queensland Another day another donut. Cabbage Tree Creek

[Homer4duff]

Following the advice of Dell I lost ditched my platypus pretest leader and grabbed some 6lb Berkley Vanish this morning.

I tried today around the trawlers near the slipway just off Sinbad St Shorncliffe in Cabbage creek in the channel and it was abysmal. Got there around 10am to fish the run out and after nearly 2 hours and several spots I gave up without any hits at all.

I ended up driving to the pier off Allpass Parade and fished the turn of the tide up/run in to about 1:40pm with only 1 hit to show for it which was an undersized flathead which escaped just as I got it to the surface. The wind was appalling blowing straight up the creek from the north a good 15-20 knots which sucked too.

An erderly guy beside me was using blood worms and pulled in a few really nice whiting plus a small ray. All I got was burnt legs and feet with thong outline but I put sunscreen on my upper body so ok there.

My start to plastics is very disappointing. I've rarely gone fishing and not got some bites even if they are all undersized so I normally get something even if they aren't keepers. This is my third outing totaling about 8 hours in the water and I've yet to land a fish or see what all the fuss is about plastics. I'm starting to think it's purely a market created by angling companies expecially to take money off me!

Not getting any bites at all except one and losing it after nearly 3 1/2 hours makes me wonder why I just don't stick with bait :-(

At least I'd be eating some nice whiting tonight for dinner.

[Cheyne_jones]

Patience grasshopper!

8 hours is nothing, it takes a long time to start getting fish when learning a new technique, that's part of the appeal for me.

Whats to say it wasnt just a bad day for fishing, they dont feed all day everyday.

If it were me I would go try the same spot at first light as soon as you can and see if you notice a difference.

Dont get frustrated, try to learn something (either something that works, or things that dont work are just as important to learn), and remember its not just about landing fish, you are outside enjoying life while fishing, you could be just rotting at home with nothing to do!

[Freshy]

Patience grasshopper!

8 hours is nothing, it takes a long time to start getting fish when learning a new technique, that's part of the appeal for me.

Whats to say it wasnt just a bad day for fishing, they dont feed all day everyday.

If it were me I would go try the same spot at first light as soon as you can and see if you notice a difference.

Dont get frustrated, try to learn something (either something that works, or things that dont work are just as important to learn), and remember its not just about landing fish, you are outside enjoying life while fishing, you could be just rotting at home with nothing to do!

Agreed!!!

[hokianga]

Prawnhead,

that would have to rank as one of the saddest stories I have heard in all of my life... ...... Mate as far as lure fishing is concerned , they do work, I myself am a self professed, bait basher... but now semi converted SP, HB wannabe.... You've got to persevere mate, it will happen.... Its just taking you a little longer to pop your cherry.... Once you've started getting the results, you'll know exactly what the carry on is all about...That story just got sadder and sadder, personally if I were you I would have told "Old fella' next to you...I'm sure he would rather have seen you go home with one of his whiting then feeling like sh*t for not offering...I know I would have

Oh man I just read your report again, man take two rods and a bit of bait, that way you can keep practicing with the lures, while you still have a bait line in the water.... you'll notice the difference, Bait:"you wait"

Lure: "Your actively chasing"

We're all behind you buddy

PS: Tell Dell to take you to one of his Mangroovie Jackson X Spots... That'll have you fully converted within minutes...

Vic

[Oconnell]

I was told that switching to plastics or HB's from bait is tough and that a lot of guys give up.

But its a challenge and i can always watch my kids catch bream on prawns while flicking plastics. Sooner or later u will crack it and then u will never look back. So will i.

[Homer4duff]

Patience grasshopper!

8 hours is nothing, it takes a long time to start getting fish when learning a new technique, that's part of the appeal for me.

Whats to say it wasnt just a bad day for fishing, they dont feed all day everyday.

If it were me I would go try the same spot at first light as soon as you can and see if you notice a difference.

Yep fair call. The problem is I am solo and don't have a teacher! The 'grasshopper" would be only too happy to learn from a "grand master", have sombody watch my cast, retrieval, way I hold my rod and where I throw my line. Show me where to expect fish to lie, how to read a spot, tell me where I am going wrong.

Perhaps it was just a bad day of fishing, so that would make it 3 bad outings in a row for me. Can't wait for a good one because I'm sorta starting to look a bit silly to the other half ("what did u catch? Nothing? Again?) lol

Sure I can try the same spot again at the crack of dawn, about 4am these days but on what tide? Incomming, high, low, outgoing? Does it matter?

