queensland My Research (my Hopes Are Too High)

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi guys

Thought I'd share some of my research, and I've also got a question. 

So, I managed to come along the topic of jacks in the river. I've seen the odd pic/story of them, but never heard of them as a viable target species. 

There are some abandoned wharfs near the deep holes at the local park, which is about one and a half Kilometres paddle away. I was thinking, if I lob a big mullet right under there, with a locked drag on thirty pound, I might have a chance of a cod, salmon, or a jack... Obviously my hopes are WAY to high here, and I'd probably even struggle catching the bait  

I'd be going out for a night yak session. Sounds fun, but it's kind of creepy when you seem to be the only thing alive in the river in pitch black. 

Now, to my question. Have you guys ever heard of jacks being caught in the river, consistently or fluked. I'm interested. I don't want the spot, I prefer finding my own, but I'm thinking once I get a better knowledge of the area of river I'm in my Dad and I may be able to find better spots for livies, and for other fish. 

Also, just out of curiosity, what is the weirdest/best thing you or someone you know has ever pulled out of the river? 

Here is a thread of two making my mouth water with envy!!! 

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php/138110-Brisbane-river-jacks-do-they-exist

Cheers Hamish  

[Cobiaaddict]

Wait till summer Hamish. There are good jacks in the Brisbane River mate. Live baits and plastics..... try finding the nastiest structure you can find. Low tides always seem to work the best. 

Keep and eye out for high humidity stormy arvos with a low tide around sunset. That would give u your best shot. 

The guys who get them don't share too much as they are a tuff cookie to work out but they are in there and generally stonkers. 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Cobiaaddict

Ah, OK. Sounds like Summer will be the time to get them. 

I will be live baiting, as I have always found this to be a good method. I have seen some bloody terrible stuff that I would never want to cast into but I will and give it a crack. 

I'd understand that people who get 'em won't be giving me any spots. I think I have a couple areas that may be a possibility.

I reckon in the general area of the river, there is still so much ground I haven't explored properly. Some of the cod, salmon, and even jacks in there would be humongous. Saying that, if I hooked one, I wouldn't have a prayer!!!!

Cheers Hamish 

Also, some more solid reports of them for anyone interested (just doing some more searching now). 

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

That's all I found for now, and that was looking through 22/228 pages.

You'd think Brisbane River Jacks would be very rare, but it seems more people have got them than you would expect...

Cheers Hamish

[Towknee]

Hamish,

when I was in high school, I spent hours each week chasing Jacks in the Pumicestone Passage for 2 years. I ended up catching two straight after each other one day. All that time paid off. 
 

From what I can see, you do the research and study into fishing. More than I ever did.
So I reckon you’d be successful in the Brisbane River. 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey Towknee

That is a lot of dedication. It's good that eventually you got one! 

I hope if I study up on the river a bit more, and use Google Maps to suss out some spots nearby, that I'll do OK.  

Cheers Hamish

[Drop Bear]

Yep do it mate. Keep putting live baits in deep holes and around snags and you will catch some stonkers. 

Just keep getting out there like you are doing. 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

1 minute ago, Drop Bear said:

Yep do it mate. Keep putting live baits in deep holes and around snags and you will catch some stonkers. 

Just keep getting out there like you are doing. 

Hey Drop Bear

Yep, will do. I certainly hope so. If we aren't getting any, I might leave a rod in the kayak holder and my Dad and I might flick a bream lure and see if anything wants to eat that as well!  

Cheers Hamish

[Drop Bear]

Also remember that the photos you see and the articles you read are the good days. There are plenty of bad days out there that you need to do just to get to the days where everything is lined up.

Like in Life nothing beats persistence. Talent, genius and education are great to have but none of them beat persistence. 

The world is full of talented, educated genius deros. 

Just keep at it and you will put us all to shame. 

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

6 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Also remember that the photos you see and the articles you read are the good days. There are plenty of bad days out there that you need to do just to get to the days where everything is lined up.

Like in Life nothing beats persistence. Talent, genius and education are great to have but none of them beat persistence. 

The world is full of talented, educated genius deros. 

Just keep at it and you will put us all to shame. 

 

Hey Drop Bear

Yep, thanks for that reminder. I'm sure those who do good have plenty of bad sessions. 

What you said about persistence as well... Too true. Nothing beats it. You should always keep trying!  

Cheers Hamish

[tiotony]

I've heard of one caught at Yeronga

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

10 hours ago, tiotony said:

I've heard of one caught at Yeronga

Hey tiotony

Rightio, that is right up the river so I guess there's no reason they wouldn't be more upstream... 

