queensland Easter Fishing What’s The Plan Mr Wolf?

[Poddymullet]

So I’m on holidays from tomorrow. Got the boat ready and the young boys are keen as mustard! Due to wind (not mine or theirs) bay is looking ordinary so we see are going to hit the Pine early. I’ve bought the boys baitcaster gear so will try soft plastics etc before cast netting for some bait or pump the sand banks on the low for live bait. Also dropping the pots in. Weekend saw 4 muddies for my first go although only one keeper. Report to follow!

[Old Scaley]

Staying off the road and the water as much as possible over Easter. Good luck to those getting out and about.

[Drop Bear]

8 hours ago, Poddymullet said:

So I’m on holidays from tomorrow. Got the boat ready and the young boys are keen as mustard! Due to wind (not mine or theirs) bay is looking ordinary so we see are going to hit the Pine early. I’ve bought the boys baitcaster gear so will try soft plastics etc before cast netting for some bait or pump the sand banks on the low for live bait. Also dropping the pots in. Weekend saw 4 muddies for my first go although only one keeper. Report to follow!

Congratulations on the Muddy. 

I hope to get over to Straddie as Little Sister Drop Bear is up. 

Good luck with the Pine. Good on you for getting the kids into fishing. 

[Luvit]

1 hour ago, Old Scaley said:

Staying off the road and the water as much as possible over Easter. Good luck to those getting out and about.

Same as @Old Scaley for me. House and boat maintenance. 

[benno573]

spending the easter weekend on bribie with the out-laws.  then heading up to 1770 on monday for a week.

not planning any fishing on bribie, looking at the forecast not sure how much i will get to do at 1770 either but i will have the yak and may hit the creeks targetting anything from whiting upwards depending on how fresh or dirty they are.

all travel required will be done early AM or after 9pm to avoid the cluster fudge that is easter traffic.  hoping that I will be going mostly against the main flow heading up to 1770. 

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, benno573 said:

spending the easter weekend on bribie with the out-laws.  then heading up to 1770 on monday for a week.

not planning any fishing on bribie, looking at the forecast not sure how much i will get to do at 1770 either but i will have the yak and may hit the creeks targetting anything from whiting upwards depending on how fresh or dirty they are.

all travel required will be done early AM or after 9pm to avoid the cluster fudge that is easter traffic.  hoping that I will be going mostly against the main flow heading up to 1770. 

1770 sounds good. Are you land based? Those rocks look good for live baits?

[Doyley]

Poona family fishing comp for me

[benno573]

@Drop Bear not strictly landbased mate, as mentioned I will have the yak with me.

the rocks off 1770 are a fairly famous land based game fishing location, especially at a spot called the catwalk.  some massive fish have been hooked and some even landed here, spannos, tuna, GT's, queenies and golden trevs.  There are some MASSIVE sharks (whalers and tigers) that hang around there as well as 3 or 4 huge groper that are more than happy to help themselves to your catch.

Example:

Given the 20kn+ SE forecast for basically the whole week I am up there It will likely be a kayak mission up a creek somewhere, Round Hill, Eurimbula or Middle creek are all accessible.

Would have loved to be able to fish wreck rock or along some of the beaches targetting blue salmon and mulloway but not sure if that will be an option with the forecast.

[kmcrosby78]

No fishing for me this weekend (sadly). Tried today with my boys and my parents for some whiting at the Small Ships Channel (near the Rous) but was very windy and not real pleasant, then the rain/showers came so we hightailed it back in (was going to fish on the inside of Green to give the boys some fun - and probably should have done that from the start ..... but mum wasn't feeling real flash so back to the ramp, which was probably a good thing as the wind seemed to increase).

Have fun at 1770  @benno573  we were up there in January for the first time and there's plenty of options, I'll be taking my yak next time!  I saw that video when I was researching - any intel on how to locate the 'Catwalk'? I can never work out if I'm in the wrong spot or I'm just a wuss and not willing/able to get down close enough to the water .......  

