Gold Coast landbased...

[robfish 1]

Hi guys - just joined and hoping that someone may be able to point me in the direction of some fish! Heading to the Gold Coast for a couple of weeks on 26/10/13, and although landbased, I'm keen to throw a few SP's and HB's around. I flogged Tallebudgera Creek pretty hard last time I was up, (August just gone), for very little result.
As this is a family holiday, I'm pretty much restricted to early mornings and evenings - but that's prime time anyway! Living in Melbourne, I get to chase bream and flatties quite often when I head away to Lakes Entrance, but it's always from a boat - so I'm a bit stumped about good landbased spots up north. I'm also in awe at the sheer amount of canals available up there, but without a boat - well...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[randell]

Try the Bond Uni tidal gates....... if you don't mind jacks, trevalley, jew, giant herring and bull sharks....
randell

[robfish 1]

Thanks Randell - since posting, I've been surfing some much older posts on the site and it does seem to be a prolific area. I'll only be able to bring 2-4kg tackle away with me, so I might have to give the herring and bullies a miss! Gt's, however small, would be awesome fun on light tackle. I don't think I'll be putting a dent in the Jack population, either. Coming from Melbourne, it's hard to credit the amount of fish available up there - we get spoiled down here in our canal systems with bream, or bream!
Robfish.

[lbger]

Prime bond uni time.. fished it for 5 years straight before i had boats and other "better spots" This area is just awesome though.. when the gates empty into the lake at night time there is some serious gts and big eyes that smash the herring as they get washed through the gates.. There are also some jacks there but are a lot rarer to extract.. try swimming a bibless minow in the flow (smaller macbaits are the go) but hang on!! the best big eye ive seen there was one a good mate caught on my outfit (first time fishing there also) it went a shade under 90cm and 6.5 kgs :)
And yep there are some serious bullies in there as well.
Also little 5 to 10g halco slices skipped on the surface will get you the gts, big eyes and sometimes Queenies..

[robfish 1]

Thanks, lbger...sounds like a plan! Although I'm seriously wondering about the stopping power of my 2-3kg tackle now! still - it will be fun while it lasts. I agree with the bibless minnows - I've used the smaller varieties, (40 to 70mm) down here for bream and flatties with a lot of success, and some salmon out in PP Bay, so I'll certainly be bringing them with me. Ever fished Tallebudgera? It just looks so fishy, but on a trip in August, I didn't raise a scale Saw some longtoms around 50cm under the highway bridge, (a new species for me - so I HAD to catch one),and although throwing every lure I had their way, they just weren't interested. They were feeding at the time, and although 'matching the hatch', I dipped out badly. Still, if it was easy, I'd probably give it away and take up golf.

[lbger]

If i was coming up from melbourne i wouldnt bring the 2/3kg gear... take the topshot of braid (if you have it) and re-topshot it with 6kg, 15 to 20lb flouro would be ideal (IMHO) as leader.
Gts and big eyes and even giant herring (never caught one at bond or seen one and i fish for them a lot) are clean fighters generally and you will stop them no worries with lighter gear. Tally gets flogged and unless you have a boat i think there are much better spots around :)
Also get a few bait jigs, take a bucket if the herring are banked up at bond the trevally will be there also..
the best poppers are the river to sea bubble pops.. good luck mate.

[robfish 1]

Hmmm...sounds like it's just as well that I bought a 3-6kg travel rod cheap. I'll bring that with a heavier reel spooled with 6kg braid.
Looking forwards to some fun!

[robfish 1]

Sounds like you are the man, lbger - for all things Bond Uni related! So tell me, if you would - is the emptying a nightly thing, (obviously tide dependent), or should I be chasing up some info on a water authority site for times and dates? I think I tend to agree with you about Tally - although it looks fishy, all the tactics I use down here that produce fish didn't turn a scale there. So Bond Uni it is. I gotta get me a GT or Bigeye - my best down here is a little silver of 1.2kgs, and although they pull, they can be turned on 2 kg gear.
One last question - ever fished landbased around the Spit? Looks like good flattie water. Never got a chance to wet a line last time I was up, as too many family committments. This time however, I have access to a cvehicle and have earned some brownie points to fish further and harder! Bless her little cotton socks!

[woody74]

Where is this Bond Uni Tidal Gates you all speak of, would be very interested in having a look next week while we are down there :) CHEERS Woody.

[robfish 1]

Woody...it's on the Gold Coast, on the canal system. If you use Google maps, and enter Bond Uni, you'll find it. If you have any joy, I'd appreciate some current 1st hand info! Good luck.
Robfish

[lbger]

the gates open depending on the tides.. for the opening into the lake i would start at say..1hour after high tide at the seaway to get there (bond uni) then wait till it opens.. should be roughly an hour later the next time etc.. its temperamental at times and i think it has something to do with the size of the tide..
spit is a warzone of boats and jetskiis mate.. at night its great for jew and trevally but thats a whole other set of gear and time that i dont think would be worth it for u..
If you have your heart set on a big eye or Gt, you should get one at bond..
If you spend enough time spinning you should be fine.. 10g halco slices skipped accross the surface in the day, minows in the flow or livies at night..

