tugger

Gday callum still living on premo reef fish

I have heard and seen bigger snaps down the river after dark Steve fish where ever the brightest lights are shining on the water. Sometimes they leave a portainer crane down with the lights on on a empty container wharf or any of the bulk cargo wharf again look for the brightest lights shining onto the water.

Didnt you tell him you can't out fish the skipper Beau

This is living

Went to Somerset dam for 5 days after I got back from 1770 so I have had a big month off work and loving getting out and about again. Took the missus out there in the caravan with the kids joining us over the weekend and a few friends with their van as well. We got a few redclaw and did a bit of fishing but mainly just chilling around camp. We burnt about a ton of wood and cooked some mad feeds in the camp ovens. Already got 2 more big trips booked with the van down south so more reports of our van life to come. Here's some photos out on the lake.

Navionics app I use has Somerset dam which you can download onto your phone or tablet device it has all the depth contours and I believe you can get a navionics card for your sounders

Thanks I have seen guys out at the point it looks fishy and boats troll around the headland right there for spanish mackerel

Great crew most of us have done this together for a while bring on the next 1

No sister sorry hahahahaha

Life is to short Steve i love to get out as you know can't wait for the retired life where its an every day decision to fish somewhere and life gets better

A few more photos

I was down tingalpa ck years ago and we were smashing plenty of good whiting and I said I reckon we should head off soon and she said nick off we will not be leaving we will keep hooking in while they are on the bight. She knows the costs and effort of big fishing trips why cut it short is her and my mentality.

She has always been like that even down here she says don't rush home if the fish are biting

No on my little boat i got early this year a mate towed it up there

I fell in love with the place on my 1st trip years ago Hamish and the jacks did have some cool colours and plenty of fun on my light gear

Nice trip steve love the colours on the tuskies

Spent 14 days up at 1770 with a dozen lads and 4 offshore boats and 4 smaller tinnies. We rented the same place we had last year with 3 dwellings to house us all on 4 acres. This place is mint with a fire pit 4m across, we burnt a Ute load of timber every night in which I chainsawed from the paddock behind the block. The 1st few days we got over to Lady Musgrave island in ordinary conditions and managed to collect a feed of fish each from the 4 big boats we caught coral trout, redthroat emperor, spangeled emperor, moari cod, hussar, green jobfish and tuskies. It was a squeeze getting everyone in the boats but we managed i had Lance and Terry in my boat for the overnighter out there at Musgrave. The rest of the week was blown out but 1 of the boats got out to bustard head the next day it was the biggest boat for the ordinary conditions and they got 3 good spanish mackerel. The next day we all went to baffle creek in the samll tinnies, my outboard was playing up so I slowly motored to a likely spot close to the ramp. It had a rock bar with a deep hole and the water was back eddying behind the rock in this hole. I was using mullet strips on my light rod with 10lb line and 10lb leader. I caught many bream where I was casting against the bank. I cast out into the middle in the deep hole and got thumped and broken off so I upgraded the leader to 20lb. The next cast I hooked a good fish and next thing a small jack was netted this fish went 33cm returning him after a qujck photo. The next cast I got thumped again another jack fought hard running line and finally hitting the deck at 39cm. The next cast you guessed it thumped giving me curry stripping line and the net slipped under a good 42cm jack. The other boys turned up and 1 of the boys got another jack around 42cm as well. The bight slowed and switched off so I called it very happy with my self with 3 jacks from 3 casts. The rest of the week we did some exploring in murimbular national park with the 4wds and checked out middle creek and a couple of cool lookouts. We burnt plenty of wood each night as mentioned and cooked up some great dampers in the camp ovens. The 2nd last day I rang home and the missus says to me are you staying longer with the weather coming good. I hadn't looked at it as we were packing to go home so I decided to stay a bit longer and get out again to the reef. My deckies had to leave but Callum jumped ship off another crew so we were on our own in my boat. Sunday was mint and by late morning we were banging good trout and lipper. We worked our way deeper and by 3pm for the tide change we hit the red grounds. Callum hooked a stonker and after a good battle landed his 1st legal red emperor going 77cm. We both got plenty of just under or just on legal sized reds. This spot went quiet so we moved up to the next bump and Callum hooks up again to another good red again boating a good red at 68cm. The fishing slowed and the sun setting we ran behind the reef to anchor for the night. The weather was still mint and a beautifull night was had without a breath of wind. The next morning the reds didn't bight so back to thumping trout and red throat, tuskies, cod and hussar. We worked our way down to Fitzroy lagoon for a snorkel and we blasted home from there. Another night spent back at the ranch by ourselves we lit the fire and downed some coldies. The next day we filleted our catch and parted ways with Callum heading north and me running home.

You know I love the colour red coming up under the boat

Some of the best bait for just about everything Hamish

We will show them when we take the bonito up north Lance

I love what bunnies can be turned into

Stagger your baits as well have 1 close to the Boat 5m from the back and then another 10m then 15m and 20m. A lot of the time it will be the close couple of baits will be hit as the fish will come in for the burley. Use the floats to get the furtherest ones out and the close ones without floats. If the baits are being picked off on the deep rigs by rubbish fish go all floats.

Yes find where they are feeding in the water column.

I had wire rig on 1 rod but got just as many fish on the gangs at the gangs are quicker to rig and get back out. We floated the pillies out and used a small sinker when the tide was the strongest. Take floats with you but mix it up and see what works best have some without float or sinkers. A old mate told me many years ago keep trying different rigs, depths and baits till you find what works. I cut the tail off the pillies at 1 stage and that worked good luck and remember burley up.

We used 4/0 gangs and had 2 kg of good pillies and 2 kg of old pillies we burleyed up.