John

Whoops forgot spot tails! In particular Chris's cracker...

What a trip!
Not exactly the one I wanted but there are stories none the less. To explain briefly without going into to much personal detail 1.5 days into the triup and my dad got extrmely sick forcing me to leave and take him back to Kimbe for care. Gutted. I was happy to write it off as I have enjoyed the experience before. I was devastated for him as he was having such a good time. He managed one small black bass for his efforts. Thus I am left with not a lot to report except images. I am sure @John would be happy to fill in many details.
Points of interest were the bass were challenging to target due to an early arrival of white bait but some creative use of soft plastics enticed many to bite.
As far as hard bodies go trends moved back to my first trip experience with FCL Labo lures killing.
I do not have heaps of time to write paragraphs so will add some pictures now and more text later or reply to questions as they come.
Visit to the village:

Black  Bass (Have so many more but how many can you see?):


 
Other Lutjanus species for the trip:

Trevally:



 
Questions? I have so many more pictures of bass, cod, randoms, jacks... just trying to choose highlights.

Deadly prawn virus detected at supermarkets
The deadly white spot virus has been detected in prawns being sold at southeast Queensland supermarkets, reigniting warnings of the risk posed to local stocks.
Prawns bought from 10 retail outlets and tested for the virus by University of the Sunshine Coast professor Wayne Knibb found about one third had been or were infected.
"Clearly, if we can find in a very limited sample 30 per cent of samples that were in the history connected or in contact with the virus, then clearly we're playing with fire here," Professor Knibb told the ABC's Four Corners.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/07/02/13/01/prawns-whitespot-infected-queensland
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-02/prawns-carrying-white-spot-discovered-in-queensland-supermarkets/9914610
 
White spot disease: Is it safe to eat infected prawns?
Yes. Infected prawns do not pose any threat to human health or food safety. 
Recent testing conducted for Four Corners found traces of the virus present in 30 per cent of samples purchased from a range of supermarkets in south-east Queensland. 
What is white spot?
It's a highly contagious viral disease that affects crustaceans including prawns, crabs, yabbies and lobsters. Marine worms are also considered to be carriers of the disease.
The disease kills prawns and outbreaks can cause mass mortality in prawn farms. 
Signs of white spot in prawns include: 
A loose shell with visible white spots and pink to red discolouration Unusual swimming patterns Reduced feeding Farmed prawns may gather at the edge or surface of ponds White spot is widespread in prawn farming regions of Asia and the Americas, where it has led to severe economic losses.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-02/white-spot-disease-is-it-safe-to-eat-infected-prawns/9890588

OK... With the upcoming monthly social events the idea was thrown out there that an article be written up prior to the event that could be made into a FrontPage article for all to see detailing the species for that month and a sort of “How To” on catching them.  This would enable people that are keen on chasing the nominated species an insight on fishing for them and might offer them a few tips or point them in the right direction.



Now first up I’m not necessarily to best qualified nor have I caught the most Long tail Tuna in Moreton Bay but I have chased them in boats and a yaks with success and thought I could write up an article on chasing these speedsters that might help a few other people on the site.  Feel free to add to this anything that has helped you and nothing I put down is given law on catching Longies so please don’t shoot me down for having a go.
 
Longtail Tuna are a member of the Tuna family  (duh!) that extend from the tip of Cape York right down to south of Sydney and are a seasonal fish that start entering Moreton Bay around Easter every year.  The fish usually travel down the coast and the reports from the Hervey Bay are usually a good indicator on how our season will fare here.  Size can vary quite a bit from year to year with some years the average fish are only 8kg, other years the average size could be around 15kg it varies from season to season.  They are a fantastic sports fish that can be taken on a variety of methods and also fare well on the plate especially for those who enjoy Sushimi.  Below I’ll brake it down into different sections and also the main focus will be using plastics as I have no idea about catching them on bait so I'll leave that up to someone else to add if they so desire.

Time of Day and Tides
 
Put simply time of day doesn't really matter a whole lot for Tuna as they are more of a gentleman’s hours fish meaning you don’t have to be up at sparrows fart to catch them, the middle of the day in the bright sun is as good a time as any.  Tide is a different story as in the bay most people looking for Longies will opt to fish an outgoing tide and like most fish “no run means no fun” this applies to Tuna as well as the tide will help them ball the bait up.
 
Locations
 
First things first for Longies there's no spot x they can  turn up anywhere in the bay, right from the top end of Bribie and as far south as near Coochie.  Generally speaking fish in the northern part of the bay will of a bigger average size than those you encounter in the southern half of the bay but the odd bigger models can still turn up anywhere.  Some of the more well know spots for chasing them would be places like The Four Beacons, Mud Island, Curtin Reef, Pearl Channel, The Sand Hills,  Spitfire Channel, Harries, Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel and the waters all around Peel Island.  Also when they're thick in the bay you don’t have to travel far as they can be quite often found within close range of spots like Wello and Cleveland Point so don’t feel you need to travel to the other side of the bay to catch one. 
 
