Four Day Weekend [Brisbane River Session #208-#212]

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi all

Well I'm back at school now but had a four day weekend this/last week so decided to make the most of it. I saw some nice fish get caught but didn't catch too much myself, but that's alright as it can be like that sometimes. The first session was on Saturday, in hopes of a thready or jew.

After arriving by about 6:00AM, I was a bit disappointed to see the jetty trashed and a whole heap of people who had been fishing overnight still there. I still managed to push my way in and get a couple of baits out though, which took some time to catch as it was the last of the runout tide. I had live mullet and biddies, but the fish weren't biting. It is also worth noting the group who had been there overnight had half a bucket of prawns, so I'll have to try that soon at night. Anyways, I fished for a couple of hours for two catfish, and it wasn't long before Andrew and Michael arrived. They got some baits out, and seeing as though the tide had turned we managed to catch a fair few herring on the bait jig and in the cast net. 

To sum up the session, we basically caught no fish except a couple of seatoads, and apart from a few little nibbles which were probably just bream anyways, we didn't have any good action. I think I will probably give this spot a break until it cools down and hopefully deters all the crowds. I finished up at about 3:15PM too, and got the ferry and train home. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 5:30AM, .6M, Low, 11:10AM, 2.9M, High, 5:20PM, .5M, Low

Moon Phase: Just after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Herring, mullet, silver biddies

Humidity: 74% (dropped to 54%)

Air Pressure: 1017

Fish Caught: Catfish x 2

Gear Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Overall Success Rate: 10% - dismal session

The next morning, I went for a fish with @Thorbjorn Hale at a new spot for me. I arrived by about 8:30AM and caught some herring, and it wasn't long before we had a bunch of lines out. Another guy who was fishing with us, Steve, was the first to hook up for the day, and it only took about five minutes. After a fast take, he managed to pull in a medium sized jewfish, which didn't fight too hard but did take a very fast take. Unfortunately, as we were trying to land it in the dilly, it managed to get free and kick back away. All good, we thought, now just to catch another one. Next, it was Thorbjorn's turn. His rod went off, and after setting the hooks he started the fight. It didn't take any runs, but eventually we had a slightly smaller jewie on the jetty, coming in at 45CM. Nice. After we released that, we continued catching plenty of herring on the bait jigs, but the bite went a little quiet. 

It wasn't too long before Steve's rod screamed off, and he set the hook to something alright. I had just pulled in a rather large seatoad, so after getting that off I was watching the fight to see what would surface. The fish was taking a couple good runs, and we were all pleased to see a good thready surface. Thorbjorn got it in the dilly before long, and after a quick photo and vent it was released on it's way. A little while later, Thorbjorn hooked up to another solid fish, and after a few headshakes and a run or two, we had another jewie, just a couple centimeters undersize, in the dilly and on the jetty. After this, it went a bit quiet, and as it got later in the morning the bigger fish seemed to stop biting and we just kept getting pickered. Eventually, the tide changed, and to save myself from a completely fishless session I caught a 40CM tailor, which Steve kept for a feed. As the bites continued to dwindle, we left at about 2:30PM, all pretty happy with the session as a lot of good fish were caught. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 6:15AM, .7M, Low, 11:30AM, 2M, High, 6:00PM, .5M, Low

Moon Phase: Two days after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Live herring 

Fish Caught: I caught 1 x tailor, others caught 3 x jew, 1 x threadfin

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Air Pressure: 1018

Humidity: 63% (dropping to 47%)

Overall Success Rate: 65% - saw some great fish caught, not on my line though

The next morning, you can probably guess where I went, and seeing as though I didn't have school I was hoping for a thready or jewie. I arrived by sunrise, and Steve and Thorbjorn were down around then too. We got bait in no time, and with our lines out we were hoping to replicate the previous mornings session. It wasn't long before Steve brought in a 45CM tailor, and after the tide turned and a decent wait Steve was on again. This time, it was a 65CM jewie, and it put up a decent fight before being dillied, vented, and released. We had high hopes now, and continued fishing and jigging bait. Steve also had a pike on the bait jig munched by a 60CM+ tailor on the surface (I saw it happen too), which was cool to watch, so maybe next time I'll pack a rod with a slug or jig. 

