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Around this time for the last 3 years I have promised Mrs Scaley a feed of freshly caught Moreton Bay prawns. Every year she rolls her eyes and sighs, already convinced I won’t deliver. This year, all the signs were good for yesterday - recent rain, some reports of good catches, some spare time for me. Now all I needed was a deckie to do all the hard work. As luck would have it, I had a call from the Dentist (not his real avatar or occupation) and he was expecting another bout of industrial diarrhoea on that very day so a plan was hatched to hit Southern Moreton Bay to finally end the prawn drought. Since he gets very few chances to get out lately we decided to go all out and throw everything at aa ambitious attempt at a seafood basket of prawns, crab and prawns. We launched at 5:45am to catch the low tide for some yabbies. It was then that I discovered that the battery that runs the accessories wasn’t going to deliver for one more trip like I thought, despite charging it up the day before. To make it worse, the Dentist had nagged me about it last time we went out but my thriftiness got the better of me. We laid out our 8 crab pots in a promising spot, then hit spot A for a quick fish before the prawn search began. I was first up with a nice whiting in the mid-thirties followed by a bream about 28cm. I kept the bream in case we didn’t catch a feed. The Dentist, meanwhile, persisted with 2 rods as usual and managed to trawl up all sorts of vermin, including small rays and a huge catfish (sorry for the photo quality - not my forte). After a short session in which we added a few fish to the esky we set off for the main event, the prawn hunt. We checked the pots on the way and there were muddies there, but no legals. So we were hopeful that a longer soak would yield some mouth watering monsters. Prawning without a sounder was always going to be a challenge, but we gave it a red hot crack. I pretended that my casting ability was inferior to the Dentist, so I was able to sit back and marvel as he threw cast after cast - some pancakes, a few figure eights, and I think there was even a trapezoid in there at one stage. We muscled in on a number of prawning scrums (presumably they all had working sounders) from Karragarra Island to Macleay Island and Redland Bay, but not a single prawn was sighted. No one else seemed to be getting any so I couldn’t even blame the Dentist’s casting ability. After what seemed like days but was only a few hours we decided to give up on the prawns and check the pots. No keepers so dropped them in spot B while we had a final crack at the fish. We added a few more whiting to the esky then picked up the empty pots and headed back to the ramp about 2 pm. Not the seafood basket we were hoping for, but still a nice feed of whiting (and one prawn that was ironically caught in a crab pot) and a top day out. Lesson number one from the day is that we can only do two activities in one trip, three is too many. Lesson two is for me not to be so tight and replace the battery before it dies completely. Coincidentally the local German supermarket had 100ah deep cycle batteries for $229 so I grabbed one of those today and will go prawning again soon. Thanks for reading

Went camping over the weekend at North Currigee camp ground on South Stradbroke island got there Friday morning and left midday Sunday. The wind was up most of the weekend so no offshore fishing but the seaway and broadwater were the go to for fishing. Friday after setting up camp we went fishing down in the seaway after finding small live yakkas. 1st drop for both my deckies was a double hook up on jew after a quick measure both jew were just under size so back they went to swim another day. We dropped another couple of jew then the tide started and they went quiet time to head back to camp. The arvo was spent greeting more crew and having a few coldies and beach fishing. That night we sat around the fire it has been a while with fire bans for nearly 6 months. Saturday was windier and only the young lads went fishing fishing , off the pontoon was easier for me. Saturday night was another top night around the camp fire after dinner. It turned out just some good camping with mates top spot and I will be going there again. Sunday morning we had some showers after an early morning storm but we were well protected. We all left together around midday planning the next camp back there will be easy.

Possibly due to a dirty 4-lettered word that starts with W and ends in K, that you used to have to worry about but no longer have to ............

To reply to all those comments.. The shorts even saw a Test match at the Gabba in the 80s..It did taste not to bad ,succulent white flesh similar to a Ling or other Cod like species..When I hooked this fella it did not put up a fight at all as I thought I was dragging in a lump of weed. I know there are some of you elderly gents like me who have fished Whalleys gutter, that's where I caught this bloke plus a couple of Grunter. I am on my way to the Well this weekend.Leaving from Behms creek and try for some flatties or Jacks..Buzzard

Yeah that's Rob this was an upgrade on our usual camp facilities

@Luvit - I saw this topic and my first thought was 'that lucky bu99er hasn't been there again has he ..........' Hope you're well mate.

Nice one Mark, looks a good spot and a bit of an upgrade to another island we may or may not have camped on previously ........ Is that Rob (NoName) in the blue shirt?

This was sent into me yesterday by AFO member Shane Ovington who is in Bowen QLD. He said they got many around the 70 cm mark. I was grateful he took the time to photograph one for us. Solid fish. Hyper Bubblegum 4" paddle did the trick.

We had the place to ourselves I reckon as long as you don't do school holidays or long weekends the facilities were excellent good clean shower and toilet blocks.

