queensland 3 Days In The Bay

[Leosonfire]

Confucius once said “never bite the hand that feeds you”

[Another Wazza]

Hey there ellicat, It wasn’t me out there unfortunately, I would’ve loved to have been though, Thursday’s looking great too, but I’ve got a bit on, not ruling out a sneaky arvo mission though, will see how it pans out

[ellicat]

We're heading for a foray into the Northern Bay tomorrow.

Good luck if you get out. It's looking like a superb boating day.

[Another Wazza]

Plenty of options up there, are you planning on working the beacons or having a crack at curtain?

[ellicat]

May hit the beacons for some livies on the way to Curtain and thereabouts.

[ellicat]

My Northern Bay experience is that I once fished Curtain for an hour with @benno573  about 10 years ago for no luck, so this will be a bit of an explore and (hopefully) conquer mission for me.

[Another Wazza]

Ive found it’s a bit like Harry’s, hit and miss some days,  I did pull a nice snapper at the start of the year off it whilst drifting with half a pilly,  the smaller tides next week would make it a little bit easier, especially if your throwing plastics around, best of luck either way, and I’m looking forward to solid report

[ellicat]

Cheers.

Yes, we will be fishing it 1 hour either side of the high. Bait and plastics tomorrow.

[rayke1938]

Collectors item

[Old Scaley]

11 minutes ago, rayke1938 said:

Collectors item

@rayke1938, are you referring to the BFO shirt or the picture of @ellicat with a keeper? 

[ellicat]

10 minutes ago, rayke1938 said:

Collectors item

 

Yep. My other collectors item shirt finally got a big tear so I went to my last remaining one (and least favourite) which has no pockets. Not a fan of tournament style shirts but the cost of a decent quick dry button-up shirt with pockets is ridiculous.

[kmcrosby78]

3 hours ago, Another Wazza said:

Hey there ellicat, It wasn’t me out there unfortunately, I would’ve loved to have been though, 

Begs the question, who was it that the weirdo in the white Quintrex kept waving at then in the hopes of getting a wave back ...... 

[kmcrosby78]

2 hours ago, ellicat said:

My Northern Bay experience is that I once fished Curtain for an hour with @benno573  about 10 years ago for no luck, so this will be a bit of an explore and (hopefully) conquer mission for me.

Doesn't sound like you have much luck fishing with that @benno573 character then. Hopefully your mystery decky tomorrow is that dentist bloke you always have success with ....... 

[rayke1938]

11 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

@rayke1938, are you referring to the BFO shirt or the picture of @ellicat with a keeper? 

yes normally holding a durry

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

15 hours ago, ellicat said:

We're heading for a foray into the Northern Bay tomorrow.

Good luck if you get out. It's looking like a superb boating day.

 

13 hours ago, ellicat said:

Cheers.

Yes, we will be fishing it 1 hour either side of the high. Bait and plastics tomorrow.

Hey ellicat

I'd assume you're out right now so I'm hoping you've got some real good ones. 

Good luck

Cheers Hamish

[ellicat]

Had a great day out today with @GregOug, @Old Scaley and 'The Dentist'. It was a long day but worth the effort. Report to come tomorrow as I am stuffed and not in the best mood after the trailer came off the towball on the footpath outside my home - suspect sabotage.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

11 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Had a great day out today with @GregOug, @Old Scaley and 'The Dentist'. It was a long day but worth the effort. Report to come tomorrow as I am stuffed and not in the best mood after the trailer came off the towball on the footpath outside my home - suspect sabotage.

Hey ellicat

Great you had a good one with some mates  I can't wait until I'm retired and can fish on school days.

Understandable about the report too. Bloody annoying about the trailer towbar  

Cheers Hamish

[ellicat]

Tease

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

HOLY MOLY!!!!! Is that a red emperor?!  

That is awesome ellicat. I can't wait to see what is in stall for the report. 

I'd take it a good feed was caught and you were fishing on Curtain???

Cheers Hamish

[shaun1800]

On 05/08/2020 at 9:28 AM, ellicat said:

Unfortunately work has got in the way of @shaun1800 coming out, so have asked along a mystery decky for tomorrow.

Uh bloody perfect weather today too! I'm both looking forward to and also dreading your fishing report tomorrow. Stupid work. 

[Leosonfire]

11 minutes ago, shaun1800 said:

Uh bloody perfect weather today too! I'm both looking forward to and also dreading your fishing report tomorrow. Stupid work. 

Mate I’ve got a feeling u missed a good one

[kmcrosby78]

3 hours ago, ellicat said:

Tease

 

Perfect live bait size ....... what did you catch with it ....... ? 

[ellicat]

We left Pinkenba around 8.30am and headed towards Curtain.

Stopping at a beacon on the way, where there was a good show of bait on the sounder, a few herring and pike christened the new livewell.

