AUS-BNE-FISHO

Hamish,
your fishing reports are second to none. Keep it up! 
Really enjoyed reading the informative report.
 
 

Hi Old Scaley
Thanks for that, it’s funny because if I’m allowed to choose what I’m going to write about at school it will be fishing 😀 
Cheers Hamish

Hi all
My brother and I decided to go to our local park on the Brisbane River yesterday, targeting sharks. We were successful and had some other surprises. Here's what happened, and the statistics of the trip 🙂 
So, after waking up at 5:30AM, I woke my brother up. Well, it was to early for him, so I got my Dad up and he took me down. After he left, I threw out my shark lines, one with a slab of mullet, the other with a bony bream. The combos were a Rogue Firepoint 6'6" and a Penn 650 with 30lb braid, as well as a lower quality set up.  I was up on the pier area, not on the jetty, but i saw two pecks, (well strikes) and I ran down thinking "Jeez, am I on one already?" Nope! I reeled it in, and nothing was on the hook - *disappointed*. Then, I caught a little catfish which was perfect shark bait size, which i kept (mainly because the line was stuck in it's gills). I pulled up a couple more, threw the cast net and caught a prawn for live bait, then Declan came down with Dad, and after a couple more bait checks we had caught about 5 catties. They each put up a good fight for their size, they really took off when the drag was loose 🙂 Great fun too. The catfish are caught on a 1000 size Shimano Sienna and a 2500 Diawa Shinobi. 
Now it was about 8:00AM, and I did another bait check on the shark lines. I felt a sudden pull, then realised I was hooked up. After about a five minute fight, I realised the little bully was tangled with this line and he was actually hooked on the other 🙂 It was a pretty bad situation, because he had some wire tang;ed around his body, but after he rolled a couple times I could walk him down to the jetty to land him. In about another 10 minutes, he was netted and then released. Here he is-

We didn't get a precise measurement but I'd say he was around 80cm and about 5 kilos. He scoffed a big chunk of mullet down too. After he was dealt with and released, Declan and I pulled up a couple more catfish, and by that time it was warming up a bit (but we were in shade). We only kept one shark line out, i figured it would be easier to handle. We had a crowd watching the bull shark too, a lady who walks there a lot and someone else. 
So, we re-casted all the lighter lines then upped the catfish count to seven or eight. Then, I dropped a line right next to pylon (mainly so it wouldn't get tangled with the other because we were fishing the run out of the end of the pier which is only about five metres wide). I hooked up after about ten minutes, at first thinking it was an ok catty again, but then after feeling the weight and the runs it was doing back to the structore I released it was something better. I got it away from the structure and then was happy/surprised to see a nice estuary cod on the end of my line. I slowly walked it down while Declan was grabbing some gear, like the landing net, brag mat, lip grips and pliers and he scooped it up. I dehooked it and it measured about 40cm on the mat. Here it is - 

He was released to be caught next time 😉 and swum off well, back under the pier/jetty. 🙂 After that, Declan pulled up a few more catties (I let him have them after  set the drag, etc) and he was having fun. After we got the tally to ten, the bite went quiet, as it was about 10:00AM and the tide had slowed a little. Most of the catties would've been under 30cm, but he caught a couple bigger ones. Then, I pulled in one more and my Dad came down and took us home. Here are the statistics of the trip:
Statistics
Tide: 1.7metre high, run out and .8 metre low, at approx. 10:00AM
Moon Phase: First Quarter, so not that much run
Weather: 34c, 55% humidity
Wind: Very glassy, though the breeze picked up later in the morning
Tackle Used: 14lb braid mainlines, 12;b mono leader, size 2 bean sinkers, 4/o suicide hooks, 30lb braid mainline, 80lb wire trace, 100lb mono leader, 6/o circle hook. 
Fish Caught: Shark x 1, Catfish x 9, Estuary Cod x 1
Bait Caught: Prawn x 1
Bait Used: Herring, Mullet, Prawn
Successful Overall: Very Successful Trip
I hope you enjoyed reading the report, I know it was a very fun session 🙂 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Yea thanks i use the 3.5 gram jigheads or the 2.4 gram jigheads for the 2-3 inch zmans