[Fishaman]

Heading to the block up at Agnes day before ANZAC day. Booked on charter Friday 26th so hope the weather improves. If not will get a bit of work done around the shack up there and relax.

[Poddymullet]

23 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Congratulations on the Muddy. 

I hope to get over to Straddie as Little Sister Drop Bear is up. 

Good luck with the Pine. Good on you for getting the kids into fishing. 

Thanks mate. They love it although there is a fair amount of stress at times between the boys...funny to watch them test each and grow. 

[Poddymullet]

Well...spent close to 11 hours on the Pine for 0 fish...I'd almost say it would have to be my worse fishing trip although the kids really loved it. Gave them 2 bait casters and they did pretty well considered but just couldn't keep the plastics on the bottom I think. 

[Luvit]

It happens, if you just want the kids to catch something go to bait. 

[Poddymullet]

2 minutes ago, Luvit said:

It happens, if you just want the kids to catch something go to bait. 

Yeah I know ... but they are super keen. Didn't complain too much about not catching fish believe it or not. They are even getting really proficient at fixing their own birds nests! It's great to see them say 'look Dad I fixed it!'

[Drop Bear]

On 17/04/2019 at 2:35 PM, benno573 said:

Example:

Oh my Cod that is amazing footage. They are buses. 

I hope you get up the creeks and bag a few Jack. 

 

[Drop Bear]

On 17/04/2019 at 4:33 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

No fishing for me this weekend (sadly). Tried today with my boys and my parents for some whiting at the Small Ships Channel (near the Rous) but was very windy and not real pleasant, then the rain/showers came so we hightailed it back in (was going to fish on the inside of Green to give the boys some fun - and probably should have done that from the start ..... but mum wasn't feeling real flash so back to the ramp, which was probably a good thing as the wind seemed to increase).

Have fun at 1770  @benno573  we were up there in January for the first time and there's plenty of options, I'll be taking my yak next time!  I saw that video when I was researching - any intel on how to locate the 'Catwalk'? I can never work out if I'm in the wrong spot or I'm just a wuss and not willing/able to get down close enough to the water .......  

Yep the squalls were pretty intense yesterday. Good Idea to pull the pin. 

[Drop Bear]

On 17/04/2019 at 8:30 PM, Fishaman said:

Heading to the block up at Agnes day before ANZAC day. Booked on charter Friday 26th so hope the weather improves. If not will get a bit of work done around the shack up there and relax.

I have been eyeing off that charter for a while now. Good luck with the weather. 

[Drop Bear]

9 minutes ago, Poddymullet said:

Yeah I know ... but they are super keen. Didn't complain too much about not catching fish believe it or not. They are even getting really proficient at fixing their own birds nests! It's great to see them say 'look Dad I fixed it!'

Good one. That is what it is all about. 

[Fishaman]

On 21/04/2019 at 8:26 AM, Drop Bear said:

I have been eyeing off that charter for a while now. Good luck with the weather. 

Can’t recommend Hooked on 1770 charter high enough. Damo works bloody hard to get you on fish. If you aren’t pulling good fish up after 10 mins from dropping the pick it’s lines up and he moves. He is a quality operator that’s for sure.

[The fessor]

Been my experience over many years that it's pointless wetting a line over easter, the pros hit the reefs , rivers, lakes and beaches like a blitzkrieg in the 3 to 4 weeks before easter and it all goes on ice to be sold for top $ in the week before and over easter. Only fish left are the dregs and maybe a few that come in from areas the pros are prohibited from fishing.

Plus I don't like fishing when there lot's of tourists and holidayers overrunning the local spots , 90% of them can't caste straight and it's not worth the agro IMO.

Plus - traffic , just traffic.

I'd rather stock up on fish , prawns, squid, crabs 1 to 2 months out from eastern and keep them in the freezer. 

So we simply stay home , and got the 8 yr grandkid and his dad here over easter, thawed some fish from my stash in the big freezer and OD'ed on chocolate eggs .

