fishing Oz Day Weekend - What's Your Plan?

[benno573]

Hi all,

Oz day long weekend coming up.  Looks like a hot one but what better time to get out and about.

I'll be heading down to a spot on the Macleay River just outside Kempsey for a weekend camping with my lady and her family.  Dog friendly so Dragon the border collie gets a starting spot as well.  Being right on the river, I will also be taking my kayak and a lot of lures to throw about late in the day in the hope of a bass or something else of a fishy nature.  Only ever caught one wild bass before, hoping to at least double that tally.

I'm sure lots of people on here are up to something fun - have a brag, tell us all about it!

Cheers,

Benno <'><

 

[aussie123]

Benno launch the boat at Greenhills and head upstream till you reach a big steep hill on your left.

Start fishing from there all the way till you reach the fresh further up.

That stretch is the best section in the river this time of the year and it can turn on some amazing surface fishing after dark.

Up the top the river takes a 90 degree right hand turn and it can be hard to get through there if the river is low but on that corner is a deep hole full of heavy timber with an amazing amount of big Bass in it.

That corner was always our end point before fishing our way back down stream.

I used to flick deep divers late afternoon on the way up and drift back on dark with surface lures. Best surface lure was the Teeny Torpedos and Jitterbugs.

Manns 10+ were top divers in chartreuse green and red/black.

The barrage up the top of the Belmore River fishing landbased  can also produce good Bass and Turrum. Just be aware of ticks along the banks there as they are really bad.

BTW, that big hill had a great reserve opposite that you could camp at years ago but I am not sure on the regs for it these days.

It is very rare to catch a Bass below Kempsey this time of the year as it is a Winter fishery downstream.

 

[Fishaman]

I'm hanging around home (Caloundra) Will fish really early Sat, Sun and Mon and be back in before the terrorists are out and about.

[Drop Bear]

18 hours ago, benno573 said:

Hi all,

Oz day long weekend coming up.  Looks like a hot one but what better time to get out and about.

I'll be heading down to a spot on the Macleay River just outside Kempsey for a weekend camping with my lady and her family.  Dog friendly so Dragon the border collie gets a starting spot as well.  Being right on the river, I will also be taking my kayak and a lot of lures to throw about late in the day in the hope of a bass or something else of a fishy nature.  Only ever caught one wild bass before, hoping to at least double that tally.

I'm sure lots of people on here are up to something fun - have a brag, tell us all about it!

Cheers,

Benno <'><

 

Nice one mate. I hope you smash em. 

I am hoping to head offshore on Sunday or Monday depending on  a few things otherwise I will head down to wavebreak for a fish and a swim. 

Planning a trip to Harvey Bay on Tuesday. 

[Drop Bear]

17 hours ago, aussie123 said:

Benno launch the boat at Greenhills and head upstream till you reach a big steep hill on your left.

Start fishing from there all the way till you reach the fresh further up.

That stretch is the best section in the river this time of the year and it can turn on some amazing surface fishing after dark.

Up the top the river takes a 90 degree right hand turn and it can be hard to get through there if the river is low but on that corner is a deep hole full of heavy timber with an amazing amount of big Bass in it.

That corner was always our end point before fishing our way back down stream.

I used to flick deep divers late afternoon on the way up and drift back on dark with surface lures. Best surface lure was the Teeny Torpedos and Jitterbugs.

Manns 10+ were top divers in chartreuse green and red/black.

The barrage up the top of the Belmore River fishing landbased  can also produce good Bass and Turrum. Just be aware of ticks along the banks there as they are really bad.

BTW, that big hill had a great reserve opposite that you could camp at years ago but I am not sure on the regs for it these days.

It is very rare to catch a Bass below Kempsey this time of the year as it is a Winter fishery downstream.

 

Wow great post Aussie. 

I would love to see that hole... Perhaps a road trip is in order. 