Finding The Fish
 
Birds, birds and birds are your best friend when locating fish also word of mouth on where they're being caught is not to be overlooked because if there's constant reports of fish coming in from north of Peel than chances are if you fish north of Peel for long enough you'll find them.  Longies can vary in the size of the school from solo fish through to bigger schools of thirty or more generally speaking they don’t hang in as large a schools as say Mac Tuna.  When driving around the bay keep a constant eye out for birds and try and see what they're seeing, if there's 50 birds diving in one spot with a lot of commotion going on chances are there's some Tuna there, but it's not always that obvious with sometimes a single bird being the only giveaway to the location of the fish.  Keep an eye on any bird that is constantly dipping in one spot if he flutters to maintain position in one spot chances are there's something below him whether it be the bait the bird is after or the Tuna you're after.  Also Tuna tend to chase the bait fish up onto the edges of sandbanks throughout the bay especially in the areas north of Peel up towards Harries, so if you do find them fire a cast there direction and see what happens.  Another thing to remember when trying to catch Tuna is DO NOT just drive up at speed cut the motor and try to catch them that way sure it might work on occasions but in the end most of the time the fish will shut down not to be seen again.  Instead the best approach although difficult is to try and watch the travelling direction of the fish and get in front of them allowing them to come to you.  It can be hard at times when they're always changing directions but this way the fish will stay up longer and multiple casts can be made at one school of fish.
 
Rods, Reels and Line
 
Rod and reel choice can vary quite a lot as they can be landed on anything from a 2-4kg Bream setup right through to heavier spin gear.  They don’t fight dirty and a good drag and plenty of line is all that's required to land one but bear in mind that fishing too light will result in you having to drive after the fish and increase your chances of getting sharked.  Being this article is geared more towards the plastics style of fish my preference for a Tuna rod would be something in the 7 foot 6-10kg range and a 4000 size reel to suit, brand is not important  and all companies make gear that cover these specs.  A rod with a softer tip to throw the lure is important to achieve a greater distance if the fish are easily spooked and a strong butt section on the rod to lift them when they circle below the boat is another vital quality to look for in a rod.  I personally use a LuckyCraft Light Drop Shot 3-10kg with a Stradic CI4 4000 and have found it more than capable on most bay Tuna.  Line wise 20lb braid would be the sweet spot for in the bay and if you used the combo offshore as well 30lb would also be suitable, 10lb would do the job most of the time also but it gets a bit tedious trying to lift the fish on lighter gear.  Leaders wise Flurocarbon is the go and generally speaking the shallower the water the fish are found in the lighter the leader needs to be.  In the southern bay you could go as low a 14lb leader and be alright but as you head towards the northern half of the bay 30lb would be a better choice as you're more likely to come across other fish like Cobia, Kingfish and Macs.
Lures
 
Now that you've found some fish and have the rod and reel in your hand you need something to actually throw at the fish and get a strike.  Match the hatch is what most people work by and the same goes for Longies, having said that Longies are nowhere near as fussier fish as Mac Tuna can be and as such they take a large variety of plastics and metals.  In the bay a lot of the fish are feeding on Hardy Heads and a small 3” plastics in the clearer to opaque varieties is a good place to start, most companies make plastics that suit with brands like Zooms and Bass Assassin through to Berkely and Squidgies all having suitable styles and colours.  Jerkbait/forktail minnow styles are probably the best as they represent the baitfish better but they can also be caught on other weird and wonderful styles as well so do be afraid to throw out what's in your tackle box.  Jigheads need to be strong and 3/8-1/2oz is probably the best weight as any lighter and you wont cast the distance any heavier and the lure will sink straight past the fishes mouth, hook size just needs to match the plastic you're using.  Also ensure the hooks are heavy wire in what ever brand you use aas light wire hooks wont last long on heavier drag settings.


Technique
 
I have to be honest I’ve not found any technique to be more successful than any other as most of the time when the lure lands in the right spot it's picked up without any retrieve necessary.  But unlike metals a fast wind isn't really needed as you want the lure in front of the fish for as long as possible and I tend to find a medium twitching retrieve on the lure seems to do the job.  In the end just mix it up as one thing works on one school of fish but not the other.  Also let it sink through the school and see what might be beneath it.  Another trick is whilst fishing have a lightly weighted plastic dead-sticking out the back of the boat as I know of one person using this technique and it has proven to be quite successful for him.
 
Landing The Fish
All that's required to land the fish is patience as they wont run for any reefs and they don’t have any teeth to bite you off, you just need to survive the initial run and take it from there, the hardest past of the fight is when the fish is below the boat and circling as they can prove to be quite difficult to lift from this position.  The trick here is to just motor off the fish and try and get it arching up on the surface also try and work against the fishes direction of travel say if he's swimming away from you try to work the rod the other way so that you're always trying to turn the fishes head.  All that’s needed now is to net or gaff the fish and you're done.