Best way of spending easter is staying put, having family come to you bringing yummy chocs , and mostly just doing as little as humanly possible when not playing board games with grandson.

IMO travelling anywhere over easter is for mugs.

Those who wet a line over easter, even travelled to do so, hope you found some take to east fish.

 

 

[aussie123]

1 hour ago, The fessor said:

Been my experience over many years that it's pointless wetting a line over easter, the pros hit the reefs , rivers, lakes and beaches like a blitzkrieg in the 3 to 4 weeks before easter and it all goes on ice to be sold for top $ in the week before and over easter. Only fish left are the dregs and maybe a few that come in from areas the pros are prohibited from fishing.

Plus I don't like fishing when there lot's of tourists and holidayers overrunning the local spots , 90% of them can't caste straight and it's not worth the agro IMO.

Plus - traffic , just traffic.

I'd rather stock up on fish , prawns, squid, crabs 1 to 2 months out from eastern and keep them in the freezer. 

So we simply stay home , and got the 8 yr grandkid and his dad here over easter, thawed some fish from my stash in the big freezer and OD'ed on chocolate eggs .

Best way of spending easter is staying put, having family come to you bringing yummy chocs , and mostly just doing as little as humanly possible when not playing board games with grandson.

IMO travelling anywhere over easter is for mugs.

Those who wet a line over easter, even travelled to do so, hope you found some take to east fish.

 

 

I didn't know there was so may pros out there that they can wipe out all the reefs within a few short weeks.

I also don't know how they can ice fish down for 3-4 weeks to sell them fresh at Easter without being rotten.

 

[The fessor]

17 hours ago, aussie123 said:

I didn't know there was so may pros out there that they can wipe out all the reefs within a few short weeks.

I also don't know how they can ice fish down for 3-4 weeks to sell them fresh at Easter without being rotten.

 

You've obviously never been parked on Nobby's or Stockton B/Ws  in March and April ,  when the trawler fleet leaves it's continuous stream of trawlers for 3 hours , then there are the beach haulers who literally wipe out entire sections of Stockton Beach and take entire schools of tailor, mullet, trevally etc,  add the dregs to these = the guys who use the run out to lay gill nets along virtually the entire length of Nobby's from Horseshoe to the very end of the wall and who take everything , and the guys who put down "cray traps" that take more fish than crayfish along both sides of both Nobbys and Stockton walls. 

I expect similar pro fishing blitzkriegs happen at Bundaberg to Tweed and Morton Bay, Port Phillip & Western Port Bays, St Vincent & Spencer Gulfs, Pt Kembla, Sydney, Hawksburry River / Broken Bay,  Swan River and Freemantle Hbr, Darwin. If there's a big population near a port , the pros have Xmas, NY, AusDay and Easter to make the cream of their living and they literally wipe out the fish stocks each year on November/December and March/April to meet demand from the public.

 

The pros used to do the same in Lake Macquarie until they were banned from fishing professionally in the lake.

Not sure about the situation in Port Stephens , don't often wonder up there hardly ever fish there since the beaches and 4x4 trails into the ocean rocks were closed access to vehicles.

Most the fish sold in the shops and the Coop are thawed and has been frozen and on ice for weeks.

[The Mad Hughesy]

17 hours ago, The fessor said:

You've obviously never been parked on Nobby's or Stockton B/Ws  in March and April ,  when the trawler fleet leaves it's continuous stream of trawlers for 3 hours , then there are the beach haulers who literally wipe out entire sections of Stockton Beach and take entire schools of tailor, mullet, trevally etc,  add the dregs to these = the guys who use the run out to lay gill nets along virtually the entire length of Nobby's from Horseshoe to the very end of the wall and who take everything , and the guys who put down "cray traps" that take more fish than crayfish along both sides of both Nobbys and Stockton walls. 

