WHITSUNDAY fishing guru Bob Spees has some useful tips for local fisherman hoping to catch a Christmas seafood haul to be proud of.

Bait has reappeared at the Shute Harbour pontoon, attracting a healthy number of queenfish and giant trevally which are enjoying a decent feed in the early hours of the morning.

"Shute Harbour mangrove lines are producing some very nice mangrove jack during the run in tide using live mullet and half pilchards fishing well into the mangrove root system,” Mr Spees said.

"Use very little lead and berley the area well to get the fish feeding.”

Prawns and herring bait have been used well to catch quite a few sweetlip.

The Whitsunday Sailing Club rock wall is also showing some promising signs for avid fishermen.

"Try using live baits and half pilchards for mangrove jack and fingermark during the run in tides,” Mr Spees said.

"Queenfish and great trevally are also taking silver spoons and metal slugs.

"Whisper Bay walls has had plenty of bait schools around so try live baits and metal lures for queenfish and great trevally.

"Use peeled prawns and garfish for your grunter,” he said.

"A couple of nice blue fish are also taking crabs and coral prawns.”

Coral trout and sweetlip are maintaining quite a healthy presence around the inner Whitsunday islands, particularly Daydream, Molle group, Dent and Long Island.

"Tuna schools are still about and make for very good fun and great bait,” Mr Spees said.

"A few mackerel are also still about with places like Grimston Point and Mackerel Bay being the best.

"The schools and the deeper waters off Hook have been fishing very well for nannygai and red emperor with best baits being squid and cuttle fish.

"Some very nice blues have also been caught around the mouth of Nara Inlet and Hayman Island.”

Run in tides at most rivers are only offering fisherman modest success when it comes to catching sizable crabs, however it is still well worth the effort.

Proserpine river is still the go-to spot for those chasing a combination of grunter, bream, flathead and even the rare king salmon.

Bob Spees recommended using fresh prawns to maximise chances of reeling in an impressive haul.

Kids are encouraged to throw a line in at Cannonvale Beach, with the run-in tides producing an abundance of whiting and flathead.

Peeled prawns and soft plastic bait are ideal for pursuing flathead.

The Peter Faust Dam is providing some solid signs of optimism, with fishermen urged to time their expeditions appropriately to make the most of ideal conditions.

"Large schools of bait are around the basin with some nice barramundi being caught trolling the edges of the weed beds,” Mr Spees said.

"Don't forget your best bites times are one hour both sides of the high tide time.

"I know the dam is not tidal but the pressure from the tide times does make a real difference with the feeding patterns of these fish, as I have noted over plenty of years recording barra feeding.”