I was only allowed to stay till eleven that day, so I tried to catch at least something before I finished up. Unfortunately, the last part of the rising tide only produced several vermin fish including catties and toadies, but Thorbjorn did nab another nice high forties tailor, which was good to see. Anyways, I got the train and ferry home and managed to convince my parents to let me have one more go at a local fishing spot. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 7:00AM, .8M, Low, 12:00PM, 1.8M, High

Moon Phase: Three days after New Moon

Air Pressure: 1019

Humidity: 75%

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Bait Caught and Used: Live herring

Fish Caught: I caught a sea toad, others caught one jew and 2 x tailor

Overall Success Rate: 65% - some more good fish caught

Today, I arrived at a local spot at about 10AM, to see one other family fishing there. I got bait in my net easily enough, and managed to get my three rods out with live mullet in hope of a thready. It wasn't long before another family came down, and seeing as though this is a rather small jetty it was really packed already. I hooked up to a 40CM or so catfish early on, which was a waste of my mullet, but continued to fish.

A bit of rain hit us and one of the families swapped with a new one coming, so it was still crowded. I wasn't getting any bites, and I think the most exciting thing I encountered was a small sand whiting in the cast net. I gave it another 1.5 hours, but eventually two families came down, putting the total up to about 20 people on the jetty. This was way to crowded for me, and I headed off shortly after with nothing to put a smile on my face for the day. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 1:40PM, 1.5M, High

Moon Phase: Four days after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Live mullet

Fish Caught: 1 x catfish

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Air Pressure: 1019

Humidity: 81%

Overall Success Rate: 15% - dismal session, should've gone elsewhere

Anyway, even though it was a few quiet sessions for me, it was good to see a couple good fish get caught, and also learn some new techniques and a new spot. Hopefully next weekend I'll manage something decent before school gets too busy. Thanks for reading,

Cheers Hamish

Tailor - @Thorbjorn Hale may have some more photos if he does a report or posts them somewhere. 

[Angry51]

That little session/s will keep the adiction at bay till next break Hamish.

Couple of good mornings fishing with friends.

Good report, thanks.

[Old Scaley]

Nice report, Hamish. Good to see some tailor around already and good size as well. A mate has been getting some gooduns off the northern NSW beaches for a few weeks now, so we might be in for a good season.

[Bretto77]

Good job getting out. You lads are all taking every opportunity. Great to see.

[charlie.hans.fishing]

Good report Hamish. It's a shame you didn't get onto the jew. There's always next time!

[Neil Stratford]

Well done Hamish, good to see you and your mates catching a few .

Shame about the crowd .

Regards

Neil

[ellicat]

Good to see you get out with @Thorbjorn Hale. Great that AFO continues to put people together.

Some nice fish caught by the sounds of it and sometimes it feels like a good session if anyone in the group catches some decent ones.

Good luck next weekend.

[Junky]

19 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

 

 

That there is what I call a Spanish lollipop. 

 

Seems like a good session hamish. 

[Rebel]

Top report.

Well done.

[Doughnuts]

Great report Hamish, chasing those freds land based is always fun.!

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

On 25/4/2023 at 5:52 PM, Angry51 said:

That little session/s will keep the adiction at bay till next break Hamish.

Couple of good mornings fishing with friends.

Good report, thanks.

Thanks Angry.

On 25/4/2023 at 6:54 PM, Old Scaley said:

Nice report, Hamish. Good to see some tailor around already and good size as well. A mate has been getting some gooduns off the northern NSW beaches for a few weeks now, so we might be in for a good season.

Thanks Steve, hopefully there’s a lot more around soon.

On 25/4/2023 at 7:29 PM, Bretto77 said:

Good job getting out. You lads are all taking every opportunity. Great to see.

Thanks Brett.

