Surfingant

Yeah that's true Justin it has been a while between sessions. We'll tee up a bass session on the river soon mate

Sunnydays - that's a pretty good line up... aren't you a teen? Kudo's to you sir.

here's a pic of my reels. 1 Stella 10000 is now with Cookie_7. A couple of random reels missing from that pic... baitrunner, straid fi etc.




I don't have a picture of all of the rods together but a lot of them are shared between Angus and I... here's a shot with a few of them..

I'll just leave this here for now

Not very photogenic but a few steez's

OK... With the upcoming monthly social events the idea was thrown out there that an article be written up prior to the event that could be made into a FrontPage article for all to see detailing the species for that month and a sort of “How To” on catching them.  This would enable people that are keen on chasing the nominated species an insight on fishing for them and might offer them a few tips or point them in the right direction.



Now first up I’m not necessarily to best qualified nor have I caught the most Long tail Tuna in Moreton Bay but I have chased them in boats and a yaks with success and thought I could write up an article on chasing these speedsters that might help a few other people on the site.  Feel free to add to this anything that has helped you and nothing I put down is given law on catching Longies so please don’t shoot me down for having a go.
 
Longtail Tuna are a member of the Tuna family  (duh!) that extend from the tip of Cape York right down to south of Sydney and are a seasonal fish that start entering Moreton Bay around Easter every year.  The fish usually travel down the coast and the reports from the Hervey Bay are usually a good indicator on how our season will fare here.  Size can vary quite a bit from year to year with some years the average fish are only 8kg, other years the average size could be around 15kg it varies from season to season.  They are a fantastic sports fish that can be taken on a variety of methods and also fare well on the plate especially for those who enjoy Sushimi.  Below I’ll brake it down into different sections and also the main focus will be using plastics as I have no idea about catching them on bait so I'll leave that up to someone else to add if they so desire.

Time of Day and Tides
 
Put simply time of day doesn't really matter a whole lot for Tuna as they are more of a gentleman’s hours fish meaning you don’t have to be up at sparrows fart to catch them, the middle of the day in the bright sun is as good a time as any.  Tide is a different story as in the bay most people looking for Longies will opt to fish an outgoing tide and like most fish “no run means no fun” this applies to Tuna as well as the tide will help them ball the bait up.
 
Locations
 
First things first for Longies there's no spot x they can  turn up anywhere in the bay, right from the top end of Bribie and as far south as near Coochie.  Generally speaking fish in the northern part of the bay will of a bigger average size than those you encounter in the southern half of the bay but the odd bigger models can still turn up anywhere.  Some of the more well know spots for chasing them would be places like The Four Beacons, Mud Island, Curtin Reef, Pearl Channel, The Sand Hills,  Spitfire Channel, Harries, Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel and the waters all around Peel Island.  Also when they're thick in the bay you don’t have to travel far as they can be quite often found within close range of spots like Wello and Cleveland Point so don’t feel you need to travel to the other side of the bay to catch one. 
 
Finding The Fish
 
Birds, birds and birds are your best friend when locating fish also word of mouth on where they're being caught is not to be overlooked because if there's constant reports of fish coming in from north of Peel than chances are if you fish north of Peel for long enough you'll find them.  Longies can vary in the size of the school from solo fish through to bigger schools of thirty or more generally speaking they don’t hang in as large a schools as say Mac Tuna.  When driving around the bay keep a constant eye out for birds and try and see what they're seeing, if there's 50 birds diving in one spot with a lot of commotion going on chances are there's some Tuna there, but it's not always that obvious with sometimes a single bird being the only giveaway to the location of the fish.  Keep an eye on any bird that is constantly dipping in one spot if he flutters to maintain position in one spot chances are there's something below him whether it be the bait the bird is after or the Tuna you're after.  Also Tuna tend to chase the bait fish up onto the edges of sandbanks throughout the bay especially in the areas north of Peel up towards Harries, so if you do find them fire a cast there direction and see what happens.  Another thing to remember when trying to catch Tuna is DO NOT just drive up at speed cut the motor and try to catch them that way sure it might work on occasions but in the end most of the time the fish will shut down not to be seen again.  Instead the best approach although difficult is to try and watch the travelling direction of the fish and get in front of them allowing them to come to you.  It can be hard at times when they're always changing directions but this way the fish will stay up longer and multiple casts can be made at one school of fish.
 