Summary
 
I hope this is of help to at least one person and that you're able to score your first Longie from it.  At the end of the day you just need to be on the water and watching what's going on as most people just drive past good fish not knowing they're there.  There will be days where none of the above works and other days where it all falls into place and that's the thing with Tuna as they are so unpredictable and for the yakkers out there Longies are certainly catch-able from a yak in the bay you just need to be a little smarter about chasing them and be prepared to paddle but they're worth it in the end.  Now the wait begins for them to start showing up in numbers
 
Cheers
 
Mark

Look what happens when you have a huge ego....
Couldn't happen to a nicer" person"
   Cheers
   Gary

Taken from FW email newsletter 16 -1 -17
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources continues to work collaboratively with the Queensland Government to determine the origin of the outbreak of white spot disease in prawn farms in south-east Queensland.
Deputy Secretary Lyn O’Connell said: “The department continues to investigate how this outbreak of white spot disease has occurred, but no definite link has been determined at this point.”
“We are still looking at a number of pathways that may have resulted in the white spot disease incursion in Queensland, including imported feed or probiotics, contaminated equipment, or even discarded uncooked prawns—or bits of prawns—that were purchased to eat.
“In the course of our investigations, the department did come across recreational fishers using imported prawns labelled for human consumption for bait in the Logan River,” said O’Connell.
“Subsequent testing of the product did return positive results for the virus.
“What this tells us is that fishers using infected imported prawns for bait is one possible pathway for this disease to get into our river system and onto prawn farms—and is why prawns imported for human consumption should never be used for bait.”

 

Thought I would try and collate info on the new SIP permits.In the one thread.
Fishing in stocked impoundments
Download a larger map (PDF, 1.86MB) of Queensland showing the locations of SIPS impoundments or view an interactive map of Queensland showing SIPS impoundments and agents.
Before you go fishing in a Queensland impoundment (dam or weir), check the list below to see if you need to purchase a Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP).
There are 63 stocked impoundments in the state where a SIP is required to fish.
The permit covers access to all 63 impoundments and allows you to fish with recreational fishing lines only.
About the permit
Permits cost:
$10.00 per week $50.00 per year $36.00 per year if you are entitled to a discount* * You are entitled to a discount if you have a Queensland Government Seniors Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or a Repatriation Health Care Card (Gold Card).
All persons over the age of 18 years must hold a permit when fishing in SIPS impoundments. Children and teenagers under 18 years do not require a permit to fish in SIPS impoundments.
You must carry your permit (digital email, digital sms, paper receipt) with you when fishing in a stocked impoundment and produce it on request by QBFP.
Digital permits
No need to print out your permit. A digital permit will instantly be emailed and/or sms to you when a permit is purchased online, at selected sub-agent outlets and over the phone.
A digital permit will also be emailed within 24 hours of purchase when a permit is purchased over the counter via Australia Post outlets.
Purchase a permit
A SIP can be purchased:
online over the counter at Queensland and selected NSW Australia Post outlets at selected sub-agent outlets throughout the state. via phone on 1300 575 359 (permit purchases only, for general SIPS enquiries phone 13 25 23). Funds raised by stocked impoundment permits
Impoundments are 'put, grow and take' fisheries where most stocked species will not reproduce. This means the impoundments need to be stocked regularly.
The money anglers pay for their stocked impoundment permits goes towards enhancing recreational fishing in stocked impoundments and management of the scheme.
The following financial summaries provide details about permit sales, the scheme’s budget and how the funds available for fish stocking were allocated for the financial year:
List of places where you can purchase a permit.
 
Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP) agents
You can purchase your Stocked Impoundment Permit directly from QLD Australia Post outlets, selected Northern NSW Australia Post outlets and selected sub-agents.
See the following link for QLD Australia Post outlets and trading hours or view an interactive map of Queensland showing SIP agents and impoundments.
Selected NSW Australia Post Outlets: Store
Adress
Locality
State
ASHFORD LPO
30-32 ALBURY STREET
ASHFORD
NSW
CASINO POST SHOP
102 BARKER STREET
CASINO
NSW
CASINO WEST LPO
53 HOTHAM STREET
CASINO
NSW
INVERELL POST SHOP
97 OTHO STREET
INVERELL
NSW
MOREE POST SHOP
44 FROME STREET
MOREE
NSW
YETMAN LPO
1 RIVER STREET
YETMAN
NSW
BOGGABILLA LPO
125 MERRIWA STREET
BOGGABILLA
NSW
KYOGLE LPO
149 SUMMERLAND WAY
KYOGLE
NSW
TENTERFIELD LPO
225 ROUSE STREET
TENTERFIELD
NSW
Sub-
Agent
Name
Address
Qld
Locality
Post-code
Phone
Gem Bait and Tackle
281 Jacobs Well Road
Alberton
4207
07 3287 3868
Far Outdoors
12 High Street
Boonah
4310
07 5463 4114
Tackle World Kawana Waters
8 Nicklin Way
Buddina
4575
07 5444 0714
Tackle World Bundaberg
22 Quay Street
Bundaberg
4670
07 4153 4747
Allround Angler
3 Henzell Road
Caboolture
4510
07 5495 7400
Whitsunday Fishing World
112 Shute Harbour Road
Cannonvale
4802
07 4948 0311
Cunninghams News
28 Gill Street
Charters Towers
4820
07 4787 1194
Compleat Angler and Camping World Dalby
25 Drayton Street
Dalby
4405
07 4662 3219
Central Highlands Visitor Information Centre
3 Clermont Street
Emerald
4720
07 4982 4142
Lake Maraboon Holiday Village
Fairburn Dam Access Road via Selma Road
Emerald
4720
07 4982 3677
Esk Visitor Information Centre
82 Ipswich Street
Esk
4312
07 5424 4000
Fernvale Futures Complex (Somerset Reg Council)
1483 Brisbane Valley Highway
Fernvale
4312
07 5427 0200
Lake Wivenhoe Info Centre (Ranger - Wivenhoe Dam)
Brisbane Valley Highway
Fernvale
4306
07 5427 8100
Fishing Warehouse Townsville
158 Duckworth Street
Garbutt
4814
07 4779 8399
Gargett Store
3 Chris Johnson Street
Gargett
4741
07 4958 5175
Gatton Home Brew, Camping and Fishing Supplies
Shop 8 Karl Complex, Eastern Drive
Gatton
4343
07 5462 4244
Gin Gin Newsagency
75 Mulgrave Street
Gin Gin
4671
07 4157 2230
Lake Monduran Holiday Park
Monduran Dam Road
Gin Gin
4671
07 4157 3881
Gore Roadhouse
Cunningham Highway
Gore
4352
07 4667 4236
Lake Somerset Holiday Park
78 Kirkleagh Road
Hazeldean
4515
07 5497 1093
Highfields Bait and Tackle
Shop 5, 10486 New England Highway
Highfields
4352
07 4615 4335
Borumba Deer Park
1133 Yabba Creek Road
Imbil
4570
07 5484 5196
Imbil Friendly Grocer
100 Yabba Road
Imbil
4570
07 5484 5210
Darr Creek Oasis
6883 Chinchilla-Wondai Road
Jandowae
4410
07 4668 8726
Kilcoy Driveway (BP)
22 Hope Street
Kilcoy
4515
07 5497 1308
Kilcoy Visitor Info Centre - Somerset Regional Council
41 Hope Street
Kilcoy
4515
07 5424 4000
Bass To Barra Marine, Kingaroy
Shop 10, 119 Youngman Street
Kingaroy
4610
07 4162 7555
Laidley Hire and Farm Supplies
95 Patrick Street
Laidley
4341
07 5465 2337
Lake Leslie Tourist Park
113 Saddledam Road
Leslie Dam
4370
07 4661 9166
Mackay Tourism
320 Nebo Road
Mackay
4741
07 4944 5888
Nashy's Compleat Angler
Big Banana Complex, 25 Harbour Road
Mackay
4740
07 4957 2272
Tackle World - Mackay
318 Shakespeare Street
Mackay
4740
07 4957 2145
Freedom Fishing Supplies
95 Bazaar Street
Maryborough
4650
07 4121 4621
Millmerran Hardware - Mitre 10
59-61 Campbell Street
Millmerran
4357
07 4695 1636
Barra Jacks Fishing and Outdoors Kawana
2 Nicklin Way
Minyama
4575
07 5444 8618
Yallakool Park on BP Dam
Haager Drive
Moffatdale
4605
07 4168 4746
Pioneer Valley Tourism and Development Association
Melba House, Lloyd Park
Marian
4753
07 4954 4299
Lake Moogerah Caravan Park
Muller Park Road
Moogerah
4309
07 5463 0141
Balshaws Mitre 10 Mundubbera
54 Stuart Russel Street
Mundubbera
4626
07 4165 4301
The Tacklebox
89 Lamb Street
Murgon
4605
07 4168 1002
Davo's Bait and Tackle
Shop 6, Noosa HMC Cnr Mary and Thomas Streets
Noosaville
4566
07 5449 8099
Proserpine Bait and Tackle
Lot 17 Bruce Highway
Proserpine
4800
07 4945 4641
Lake Boondooma Caravan and Recreation Park
Lake Boondooma Recreation Area, 40 Bushcamp Road
Proston
4613
07 4168 9694
Rathdowney Store
83 Collins Street
Rathdowney
4287
07 5544 1142
Charlton's Tackle'n'Bait
18 Kerwick Street
Redbank
4301
07 3818 1677
Glenlyon Dam Kiosk
Glenlyon Dam
Stanthorpe
4380
02 6737 5266
Stanthorpe Sports and Camping Centre
1-18 Railway Street
Stanthorpe
4380
07 4681 1196
Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park
4-28 Tinaroo Falls Dam Road
Tinaroo
4872
07 4095 8232
JAG Game and Marine
67 Main Street
Tolga
4882
0467 584 941
Fish 'n' Bits Bait and Tackle
340 Alderley Street
Toowoomba
4350
07 4636 6850
Warwick Tackle and Tusk
2/180 Wood Street
Warwick
4370
07 4667 1756
Note my personal preference is to purchase from one of sub agents and give them some support for their past support. I wonder if they now will get a commission as I am certain that Australia  post will not be doing it for free.
You will no longer require a separate permit to fish Hinze ( Lake Advancetown) here is page from the stocking assn.
The Hinze Dam Fish Management Committee is charged with stocking the dam. In 2016 there were 67,000 bass fingerlings released in the dam. All funds for stocking are raised by Anglers through a permit system.
Fishing Permits
As of 1 July 2016 the Hinze Dam will be part of the Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP) Scheme. A SIP permit is required to fish the dam and can be purchased here.
All existing permits will be honoured under the SIP Scheme until their expiry.
 