Thanks hamish yea my local spot is brackish and the bottom of river is dirt mud and rock with lots of drop offs and intertidal zone 
so should be good for flathead . The soft plastics im using a zmen grubs slim swims and minnows and the tackle tatics jigheads to rig them I tried the squidgie soft plastics but wasn’t a fan . I only use zmen soft plastics now . Thanks hamish

Welcome Bro

Hey again, Breaming with bro
I'm nowhere near a lure expert but I can give you some advice that should send you in the right direction. Here it is, hope it helps 🙂 
For landbased flathead fishing, soft plastics are the way to go. Fish them on any sandflat or around a sandy/muddy bank or drop offs at dusk or dawn. You may be surprised, but the one flatty I've caught on a lure was in the Brisbane River, in about 30cm of water on a mudbank. From what I've read, flathead hate white sand as they can't blend in and target prey without being seen. So that's what you're looking for - darker sand and mud banks.
In terms of fishing for them, the two retrieves with soft plastics are the slow roll or the hop. The slow roll is in the name, bringing the lure slowly back, with no jerking, the tail in the back is doing that. That is what paddle tails are for. The hop is hopping the lure back. I can't make any recommendations but here are some good Team Madmullet Production videos on flathead fishing with plastics. While hardbodies do account for fish, it's mainly being trolled over sand flats on boats.
 
 
Bream fishing is a whole different matter. They can be taken on any soft plastic or hardbody, it needs to be fished around structure such as mangroves, pylons or even moored boats. Small diving lures do account for some fish and so do small plastics. The key is too find where they are hanging out and then you will get them consistently. Experiment with different lures in different spots.
I can also recommend you to borrow/buy some fishing magazines from your newsagent/library, these help too.
Hope this helped, 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 
 

Thanks hamish yea i had those cheap kmart jarvis walker lures i sold them because they were crap yea i will stick with brands i trust
such as atomic bassday berkley daiwa for hardbodies. And have a look around bargain bins more often 

Hi Breaming with bro
In my opinion, there is no substitute for quality hardbody lures. Like ellicat said, rigging your plastics weedless is a cheaper way to get down to the bottom. I'm simply saying that because from using hardbodies from Jarvis Walker compared to Rapala lures, one swims far nicer than the other.
The reason i believe they get tangled is because of bad split rings and trebles, so you might want to take them off if you are buying cheaper lures. Normally though, BCF/Anaconda has a tub on sale, it pays to have a look in them. That is how i would try to fix it, otherwise I would stay with the better quality ones.
Hope this helped,
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

The cheapies do seem to misbehave a bit on the retrieve. A small bream sized lure that I've had success with is the Stump Jumper Finesse - 45mm. They cost about $14 and swim really nice, I work them super slow and they get lot's of attention. They look pretty goofy but the bream don't seem to mind.The little 45mm Halcos Lazer Pros aren't too bad. It's a good idea to look in the bargain bins. A few years back I found a heap of Bassday bream cranks for $5 each and grabbed all of them !

thats a very light coloured cod. great morning fishing!
 