[Old Scaley]

35 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

Nice one mate. I hope you smash em. 

I am hoping to head offshore on Sunday or Monday depending on  a few things otherwise I will head down to wavebreak for a fish and a swim. 

Planning a trip to Harvey Bay on Tuesday. 

Staying off the water to avoid the heat and the crowds. Like @Drop Bear I am heading to Hervey Bay on Tuesday (visiting the mother in law). Tossing up whether to tow the tinny up. Wind is forecast to increase a bit but not too bad. You taking your boat up Robbie?

Have a good long weekend everyone. And then get back to work so the rest of us can have the ramp and the water to ourselves.

[benno573]

@aussie123 - the spot is about 70km along the armidale kempsey road out of kempsey, i've had a squizz on google maps and found a few likely looking deeper snaggy corners - or I'll just sneak back into kempsey and follow your directions if i am sober enough and the mrs will let me.  I have some D & S Lures from @Bommie that have worked for me on bass before, i have a couple of manns 10+ still - also a good lure for trolling for snapper in the bay - so i will throw them in as well.  also have a couple of shrimp traps so if all else fails I will use @rayke1938 method and drift about with a live shrimp or dig up a worm.  definitely will be targetting the last hour of daylight and the dusk or just before sunrise, hopefully childs on inflatable flamingos/unicorns/pizza slices will be off the water and not making noise then!

Thanks for the info. 

[benno573]

1 hour ago, Drop Bear said:

I would love to see that hole... Perhaps a road trip is in order. 

You dirty MF...  I'm telling Mrs Drop Bear on you.

[aussie123]

2 hours ago, benno573 said:

@aussie123 - the spot is about 70km along the armidale kempsey road out of kempsey, i've had a squizz on google maps and found a few likely looking deeper snaggy corners - or I'll just sneak back into kempsey and follow your directions if i am sober enough and the mrs will let me.  I have some D & S Lures from @Bommie that have worked for me on bass before, i have a couple of manns 10+ still - also a good lure for trolling for snapper in the bay - so i will throw them in as well.  also have a couple of shrimp traps so if all else fails I will use @rayke1938 method and drift about with a live shrimp or dig up a worm.  definitely will be targetting the last hour of daylight and the dusk or just before sunrise, hopefully childs on inflatable flamingos/unicorns/pizza slices will be off the water and not making noise then!

Thanks for the info. 

Sounds like you are camping at Blackbird Flat which is a good area to fish too.

There is an easement running down to the river a few miles upstream along side a farmers fence where you can launch a canoe and fish back to the flats.

You can also fish downstream of the flats and pull out a few miles downstream but you do need 2 cars or someone to come and pick you up.

 

[benno573]

pretty close to there yes.  it's some private land on the river with easy access at a few points so hopefully will be able to work my way through a few areas without getting myself too lost or beached as on some rocks!

[Poddymullet]

7 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Wow great post Aussie. 

I would love to see that hole... Perhaps a road trip is in order. 

@benno573 if you get a chance share some sounder pics too with all the fish you catch

[Poddymullet]

Was planning on hitting the artificial reef again north of Moreton but the wind is looking bit suspect all weekend...early morning still looks the best time...

So Plan B might be some more time drifting across different patches of the bay trying to find some elusive special patches

Plan C ... was thinking of hitting the southern side of the bay around Peel and doing some Brisbane River sessions...still to hook a thready or a jewie up here.

Whatever it is ... don't care as long as feet are above water and not on land.

Happy Australia Day to all 

[Drop Bear]

8 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Staying off the water to avoid the heat and the crowds. Like @Drop Bear I am heading to Hervey Bay on Tuesday (visiting the mother in law). Tossing up whether to tow the tinny up. Wind is forecast to increase a bit but not too bad. You taking your boat up Robbie?

Have a good long weekend everyone. And then get back to work so the rest of us can have the ramp and the water to ourselves.

