queensland Fishing After the Flood

[Kat]

I was pondering the rumour @ellicathad heard about Mulloway hunting the edges of the dirty water after the floods and what other strategies I might employ in the coming days to catch some fish in this dirty water. 

I am itching to get out fishing again so thought I would use Google to do some research. 

Found this article really interesting and wondered if anyone remembers having the same experience? Whether we might look forward to the same conditions in the following months or years? 

Maybe those members with the scientific backgrounds could provide an explanation or tell me it was just coincidence?

http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/after-the-flood

Cheers Kat

 

[ellicat]

Makes sense to me.

[GazzaP]

Yes,in Queensland nowadays but for 40 years I fished (all land based) between Sydney & the Vic/SA border & there is no doubt a flood fires up the fishing,even when it`s still pouring out,just a matter of figuring out where represents that part of the beach,bay or river where the saltwater is reaching,(high tide in particular).Those creeks or rivers that have actually been cut off from the ocean can go doubly crazy with fish.Almost any species that you might encounter but I can vouch for Salmon,Bream,Tailor,Schnapper,Flathead,Grunter,Dart,Mullet,Trevally & Barracouta in waters of a suitable temperature.Sure there are many more species.Whiting tend to stay clear of dirty waters but once it clears can really go off.Have fun.

[Brodie_S]

The reason fish such as mulloway hang around the edges and shorelines in dirty flood water is because the salt water is closer to the surface then the freshwater the freshwater is midwater to deep but at the top 2 foot of water is salt and brackish 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Kat

A flood can often mean bait is brought down to the mouths of estuaries, making larger fish sit around there. A lot of rubbish and debri is also brought down which can hamper fishing efforts. I remember once at the local park we went fishing after some rain and the whole river was covered in mangrove branches that must've broken off. So I guess it is a bit of a 'give-it-a-try-thing'. 

Cheers Hamish

[Old Scaley]

1 hour ago, Breaming with bro said:

The reason fish such as mulloway hang around the edges and shorelines in dirty flood water is because the salt water is closer to the surface then the freshwater the freshwater is midwater to deep but at the top 2 foot of water is salt and brackish 

Sorry @Breaming with bro, but it is the other way around. The fresh sits on top of the salt water because saltwater is more dense than fresh water, which is why fish, prawns and crabs will mostly move to the deeper holes.

[Kat]

46 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

Sorry @Breaming with bro, but it is the other way around. The fresh sits on top of the salt water because saltwater is more dense than fresh water, which is why fish, prawns and crabs will mostly move to the deeper holes.

Ahh thanks, I have a couple of deeper holes in mind - one of which I can reach from land.  Will have to do some research to find more (without a sounder )

[SuperHans]

Flood water does wash out fish less tolerant of freshwater. Had a walk along the beach today and decided against fishing-the water was chocolate brown out to the horizon. In the past fishing has been poor, in these conditions, I think because the huge swells also ripped a lot of kelp off the rocks and the water was littered with the stuff. Maybe I was doing something wrong but I assumed that fish that habitually live in clear salty water dislike the muddy particles going into the gills -just like I hate smoggy days :). Unfortunately there are no edges in sight (from land anyway where I am).

I'm near the mouth of the Hawkesbury river and was itching to wet a line too  

Hope you all have better luck.

btw I guess species adapted to murky water like threadfin wouldn't be much affected?????

[ellicat]

I think the threadies will be fine with it as they generally stick to the bottom where the salt is anyway and like you said they don't mind murky water.

[Brodie_S]

3 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Sorry @Breaming with bro, but it is the other way around. The fresh sits on top of the salt water because saltwater is more dense than fresh water, which is why fish, prawns and crabs will mostly move to the deeper holes.

Really I always thought salt sits at the top of the water but it makes more sense that the salt is found in deep hopes I think your right 

[benno573]

2 hours ago, Breaming with bro said:

Really I always thought salt sits at the top of the water but it makes more sense that the salt is found in deep hopes I think your right 

Salt water contains dissolved minerals, therefore is more heavy. Sodium and chlorine are both heavier atoms than hydrogen or oxygen. Don’t they teach science at your school?

what usually happens is similar to a how a thermocline works or even an inversion layer in the fog. A pocket of more dense salty water tends to get trapped under the more fresh stuff and the two don’t really mix. however there is a limit when the fresh will completely flush the salt out if the flow is strong enough for long enough.

[Brodie_S]

35 minutes ago, benno573 said:

Salt water contains dissolved minerals, therefore is more heavy. Sodium and chlorine are both heavier atoms than hydrogen or oxygen. Don’t they teach science at your school?

what usually happens is similar to a how a thermocline works or even an inversion layer in the fog. A pocket of more dense salty water tends to get trapped under the more fresh stuff and the two don’t really mix. however there is a limit when the fresh will completely flush the salt out if the flow is strong enough for long enough.

Yes they do teach science at school and yes I know that sodium and chlorine are heavyier then oxygen and hydrogen. I’ve always been told that the fish hang near the surface or around shallow banks after a flood because the salt sits at the top . I never really understood it so I just took it with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because I never seen anyone prove it but I thought it was worth a mention anyway

[Jono4500]

Thinking bout taking my little ones for a fish at deep water bend, north pine river this weekend. Anyone care to guess if it will be a chocolate milkshake or if the tides will clear it up a bit?

[Kat]

2 hours ago, Jono4500 said:

Thinking bout taking my little ones for a fish at deep water bend, north pine river this weekend. Anyone care to guess if it will be a chocolate milkshake or if the tides will clear it up a bit?

I am guessing it will be chocolate milkshake based on what I saw around the gold coast today.  Don't put them off fishing for life wait til the next weekend

[Ed.]

I would hazard a guess that with the amount of run off from all the rain we have had it will be fairly dirty for a little while longer.

