GregOug

Hi all,
Well! Happy to report that there is finally some movement with my new boat. It has left the factory and is with the dealer to add the finishing touches. I had a look at it last Wednesday and work was well underway. The engine was already on including the digital throttle and shift. The HDS7 live was in as well as all the gauges. They are replacing the 3 blade 23 pitch prop with a 19 pitch 4 blade. I am trusting the dealer that the change is worth it because he has trialed various props on the demo boat and he just happens to be a power boat racer (the big ones!) and is currently leading the Australian championship! 
 
Still to be fitted were the epirb, the 750b black VHF radio, the fire extinguisher, various USB charger/cig lighter combos, dual batteries, rod holders, engine colour coding, bait board and boat numbering. One item of interest is the radio which has all necessary buttons and controls on the mouthpiece, obviating the need for the control box to be inserted into the dash. I also went for black because I am sick of the white ones which discolour after a couple of years and turn that dirty beige colour. The dealer expected all of the above to be completed by today before going to the trimmers to fit the canopy. He said it should be ready to pick up the end of next week, although I’m not holding my breath!
I’ve only mentioned the radio, prop etc in case someone has knowledge and wants to comment on any of them.
By the way, the motor and boat look awesome!!!!!!
cheers
Greg

Hi all,
Well! Happy to report that there is finally some movement with my new boat. It has left the factory and is with the dealer to add the finishing touches. I had a look at it last Wednesday and work was well underway. The engine was already on including the digital throttle and shift. The HDS7 live was in as well as all the gauges. They are replacing the 3 blade 23 pitch prop with a 19 pitch 4 blade. I am trusting the dealer that the change is worth it because he has trialed various props on the demo boat and he just happens to be a power boat racer (the big ones!) and is currently leading the Australian championship! 
 
Still to be fitted were the epirb, the 750b black VHF radio, the fire extinguisher, various USB charger/cig lighter combos, dual batteries, rod holders, engine colour coding, bait board and boat numbering. One item of interest is the radio which has all necessary buttons and controls on the mouthpiece, obviating the need for the control box to be inserted into the dash. I also went for black because I am sick of the white ones which discolour after a couple of years and turn that dirty beige colour. The dealer expected all of the above to be completed by today before going to the trimmers to fit the canopy. He said it should be ready to pick up the end of next week, although I’m not holding my breath!
I’ve only mentioned the radio, prop etc in case someone has knowledge and wants to comment on any of them.
By the way, the motor and boat look awesome!!!!!!
cheers
Greg

Hi all,
Well! Happy to report that there is finally some movement with my new boat. It has left the factory and is with the dealer to add the finishing touches. I had a look at it last Wednesday and work was well underway. The engine was already on including the digital throttle and shift. The HDS7 live was in as well as all the gauges. They are replacing the 3 blade 23 pitch prop with a 19 pitch 4 blade. I am trusting the dealer that the change is worth it because he has trialed various props on the demo boat and he just happens to be a power boat racer (the big ones!) and is currently leading the Australian championship! 
 
Still to be fitted were the epirb, the 750b black VHF radio, the fire extinguisher, various USB charger/cig lighter combos, dual batteries, rod holders, engine colour coding, bait board and boat numbering. One item of interest is the radio which has all necessary buttons and controls on the mouthpiece, obviating the need for the control box to be inserted into the dash. I also went for black because I am sick of the white ones which discolour after a couple of years and turn that dirty beige colour. The dealer expected all of the above to be completed by today before going to the trimmers to fit the canopy. He said it should be ready to pick up the end of next week, although I’m not holding my breath!
I’ve only mentioned the radio, prop etc in case someone has knowledge and wants to comment on any of them.
By the way, the motor and boat look awesome!!!!!!
cheers
Greg

That's a relief for you.
I'm sure the wait will be worth it.
Looking forward to next week's post !

Hi all,
Well! Happy to report that there is finally some movement with my new boat. It has left the factory and is with the dealer to add the finishing touches. I had a look at it last Wednesday and work was well underway. The engine was already on including the digital throttle and shift. The HDS7 live was in as well as all the gauges. They are replacing the 3 blade 23 pitch prop with a 19 pitch 4 blade. I am trusting the dealer that the change is worth it because he has trialed various props on the demo boat and he just happens to be a power boat racer (the big ones!) and is currently leading the Australian championship! 
 
