queensland Night Pin Session 20200606

[ellicat]

Hit the Pin yesterday afternoon around 2pm, launching at Cabbagetree Point. The ramp was a bit busy and the trailers were stacked up the side of the road a few hundred metres. This didn't bother me as @benno573 was the tow king.

Started out with a troll for some flathead until we saw some bait getting busted up. The temptation was too great and Ben threw the castnet for some little baitfish like glass perch. Managed a silver biddy and a bite size mullet that found their way into the bucket. We trolled some more with the hard body lures after that and Ben had the first hit but dropped it. Then I had a hit on my swim bait but she spat the hooks after a very brief period. I'm certain she would've gone 74.5cm on the brag mat but we'll never know for sure...

We then trolled back again and a 39cm flatty was boated then released. Ben 1, Brian 0. After this we hit the mud bank for a supply of yabbies to fish the dark hours. A healthy number of good size were gathered. We then anchored up where usually a few good whiting play the game. We were hoping for at least one whiting of just legal size to use as a livey for those fish from the Synagogue. The full moon was on the rise as the sun set, but not even a touch, so we moved to another spot in Tiger Mullet Channel.

Here Benno added a legal flatty and a decent whiting to the esky, but I couldn't get anything decent enough to keep, even though the starting gun for whiting was fired by boating a small ray. I somehow managed to snap my favourite setup, a Nordic Stage Cheater, which was a little disappointing. So I'll be down to the tackle shop this week to replace it before the next adventure.

No pics, sorry.

Thanks Benno for being the bestest decky ever, again. Your knowledge of this area and others is incredible.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey ellicat and benno573

Sounds like you guys had a fun little session, and even though you only got a couple keepers I'm sure they'd still make a decent feed . 

Those glass perch (glassies) annoy the daylights out of me, do you use them for bait? Or were they just a look alike and something else? 

Cheers Hamish

[ellicat]

I think they were a lookalike. We returned them. (When I say "we" I mean "Benno" haha.)

There was a point where I managed to get the trebles of my lure entangled in the castnet. That was a frustrating 20 minutes for both of us.

[Old Scaley]

Did you get any video of the trebles in the castnet debacle? I’m sure it would make great viewing....... What time did you call it quits? I was thinking about a trip down there sometime this week but might reconsider if you two guns couldn’t fill the esky.

[ellicat]

No doubt we're both guns. I'll let you figure out which one is the pop gun though. haha

We were back at the ramp about 9pm. There were a couple of people launching when we got back, so maybe some locals were in the know about session times.

[benno573]

@Old Scaley I don’t think there is an issue with fish not being on the chew. We had 4 hits for two fish landed on the troll before sunset. Unfortunately the pin area in general can be very quiet after dark at the best of times, I think if we were in one of my usual spots for an afternoon incoming tide it would be fine and several more whiting would have been added. Just available time and tides didn’t line up this time. 

 

No comment on the treble in the cast net. At least it was still daylight.

 

Was as a great night out regardless - kind of like when we used to sit by the river at west end except we were in a boat and could go wherever we wanted. Thanks @ellicat for the invite 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

6 hours ago, ellicat said:

I think they were a lookalike. We returned them. (When I say "we" I mean "Benno" haha.)

There was a point where I managed to get the trebles of my lure entangled in the castnet. That was a frustrating 20 minutes for both of us.

Hey ellicat

OK, sounds good. I wonder if they would've made a good bait. 

It must've been horrendous having the lure in the cast net, I have never had it happen to me and certainly hope not... It must be up there on the 'most annoying cast net catches' with glassies and scat. LOL.

Cheers Hamish  

[Hweebe]

Hey Ellicat,

What are your thoughts on fishing the full moon? Good / no good?

Basic boating question - how do you get around the pin at night? Was the full moon sufficient light to navigate around river banks / bars / markers? On a night when the moon is not out would a spotlight  be required?

Cheers

Hweebe

 

[ellicat]

The full moon brings bigger tides and therefore more run/current which is a good thing imo.

It helps if you have been there during the day. Even with the full moon having a really bright, long distance light source is needed to get the reflectors on the markers to shine. I have a Led Lenser head lamp which is adequate and Ben has a non nonsense torch as well which makes things a lot better. It's a bit of a maze down there but if you stick to the markers you shouldn't have too many dramas.

I'm considering telling the wife a new torch is an essential item for boating (as you could expect to part with a couple of hundred) especially when we head to Glenlyon dam (that has no markers and a lot of trees).