rayke1938

Just be able to continue fishing twice a week. Being on the water is enough.

Just be able to continue fishing twice a week. Being on the water is enough.

Just be able to continue fishing twice a week. Being on the water is enough.

Dedication that midnight session.
 

Well, I headed out with that Northsider @benno573 for a sneaky session last night. Two entries to Benno, with a 49cm snapper and a 36cm breambo.
I was fortunate enough to jag my PB flathead, too - 73.5cm.

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

dam is 96% forgot finger photos
 

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

dam is 96% forgot finger photos
 

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

Went to the eastern arm this morning for a 5.30 launch. As anticipated all our pots are about 20 feet under water so we spent an hour replacing them. on the freshly submerged grass. When the dam drops to around 90% hopefully the ropes will become visible and we can recover them. Water visibility was not real flash and we headed upstream and could not find a fish on the sounder so we then went downstream and at 10am found a small school. We only had a small number of shrimp that were left over from our last trip and quickly converted them to 18 bass, 2 tandanus and fed plenty of barred grunter before knocking off at 11 am. Really enjoyed the short walk from the ramp to the car. Best bass went 46cm and 4 were under 30cm

better lock me in .
what penalty is applied to contestants north of tropic of capricorn?

better lock me in .
what penalty is applied to contestants north of tropic of capricorn?

better lock me in .
what penalty is applied to contestants north of tropic of capricorn?

better lock me in .
what penalty is applied to contestants north of tropic of capricorn?

Hi all
Snuck up to the Sunnycoast near Dunethin Rock on the Maroochy River with @charlie.hans.fishing on Boxing Day. Plan was to fish in Dunethin Lake and the surrounding area of the Maroochy River to try for a few flatties and maybe a jack if one came by. We arrived mid arvo on Boxing Day and went down for a fish around mid tide, flicking plastics off of the lake jetty.
I was off the donut first after we had each had a couple of missed hits with a little flatty. We continued flicking for another hour before it started to rain - just as this happened Charlie got a little flatty too. Decided to go to the beach for a swim that arvo but the next morning we were fishing again.
We started off canoeing around the lake a bit to no avail, so went had a cast around the opposite bank of the river to the mouth of the lake. I think Charlie got a spotted grunter here and one or two flathead (one that was legal sized). These put up a decent fight as he caught them casting in some shallow water near a snag. 
I got off the donut with a small flatty that liked my 2.75 inch Froff Bait paddle tail while we were drifting in the canoe (it was my first time using these lures, they're alright) but didn't manage to catch much more that day. I think we had another flick down at the lake jetty for nothing. It was very hot and unpleasant fishing, and with a lot of rain around the area recently too the mosquitos were very bad... It was nice going down to the beach again that arvo.
The next morning we had a quick flick around the bank opposite the mouth of the lake again. Here, Charlie got a bream on a plastic while we were drifting on the canoe along the bank. After a few more drifts and with a lot of tide/wind action making us drift very fast, we decided to go and have a cast at the deepest section of the lake. 
A ways into our first drift, Charlie hooked up to something decent. It was pretty heavy and quick, he hooked it in shallow water near the mangroves. Unfortunately, just as we were about to see it the hooks pulled. Bugger. I had another good hit on this drift, before later in the morning catching a flatty around the 40 mark. My Dad also had a cast on his canoe somewhere that morning and got an undersize barred grunter on a plastic.
We tried for a bit longer but the heat and mosquitos were pretty unbearable so we decided to go back to the campsite, pack up, and go home!
Thanks for reading, although the fishing was a bit quiet it was still good to get a few hookups. The next day I was sick and have just recovered enough to go fishing now so will try in the river tomorrow. 
Cheers Hamish

Mango . I would have a better chance if i could see the photo.
 