I expect similar pro fishing blitzkriegs happen at Bundaberg to Tweed and Morton Bay, Port Phillip & Western Port Bays, St Vincent & Spencer Gulfs, Pt Kembla, Sydney, Hawksburry River / Broken Bay,  Swan River and Freemantle Hbr, Darwin. If there's a big population near a port , the pros have Xmas, NY, AusDay and Easter to make the cream of their living and they literally wipe out the fish stocks each year on November/December and March/April to meet demand from the public.

 

The pros used to do the same in Lake Macquarie until they were banned from fishing professionally in the lake.

Not sure about the situation in Port Stephens , don't often wonder up there hardly ever fish there since the beaches and 4x4 trails into the ocean rocks were closed access to vehicles.

Most the fish sold in the shops and the Coop are thawed and has been frozen and on ice for weeks.

yeah i disagree. i dont know about you, but i've seen plenty of people catching good fish over the break. if it was as "wiped out" as you say it is, then the fishing would take a long time to recover...which is doesn't. Its a bit like when under sized snapper used to be allowed to be taken as they were "squire". The bay is consistently getting better every year with sapper fishing, especially now with closed seasons in place.  All of the local fishing charter operators would be out of business overnight, again this is not the case. They are all still putting clients onto quality fish. 

its a bit like people complaining about the commercial fishing in the pine river which has been going on forever. yet year after year people clean up on prawns all the while the commercial blokes are still operating and (apparently clearing out the entire river)

[aussie123]

On 25/04/2019 at 4:23 PM, The fessor said:

You've obviously never been parked on Nobby's or Stockton B/Ws  in March and April ,  when the trawler fleet leaves it's continuous stream of trawlers for 3 hours , then there are the beach haulers who literally wipe out entire sections of Stockton Beach and take entire schools of tailor, mullet, trevally etc,  add the dregs to these = the guys who use the run out to lay gill nets along virtually the entire length of Nobby's from Horseshoe to the very end of the wall and who take everything , and the guys who put down "cray traps" that take more fish than crayfish along both sides of both Nobbys and Stockton walls. 

Quote

I expect similar pro fishing blitzkriegs happen at Bundaberg to Tweed and Morton Bay, Port Phillip & Western Port Bays, St Vincent & Spencer Gulfs, Pt Kembla, Sydney, Hawksburry River / Broken Bay,  Swan River and Freemantle Hbr, Darwin. If there's a big population near a port , the pros have Xmas, NY, AusDay and Easter to make the cream of their living and they literally wipe out the fish stocks each year on November/December and March/April to meet demand from the public.

 

The pros used to do the same in Lake Macquarie until they were banned from fishing professionally in the lake.

Not sure about the situation in Port Stephens , don't often wonder up there hardly ever fish there since the beaches and 4x4 trails into the ocean rocks were closed access to vehicles.

Most the fish sold in the shops and the Coop are thawed and has been frozen and on ice for weeks.

Quote

You've obviously never been parked on Nobby's or Stockton B/Ws  in March and April

Stockton Beach would be one of the hardest fished beaches in the country by both recs and pros yet you still go there fishing and complain about the pros catching all the fish.

How many tons of fish a year to the rec anglers take ?

Pros cannot net every single fish that swims along the coast and if you had half an idea about it, you would not make these ridiculous statements.

They also line up day after day for several months during their hauling season because there is fish there all the time.

If the fish were all caught or wiped out, they would not be there every day.

Quote

when the trawler fleet leaves it's continuous stream of trawlers for 3 hours

Trawlers heading out to sea do not catch any fish from the reefs. Reefs kill trawlers.

They must use fish excluders by law and the bycatch these days is very small compared to yesteryear.

I also don't understand how you think offshore prawn trawlers are stopping you from catching fish on the beach.

Quote

lay gill nets along virtually the entire length of Nobby's from Horseshoe to the very end of the wall and who take everything

There is a lot of rock and reef along that wall so how do they lay nets along it, especially with running tides?

Quote

and the guys who put down "cray traps" that take more fish than crayfish along both sides of both Nobbys and Stockton walls

I don't think I have ever seen a profession cray fisherman lay traps inside a river to catch crays. I have seen plenty of recs try it though.