also holding the shark like a pro now haha nice one man

Hi all
My brother and I decided to go to our local park on the Brisbane River yesterday, targeting sharks. We were successful and had some other surprises. Here's what happened, and the statistics of the trip 🙂 
So, after waking up at 5:30AM, I woke my brother up. Well, it was to early for him, so I got my Dad up and he took me down. After he left, I threw out my shark lines, one with a slab of mullet, the other with a bony bream. The combos were a Rogue Firepoint 6'6" and a Penn 650 with 30lb braid, as well as a lower quality set up.  I was up on the pier area, not on the jetty, but i saw two pecks, (well strikes) and I ran down thinking "Jeez, am I on one already?" Nope! I reeled it in, and nothing was on the hook - *disappointed*. Then, I caught a little catfish which was perfect shark bait size, which i kept (mainly because the line was stuck in it's gills). I pulled up a couple more, threw the cast net and caught a prawn for live bait, then Declan came down with Dad, and after a couple more bait checks we had caught about 5 catties. They each put up a good fight for their size, they really took off when the drag was loose 🙂 Great fun too. The catfish are caught on a 1000 size Shimano Sienna and a 2500 Diawa Shinobi. 
Now it was about 8:00AM, and I did another bait check on the shark lines. I felt a sudden pull, then realised I was hooked up. After about a five minute fight, I realised the little bully was tangled with this line and he was actually hooked on the other 🙂 It was a pretty bad situation, because he had some wire tang;ed around his body, but after he rolled a couple times I could walk him down to the jetty to land him. In about another 10 minutes, he was netted and then released. Here he is-

We didn't get a precise measurement but I'd say he was around 80cm and about 5 kilos. He scoffed a big chunk of mullet down too. After he was dealt with and released, Declan and I pulled up a couple more catfish, and by that time it was warming up a bit (but we were in shade). We only kept one shark line out, i figured it would be easier to handle. We had a crowd watching the bull shark too, a lady who walks there a lot and someone else. 
So, we re-casted all the lighter lines then upped the catfish count to seven or eight. Then, I dropped a line right next to pylon (mainly so it wouldn't get tangled with the other because we were fishing the run out of the end of the pier which is only about five metres wide). I hooked up after about ten minutes, at first thinking it was an ok catty again, but then after feeling the weight and the runs it was doing back to the structore I released it was something better. I got it away from the structure and then was happy/surprised to see a nice estuary cod on the end of my line. I slowly walked it down while Declan was grabbing some gear, like the landing net, brag mat, lip grips and pliers and he scooped it up. I dehooked it and it measured about 40cm on the mat. Here it is - 

He was released to be caught next time 😉 and swum off well, back under the pier/jetty. 🙂 After that, Declan pulled up a few more catties (I let him have them after  set the drag, etc) and he was having fun. After we got the tally to ten, the bite went quiet, as it was about 10:00AM and the tide had slowed a little. Most of the catties would've been under 30cm, but he caught a couple bigger ones. Then, I pulled in one more and my Dad came down and took us home. Here are the statistics of the trip:
Statistics
Tide: 1.7metre high, run out and .8 metre low, at approx. 10:00AM
Moon Phase: First Quarter, so not that much run
Weather: 34c, 55% humidity
Wind: Very glassy, though the breeze picked up later in the morning
Tackle Used: 14lb braid mainlines, 12;b mono leader, size 2 bean sinkers, 4/o suicide hooks, 30lb braid mainline, 80lb wire trace, 100lb mono leader, 6/o circle hook. 
Fish Caught: Shark x 1, Catfish x 9, Estuary Cod x 1
Bait Caught: Prawn x 1
Bait Used: Herring, Mullet, Prawn
Successful Overall: Very Successful Trip
I hope you enjoyed reading the report, I know it was a very fun session 🙂 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Could have resorted to catching a few gar there are plenty of them at the moment.
Cheers Ray

Unlucky on the fishing front Ray, perhaps you are human after all ....... Nice feed of redclaw there - yum!!

Hi rayke1938
It was in the Friday Courier Mail.
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Hi rayke1938
It was in the Friday Courier Mail.
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

I recon all the fish know who you are now. 
They see that keel and skeg coming at them and they take off. 

