Ovington

Thanks mate not bad for a self timer shot on the phone

I went for a flick yesterday to get my fish for good friday down at the port. Put the boat in at 5am and was out by 8. The conditions were pretty good (better then the forecast made me think) but as typical of long weekends heaps of boats and lots of people with no fishing etiquette. As soon as I hooked up boats would zoom in left right and centre even if it was just a pike and drop anchor hah. Managed one snapper at 62cm on a threadybuster working some bait which was a good fish to feed me and the Girls family. Also thanks to the guys who offered to take a pic for me after watching me attempt multiple selfies hah.

Absolutely!! If you invest in a nipper pump (saltwater yabby) that will also be handy for all species mentioned as well as a bait trap or cast net for mullet/herring depending on what state you are in (no cast nets in NSW). Yes all three will take lures and flathead are particularly easy to get on lures, just a wriggler style works well with a 1/4oz jighead depending on depth and current. Flathead is definitely a favourite food source for me in the 40-50cm range but mangrove jack, mackerel and whiting all go down nicely and aren't out of the question on a trip like that.

Great to hear its all coming along and look forward to getting involved. However I work every sunday so haven't been able to make meetings. I generally have a few hours here and there during the week free though so keep me in mind for anuthing needed then. Also happy to use my boat for monitoring or scoping sites

I did a very similar trip 2 years ago from brisbane to cairns. Although I ended up taking 13rods and 12 reels hah. That sort of set up will probably get you by though for what you want. Generally speaking keep your sinker wieghts as low as possible for a natural presentation and collect your own fresh bait where possible (check local regulations and ask the local tackle store for advice). You will catch your standard bread and butter fish (bream, flathead etc) all the way along the coast, but maybe figure out if there is any particular fish you want to catch and look into appropriate techniques for those fish. Local knowledge is always best so stop in to local tackleshops or chat to other people staying near by to hear whats biting at the time.

Decoys in the smallest they do i think. They make a big difference for whiting but do get caught up a bit

Haha no worries mate more than happy with tag alongs.

Bottom of the run out tide mate. Water was clear as though and not much water movement over this flat

With the windy weather of late the boat has been stuck in the garage but my desire to get out hasn't gotten any less. With an afternoon off I decided to throw the yak on the roof and head down the coast for an explore and maybe a GH fish. I got to a spot near the goldy where I had caught GH in the past but the water didnt look as good as I had hoped and I slipped over and drowned myself and my spirits before I even wet a line. I decided to head back along the coast in search of a sheltered sandflat to pepper instead. It wasn't until I reached Wellington point that I found shelter from an angry southerly and decided to wade the flats given I had already been swimming and it was raining. I could see plenty of bait and activity on the mangrove edges and it wasn't long before I came tight on the first fish on the sugapen. A healthy bream came ashore as a consolation prize for persevering in the less than ideal conditions. Only a few casts later came a solid hit which found an algae cover pneumatophore to pin me to and earn its freedom. Luckily I managed to get my lure back. In the distance there was some solid surface action with large baitfish showering and the odd boil which looked to be either mackerel or trevally but were out of range of my lure. As I continued to wade the edges the bite really took off with whiting fighting over my lure cast after cast. My final tally was in the mid 20s of whiting and another bream in the mix as well as a few longtom. One of my highest whiting scores on lures. I would estimate about 8-10 legal fish with the largest being 30cm and as fat as they come. Overall a good outcome given the unfortunate start and poor conditions.

Yea right, there you go. I think they should put a few signs up around the place to educate those unaware. Makes me keen on a kayak session to try and make a dent now given that guy got let off.

Arh there you go, I was misinformed. Looks like the next one will be on the BBQ. Yea I was thinking the same regarding breeding, although I am surprised given the chillier waters

Haha Yea, just don't ask me to do it again... Yea apparently they were stocked in the dam for a short period about 14yrs ago. There was a bit of a fuss given its regular distribution and its potential effects on Mary river cod and other local species. I did release this one but maybe I should have kept it given its non- indigenous but couldn't bring myself to killing it

I had plans on taking the boat up to Borumba for a few days but I decided to go wide early thursday then drive up to meet my mates in the arvo with my kayak instead. My morning off the cape was fairly unproductive with a few good sounding but no real action other then some under size schoolies. I did see some longtail in the northern bay on the way home but didnt land any despite one hook up. I did catch a seahorse on a stickbait though which was a first for me (it was attached to s bit of weed I hooked). So I took off up to the camp grounds below the dam which have reopened but are still under construction. The first thing I noticed was strong flow and ditry water coming over the road about 1ft or so which wasnt what I had expected. I had a flick on dark after setting up for no interest then got stuck into the beers. Not so early the next morning I went for a drive and explore but all areas I had previously fished were flowing too fast to kayak so I returned to camp and started walking the banks. I spotted well over a dozen Toga ranging from 20cm to 80cm but couldn't get a bite despite going through all my lures. Darkness started to set in and the fish started biting but not the toga, i went 6 bass in 6 casts on the micro pompadour followed by a first for me, a Sooty grunter off the top too. I was pleased with a new pb and decided to stumble back to the fire for another round of drinking. It was a nice trip but I think I will take the boat next time to suss out the dam!

Yeah I had a look around the cape for a few hours for no touches other then a couple schoolies then went back in the bay and found a couple more schoolies and dropped a longy too

Hey mate, yea I am hitting the cape tomorrow morning I think. I am just running straight out of the rod holders at the moment as I am normally solo so 3 rods is more then enough although i do plan on getting some more outeard facing ones for a wider spread. Normally I run one long corner (60m) one mid corner about 40m and a short one in the prop wash in the center.