queensland Cape Moreton Arm Workout

[daveylad]

I had a days fishing with Dhess and his mate carol yesterday at some of his marks off Moreton Island. Started out about 4.30am from Spinnaker Sound boat ramp at Bribie, we headed out through the North bar. Dhess's mate performed a feat I didnt think possible soon after leaving Bribie and just as we started hitting the chop he laid out on the boat floor and slept almost the entire trip out to the cape area, it was choppy and we hit some pretty good holes getting there...not once did he move fantastic effort.

When we got to the sites near to the Island we only caught some small catches not worthy of mentioning then we moved further offshore to water in the 100metres range. Dhess came into his own here with the sounder and showed me how accurate and capable they are, on almost every spot and we had a good sounding we caught some great Snapper bagging out in no time, At one spot we were getting hit with some great snapper then all of a sudden Dhess got hit with something realy big, Dhess nominated an Amberjack and after some time he hauled it towards the boat, I made two hits at hit with the gaff missing on both times...new to the game :blush: , then it went underneath the boat peeling off more line and broke the line. This fish was easily a metre in length and my first sighting of one, not long after I was hit the same and line was peeling off too fast and my first time with an overhead reel I failed to get the thingy majig that stops this and I was bitten off :blush: .

It was a great day out and a huge learning curve on how to use a Sounder and Drift fishing, By the end of the day all of the snapper were well over legal size and we only measured the first one or two after that they were all well over. Its a workout on the old arms after pulling them up from 100 metres Thansk Dhess for a great days fishing. I only took the photos after filliting.

[daveylad]

Filleted

[daveylad]

Try again

[dhess]

Was a fun trip and nice to have you onboard. Fishing was slow. No real size to the snapper either.

We started off at Shallow Tempest and found it a real struggle to even find fish on the sounder in areas that are usually full of life. Finally found a decent show a bit off to the side but could only pull one legal fish which was a bit dissapointing.

A bit to the north of Deep Tempest found good shows of actively feeding fish. What a contrast. No nibbling just smacking it. Had the luxury of sending back (if they were in good condition to be released) just legal fish trying to catch bigger ones. But the biggest we could get were only about 45cm. Interestingly couldn't entice the pearlies to bite they were ddefinitely there on the sounder.

The AJ was a good arm stretcher. I am actually glad that you missed with the gaff as I would have ended up feeling bad keeping such a majestic fish and around that size they are only average eating. He would have been every bit of 15kg.

Next time you will know what to do when you hook an AJ. Push the drag to sunset and hold on. There is no playing them. Give them a couple of metres of line and its all over. You will get bricked every time.

I also got bricked on a patternoster by what would have almost definitely have been a big cod. No speed just mountains of torque like a tractor. Probably a good thing as well.

Rounded out the bag with a few bonito a black spot pigfish.

[nadders]

sounds like a fun trip guys thanks for the report.

haven't caught an AJ but have been on the boat for a decent samson and it looked like a go'er

cheers

Dan

[Mr FeLiX]

Sounds like a great day out guys

P.S. AJs aren't that great to eat at that size, fairly dry. Would of been great for a pic but

[tugger]

nice 1 chaps the fish would give you a work out at that depth

mark

[daveylad]

tugger wrote:

nice 1 chaps the fish would give you a work out at that depth

mark

I was saying tht to Dhess mark, at boat rock we catch them and there in the boat inside a minute at 100metres its a long haul I know now why Noname was telling me to buy a snapper reel :laugh:

[Travis]

was glamour for it ay good trip biys, was a bit diffrent up the banks today had to work for the fish and didnt see a snapper all day, pearlies were there tho

[dhess]

Hey Mark,

Yeah my back and arms are feeling it a bit today. Hooked up to big fish in deep water its pretty cool. You can see on the sounder how many meters you have got to go. Can be a bit disheartening though when you aren't making much progress. i.e. big sharks.

Travis,

Its funny the pearlie vs. snapper thing. When I started fishing offshore the area we fished yesterday would produce mostly pearlies and the odd snapper now its the other way around.

How deep were you guys fishing on the Bank's? Any size to the pearlies?

I have never caught many pearlies around the Bank's. I reckon net trip we will have to go find some ground around Cal Wide as you here of plenty nice ones being caught around there.

[Travis]

eastern side about 50 meters mate, we were out there looking for snapper :laugh:

[kreel]

Good read, Dave - sounds like you guys had a pearler of a session.

[crazywalrus]

good one guys - I reckon I would need to do some weights before a took a fish like that from the depth

[mick fillet]

nice one fellas.sounds like an awsome day.

did ya see whales?

mick

[dhess]

Fair whales around.

Saw one group of at least four that where constantly spouting water. They were around the 80m line. Interestingly didn't see any closer in where we usually see heaps.

[daveylad]

mick fillet wrote:

nice one fellas.sounds like an awsome day.

did ya see whales?

mick

Seen enough whales for now mick, its Amberjack now since I've been broken off, been out and bought some size 8 hooks on a wire leader like to see them break off these buggers :laugh:

[dhess]

The strongest wire trace in the world won't help Dave as the AJ didn't bite you off but dived into the reef busted the line off by draging it along structure .Aj's don't have teeth.

The only way is to push that drag lever as far forward as possible and try to turn them before its too late. Zero finesse involved. At times you hit a patch of AJ's that will be so big and strong that you will get bricked half a dozen timesbefore you find a smaller or dumber one. Last time this happened to us the fish I finally landed was 30kg+.

[mick fillet]

dhess wrote:

Fair whales around.

Saw one group of at least four that where constantly spouting water. They were around the 80m line. Interestingly didn't see any closer in where we usually see heaps.

thats cool.

there wicked animals to watch ay.I find it hard to stop watching them when there around.