Jono4500

Wet bum today for 3 of us but it was worth it. We launched at the western arm at 6am and headed up towards bass bay and did our shrimp pots. Had to walk the bank to retrieve a few that were high and dry as it was a fortnight since we last did them. We tried a few spots locally and only picked up a few bass and then the rain came. We went back to the trees at the tip of Ians island and found some quality bass ending up with a total of 41 bass. Would have been a lot more if Craig was not using 6lb leader. I watched him get bricked 7 times in a row. Very heavy rain for over a hour and I ran the bilge pump around 5 or 6 times. Only one photo due to too hard. Out of curiosity I had a look at BOM for Advancetown which uses the Canungra weather station and it said only one mill of rain.
https://lensdump.com/i/BD38tH

Another good day up the eastern arm this morning. The cows were still hanging around and we tried to ring Matt the ranger to give him the heads up but were having problems with getting signal but think Matt finally got the message. Bit of entertainment with a couple of water bombers passing overhead every 15 minutes. I tried for a photo but only got cloud think Rick may have been more successful. Bass were schooled up on the edges of the trees and good sized and healthy. Between the three of us we boated 71 bass on live shrimp.  14 of the bass were over 40cm and only one undersize.

Hi All.
Big seas all week, 4 to 5 metres. Peacefull this morning.
Arrived around sunrise.
Caught my first whiting straight away.
Went quite. Moved 100 metres. Caught 4 more whiting.
Changed rods & caught 2 nice bream. Puppy will be happy.
Bait was worms & nippers.
Off for coffee.
Top morning.

Had a funny sort of day today, but this afternoon I was visiting my little fishing pond with the tenkara rod and nothing big was biting. I was chatting with the wife about making it bigger and as it turns out the in-laws are pretty much retired from the farming and are only growing rice to eat themselves now.
This presented an opportunity to expand my fishing pond by quite a bit, big enough infact that I will be able to buy 5-10 arapaima to put in it, within 3-4 years they should be up around the 150lb mark depending what size I get, but definitely 4-5ft within 18months.
Add to that I will move over the giant snakeheads and add a few more in, probably find one or two other exotics as well and this will be a great holiday spot for some seldom fished for fish.
My own private fishing park, best of all, well additionally good is my BIL owns an earthmoving business and can dig it out on the cheap.
It might not be big, or fancy, but seeing as we want to retire there, that's absolute heaven for me.
We will probably expand a bit later on so we can breed arapaima too.

Use Mono instead of braid.
You won't have a problem.

Where is the Banana now ?
Did you save it for next time ?

