tugger

Your rigs and method is spot on for yabbies on Whiting and flathead and that spot land based is good. This is my neck of the woods and if you have a boat or kayak the sandbank opposite in the middle of the creek is an even better yabbie bank.

I love the crowds tailor and mackerel fishing I reckon the more baits in the water the better. This also means you have picked the right time of year and yes August is a great month up there. The month for westerly winds

Thanks Henry I do know a few crews who drive up and head straight out and do the same heading home. I have the luxury most times to stay in town to break up the trip. The trip from my house to 1770 is 6 hours on average by road then where we fish is 2.5 to 3 hours drive in the boat. Add the sea conditions fishing for 2 to 3 days and it can knock you around a bit then factor my age this is why I like to break it up. All possible but you will feel it.

We got a few trout up at bustard head

Thanks Robbie fingers crossed we line up next time

The little tinnie does it again

Thanks Hamish the reel is a Shimano talica 12 with 40 lb braid

Up there you only want 5 to 10 max when crossing the paddock which is 60km of open water before getting to the reef then the reef gives you a bit of protection and it always gets windy at night there but by then you are tucked in behind a big reef system. Alot of factors come in like my boat goes well in a following sea so I can sneek up there with a stronger southerly if I know the next couple of days it will drop out. These things you will learn for your self, I have had my boat for 16 years and I worked on the water for the past 35 years so knowing sea conditions is second nature. Feel free to ask questions I'm happy to help that's how you learn as we all have to along the way.

5.4m aluminium cuddy cab allycraft, it has a 100hp 4 stroke Yamaha. Definitely not the biggest boat that gets around up there but I put an extra fuel tank in to give it more range.

Thanks Kat looking forward to the next one already

Thanks Kelvin always makes the trip having some red in the box

Very much so Steve

Headed up to 1770 for a good weather window mid week and got out for a few days on the reef in the Bunker group. The weather was exceptional on Tuesday when we left the ramp at 5am with the wind not getting over 5 knots till 5 pm. The fish were hungry as we got tuskies and red throat emperor stretching the lines. Then my deckie got a good fish with a coral trout hitting the deck. We kept moving to keep the fish biting hiting my marks and finding new ones along the way. The plan was to fish the red grounds on the tide turn just before lunch. It all went to plan when my line come tight on a solid fish with big head shakes. These fish are always an epic battle and I wasn't disappointed finally I called for the net and a good red emperor was landed. The red throat emperor are hard pulling fish and there were a few stonkers on this trip. They don't give up till they are lifted into the boat and just as good on the dinner plate. Also got plenty of big spangled emperor and big trevally all hard pulling fish. The end of the day we went to anchor behind the reef on the lee side and enjoyed a few well earned beers. The night was calm and the next morning we started working our way along fresh marks. We found some new grounds that fished well and Adam hooked a good cod. We lost many big fish to sharks and I got 1 large red emperor head back missing its back end. By lunch on Wednesday we had moved down to Fitzroy lagoon and hooked up to a mooring. A swim and a beer was the go here so why not at the same time. From here I pointed the boat for home after a very successful trip. By the end we had caught red emperor, tuskies, red throat emperor, black spot estuary cod, Moses perch, Maori cod, coral trout coronation trout, trevally, spangled emperor and hussa.

I use a combination as well with windfinder and meteye my 2 go to sites then the waverider bouys give good live info swell height, direction and current for offshore fishing.

On a positive note barnicles leave scars and chicks dig scars

And live minutes from said ramp

Most launch through the surf gutters on the beach close to the reef either way the creeks bars or beach gutters through surf is the only way out there so mastering surf conditions is needed. It is offshore with swell and waves not anything like the bay.

Plenty of yaks out there with some good fisherman amongst them. I remember the old large timber surf skis over 40 years ago fishing palmy reef for the mackies.

Yeah got the three species of mackerel this year. We bought a 21 foot semi off-road van and we'll have the boat on the car the van is 3m high with solar panels and aircon units on the roof.

Yeah Brock is a pretty good fisherman now, we burleyed hard that day with the schoolies as the spotties were slow then the schoolies come up into our Burley trail.

Had the new caravan away down at Tallebudgera caravan Park over Xmas holidays and I was up and down with work but the family staye most of the holidays. I got out a couple of times on the palm beach reef chasing the mackerel and my son hit up the marlin a few times. My son Brock had his best day going 4 from 5 on good size black marlin up to 100 kg fish. We had a couple of good days on the mackerel only minutes from where we stay at the park on the palmy reef. The new van is getting a good work out with plenty of trips since we got it in September last year. Soon setting up roof racks for my roof topper tinnie for trips with the van, bring on more time touring then.

1st picture i reckon i know that boat in the center of screen, well done we landed very much the same with 1 spanish and 7 spotties for our box.

Gets me keen for another trip up there, just awesome

Well done Hamish it is always good to outfish the skipper except if that skipper is me lol

What a top day on the water for you i need my fix as i have worked all long weekend