Do you really think it is a viable cray fishery inside a river for a commercial cray fisherman to waste his time doing and does a cray licence even allow for them to fish inside the river.

I have also done a bit of cray trapping over the years as a rec angler and the amount of fish ever caught in a trap is extremely minimal. Certainly can not ever wipe out fish stocks with them.

Quote

I expect similar pro fishing blitzkriegs happen at Bundaberg to Tweed and Morton Bay, Port Phillip & Western Port Bays, St Vincent & Spencer Gulfs, Pt Kembla, Sydney, Hawksburry River / Broken Bay,  Swan River and Freemantle Hbr, Darwin. If there's a big population near a port , the pros have Xmas, NY, AusDay and Easter to make the cream of their living and they literally wipe out the fish stocks each year on November/December and March/April to meet demand from the public.

What a load of sensationalist garbage.

You have no idea what happens in these areas yet you make alarmist accusations about so many areas right around the country.

Yes pros do work hard during those periods of time as the demand for fresh seafood is very high and generally the prices are higher due to the demand.

Every business around the country regardless of their profession works hard during their periods of high demand and fishermen are no different to anyone else.

 

Quote

thawed and has been frozen and on ice for weeks.

Again you spew a load of garbage. How can fish be edible after being on ice for weeks.

 

What you need to remember is first and foremost, fish are a primary food resource right around the word and in our country, every single citizen owns part of it.

That includes everyone who cannot fish or does not like to go fishing.

They have every right to eat the fish and seafood that is in our oceans just as much and you or any other rec angler does.

There is a commercial industry to harvest the seafood as that is the only way to regulate and know what is being removed from the oceans.

Can you just imagine the carnage and the decimation of stock numbers if all rec anglers were once again allowed to sell their catches.

Sadly a lot of the rec anglers these days are beginning to think that they own everything in the water and that anyone who cannot catch it themselves does not deserve to have any.

Rec fishing is a hobby/sport, treat it that way and you just might not get so cranky 

One thing I do know though is If I was to ever get as bitter and twisted about the commercial fishing industry as you are and to blame them for my lack of catching fish, I would probably take up a new hobby like knitting.

 

 

 

 

 

[The fessor]

Quote

lay gill nets along virtually the entire length of Nobby's from Horseshoe to the very end of the wall and who take everything

There is a lot of rock and reef along that wall so how do they lay nets along it, especially with running tides?

<<< I've watched them do this , they simply drift out along the wall with the current after dropping the end of the net with some kind of anchor at the up current end, then they are back next day and reverse the process by hand hauling the net into the boat .

 

 

 

Quote

and the guys who put down "cray traps" that take more fish than crayfish along both sides of both Nobbys and Stockton walls

I don't think I have ever seen a profession cray fisherman lay traps inside a river to catch crays. I have seen plenty of recs try it though.

Do you really think it is a viable cray fishery inside a river for a commercial cray fisherman to waste his time doing and does a cray licence even allow for them to fish inside the river.

I have also done a bit of cray trapping over the years as a rec angler and the amount of fish ever caught in a trap is extremely minimal. Certainly can not ever wipe out fish stocks with them.

 

<<< irrespective of your armchair objections , they do , at least they do here along Nobbys and Stockton walls and they do take lobsters and fish from the traps , I've seen them do so over many years .

 

[aussie123]

3 hours ago, The fessor said:

There is a lot of rock and reef along that wall so how do they lay nets along it, especially with running tides?

<<< I've watched them do this , they simply drift out along the wall with the current after dropping the end of the net with some kind of anchor at the up current end, then they are back next day and reverse the process by hand hauling the net into the boat .

 

 

 

I don't think I have ever seen a profession cray fisherman lay traps inside a river to catch crays. I have seen plenty of recs try it though.

Do you really think it is a viable cray fishery inside a river for a commercial cray fisherman to waste his time doing and does a cray licence even allow for them to fish inside the river.