Yes mate. Towing it to Urangan then camping at Wathumba Creek for a few nights. If you are up for it drop over for a cup of tea? 

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, Poddymullet said:

Was planning on hitting the artificial reef again north of Moreton but the wind is looking bit suspect all weekend...early morning still looks the best time...

So Plan B might be some more time drifting across different patches of the bay trying to find some elusive special patches

Plan C ... was thinking of hitting the southern side of the bay around Peel and doing some Brisbane River sessions...still to hook a thready or a jewie up here.

Whatever it is ... don't care as long as feet are above water and not on land.

Happy Australia Day to all 

Monday is looking pretty good. 

[benno573]

Net result of this trip - 

@Poddymullet - I don't have a sounder on the kayak and don't have any fish to show either!

weather was STINKING hot, 43 degrees Saturday and 44 Sunday.  Was a bit stuck in a couple of bits of river, was too shallow/rocky on either end to risk taking the hobie through.  Waited until well after all children and bogans had removed themselves from the river and had a peddle on dusk one afternoon.  Threw a bunch of different lures in around snags, not one bit of interest.  No surface activity to speak of.  Think the heat would have had the fish sitting in the deepest spots in the river, unfortunately my stretch was at most about 1.5m deep.  Plenty of good looking snags though.  Was even too hot to enjoy a bourbon properly!

 

One day I will add to my wild bass tally... 

 

thanks to @aussie123 for the tips and advice regardless of my failure to implement them. 

 

[Poddymullet]

Sorry to hear that @benno573 ... I kind of feel your pain. 

I ended up heading out Saturday morning and Monday...

Plan was to hit the nautical mile for a bit of mack action with my eldest son (11), but it was blowing a bit harder than predicted when we go there ... didn't see a lot on the sounder and 2 boats already had primo position up / down current and they weren't getting much either. Made the call to head back to North Reef as drifting up and down the beacon was giving me the S#$ts and my son as well. I kind a new I'd miss the peak but thought I'd be able to rouse up some bream but there wasn't much around so headed to the cockle banks ... 8-10 whiting on board and then called it a day. 

I've been really keen to try Peel etc but opted for a Pine River session with the new open boat. Can't see we got much action at all but I finally had a crack at cast netting for prawns and whilst I can't my casts were worth sharing I did bring home 18 prawns for about 45 mins effort and lots of excitement from my boys. Have to say fresh caught banana prawns by my own hand are F@#$%ing unreal and I can now see what all the fuss is about...

Finished off the afternoon with a 500g ribeye and about 8 beers before passing out on the couch....my kind of long weekend although more fish would have been welcomed but it's all about time on the water. 

[Doyley]

No fishing for me.  We did find this spot for the kids to swim - western side of Fraser. 

[kmcrosby78]

Had a family morning out in the southern bay on Saturday with friends tagging along in their boat. They were keen to try around Coochiemudlo so we headed to Victoria Pt ramp, but as I feared there was no parking so up to Cleveland/Raby Bay instead, where it was obviously busy (by this stage it was almost 10:30am ...) but we got a park, launched quickly and headed to the south western corner of Peel. Was a bit lumpy and although we were anchored 40m inside a beacon and away from passing boats, the sheer volume (and size of some of them ....) meant the water turned into a washing machine for 75% of the time which wasn't great (but bearable).

My 7yr old son Liam caught his first shark (little fella only about 50cm long), we got a couple of small grassies and a bream and that was it, but as always just good to get out on the water. Never seen so many boats at Horseshoe Bay - we didn't get within about 300m or more of them but there must have been at least 200 or 300 boats, including some pretty big ones. Madness!!!

Amazingly we got straight onto the pontoon back at the ramp which was a welcome relief.

[Drop Bear]

On 30/01/2019 at 4:52 PM, benno573 said:

Was even too hot to enjoy a bourbon properly!

Mate I found most of your post ok but this last bit is a complete fabrication.   