And yes, I am an impatient bugger

[tugger]

Braid and plastics throw them away and stick to bait you will catch bigger and better fish all day any day

[Homer4duff]

Prawnhead,

that would have to rank as one of the saddest stories I have heard in all of my life... ...... Mate as far as lure fishing is concerned , they do work, I myself am a self professed, bait basher... but now semi converted SP, HB wannabe.... You've got to persevere mate, it will happen.... Its just taking you a little longer to pop your cherry.... Once you've started getting the results, you'll know exactly what the carry on is all about...That story just got sadder and sadder, personally if I were you I would have told "Old fella' next to you...

We're all behind you buddy

PS: Tell Dell to take you to one of his Mangroovie Jackson X Spots... That'll have you fully converted within minutes...

Vic

Yea I do sound like a sad sack don't I :-)

I'm just so keen to get some fish that i've been 3 times in the last 3 days for zero results. Yep I should have taken my other bait rod and done as you've suggested. Problem is I'm sure I would have gotten carried away with the nibbles on bait and the plastics fishing would have suffered.

The guy beside me said he'd been fishing for 40+ years and was a typical old salty using an old Alvey reel cause the "egg beaters are #$%&, and sandworms are $%^# I only use bloodworms" etc etc. Quite refreshing actually. There were some kids about 10-12 yrs with a couple of crab pots they just threw in off the end of the jetty with mullet in it and they ended up getting 4 crabs in about 45 mins but all females. Silly buggers were swimming there too and old mate keep telling them about the Bull sharks but the kids didn't care, they were having too much fun. Three rods in the water while they swam, 2 crab pots, a cast net etc just having a day off from school :-)

I'll keep perservering with plastics but knowing the right spot and the right time is half of the battle won I'd imagine. Having lived in Brisbane since 94 this is the first time I've fished here. Coming from Ballina the river seemed too polluted/dirty for me to go anywhere near it when I first came up, hence no fishing.

I'd love to be taken to some secrete spots BTW -

[Carter]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

[Homer4duff]

Braid and plastics throw them away and stick to bait you will catch bigger and better fish all day any day

See this is confusing the heck out of me. Why do some swear by plastics and Hard bodies yet others rubbish them and say bait is better?

What has led you to the conclusion bait is better? Did u have issues like myself? Certainly bait seems cheaper!

[Surfingant]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

There is an offer you would be stupid to refuse, to be able to watch someone who knows how to do it is invaluable imo. And if you don't take it up I'd be keen Carter

Oh and don't listen to tugger, he's just a cranky old bait fisho :silly: seriously though you are better off leaving the bait rod at home and just going hard on the lures if that's what you want to do, it will take time but don't get disheartened as one day it will click.

[Freshy]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

Mate if you take Greg upon his offer send me a PM also... I live in Bald Hills, we could head up together.

I am now committed to fishing with hb lures, and its something new!!!! I converted to plastics and it took a while to start catching them but they do work.

Now rarely do I head out and not get something, and if I'm struggling I hit my spot x for lizards just to feel some tension on the line. Which what I did on Saturday and picked up a nice lizard on one of my own home made plastics…

I spent 6 hours throwing hbs around on Saturday for Jacks and didn't get a hit, apart from my pride and a sore arm... lol

Stick with it, it will happen. I hit the pine pretty much weekly so if you wanna deckie some time we'll head out.

Anyway, good luck and keep going.

Freshy

[Freshy]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

Mate if you take Greg upon his offer send me a PM also... I live in Bald Hills, we could head up together.

I am now committed to fishing with hb lures, and its something new!!!! I converted to plastics and it took a while to start catching them but they do work.

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Now rarely do I head out and not get something, and if I'm struggling I hit my spot x for lizards just to feel some tension on the line.

I spent 6 hours throwing hbs around on Saturday for Jacks and didn't get a hit, apart from my pride and a sore arm... lol

Stick with it, it will happen. I hit the pine pretty much weekly so if you wanna deckie some time we'll head out.

Anyway, good luck and keep going.

Freshy

[Homer4duff]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

There is an offer you would be stupid to refuse, to be able to watch someone who knows how to do it is invaluable imo. And if you don't take it up I'd be keen Carter

Offer taken up after arranging with work to swap my days off, but I don't knock off until 9pm so for me to meet up at Noosa at 4:30am I'm not going to get much sleep!