Arrived at Curtain about 10, an hour before the high, and sounded up some structure and set the anchor while Greg and Steve chose to drift. We put a couple of rods out and set the berley trail and not long after a kingy of about 4 feet paid us a visit.

The dentist floated a bit of pilly amongst the berley and it wasn't long before the kingy emerged and swallowed the bait in full sight and it was on like Donkey Kong. With the fish heading straight for the bottom, the Dentist held on and double thumbed the screaming overhead. I went for the phone to get some video but it was all over with the kingy reefing him. The Dentist was pretty rushed up from the experience with bursts of giggling for the next five minutes. Woohoo.

The Dentist was next on again with a Big Eye trev about 45cm coming aboard and released to the esky, followed by another strong fish on a spin outfit that played like a cod that also reefed him. Finally it was my turn on what turned out to be silly string for here - a fifteen pound outfit.

The fish took a lightly weighted anchovy and peeled a fair bit of line before making its way under the back of the boat close to the motor. A few tense moments later the line went slack. It had spat the hook. I was disappointed but still happy to have at least hooked something decent. Not too long after, on another anchovy, my setup got monstered with the drag screaming and the fish heading away at at rate of knots. Woah, this thing was serious. It reefed me eventually without me slowing it at all.

In between this main action we landed a few decent sized bream that I kept to give to the Old Man and The Denist got that juvenile Red as well. There may have been some other fish that I can't recall as I am still a bit tired after a big week on the water.

Again another kingy showed up in the berley trail. This one would have cracked 5 foot easily. The Dentist was quick to get his rig in the water, setting the piece of pilly in the berley but this fish was 'cleverer' and wouldn't take the offering. Probably just as well or The Dentist may have lost both thumbs. Haha

Around 1 we looked for a mark The Dentist had caught some Goldens at previously but couldn't get us on the spot so we headed for Mud to chase a couple of tuskies while Greg and Steve headed to try some marks Greg had.

We stopped at Mud but things were quiet with only two tuskies coming aboard, both under. A metre long hammerhead was boated and released. It put a up a decent account of itself on the lighter gear.  The others rejoined us and we had a brief dangle at a couple of spots for some unders squire so we headed back to the ramp about 4.30 with an unsatisfactory esky but a memory of a good days fishing in great conditions. I'll be back on a smaller tide when the weather is right for sure.

 

Sabotage.

When I got home the traffic was a little heavy for backing the trailer in and I had a fail on the first attempt, so drove forward to reset. Clunk ! Bang ! Got out to investigate and the trailer hitch had come off the towball and was on the ground. Bugger !  I went up to the garage and grabbed the trolley jack and brought it back. On closer inspection I discovered the little lock that locks the hitch clip was missing and the trailer coupling was in the unhitch position. So I suspect sabotage by some germ at the ramp without a real life. How we made it home I'll never know but small mercies it didn't happen on the road doing 80kmh. Fortunately no damage done in the end. I will be more vigilant with checking the trailer after a day on the water now, for certain.

 

Thanks for reading and sorry there were not more pictures.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi ellicat

That is a great session with some great fish almost landed. Looks like you'll need to come back next time with a locked drag and a seriously heavy outfit! 

While the esky wasn't full of kingy like it should've been, I would still be happy just seeing/fighting one. You will have to go out next time and smash them. Good job. Oh, and I hope the scum bag who fiddled with your trailer gets karma

Cheers Hamish  

[ellicat]

It was a bloody good day. Even watching Greg's machine accelerate away from us at breakneck speed was a pleasure to watch. What a rig !

[Leosonfire]

Awesome day mate looks like heavier gear next trip

[ellicat]

I did have a 50lb setup out with an unweighted squid for the whole time we were at Curtain, but no takers. I think I'll not deploy it next time and use The Dentist's method of waiting for the fish to show....or maybe I'll take two heavy setups.

[Old Scaley]

It sure was a magic day out on the water @ellicat. @GregOug And I just couldn’t get any love from the fishies yesterday, only landing a couple of small squire all day. We did get pickered (thanks for the word, Hamish) all morning on the bottom baits but nothing took an interest in Greg’s unweighted pillie at all. In retrospect, we should have anchored as well. One thing I learned yesterday was that 200 horses can run a lot faster and further than 40. We certainly covered some ground in quick time! Thanks for day out, Greg.

Glad to hear you had no real damage from the trailer incident, Brian. It is a good reminder for all of us to run through a quick checklist when we get back to the ramp to avoid any nasty surprises. Greg, did you check your coupling after hearing about Brian’s incident?

[Another Wazza]

Hi there ellicat, out of curiosity do you have one or two chains on your trailer?

[ellicat]

24 minutes ago, Another Wazza said:

Hi there ellicat, out of curiosity do you have one or two chains on your trailer?

Just the one. Wondering now if it is too long.

