queensland anyone remember fishing the pumicestone passage before they banned netting in 1995

[fatboy]

Bit of a reminisce from an old fella

I've been looking through some old fishing diaries i kept and photos of fish I caught in the passage in the early eighties and nineties, the fish got smaller over the decade and harder to catch, not like I remember as a kid fishing with my Dad in the sixties and seventies when the fish were plentiful and some really big suckers as well, I pretty much gave it away mid nineties as it was hard work catching a feed and my kids starting playing sport.

The State Government banned all netting in the passage in October 1995 I think that's the date.

I still fished and camped sporadically with my Son around Mission Pt though fishing was tough, I reckon it took a good 10 years before some real improvement started to happen, so with the kids grown up I invested in a new boat and started fishing again, tried all my old spots and slowly but surely catches improved.

Had some great sessions in the creeks from 2005 to 2020 when I used to fish 3 times a week on average, gave it away couple of years ago and took up growing vegetables.

The pros still rape and pillage the whiting around red beach in September, anything that resides around Cooks rocks several times a year, and the top end of the passage near Caloundra when the bream come in in June.

Fishing in the passage could be sensational but for the pros, anyway it is what it is.

Love to hear from anyone who fished the passage leading up to the banning of the pro netters.

fatboy

[mangajack]

From my recollection of the passage from about '78 through to now it has been in decline in stages.

We all thought there would be a remarkable increase in fish but I did not notice anything increasing over the following few years. 

The 80's had a bit of a sharp decline towards the end of the decade.

The 90's was fairly static with bags reducing a bit.....new techniques opened up more avenues but still could not match the mid 80's capture rates.

About 2005 the fishing pressure really started ramping up again and numbers of fish reduced.....except for jew.....they were increasing in numbers but mostly undersized.

2011, 2013 and 2019 all were very wet years that kept me away from there for long periods.

The past year i gave the passage a big nudge and either I have forgotten things or something has changed and I am not finding the numbers before.

For example I could go mid week for an evening and score 3-8 jacks per session....these days I find I am lucky to get one and if I get two in a session I buy the lotto on the way home.

But for your question.....the ceasation of the netters in the passage did not have a big impact for me.

[fatboy]

Always value your opinion Tony 

I've always fished target species, tide and location specific Tony, much like you i reckon, my main targets are always yellow fin whiting, school jew and in the last 20 years javelin. I found the wet years always had a silver lining in as much that lots of rain equals lots of prawns equals school jew.

In my opinion size limits particularly on flathead and school jew, catch and release, and no netting  have improved my catches. I didn't fish the passage itself much, I mainly focused on Ningi, Elimbah and Glasshouse creeks. 

I am a real believer that if you spend time to understand your target species, just like you with your jacks, and you fish often you will accumulate knowledge and decrease the number of donuts trips.

An example of this is yellowfin whiting more commonly known as summer whiting, people mostly fish for them in summer, however the best time to catch them is in fact in September, June and July, another is school jew, they hit the holes in the creeks when the prawns start running in April, provided we had good summer rain which encourages the prawns to emerge from the sediment and look for food and commence their life cycle, eventually spawning in the ocean before returning to the creeks to do it all over again.

One species that you rarely caught in the passage and creeks in the nineties was javelin, I started catching them in the creeks from 2005 onwards, I personally believe an increase in water temperatures encouraged them to migrate further south. Some days their is so many of them undersize it can be hard to catch anything else. A barred javelin 40cm+ is great fun on light gear and they are excellent to eat.

Anyway good fishing to everyone

fatboy

 

 

[Rebel]

It is same down here on the Central Coast. Over the years the fishing has dropped off. That is why I move around.

I can remember when I was a young guy, I would go prawning at the Entrance with my Dad & we would bring home  the old sugar bags full of prawns. We would have so many prawns we would give them to the neighbours. Not anymore. At least when I go rock fishing I do catch something. Avoca rocks is the most popular place on the Coast. Sometimes it is like Surfers Paradise on a friday night. I  don't go there much because of the crowds. If you want to get into the big fish in NSW, you have to head north to Crowdy head, Ballina & places like that.

My ten cents worth.

Cheers.

[fatboy]

Your 100% right, also as you can vouch for, a lot more people are fishing now, boat ramps are a nightmare these days, common courtesy and etiquette has gone out the window in a lot of easily accessible fishing spots, if I was a bit more capable I would invest in a kayak to fish the creeks to get away from the crowds but maybe next life time, hope I don't come back as a mud crab but.

[Huxstang]

Fished Bribie when folks moved up there in 1990 through to @1998.   We didnt bother much because as you say, catches were sporadic.  Always got a great feed of diver whiting out on the cockle banks.

Passage hold good memories though as got my PB flathead of 82cm on a little Nilsmaster on a Starlo 2-4kg baitcaster with a Quantum low profile (I still own that whole combo) was up the passage but land based at Mission Point in @ 1997.  

[fatboy]

2 hours ago, Huxstang said:

Fished Bribie when folks moved up there in 1990 through to @1998.   We didnt bother much because as you say, catches were sporadic.  Always got a great feed of diver whiting out on the cockle banks.

Passage hold good memories though as got my PB flathead of 82cm on a little Nilsmaster on a Starlo 2-4kg baitcaster with a Quantum low profile (I still own that whole combo) was up the passage but land based at Mission Point in @ 1997.  

That's a good lizard on that gear anyone would be proud of.

Mission Pt is a great spot for camping and the odd XO barred javelin, I used to fish the bank out front of the campsites very early mornings midweek to avoid the boat traffic. Great sunsets over the Glasshouse Mtns when camping and sinking a coldie with a fire going in winter.

Hope you catch plenty

fatboy