Still to be fitted were the epirb, the 750b black VHF radio, the fire extinguisher, various USB charger/cig lighter combos, dual batteries, rod holders, engine colour coding, bait board and boat numbering. One item of interest is the radio which has all necessary buttons and controls on the mouthpiece, obviating the need for the control box to be inserted into the dash. I also went for black because I am sick of the white ones which discolour after a couple of years and turn that dirty beige colour. The dealer expected all of the above to be completed by today before going to the trimmers to fit the canopy. He said it should be ready to pick up the end of next week, although I’m not holding my breath!
I’ve only mentioned the radio, prop etc in case someone has knowledge and wants to comment on any of them.
By the way, the motor and boat look awesome!!!!!!
cheers
Greg

Hi Donhaz
I don't know about Bongaree but you want to be looking for steep banks with holes and fresh mud around them, feeder creek mouths and if possible mangroves. 
Cheers Hamish

Hi guys
 
I was just wondering if anyone had been fishing over at Bribie Island lately.  Does anyone know any spots where I might be able to take the kids to catch some whiting/flathead?  Also any suggestions of where to drop a crab pot.  I don't have a boat but can take a kayak out to drop the crab pot.  Thanks guys

hello northside chic
I have been fishing over at bribie island recently on the surf side and got plenty of whiting and  dart. A good spot to catch some whiting that I know of is at woorim near lions park which is a semi-surf beach which fishes good on rising or falling tides anytime from 6am - 12pm and if kids get bored fishing they can swim on this safe beach (never ever been caught in a rip here), use beachworms live or preserved on a short shank hook with a 1ball or 2ball sinker. I don't know anything about crabbing there but probbley the Bongaree jetty might have some.
hope this helps  

Hi,
Had a bream comp over there about a month ago.
We did well early on topwater lures and shallow cranks over the flats south of Skipper's Canal on the Island side when the tide was high. This stretch usually fishes ok with lures at high tide and ok with live bait for whiting and bream towards the bottom. As for using your Yak to go drop a pot, there are small groups of mangroves across the passage towards the mainland, that hold crabs if you have the stamina to get there and back.
Alternatively, you can fish the gutter out the front of Bongaree and south towards Red Beach, using yabbies you can pump just south of the museum. This stretch is hit hard for yabbies, so it can be hit and miss. Use your Yak to similarly go drop pots at the mangroves on the mainland side if you can reach it, or just past the gutter on the island side, await from casting range. Just be careful not to put it in the main boating lanes.
Good luck.

Banksia beach is good as there is a drop off not to far from the beach. Head along Sunderland drive to solander esplanade and find a spot there. Also just north of there is where wrights creek and a drain from the canals flow into the passage. Worth a look on a run out tide. This can be accesed from solander esplanade or white patch rd. 

Plenty of good fish to be caught walking the banks, got this yella in my bday last week. 

No, I can see you there now so all good. Kelvin too.
 
 
I think it will be a really tight comp this year with each team's signings and new coaches etc. I'll be waiting for the team lists to drop before finalising the week 1 tips.
 
I must be getting excited - i dreamt about this thread last night haha
 

Hi GregOug
Yes, I don't like standing in the waves and turning around then getting wiped out either.
Must be very fun when you land one though.
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Okay. Thanks ellicat 

Hi Hamish,
My main experience with surf fishing is fishing for tailor at Fraser, although I’ve also suffered through surf fishing at a few other locations as well. Casting out into the darkness, getting soaked by waves you can’t even see and then having your bait washed ashore almost immediately by the massive onshore rip running is not my preferred method of relaxation.  Having said that,  occasionally getting nearly pulled off your feet when a huge greenback hits your pillie, and then actually getting it ashore, almost makes it all worthwhile!
cheers
Greg 

I agree totally with rayke. 8 foot for the surf is a waste of time.

Possibly due to a dirty 4-lettered word that starts with W and ends in K, that you used to have to worry about but no longer have to ............ 🤔

I agree totally with rayke. 8 foot for the surf is a waste of time.