Fishing Permits. Required to fish the Hinze Dam.
Weekly and Yearly Permits are available
A SIP permit is required to fish the dam and can be purchased here.
Fishing Permits Terms & Conditions.
Fishing at or on the dam is only to be carried out during 6am and 6pm
Comply with the Qld Gov DPI and fisheries recreational fishing rules and regulations which can be viewed on the web site listed below for catch sizes and bag limits
Filleting of any fish at or on the dam is prohibited
Only use freshwater shrimp or garden worms as bait or any lure or artificial soft plastic. Nets or cages are prohibited.
The fishing permit is non refundable
Qld DPI and Fisheries recreational fishing rules and regulations.
Hinze Dam Fish Management Committee Contact.
Chairman - Ian Jeffers
 jeffersi@yahoo.com.au
The recreational use of North Pine Dam is still under review by SEQ water ( Ongoing for last 3 years) there is a proposal to allow kayak fishing but before this can happen there will need to be considerable infrastructure such as access roads,parking areas and toilets provided.
SEQ water have already stated that all watercraft will not be allowed in any of the existing areas near the dam wall such as Bullockys etc as they are located too close to the water intake areas.
In the meantime boating and sailing access is available via  Lake Sampsonvale Water Sports Assn. ( NO fishing allowed in their area) Boating ( Electric and paddle only) provided via PRFMA boating access scheme. ( Currently no new permits available with a new round available after 15th August  http://www.prfma.com.au/boating-access-scheme.

Picked up my new boat yesterday.  Seems like an eternity since I sold my last one (about 5weeks).   Its a Clark 457 Rebel. Bought through Karee Marine.  The guys there did an awesome job and were very helpful through the whole process.  Took her out in moreton bay yesterday and in the passage today to do some of the run in hours.  So far im really happy with it.  Bush'n'Beach have just done a write up on the boat  http://www.bnbfishing.com.au/boating/clark-boats-releases-new-side-console/

After several different types I think that I have finally got it right.
What do you need.
Cable ties - Bunnings or cheaper still on ebay.
Plastic gutter guard 180mm wide Bunnings whites super gutter guard 180mm X 8 m about $7 or cheaper at Masters.
Ideally 25mm begonia pot saucers from K mart $1 each but they havent had any for months.so I use Frisbees from K mart $1 each.



Bundle of

tent pole shock cord $3 from K mart
around 12 gauge gi soft drawn fencing wire. I scrounged some from a farmer mate.
Empty 2l soft drink bottled.
I use soft copper wire for the hooks and attaching the tie rope. You should be able to scrounge some from a sparky or auto electrician


First step is to cut the gutterguard to length. Just mark the edge of the frisbee with a felt pen and place a mark on a length of wood and roll the frisbee Add an inch to allow for an overlap join.
Similarly cut the fencing wire to length.
The fencing wire has to be formed into a circle and the neck of a 9kg gas bottle is ideal for the frisbee size and if you are fortunate to find some 25mm begonia saucers an upturned flower pot is good.
Then cut a hole in the frisbee slightly smaller in diameter than the soft drink bottle.

Next step is to cut the neck off the soft drink bottle ( I find scissors best leave the screw top on the bottle and it is easier to make the initial plunge into the bottle}




Then using a small tipped soldering iron melt 4 holes around the hole in the frisbee and corresponding holes in the drink neck and cable tie the neck to the frisbee,( Do this in well ventilated area because of the burning plastic fumes.) You could drill the holes but it is much faster with the soldering iron.
You will note that I have also made holes around the circumference of the frisbee.You only make the holes on one of the frisbees.

