Brisbane River Session #165, #166, and #167 [Luderick?]

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi all

Last Monday I decided to go and chase some bream in the river on bait, yesterday I went fishing again in a nearby creek, and this morning I went for a luderick fish. No session was very successful but oh well - they were still all fun! 

After getting the train and ferry to the chosen spot (best part of two hours), @TheCharliefisho and I casted out our lines, which consisted of herring/bony bream as bait and lightly weighted running ball sinker rigs. We were fishing around a rock wall in the lower reaches, and we also planned to try some lures later in the day. We sat down and hoped to get some bites straight away, but the session started off quite. 

After 20 minutes, we each started to get some bites - mine were suggestive of a flatty (surging) but Charlie missed something decent which pulled some line off his reel. With a neap/slow tide, we were hopeful the fish would start biting, but after a few more pecks we still had not landed a bream. It was pretty hot, but luckily after another 30 minutes or so I landed the first fish of the day, a tiny bream. 

After that, we had some hopes that a slightly better fish may come along. We also decided that it may be worth flicking a lure around, so I tied on a small crab plastic, and Charlie tried with a grub. We both flicked for about 20 minutes before I got tired and sat back down, but Charlie kept trying his luck for about another half hour. By the time he got back we decided to fish under a nearby wharf which had enough room for both of us to stand up and fish. It didn't take long before I had another small bream, and Charlie was still on the donut! 

We started berleying with some bonies we probably weren't going to get around to using, and fished for about another hour. It had gone pretty quiet once again, but Charlie finished the session off with a slightly larger model, that put up a good fight on his 1000 size Nexave near some rocks. Maybe the fishing was quiet due to the small tides but I reckon I will try this spot again a couple days before a full moon. 

About 27cm, nice little bream

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 4:15AM, 1.4M, High, 10AM, .9M, Low, 5:15PM, 2.1M, High

Moon Phase: 29%, decreasing

Bait Caught: -

Bait Used: Dead herring and bony bream

Fish Caught: 3 x bream

Tackle Used: 6 and 10 pound FC rock leaders, 8 pound mainlines, Abu Garcia Veritas 4.0 on Diawa Tierra 2500, 0 ball sinkers and small baitholder hooks. 

Air Pressure: 35%-63%

Humidity: 1011-1013

Overall Success Rate: 50% - got a couple

Anyways, the next session was just a quick one in the middle of the day. It was at a creek, and I met Charlie at about 12pm. We casted our bonies out, and I was using an Alvey reel on a short rod. It didn't take long before I was getting some nibbles, but annoyingly, that was the only action I had for the day. The same went for Charlie, but he got snagged a couple times too. It's still pretty fresh at this spot but I was surprised that we didn't entice any catfish or eels for our efforts. We only fished for about 2 hours so maybe it was just that we weren't going at the right time or didn't fish for long enough. 

Quick Stats:

Tide: Rising

Bait Used: Dead bony bream

Fish Caught: -

Gear Used: Alvey kids combo, 10 pound mono mainline, size 2 ball sinker and small baitholder hook

Overall Success Rate: 10%

Then today, I convinced my Dad to drop me at a a spot to try luderick fishing in the river, and then let me get the train/ferry home. I was eager to try fishing for them and hopeful that I may encounter one. I rigged up my 11 foot surf rod on a Alvey surf reel (not a centrepin reel but the long rod helped) and got some gear together in a bag, and left home with my Dad at about 5:45AM. After a drive, we arrived at a jetty to grab some weed, and then I went back to the car and got dropped at the rock wall I had chosen to try my luck.

I think this is called brown weed - next time I will try some cabbage

I was definitely hopeful as I casted my line out, and the tide was conveniently in a slack period which helped me fine tune my float and the sinkers on it. When I got the float sitting correctly, I chucked some berley in the water, sat down, and began to eagerly watch my float. Then, interestingly, a dead squire or luderick floated by in the water, which was slightly odd. Maybe a release gone wrong. Anyways, it was a nice temperature and the sun was yet to rise from the trees behind me so it was looking promising. 

Dead squire or luderick

I would keep my line in for about ten minutes at a time before winding in to check I still had weed on my hook, and each time I would try casting a different length or slightly different spot. The calm water made it easy to watch the float, and I aimed to get the bait sitting at the edge of the rocks and into the deeper water, which I figured is where a luderick would be patrolling. 

