Best fishing spots near Brisbane: Moreton Bay hotspots

Dust off the fishing rods, fire up the motor on the boat and get a line in the water in southeast Queensland during the holiday period. Here’s the best spots.

Check out the top fishing spots near Brisbane as recommended by Spero Kartanos.

DUST off the fishing rods, fire up the motors on the boat and get a line in the water in Moreton Bay during the holiday period.

The festive season is the busiest time of the year on the water and not only is a perfect moment to enjoy the picturesque bay but it’s also a chance to catch some quality fish.

Local angler, Spero Kartanos who has been fishing in Moreton Bay for decades, gives Wynnum Herald readers the special opportunity to see the best places to catch certain fish at this time of year.

Spero Kartanos and his fishing buddies picked up a nice feed in the bay.

“When the weather allows it, the bay has plenty of fish for all, whether you are a fanatic or a family and kids fisherman, so lets run through the species available to us this time of year that most of us go to catch in the bay,” he said.

WHITING

- It’s the by far the easiest to catch and best fishing for the kids and the family, whiting are also probably the best tasting fish for a lot of people.

Best places to catch:

- Southern side of the Chain Banks and Amity Banks

- The moroon bank side of the Rous Channel

- The sand hills at Moreton Island and the blue hole

- Horseshoe bay at Peel Island

Best bait: Sand worms, blood worms, peeled small prawns and squid strips on a

paternoster rig while drifting.

SQUIRE/SNAPPER

- I prefer a good run in the tide and especially outgoing, also expect to catch some sweetlip, bream and flathead while fishing for squire.

Best places to catch:

- Eastern side of Peel Island

- Mud and St Helena Islands

- The azaret gutter and Harry’s artificial reef

- Mt Cotton Reach in the Rous Channel

- Shallow reefs in close to our bay islands

Best bait: Small whole whiting, garfish, whiting heads, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, mullet flesh and grinner fillets.

SCHOOL MACKEREL

- Test way of catching school mackerel is with diving boards yamashita, delta or yozuri with 3inch spoons trolling around 5-7 knots knots around the bay. You can also float a pilly out around any of the bay markers or when you are whiting fishing, there is always a mackerel swimming around.

Best places to catch:

- Hope Banks and the basin at Peel Island

- The Rous and Rainbow Channel

- Deeper water at the sand hills and shark spit

- All the shipping channel and the measured mile beacon

Best lure: Spotty mackerel should start showing up in the next few weeks and you can catch them trolling but a chrome slug thrown and retrieved in a feeding school is the way to catch these mackerel.

TIGER SQUID

- One of the best tasting critters in the bay are the tiger squid which are starting to show up recently.

Best places to catch:

- Weed Banks in the bay

- Western side of Moreton Island

- Rous Channel and small boat channel

- Amity Banks, Rainbow Channel and Green Island

Best way to catch: You need nice clear water and a couple of good quality squid jigs - a cast and slow retrieve should get you a squid and a face full of ink, don’t worry it happens to us all.