[Freshy]

Prawn head if you can get up to Noosa this Saturday morning early I will take you out and show you a few tricks. Freshy is lined up as well as a deckie so we will be chasing a few Jacks and maybe some Tarpon or trevally. Send me a PM with your number if your keen.

There is an offer you would be stupid to refuse, to be able to watch someone who knows how to do it is invaluable imo. And if you don't take it up I'd be keen Carter

Offer taken up after arranging with work to swap my days off, but I don't knock off until 9pm so for me to meet up at Noosa at 4:30am I'm not going to get much sleep!

Mate i finish work at 10.00pm

[Homer4duff]

LOL Carter is going to have a couple of Zombies on board

Hopefully no :sick:

BTW nice pics Freshy I am jealous!

[Carter]

Freshy give me a ring or send me your number, sorry but I lost it, just sent a pm through face book.

Freshy and prawn head we can make it a bit later say 5am if you wish , it would be a good idea for you two to car pool.

Anyway looking forward to meeting you both , Tides arent the best for Jacks but we'll give it a crack, Big tides will turn the Trevs on though, ZZZzzZzzzzzzzzzz.

[tugger]

Honestly plastics don't attrack fish they just snag them when getting dragged along the bottom there is no real art to it you just have to pepper the area so you will finally snag a fish where bait is the real deal

Think about it would you eat a bit of plastic or a juicy pilchard if you were a fish

Braid and plastics throw them away and stick to bait you will catch bigger and better fish all day any day

See this is confusing the heck out of me. Why do some swear by plastics and Hard bodies yet others rubbish them and say bait is better?

What has led you to the conclusion bait is better? Did u have issues like myself? Certainly bait seems cheaper!

[Greenmachine]

I'm still trying to convert from bait to sp and hb,s. I've had the same sad thoughts as you but practise and persistance always comes through. Most of the time when I fish landbased I have a rod out with bait and another to flick lures/plastics. Best of both worlds.

Seeing some of the great fish the guys on afo can consistantly catch on lures keeps me motivated but bait is still a better friend to me atm till I learn a few more tricks of the trade.

So you are in the right place (afo) to learn and I reckon a trip with Carter will change your whole outlook.

[pancakes_and_haggis]

Absolute champion carter that's an offer that you won't forget prawn head, remember of you get something give us a report, and carter let's hope you have a go pro focussed on his face when the first big trev nails him and pisses off to the other end of the lake leaving that beautiful drag screaming at him!!!

On a different note I lost a good jack on a 3" minnow on pumkinseed tonight at least I hot iit to the bank, tried to beach it but busted on the rocks would have gone early 30's!!

[Cheyne_jones]

Top offer carter!

Prawn head; if you ever want to come fish the gold coast just give me a yell. If I am heading out your more than welcome to join us. I will try my best to pass on the things I have learnt, once you crack one it gets heaps easier.

[tugger]

Yeah once you've snagged the first fish you'll know to keep it on the bottom so it drags along like i say there no real art to it just make sure your hooks are sharp on your plastic so it snags the fish when it bumps into it

[Homer4duff]

Top offer carter!

Prawn head; if you ever want to come fish the gold coast just give me a yell. If I am heading out your more than welcome to join us. I will try my best to pass on the things I have learnt, once you crack one it gets heaps easier.

Hey thanks, appreciate the offer! Always good to have somebody to go fishing with.

I was down there a couple of weeks ago on the spit at Doug Jennings park on the beach area, opposite Harley park on the mainland. Using prawns got about 4 undersized Bream on the outgoing tide and smashed to bits by Midges. OMG the itch!

[Homer4duff]

Yeah once you've snagged the first fish you'll know to keep it on the bottom so it drags along like i say there no real art to it just make sure your hooks are sharp on your plastic so it snags the fish when it bumps into it

Thanks tugger I'll keep that in mind

Champion fish in your profile pic BTW. Nice!

EDIT: and by the looks of your pics it would seem you are a fishing machine! Amazing :ohmy:

[chubbstar]

I highly recommend Shultz Canal for Noob plastic users. Under the bridges I have never failed to catch a good Flathead there on SP's.

Don't be scared to use larger SP's when fishing for Flathead dude. I always use 5" when targeting Flathead, hasn't failed me yet.

Good luck

[Homer4duff]

So under both gateways, Nugee rd and Widdup st then. Any suggestions on tide?

Cheers.

[billp]

Don't be to hard on yourself. I fished the jacobs well area on Sunday at my flathead spot which always produces and only got one half hearted hit. The water quality was terrible and with this Northerly that won't quit it makes it even harder.