The Setup

I eventually figured out that for the float I was using (cheap BCF one) you need to have a split shot near the weed to prevent it from tangling, as having the weed unweighted would make it wrap around the float during the cast. This was the rig I was using - 

 

Rig (needed some refining) - was about 1.5m from float stopper to hook

I kept walking up and down the rockwall for no 'downs', but I stayed hopeful that I would catch something. I was then rewarded with a snag too close to shore for me to bust it off, so I waded into the river enough for me to pluck my hook out of the rocks. Eventually the tide started to pick up making it impossible to fish the rockwall (as the bait would just be swept back in to shore) but I walked to a nearby platform and joined a bait fisherman. I had a chat to him about fishing the river, and he had caught some nice fish at this location (thready, jew, squire, grunter), so I think I may try it one time soon. I kept berleying and changing my bait, but it was to no avail. The wind then picked up considerably making fishing with an Alvey difficult but I persisted until about 9:30AM, then walked back to the ferry empty handed and got the train from Southbank home. Maybe next time I will try the POB ramp rock wall, otherwise I might give the luderick a miss until next Winter.

Any tips from someone who knows what they are doing would be greatly appreciated. Next time I might also try and use some of the algae growth on rocks as bait or berley as well. I can definitely see how some people like luderick fishing a lot as it was quite peaceful watching the float all morning.

Berley

Bait on hook

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 2AM, .7M, Low, 7:40AM, 1.8M, High, 1:30PM, .6M, Low

Moon Phase: 19.6%, decreasing, tide getting stronger

Bait Caught: Brown Weed

Bait Used: Brown Weed

Weather: Sunny with clouds, wind picked up at about 9AM

Humidity: 80%

Air Pressure: 1014

General Conditions: Calm until about 9AM then windy, tried around rocks and rock wall, used brown weed, no fish, clear water

Overall Success Rate: 40% - pleasant but lonely morning trying something new

Hope you enjoyed the reports,

Cheers Hamish

[Junky]

I never specifically targeted ludrick but fellas I knew did. 

They swore by a certain type of weed. I'm sorry I cannot remember the exact name but I'm sure it was collected from pontoons around the Goldy.

Had to be this certain type though, well it didn't, but if you did manage to have some, it would work very well in your favour. 

 

I have no doubt you will get one soon. You have the right attitude. 

[ellicat]

3 days fishing Vs 3 days of school - no contest ! haha

I reckon the floater is a luderick. Doesn't look deep enough for it to be a squire. They must be there, but a tough assignment you've given yourself to get one in a muddy waterway. I'm thinking they would prefer clearer waters to see the weed ??

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

14 hours ago, Junky said:

I never specifically targeted ludrick but fellas I knew did. 

They swore by a certain type of weed. I'm sorry I cannot remember the exact name but I'm sure it was collected from pontoons around the Goldy.

Had to be this certain type though, well it didn't, but if you did manage to have some, it would work very well in your favour. 

 

I have no doubt you will get one soon. You have the right attitude. 

Thanks Junky. Next time I will experiment with some different weed/cabbage. 

13 minutes ago, ellicat said:

3 days fishing Vs 3 days of school - no contest ! haha

I reckon the floater is a luderick. Doesn't look deep enough for it to be a squire. They must be there, but a tough assignment you've given yourself to get one in a muddy waterway. I'm thinking they would prefer clearer waters to see the weed ??

That would make sense Brian, maybe the POB rock wall would be better. Although on the rising tide and high tide the water is decently clear in this stretch of the river.

Cheers Hamish 

[charlie.hans.fishing]

17 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi all

Last Monday I decided to go and chase some bream in the river on bait, yesterday I went fishing again in a nearby creek, and this morning I went for a luderick fish. No session was very successful but oh well - they were still all fun! 

After getting the train and ferry to the chosen spot (best part of two hours), @TheCharliefisho and I casted out our lines, which consisted of herring/bony bream as bait and lightly weighted running ball sinker rigs. We were fishing around a rock wall in the lower reaches, and we also planned to try some lures later in the day. We sat down and hoped to get some bites straight away, but the session started off quite. 

After 20 minutes, we each started to get some bites - mine were suggestive of a flatty (surging) but Charlie missed something decent which pulled some line off his reel. With a neap/slow tide, we were hopeful the fish would start biting, but after a few more pecks we still had not landed a bream. It was pretty hot, but luckily after another 30 minutes or so I landed the first fish of the day, a tiny bream. 

After that, we had some hopes that a slightly better fish may come along. We also decided that it may be worth flicking a lure around, so I tied on a small crab plastic, and Charlie tried with a grub. We both flicked for about 20 minutes before I got tired and sat back down, but Charlie kept trying his luck for about another half hour. By the time he got back we decided to fish under a nearby wharf which had enough room for both of us to stand up and fish. It didn't take long before I had another small bream, and Charlie was still on the donut! 

We started berleying with some bonies we probably weren't going to get around to using, and fished for about another hour. It had gone pretty quiet once again, but Charlie finished the session off with a slightly larger model, that put up a good fight on his 1000 size Nexave near some rocks. Maybe the fishing was quiet due to the small tides but I reckon I will try this spot again a couple days before a full moon. 