[Giffo65]

Robfish
What part of the Goldie are you staying at,I may be going out,if so ,you interested in some off shore Palmy or Tweed ?.Apparently the Mackeral have started to show up on Palmy.

[woody74]

Is it the bond university at Robina?

[Giffo65]

Yes Woody, that is the one.

[robfish 1]

Thanks for being so generous with the info, lbger - it's rare to find someone so free with it! I'm steadily changing lure and tackle selections, so I'll still be taking some light gear, but I'll also be including a 5kg outfit. You read about GT's and bigeyes down here, and can only dream of tangling with them - so this will be a trip to remember!
Thanks again.

[robfish 1]

wow!! Appreciate the offer, Giffo. Thank you so much! I'll be staying in Burleigh Heads, but as I have rented a car, I'm mobile and Macks would be another 1st. What gear would you recommend I bring in case of a trip? I may be a bit limited, as I'll be flying up, and haven't got a lot of room for larger gear - but...I could be convinced to buy another rod!

[Giffo65]

I sent you a PM.

[Sheik]

Good on you Giffo

[nathank92]

the bond uni place ur talkin about is that the bridge lookin thing ring road on left bermuda on right and bridgei middle. also best place to park?

[robfish 1]

I'd say you've nailed it, nathan...my plan is to park anywhere I can when I get there. Somehow I have a feeling I'm not going to be on my lonesome with that kind of action. It appears to me that the spillway gates under the bridge are the place to fish, and what side will depend on the tide - whichever way the inflow is running is my guess. Predators will be waiting for the influx of baitfish carried on the current. It appears there's parking both on the bridge, and either side, although during business hrs, the Uni side could well be full, as will the commercial building and carpark to the east. If this works out, before and after business hrs, coinciding with the tide change will be most promising. Last time I was up there, I drove past, taking note of the place, without realising its potential! Not again.
Cheers,
Robfish

[lbger]

last thing.. if the gates are about to open and there isn't any herring there on either side of the gates... there will basically be no fish. If the herring are there you will know.. one cast and you will spend the next 10 minutes picking 100 herring out of the net.

[robfish 1]

Cheers, mate...and thanks again for the good oil! I reckon an hour of berleying just may do the trick for any absent herring.

[lbger]

Cheers, mate...and thanks again for the good oil! I reckon an hour of berleying just may do the trick for any absent herring.

Nope.. if they arent there... they haven't turned up yet..they need to be there en mass and waiting to get into the lake..
Just sayn :)
I usually drive by there and have a couple of casts of the net.. if i get nothing i go home and try in another few days..

[robfish 1]

Hmmm...interesting. Wonder what makes 'em turn up like that? Maybe an overflow of food from the lake into the canal? Couldn't be a spawning urge - that'd only be once a year for a short period, and climactic conditions can't be the same all year round. Could it be predators driving them into the area? Might be worth investigating further. Might even get a handle on a reliable predictor.

[lbger]

Water temps i think.. Could be wrong but they seem to turn up mid Sept to mid Oct...

[robfish 1]

Yeah...you could be right - particularly if it's only for a certain period each year, as your last post suggests. I might research this with QLD Fisheries - you can pretty much guarantee that a study has been done on this at some stage, or at least they'll have an informed opinion. If I find anything on this, I'll post in this forum.
Cheers.

[dallas90]

Those canals are full of trevally, tarpon and giant herring right up to the casino. Any where there is a bit of tidal flow and a bridge there will be trevally. Also good breaming in there and bass in the freshwater canals.

Don't be too worried about how heavy your gear is. 3kg is plenty for the average trevally caught on the GC. But if you hook a decent jack you will be in all sorts

[lbger]

Giant herring in the canals? post a pic up mate :)

[dallas90]

Giant herring in the canals? post a pic up mate :)

Mate I havnt fished there for about 5 years, but there are plenty in there.. The lakes and canals that feed off tally creek are full of them as well, they were my main target when I was a kid growing up. They are a very smart though and take a while to figure out

[coryhargreaves]

Robfish
What part of the Goldie are you staying at,I may be going out,if so ,you interested in some off shore Palmy or Tweed ?.Apparently the Mackeral have started to show up on Palmy.

G'day Mate
I live on the Goldie and brave the palmy bar in my 3.75m Tinnie but would live to get out there on the Mack's in a safer manner. I'm happy to split the fuel/ bait costs if you've ever got room for someone.


Cheers Cory
Mob 0415 230 282

[Giffo65]

No worries Cory,may give you a call.The Macs apparently have not showed up yet,I was told a story about them being here apparently.Waiting for this bloody wind to stop to get out again.

[robfish 1]

No worries Cory,may give you a call.The Macs apparently have not showed up yet,I was told a story about them being here apparently.Waiting for this bloody wind to stop to get out again.

Don't despair, Giffo...the week commencing 28th it'll all start to happen - 'cos I'll be up there! At least it better, 'cos I've got a swag of slugs that are waiting to be thrown at 'em!

[Giffo65]

I got some bloody big Mac tuna last week on livies when I was fishing for Cobia,they went hard.I hope we can produce some fish for you.