beaches has to be the humble swallowtail dart. They hit hard, fight hard and are great eating. Dart like a more constant and erratic retrieve, with soft plastics, hardbodies and surface lures being the most productive. The dart on the western beaches are slightly smaller than the dart found in the surf, with 40cm being a great fish for these calm beaches.

Dart will often hang around other fish. When sight casting a school of bream it's not uncommon for a dart to steal the lure before any bream get a chance. Dart will also patrol the beaches, being more mobile than species like bream. This makes them a little easier to come across as they will often find you. Dart are often thought to be a summer target and they certainly are, while remaining relatively common in the winter months.

Peak Bite Periods

The best time for fishing these shallow sandy shores is on the top half of the rising tide, through to around the halfway mark of the following dropping tide. Fish move up from deeper areas on the rising tide and commence feeding as the tide drops. This isn't to say that fish won't feed on the incoming tide, however the small bait that hides in the shallows has to go somewhere as the tide drops and predators are well aware of this.

The turn of the tide can also trigger a bite as fish don't have to expend unnecessary energy to grab a meal. When these tides coincide with a sunrise or sunset is definitely the best bite time for all of these species. Often windier conditions are favoured by fish, along with dirtier water clarity, as fish feel safer and more comfortable to hunt. Overcast conditions often see fish in feeding frenzies, however it isn't as visual, with sunlight needed to clearly see through the water. Light gear, crystal clear water and great fishing, with the best view the Bay has to offer... the perfect holiday location.

On your next adventure to Moreton Island, spend some time flicking the calm side and you never know what will be next to get your drag screaming!