Old Scaley

@tugger, how did you go, Mark?

Hi @cps. Yesterday I was reading a feature article in this month’s Queensland Fishing Monthly about fishing Fraser Island. The author was recommending an 11 foot rod for tossing lures in the surf. Specifically he named Assasin Asia Zero. They look pretty pricey and not sure if they come in an overhead model. I guess the takeout is that 11 foot is a better length. BTW, is that one of the original red Abu Garcia C7000 reels made in Sweden? I still have one that I got 40 years ago and it is still strong as an ox and smooth as silk.

I think you could argue that the ref changing the call gave the Roosters a big advantage. Not only because the Raiders didn’t kick for a try or repeat set (or even a field goal) but also because their defensive line would have been set if they knew it was a handover. Who can say, but the fullback and wingers would have been back rather than up in the line ready to attack the try line. Personally, I think that as soon as Cummins changed his mind and realised that Canberra hadn’t seen it, he should have stopped the game and explained the decision. We have seen them do that plenty of times before). That would have given Canberra the time to set up defensively which they would have had if they knew it was a handover. But that’s football. Anyone who thinks that is the worst refereeing blunder in a final series have obviously forgotten the the seven tackle set that let the Sharks knock the Cowboys out of the 2013 series (Who says I hold a grudge). Bring on next season. I miss the NRL already. Oh, and congrats Dan. Get you next year mate.

Sorry @tworowsofeight and @ellicat. I know the Burrum and Hervey Bay areas to some extent but never fished the Bundy area other than one camping trip to the South Kolan when it was too windy to get to Wathumba. Local tackle stores are usually a great place to start looking for info. Good luck!

I forgot to tip the final series. My best chance to get a few points too since there were no Queensland teams involved. Anyone see the State championship game? What a finish. Poor old Burleigh Bears - best team beaten at the final bell.

Haven’t tried it yet @benno573. Had Morwong fillets the first night (average) and then made the rest of it into sensational Thai fish cakes the next night. Stargazer is in the freezer but should get a run soon. Looking forward to trying it.

Thanks for the report @Aal. Sounds like an absolute horse of a bream!

Having been away for 3 weeks I was pretty keen to scratch the itch and get back on the water, so I was super keen to get a call from “the dentist” (he can’t be identified because he was on a day off work with industrial diarrhoea) suggesting that we head down the Pin area chasing muddies and whiting on Thursday. We needed to be on the water at high tide so we could get the pots up some skinny water to spot X, and then needed to stay on the water until the next high at about 6.30pm to get back to the pots. So it was a long day, but quite comfortable with overcast sky as long as we could dodge the persistent northerlies. We flicked some hard bodies and plastics while we waited for yabbie banks to be exposed, but no flat fish were playing the game. We loaded up with yabbies and went to a favourite whiting spot. Pretty soon the dentist had a 35cm whiting over the side and we thought “game on”. They were a bit hit and miss and we tried a few different spots as the tide moved and the wind blew. Lots of bream around and we kept a few of the bigger ones as well as 8 good whiting. The dentist landed a spotted grunter so we had at least hit 2 of the target species. At our last spot before heading off to get the pots, I had an unusual bite, then fish on. Nah, it’s a snag. No wait, the snag just moved. A minute later and up popped my first stargazer, one of the dentist’s favourites. So a new fish for me and hence a PB. Happy days. Not long after I had another unusual bite. After the initial hook up, the fish seemed to anchor itself on the bottom so we called it for a ray. I thought this was a pretty big Ray for the area as we often catch the small blue spots around the Pin area and this was a lot heavier and had a lot more go in it. After a prolonged battle where I wasn’t being too careful, we finally got a glimpse of the “ray” near the boat. The dentist called it for a brown Morwong and it was a big fish! That made me sit up and take notice. All of a sudden I was very very happy that I had changed the braid on this reel the day before and had brand new 6lb with 10lb leader. But were my knots up to the task, and would that size 4 whiting hook that was already bent do the job? The fish came close to the surface a number of times before I could get his head up so the dentist could slip the net under and drag it into the boat and I was one happy little fisherman. We bled it immediately and checked the weight on my boga grips - right on 10 lb in the old money so a pretty good fish for the estuary. Shortly after we headed off to grab the pots. No legal muddies but a few that were only a mm shy of being in the esky, so they will live to be caught another day. Got back to the ramp at about 7.15 where we were greeted by the Fisheries boys. Good to see them out and about at odd times. Overall, a successful day with a good esky of fresh fish and 4 sand crab for our troubles. Last heard, the dentist was recovering well and expects to return to work on Monday when any hint of sunburn has gone.

Yesterday Robbie. Resting up a bit today but keen to get out on the water soon.

Hey @Drop Bear, since adding a post to this topic I started searching for info about freshwater prawn farming, just out of interest. Very interesting reading about farming techniques for both salt water and freshwater prawns in different regions, and what gets farmed where. The cherabin is actually the same genus (Macrobrachium) but different species (spinipes) to that referred to by the original poster, but hey, as they say in Asia “ same same but different”. About 280,000 tonnes of freshwater prawns are farmed globally each year, compared to about 1,600,000 tonnes of salt water prawns. There have been a number of attempts to farm cherabins in Australia but none have been commercially successful from the reading I have done. Based on what I have read, I would now support farming of the native species if that was possible, but not importing raw product from another country, although that is probably illegal now anyway. By the way, Robbie, it did not surprise me to read that you thought cherabin were delicious since I have heard you say that about pretty much anything that comes from the water. And you are a good chef who could make a tasty meal out of an old boot.

