queensland Heading Off Bribie

[Brissy_yaker]

Hey guys I go up to Bribie a fair bit but looking to finally take my boat out and look for some pelagic action or decent ground to flick plastics. Going up saturday and back to bris wednesday most likely. I have a 4.2 stessco catcher 30hp and elec bow mount. Is it worth just heading out past the southern end and hitting beacons? Anything found around Gilligans? Considering going right around to woorim but don't want to head too far out. Am I likely to see bust ups or do I have to head out further? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[fifis101]

Tuna come in pretty close around the Woorim area.

[samsteele115]

To put it bluntly, Murphy's Law will prevail and you wont see any pelagics around Woorim if you aren't planning on venturing further than that. Theres a chance you'll see them along there and definitely no reason why you won't, but that area seems to be more productive a little later in the year (April and into the winter months). Due to the easterlies you will find longtail or mackerel over towards Moreton in the shipping channels right now. But again, doesn't mean they wont be at Bribie and still worth a shot. More often than not it takes a long time to find them so if I'm doing a Bribie trip I will go all the way up to Caloundra and back plus more. A normal day chasing tuna (without prior knowledge of their whereabouts from the previous day for example) I will travel 120k-160km.

Definitely doable in your boat. I used to take a 3.9m 15hp off Bribie and head all the way up to Caloundra and back with a few extra jerry cans of course and usually find some sort of pelagic activity along that stretch. The beauty with Bribie is if the weather turns nasty you are never too far away from land. The fish tend to be 1-3km off the island but sometimes right onto the beach when there are westerly winds about.

That's the easy part, catching the buggers is when it gets tricky as I was humbly reminded the other day with not a single fish hooked  

Look for birds and bait and cast around the bait schools even if you aren't seeing predators smashing it up. You never know what might be lurking around.

If you get all the way up to Caloundra without seeing anything there are some good coffee rock reefs near the two beacons up there and further along off the point of Caloundra.

[fifis101]

That Murphy is a hard man!

Good point about the wind direction.

[Terry H]

Westerlies will sometimes see the tuna hard up against the drop-off on the beach. They sometimes push the bait against the drop-off, and then run along the drop off. Rather than a typical bait ball that moves around you end up with tuna popping up sporadically along the drop off. Folk have caught them from the beach when they do this.

More often though I've seen them about 1-2km off the shore.

Plenty of coffee rock along Bribie, even down around Woorim which is well worth a flick with some plastics. Best bit is you can sit around there flicking plastics while waiting for the tuna.

[Brissy_yaker]

Thanks guys...yeah a mate from work camps 1-2 times a month up the beach from woorim and rkns there are always bust ups and birds working...so gave me some confidence lol...I'll just throw slugs and plastics at beacons and maybe troll along woorim..More of an exploration but hope to find some good fish..Looking like light NE winds so swell might be up a bit

[Sparksie]

Gary Howard did a ripper article in the Bayside Star re Bribie and options along eastern beaches this week past. 

Very informative.

[Luvit]

On Australia Day I found good size spotties 2km SW direction from Sth end of Bribie. Never know what's going to pop up. 

[Brissy_yaker]

Thanks Sparksie, I had found the article. Good read and gave me some ideas. Thanks Luvit I'm just gonna move around hopefully see some activity.

[Cody]

Let me know if there biting and ill bring my boat up and join you. 

[Brissy_yaker]

Sorry Cody didn't see ur comment to just now..due to some other commitments I could only get out in the boat on Tuesday... Hit the beacon just out from the passage and found some school mackeral. Some undersize but 3 were 53-55cm...they wern't hitting the slugs but hit my plastics and couple on floating pillies...Bite slowed so went out woorim way but was too choppy so started heading back checking out some spots but only a sol/flounder and a flatty. Found some big bait schools bout 200m from the beacon and followed them around with the electric for 30-45 mins but no predators which was unbelievable. Is this common? LOL At one point that were all around us, it was ridiculous... by then it was 10:30 so headin in and found a couple of flatties...Cracker day out thou and now the southerlies have kicked in so back home. Cheers

[Luvit]

Sounds like a few fish to keep the interest up for the morning.

Yes it can seem like there is bait and no predators, but usually they are there and trying different techniques can get you a hook up or simply they are not feeding at the time you are there.

Saying that, plenty of times I have come home empty handed and not had a strike, sticking with bait.   

[Cody]

12 hours ago, Brissy_yaker said:

Sorry Cody didn't see ur comment to just now..due to some other commitments I could only get out in the boat on Tuesday... Hit the beacon just out from the passage and found some school mackeral. Some undersize but 3 were 53-55cm...they wern't hitting the slugs but hit my plastics and couple on floating pillies...Bite slowed so went out woorim way but was too choppy so started heading back checking out some spots but only a sol/flounder and a flatty. Found some big bait schools bout 200m from the beacon and followed them around with the electric for 30-45 mins but no predators which was unbelievable. Is this common? LOL At one point that were all around us, it was ridiculous... by then it was 10:30 so headin in and found a couple of flatties...Cracker day out thou and now the southerlies have kicked in so back home. Cheers

Anytime ur after a fishing partner mate PM me

[samsteele115]

Lots of bait no predators is annoyingly common around there. As @Luvit suggested, it would be ridiculous not to stick around the bait til youve thrown everything around it but it does seem to be quite common.

Something about the choppiness too... It often is choppy around there with minimal wind. Once you get around to woorim it can be flat as a tac  

I find off bribie often to be a lot calmer than the bay.

[Brissy_yaker]

My guess is they just wern't feeding at the time..If it was still early in the morning I would have stuck with them but time was getting on anyway..Will keep that in mind about Woorim for next time..Lots of sandbanks probably makes it look worse than what it was but as it was still blowing a northerly I elected not to go lol

[Luvit]

It a combination of the banks and the tide run. 

If  you can time your outing when the wind is going the same direction as the tide it will make it a smoother ride. 

[Drop Bear]

On 2/1/2017 at 9:39 PM, Brissy_yaker said:

Am I likely to see bust ups or do I have to head out further?

I am going to try this out soon. Havent fished off Bribie enough. 

[Luvit]

Most of the bust ups are quite close to shore less the 500m in most cases. Of course this depends on the time of the year and what bait is around. Always worth a look.

[Brissy_yaker]

On 2/10/2017 at 11:54 AM, Luvit said:

It a combination of the banks and the tide run. 

If  you can time your outing when the wind is going the same direction as the tide it will make it a smoother ride. 

Yeah the plan was to head straight over to woorim before the tide change but found the fish at the first beacon so hung around but probably stayed a bit too long.