queensland Yet another day in the bay

[GregOug]

Well!

I went out this morning and had one of those days.

Firstly, the 0.2 metre seas predicted were over a metre of swell with at least half metre of chop on top by the time we got near Moreton. It was like we were in a washing machine. Then we tried to find some live bait around a couple of the beacons and buoys over there but the current was running that strongly that we raced past them and I couldn’t position the boat in one spot so that Damon could drop a jig down. 

We eventually gave up on the idea of live bait and headed to our new spot X. We calculated the wind, the current, the waves, the sea spray etc etc and finally dropped anchor so that we would be able to fish precisely over our spot. We didn’t even come close! Ended up hanging exactly the opposite way to what we thought and quite a distance from our spot. We dropped baits over the side anyway as at least the current was heading in that direction and they proceeded to water ski behind us. The current was that fast. We kept on adding more and more lead until I was worried that we might capsize if only one of us threw out at a time.

Damon eventually got somewhere near the bottom because he started getting some bites. He bought in a just over legal sweetlip, but missed some really nice bites. Shortly afterwards I was up the front trying to tie my line onto the anchor winch so I could get it to wind my 24kgs of lead in for me, when Damon hooked another fish which seemed to fight harder and harder the closer he got it to the boat. When it broke the surface we saw why. There was a 35cm parrot (tusk) fish on the bottom hook and a 67cm school mackerel on the top hook! They took some getting into the landing net, especially as we discovered that Damon had made his leader exactly six inches too long for me to reach them with the landing net. Lol. He eventually proceeded up the front of the boat so they were close enough for me to net. 

A bit later, just as the current was slowing down to twenty or so knots and we were anticipating actually having our baits stay on the bottom for a second or two, Damon got a text from his girlfriend saying she had just tested positive for COVID! 

After discussing this for a minute we decided that it had put paid to any more fishing so we up anchored and headed for home in the forlorn hope that Damon wouldn’t have already infected me if he also had it, given that we had just spent the last three hours or so in the confined quarters of a 6m boat. It was like 8.30am when we got back to the ramp!

I’m not sure what the neighbours thought as we handed each other rods, buckets, tackle boxes and all the other assorted paraphernalia you take each trip but never even think of, let alone use once you get on the water, and trying not to touch anything in the same spots the other had, all the while wearing face masks in the by then 35 degree heat! 
 

Oh well, these are the times we live in now.

[Kat]

Ha ha ha!  What a laugh.  Despite the conditions and the Covid it actually looks like you had a better day than you normally do in great conditions with no Covid!  Good job and keep it up - especially when I am deckie!  Lol

[GregOug]

Just a side note on today’s tides. The low was 0.28m and the high was 2.81m. That is a huge difference in height for Moreton Bay. Not wonder our baits were skiing.

[GregOug]

And another quick side note. Why is it we fishermen wear our oldest, daggy’est gear to go fishing, when it presents the few photo opportunities left to us in life?

[kmcrosby78]

4 minutes ago, GregOug said:

And another quick side note. Why is it we fishermen wear our oldest, daggy’est gear to go fishing, when it presents the few photo opportunities left to us in life?

Yep, I'm (VERY) guilty of that ......... . Glad you (well, your deckie ....) got a few fish despite the challenging conditions. Hopefully the conditions are more conducive to fishing next time so you can test your new spot X out again.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Nice one Greg. It definitely looks like you are onto a good spot. Maybe next time if you fish on neap tides (not new or full moon) you will be able to anchor better? Also, have you thought of putting a floating bait out for mackerel?

Cheers Hamish

[ellicat]

We got out too. The conditions forecast certainly weren't the reality.

Nice to grab a feed in quick time. A double hookup of two fun fighting fish would have made for an interesting battle. What size swivel did you use ?

Fingers crossed on the Covid.

[Angry51]

2 hours ago, GregOug said:

And another quick side note. Why is it we fishermen wear our oldest, daggy’est gear to go fishing, when it presents the few photo opportunities left to us in life?

Doesn't matter what we wear Greg.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

[Another Wazza]

@GregOug, I think someone has hijacked your profile, and this imposter is posting photos of fish!!!, what’s going on!, Hahahaha, good work in the trying conditions

[GregOug]

3 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Nice one Greg. It definitely looks like you are onto a good spot. Maybe next time if you fish on neap tides (not new or full moon) you will be able to anchor better? Also, have you thought of putting a floating bait out for mackerel?

