Hweebe

I think this quote really resonated with me: “In a small boat, you soon realise trying to fish open waters is too weather dependent, so a long time ago we dedicated our time to fishing the shallows around the Moreton Bay islands in depths of 6m or less” You have 40 years on the water, I’ve been dipping my toes in for in comparison a few seconds It does put into perspective how long it takes to learn and build your craft but one thing is for sure, before powering out into the wider bay It pays to explore all the shallow bay islands as well. I also figure that means more time fishing and less time travelling A to B so that can only be a good thing.

@ellicat you are right to relegate @benno573 to second choice decky after he left you high and dry. Some nice Mack fillets there. ellicatch living up to her name!!

Good write-up if i found the right author Darren?

I think it would depend on your height. They are capable boats, have seen plenty of runabouts make the noosa bar run on the fishing noosa youtube channel. Almost all the skippers of these runabouts are in the standup position so it is definitely doable albeit may not be comfortable for you.

Looks like awesome fun. I have no idea how to fish in fresh water or where to start fishing Dams but it is on my list of things to try this year.

Thanks hope that worked now.

Just looked it up in Grant's Guide (2014). Blue-faced Whiptail (sometimes called a Paradise-fish) with a Moreton variety called a Rainbow Whiptail. Can be used as bait for Snapper and Sweetlip, as live for Tuna or Mackerel (doh maybe next time) or the unsuccessful angler (like me) larger varieties make excellent pan-fried / chunky fillets.

Just trying to share in case there are some tips from the wise sages that can lead me in the right direction. Still trying to work out how to insert photos inline. Might have to ask @AUS-BNE-FISHO how to do this. I've re-added the photos at the bottom of the post. Let me know if you can see them now.

Last 4 outings I've gone over to rous twice for zero whiting and the bay twice for zero mackerel but a couple of pan sized tuskies. I'm thinking I need to go back to basics and less bay fishing and more inshore/estuary fishing for your bread an butter bream / flathead. The appeal of bay is just too strong When we launched from Clontarf quite a few 4m tinnies just fishing close inshore for Bream / Snapper which I think would be still just as fun.

That is one phat flatty. Where was this from?

Moreton Bay session - Sunday 31 May 2020 Clontarf Boat Ramp We set off for Clontarf Boat Ramp under a slight drizzle in the early morning. Got to the ramp and thankfully the drizzle had stopped and we launched just before first light around 6am. I have haven't launched from Clontarf that many times, the ramp was active but not busy with most boats able to rig up and launch without having to wait or queue up. What I did notice were a fair few campervans / trailers there overnighting in this park. Not sure this is a plus or minus with the security of the car and trailer parked there. I figure more people around more eyes? The alternative was Scarborough but that is another 10mins drive from home and i had wanted to check out measured mile so with the tide and wind and proximity I thought Clontarf was a better option. Tide running out gentle SW so it was a nice run out around 17-18 knots (WOT is around 20knots for me). Measured Mile First we passed measured mile with both beacons hectic, easily 10+ boats all anchored up jockeying for position probably only 5-10m apart. For those who don't know me I'm Australian born Vietnamese I could tell from the very loud cross boat conversation that many of the boats were Vietnamese (they love their mackerel). I just have to shake my head, there are no words for the lack of understanding of boating rules and just plain etiquette. I didn't stop here but wanted to scope if there was any fish being pulled in, of which i could see none (not a surprise given how much noise was being made). Beacon Bashing / No Birds The plan for the day was to beacon bash and work our way up from M8 to M3 and hopefully spot some birds/bust ups. No birds working all day (maybe the occasional isolated bird circling but not diving) The overcast conditions persisted all morning with very little sunshine peaking through, this made it hard to spot birds as well. With no birds in sight we worked our way north to M2 stopping at each beacon on the way. We hang around beacons with bait whilst only doing a couple of passes with slugs for the beacons with nothing showing. I didn't try out the four beacons area as it appeared in the distance to be just as busy as measured mile. Tugger's tips Tugger had put up a few tips up overnight that we were trying to apply but trying to spread the rigs was difficult with space around the beacons a premium with at least 3-5 boats encountered at each beacon. We would find a quiet beacon spread some lines but then eventually other boats would arrive. In the end we had to reduce the number of lines out and fast retrieve slugs instead. I will have to try another time to apply the tips @tugger posted. Captain Neilsen Wreck On our way up there were a few boats anchored up here as we passed over, sounder showed lots of small bait fish. We tried the sabiki jig for some bait and got enough live yakkas for the day. Also pulled up the attached fish a fair few times (thrown back) but don't know what it is? (FishID anyone) Also jigged a fair few pinkies that got very quickly devoured (i assume) by the pod of five dolphins hanging around us at the wreck. (Very smart creatures) Working North For the rest of the beacons we tried lightly weighted pillies, a livey and slugs. As we moved further north the current does push hard making it difficult to keep the baits out at varying depths. We were hoping for either some school mackeral or bonito but nothing to show from any of the beacons. There was a bit of excitement when a couple of livies were chomped in half but no fish to show. Curtain for Lunch From M3 we worked our way back down stopping at Curtain for lunch. It was a bit lumpy out in the northern beacons but Curtain was well protected and quite calm in comparison. At Curtain about 15+ boats well spread out (pic below). I sounded out a nice looking wrecking with lots of bait showing with no boats around it on the southern end of Curtain. Anchored up for lunch and set our spread of dead and live baits. Burleyed hard here to no avail, not activity in any other boats around us either. Return Home - Donut The rest of the return trip was unremarkable, we found one beacon full of bait with no boats got our lines out for one last attempt. We were able to jig many livies here for our next trip but no fish. We called it when old mate rocketed over and tried to anchor up two rod lengths away from our boat directly in front of the beacon making it very difficult to get our slugs out. He did ask if he was too close (token gesture) and i just thought it's not worth arguing it and we headed home. The run home was just as good as in the morning SE/E on the run in time so we were able to cruise home. Few birds out now that the sun was showing, we were hopeful to save the trip keeping our eyes peeled for birds and bust ups but nothing promising. Back at the ramp - The car prang We were back at the ramp at around 2pm - no one else heading in but there were a few tinnies heading out to take advantage of the good conditions. We retrieved our boat and trailer no worries, the ramp here is a bit steeper then the usual ramps we use but no issues in our 4wd. Just as i was about to move off from the ramp we heard a lot of commotion at the designated rigging area (left of the ramp). What had happened was there were three boats parked in this designated area with a forth tagging onto the end (outside of the marked parking bay). The third boat (larger trailer boat) had parked too close to the 2nd trailer in front and started reversing out of the parking bay. As he had assumed no one would be parked behind him, he proceeded to reverse his outboard into old mates bonnet (outch) big skeg scratch but outboard ok. I think both were a little at fault here. Boat 3 for not looking where he was reversing. Boat 4 for pulling up in a spot that is not designated for parking and in the blind spot of Boat 3 big trailer boat. Either way it would have been a disappointing way to end a beautiful day on the water for both parties. Stay safe. Reminder for all of us to stay safe and alert especially at the end of the day. There were plenty of other parking bays close by that could have been used for rigging and reversing a trailer is always hazardous in a busy park like pelican park, there was lots of yelling to Boat 3 to stop reversing but he was oblivious, so always be alert of your surroundings when reversing the trailer. Great if you can reverse a trailer in one perfect fast motion but that doesn't make you a hero . Keep it smooth and steady so surrounding people can predict your movements, raise the alert if there are issues or worse case take evasive action. Till next time tight lines.