On 25/4/2023 at 7:42 PM, TheCharliefisho said:

Good report Hamish. It's a shame you didn't get onto the jew. There's always next time!

Cheers Charlie

On 25/4/2023 at 9:30 PM, Neil Stratford said:

Well done Hamish, good to see you and your mates catching a few .

Shame about the crowd .

Regards

Neil

Thanks Neil.

22 hours ago, ellicat said:

Good to see you get out with @Thorbjorn Hale. Great that AFO continues to put people together.

Some nice fish caught by the sounds of it and sometimes it feels like a good session if anyone in the group catches some decent ones.

Good luck next weekend.

Yep, it was good to meet up and catch some fish. Thanks Brian.

18 hours ago, Rebel said:

Top report.

Well done.

Thanks Rebel.

18 hours ago, Junky said:

That there is what I call a Spanish lollipop. 

 

Seems like a good session hamish. 

Thanks Damo.

11 hours ago, Doughnuts said:

Great report Hamish, chasing those freds land based is always fun.!

Cheers Doughnuts, it always is.

[Thorbjorn Hale]

On 25/4/2023 at 5:21 PM, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi all

Well I'm back at school now but had a four day weekend this/last week so decided to make the most of it. I saw some nice fish get caught but didn't catch too much myself, but that's alright as it can be like that sometimes. The first session was on Saturday, in hopes of a thready or jew.

After arriving by about 6:00AM, I was a bit disappointed to see the jetty trashed and a whole heap of people who had been fishing overnight still there. I still managed to push my way in and get a couple of baits out though, which took some time to catch as it was the last of the runout tide. I had live mullet and biddies, but the fish weren't biting. It is also worth noting the group who had been there overnight had half a bucket of prawns, so I'll have to try that soon at night. Anyways, I fished for a couple of hours for two catfish, and it wasn't long before Andrew and Michael arrived. They got some baits out, and seeing as though the tide had turned we managed to catch a fair few herring on the bait jig and in the cast net. 

To sum up the session, we basically caught no fish except a couple of seatoads, and apart from a few little nibbles which were probably just bream anyways, we didn't have any good action. I think I will probably give this spot a break until it cools down and hopefully deters all the crowds. I finished up at about 3:15PM too, and got the ferry and train home. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 5:30AM, .6M, Low, 11:10AM, 2.9M, High, 5:20PM, .5M, Low

Moon Phase: Just after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Herring, mullet, silver biddies

Humidity: 74% (dropped to 54%)

Air Pressure: 1017

Fish Caught: Catfish x 2

Gear Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Overall Success Rate: 10% - dismal session

The next morning, I went for a fish with @Thorbjorn Hale at a new spot for me. I arrived by about 8:30AM and caught some herring, and it wasn't long before we had a bunch of lines out. Another guy who was fishing with us, Steve, was the first to hook up for the day, and it only took about five minutes. After a fast take, he managed to pull in a medium sized jewfish, which didn't fight too hard but did take a very fast take. Unfortunately, as we were trying to land it in the dilly, it managed to get free and kick back away. All good, we thought, now just to catch another one. Next, it was Thorbjorn's turn. His rod went off, and after setting the hooks he started the fight. It didn't take any runs, but eventually we had a slightly smaller jewie on the jetty, coming in at 45CM. Nice. After we released that, we continued catching plenty of herring on the bait jigs, but the bite went a little quiet. 

It wasn't too long before Steve's rod screamed off, and he set the hook to something alright. I had just pulled in a rather large seatoad, so after getting that off I was watching the fight to see what would surface. The fish was taking a couple good runs, and we were all pleased to see a good thready surface. Thorbjorn got it in the dilly before long, and after a quick photo and vent it was released on it's way. A little while later, Thorbjorn hooked up to another solid fish, and after a few headshakes and a run or two, we had another jewie, just a couple centimeters undersize, in the dilly and on the jetty. After this, it went a bit quiet, and as it got later in the morning the bigger fish seemed to stop biting and we just kept getting pickered. Eventually, the tide changed, and to save myself from a completely fishless session I caught a 40CM tailor, which Steve kept for a feed. As the bites continued to dwindle, we left at about 2:30PM, all pretty happy with the session as a lot of good fish were caught. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 6:15AM, .7M, Low, 11:30AM, 2M, High, 6:00PM, .5M, Low

