Western Banks Moreton Bay

[STEVE WATTS]

Gidday....I'm a newbie...not only to this forum, but I've just come over from NZ. Finding fishing quite hard....undertaken trips to Mud Island & Pine River....just caught rubbish, but I guess it takes time to get in tune with the fishing conditions here in the Bay.

Question: haven't seen much on this Forum about the Western Banks....launching from Scarborough. Looks great for trolling up against the drop-offs or possibly tossing a softie?

Suggestions welcome & thoughts on varieties to target.....tis a huge area!

I want to explore further than the Scarborough reefs.

Steve

[Fillet`n`Release]

Personally the Western/Central Banks is just somewhere I avoid on my way to Morteon. It's quite shallow/lumpy to the point you can surf on it when the swell is up and rolling in from the north. If you're going to go that far into the bay you can probably reach the Curtain Artificial Reef towards the north, or the 4 Beacons to the south, which gives you options on bottom bashing, trolling and the likes. If you're looking for actual banks to fish, I think there's the Cockle Banks in Deception Bay (though last time I was there it was catfish central, that'll change when the fresh is gone I hope).

[Horse]

There is a lot of great ground on the Central and Western banks and the associated dropoffs and chanels. Look for exposed coffee rock or gravel beds and you will find fish. Many areas of structure are small and if you are lucky enough to find them you should get onto a few good fish. I find these insignificant spots produce more regularly than the hard hit areas

[STEVE WATTS]

Thanks guys....what about whiting on the shallower banks?....drop-offs like the Pearl Channel look good. Looks like a 20~30min run from Scarborough?

[Freeeedom]

The edges of the Pearl Channel can be a good place to chase school mackerel in season (now) and the banks are good territory for sand crabs in early and late summer. Winter whiting are more abundant to the west around the red buoy in Deception Bay. There are some good small patches of reef towards the top (northern) end of the Pearl Channel that produce squire/snapper etc, best fished when the tide is slowing just before a change.
Cheers Freeeedom