GregN70

Don't believe everything you see on FB, the only thing it's full of is mud, old cars & tall stories.

There's probably only 3 places i'd say best to avoid.
Gladstone, Rockhampton, Yeppoon.  Very bad areas.
 

Hey mate,
I made some timber poppers a few years ago. 
They were ok but pretty simple. I would drill a hole in the tail of the popper and put in sinkers to drop the back down using different sized sinkers to balance. 
What sort of popper are you trying to make? Roosters and bloopers are easy enough. Stick baits are a lot trickier.

Soooo. AFO road trip?
Cracking fish. More like a dinosaur. 
Thanks for posting mate. 

Thing is it’s not the Fitzroy. It’s an adjacent system. Cheers 

So with australia day Just around the corner, I'm again thinking of my fishing options around CQ. Light winds in the morning, small tides. I'm thinking creeks estuary.
The first option i'm thinking of is chasing King Threadfin around the Port Alma area in my 4m Hornet. It's just after the neaps so water quality/visibility should be decent. The idea would be to target deeper holes, drop offs and drains at the mouth of creeks coming into the main passage on the dropping tide, low at 9:45am.. Using soft vibes & a variety of other soft plastics especially prawn imitations as there are a lot of prawns about at the moment. Might even net a few to use live if the lures don't work.
Option 2 is later that day, fish large baits such as Mullet fillet, big prawns at the mouth of Coorooman Creek on the run in tide in the hope of a Grunter that come into the creeks to feed on the flood tides. But the smaller tide worries me a little. I think they like a bit more run, and night is better than day there.
Any thoughts?
 

These are big Boys, rather than girls.

Thanks for the tips.
I also find this kind of funny too. My Ex Father-In Law, lives at Evans Head NSW, and he showed me his Mackerel gear. It consists of large handlines filled with rope, a short length of thick multi strand wire and a 8" metal spoon with one big hook. He always seems to catch a few good Macks every year down there despite not having the right baits, not using nylon, not even using a rod and not even owning a sounder, just using land marks.  Perhaps im over thinking all of this, and basic and simple is better?

My goal is to catch a Spanish Mackerel, I’ve been chasing these for years with no luck, especially out of Yeppoon in Central Qld of late where they appear to be extinct there.
So the plan is this: I have 2 weeks off in January/February and Im planning a trip down to Mooloolaba Sunny Coast area. From my research that time and place seem to be my best chance of running into one of these oceanic speedsters.
I’m taking my 581 Mclay Crossover Cuddy Cab, 140hp Suzuki and plan to pester the local tackle shops for info on where and when while there. Will mainly troll, lures, and rigged swimming dead baits. But will mix it up depending on conditions etc.
I am taking the following offshore type rods,
1.       PE3-4 Demon Blood OH Rod, with a Saltiga 30HA Star Drag running 50lb braid (250m)
2.       PE4-5 Demon Blood OH Rod Saltiga 35 Lever Drag with 60lb Braid. (330m)
The overheads will run a top-shot of 50 0r 60lb nylon/flurocarbon for a bit of shock absorption, perhaps 20m or so.
Also taking a Nomad Blue Water 7” spin stick, PE 2.5-4 with a Certate SW 10000-H and 47lb braid (300m) for throwing small stick baits and flasher lures etc.
 Is there anything im missing, or recommend I need for this mission?

Thanks Neil, the Smiths look pretty good on Navionics, Qld Globe & Bathmaps.
As for Bait, around this Yeppoon area where i Normally fish, I have spot where I catch Watsons Bonito pretty easy and in the past I get a few at the start of my trip, keep them alive and troll them live, with a nose bridle and stinger hook in the tail. Sometimes up near the surface, and often off a downrigger too, depending what the sounder is telling me. But it would seem they don't like live Bonito, I might have to do a few bait runs and put some in the freezer and rig them as dead troll baits.
Cheers

These are big Boys, rather than girls.

Yep, good point. No access to salt water so no sex change for them. 

These are big Boys, rather than girls.

These are big Boys, rather than girls.

Thing is it’s not the Fitzroy. It’s an adjacent system. Cheers 

Everything is that far up here.  The furthest i've been on a day trip was to try some deeper shoals ESE of Douglas, which was about 123km east from the boat ramp at Yeppoon, so a 250km round tip. Yet still only got 4 small fish. Trout, Red Throat x 2 & a Maori Cod.

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Good work Greg, I’m glad you finally got a good fish.
I’m jealous 😂- I am yet to catch a good thready this year. 
Cheers Hamish

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Well I hit a couple of creek mouths around the bottom of the tide. Marked a few good Threadfin on one and after about 20mins hooked this one. 116cm.  Great fight on 20lb braid. Tried to release it but was too spent, so fish for dinner.
 

IMG_0592.MOV

Yeah mate, feeling good. My PB Threadfin. 
Also good to target a specific time, location & fish, get there get it done. I was home at 10:30am. 
 
 

The lure is from Yamba Bait & Tackle in NSW. The owner makes a heap of his own lures & sells them in his store. Don’t know what this I called. But it works good.