Hi all
My brother and I decided to go to our local park on the Brisbane River yesterday, targeting sharks. We were successful and had some other surprises. Here's what happened, and the statistics of the trip 🙂 
So, after waking up at 5:30AM, I woke my brother up. Well, it was to early for him, so I got my Dad up and he took me down. After he left, I threw out my shark lines, one with a slab of mullet, the other with a bony bream. The combos were a Rogue Firepoint 6'6" and a Penn 650 with 30lb braid, as well as a lower quality set up.  I was up on the pier area, not on the jetty, but i saw two pecks, (well strikes) and I ran down thinking "Jeez, am I on one already?" Nope! I reeled it in, and nothing was on the hook - *disappointed*. Then, I caught a little catfish which was perfect shark bait size, which i kept (mainly because the line was stuck in it's gills). I pulled up a couple more, threw the cast net and caught a prawn for live bait, then Declan came down with Dad, and after a couple more bait checks we had caught about 5 catties. They each put up a good fight for their size, they really took off when the drag was loose 🙂 Great fun too. The catfish are caught on a 1000 size Shimano Sienna and a 2500 Diawa Shinobi. 
Now it was about 8:00AM, and I did another bait check on the shark lines. I felt a sudden pull, then realised I was hooked up. After about a five minute fight, I realised the little bully was tangled with this line and he was actually hooked on the other 🙂 It was a pretty bad situation, because he had some wire tang;ed around his body, but after he rolled a couple times I could walk him down to the jetty to land him. In about another 10 minutes, he was netted and then released. Here he is-

We didn't get a precise measurement but I'd say he was around 80cm and about 5 kilos. He scoffed a big chunk of mullet down too. After he was dealt with and released, Declan and I pulled up a couple more catfish, and by that time it was warming up a bit (but we were in shade). We only kept one shark line out, i figured it would be easier to handle. We had a crowd watching the bull shark too, a lady who walks there a lot and someone else. 
So, we re-casted all the lighter lines then upped the catfish count to seven or eight. Then, I dropped a line right next to pylon (mainly so it wouldn't get tangled with the other because we were fishing the run out of the end of the pier which is only about five metres wide). I hooked up after about ten minutes, at first thinking it was an ok catty again, but then after feeling the weight and the runs it was doing back to the structore I released it was something better. I got it away from the structure and then was happy/surprised to see a nice estuary cod on the end of my line. I slowly walked it down while Declan was grabbing some gear, like the landing net, brag mat, lip grips and pliers and he scooped it up. I dehooked it and it measured about 40cm on the mat. Here it is - 

He was released to be caught next time 😉 and swum off well, back under the pier/jetty. 🙂 After that, Declan pulled up a few more catties (I let him have them after  set the drag, etc) and he was having fun. After we got the tally to ten, the bite went quiet, as it was about 10:00AM and the tide had slowed a little. Most of the catties would've been under 30cm, but he caught a couple bigger ones. Then, I pulled in one more and my Dad came down and took us home. Here are the statistics of the trip:
Statistics
Tide: 1.7metre high, run out and .8 metre low, at approx. 10:00AM
Moon Phase: First Quarter, so not that much run
Weather: 34c, 55% humidity
Wind: Very glassy, though the breeze picked up later in the morning
Tackle Used: 14lb braid mainlines, 12;b mono leader, size 2 bean sinkers, 4/o suicide hooks, 30lb braid mainline, 80lb wire trace, 100lb mono leader, 6/o circle hook. 
Fish Caught: Shark x 1, Catfish x 9, Estuary Cod x 1
Bait Caught: Prawn x 1
Bait Used: Herring, Mullet, Prawn
Successful Overall: Very Successful Trip
I hope you enjoyed reading the report, I know it was a very fun session 🙂 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Well done Hamish.  Judging by your reports, I can see that you are not only a mad keen fisherman, but probably get good results in English at school.  Keep the reports coming, mate, they are entertaining.