Rods, Reels and Line
 
Rod and reel choice can vary quite a lot as they can be landed on anything from a 2-4kg Bream setup right through to heavier spin gear.  They don’t fight dirty and a good drag and plenty of line is all that's required to land one but bear in mind that fishing too light will result in you having to drive after the fish and increase your chances of getting sharked.  Being this article is geared more towards the plastics style of fish my preference for a Tuna rod would be something in the 7 foot 6-10kg range and a 4000 size reel to suit, brand is not important  and all companies make gear that cover these specs.  A rod with a softer tip to throw the lure is important to achieve a greater distance if the fish are easily spooked and a strong butt section on the rod to lift them when they circle below the boat is another vital quality to look for in a rod.  I personally use a LuckyCraft Light Drop Shot 3-10kg with a Stradic CI4 4000 and have found it more than capable on most bay Tuna.  Line wise 20lb braid would be the sweet spot for in the bay and if you used the combo offshore as well 30lb would also be suitable, 10lb would do the job most of the time also but it gets a bit tedious trying to lift the fish on lighter gear.  Leaders wise Flurocarbon is the go and generally speaking the shallower the water the fish are found in the lighter the leader needs to be.  In the southern bay you could go as low a 14lb leader and be alright but as you head towards the northern half of the bay 30lb would be a better choice as you're more likely to come across other fish like Cobia, Kingfish and Macs.
Lures
 
Now that you've found some fish and have the rod and reel in your hand you need something to actually throw at the fish and get a strike.  Match the hatch is what most people work by and the same goes for Longies, having said that Longies are nowhere near as fussier fish as Mac Tuna can be and as such they take a large variety of plastics and metals.  In the bay a lot of the fish are feeding on Hardy Heads and a small 3” plastics in the clearer to opaque varieties is a good place to start, most companies make plastics that suit with brands like Zooms and Bass Assassin through to Berkely and Squidgies all having suitable styles and colours.  Jerkbait/forktail minnow styles are probably the best as they represent the baitfish better but they can also be caught on other weird and wonderful styles as well so do be afraid to throw out what's in your tackle box.  Jigheads need to be strong and 3/8-1/2oz is probably the best weight as any lighter and you wont cast the distance any heavier and the lure will sink straight past the fishes mouth, hook size just needs to match the plastic you're using.  Also ensure the hooks are heavy wire in what ever brand you use aas light wire hooks wont last long on heavier drag settings.


Technique
 
I have to be honest I’ve not found any technique to be more successful than any other as most of the time when the lure lands in the right spot it's picked up without any retrieve necessary.  But unlike metals a fast wind isn't really needed as you want the lure in front of the fish for as long as possible and I tend to find a medium twitching retrieve on the lure seems to do the job.  In the end just mix it up as one thing works on one school of fish but not the other.  Also let it sink through the school and see what might be beneath it.  Another trick is whilst fishing have a lightly weighted plastic dead-sticking out the back of the boat as I know of one person using this technique and it has proven to be quite successful for him.
 
Landing The Fish
All that's required to land the fish is patience as they wont run for any reefs and they don’t have any teeth to bite you off, you just need to survive the initial run and take it from there, the hardest past of the fight is when the fish is below the boat and circling as they can prove to be quite difficult to lift from this position.  The trick here is to just motor off the fish and try and get it arching up on the surface also try and work against the fishes direction of travel say if he's swimming away from you try to work the rod the other way so that you're always trying to turn the fishes head.  All that’s needed now is to net or gaff the fish and you're done.