Patience is all you need. One tip is slow it down when using plastics. It may be your pulling it away from fish or ripping it to hard scaring them. For the humble flathead, I can garantee a plastic fisherman will out fish a bait fisho 2-1, same with the snapper in the bay.

[hokianga]

Gidday Prawnhead,

There you go mate, I told you we were all behind you.....(Aye Tugger )

From the replies and offers being given, your schooling on lure fishing is about to explode,

I was out having a flick last night with both SP's and HB's, the water temp was mild, water clarity about average.. started flicking right on low, not really much in the way of surface activity, apart from a slight breeze messing up the otherwise glassy surface...

After 5 mins of recon I rigged up a 3/8 jig with a 5 gulp, BBQ Chicken... I was looking to preferably throw the HB's around but the breeze proved too much of an opposing force...

I was wondering if it were common to catch whiting on a plastic, as I was getting absolutely smashed by the little buggers, while retrieving over the sand patches, they were aggressively fighting over the plastic.... at times, two fish connected to one part or another of the lure... Foul hooked 3, but threw them back as they were way to small... Could it have been the color of the plastic??? (resembling worms??)...I was thinking I might carve one of the lures up put it on a whiting hook and see what happens.. Changed lures a couple more times, wasn't really getting any hits, apart from the tings.....was a little tough with water clarity, changed the SP again to a gold flecked squidgy thingy, threw that puppy in, first cast and (wait for it) zzzz, zzzz, zzzzzzzzzzzz.... let it run up and down the shore line a few times while slowly gaining line, 3 mins later...A big-eye trev...

Thought that was nice .... Nothing much more happened there so I moved to where I could see a few bust ups around some bridge pylons... By this time the wind had dropped right off so I re-rigged with a HB, sight cast straight onto a surface hit and... (wait for it) zzzzzz, zzzzzzzzzzz, because I was around these pylons and have been dying to hook a MJ (Mangrove Jack), I thought it was my first hook up on one, not to be I'm afraid, another trev of about the same size as the first...

All in all a couple of hours and a feed, a few throw backs, another post and another installment into the fishing diary..Uploading pics now, Shitty phone doesn't have anywhere near as better picture quality as the old one

Persevere buddy, and it will come

Vic

[beckenry]

Mate, i went shorncliffe today, it was not good.

The wind was crazy, sting rays everywhere, got around 7 in 2.5 hours and the big ones....lost 5 circle hooks today, 2 bull sharks, 1 catfish..... Not good, a lot fun to catch the sting rays, but hard to get them up to the jetty always ended up with damaged leader or just lost the hook and leader.....

[squeak6969]

mate im just starting out on sps and hbs myself and i havent had any luck either but i know i am getting better, ive started to get hit alot more just cant seem to hook em right. ive just bin youtubeing all the videos i can and reading fishing magazines and of course afo and it is slowly comming together. keep at it. but i always take a rod for bait aswell and throw the lures in while im waiting for the bait to hit. keep at it, i was getting dishartened but practise makes perfect so imma keep at it. good luck and good fishing

[Gary_C]

Prawnhead,

Best advice is to go out with some of the other members and learn from them. (Top offer Carter!)

I took some of my HB's with me out to the Wavebreak social so that I could get some opinions from the members on which lures would work best.

I am from the US and, if I do say so myself, was a better than average fisho. Turns out that my techniques and lure selections from there don't seem to entice the fish here, so I'm back to practicing. I've only managed to pull the odd flatty on lures (well aside from the livies I picked up with CrazyWalrus) and bream, shovelnose, etc. on bait.

Just keep asking for advice and you'll get there. If not, you and I can have a donut competition!

[Homer4duff]

Thanks guys!

I went to Shorncliffe again today from about 3:00pm to 4:15 and got ziltch again, even took a second rod and used those salted beach worms (no live blood worms available) and even they couldn't produce fish.

I think I will call the fishing off until the weekend when hopefully we have a massive session

[Freshy]

Unlucky mate, relax until Saturday, it will be much more enjoyable!

Freshy

[Surfingant]

Are you fishing the same spot all the time? If so then you might have to expand your horizons. Also when lure fishing I never stay in the one spot for long, when I was landbased I only ever took a rod, some lures, line clippers and a bit of extra leader. Start somewhere and just start walking and flicking at every likely looking spot, you should start to pick up a few flatties or bream. It is a really enjoyable way to fish too.