Hi ellicat
It sure is, thanks for that too. 🙂 
Cheers Hamish

Hi all
My brother and I decided to go to our local park on the Brisbane River yesterday, targeting sharks. We were successful and had some other surprises. Here's what happened, and the statistics of the trip 🙂 
So, after waking up at 5:30AM, I woke my brother up. Well, it was to early for him, so I got my Dad up and he took me down. After he left, I threw out my shark lines, one with a slab of mullet, the other with a bony bream. The combos were a Rogue Firepoint 6'6" and a Penn 650 with 30lb braid, as well as a lower quality set up.  I was up on the pier area, not on the jetty, but i saw two pecks, (well strikes) and I ran down thinking "Jeez, am I on one already?" Nope! I reeled it in, and nothing was on the hook - *disappointed*. Then, I caught a little catfish which was perfect shark bait size, which i kept (mainly because the line was stuck in it's gills). I pulled up a couple more, threw the cast net and caught a prawn for live bait, then Declan came down with Dad, and after a couple more bait checks we had caught about 5 catties. They each put up a good fight for their size, they really took off when the drag was loose 🙂 Great fun too. The catfish are caught on a 1000 size Shimano Sienna and a 2500 Diawa Shinobi. 
Now it was about 8:00AM, and I did another bait check on the shark lines. I felt a sudden pull, then realised I was hooked up. After about a five minute fight, I realised the little bully was tangled with this line and he was actually hooked on the other 🙂 It was a pretty bad situation, because he had some wire tang;ed around his body, but after he rolled a couple times I could walk him down to the jetty to land him. In about another 10 minutes, he was netted and then released. Here he is-

We didn't get a precise measurement but I'd say he was around 80cm and about 5 kilos. He scoffed a big chunk of mullet down too. After he was dealt with and released, Declan and I pulled up a couple more catfish, and by that time it was warming up a bit (but we were in shade). We only kept one shark line out, i figured it would be easier to handle. We had a crowd watching the bull shark too, a lady who walks there a lot and someone else. 
So, we re-casted all the lighter lines then upped the catfish count to seven or eight. Then, I dropped a line right next to pylon (mainly so it wouldn't get tangled with the other because we were fishing the run out of the end of the pier which is only about five metres wide). I hooked up after about ten minutes, at first thinking it was an ok catty again, but then after feeling the weight and the runs it was doing back to the structore I released it was something better. I got it away from the structure and then was happy/surprised to see a nice estuary cod on the end of my line. I slowly walked it down while Declan was grabbing some gear, like the landing net, brag mat, lip grips and pliers and he scooped it up. I dehooked it and it measured about 40cm on the mat. Here it is - 

He was released to be caught next time 😉 and swum off well, back under the pier/jetty. 🙂 After that, Declan pulled up a few more catties (I let him have them after  set the drag, etc) and he was having fun. After we got the tally to ten, the bite went quiet, as it was about 10:00AM and the tide had slowed a little. Most of the catties would've been under 30cm, but he caught a couple bigger ones. Then, I pulled in one more and my Dad came down and took us home. Here are the statistics of the trip:
Statistics
Tide: 1.7metre high, run out and .8 metre low, at approx. 10:00AM
Moon Phase: First Quarter, so not that much run
Weather: 34c, 55% humidity
Wind: Very glassy, though the breeze picked up later in the morning
Tackle Used: 14lb braid mainlines, 12;b mono leader, size 2 bean sinkers, 4/o suicide hooks, 30lb braid mainline, 80lb wire trace, 100lb mono leader, 6/o circle hook. 
Fish Caught: Shark x 1, Catfish x 9, Estuary Cod x 1
Bait Caught: Prawn x 1
Bait Used: Herring, Mullet, Prawn
Successful Overall: Very Successful Trip
I hope you enjoyed reading the report, I know it was a very fun session 🙂 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

Nice one, Hamish. So good when a plan comes together.

