queensland Brisbane River Session #156

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi all

Seeing as though I hadn't been fishing in yonks (school ) I decided to head out to a new spot on the Brisbane River, with @TheCharliefisho. We got to the spot at the late hour of 7am though it was still quite chilly. Hopes were high when a few throws of the cast net brought some mullet, herring, and bony bream, and baits were deployed.

About 15 minutes into the session, my overhead starting clicking. I let Charlie have the rod, but the hook was set slightly to early allowing the fish (bites weren't conclusive but could've been a soapie, not vermin as no slime) to have the hooks pulled from it's mouth. Just after this, my Sedona (birthday present from back at May 10) had a small bite and I skull dragged in a catfish on a herring. Ugh. My Dad also got stung by a scat which apparently started hurting a lot after about 15 minutes. 

My Dad left soon after getting a few more varied baitfish in the net. It was pretty chilly, but I continued netting to get some more mullet, glassies, ponyfish, silver biddies, and bony bream. Surprisingly, prawns and herring were absent from the fishing session - probably due to the dirty water. After a couple of tangles I casted my overhead out to the side of the jetty. It didn't take long before this screamed off, had nibbles, and continued without hookup. I only had a 3/o suicide hook so this did seem odd. After rebaiting five times the overhead had a very fast run but still didn't hook up. The bites on the livies looked like bream so maybe it was just pickers. Charlie also had a fish spit the hooks when he was hooked up on a plastic (short hookup), which was surprising in the filthy water. 

Time went by, but the fish weren't chewing. We rebaited many times with live mullet, bony bream, and silver biddies, but nothing seemed to be happening. We altered our casting distances to try and find the fish, or any drop offs/snags. From about 10-40m out there was nothing, and we still hadn't caught anything good. At about ten in the morning, Charlie decided to rig up one of my lines (Abu Garcia Veritas 3-5KG and Diawa Shinobi 2500) for bream with bait. It didn't take long before he was on to a little but fat 28CM model, which took a couple of runs on loose drag. 

Bream

A large live mullet which had been deployed was made into a strip bait - and it didn't take long for this to go off. I fought the fish for a couple of minutes on my heaviest setup, but I was disappointed to see a average sized catfish.

Charlie continued fishing for bream and flicking a plastic, but failed to hook anything more. While Charlie was walking away fishing with his plastic, I lost a decent bream because the drag was too loose (didn't realise). Eventually, Charlie came back and set the rod on the jetty, with a winter whiting. This got a couple of nibbles but no hook up at first. Then, it was redeployed. I did some cast netting, but Charlie and I both turned around to see my rod in the water!

Obviously, the drag wasn't set loosely or there had been a tangle in the line causing the (probably little) bream to be able to take my line into the water. I started winding my other lines in as quickly as possible - one had a catfish on a stick on it, and the other came in no worries. We tried everything, and after dragging the bottom of the river with big sinkers, poking the bottom with sticks, using a coat hanger as a grapple hook, and a neighbours pool net, my Dad was at the jetty to pick us up. He decided to go for a swim, and despite feeling the bottom for 20 minutes my rod was no where to be seen. 

We left after that and got a Traveller Pie on the way home. Here are the stats of the trip for anyone interested:

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 8:00AM, .9M, Low, 1:15PM, 1.7M, High

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent

Bait Caught: Glassies, Ponyfish, Scat, Mullet, Silver Biddies, Bony Bream, Winter Whiting, Jelly Prawns

Bait Used: Livies ^^^

Fish Caught: Catfish x 3, Bream x 1

Tackle Used: 10, 20, 30 pound braid mainlines. 10, 30, 50 pound fluoro leaders. Size 3/0-6/o circle, baitholder and suicide hooks. Size 4 star sinkers and large barrel swivels. Abu Garcia Barra King on Ugly Stik, Shimano Baitrunner on Shimano Silver Tip Rod, Shimano Sedona on Abu Garcia Nexus, Abu Garcia Veritas and Diawa Shinobi (RIP). 