Around this time for the last 3 years I have promised Mrs Scaley a feed of freshly caught Moreton Bay prawns. Every year she rolls her eyes and sighs, already convinced I won’t deliver. This year, all the signs were good for yesterday - recent rain, some reports of good catches, some spare time for me.  Now all I needed was a deckie to do all the hard work.  As luck would have it, I had a call from the Dentist (not his real avatar or occupation) and he was expecting another bout of industrial diarrhoea on that very day so a plan was hatched to hit Southern Moreton Bay to finally end the prawn drought.
Since he gets very few chances to get out lately we decided to go all out and throw everything at aa ambitious attempt at a seafood basket of prawns, crab and prawns. 
We launched at 5:45am to catch the low tide for some yabbies.  It was then that I discovered that the battery that runs the accessories wasn’t going to deliver for one more trip like I thought, despite charging it up the day before. To make it worse, the Dentist had nagged me about it last time we went out but my thriftiness got the better of me.
We laid out our 8 crab pots in a promising spot, then hit spot A for a quick fish before the prawn search began.  I was first up with a nice whiting in the mid-thirties followed by a bream about 28cm. I kept the bream in case we didn’t catch a feed. The Dentist, meanwhile, persisted with 2 rods as usual and managed to trawl up all sorts of vermin, including small rays and a huge catfish (sorry for the photo quality - not my forte).
After a short session in which we added a few fish to the esky we set off for the main event, the prawn hunt. We checked the pots on the way and there were muddies there, but no legals. So we were hopeful that a longer soak would yield some mouth watering monsters. Prawning without a sounder was always going to be a challenge, but we gave it a red hot crack. I pretended that my casting ability was inferior to the Dentist, so I was able to sit back and marvel as he threw cast after cast - some pancakes, a few figure eights, and I think there was even a trapezoid in there at one stage. We muscled in on a number of prawning scrums (presumably they all had working sounders) from Karragarra Island to Macleay Island and Redland Bay, but not a single prawn was sighted. No one else seemed to be getting any so I couldn’t even blame the Dentist’s casting ability. 
After what seemed like days but was only a few hours we decided to give up on the prawns and  check the pots. No keepers so dropped them in spot B while we had a final crack at the fish. We added a few more whiting to the esky then picked up the empty pots and headed back to the ramp about 2 pm. 
Not the seafood basket we were hoping for, but still a nice feed of whiting (and one prawn that was ironically caught in a crab pot) and a top day out. Lesson number one from the day is that we can only do two activities in one trip, three is too many. Lesson two is for me not to be so tight and replace the battery before it dies completely.  Coincidentally the local German supermarket had 100ah deep cycle batteries for $229 so I grabbed one of those today and will go prawning again soon.
Thanks for reading
 

you will have to get 2 rods as 8ft rod useless in the surf
This was my favorite heavy rod landed 8ft shark and 50 lb jewies in the surf
https://www.outbackadventures.net.au/product/gary-howard-surf-classic-low-mount-2-piece-heavy-fishing-rod/
this is the one more suitable for walking the beach as it is a bit lighter. 
https://www.outbackadventures.net.au/product/gary-howard-chopper-special-12ft-low-mount-1-piece-spinning-fishing-rod/
both of these rods are specifically designed for alveys for eggbeaters and bait casters you will need a mid mount that are avail. Gary Howard rods are Australian designed by experienced aussie fishamen.  I highly recommend alvey reels ( Also Australian designed and made in Brisbane)they are durable,low maintenance and are the only reel that if you drop it in the sand you can just dip it in the water and wash out. Try that with your daiwa or shimano reels.
cheers ray
 
 

@Luvit - I saw this topic and my first thought was 'that lucky bu99er hasn't been there again has he ..........' 🙂  Hope you're well mate.

Not a regular capture but they certainly still exist.  Have caught several down around jacobs well / pin area over the years, as well as one near Mud Island and a few off the beaches at moreton.  Even had to jump out of the boat one day while trolling in about 50cm of water for flathead and dig one out of the sand with a paddle.  it had grabbed the lure and buried itself immediately about 20cm into the sand.  managed to get both the fish and my lure back.  best one came off the beach at moreton and weighed in at just over 2kg.
Comments around edibility are completely correct.  Beautiful delicate white flesh.  Surprisingly meaty fillet given the size of the head.

To reply to all those comments.. The shorts even saw a Test match at the Gabba in the 80s..It did taste not to bad ,succulent white flesh similar to a Ling or other Cod like species..When I hooked this fella it did not put up a fight at all as I thought I was dragging in a lump of weed. I know there are some of you elderly gents like me who have fished Whalleys gutter, that's where I caught this bloke plus a couple of Grunter. I am on my way to the Well this weekend.Leaving from Behms creek and try for some flatties or Jacks..Buzzard  

Yeah that's Rob this was an upgrade on our usual camp facilities

Nice one Mark, looks a good spot and a bit of an upgrade to another island we may or may not have camped on previously ........ 🙂 Is that Rob (NoName) in the blue shirt?