I have also done a bit of cray trapping over the years as a rec angler and the amount of fish ever caught in a trap is extremely minimal. Certainly can not ever wipe out fish stocks with them.

 

<<< irrespective of your armchair objections , they do , at least they do here along Nobbys and Stockton walls and they do take lobsters and fish from the traps , I've seen them do so over many years .

 

There is a lot of rock and reef along that wall so how do they lay nets along it, especially with running tides?

<<< I've watched them do this , they simply drift out along the wall with the current after dropping the end of the net with some kind of anchor at the up current end, then they are back next day and reverse the process by hand hauling the net into the boat .

Once again you write a load of garbage.

No commercial fisherman will ever set a gill net and leave it until the next day to pull it out as that is highly illegal.

Also they will  never set a net and leave it in the mouth of a major river system that has large numbers of ships, tug boats and rec vessels navigating through it both day and night.

Now for the real facts here.

That end of the river is closed to all set netting and trapping so maybe next time before you post up a load of diatribe, check the rules and regulations first so that you do not look like such a fool.

I have added a map for you to have a real good hard look at.

In case you cannot read a map, the red cross hatches are the closed areas to set netting and trapping plus a number of other activities.

As you can clearly see, the closure extends right along both breakwalls.

 

[The fessor]

8 minutes ago, aussie123 said:

There is a lot of rock and reef along that wall so how do they lay nets along it, especially with running tides?

<<< I've watched them do this , they simply drift out along the wall with the current after dropping the end of the net with some kind of anchor at the up current end, then they are back next day and reverse the process by hand hauling the net into the boat .

Once again you write a load of garbage.

No commercial fisherman will ever set a gill net and leave it until the next day to pull it out as that is highly illegal.

Also they will  never set a net and leave it in the mouth of a major river system that has large numbers of ships, tug boats and rec vessels navigating through it both day and night.

Now for the real facts here.

That end of the river is closed to all set netting and trapping so maybe next time before you post up a load of diatribe, check the rules and regulations first so that you do not look like such a fool.

I have added a map for you to have a real good hard look at.

In case you cannot read a map, the red cross hatches are the closed areas to set netting and trapping plus a number of other activities.

As you can clearly see, the closure extends right along both breakwalls.

 

 

[The fessor]

18 minutes ago, The fessor said:

 

That shows the closures started mid Oct 2017 , about bloody time this practice was brought to an end in Port Hunter. 

I hope that closure include lobster traps too.

I know the Pilots were pissed with the gill netters because they had some instances where they collected the nets on their props and rudders on the way in and out of the harbor, especially when rounding the end of Nobbys wall to head south , and when they rounded the corner near lighthouse. I know this because I had a run in with some of these guys when I reported them to the fisheries.  

I stopped fishing Nobbys because I was fed up with loosing fish (snapper, trevally, kings and jewfish) to these nets when they swum into them , and I was fed up with loosing terminal gear nearly every time I cast out at the Sharkhole (a place I never had this issue before some fool at Fisheries granted these guys a license to net the wall.

Been 3 summers I've not gone to Nobbys to fish because of this , and it was a bone of discontent for over 10 years , none of the regular jewie fishermen and snapper fishermen were happy and quite a few gave up fishing Nobbys too  , and these guys were sneeky, they'd set the nets on dusk or after. (For obvious reasons , not least the fact they were using gill nets that were set , in breech of their license ).

 

You can accept that or not , I don't give a toss.

[ellicat]

Mod Note:-

Happy to let the discussion go , but remember no personal attacks - stick to the subject.

[Migs]

I tip my hat to you ‘fess’ love the emotion 

[John]

it's great when people are so passionate about fishing like we all are 

[The Mad Hughesy]

On 27/04/2019 at 2:59 PM, John said:

it's great when people are so passionate about fishing like we all are 

agreed. Even when 99% of rec fisho's have the same common goal, its funny that we can still be divided on topics relating to fishing. 

[Drop Bear]

Shared resources and shared space are interesting concepts. It is often interpreted to mean that it is mine and no one elses.