queensland Catching Donut's in the Pine 17/06/2014

[STKE]

Howdy!

Had a day owed to me, so took yesterday off to do a full day in the Pine, Crabbing and Fishing on the In-coming tide, which starting at about 7:30.

After seeing Wayne's report last week, I thought there still be some good numbers around in my usual spots and with constant reports of Large Bream, Flat Head, Sandies (With the odd Tailor showing up) It should have been a slaughter.

So geared up, 8 pots in total, Burly, Pillies, Prawns and Herring, we were not short of ammo.

Since the tide was still incoming, it wont give me any access to my creeks for a few hours, so powered up to do a couple of drops for sandies inbetween dohles rocks and the ted smout bridge. Fished for an hour and a bit whilst the pots socked, caught bugger all.

Checked the first drop, managed about 40 sandies ALL UNDERSIZE!. So moved the pots to the other side of the river for another soak and fish. Fishing resulted in More Donuts, check of the pots yielded only 2 legal sandies.

Now it was time to move up the creeks. Did a drop of 6 up one, and 2 in two holes in another. Went up to near the highway bridge to a normal spot, which I normally get bream and moses perch. Caught donuts again, so did a quick move under the bridge and caught the first legal bream. Gave up and went to check the pots.

Surprised to see nothing in them. First time I've ever crabbed in my spots and caught nothing.

So pulled them and moved them into the channel, and went off to fish for a bit more in the mouth of the South Pine, which always does well on the run out. Caught a couple undersized bream and more donuts. Did one more move out to the main channel for another quick fish. By now it was about 3pm, so decided to call it. Picked the pots up which had more donuts in them.

Home by 4 with tails between legs.

I think that's it for me and the pine. I'm converting to the Caboolture River.

[Luvit]

That some effort for nil result. I have not crabbed the Caboolture yet so we will look forward to your report.

PM sent

[STKE]

Yep makes for a bloody long day

Replied to you're PM.

[tunafreak]

Don't do it man, the Caboolture is full of donuts too, I fished it yesterday and couldn't even get a bump.......don't know about crabs though as I don't go crabing.........might be worth a castanet up there as there seemed to be some good schools of prawns around on the sounder.....

[STKE]

Every-time I've done the Caboolture I've got a feed of fish. It's one of the only places were we can go where I don't need to buy bait.

I've ever only crabbed the Caboolture once but did end up with about 50 jennies lol.

[Tybo]

STKE, having lived on the northside and fished the Pine for decades, I've been in your shoes many a time and sworn myself off the Pine. Unfortunately the Pine is a take-no prisoners sort of river. It gets smashed by fisherman regularly and the fish there are quiet wise, I think.

I have a friend who has lived at Dohles Rocks for decades and took him years to suss out the Pine. Him, his family, and neighbours fish the Pine weekly, and although they're quite seasoned on what's biting and where, they too get skunks. However when the fishing's on, it's noteworthy. I've fished the Pine three times in the last month, one fished really good, the other okay, and the other almost a dud. Before that a couple of trips were zeros. I even fished the Pine this Monday, with the river all to myself and got plenty of bream in the 25-30 range, but no tailor and only one small flathead. To me this is an 'eh' fish as I don't target bream, and prefer not to eat them, so I went home with nothing.

I'm no expert, but the trick to the Pine seems to be what tide the fish are feeding on. It changes all the time, but generally one tide will fish well and the other will be dead. This last month has been a bit all over the place, and I think a lot has to do with temperature. I thought the sand crabs were still in the Pine too, and tried my luck a few weeks back, with the same result as you. It's very late in the season and I'm pretty sure that all the legals have been caught by now. Muddies will be down in their holes and only a washing of fresh will stir them up. The sandies fished well this year, towards the end of February. The tailor haven't started to fire as of yet in the Pine and are probably still holding in Bramble bay, coming in on the top of the tide towards the Ted Smout. As the water cools more they'll move in closer. The flathead are in the Pine, and will get thicker in the next two months, before finishing up in August. Where they're holding and on what bank will always be the challenge.

Last year I saw jew from the 70s to the 90s get caught in the Pine during winter, along with two snapper in the 50s. It never seems to surprise me what comes out of the Pine.

[Luvit]

A massive amount of useful information there Tybo, thanks.

[Dinodadog]

I used to fish the pine quite a bit a few years back but gave it a miss when you can spend hours for very little and then another couple of hours cleaning and washing boat and motor. Best results for me have been bream at night.

Dino

[STKE]

Thanks Tybo

I too grew up on the northside and will probably die there. The Pine is the local and I fished their more times than I can count and It's a defiantly like a switch. It's either on or off.

I do look forward to when the Tailor start to show up. I will defiantly be spending a few night's out n about floating pillies.

I do like the Caboolture at the moment, i've only done it about a half a dozen times, but every time it's been great results, especially that you're able to collect live bait such as yabbies.

A change is as good as a holiday.