Went out with my 9yr old son on foot at Sun up to try our luck around the mighty  (but really low)  north pine dam. Alternating between live worms and poppers + hard body's + zerek prawns. In the last maybe half dozen times out there I've failed to get a bass, My only " joy " to be let down after the initial run on my line then sighting a fork tailed catfish. This morning though luckily the bass didn't get in the way and my boy landed more than a few big fat catties. The experience he got with changing the drag, fighting a largish fish on extremely light gear and the sheer thrill I saw in his eyes and on his face made it an unforgettable morning, never mentioning catfish traditionally rubbish fish. We were home by 0730 and he raced in to tell everyone about his epic fishing conquests. 
 Merry Xmas AFO 
Go Northside! 

Well after 6 months wait and a change in the order my new Garmin Kraken trolling motor finally arrived (well not the one I ordered but thats a long story).
 
Fitted it up yesterday and mate and I decided to get it in the water and calibrate it and maybe flick a few plastics.
Launched at about 8.30a at Colmslie as neither of us felt the need to get up for the top of the tide and it was really just a play with the motor.
Got the motor calibrated fairly easily and it’s definitely a great motor (it would want to be at the price!).
Flicked a few around the gateway but other than a shark coming up beside the boat not much to be seen.
Headed down stream, had a few flicks around Clara Rocks with a couple of touches and then went over to the rock wall opposite Boat Passage (I think that is the name) and had a good hit without conversion.  
As the tide turned went back to Clara Rocks and locked onto a solid squire at 54cm.  Was using a 3.5” Z Man GOAT with a BKK 3/8th oz jig.
That was about it.  Overcast and a few showers kept the temps down.  

Well the stars finally aligned. 
Got out last Thursday 21th. 
D.I. 
2 POB's. 
Conditions were good, but very bumpy on top of a meter swell, light S.E winds, that increased in the afternoon. 
Bugger all current. Up to 2kph, so target species would be hard to entice. 
No run, no fun. 

 
Mixed bag. 
Target was red fish but no sized fish onboard. All fish tank models or just unders. Could see them down there though. Night time bite me thinks. 
 
Got a nice snap, bit under 70cm, with about 10 caught all day. We only kept one though. Others were up to 50cm. 
Rounded up a few blue bone in the mix. 
Then I got onto a nice scaffolder cod, which came home for tea. I forgot how good they are on the chew. 
 
Pearlies are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Haven't seen it like that for a long time. 
I hope it's a reflection of the closed season. Hard to dig though for sized fish but managed 5.
They are extremely thick in numbers. Every reef I stopped at had an abundance. I stopped fishing because I didn't want to keep catching unders. Had enough in the esky anyway. 
 
I did see some Spanish swim though mid water, and I did put out some lures, with no luck. My go to qantas deep diver is broken, and that lure is a Spanish lollipop.
They weren't playing the game either. 
 
 
Plastics and vibes were very quiet, as were the trolling lures. 
Pillies mullet and squid were dynamite for the reefies, as to be expected. 
I say this quietly, no sharks???
Had a pod of 20odd dolphins hanging around at times but a good 2k speed run to the next reef saw them tire off and leave us alone. Maybe that's why the sharks were absent. 
Drew at Gardiner's fisheries in rainbow Beach supplied the A grade bait yet again, and the shop has been extended which is good to see. Get your bait the day before if you're going out before 7am.. 
 
Hopefully this weather comes good for Jan 1st. 
 
Cheers. 

