The Past Few Trips [Moreton Bay, Victoria, Brisbane River Sessions]

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi all

I'm going to keep these reports short, as I have been slack with reporting my trips lately. This report will be about a couple of crappy Brisbane River Sessions, some fun Moreton Bay sessions on Ellicatch, a trip to Victoria, and some other various fishing trips. 

Brisbane River Session #157

The first trip was at my local park, and it was the first time since I tried properly after the floods. The water was putrid and smelly, the jetty was gone, and I didn't have any bait. The tide was up, but after a few casts in the spots that produce on high tide I had a couple of bony bream. These were deployed immediately, and it only took a few minutes for a line to go off. I begrudgingly blooded my new Shimano Sedona with a small catfish, yuck! After that, I casted a couple more bony bream, which seemed to like the brackish, filthy water, and after one more bite I called it a day after a couple quiet hours. I was happy to have given the local park a crack and have caught a fish.

Yuck

Quick Stats:

Tide: High running out

Bait Caught and Used: Bony Bream

Status of River: Dirty

Tackle Used: 15-30 pound braid mainlines, 15-30 pound fluoro leaders, 3/0-5/o circle hooks, size 2 and 6 ball sinkers, Shimano Sedona 6000 on Abu Garcia Nexus, Ugly Stik on Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, Shimano Stradic on Raider. 

Overall Success Rate: 30% - gave it a crack

Brisbane River Session #158

I believe the next trip was a day after - a session at the same spot with Charlie. I got there a bit past 8 as I couldn't be bothered to wake up early for a vermin session, but I was pleased to get about 20 biddies in three or so casts for bait. Although the bait was abundant my intelligence was not, which led to me sliding down the old muddy walkway on my bum, just stopping before going for a swim. Lol.

Mum not happy...

Anyways, after that, I got a line out and Charlie arrived. He flicked a plastic around for about an hour with no luck, so we sat down and waited for the baits to go off. It didn't take long before a small eel was landed in the structure, following two small catfish which Charlie brought in. Then, as I was checking one line, I felt a big weight and some headshakes. After a bit of a tug or war, I had a big eel (1m 10KG) on the jetty. I chopped my line, and threw the eel away. I got about 100 bony bream, which must've bred after the floods judging by the numbers of them, for future sessions. Interestingly, I caught one small (35cm) and Charlie got one large (45cm) tilly in the cast net too. 

Tilly

Bony Bream

Eels

Quick Stats:

Tide: Mid-low (running out)

River Status: Filthy

Bait Caught and Used: Bony bream

Tackle Used: 15-30 pound braid mainlines, 15-30 pound fluoro leaders, 3/0-5/o circle hooks, size 2 and 6 ball sinkers, Shimano Sedona 6000 on Abu Garcia Nexus, Ugly Stik on Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, Shimano Stradic on Raider. 

Overall Success Rate: 40% - caught something

Fun Day on Moreton Bay

After that session, I was lucky enough to be invited out to go fishing in the bay with Brian (@ellicat). We planned to chase snapper, so after launching at about 7, we crossed a chilly but glassy Moreton Bay to a location to catch bait. After I jigged several livies, which was quite fun (first time using Sabiki Jigs with success) we headed to Brian's first mark.

Sunrise

Our big baits were deployed, and various dead baits and lures were also thrown around for nothing but a couple of pickers. After a couple more boats left/arrived at this spot, we went on our way to the next location - where our success was the same. After only landing pickers or getting pickered for quite some time (including hooking small squire on large hooks and baits) we decided to go to Harry's Reef. At a mark here, we deployed baits, and within a short time period, the ratchet on my Abu Garcia Ambassadeur was making a great noise. The run would've gone on for about 15-20 seconds, but annoyingly the fish did not hook up - this was put down to me having my drag too lose and therefore not setting the hooks properly. After this, we fished in hope for another couple of hours, with the only result being a couple of variously sized Wobbegongs, one of which I tried to eat - lets just say it became berley on the next trip...

Saw Some of These

Another Day On The Bay

After this trip, Brian offered to take me out fishing again on Friday, which was great! We launched at a slightly earlier time and jigged livies again, before trying a different spot first up (than we did the last session). It was quiet here, but the weather was still very good. There were a couple pickers biting, and eventually I pulled in the anchor and we went to a different spot in hope of a fish. It is also worth noting we were on our way to Harries first up but decided not to when we saw it was already busy. Throughout the day, we were kept annoyed with the presence of oversize Wobbygong sharks - one I pulled up was quite large as well.

This one took both of my baits before I realised I was hooked to it

As we persisted throughout the day for a couple more pickers, it became a little bumpy on the bay. For the last spot of the day we ended up at the Ormiston Channel. As the day came to an end I watched a live free pike follow his hooked counterpart to the surface as he was being retrieved. We dodged some crab pots on the way back from Ormiston and eventually arrived back at the ramp, where I think I watched someone pull in a tailor or queenfish (40cm) on a lure from the front of the harbour. 

Thanks heaps again for the two fun days Brian!...even though this report is a bit late.