Solid pair of Bay Snapper on a solo mission at that. For me it is usually when i take my first bite into a breaky sanger before sanger goes flying and rods bent. @kmcrosby78 you are not wrong there were plenty of boats out there on Sunday. I think COVID-19 and social distancing has given everyone Cabin fever. @Allnighter Yesterday tide would have been running out in the morning any preference on tide when you are targeting Bay snapper?

Wow I hope BRP restructuring doesn’t impact the Telwater part of the business and Australian Jobs during covid.

Thanks for tips tugger I think a may need a few more combos setup Ready to go for each scenario. Explains why you are on the fish all the time by working different rig / depth until find the fish

Hey @aussie123 still learning our craft for both boating and fishing so sticking to inshore for now but definitely looking to head outside after we have earned our stripes.

Unweighted I assume. I pulled up an older thread you posted using wire and a single hook. Have you gone away from that rig?

That would be cool @ellicat last minute decision for me. We had some plans that fell through so I checked the weather and it was too good to pass up. Will make sure I post next time I’m heading out.

Same thing happened when I booked the course in with Bill. He said weather / swell was not big enough to learn effectively so pulled the pin. He wants you to learn in poor to rough conditions so you will be confident when you are back in your boat. For me the course was expensive but a no brainer As I did not know anyone who owns a boat or with experience crossing bars. If you have knowledgeable mates with experience crossing bars and you cross bars with them often that is probably a better way to learn through experience. I found that the course in his big cruise craft (685 I think) and 250/300hp with fly by wire throttle it is a very different and stress free experience crossing bars in a boat that size/power compared to our smaller rec boats. Having that much boat and hp right at your hand made crossing bars a completely different experience. In saying that everything you learn from reading waves, sets and boat positioning crossing bars all applies in your smaller boat.

Still learning my way around the bay and boat fishing but keen to link up with anyone on AFO tomorrow. The misso and I don’t know anyone who owns a boat but would be keen meet some new friends and tag along in our boat.

Hey @tugger I’m going to head out tomorrow and give it a go. Can I ask what kind of rig setup you found to work best? Ganged, weighted, dead/live bait? ,

I'm too scared to put it all down on a spreadsheet like that. It looks too much like a business case and if the minister of finance saw all the costs layed out like that she would probably question my return on investment. I've argued you can't put a price on my sanity and happiness. She begs to differ

Thoughts on a block of wood / sleeper or one of those rubber keel rollers? My boat and trailer did not come with any support but have always said i need to get around to it. Have thought about the tilt support arm but the Yamaha Owners Manual clearly states: "Do not use the tilt support lever or knob when trailering the boat. The outboard motor could shake loose from the tilt support and fall. If the motor cannot be trailered in the normal running position, use an additional support device to secure it in the tilt position" This then becomes a question of what is a "normal running position" before a support arm is required?

Long time between drinks but 1st one of many for the ellicatch.

Ok that helps. Wouldn't you remove the two screws holding in the place the pinion/shaft and pull the whole pinion shaft out along with the stuck bearing? Or if still stuck remove the reel gear cover and after removing those two screws push the pinion/shaft and bearing through?

Same here....have spent many hours chasing bust ups to only get one cast in before they dive down in the western bay. What is everyones approach? Stealth / Idle up or hammer down. Neither seems to work for me. The only times I seem to have a chance is i'm in the area drifting about and they pop up for a bit longer.