[GregOug]

22 hours ago, benno573 said:

Salt water contains dissolved minerals, therefore is more heavy. Sodium and chlorine are both heavier atoms than hydrogen or oxygen. Don’t they teach science at your school?

what usually happens is similar to a how a thermocline works or even an inversion layer in the fog. A pocket of more dense salty water tends to get trapped under the more fresh stuff and the two don’t really mix. however there is a limit when the fresh will completely flush the salt out if the flow is strong enough for long enough.

Well, EXCUSE ME, Mr.Einstein!

[GregOug]

Just now, GregOug said:

Well, EXCUSE ME, Mr.Einstein!

Oh, sorry. it’s after Midday. I’m not allowed to post. Forgot.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

The river was terribly dirty today, just a muddy, off-putting colour. Normally it's a dark shade of green but today it was dismal. Not to mention the crazy amount of scum floating along the surface of the water, tyres, logs, balls, and all that other rubbish (though I did see tonnes of bait at one creek mouth I walk past on school so when Dad and I next go on the yak I'll have a cast there). 

Anyways, only four more days of exam block, then a school fair, then two weeks of holidays!  

Cheers Hamish

[GregOug]

1 minute ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

The river was terribly dirty today, just a muddy, off-putting colour. Normally it's a dark shade of green but today it was dismal. Not to mention the crazy amount of scum floating along the surface of the water, tyres, logs, balls, and all that other rubbish (though I did see tonnes of bait at one creek mouth I walk past on school so when Dad and I next go on the yak I'll have a cast there). 

Anyways, only four more days of exam block, then a school fair, then two weeks of holidays!  

Cheers Hamish

Did you see any Volleyballs? My son needs a new one.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Just now, GregOug said:

Did you see any Volleyballs? My son needs a new one.

Nope, only soccerballs, and a tennis ball and one of those big orange road cones too.

[GregOug]

32 minutes ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Nope, only soccerballs, and a tennis ball and one of those big orange road cones too.

Well, keep your eyes out. Volleyballs are as rare as hen’s teeth.

[GregOug]

3 minutes ago, GregOug said:

Well, keep your eyes out. Volleyballs are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Unless of course, you are an Ornithological Dental Technician, when they are obviously even rarer.

[Another Wazza]

GregOug,  do we need to have an interlock installed on all of your devices?

[Kenne]

Just finished watching a you tube seminar with Dougie Burt.  He said all the dirty water is on the top and all the fish sit on the bottom in the clean water. But that is off shore. Be a bit differant in only a couple of metres of water in a river or creek.

Also the fresh water is definitely on the top. My dogs go in the creek at the back which is a run of of the Coombabah and drink the water after the rain.  But it mite be salt and send's them silly. That's why they don't do as their told.

[GregOug]

22 minutes ago, Another Wazza said:

GregOug,  do we need to have an interlock installed on all of your devices?

As long as it doesn’t involve too much pain I guess I’m okay with it.

[swmcl]

Well when I was a kid I learnt from fisher people that Mulloway in particular would come up into a freshwater river that breached the mouth in a storm because a swim in freshwater meant the sea lice on the fish would drop off.

This is mid-west WA where streams are certainly cut off from the sea for a good many years at times.

[SuperHans]

21 hours ago, GregOug said:

Well, keep your eyes out. Volleyballs are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Which reminds me of a joke (apologies in advance Kat & Idan)

 

What's a New Zealand Hindu? .........................................Lays iggs bru

 

 

[Ed.]

Had to work on the boat trailer this morning, I had attached the  boat to the Jeep and went to fill it up with juice for the weekend as the price of petrol is sky rocketing, out the gate and I could hear this clunk, clunk, clunk as I drove down the street. Thinking that something was stuck in the trailer brakes or wheels so I went around the block, stopped a couple of times to check it out but couldn't  see anything so took it back home for a closer look, jacked the wheels up and found the problem. One of the brake pads had separated from the backing plate and was stuck to the rotor and other  pad on that same caliper was missing half as well. Bugger... so off to Probar  at Caboolture and bought a new set of pads. Never had brake pads do that before on any trailer I have owned.

Took the boat and trailer for a test spin afterwards to see if it was fixed properly and it was now working as it should, just need to do a final cable adjustment tomorrow, anyway got to Caltex at Caboolture to fill up and noticed that the petrol station  had raised their price by about 40Cents/ litre from a few hours before, so did a U turn and headed towards the Puma station closer to home and managed to get it $124.9/l. Looks like the tanker  stuck in the Suez Canal is going to cause all sorts of price increases or maybe because Easter is coming up and they may have jacked up the prices,  at least the boat and Jeep are now all fuelled up and ready to go, so at this stage Sunday is still looking good, that is provided we don't go into another lockdown due to the Covid-10 case in Brisbane.

 

[Another Wazza]

Nice work jagging the cheap juice, I doubt the Suez incident has much to do with the actual price of fuel, the worlds reserves would be looking quite fat after covid shut most of last year down, probably has more to do with the great Australian p*** take that’s been going on for ages.

 

[Ed.]

At this stage there are over 150 ships waiting to use the canal and hundreds more on the way, so costs will skyrocket. Although I agree we are being ripped off, I mean and extra  40C/l in a few hours. I wonder if anything is going to be said in the news?

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Well, I was out on the river last night chasing threadies/flatties. No success on the fishing front, but the river water was as fresh as tap water (I drunk some), there was heaps of crap, like trees, foliage, jerry cans, and something was anchored near all the moored boats a bit upstream with no light. I reckon it would be very easy for someone to crash into it if they were going fast and it was a low moon/dark night. It was a nice night anyways, but hopefully it's cleared a bit by the time I drop some pots on Thursday/Friday .

Cheers Hamish