Hi all,
This report will be about my last couple of sessions in the river. Last Monday I had a day off, but on Tuesday I was fishing at a local spot targeting threadies. Bait was no worries as I stopped on my ride to catch some, but despite the fact I was fishing the low tide change (prime time for this spot in my opinion) the bites were slow. I got off the donut with a catty and throughout the day managed to pull in two sharks and some more catfish. So overall, a pretty miserable day and another threadyless session. 
Stats:
Tide: 9:00AM, .5M, Low
Moon Phase: 44%
Air Pressure: 1009
Humidity: 76%
Bait Used: Live mullet and bony bream
Fish Caught: Sharks and catties
Overall Success Rate: 20%
The next day I spent the day eel fishing at my local park, but unfortunately I didn't manage any. Hopefully I get some soon because I need them for shark bait. 
On Thursday, I was lucky enough that @Thorbjorn Hale offered to take me out in his boat again down at the POB. We launched at Colmslie and shot down to Bulimba Creek first, where we got some mullet, then the Poo Chute where we got a few herring. Armed with some nice livebait, we tried over near the Coal Wharfs for not a nibble, then at the pipeline for one catty, before a quick crack at the ends of the main docks. Here, I was snipped off by a shark, and after this, upon Thorbjorns advice, I sent a big 40cm or so piece of pike eel down on one of his rigs. Sure enough, my Penn Spinfisher 8500 began to scream after a little while, but by the time we had cleared all the other lines it had disappeared, leaving just a ten centimetre of so piece of eel on my hook. Bugger.
After this, we went back to the Poo Chute to get some more herring, which was successful. Upon reanchoring at the docks, I had a screaming run within minutes of sending my bait down. Over the next couple of hours, Thorbjorn and I had about 8 of these, all Dusky Whalers, six of which snipped us off and two of which we landed. One about 60cm by Thorbs and one around the 1.3M mark by myself. A bit before five we called it quits, and this was good because as we got back to the ramp it started to rain pretty hard. Thanks for the great day on the boat @Thorbjorn Hale, hopefully we can get the big sharks next time! 
By the way, we also watched someone catch a jewie/thready on a vibe a couple hundred meters away from us, so there were a couple fish around. 
Stats:
Tide: 4:30AM, 1.9M, High, 10:30AM, .8M, Low, 4:30PM, 2.1M, High. 
Moon Phase: 67%
Bait Caught: Herring and mullet
Air Pressure: 1005
Humidity: 84%
Fish Caught: Sharks and catties
Overall Success Rate: 80% - fun day out on the port, definitely beats landbased fishing!
 On Friday, I tried a local spot I hadn't fished at before, and only had deadbait as it is to high up to cast net. This meant all I could catch was a fat catty, and then no more bites. I left getting rained on and the train got delayed before my stop so I had to walk home from extra far away, what a crappy day. 
Stats:
Tide: 6:30AM, 2M, High, 12:40PM, .6M, Low
Moon Phase: 77%
Bait Used: Bony bream
Air Pressure: 1006
Humidity: 90%
Fish Caught: Catty
Overall Success Rate: 10%
On Saturday I had another day off, but then this morning my Dad and I were out chasing bass at a spot we hadn't been to for a while. It was pretty overgrown, but we managed to clamber down the steep track to the bank. First up we had a cast off a sandstone section, where there was plenty of surface action, but I could only manage one tiddler size bass on surface. 
Following that we repositioned slightly for no luck. My Dad continued bushbashing and after I caught another small bass I saw a massive splash in the middle of the river next to a snag. That was my Dad's lure, but unfortunately it only turned out to be a small bass (30-35cm) and I slipped along through the bushes for no reason. I was sort of rewarded for this trek though, because after switching to a seven gram Savage Gear spinnerbait, I hooked up. It was only a dirty tilly though, so after that was rehomed up the bank I fired another cast out. When my spinnerbait got close to the bank, I hooked a more formidable opponent that screamed off and reefed me in a stick. After a bit of convincing, I managed to get my Dad to jump into the river and have a swim to try and retrieve the fish. 
This was successful after much stress, but annoyingly, it was only a 37cm bass, not the big model we were hoping for! We had a few more casts around here for one more surface bust up and a bit more swimming to retrieve snagged lures, then we went to suss out a new spot which seemed promising but bought no fish. 
https://lensdump.com/i/3qozhM
My Dad and the Bass he recovered
Stats:
Air Pressure: 1002
Humidity: 88%
Fish Caught: Bass and tilapia 
Lures Used: Cicada surface lures, spinnerbaits. 
Overall Success Rate: 60% - fun morning
Thanks for reading, I'm going camping at the Sunny coast for a couple of nights now, so hopefully I have some more luck up there. 
Merry Christmas everyone,
Hamish

Hard gong this morning with Mark and Craig in the western arm. Plenty of shrimp in the pots but the bass were scarce. We started off at Ians island trying the usual spots and worked our way upstream to just past bass bay. No schools found, just the odd bass hard in against the odd tree. Total of 22 bass and 3 tandans. All bass released and the tandans tagged and released.