Next step is to join 2 lengths of the gutterguard side by side.



Just tie them together loosely untill the whole lengthy is complete and then flip them out and then tighten up the cable ties.

The co joined gutterguard is then cabletied to the frisbee and the top is pulled in so that the diameter is slightly smalletr then the outher end that is secured to the frisbee and one of bthe fencing wire circles is cable tied to the top

nAnd then the second wire circle is tied in to the centre of the pot



I then insert a short rod into the top of the trap to attact the clop that I tie the rope to.



Clip is made from the copper wire mentioned earlier.

I then place some weight opposite the rope attach point. ( Anything heavy to take the pot to the bottom quickly.( I use old galvanised bolts )

Next step is to burn 3 holes in the other frisby that is going to be the other end of the pot.

Thanks for all the kind words. Really such a good session when compared to my expectations.
Haha yeah sorry for the misleading comment. It was a good fish! She looked very healthy too. No lice, great colours, no sign of worms and her stomach felt like it was full of roe, good signs for the waterway.
Quite the opposite mate. Barely passed English in high-school, thought manly due to lack of motivation and caring for the subject itself. It has only been due to my job where I write reports everyday, that my report writing has actually had any time to develop.
That is the next step. We are planning to catch some live bait and make them swim out of the drain into the main creek at the high tide when the drain is covered, in the hope of catching some predators camped out on the drain.
Again thanks all, appreciate the feedback!

great report. thanks for sharing 

Hi all.
So I just got my car back from the shop, after burning a MASSIVE hole in my bank account. With Christmas coming I decided to limit my spending, which meant no big trips to land based spots around SEQ, and staying home. However the fishing craving never subsides... the addiction is too strong...
SATURDAY
I had never tried the closest body of water to my house being Enoggera Creek behind the RBWH, so I decided to give it a crack with some bread on light bream gear after seeing some of @curranboy99's posts up at Kedron Brook. So a shout out to him, as without his post I wouldn't have a report to post, thanks mate.
I walked down yesterday afternoon with a loaf of white and gear in hand, to the the spot just under the Lutwyche Road foot bridge. I decided to aim for structure, hoping for some bream.
Rather than using a float set up, I decided to option for a weightless single hook setup instead. I was using my new Stradic 1000HG, Gloomis DRS820 GLX, Sunline Super PE 8 braid in 6lb with a meter of 12lb leader tied on with my altered slim beauty knot, and a size 4 Penetrator hook. 
The tide runs slowly this far up the system, and it was halfway through the run-out tide. I used the crust of the white bread to burley up the water, then compressed pieces of the white center into a small ball, hid the hook inside the bait, and threw out in with the burley.
At first there was no action, until a few minutes later a heap of bait were fighting over the burley. From what I saw it was small mullet, and maybe some small herring, but I can not be sure. So i decided to throw in just behind the bait, in the hope some larger fish were in behind, trying to have a crack at the live bait.
Within a few seconds of my bread hitting the water, it was hit pretty hard, and the fish ran out to the middle of the creek. It didn't get far, as my setup is a litter overpowered for the smaller fish species, but very fun with the right drag settings. I ended up landing a very healthy catfish. After 4 more, I called up my brother-in-law to come down from our place to have a crack as well. Over the next few hours we ending up going through the whole loaf, and landing roughly 15 catfish. While not a desirable fish, it was still a very fun session in the rain. i believe the biggest one for the day went 38cm.
SUNDAY
After a successful session the day before, my brother-in-law decided to step it up and get some pilchards. So around 9.00am we headed down to the same spot again, this time aiming to fish the last of the run-in tide. With a small bag of frozen pilchards and a couple pieces of bread, we decided to use all the bread first to see if we could find the catfish again first. This time however, my brother-in-law after two casts with bread, produced two very healthy BREAM!. His first was not legal, however the second went 28cm strong. This got me excited as I love chasing bream on light gear, however all I could produce was another 5 catfish. 
After the bread was gone, we swapped to cubing up the pilchards into 1.5 cm chunks, hiding the hook in the flesh around the back-bone, and casting in on the same rig setup. After only landing 2 catfish between us in about an hour, we deiced to move further upstream to a pedestrian bridge near the dog park at Downy Park. We used the same setup however targeting deeper water surrounded by mangroves, hoping for something more toothier.
First cast in, and straight away I get a hit and weight on the line. At first I thought it was a big catty, but as it surfaced we were shocked to see a decent sized FLATHEAD! I was very appreciative of my decision to not go ultra light at this point... 
After my initial shock, I quickly realised I couldn't lift this girl up to the bridge we were standing on, so while keeping her head in the water (VERY important with flatties), I swam her over towards the bank on the Windsor side of the foot-bridge and landed her, JUST. As I got her out of the water, the leader snapped.... After a quick pick myself, and a local walking past who caught all of the action, I decided not to eat her and we let her go. I very rarely keep fish, however now and then I will keep the odd tailor or Flathead as I love the gamy flesh. Today I decided against it, mainly because I didn't know how healthy the ecosystem is in the river, and I don't want to take a bigger breading female and predator out of the system. I'm all for sustainability.
After this not much happened. In the next 2 hours the tide stopped and turned, and still nothing. Using the last of the pilchard we had just cut up, I ended up getting one more catfish, and then to my surprise, a decent sized TAILOR!!
Again I was shocked, but this one I think would had just been shy of legal size, so i decided to try pole it up to where we were standing on the bridge. However this time the leader did not hold up, and it snapped as I watched the tailor swim away to fight another day.
Sorry for the lack of photos, it was raining mostly all weekend and I only had my phone so I did not want to get it too wet. All in all a good weekend. I was left in disbelief as after catching 4 different species and a couple legal fish, left me thinking I may have to seriously reconsider why I travel hundreds of kilometers in the search of fish, when such a fun time can be had literally a couple hundred meters from my house.
Thanks for reading.
 