Summary
 
I hope this is of help to at least one person and that you're able to score your first Longie from it.  At the end of the day you just need to be on the water and watching what's going on as most people just drive past good fish not knowing they're there.  There will be days where none of the above works and other days where it all falls into place and that's the thing with Tuna as they are so unpredictable and for the yakkers out there Longies are certainly catch-able from a yak in the bay you just need to be a little smarter about chasing them and be prepared to paddle but they're worth it in the end.  Now the wait begins for them to start showing up in numbers
 
Cheers
 
Mark

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Maybe you should take up pottery instead, fishing doesn't seem to be your thing. Then again maybe pottery isn't either as you need patience for both.

Some people do attend an event and walk away with an even funnier user name than what they arrived with.

They may not know what the name is, but the rest will!

In all seriousness, I have been a member on here coming up 5 years now. I have had some posts moderated, some posts have disappeared completely and others remain standing for people to learn from. Perhaps its because I often challenge the 'grey area' arguement about things, but thats just me. I am a black and white sort of guy.

This is however by far the best forum I have been involved with. With a membership approaching 10,000 its a cross section of the community on a whole. Would you walk down Queen Street Mall and belt everyone with a keyboard that looked funny, talked funny, or had a funnier view of things than you do? As said, debate is good, sledging is best left to competing boats on the water, and the best way to join the 'boys club' is to come and lean on the gunwhales of my boat (or anyone elses for that matter) and have a chinwag about things.

You only get as much out as you put in.

Ps... Who is this Gazza dude? Well back Bud, bout time you bought some sheep for your lawn!

Pss.... No need for Tomca to answer the Queen Street Mall question ;-)

Easiest way to fix the site is to post more reports so the negatives get out weighed by the postive. I joined this site about 2+ years ago and I have been to every comp since and attended a lot of the socials. The Community is great and I get as much out of it as I have put in. I have made many good friends as well.

Get involved and enjoy the community. I have found it very welcoming and people are always up for a chat. I was worried at first when I went along to my first social as I did not know anybody and would not have anything to talk to people about. Remember everybody is as passionate as each other on here, that is why you are here. My tip is get involved. Write reports, go to socials and comps. I know it has dramatically changed my life and I now live it to the full. good on you AFO

Ted

This is an interesting topic and one that has been discussed and contemplated by me often. As has been previously stated by webby and others, with such a huge range of members, despite some people believing their opinions or views should be unanimously accepted, this will never be the case. Sometimes it's better to just ignore a post/thread if you find you don't agree with the sentiment. I find myself doing this a lot more these days. For example, instead of having a whinge in a political thread about why people are talking politics on a fishing site, how about read a fishing thread instead?

This being said, there is only one to ensure the website remains the way we all want it despite our personal convictions, and thats to keep posting and reporting. There has been in the past a couple of members who have ceased to post becuase they felt hard done by, ignored, or believed the general sentiment of the site was not going their way. Well there is no faster way to put a nail into the coffin than by removing the very sentiment from the site you agree with!

By going quiet and becoming a lurker, you are single handidly ensuring the content remains less than what it could be.

I firmly believe on this site that activity fuels activity. Do more reports and more will be made. Encourage newer members with tips and advice and maybe a deckie spot (not spot x's ), and these members could be the gun members of next year and may be passing tips back to you and doing awesome reports to satisfy your interest (this has certainly happened to me many times). No one (except maybe that banned Jesus fellow) is born with god given fishing knowledge so be patient and encouraging with novice efforts as opposed to arrogant and let the angler gain experience in his own time. We were all novices once. In short its not a magazine. There more you put into this the more you will get out.

I would strongly urge more of the lurkers and infrequent posters to contribute more in this sense. You may feel you get what you need out of the site without having to bother, but it would be shame if one the day the site was just not here to feed your passion due to lack of perceived interest. This is not really a threat or worry as the site is statistically growing, however think what it could be!