I'll certainly be giving it a crack in the Summer. 

Cheers Hamish 

[kmcrosby78]

On 04/07/2020 at 10:34 AM, Drop Bear said:

The world is full of talented, educated genius deros. 

I have never heard @ellicat referred to in that way before ...... although I would assume, on balance, he'd probably take it ........ 

I'm glad to hear you've decided to target Brissy River jacks Hamish and can't wait to see how you go. You would think you'd at least get some decent cod as by-catch.

[Jimmyjack]

They should be there.

It's funny how some rivers seem to be full of jacks and some (like the mary in qld) they're quite rare. It might have to do with access to reefs as they migrate from creek and river mouths out to inshore and offshore reefs to mature and breed. This is possibly why north qld jacks caught in the rivers and creeks are much smaller than those in southern qld, and gold coast jacks are amongst the biggest. Just a thought.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

11 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

I'm glad to hear you've decided to target Brissy River jacks Hamish and can't wait to see how you go. You would think you'd at least get some decent cod as by-catch.

Hi kmcrosby78

Yep, I'm curious how I'll go myself... There'd have to be some cod, or depending where I'm fishing, maybe salmon too. 

I will still be targeting salmon, and I can't wait until Summer to get a few more bullies as well - this season I'm going to try getting them on my size 1000 reel!  

57 minutes ago, Jimmyjack said:

They should be there.

It's funny how some rivers seem to be full of jacks and some (like the mary in qld) they're quite rare. It might have to do with access to reefs as they migrate from creek and river mouths out to inshore and offshore reefs to mature and breed. This is possibly why north qld jacks caught in the rivers and creeks are much smaller than those in southern qld, and gold coast jacks are amongst the biggest. Just a thought.

Hi Jimmyjack

Yep, that seems like a very good theory - I reckon you're on the money, or it's something around breeding habitats. 

You would think that is why the GC jacks are humongous and NQ ones aren't as big (in the estuaries, anyways). 

Cheers Hamish  

[Hweebe]

Hi Hamish,

In your research were the Jacks in the Brisbane river being caught towards the mouth of the river? I thought the middle to upper reaches may have been too much silt/mud?

Cleaner river systems Sunny Coast or Gold Coast seem to get more consistent Jack reports in summer

Cheers

Hweebe

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Hweebe

They were all through the river. I heard some about coming under the wharves at the Port of Brisbane, but I also heard some in the CBD reaches, and even a member saying there is a 'jack hole' at Kookaburra Park! 

I also heard people say they like/don't mind the silt because of there big eye, which enables them to hunt in dirtier water. 

I'll certainly be giving it a crack. I'll know for sure then.  

Cheers Hamish 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

A bit of an update - 

I still have not caught a BR Jack. In fact, I haven't really pulled anything decent out of the river for yonks. 

Last weekend (before lockdown) when I was out flatty fishing, I found some very large, strong eddies, in very thick rock and mangrove structure. I mean, they were so strong that the yak would be going at a cruising pace, we would do a 90 degree turn when we entered one. It did make it easy to go up the river though.

I was thinking, as well as fishing for flatties, threadies, and all the other stuff (grunter have become on my target list recently as well), and even a bream or another flatty on a lure would be great, I could fish these with 4 inch Z-man Grubz with a light weedless jighead, and a deep diver, and see if I could get anything. You'd surely think something would be hanging in there?

Maybe another reason I am not catching at the moment is because of a (somewhat) lack of bait up the river. I have only been hearing reports of down the river (Murrarie, Colsmlie, even Kangaroo Point), but not anything up here. Anyways it's called fishing not catching, Lol!

Dad and I really should've made an effort to get the sounder running this lockdown. I wonder if it will go for another week.

Cheers Hamish

[Jimmyjack]

Just look for spots where a fish can smash a baitfish like a herring or mullet without spending energy chasing it. Short, sharp shock as PF said. This is what jack prefer so anywhere they can see bait cruising past and can hammer that bait from their hideout will be a good spot. However, as mentioned, they can be very temperamental and not hit for ages until suddenly...

 

[SuperHans]

Hi Hamish,

I haven't fished from a kayak so forgive me if I am wrong. If you lock the drag up and a cod/big jack grabs your live bait, wont it pull the kayak towards the snag? Maybe you have an electric motor to keep you in position, use an anchor, or just paddle backwards like crazy?

