queensland A little bit Different...

[lt obvious]

... For me, that is. Yeah, you either did or didn't guess it. I am writing a normal, text only report - No rhyming, singing or stupid videos. Don't worry, it's hard for me to believe as well :ohmy:

I, that is, me and my family, were down at our unit at the Gold Coast for the long weekend (Us young'uns have Monday off) and boy, did we hit the water. Duranbar was the place for fishing on Sunday, but apparently, practically no-one got the memo. I started off using my Berkley FS6-S minnow lure, going for a slow retrieve each time. My dad was using his usual set up of a nice, cut up prawn, which is 'nice.'

When the lure was about 3m away from the jetty, BANG! A flash of white went straight past. I knew this wasn't the usual bream I normally get, but then again, I don't normally use lures. I could tell that it was going to be a good day. About 15 minutes, and 3 or 4 bites later, one struck! From my elevated position, it looked like a great whiting, and just as I was about to bring him up from the depths, it got loose, and swam away...

Downheartened, but not depressed, I soldiered on, keeping with the same lure. Again, about 10 minutes after, I got another hit. This time, he wasn't going to get away. The drag wasn't screaming, but it was still a nice fish. It was hooked right through the mouth with the treble, and when I got it to the pontoon, I realised that this wasn't the whiting I thought it was. A mouth full of razor sharp teeth, elongated body, long, thin head. This was something I had never got before! I checked with Tide Guide, but still, no luck. Asking some locals about the fish, they directed my to the fish identification sign, but again, no luck. My dad (Who, as it turns out, is an amateur fisherman, nothing more) said it was a wrasse. I believed him, even though he had no evidence to back it up.

This was a joyous occasion, however. My favourite had got me my first ever fish on a hardbody! 30-35cm of fun was sitting right there on the concrete in front of me! Even now, a day after the catch, I still can't wipe the smile off my face. To add to the experience, a giant turtle swam under the jetty. At first, I thought it was a stingray, but then realised that I was pleasently mistaken. It looked like a sea turtle, not like those little ones you sometime catch in streams.

I went again, with the same lure, and within half an hour, I was on again. It was the mystery fish again, but smaller this time. Still, it was more than a foot, so I was delighted! Two fish on a lure! How much better could it get? The answer lay in the depths, when the third fish threw itself at my lure! What could I do but reel him in, take out the hooks, and set him back into the murky darkenss that is the Tweed River...

I had three fish on a hardbody, and the three were of a species I had not caught before! Dad also scored off the jetty, getting a 20ish cm bream. With smiles all round, but not much bait left, I decided to try another lure. This one was The Bug a small, but effective, surface paddler. I figured that, because I was going well, I would try a new knot. Again, with help from Tide Guide, I rigged myself a Perfection Loop and went off to the pontoon again.

I cast out, feeling good, when a seagull swooped under my line, which started to fall. All of a sudden, a squack of confusion came from the bird, which promptly fell into the river, getting all the more tangled. This bug turned out to be extremely lifelike - the poor bird, tangled and stuck in the water, with a flock of friends circling above like vultures, said to itself 'I might be going out, but I'll go with a meal.' Yes, he did the one thing that made everything else worse. He ate the lure.

Meanwhile, I was horrified. What should I do? Reel him in? Cut the line? There was, however, this bird's guardian angel on the jetty. She, along with my father and I, reeled the bird in, slowly and carefully, and managed to untangle his leg, beak and wing from the line. When released, he flew away, seeming happy, without a backwards glance.

With that emotional trauma out of the way, the bait finished, and no bites for about half an hour, we decided to call it a day, and headed back to the unit. All was not over, however. I talked to my Mum, who is a very keen fisherwoman, and she and I both belived it was some sort of pike. When we got back to Ipswich, I checked with Grant's Fishes of Australia and confirmed my catch at a Long Finned Pike.

The next day (As in, Monday) was my birthday! A good haul awaited me... A tape and scale for measuring and weighing fish, and a 500 piece tackle box was just what I wanted, so expect precise measurements of both lenght and weight in the future.

Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera down the coast, so I don't have picutres, sorry. Anyway, all the best to the rest of you super-keen angelers, and have a good week!

Lt obvious

[Angus]

Shame you didnt get a picture of the "wrasse". I have caught the odd little wrasse off rock walls at the mouth of the brisbane river and the bruns. By they are usually only around 15-20cm and on bait. Also they are not what id describe as toothy or lure takers.

Angus

[lt obvious]

It seems that my writing is worse than my singing

When we were fishing, my Dad said it was a wrasse. When I checked later, it was a long finned pike.

[dan25]

Nice work mate, well done on ur first HB catches

[Angus]

lt obvious wrote:

It seems that my writing is worse than my singing

When we were fishing, my Dad said it was a wrasse. When I checked later, it was a long finned pike.

Hahaha cool mate!

Sorry I admit I only skim read myself so could have missed that.

Pike are suckers for just about any lure!

Angus

[PumpyChowdown]

Good effort mate, and happy birthday!

Where's the jetty/pontoon at Duranbah that you mentioned? Or are you referring to the long sand pumping jetty off Fingal beach, just south of the Tweed river mouth?

[lt obvious]

As you drive around to Duranbar beach, there is a parking space on the bank of the river. That's the first place you can park. If you go there, to your left is a metal gate. Go through it and you're on the jetty. There's also a little pontoon down there where you can get a better angle. You can't really see it from the road, but if you get out, its pretty obvious.

On another note, I just got my learners! Take this as a warning - stay off the road for the next year!!

Lt obvious

[PumpyChowdown]

Yeah, just having a look on Google Maps now (God I love that site!). Looks to be off Coral St, on the northern bank of the Tweed inlet, just before the mouth. May have to chuck a line in there next time I'm down.