Never Move to Victoria if You Like Fishing

After that trip, I was off to Victoria to visit my grandparents, go skiing, and maybe try for some fish. Despite my mum's annoyance, I packed my telescopic rod and some basic tackle in with my gear to go fishing. Before any of that happened though, I was in Melbourne for one night and then off to Mount Buller for 3 days of skiing which was great but exhausting. Worth noting was the size of our car - it was a Saic Motor car, and it easily outsized a Prado or Landcruiser. Comfy but painful to park anywhere. One day, I did decide to go fishing. After stopping at Mario's tackle store, I got some powerbait and small hooks. When I arrived at the jetty (Lake Augustine in Geelong - 750 trout put in at the start of the school holidays), I was surprised to see it crowded with 5 people younger than me, caught between them one trout. I fired my bait out and got to waiting. It was very quiet, but after 4 cold hours of fishing, watching people flick lures aimlessly (I say this because it is highly unlikely that these trout would eat a lure because they have been raised on pellets there whole life before being stocked), and catch nothing using corn I finally felt some action on my line. A couple head shakes later I had my 1st and only Rainbow Trout of the trip, was I ate that night after cooking on the fire. 

Fire

Before

After

Brisbane River Session #159

When I got back from that trip, I was keen to go fishing in the river. I decided to meet up with some other fishos and try for some threadies at a spot in the Brisbane River. I arrived at the chosen location at about 6:30AM and the first thing to do was catch bait. A few poddy mullet had already been caught, but despite my (and my Dad’s) best efforts all we could scrounge together were a couple small mullet, winteries, and biddies. We did, however, catch a strip bait (30cm) sized sea mullet, and two bass – about 30 and 45cm. As lines were deployed, hopes were high – and so was the current speed. 6 star sinkers were futile in holding a bait, but the beautiful weather made up for it. As we all waited for our lines to go off, a couple of catties were wound in when baits were being checked. It was looking very quiet though, but notably I caught two more bass (about 35cm) in the cast net. Sabiki jigs did not produce today as well, and apart from catfish the only interesting captures were two large sea mullet in one cast, a few prawns, and the bass. Even though it was quiet fishing I enjoyed being out and catching up with others!

Smaller bass

Quick Stats:

Tide: Run out then rise

Bait Caught and Used: Mullet, Herring, Prawns, caught bass in cast net

Tackle Used: 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, circle hooks, Shimano Aero Baitrunner 6000 on Shimano Silvertip Rod, Ugly Stik on Abu Garcia Ambassadeur. 

Overall Success Rate: 40% - crap fishing but caught some Brisbane River Bass

Trying Something New

The most recent trip was with @TheCharliefisho chasing flatties around Hayes Inlet, Redcliffe. We got the train to Kippa Ring and then the 694 bus to a station near the inlet, where we arrived on a high tide. I had also just bought a new combo – a Diawa Tierra (was going to get a Nasci but BCF Jindalee was out of stock) and an Abu Garcia Veritas 4.o 2.4KG 7foot… nearly the same as the rod I lost. I started off flicking a 4inch Holt Productions Swim Prawn, off the Hornibrook Jetty. We had no luck here, although I missed a hookup, and with crowds flocking to the jetty we decided to head off to the jetty in the middle of the Ted Smout Bridge. It was quiet, but less crowded here as well, and we reluctantly trudged back where we came from when we could not get a bite there (flickbaits, paddletails, grubs). The tide was still up but we started making our way to the sand on Hays Inlet, where we flicked lures up to the pipeline in the Pine for a couple of hours. I’m pretty happy to say I didn’t donut –

Not one flatty

Quick Stats:

Tide: Run Out

Bait Caught and Used: Zman, Baitjunky, Ecogear plastics (mainly 4inch flickbaits/curltails/grubs)

Tackle Used: I fished with an Abu Garcia Veritas 4.0 7 Foot 2-4KG rod on a Diawa Tierra 2500 Reel, spooled with x8 J-braid and 10 pound FC Rock Leader

Overall Success Rate: 20% - wasn't worth the 2.5hr train/bus/walk

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the bad 'stats of trip', I will start doing them properly again from the next report I do! Sorry for any grammar errors. 

Cheers Hamish  

[kmcrosby78]

Nice write up Hamish with some fun outings. Interesting about the wobbegong, I always thought they were protected but doesn't appear that they are in Qld so I learnt something new .

[ellicat]

Some tough fishing days there but at least you got onto a few. The bass were a bit of a surprise in the castnet and the tillies would have been a decent fight. Next holidays we'll get something decent from the Bay.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

13 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

Nice write up Hamish with some fun outings. Interesting about the wobbegong, I always thought they were protected but doesn't appear that they are in Qld so I learnt something new .

Thanks KM, I heard they tasted good as well but pretty painful to fillet.

17 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Some tough fishing days there but at least you got onto a few. The bass were a bit of a surprise in the castnet and the tillies would have been a decent fight. Next holidays we'll get something decent from the Bay.

Thanks Brian, the bass were good to see in the net.

Cheers Hamish

[Hweebe]

Some good variety of fishing there. Seems you wet a line whenever you have a spare moment. Must really have the fishing itch to scratch

Was the wobbegong bled beforehand? I would imagine the skin was tough to cut through to get to the flake?

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

2 hours ago, Hweebe said:

Some good variety of fishing there. Seems you wet a line whenever you have a spare moment. Must really have the fishing itch to scratch

Was the wobbegong bled beforehand? I would imagine the skin was tough to cut through to get to the flake?

Yep, it was bled and brain spiked. And gutted. The skin was the tough part to cut too, but the flesh was pretty tough as well. 

[Ed.]

4 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Yep, it was bled and brain spiked. And gutted. The skin was the tough part to cut too, but the flesh was pretty tough as well. 

It has been many decades since I cut up a Wobbegong to eat but from what I remember, I think it was easier to push the knife under the skin and then cut outwards so that you are not trying to cut into the shark. To me, Wobbegongs did not taste too bad. We used to get quite a few in the craypots.