St Helens played well but execution close to the line let them down. I really like only having one referee (well two if you count Jake Friend), it lets the game flow. Roosters look a different side without Cronk. Last night’s All Star game was a great spectacle as well. Bring on the real season!

Yes, if you go the oil route you will need to service a lot more regularly as the oil will dry out a lot quicker than the grease. If you don't your bearings will get rusty. Vaso is a good option, but I use the Daiwa grease on my reels and have no issues.

Yeah the weed at kurwongbah was terrible I couldn't even pull a lure through it had to give up spinning and set rods with a live shrimp under a float. Did the trick though. But those weeds are absolutely full of fish food. Big's and shrimps (and baby tilapia) galore

you will have to get 2 rods as 8ft rod useless in the surf This was my favorite heavy rod landed 8ft shark and 50 lb jewies in the surf https://www.outbackadventures.net.au/product/gary-howard-surf-classic-low-mount-2-piece-heavy-fishing-rod/ this is the one more suitable for walking the beach as it is a bit lighter. https://www.outbackadventures.net.au/product/gary-howard-chopper-special-12ft-low-mount-1-piece-spinning-fishing-rod/ both of these rods are specifically designed for alveys for eggbeaters and bait casters you will need a mid mount that are avail. Gary Howard rods are Australian designed by experienced aussie fishamen. I highly recommend alvey reels ( Also Australian designed and made in Brisbane)they are durable,low maintenance and are the only reel that if you drop it in the sand you can just dip it in the water and wash out. Try that with your daiwa or shimano reels. cheers ray

Go a dark purple or black when the water isn't clear.

Enjoy your trip. Do a report when you get back.

Maoris won. Can't remember both the final scores, but the Maoris got 30 with a couple of late tries.

Just watched the World Club Challenge. Pretty good game that started at one hell of a pace.

...and things are a bit different up here! I've been fishing since before I can remember and in tassie I know what to do, where to go ect. But up here I'm struggling a little. First of all I don't know anyone up here who fishes so I'm stuck land based til I make friends with someone who is kind enough to take me out on the water (or til my living situation is stable enough to get a craft of my own) secondly, learning the best way to target new species, though it's very interesting and exciting can be very frustrating with little to no experience or know-how apart from what little useful information I can find by googling. Had a few days up at bundaberg and fished around Burnett and Elliot heads but I've mostly been going land based all around redcliffe. Got smoked by something huge I sight casted at the entrance to the Scarborough marina. Won't get over that one for a while. Got a few grassy sweetlip and a few decent sized bream and a small snapper off queens beach. Few shovel noses and stingrays. Some weird little aquarium looking fish from under woody point jetty. Up at bundaberg did some surf fishing got some swallowtail dart and a little GT and a big slatey bream. I plan to do a lot more fishing on Morton bay in the next couple years so I'd love to meet some people who could share some wisdom with me or even take me for a fish sometime. If any of you find a reason to go to Tasmania hit me up and I'll direct you to some wild brown trout! Cheers take it easy

Plenty of good fish to be caught walking the banks, got this yella in my bday last week.

Yep, remember to tip AGAINST the Titans more times than you tip for them ........ All signed up @ellicat Now to do some research .......

I can see you've joined, Greg. They don't send a weekly email. I'll occasionally post a reminder in this thread, depending how close the competition is From memory we're still waiting on @Old Scaley @kmcrosby78 and @Drop Bear from last years crew. I've invited Jamie Soward and Craig Wing into this year's comp for a bit of fun.

Yes it is cabomba a very invasive weed. Seq water has provided wash down facilities to wash down your watercraft and gear. The last thing we want to happen is for cabomba to be translocated into NPD.

I have just started using J-Braid so I hope not I do notice my knots slip a lot more when tying heavier leader to light braid though so it could be that. Maybe try doubling the braid before tying to leader.

Out of curiosity, what brand lines are you using? I have seen a couple of your posts say your line was snapping or weakened at the knot and wanted to know if it was the brand you are using. I've been using braid to leader for 15+ years and have only been snapped by snags or fish bigger than the breaking strain.

Good luck. Be interested how the fishing is after all the rain.

purple and black spinnerbaits with gold blades. best colour combo in murky water or in low light in my opinion.

Not free but reasonable price call 55773932 to book

Nice! I’m actually fishing the Fitzroy Barra bash competition in May. Haven’t chased barramundi before, looking forward to the challenge. @Luvit I’ll be ordering some gobblers 6” paddle tails shortly!

Hey tugger Alright, that sounds better. Do the campsites cost much or are they free/public use? Cheers Hamish

You could match worms and grasshoppers with plastics. Also frogs and cicadas. There would be some sort of bait fish in there. Maybe smaller redfin, freshwater gar, prawns, shrimp. I've never fished for them but I imagine they'd be similar to bass. Are they considered a noxious pest? I can't find anything that says they have to be destroyed. Can see they are classed as an introduced pest but that is all.

Yeah I use worms and grasshoppers or what ever is about at the time just like catching them with plastics hardbodies and spinners. It’s more fun.