Air Pressure: 1008-1011

Humidity: 60-75%

Overall Success Rate:  5% - An already crappy fishing trip became expensive too!

I hope you enjoyed reading,

Cheers Hamish

[Hweebe]

Hey Hamish,

Have you been recording the key stats for each of your trips, in a spreadsheet, to see if there are any trends for when fish are "On the Bite" for certain locations / conditions?

I'm certain you would have enough data if you're up to session 156

Cheers

[Another Wazza]

Sorry to hear about the lost rod, it wasn’t your birthday present one was it?

[Kat]

Wow your dad must love you soooooo much!  Ha ha.  Am surprised he wasn't hospitalised with hypothermia! Brave man .

Fishing is a very expensive sport - but well worth it.

Sorry to hear about you losing your outfit - I cried when I broke my first rod due to a collision with the fan in my mum's guest room.  We all feel your pain.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

22 minutes ago, Hweebe said:

Hey Hamish,

Have you been recording the key stats for each of your trips, in a spreadsheet, to see if there are any trends for when fish are "On the Bite" for certain locations / conditions?

I'm certain you would have enough data if you're up to session 156

Cheers

Hi Hweebe

I do record my trip data. I have a few preferred tides and moon phases for certain locations but I’ve found when soaking livies in the river time always helps. I can’t say I have found one pattern where fish bite, though.

13 minutes ago, Another Wazza said:

Sorry to hear about the lost rod, it wasn’t your birthday present one was it?

Luckily not! 

2 minutes ago, Kat said:

Wow your dad must love you soooooo much!  Ha ha.  Am surprised he wasn't hospitalised with hypothermia! Brave man .

Fishing is a very expensive sport - but well worth it.

Sorry to hear about you losing your outfit - I cried when I broke my first rod due to a collision with the fan in my mum's guest room.  We all feel your pain.

He was certainly a bit reluctant to go swimming lol. I found the rod 152 sessions ago in the Upper Brisbane River so I guess it was just returned to its home. 
Cheers Hamish 

[Kat]

[ellicat]

Good grief, that sounds like a frustrating session with losing gear and missing some hookups.

[Old Scaley]

Unlucky Hamish. There must be so many rods and reels on the bottom of waterways. I know I have pulled up at least 2 from Moreton Bay.  Fathers Day is less than 3 months away now. If I was you I would be working on a present right now for your Dad. He certainly looks after you!

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

25 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Good grief, that sounds like a frustrating session with losing gear and missing some hookups.

Yes, for sure. Hopefully I can get something better in my holidays after exams.

8 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

Unlucky Hamish. There must be so many rods and reels on the bottom of waterways. I know I have pulled up at least 2 from Moreton Bay.  Fathers Day is less than 3 months away now. If I was you I would be working on a present right now for your Dad. He certainly looks after you!

Thats a good idea - maybe a new kayak for him! 

[ellicat]

PS Happy birthday for last month.

[charlie.hans.fishing]

On 06/06/2022 at 1:42 PM, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi all

Seeing as though I hadn't been fishing in yonks (school ) I decided to head out to a new spot on the Brisbane River, with @TheCharliefisho. We got to the spot at the late hour of 7am though it was still quite chilly. Hopes were high when a few throws of the cast net brought some mullet, herring, and bony bream, and baits were deployed.

About 15 minutes into the session, my overhead starting clicking. I let Charlie have the rod, but the hook was set slightly to early allowing the fish (bites weren't conclusive but could've been a soapie, not vermin as no slime) to have the hooks pulled from it's mouth. Just after this, my Sedona (birthday present from back at May 10) had a small bite and I skull dragged in a catfish on a herring. Ugh. My Dad also got stung by a scat which apparently started hurting a lot after about 15 minutes. 