This AFO Tip will show you how to upload images to forum posts and insert them into the post.
You can upload images several different ways, but the easiest is to simply drag and drop them onto the area just below the text field. 
Another method is that you can select "choose files" and manually find them on your computer and select to upload. 
If you already have upload your image into your Gallery on AFO there is no need to reupload the images. Simply click "Insert other media" and select "Insert existing attachment". Then you can select either an image you have already upload in another forum post or an image you have uploaded to your gallery.
Post below is example from video

Thanks guys. Final edit done and a heap more pictures added.
Angus

Now that's fishing !!
I've worked up a sweat just looking at the pics. Not sure if I'm fit enough for 2017. haha
 
Fantastic. Amazing.

Super cool @Angus
very jealous!

Well I am back and may edit this post as there is SO much to cover...
The trip was amazing and so much more than I hoped it would be. Baia is simply phenomenal offering so many river and bluewater opportunities. The lodge itself was top notch and the fishing was out of this world. Way more surface action than the last trip as well which is always a highlight.
Sef, Henry and myself headed to the furthermost river for our first days foray to cast up some blacks... The blacks were there in good numbers and so were a lot of quality jacks...


On the way to the Torio there were also some good bluewater captures including mahi mahi and yellow fin...

The next day we hit the Pandi which turned out to be a river we frequented. This river is ALL about the surface with log jams and lay downs everywhere making throwing diving lures tough. Although there were plenty of blacks at the mouth, this river was home to tonnes of monster spot tails as well...

After spot tail mania we had a fairly so so day in the Langa Langa river. Awesome hits but conversions to big bass were a little slow. In saying that we did have some fun out the front among some birds hooking into countless trevs, queenies and mack tuna.

So for our last day we decided to once again concentrate on the Pandi River. More spot tails abounded but you have seen enough of those, I will out up however Henry's beast and the biggest for the trip. If things were recorded this could easily be a world record as Henry caught in on a 8/14lb Nordic Stage Cheater with a 2500 sized reel and 16lb braid. Just unheard of over there. The guide said not only was it one of the lightest rods he had ever had in the boat... It was the largest spot tail bass he had ever seen. It measured in at 36.5lb (not a guess actually weighed).

After the trip had officially ended Henry and I were lucky enough to stay on for two more nights as guests of Riccard the owner of Baia.
We headed up into the headwaters of the Kulu river on the first day and caught a collection of JP's and Spot Tails on bream sized gear (actually our new prototype Nordic Stage Loki rods). This was heaps of fun and ended in a blow up mattress ride back down the river selectively ignoring the warming signs...

Our last day was spent bluewater and snorkeling. Some good trevs and doggies were hooked with smaller ones coming in. I was grossly under gunned for doggies but it was fun to give it a crack! Snorkeling was just world class.

And that was that! Back to the real world!
After a few early inquiries it looks like I will be doing this again in 2016 so feel free to contact me if you are keen to get on board.
 
Cheers.
 
Angus
 

Hi all,
We are very appreciative of your patience as Australian Fishing Online was moved to a new platform. This has been a long process but a very worthwhile one to provide a better user experience for all members and guests.
 
The site now benefits from cloud hosting with super fast performance and features a new user interface that is easy to use and looks great. The new platform provides many more features and options than the last site and so in the coming weeks and months we will be looking at incorporating or highlighting some of these.
 
Also, there are few background items still underway and these should complete in the next day. So if you see a post with some images missing these should be there soon. 
 
