queensland Skipping Christmas Burrum Heads 25th~31st

[STKE]

Howdy!

Firstly I apologize for the lack of photo's, left the camera at home (and the other photographer is horrible)

We skipped Christmas this year, deciding that slaying fish and crabs would be much more enjoyable than the family run around. We were lucky enough to nab one of the last sites at the riverfront caravan park, which is absolutely fantastic.

We used to stay in burrum as kids and it's nice to see nothing has really changed, everyone is super friendly and it's relatively very quite for a holiday destination.

I'm not going to do a day by day report as we were all over the place, just the highlights

Boating wise the place is unsurveyed, and the first section of the river has some very big sandbanks and large rock structure. The tides are very large 2m+ some days. It was a learning curve to figure out the channels but we had it after a few days.

We did have a few hairy moments, I hit one rock bar and some decent speed in 2.5m of water and a submersed tree. VERY VERY lucky no damage, just some new brown shorts.

We used only 8 pots as it was enough for a guarantee of at least a half dozen crabs for everyday for lunch.

We spent most of the boating checking and baiting the pots as I rather a feed of crab over fish + it was hot been out during the day

The place is a bit of a fishing mecca, we used our own gathered bait and we rewarded with large amounts of bream smallest 36cm+, Grunter, Moses Perch & the cod were in the crab pots with every check so we actually managed one good size one.

The fish that everyone was targeting were the grunter. There was nothing smaller than 50cm's. Most other fishers were going straight across from the boat ramp early and coming back with 4 or 5 with-in an hour. We heard one bloke got 17 one morning. We didn't fish the grunter patch as we fishing near the pots which were in the Gregory river. We did get a couple though in the other river.

We did one early trip out to 8 Mile reef only to forget the bait lol.

Lucky enough we had a bait jig and ended up getting bricked & Sharked by mackerel for an hour and a bit before they dispersed. We did manged to boat one and once again more than we could eat.

Defiantly going to be going back

[Binder]

Sounds like a great trip.

I have not stayed there for a few years, but I to found it a great place with lots of friendly people.

[STKE]

Everyone is super friendly, it's that quintessential little town.

[ellicat]

Doesn't sound like you missed the family gathering too much. Haha

You were bound to have a good trip with the luck starting before you got there when you managed to jag a camp spot.

[Luvit]

You need to bring back those crabs to restock the Pine.

When I caught a bull shark in the cast net while trying for mullet, I was advised that it was illegal to keep any fish that were not considered bait fish in a cast net. I was thankful for the information because it didn't enter my mind that I was not allowed. It maybe along the same lines with the cod caught in pots? Just passing on some info so you don't drop yourself in it.

When we visited Hervey Bay we went to the Burrum to have a look on a rest day. Should have rested on the boat looking at your results. That's what Christmas is all about spending time with the family.

[samsteele115]

Nice report! Looks like you got into some great fishing fun! Awesome.

Shame my trip to hervey bay wasnt as successful. Report to come

[Old Scaley]

Nice report and thanks for sharing. I am heading up there on Saturday for a week, so I hope you left some of those crabs and grunter for me. those rocks around the mouth of the Gregory can be a bit tricky and I am sure you aren't the first or last to hit them. Once you are in, it can be a good jack spot so it is all about risk and reward. I hope to have something to post when I get back.

[STKE]

Wayne that's really interesting, never knew that i'd like to read into that a bit more. I wonder if the same thing applies to a drag net since they are legal here in QLD.

The crabs are around the rock sections in the Gregory river, you can move the pots up the river in the brackesh water but the BEST results were around the rocks (look for the million other floats). The feeder creeks had bugger all.

Grunter are been caught directly across the river from the carvan park. They call it the gravel patch. Early morning the best.

Also they have been doing well where the channel markers are in the mouth at low tide.

We anchored up around the islands at high tide with bigger baits and hardie heads, got bricked a few times as the fish did a B line for cover, but with BIG bream and grunter around, couldn't tell if they were jacks

[kmcrosby78]

Great trip there mate - yet another place I'm going to have to get to sometime. Anywhere that you can pick up 6 muddies a day for lunch sounds alright to me!!!

[Plastic King]

Brilliant Report mate. In winter just on sun down you get good Taylor straight across from the 2nd ramp (The Black Bank). My brother and I asked a guy who had some really good Taylor where he got them? He refused to say, so the next afternoon armed with pilchards. We waited just out from the ramp until he put his boat in, kept our distance and found his spot hahahaha.

Apparently there are Snapper right up the Gregory. We went as far as the Isis when we were up there.

The 2nd Ramp also holds Yellow Tail Sea Pike. if you jig one up and put one about 25-30cms on live, you'll have a very good chance of a Metre+ Flatty or Queenie. Run in Tide Left side looking out off the ramp. I lost a good Queenie off the rocks there

One of the best rivers I've fished :cheer:

[BRUISERHUNTER]

STKE , you wouldnt be Talking about ( the other photographer ) being Wendy would you LOL! i was up at Woodgate the week before you guys arrived and was talking to Joe and as i told him, we got a heap of crabs and Cod in the pots the 7 days we were there as well mate , great place up there. all though some P@#$k stole 4 of my Top of the range Crab N Gear pots which Pissed me off quite a bit!!