Cheers Hamish

They were all floating today.

[GregOug]

3 hours ago, ellicat said:

We got out too. The conditions forecast certainly weren't the reality.

Nice to grab a feed in quick time. A double hookup of two fun fighting fish would have made for an interesting battle. What size swivel did you use ?

Fingers crossed on the Covid.

Damon tested negative on a RAT this afternoon so that’s hopeful.
 

We all use snap swivels on my boat so that you can quickly change rigs when needed. Not sure of rated breaking strain but I’m sure it’s more than the breaking strain of the line used.

[GregOug]

1 hour ago, Another Wazza said:

@GregOug, I think someone has hijacked your profile, and this imposter is posting photos of fish!!!, what’s going on!, Hahahaha, good work in the trying conditions

Yes, it was certainly a bit of a battle out there today. At least it made having to come back in early a bit more palatable. 

[ellicat]

Just now, GregOug said:

Yes, it was certainly a bit of a battle out there today. At least it made having to come back in early a bit more palatable. 

It only got worse, so a blessing in disguise.

[GregOug]

38 minutes ago, ellicat said:

It only got worse, so a blessing in disguise.

You have to wonder how they get it so wrong. It was pretty ordinary in the northern end of the bay.

[Drop Bear]

14 hours ago, GregOug said:

finally dropped anchor so that we would be able to fish precisely over our spot. We didn’t even come close!

Nice one mate. Glad you are getting feed.

the cheeky wind made the ripples at our swimming spot that little bit bigger. I decided to not go out on the boat due to this. haha. It is frustrating that the predicted NE at 5 knots was a NW at 15...

Regarding your spot, although it looks like you made the best of it anyhow, Lance, "Aussie 123" (RIP mate) showed me how to do this and get it right most times. Trick is to stop on the spot where you want to hang. Stop the boat by reversing or whatever you need to do and just drift for about a min. This shows you on the GPS the line that you will hang. Go up the opposite direction, drop anchor and let out enough line until you are where you want to be. Might take a few goes to work out how far off the spot you need to be and how much rope to let out but it has worked for me plenty of times. 

Thanks for the fun report mate. 

[GregOug]

18 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

Yep, I'm (VERY) guilty of that ......... . Glad you (well, your deckie ....) got a few fish despite the challenging conditions. Hopefully the conditions are more conducive to fishing next time so you can test your new spot X out again.

I caught most of the fish the trip before and I don’t care who catches the fish as long as we catch some. When my sons come out with me you would think they’re still 5 years old. I usually sit back and bait the hooks, take the fish off, man the net or gaff, get more bait ready etc. Lol. 

[ellicat]

Yeah, when @benno573 and I troll for macks I'm happy to drive the boat and let him man the rods. I get to go fishing more than he does, so it only seems fair. We split the catch at the end of the day so everyone wins.

[kmcrosby78]

2 hours ago, GregOug said:

I caught most of the fish the trip before and I don’t care who catches the fish as long as we catch some. When my sons come out with me you would think they’re still 5 years old. I usually sit back and bait the hooks, take the fish off, man the net or gaff, get more bait ready etc. Lol. 

You mean to say I've got many years ahead yet of being the glorified decky .......... .

[GregOug]

56 minutes ago, kmcrosby78 said:

You mean to say I've got many years ahead yet of being the glorified decky .......... .

No doubt

[Cobiaaddict]

Good going Greg.  Your putting together a few good trips

Little tip, try floatlining your baits back towards your spot keeping your bait higher in the water column , if there are bigger fish about they will come up and grab it and run off

I can go into more detail if you like, just let me know

 

[benno573]

4 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

You mean to say I've got many years ahead yet of being the glorified decky .......... .

Since when did you become glorified?

[GregOug]

2 hours ago, Cobiaaddict said:

Good going Greg.  Your putting together a few good trips

Little tip, try floatlining your baits back towards your spot keeping your bait higher in the water column , if there are bigger fish about they will come up and grab it and run off

I can go into more detail if you like, just let me know

 

Thanks @Cobiaaddict. I’d love some advice on that because I set a float line every time I go out and nothing has touched them in many hours of trying. I set the float with about 2 metres of line below it with about a number 3 ball sinker a metre or so it, then a swivel and the bait on about a metre leader below that. I’ve tried whole squid, whole whiting, whiting heads, pillies, whole scad, artificial whole squid, large artificial prawns. You name it. Nothing has even touched them. Maybe I need to set the bait a bit deeper?