My Dad left soon after getting a few more varied baitfish in the net. It was pretty chilly, but I continued netting to get some more mullet, glassies, ponyfish, silver biddies, and bony bream. Surprisingly, prawns and herring were absent from the fishing session - probably due to the dirty water. After a couple of tangles I casted my overhead out to the side of the jetty. It didn't take long before this screamed off, had nibbles, and continued without hookup. I only had a 3/o suicide hook so this did seem odd. After rebaiting five times the overhead had a very fast run but still didn't hook up. The bites on the livies looked like bream so maybe it was just pickers. Charlie also had a fish spit the hooks when he was hooked up on a plastic (short hookup), which was surprising in the filthy water. 

Time went by, but the fish weren't chewing. We rebaited many times with live mullet, bony bream, and silver biddies, but nothing seemed to be happening. We altered our casting distances to try and find the fish, or any drop offs/snags. From about 10-40m out there was nothing, and we still hadn't caught anything good. At about ten in the morning, Charlie decided to rig up one of my lines (Abu Garcia Veritas 3-5KG and Diawa Shinobi 2500) for bream with bait. It didn't take long before he was on to a little but fat 28CM model, which took a couple of runs on loose drag. 

Bream

A large live mullet which had been deployed was made into a strip bait - and it didn't take long for this to go off. I fought the fish for a couple of minutes on my heaviest setup, but I was disappointed to see a average sized catfish.

Charlie continued fishing for bream and flicking a plastic, but failed to hook anything more. While Charlie was walking away fishing with his plastic, I lost a decent bream because the drag was too loose (didn't realise). Eventually, Charlie came back and set the rod on the jetty, with a winter whiting. This got a couple of nibbles but no hook up at first. Then, it was redeployed. I did some cast netting, but Charlie and I both turned around to see my rod in the water!

Obviously, the drag wasn't set loosely or there had been a tangle in the line causing the (probably little) bream to be able to take my line into the water. I started winding my other lines in as quickly as possible - one had a catfish on a stick on it, and the other came in no worries. We tried everything, and after dragging the bottom of the river with big sinkers, poking the bottom with sticks, using a coat hanger as a grapple hook, and a neighbours pool net, my Dad was at the jetty to pick us up. He decided to go for a swim, and despite feeling the bottom for 20 minutes my rod was no where to be seen. 

We left after that and got a Traveller Pie on the way home. Here are the stats of the trip for anyone interested:

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 8:00AM, .9M, Low, 1:15PM, 1.7M, High

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent

Bait Caught: Glassies, Ponyfish, Scat, Mullet, Silver Biddies, Bony Bream, Winter Whiting, Jelly Prawns

Bait Used: Livies ^^^

Fish Caught: Catfish x 3, Bream x 1

Tackle Used: 10, 20, 30 pound braid mainlines. 10, 30, 50 pound fluoro leaders. Size 3/0-6/o circle, baitholder and suicide hooks. Size 4 star sinkers and large barrel swivels. Abu Garcia Barra King on Ugly Stik, Shimano Baitrunner on Shimano Silver Tip Rod, Shimano Sedona on Abu Garcia Nexus, Abu Garcia Veritas and Diawa Shinobi (RIP). 

Air Pressure: 1008-1011

Humidity: 60-75%

Overall Success Rate:  5% - An already crappy fishing trip became expensive too!

I hope you enjoyed reading,

Cheers Hamish

Thanks for the report Hamish.

It was good of your Dad to hop in the river regardless of it being some 19 degrees or so and tried to find your rod.

Thanks for taking me out even though it wasn't the most successful trip. 

 

- Charlie 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

On 06/06/2022 at 4:59 PM, ellicat said:

PS Happy birthday for last month.

Thanks Brian. 

11 minutes ago, TheCharliefisho said:

Thanks for the report Hamish.

It was good of your Dad to hop in the river regardless of it being some 19 degrees or so and tried to find your rod.

Thanks for taking me out even though it wasn't the most successful trip. 

 

- Charlie 

No worries Charlie glad you had a good time. 

Cheers Hamish

[The Mad Hughesy]

maybe some magnet fishing is in order? 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

31 minutes ago, christophagus said:

maybe some magnet fishing is in order? 

I definitely should get one. Seems fun to do just in general.

[Drop Bear]

Nice one Hamish. Sorry you lost your rod...