[Another Wazza]

If your trailer uncoupled off the hitch and hit the deck, just move the D shackle up a few links, or if your handy with a welder and some cold gal, weld another chain on the other side so they cross over on the tow bar creating a cradle, should it ever happen again, providing your tow bar has 2 attach points.

Other then the trailer incident it still sounded like an excellent day on the bay, the kingies would have been a blast!

[ellicat]

I'm only handy with numbers, so I will count the links and adjust as recommended. Thanks for that tip, Wazza.

Yep. Would do that day over again.

[GregOug]

Thanks @ellicat and @Old Scaley for doing the trip reports. I totally agree that it was a terrific day. The company was great and just being on the water in weather like that was a joy. @Old Scaley and I dropped a line at shark spit  at one point and the water was flat as a millpond. Great to meet your dentist Brian. He was very helpful with launching and retrieving.

Sorry to hear about your tow ball misfortunes though Brian. Not sure what I am checking for with mine though. I understood you to say that the trailer came off the towball. My trailer is in the garage now and not attached to the vehicle so is there anything to check?

cheers

Greg

[Cobiaaddict]

Sound Like Good Times at Curtain gents,  Well Done, Love the fish tank size Red Emperor too, they are such a good looking fish  and fight hard for  there size,  

The kingies @ Curtains are really switched on they know when a bait or livie has a hook in it the buggers, ,  been there in years past watching guys with 80lb jigging gear getting blown away by them ,  Some how they know how to use the current & structure to there advantage,  I might have to go have a play considering the snapper ban is keeping me off the water 

[Old Scaley]

3 minutes ago, GregOug said:

Thanks @ellicat and @Old Scaley for doing the trip reports. I totally agree that it was a terrific day. The company was great and just being on the water in weather like that was a joy. @Old Scaley and I dropped a line at shark spit  at one point and the water was flat as a millpond. Great to meet your dentist Brian. He was very helpful with launching and retrieving.

Sorry to hear about your tow ball misfortunes though Brian. Not sure what I am checking for with mine though. I understood you to say that the trailer came off the towball. My trailer is in the garage now and not attached to the vehicle so is there anything to check?

cheers

Greg

What I was thinking, Greg, was that if there was a serial pest at the ramp unlocking the towball clips, maybe they had tampered with yours as well. You would have noticed that for sure when you unhitched the trailer from the car. Seems like they only have a grudge against Brian.

[GregOug]

Okay. Tha

2 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

What I was thinking, Greg, was that if there was a serial pest at the ramp unlocking the towball clips, maybe they had tampered with yours as well. You would have noticed that for sure when you unhitched the trailer from the car. Seems like they only have a grudge against Brian.

Oh. Okay. Thanks @Old Scaley. Mine was definitely connected properly because we always have a bit of a struggle getting it to unhitch and this time was no different. 

[Old Scaley]

8 minutes ago, Cobiaaddict said:

Sound Like Good Times at Curtain gents,  Well Done, Love the fish tank size Red Emperor too, they are such a good looking fish  and fight hard for  there size,  

The kingies @ Curtains are really switched on they know when a bait or livie has a hook in it the buggers, ,  been there in years past watching guys with 80lb jigging gear getting blown away by them ,  Some how they know how to use the current & structure to there advantage,  I might have to go have a play considering the snapper ban is keeping me off the water 

I haven’t heard of anyone catching a legal Red Emperor in Moreton Bay. Maybe someone has. But the fact that juveniles are present would tend to indicate that there must be mature fish there at breeding time at least. Does that make sense?

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Just now, Old Scaley said:

I haven’t heard of anyone catching a legal Red Emperor in Moreton Bay. Maybe someone has. But the fact that juveniles are present would tend to indicate that there must be mature fish there at breeding time at least. Does that make sense?

Yes Old Scaley, I'd have to agree with that. Hopefully you guys crack the Moreton Bay red emperor code come Suburbs of Origin, so you can give tugger a run for his money!  

Weather is not looking good right now though, I think you guys got the last of the good weather. I'm a bit annoyed because everything will be flushed down my part of the river with rain but it's good to make everything green! 

Cheers Hamish

[Andrew_P]

More likely the larvae have travelled down the coast in the EAC and been funnelled into the bay. The bay is shallow and full of food so they grow like stink, fatten up and migrate north. Do get a lot of juveniles at the shallow reefs off the top of Moreton and sunny coast. Cool fish

[Leosonfire]

3 hours ago, Cobiaaddict said:

Sound Like Good Times at Curtain gents,  Well Done, Love the fish tank size Red Emperor too, they are such a good looking fish  and fight hard for  there size,  

The kingies @ Curtains are really switched on they know when a bait or livie has a hook in it the buggers, ,  been there in years past watching guys with 80lb jigging gear getting blown away by them ,  Some how they know how to use the current & structure to there advantage,  I might have to go have a play considering the snapper ban is keeping me off the water 

Save it for origin mate. go u northsiders!