Moon Phase: Two days after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Live herring 

Fish Caught: I caught 1 x tailor, others caught 3 x jew, 1 x threadfin

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Air Pressure: 1018

Humidity: 63% (dropping to 47%)

Overall Success Rate: 65% - saw some great fish caught, not on my line though

The next morning, you can probably guess where I went, and seeing as though I didn't have school I was hoping for a thready or jewie. I arrived by sunrise, and Steve and Thorbjorn were down around then too. We got bait in no time, and with our lines out we were hoping to replicate the previous mornings session. It wasn't long before Steve brought in a 45CM tailor, and after the tide turned and a decent wait Steve was on again. This time, it was a 65CM jewie, and it put up a decent fight before being dillied, vented, and released. We had high hopes now, and continued fishing and jigging bait. Steve also had a pike on the bait jig munched by a 60CM+ tailor on the surface (I saw it happen too), which was cool to watch, so maybe next time I'll pack a rod with a slug or jig. 

I was only allowed to stay till eleven that day, so I tried to catch at least something before I finished up. Unfortunately, the last part of the rising tide only produced several vermin fish including catties and toadies, but Thorbjorn did nab another nice high forties tailor, which was good to see. Anyways, I got the train and ferry home and managed to convince my parents to let me have one more go at a local fishing spot. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 7:00AM, .8M, Low, 12:00PM, 1.8M, High

Moon Phase: Three days after New Moon

Air Pressure: 1019

Humidity: 75%

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Bait Caught and Used: Live herring

Fish Caught: I caught a sea toad, others caught one jew and 2 x tailor

Overall Success Rate: 65% - some more good fish caught

Today, I arrived at a local spot at about 10AM, to see one other family fishing there. I got bait in my net easily enough, and managed to get my three rods out with live mullet in hope of a thready. It wasn't long before another family came down, and seeing as though this is a rather small jetty it was really packed already. I hooked up to a 40CM or so catfish early on, which was a waste of my mullet, but continued to fish.

A bit of rain hit us and one of the families swapped with a new one coming, so it was still crowded. I wasn't getting any bites, and I think the most exciting thing I encountered was a small sand whiting in the cast net. I gave it another 1.5 hours, but eventually two families came down, putting the total up to about 20 people on the jetty. This was way to crowded for me, and I headed off shortly after with nothing to put a smile on my face for the day. 

Stats of Trip:

Tide: 1:40PM, 1.5M, High

Moon Phase: Four days after New Moon

Bait Caught and Used: Live mullet

Fish Caught: 1 x catfish

Tackle Used: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur on Ugly Stik, Shimano Aero 6000 on Kmart rod, Shimano Baitrunner DC on Surf Rod. 20 and 30 pound braid mainlines, 30 pound leaders, size 4 star sinkers, 6/o circle hooks. 

Air Pressure: 1019

Humidity: 81%

Overall Success Rate: 15% - dismal session, should've gone elsewhere

Anyway, even though it was a few quiet sessions for me, it was good to see a couple good fish get caught, and also learn some new techniques and a new spot. Hopefully next weekend I'll manage something decent before school gets too busy. Thanks for reading,

Cheers Hamish

Tailor - @Thorbjorn Hale may have some more photos if he does a report or posts them somewhere. 

Great to go for a fish with you and Steve. Shame you didn’t catch anything but I’m amazed how many fish Steve managed to pull out. 

[Thorbjorn Hale]

I was thinking of doing a report but you’ve pretty much covered everything, so it saves me the effort haha. 
here are the photos

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

19 hours ago, Thorbjorn Hale said:

Great to go for a fish with you and Steve. Shame you didn’t catch anything but I’m amazed how many fish Steve managed to pull out. 

Cheers Thorbjorn, and it was good to get out for a fish. Hopefully they keep biting.