lachrdr

Great report, and yes how lucky we are in SEQ to have Moreton Island right on our doorstep. Would be great if the photo issue gets fixed soon.

Was just trolling gar on a variety of chin weights. Might try some bonito next time

Yeah I have the app but when I tried to open it it was glitching and trying to update and wouldn't work. Also I didn't have reception on my phone to check online. Anyway I definitely know for next time, and yes kicking myself when I found out 60 is the legal limit.

Reading the report by @Tuna are fish inspired me to write a report. Headed out from the Port around 4.30am on Friday, with the plan to chase a spanish on trolled dead baits around cape moreton. Was pretty choppy on the way out, but conditions improved throughout the morning. Within 10 minutes of getting the baits in the water we had a hit. In came a 65cm yellowtail king. I had no idea of the size limit for these as I havent caught one before so it was returned. The next two hours were uneventful, until we came across a school of mack tuna feeding on the surface. They were on the chew and we spent a while catching them nearly every cast, with the hope of a bigger longtail lurking beneath. This was not the case, and eventually we got back to trolling. Had one more hit and run without a hookup. Time to head home, and about halfway across the bay I saw a large splash, with some birds heading for it. Then I saw a huge longtail break the surface and excitement levels rose. First cast with a 40g slug and I was on. Longtails certainly do some incredible initial runs. After a good fight we had the fish on board. Weighed it the next morning and it was 19kg. Plenty of meat shared around with friends and family so smiles all round. Sometimes the target fish doesn't work out, but there is always the chance of decent by-catch in the bay. Cheers, Lachlan

Well done on the Longtail. I also got one on Friday. Spent all morning out around Cape moreton, then on the way home across the bay I saw a school of longies smashing baitfish. First cast on a 40g slug and I was on. Ended up being 19kg, so definately some good size ones around. Cheers, Lachlan

Very nice Neil. Do you have a link for the Bonito rigging video you did a while ago? The one on this site doesnt seem to work anymore for me.

This time we were camped down near Shark Spit. We always camp on the Western side anywhere from Comboyuro to Shark Spit. The tides do go out a bit but not too big. Just need to keep a close eye on the boat if you anchor in close on a high tide. I think the campsites south of shark spit are worse with big mangrove flats. The only issue is if you anchor deep one arvo and want to go for an early fish in the morning, it can be a pretty brisk wade/swim out to the boat! Especially this time of year.

Hi Neil, some good looking fish there. Do the Spanish hang around as it gets colder? Cheers, Lachlan

The Macks took a range from 30 gram to 55 gram, and the longtail took a 40 gram. Interestingly the bait fish they were eating were tiny.

I have learnt a lot reading the reports on here, so thought it's about time I contribute one. Also, I rarely have much to report, so this was a good change! We spent the weekend camping at Moreton Island with the plan to do some fishing in the bay, and hopefully head out around the cape if the weather played the game. Conditions were pretty nice Saturday morning heading across, and after setting up camp we spent some time trolling the beacons with a paravane. It took a while to get it to swim right, but we did catch a 55cm school mackerel just before dusk, which was a very nice dinner. The grinners were also thicker than I have ever seen and were keen to take just about any lure. After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning, we decided to head North, to explore new ground for us and maybe troll for a Spanish. It was a bit sloppy around Comboyuro but once through there the conditions were perfect. Big swells but very clean. We spotted some birds working and started casting slugs. Not long after I hooked a decent sized Mack Tuna. Next my mate hooked one as well. We were pretty happy to have those two in the boat. These were bigger than any of the Mack Tuna I have caught in the bay. After that schools seemed to be popping up everywhere, but were fairly easily spooked. My mate managed to catch another Mack Tuna. Then the fun started. I cast into a school but noticed I had a bit of a tangle in my line at the reel, so spent a little while sorting that. I cranked the lure back in from under the school that were still boiling, and it got smashed. The first run took me by surprise and I was quickly losing line. After a good fight I managed to get the fish near the boat and saw that it was a longtail. A species I have been hoping to catch for some time. The fish took one final run and managed to go around and under the boat. The line rubbed the side and snapped, which was pretty devastating. After retying we found another big school and I tried the same technique. The lure got chomped again and the drag was screaming. I couldn't believe I managed to hook another Longie. This time we were ready and maneuvered the boat during the fight and managed to land it. Big smiles all round. We headed back to camp very happy and the bay was glassed out. Heading home on Sunday was a different story with the bay pretty choppy with the westerly. All in all a great trip and cant wait to get amongst the longtails again. Got some amazing fillets off the Longtail, and contrary to popular opinion we also eat the Mack Tuna. Usually in a curry or stir fry, and as long as the fish is bled well and the lateral line is removed we find them to be good eating. Cheers, Lachlan

Below are photos of the two spoons. Both are marked Halco Barra 3, although the writing is slightly different. The one with the yellow sticker is the one that came pre rigged, but didn't swim well. I also noticed that where the holes are drilled in the board is not quite in the centre. I'm not sure if that also had some affect on how the board performed.

I bought one last week. Used it on Saturday and took a while to get it to stay down. It seemed that the spoon it came with was very erratic and would keep flipping it, even at very low speed. I had a spare spoon, exactly the same as the one it was pre rigged with, and with that it stayed down. Not sure what the go was but I had never used one before so not too experienced. After I got it working I did catch a legal schoolie so was happy with that. Cheers, Lachlan