benno573

Hi all,

This is not strictly a pure fishing report report but thought I’d throw up a bit of a story if anyone was interested. 

About 2 1/2 years ago, my sister and I booked a spot on the thorsborne trail on hinchinbrook island. This is a 32km long 4-day hike and has a limit on numbers so slots can be hard to get during busy times (school hols). Major hiccup was since we booked a small person has come into my world... what the hell we thought, we’ll take her along for the ride, what could possibly go wrong with that...

so last saturday we jumped on absolute north charters at Lucinda and had an amazingly scenic trip right up the inside of the island to our drop off point. 

A hasty offload onto the boardwalk through the mangroves and sand flies and we soon arrived on the eastern beach. First day was 6.5km but with a side track up to Nina peak to add on. The information online said total walk time of 6 hrs which we thought was nuts for only 6.5km... how wrong we were. We quickly realized this was not a track you could take your eye off for a second. While the terrain itself was challenging, the “track” at times was bordering on nuts. At one stage it took us an hour and a half to cover 800m across a rocky headland and through the infamous Boulder Bay. But I digress...

we decided to ditch the big bags at the bottom and I carried bubs up the side track to Nina peak - what an amazing view.

after a lunch stop at Nina bay, we pushed on to our first nights stop at little Ramsay bay. The boulder bay was a serious test for all of us, especially me with just on 30kg on my back. We arrived at our campsite, set up, applied several tonnes of bushmans and enjoyed walking around unladen. Thankfully only about 100m walk to a beautiful freshwater creek for water. There were heaps of juvenile mangrove jack and jungle perch in amongst the granite boulders which was really cool to see. We were treated to a beaut sunrise the next morning to get us motivated for day 2 - 10.5km

what a days walk... how we got through this day I still don’t know. After scrambling our way around a headland that seemed to go on and on we entered the bush and started to climb. And then we went down - which was probably harder than the up. Loose rocky surface, tree roots, creek crossings... this track was a serious challenge. We stopped for lunch on the edge of the swamp section - coz that’s what we needed to make our day - MUD. 

After negotiating the mud, 4 creek crossings, 2 more bog sections and the sandfly ridden hell hole around the back of the mangroves we emerged muddy and battered onto the beach at Zoe bay. Child promptly offloaded to lighten mums load and the remaining 800m was covered in quick time. Camp set up and another several tonnes of bushmans applied. After a hard day, this was a great sight on the beach

thankfully the next day was our rest day. We did as little as possible in the morning, with the exception of drying out boots, charging all devices and me throwing every lure I had at the local fish with very limited success. I did land 3 small cod but that was it. We watched a school of 15 or so cow-tail stingrays feeding on the waters edge, some truly massive queenfish smashing into schools of mullet and small sharks cruising in the shallows. 

That afternoon we walked up to Zoe falls and had a great time relaxing in the refreshing cool water - even a bit of a jacuzzi under a waterfall.

the pool at the base of the falls is teeming with massive jungle perch that are so tame they literally nibble your toes. While I would love to throw a line and catch my first JP, I am quite glad there is a “no fishing” sign there - it was really cool to see what many of our wild tropical rivers used to be like without introduced pest fish, habitat degradation and fishing pressure.

the next morning we woke to wet tents after a couple of heavy showers through the night. Bad news is all the granite rocks on the track and around the creeks that has provided excellent traction were now more like walking on wet cakes of soap. 8.5km to cover today for our last overnight destination at mulligan falls. We climbed to the highest point on our trek which I am sure on a clear day would afford amazing views. Unfortunately, we had a lot of low cloud and light rain so our view was a little different. The last major obstacle was diamantina creek which is prone to flash flooding and can leave walkers stranded with no way forward or back. We arrived at the creek which is around 40m wide and fast flowing. I was the crash test dummy so I attempted first without a pack and quickly determined the safest way across was to ditch the hiking boots and go with socks only to grip the wet rocks better - like felt soles shoes when rock fishing. With a lot of teamwork, we all made it across unscathed. After arriving at our campsite the heavens really opened up and the spectacular falls just near camp doubled in volume in the space of half an hour. Very glad we got over the big creek when we did. not a lot else to report from here on. A lot of huddling in a tent trying to entertain a bored bub and keep her dry and warm.

The rain was persistent throughout the night and a wet and muddy packup ensued - unfortunately meaning the pack was now even heavier owing to wet clothes, tents etc. our last day of hiking was a 2.5km stretch through the rainforest followed by a 5km walk up the beach - should be easy right...?