About 27cm, nice little bream

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 4:15AM, 1.4M, High, 10AM, .9M, Low, 5:15PM, 2.1M, High

Moon Phase: 29%, decreasing

Bait Caught: -

Bait Used: Dead herring and bony bream

Fish Caught: 3 x bream

Tackle Used: 6 and 10 pound FC rock leaders, 8 pound mainlines, Abu Garcia Veritas 4.0 on Diawa Tierra 2500, 0 ball sinkers and small baitholder hooks. 

Air Pressure: 35%-63%

Humidity: 1011-1013

Overall Success Rate: 50% - got a couple

Anyways, the next session was just a quick one in the middle of the day. It was at a creek, and I met Charlie at about 12pm. We casted our bonies out, and I was using an Alvey reel on a short rod. It didn't take long before I was getting some nibbles, but annoyingly, that was the only action I had for the day. The same went for Charlie, but he got snagged a couple times too. It's still pretty fresh at this spot but I was surprised that we didn't entice any catfish or eels for our efforts. We only fished for about 2 hours so maybe it was just that we weren't going at the right time or didn't fish for long enough. 

Quick Stats:

Tide: Rising

Bait Used: Dead bony bream

Fish Caught: -

Gear Used: Alvey kids combo, 10 pound mono mainline, size 2 ball sinker and small baitholder hook

Overall Success Rate: 10%

Then today, I convinced my Dad to drop me at a a spot to try luderick fishing in the river, and then let me get the train/ferry home. I was eager to try fishing for them and hopeful that I may encounter one. I rigged up my 11 foot surf rod on a Alvey surf reel (not a centrepin reel but the long rod helped) and got some gear together in a bag, and left home with my Dad at about 5:45AM. After a drive, we arrived at a jetty to grab some weed, and then I went back to the car and got dropped at the rock wall I had chosen to try my luck.

I think this is called brown weed - next time I will try some cabbage

I was definitely hopeful as I casted my line out, and the tide was conveniently in a slack period which helped me fine tune my float and the sinkers on it. When I got the float sitting correctly, I chucked some berley in the water, sat down, and began to eagerly watch my float. Then, interestingly, a dead squire or luderick floated by in the water, which was slightly odd. Maybe a release gone wrong. Anyways, it was a nice temperature and the sun was yet to rise from the trees behind me so it was looking promising. 

Dead squire or luderick

I would keep my line in for about ten minutes at a time before winding in to check I still had weed on my hook, and each time I would try casting a different length or slightly different spot. The calm water made it easy to watch the float, and I aimed to get the bait sitting at the edge of the rocks and into the deeper water, which I figured is where a luderick would be patrolling. 

The Setup

I eventually figured out that for the float I was using (cheap BCF one) you need to have a split shot near the weed to prevent it from tangling, as having the weed unweighted would make it wrap around the float during the cast. This was the rig I was using - 

 

Rig (needed some refining) - was about 1.5m from float stopper to hook

I kept walking up and down the rockwall for no 'downs', but I stayed hopeful that I would catch something. I was then rewarded with a snag too close to shore for me to bust it off, so I waded into the river enough for me to pluck my hook out of the rocks. Eventually the tide started to pick up making it impossible to fish the rockwall (as the bait would just be swept back in to shore) but I walked to a nearby platform and joined a bait fisherman. I had a chat to him about fishing the river, and he had caught some nice fish at this location (thready, jew, squire, grunter), so I think I may try it one time soon. I kept berleying and changing my bait, but it was to no avail. The wind then picked up considerably making fishing with an Alvey difficult but I persisted until about 9:30AM, then walked back to the ferry empty handed and got the train from Southbank home. Maybe next time I will try the POB ramp rock wall, otherwise I might give the luderick a miss until next Winter.

Any tips from someone who knows what they are doing would be greatly appreciated. Next time I might also try and use some of the algae growth on rocks as bait or berley as well. I can definitely see how some people like luderick fishing a lot as it was quite peaceful watching the float all morning.

Berley

Bait on hook

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 2AM, .7M, Low, 7:40AM, 1.8M, High, 1:30PM, .6M, Low

Moon Phase: 19.6%, decreasing, tide getting stronger

Bait Caught: Brown Weed

Bait Used: Brown Weed

Weather: Sunny with clouds, wind picked up at about 9AM

Humidity: 80%

Air Pressure: 1014

General Conditions: Calm until about 9AM then windy, tried around rocks and rock wall, used brown weed, no fish, clear water

Overall Success Rate: 40% - pleasant but lonely morning trying something new

Hope you enjoyed the reports,

Cheers Hamish

Awesome report Hamish. It was a donut saver to get that little bream and it put up a fun little fight. 

Too bad we didn't even manage a cattie at the creek spot.... 

Nice work trying out the luderick fishing at the rocks we should go together sometime!

- Cheers Charlie