Are you asking because you would like to import them into Australia? As far as I know, they do not live here naturally, although they might be in some rivers right up north. I have eaten them in Asia and they were delicious, just like most food in Asia, but more because of how they were cooked rather than how they taste on their own. Not sure they could compete with nice fresh salt water prawns. Personally I don’t support importing uncooked prawns from Asia. We have seen the results of that here recently with white spot wiping out local prawn farms near the Gold Coast. Same goes for farming non-native species - who knows what damage they could do in wild rivers here. Hope that helps.

@ellicat can you please hand feed them until I get home in a about 10 days time? I am really missing getting out on the water for a fish.

Could be just the washer on the bung or the rivett is rotting out. Try new bungs first. If that doesn’t work drill out all the rivetts and replace them and seal them with sikaflex. Always start with the cheapest option and work up.

So you should be set for any fishy quizzes during those poor weather times when the site goes quiet @ellicat? I have one of the original editions personally signed by Mr Grant himself. Lovely book.

Great video @aussie123. I paid over $500 a few weeks ago for 4 of us to get up close and personal like that with whales in Hervey Bay. Should have just asked Lance for 4 deckie spots and then we wouldn’t have had to put up with some of the idiot passengers on the tour boat

Hey Robbie, this month’s Qld Fishing Monthly (September edition) has a feature article on trolling for inshore pelagics in the Whitsundays. Might have some useful info for you. I hope you have better luck than one of my brothers who recently had a week in a hire yacht up there. Winds were 25 to 30 knots all week until the day they left. He could hardly get a lure in the water. But, that’s fishing. Enjoy your time up there mate, it is a beautiful part of the world.

The brand I use is called Invisible Zinc Sheer Defence. It is SPF 50+ and easy to use. As always, you need to reapply regularly which is where I sometimes fall down.

Great reminder @Dinodadog. And as someone in a similar situation, can I also seriously suggest a regular full skin check (one that includes all the places you wouldn’t normally look). I had my first basal cell carcinoma cut out when I was in my early thirties and have been going for a full check every 3 months since so we are staying on top of things a bit these days. I can also recommend the invisible zinc type potions as a more effective sun block for your face than regular sunscreens. Stay safe everyone.

Who said the Bay is fished out? Obviously lots of time on the water and lots of trial and error has gone into your well deserved success @jon. Congrats. Quick question - I don’t see the bluey in the catch photos, so does that mean it was released? Do they eat well at that size? Sure is a great fish.

Good one @Drop Bear, going on your past form I think you may have sealed their fate with your kiss of death.. This is the first year that I have completely tipped with my heart rather than my head (always tip the Qld teams, never tip a team that has Paul Gallen in it) and it has made my footy watching more enjoyable. It avoids the inevitable guilt of not tipping the team you support and you can barrack for the team you want to win rather than the team you tipped. I guessing tipping is not the right game for me then? But I still enjoy it so will be back next year when the Qld teams will be soaring again. Still tipping the mighty Broncos to flog Melbourne in the GF .......

Did you have the residual on the Eels tonight @ellicat? Never mind, you can always chase your losses on the Dapto dogs.........

Sounds like an awesome trip @tugger. Shame about dropping the reds but you can’t be too disappointed with an ice box like that!

A lot of chasing for not much chewing to begin with and then the one that did get eaten didn’t look like it had the strength or energy to get away. I guess that reinforces the role of the sharks in cleaning up the injured and sick fish to keep the gene pool strong and help clean up the oceans. I have seen big schools of black tips on sand flats in the Whitsundays but they were all around that 1.2 metre mark which just goes to show that things really are bigger and better in the USA.

Just had a look @ellicat. Says it is 27” and for 4 to 8 pound line with a medium action. We should catch up for a fish soon and you can have a crack with it.

Regulars on here will remember a @kjohnson posting on here that he would be visiting Brissie from Canada and was looking for some information about fishing in this area. I am always keen to meet new people from other countries and learn a bit about how things are done there and to show a little hospitality to visitors because I have had that opportunity given to me in the past. Anyway, we had a loose arrangement to catch up while he was in town. Unfortunately the timing wasn’t great as the weather was a bit blowy and rain was forecast (but didn’t happen), so we arranged to meet for a land based session at Colmslie. It was a really pleasant couple of hours where Kevin outfished me by landing one small tailor while I landed zero. Long story short, Kevin gave me a brand new ice fishing rod that he had brought with him from Ontario. I was totally blown away, and a little embarrassed since I had brought a Shimano cap as a gift for him but got totally trumped. I love this little rod. It is about 60cm long and really nicely made. I knew immediately that I had to catch a fish on it rather than just putting on display. I am without a tow vehicle at the moment while my usual tow car in at the panel beaters following an unusual incident involving 2 vehicles without drivers or passengers and neither are autonomous. Go figure. Fortunately this site has many generous people and both @benno573 and @ellicat offered to provide a tow vehicle in exchange for a day on the water. @benno573 was the first available so we planned a Sunday trip to Cabbage Tree Point area to chase whiting and flathead. We had and early start so we could pump yabbies on the low at daybreak then fished a few of Ben’s many spots down that way. The fish weren’t chewing their heads off but we managed a decent feed of whiting and bream. We (Benno) did land about 4 flathead during the day but all were undersize. Sorry no pics except for the highlight of the day - my first fish on an ice fishing rod. It was so much fun that I will definitely be doing this again. The little rod easily managed a 35 cm whiting and despite Benno’s best attempts to put me onto a ray just to test it out, that did not happen. Top day out as usual @benno573. And thanks @kjohnson