You should be able to login and use the site as you always have without any issues. If you have any problems please feel free to post them in the Website Problems category

Some people do attend an event and walk away with an even funnier user name than what they arrived with.

They may not know what the name is, but the rest will!

In all seriousness, I have been a member on here coming up 5 years now. I have had some posts moderated, some posts have disappeared completely and others remain standing for people to learn from. Perhaps its because I often challenge the 'grey area' arguement about things, but thats just me. I am a black and white sort of guy.

This is however by far the best forum I have been involved with. With a membership approaching 10,000 its a cross section of the community on a whole. Would you walk down Queen Street Mall and belt everyone with a keyboard that looked funny, talked funny, or had a funnier view of things than you do? As said, debate is good, sledging is best left to competing boats on the water, and the best way to join the 'boys club' is to come and lean on the gunwhales of my boat (or anyone elses for that matter) and have a chinwag about things.

You only get as much out as you put in.

Ps... Who is this Gazza dude? Well back Bud, bout time you bought some sheep for your lawn!

Pss.... No need for Tomca to answer the Queen Street Mall question ;-)

Easiest way to fix the site is to post more reports so the negatives get out weighed by the postive. I joined this site about 2+ years ago and I have been to every comp since and attended a lot of the socials. The Community is great and I get as much out of it as I have put in. I have made many good friends as well.

Get involved and enjoy the community. I have found it very welcoming and people are always up for a chat. I was worried at first when I went along to my first social as I did not know anybody and would not have anything to talk to people about. Remember everybody is as passionate as each other on here, that is why you are here. My tip is get involved. Write reports, go to socials and comps. I know it has dramatically changed my life and I now live it to the full. good on you AFO

Ted

This is an interesting topic and one that has been discussed and contemplated by me often. As has been previously stated by webby and others, with such a huge range of members, despite some people believing their opinions or views should be unanimously accepted, this will never be the case. Sometimes it's better to just ignore a post/thread if you find you don't agree with the sentiment. I find myself doing this a lot more these days. For example, instead of having a whinge in a political thread about why people are talking politics on a fishing site, how about read a fishing thread instead?

This being said, there is only one to ensure the website remains the way we all want it despite our personal convictions, and thats to keep posting and reporting. There has been in the past a couple of members who have ceased to post becuase they felt hard done by, ignored, or believed the general sentiment of the site was not going their way. Well there is no faster way to put a nail into the coffin than by removing the very sentiment from the site you agree with!

By going quiet and becoming a lurker, you are single handidly ensuring the content remains less than what it could be.

I firmly believe on this site that activity fuels activity. Do more reports and more will be made. Encourage newer members with tips and advice and maybe a deckie spot (not spot x's ), and these members could be the gun members of next year and may be passing tips back to you and doing awesome reports to satisfy your interest (this has certainly happened to me many times). No one (except maybe that banned Jesus fellow) is born with god given fishing knowledge so be patient and encouraging with novice efforts as opposed to arrogant and let the angler gain experience in his own time. We were all novices once. In short its not a magazine. There more you put into this the more you will get out.

I would strongly urge more of the lurkers and infrequent posters to contribute more in this sense. You may feel you get what you need out of the site without having to bother, but it would be shame if one the day the site was just not here to feed your passion due to lack of perceived interest. This is not really a threat or worry as the site is statistically growing, however think what it could be!

I have had several PM's in the past from quiter or new members commenting on how there is a bit of a "boys club" on here. I can assure you this is only brought about by familiarity among members, not the wish to exclude others. Breaking into this so called "boys club" is as simple as coming along to one social or event and having a beer (I am sure those who have taken a punt and attened any official or unofficial event can attest to this). The vast majority of members that attend such events are more than welcoming to new members. Keyboard warriors are also conspicously absent at tangible events as well Can I also suggest this to any and all members anyway as once you attend such an event your online experience will be enhanced simply by the fact that you are more than just a funny username to many. With this familiarity comes a greater desire to answer your questions, help you find a spot and maybe even give you new people to fish with.

RE the Monthly Comps, obviously due to a contentious call recently this has gone a bit quiet. Admin are meeting ASAP to discuss and improve the rules for these comps as well as tie them better into the physical events so the standard is clear cut and easy for members to follow. We ask for patience while we do this as we all work full time jobs not at all AFO related, and will convene when we are physically able. If members decide the boycott the monthly competitions for whatever reasons the only thing this will ensure is a termination of their existance.

ONTHECHEW: Thanks for the thought provoking thread. I no way aim any "lack of contribution" towards you as your reports I know for sure entertain and motivate many AFO members on a regular basis (me included).

Sorry for this rant and I hope it has made sense to some and might even encourage others to get a bit more active. This website is labour of love for us and I often reflect fondly on the top blokes I have met and fishing experiences I have gained from it. I sincerely dread the day with the cons outweigh the pros and its just not worth it anymore.

Angus