Hi all
My brother and I decided to go to our local park on the Brisbane River yesterday, targeting sharks. We were successful and had some other surprises. Here's what happened, and the statistics of the trip 🙂 
So, after waking up at 5:30AM, I woke my brother up. Well, it was to early for him, so I got my Dad up and he took me down. After he left, I threw out my shark lines, one with a slab of mullet, the other with a bony bream. The combos were a Rogue Firepoint 6'6" and a Penn 650 with 30lb braid, as well as a lower quality set up.  I was up on the pier area, not on the jetty, but i saw two pecks, (well strikes) and I ran down thinking "Jeez, am I on one already?" Nope! I reeled it in, and nothing was on the hook - *disappointed*. Then, I caught a little catfish which was perfect shark bait size, which i kept (mainly because the line was stuck in it's gills). I pulled up a couple more, threw the cast net and caught a prawn for live bait, then Declan came down with Dad, and after a couple more bait checks we had caught about 5 catties. They each put up a good fight for their size, they really took off when the drag was loose 🙂 Great fun too. The catfish are caught on a 1000 size Shimano Sienna and a 2500 Diawa Shinobi. 
Now it was about 8:00AM, and I did another bait check on the shark lines. I felt a sudden pull, then realised I was hooked up. After about a five minute fight, I realised the little bully was tangled with this line and he was actually hooked on the other 🙂 It was a pretty bad situation, because he had some wire tang;ed around his body, but after he rolled a couple times I could walk him down to the jetty to land him. In about another 10 minutes, he was netted and then released. Here he is-

We didn't get a precise measurement but I'd say he was around 80cm and about 5 kilos. He scoffed a big chunk of mullet down too. After he was dealt with and released, Declan and I pulled up a couple more catfish, and by that time it was warming up a bit (but we were in shade). We only kept one shark line out, i figured it would be easier to handle. We had a crowd watching the bull shark too, a lady who walks there a lot and someone else. 
So, we re-casted all the lighter lines then upped the catfish count to seven or eight. Then, I dropped a line right next to pylon (mainly so it wouldn't get tangled with the other because we were fishing the run out of the end of the pier which is only about five metres wide). I hooked up after about ten minutes, at first thinking it was an ok catty again, but then after feeling the weight and the runs it was doing back to the structore I released it was something better. I got it away from the structure and then was happy/surprised to see a nice estuary cod on the end of my line. I slowly walked it down while Declan was grabbing some gear, like the landing net, brag mat, lip grips and pliers and he scooped it up. I dehooked it and it measured about 40cm on the mat. Here it is - 

He was released to be caught next time 😉 and swum off well, back under the pier/jetty. 🙂 After that, Declan pulled up a few more catties (I let him have them after  set the drag, etc) and he was having fun. After we got the tally to ten, the bite went quiet, as it was about 10:00AM and the tide had slowed a little. Most of the catties would've been under 30cm, but he caught a couple bigger ones. Then, I pulled in one more and my Dad came down and took us home. Here are the statistics of the trip:
Statistics
Tide: 1.7metre high, run out and .8 metre low, at approx. 10:00AM
Moon Phase: First Quarter, so not that much run
Weather: 34c, 55% humidity
Wind: Very glassy, though the breeze picked up later in the morning
Tackle Used: 14lb braid mainlines, 12;b mono leader, size 2 bean sinkers, 4/o suicide hooks, 30lb braid mainline, 80lb wire trace, 100lb mono leader, 6/o circle hook. 
Fish Caught: Shark x 1, Catfish x 9, Estuary Cod x 1
Bait Caught: Prawn x 1
Bait Used: Herring, Mullet, Prawn
Successful Overall: Very Successful Trip
I hope you enjoyed reading the report, I know it was a very fun session 🙂 
Cheers Hamish 🙂 

You might be interested in joining the Moreton Bay Chapter and helping to regenerate shellfish reefs in the Bay. It is a really good crew doing lots of good work.  Contact @Drop Bear if you would like more info.

Very tasty haul there @Fishaman. Is that fish up in the top tray the Iron Jaw? Is it some sort of jobfish?