Just curious how it works

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

1 hour ago, Jimmyjack said:

Just look for spots where a fish can smash a baitfish like a herring or mullet without spending energy chasing it. Short, sharp shock as PF said. This is what jack prefer so anywhere they can see bait cruising past and can hammer that bait from their hideout will be a good spot. However, as mentioned, they can be very temperamental and not hit for ages until suddenly...

 

G'day @Jimmyjack

Thanks for the tips. Now that it's Winter, I've been focusing my efforts on bream. Hopefully I can catch one on a lure before the end of the Winter. I will definitely have to put the effort in if I want to come any close. 

51 minutes ago, SuperHans said:

Hi Hamish,

I haven't fished from a kayak so forgive me if I am wrong. If you lock the drag up and a cod/big jack grabs your live bait, wont it pull the kayak towards the snag? Maybe you have an electric motor to keep you in position, use an anchor, or just paddle backwards like crazy?

Just curious how it works

Hey SuperHans

Yes, it will. Even if it is just a small-ish fish (say, 40cm catfish), it can pull your kayak a bit. It is not hard to keep control of the yak when there's two in it though (one paddling, one fighting the fish), but may get a bit trickier when you're solo. It comes down to rod work, and positioning, in my opinion. I don't have an electric motor, so we just paddle. 

Cheers Hamish

 

[Drop Bear]

18 hours ago, SuperHans said:

Hi Hamish,

I haven't fished from a kayak so forgive me if I am wrong. If you lock the drag up and a cod/big jack grabs your live bait, wont it pull the kayak towards the snag? Maybe you have an electric motor to keep you in position, use an anchor, or just paddle backwards like crazy?

Just curious how it works

I had a very frustrating morning session up at the Whitsundays in a little blow up tender. drifting along the edge of a reef and casting to the structure. 

The bite was hot but every decent fish pulled me and the boat into the snags... 

I even tried anchoring up but the current was running parallel to the reef and the fish still pulled me and the boat in. Oh well was a great day all the same. 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

On 09/08/2021 at 7:06 AM, Drop Bear said:

I had a very frustrating morning session up at the Whitsundays in a little blow up tender. drifting along the edge of a reef and casting to the structure. 

The bite was hot but every decent fish pulled me and the boat into the snags... 

I even tried anchoring up but the current was running parallel to the reef and the fish still pulled me and the boat in. Oh well was a great day all the same. 

Hi @Drop Bear

Gee! That sounds like great fun. They must've been pretty sizeable to do that every time.

Cheers Hamish

[GregN70]

On 06/07/2020 at 8:42 AM, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi kmcrosby78

Yep, I'm curious how I'll go myself... There'd have to be some cod, or depending where I'm fishing, maybe salmon too. 

I will still be targeting salmon, and I can't wait until Summer to get a few more bullies as well - this season I'm going to try getting them on my size 1000 reel!  

Hi Jimmyjack

Yep, that seems like a very good theory - I reckon you're on the money, or it's something around breeding habitats. 

You would think that is why the GC jacks are humongous and NQ ones aren't as big (in the estuaries, anyways). 

Cheers Hamish  

From tagging and tag return data I had the privilege of viewing, there was one common thread to places that hold jacks consistently. That was water quality, that being, they don't like turbid water, of the sort you'd find in the city reach of the Brissy River, or Rockhampton's Fitzroy River & the Proserpine River. However in cleaner estuary's with lower tidal variations such as Nerang river, Noosa River, Pumicestone Passage, Hinchinbrook, Embley & Trinity Inlet it's a far more likely scenario.

If i wanted to find a jack in the Brissy river I think id be around the mouth in the cleaner waters.

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

On 12/08/2021 at 4:54 PM, GregN70 said:

From tagging and tag return data I had the privilege of viewing, there was one common thread to places that hold jacks consistently. That was water quality, that being, they don't like turbid water, of the sort you'd find in the city reach of the Brissy River, or Rockhampton's Fitzroy River & the Proserpine River. However in cleaner estuary's with lower tidal variations such as Nerang river, Noosa River, Pumicestone Passage, Hinchinbrook, Embley & Trinity Inlet it's a far more likely scenario.

If i wanted to find a jack in the Brissy river I think id be around the mouth in the cleaner waters.

 

Hi Greg

Ah, that's interesting. There's no way I'd be fishing in the mouth with my yak. A bit too busy with huge ships coming back in and out. That's why I hope I can find one upstream.

Cheers Hamish