Yeah... NAH.

the overnight rain had turned 3 of the 5 creeks we had to cross in the first 2.5km into raging torrents. With no other option to get out, crash test dummy benno was sent into the waters to check it all out and again with careful and methodical teamwork everyone made it across safely. The worst one was sketchy AF, waist deep on me in parts and flowing hard, had to really pick the soft spots in the current behind boulders and things like that. When we finally hit the beach for the final push, we were all a bit emotional that we had made it through all the hard stuff, the last bit of stress with the creek crossings had really got to us all. Despite the 25kn SE we were walking into and sideways rain we all happily trudged our way up the beach, knowing a hot shower wasn’t too far away.

a brainwave on the drive back to Townsville and into lockdown saw the deployment of the KFC app and a mountain of fried gold subsequently applied to all and sundry. A massive unpack, clean up, dry out and repack ensued, with my boots and backpack both suffering terminal damage in the final 2 days. Fare thee well comrades... you were both faithful servants.

so how would I rate the overall experience? Well... I guess challenging would be the optimal word. Way more so than any of us had anticipated. Amazing place, spectacular scenery and I am 100% sure some great fishing opportunities as well. Would I do it again... unsure. I would love to go back there but possibly not with the the 4 days of hiking. I am glad I did it for sure, but just not sure I want to sign on again anytime soon. Good news is bubs on the whole loved the experience which is the most important thing I guess.

big shout out to John at absolute north charters though - went out of his way to help us and made sure the boat home arrived at the pick up point right when we did which was awesome. Even arranged us access to a hot shower upon return at a local accommodation place if we needed it which was hugely appreciated. If you are thinking of heading to hinchinbrook, he’s your guy.

anyway, enough from me, thanks for reading if you made it this far, hope you enjoyed the trip.

cheers,

benno

Awwwww I love you too bwian...

if id known @GregOug was out there or any other person they would have got a similar warning message.

Hopefully the alumni and yourself can make amends for lost trips next week. Hopefully you’ll let him at least wind one you hook in?

Hi all,

got a last minute invite from a mate who happens to have a holiday house on bribie, 2 doors up from my outlaws holiday house. I had no gear with me, including minimal winter woolies and no real shoes. I was assured gear was under control, I then managed to find another jumper from the “Justin” kit in the car. What could possibly go wrong?

at a leisurely 245am, I dragged myself out of bed and we launched from bongaree and started the frigid near 40km journey to spot x. About 5 minutes in, I lost feeling in my toes and ears but thankfully the water was flat which meant no spray. We arrive at the spot and deployed anchor. After a quick lesson in how to best fish the spot, burley was deployed and some baits soon followed. 

Not long after, my mate was on the board with a lovely 36cm grassy. This was followed not long after by another. And then a 37cm snapper. All were released into the esky. The general ribbing about my lack of contribution and associated banter ensued before my rod finally buckled under the weight of a decent fish. Soon after I hit the board with a cracking grassy at 43 which was promptly added to the box.

By now the sun was just peeking over the horizon and I was looking forward to an increase in temperature to hopefully thaw my feet out. Then my mates rod buckled over hard and line started peeling from the reel. After some exceptional decky work to clear other lines, not to mention pure textbook landing net operation a 62cm slatey was boated. Think whatever you like, I quite enjoy eating them so my mate kindly donated this one to the esky on my behalf. Shortly after, I was on again and a cracking snapper right on 50cm was boated. The esky was looking really healthy now.

things went a little quiet before I landed the token random fish for the day - a very respectable flounder which I find completely delicious. While I was floundering about, my mate was on big time again and another slatey, slightly bigger at 64cm was boated. We wanted to release but it was deep hooked and not in a good way so it was also added to the esky.

we then did a couple of drifts around the area and I nabbed a nice 40cm snapper. Shorty after was headed back home, back on the trailer by 10am. Awesome morning out, short and sweet.

thanks for reading.

Cheers

benno

I used to have a great all rounder which was a 5.3m fiberglass half cab. Was great in the bay, estuaries and offshore on the right day. Easy to tow around the place, made it as far as 1770 a couple of times, as well as to the dams. Ideally I would have loved a slightly larger boat but I still enjoy trolling for flathead in a foot of water so you have to compromise. 

Bow riders certainly have their place but I personally wouldn’t look at one as the best “all rounder”. The issue you raised with chop etc could potentially cause a problem in a choppy bay, meaning the front covers would have to be on, negating the whole purpose of the bow rider in the first place. They aren’t the best fishing boat generally as a lot of deck space goes to lounge space, dry space, shade  and storage could be an issue as well. Also would suggest having a think about numbers - 8 people in a 6m boat is a very crowded and heavy boat. While it may be legal, it may not be overly practical.

i would look for something in a half or cuddy cabin around 5.5-6.2m with a modern 4 stroke outboard. Glass or plate - personal preference really. Both have their pros, and cons. If you are planning on getting out and about and travelling with the boat, spend some time really checking over the trailer and making sure if fully supports the hull for those longer trips.

other than that, just have a think about what else you really NEED in a boat. The latest 26 inch touch screen sounder gps might be a cool toy but is that $3-4K better spent on a boarding ladder, upgraded lighting, live bait tank and deck wash system and other stuff. No-one can really answer that one as what I like might not matter to others and what matters to others might not matter to you. 

Hope this has been some help.

Depends... for me it’s a confidence and feel thing. If I’m fishing an area I know and am using a lure I’ve had success with before I’ll probably persist longer than if I was prospecting a new area. That being said, I’ve had days where I have used about 12 or 15 different lures and still caught ef all.

And I don’t think I’ve caught a truly noteworthy fish for probably 2-3 years so shut up.

I love my job... I love my job... I love my job...