[Drop Bear]

On 30/01/2019 at 5:32 PM, Poddymullet said:

Sorry to hear that @benno573 ... I kind of feel your pain. 

I ended up heading out Saturday morning and Monday...

Plan was to hit the nautical mile for a bit of mack action with my eldest son (11), but it was blowing a bit harder than predicted when we go there ... didn't see a lot on the sounder and 2 boats already had primo position up / down current and they weren't getting much either. Made the call to head back to North Reef as drifting up and down the beacon was giving me the S#$ts and my son as well. I kind a new I'd miss the peak but thought I'd be able to rouse up some bream but there wasn't much around so headed to the cockle banks ... 8-10 whiting on board and then called it a day. 

I've been really keen to try Peel etc but opted for a Pine River session with the new open boat. Can't see we got much action at all but I finally had a crack at cast netting for prawns and whilst I can't my casts were worth sharing I did bring home 18 prawns for about 45 mins effort and lots of excitement from my boys. Have to say fresh caught banana prawns by my own hand are F@#$%ing unreal and I can now see what all the fuss is about...

Finished off the afternoon with a 500g ribeye and about 8 beers before passing out on the couch....my kind of long weekend although more fish would have been welcomed but it's all about time on the water. 

Sounds pretty good. There are supposed to be a few prawns up there at the moment. Nothing southside. 

How good is it taking kids fishing and catching stuff. Glad they loved it. 

[Drop Bear]

On 30/01/2019 at 8:22 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

My 7yr old son Liam caught his first shark

Yew! Go Liam.

Sorry still catching up. Did you cook it up? 

[Old Scaley]

10 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Sounds pretty good. There are supposed to be a few prawns up there at the moment. Nothing southside. 

How good is it taking kids fishing and catching stuff. Glad they loved it. 

Mr @ellicat and I had a spectacularly unsuccessful trip to the port on Tuesday. Plan was to drown the crab pots and do a bit of fishing on the side. As soon as we got there (bottom of the tide) I noticed the trawlers were working the river, then noticed prawns skipping all over the place. I had my newish prawning net in the boat so we had a crack, but I just can’t get that thing to sit properly or to cast consistently. After a few frustrating attempts I swapped to my 10 foot drawstring bait net and we got a few but lost heaps more so they are around and some good sized specimens at that. Pity the wind is up or I would be out chasing them now. They tasted so sweet and fresh cooked in the water they came from.

[ellicat]

[kmcrosby78]

14 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Yew! Go Liam.

Sorry still catching up. Did you cook it up? 

Far too small mate.

[kmcrosby78]

Hope you had plenty of sunscreen on Mr Old Scaley!!!  Where is that?

[Drop Bear]

On 15/02/2019 at 5:02 PM, Old Scaley said:

Mr @ellicat and I had a spectacularly unsuccessful trip to the port on Tuesday. Plan was to drown the crab pots and do a bit of fishing on the side. As soon as we got there (bottom of the tide) I noticed the trawlers were working the river, then noticed prawns skipping all over the place. I had my newish prawning net in the boat so we had a crack, but I just can’t get that thing to sit properly or to cast consistently. After a few frustrating attempts I swapped to my 10 foot drawstring bait net and we got a few but lost heaps more so they are around and some good sized specimens at that. Pity the wind is up or I would be out chasing them now. They tasted so sweet and fresh cooked in the water they came from.

Yum!!! I might go tomorrow. Anyone wanna come? 

[Drop Bear]

On 15/02/2019 at 8:19 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

Hope you had plenty of sunscreen on Mr Old Scaley!!!  Where is that?

Yes Where is that?

[Old Scaley]

3 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

Yes Where is that?

Had some sunscreen on, @kmcrosby78, but wasn’t casting too long anyway (no stamina). That was in Boggy Creek. Good luck tomorrow @Drop Bear. I would love to come but I can’t make any plans for at least the next 3 weeks