I have had several PM's in the past from quiter or new members commenting on how there is a bit of a "boys club" on here. I can assure you this is only brought about by familiarity among members, not the wish to exclude others. Breaking into this so called "boys club" is as simple as coming along to one social or event and having a beer (I am sure those who have taken a punt and attened any official or unofficial event can attest to this). The vast majority of members that attend such events are more than welcoming to new members. Keyboard warriors are also conspicously absent at tangible events as well Can I also suggest this to any and all members anyway as once you attend such an event your online experience will be enhanced simply by the fact that you are more than just a funny username to many. With this familiarity comes a greater desire to answer your questions, help you find a spot and maybe even give you new people to fish with.

RE the Monthly Comps, obviously due to a contentious call recently this has gone a bit quiet. Admin are meeting ASAP to discuss and improve the rules for these comps as well as tie them better into the physical events so the standard is clear cut and easy for members to follow. We ask for patience while we do this as we all work full time jobs not at all AFO related, and will convene when we are physically able. If members decide the boycott the monthly competitions for whatever reasons the only thing this will ensure is a termination of their existance.

ONTHECHEW: Thanks for the thought provoking thread. I no way aim any "lack of contribution" towards you as your reports I know for sure entertain and motivate many AFO members on a regular basis (me included).

Sorry for this rant and I hope it has made sense to some and might even encourage others to get a bit more active. This website is labour of love for us and I often reflect fondly on the top blokes I have met and fishing experiences I have gained from it. I sincerely dread the day with the cons outweigh the pros and its just not worth it anymore.

Angus

This is only speaking from personal opinion but I would like this forum to not head in the direction I have seen other forums go down the track of. For some people like my self who works long hours in a stressful job coming home and reading this forum is a release from the day to day grind, if you don't get a chance to get out fishing as often as some people are lucky enough to do.

You get on and read about other experiences that other members have had at the sport that we all love so much. You can relate to their excitement or disappointment as you share the same dreams. What causes the downwards spiral of these forums is negativity and a whole lot of keyboard cowboy syndrome. This has a negative affect on the entire site, at first some of these threads may seem funny but can turn nasty very quickly. This promotes people not wanting to report any more and even worse the potential loss of sponsorship which in turns pays for the site that we all enjoy. 98% of posts on this site are of a positive or fun making gesture but as usual in life a minority can wreck it for all.

The first thing people will reply to this post is that this is a free country, and it is an open forum and people can post what they want, but do some of these things really needed to go so far. If everyone just thought, would I say it to their face, maybe a whole lot of the crap would not even make it onto the forum. If a post gets heated put a time out on the member or something, I am pretty sure some of the men in blue will vouch that if you chuck someone into the courthouse for the night, with maybe an accidental spraying with the fire hose they are a whole lot calmer (and sober) in the morning.

This is not my forum, I do not run this forum or have any say in it, I do not believe that my opinion will be that of 100% or even 50% of people that read this but as the first arguement that will be written opposing my opinion will be is that it is an open forum. I just believe that if every one thought about why they joined the forum for originally (fishing) not whinging and bitching that maybe we might even make this forum even better than it already is.

If enough people stop reporting, not going to socials or comps, no new sponsorship there will be no forum. It might sound over the top or dramatic but it can happen and has. Once again this is only my opinion, someone who loves to read about other peoples fishing related adventure or reporting on my own.

Thankyou for reading

Andrew

And Jords now

Back when I was in retail it was 14 and 3 months

I agree totally, you are young and will learn quickly. The best advice I can give you is to do your best sponge impression Learn the product, talk to other staff members and customers alike and take everything in. You are already off to a good start by looking at places in a field you are interested in, if I started out that way I would probably still be in retail.

Mate you've got a lot of experienced fishos on here that are more than willing to help you out, I find crap like that just plain rude. You don't seem to be willing to take on the tips and techniques that you are given, why? I understand that you are young and just want to get out there and catch something (don't we all) and also transport is an issue, but try to get out there and learn a few things that work for YOU, not everyone else. Spend more time in your local area and learn it's intricasies and you might be pleasantly surprised.