You're most welcome. I'm lucky I had notification still turned on otherwise I may have missed this. The places where you find Barra can be some of the best this country has to offer.

Just a flathead from the jetty

Hi tugger There are some nice jewies there, it's a pity they were just undersize Did you get anything fishing from the beach or the jetty too? Looks like a very nice camping trip Cheers Hamish

Hi @Luvit, Planning to chase some Barra with a mate in the Fitzroy river. Will need to buy some soft plastics, are you able to give some advice on which ones/ size from the gobblers range you would recommend? Cheers tow-knee

Have to change your nickname to Zippy. Have a speedy recovery.

Na they changed that us doller thing if you book in a crusie in aus you don’t use us dollers for drinks and stuff . Ok this is my final time on the forum cya everybody . So long and goodnight . And im not going to NZ on going to the South Pacific islands such as santo and villa

yeah you can do, ive been stuck by cat fish spines before...they give a good tickle!! just a quick snap off with the pliers does the job.

That gear is perfect for offshore here.

Hi all. First post after doing quite a bit of reading. My family and I are moving from NZ to Sunshine Coast in about a years time and working through that process of what to take and what to sell. Originally from the US so have done a fair bit of freshwater fishing there and a lot of saltwater fishing in NZ. We've decided we'll sell our boat as it's too dear to import but planning on bringing our gear. As far as saltwater gear goes, we're set up with 5x 50W Tiagra sets, some Talica 16's and then 6500 series spinning gear. Looking through the forum this is looking like it may be overkill for a lot of the inshore species. Here we fish up to 25 miles out and try to target tuna and marlin in the summer and king fish and snapper throughout the year. Would this be a worthwhile batch of gear to bring along? Anyone want to start up a chat about appropriate size gear, not so much brand, that would be suitable to different fishing styles? Trying to digest everything on the forum but not living there some is a bit hard to imagine.

Yea i will . Thanks see you in 2 weeks

Hi Breaming with Bro Alright, see you then. Hope no-one hops on with Coronavirus like on the Diamond Princess. Have fun and post us up some pictures Cheers Hamish

Yea Australia has endless fishing options and species . Buy a light spin combo and get out there and catch some fish if you need recommendations on fishing gear feel free to ask

Cheers guys. Maybe I should have redirected my comments and looked at the primary species available off the sunny coast from boat. I'm pretty addicted to fishing but Aus is pretty new to me. Love the variety that I'm seeing online, just everything from freshwater bass to crabs and shrimp, on to marlin and wahoo. Looks to be a fishing paradise. Looks like you guys are going lighter on the gear than the kiwis. Seems like here it's a 6500 min unless softbaiting.

Where a few setups i think that would be good light setup 1000-2000 size reel 6lb braid 3-8lb rod medium setup 2000-2500 size reel 8-10lb braid 2-4kg rod medium heavy setup 3000 size reel 15lb braid 3-7kg rod if you want know more detailed setups and brands just ask any time also most of the fish here in Australia have sharp teeth so do your research on what leader is appropriate for the fish your targeting. One of favourite fish to target is bream the light setup i listed is what i use for bream I usually use a 4-6lb leader when targeting bream as they don’t have sharp teeth and are leader shy. Feel free to ask any questions .edit also yea tuna snapper and king fish fishing is fairly popular in Australia so the gear you have now you can use.edit again I’ll list some species you might want to try to target on the sunshine coast or most places on the east coast of Australia I’ll list some fish that are easy to learn how to catch . 1 bream 2 dusky flathead 3 whiting 4 tailor 5 trevally 6 eels . Hope that helps

I had the diawa grease too. Awesome stuff. Liebherr crane boom grease is good as well. I just have a big tin of Castrol Vaso in the shed so I use that .

Unlucky you only got 1 fish at least it was relaxing . Hope you have a better hookup rate next time

Yeah, the All Star's game last night was great! I only saw 'till half time though, who won? Cheers Hamish

Hi Junky Great post, thanks for all the information Looks like I need some new grease too, hopefully I'll visit the tackle shop next weekend Hi Old Scaley Good advice, thanks for the tips I've only really pulled apart reels that are slowing down/sticking a bit to see if something has rusted, my Shimano Nasci has stayed together for the whole time I've had it. Cheers Hamish

Hi, Had a bream comp over there about a month ago. We did well early on topwater lures and shallow cranks over the flats south of Skipper's Canal on the Island side when the tide was high. This stretch usually fishes ok with lures at high tide and ok with live bait for whiting and bream towards the bottom. As for using your Yak to go drop a pot, there are small groups of mangroves across the passage towards the mainland, that hold crabs if you have the stamina to get there and back. Alternatively, you can fish the gutter out the front of Bongaree and south towards Red Beach, using yabbies you can pump just south of the museum. This stretch is hit hard for yabbies, so it can be hit and miss. Use your Yak to similarly go drop pots at the mangroves on the mainland side if you can reach it, or just past the gutter on the island side, await from casting range. Just be careful not to put it in the main boating lanes. Good luck.