Well writing this report on the last day of the comp says it all.
It all started last year when good mate said we should do the Cooktown Barra comp as he has an airbnb there so we have a free roof over our head.
I left Brisbane and drove up to Clairview (recommend BarraCrab van park).  Someone had caught a nice barra at the creek mouth on a livey but I had just done 9hrs driving and was more interested in a beer and chill out.
Next day was Townsville for a catch up with some good friends.  Although the weather was good we chose the next day as reported best day to head out to the reef.  Suited me to chill out after 2 days sitting on my arse in the 4WD.
Tuesday we hit the water early with a gentle breeze in our face.  Some entertainment as we witnessed the pleasures of our failed youth justice policies with 2 young aboriginal kids barely able to see over the dash of a dual cab 4WD doing circle work in the Coast Guard car park.   
Heading out inside Magnetic Island I plotted for a pinnacle towards Palm Is that I had picked off Navionics maps.  Sounded over it and it was marking fish just off the 10m top as it dropped quite quickly down to 20m.
First drop a nice trout that just went size.  Then a just under small mouth nannygai.  Then another trout and then just couldnt get past the spanish flag and hussar.   We werent out for a feed so everything was going back anyway.
Tried some slow fall jigging and 3rd drop a small trevor was on.  Next drop, massive hit and someone with big teeth swam off with my Palms Slow Blatt…..bugga.
Mate was getting a few back on bait so went back to the other rod.  Strong hit converted to a nice cod which was released.
Saw the most spectacular action when something was chasing a tuna of around 5 kg which did about 7 leaps past us over about 50 or so metres.  Amazing how fast they are and how they fly so well through the air.   Unknown whether it escaped but whatever was chasing it was clearly bigger enough to eat a 5kg tuna.
The bite went off just as the tide changed and with the wind picking up we headed back in.  
WEDNESDAY - drive day to Cooktown.
THURSDAY (Cooktown) - probably best chance for the reef at Cooktown but the wind was definitely not playing well.  We headed out but it was already at 15 and strengthening.  Only made it to one of the close in reefs as the tide was dropping.  Hooked a few undersized trout and the usual mix of hussar and other little reef critters.
Used low tide to map a track down the river although with barra on spawning the only chance of fish would be around the mouth of the river.
Sovereign hotel for dinner, mates wife won a voucher for free pizzas in the raffle….at least one win for the day.
FRIDAY (Cooktown) weather reports not pretty but we got out and trolled the headlands down past the Annand River mouth.  Found a nice spot with some mangroves and thanks to Ray dropped the Minn Kota and started flicking a 4.5” Scotsborough paddle tale plastic on a 7/0 TT 3/8th oz jig head.
Great strike from under a mangrove and a nice silver barra got up on its tale and threw the lure.  
Then mate tossed his lure into the trees and we were in pulling it out.  Anyone living there was no longer around.
Worked a few more similar spots but with the mangroves and rocks and a falling tide it was back towards deeper water as I had already given the prop a smack.
We worked our way back along the headlands casting hard body and plastics into every likely spot without success.
Wind was already heading towards 20kph as we got back to the mouth of the Endeavour.
The warning signs were there - nothing marking on the sounder at any point.
A spot of lunch and we headed upstream to try and get something on the board.  Again nothing showing on the sounder - could not even find any bait holding anywhere.
Did a troll through the mouth where I landed a legal school mackeral which was released.
Day 1 of comp - one barra not landed.
By the look of the sad faces at the boat ramp no one was having any luck.
Free pizza for dinner then beers at the RSL and picked up a $50 bistro voucher in the raffle.  Another free dinner sorted.  And at least a win of some sort.
SATURDAY - hit the water early and the wind was already at 25kph did a run out the mouth and along north shore but nothing showing.  Got in along the rocks but again nothing.
Unfortunately my boat is not probably the best for tight estuary and we had a look at the Annan Boat ramp but my mate wasnt so keen on swimming out to climb up the stern (just joking) as its just too high to push out and get over the bow.    Lesson learnt I will have to get the optional bow ladder from Formosa for ramps with no pontoon.
Hit the Endeavour and flogged every likely looking spot we could. The river is like a funnel and it was tough work with the wind making it hard just to get a lure in close to where you wanted.  With shoulders aching and wind burn it was in for a late lunch. 
Pretty sad when you couldnt even get a bream to follow a lure out of a snag. 
Again absolutely nothing showing on the sounder.  
After lunch we opted to stay in with wind well into the 20knot range making the river and unpleasant place and our spirits sagging.
 
Sunday. - well here I am typing.  Easily over 30 knots and the river a mess of white caps - all you see is boats packed up.  I think everyone is in the same boat.  I imagine the winner will be out of people who have gone up to Lakefield to fish the Normanby.
Although its 8.30am we will head down to Archer Point and see if we can get something off a sheltered spot off the rocks, but the boat is cleaned and not going anywhere.
Although the fishing has been tough and less than rewarding it was great to be back up north flicking lures.
 

What's the monster eeltail catfish looking thing? Snake head?

Ok so I caught 8 today, had a very slow start but a little change in the weather and its was on for an hore and a half and then picked the odd one up here and there.
But anyway apparently the biggest was 80kg, I also caught a PB Red tail but the photos are on the gopro so I will upload it later.







 

Half the price of a local charter where you wouldn't catch anywhere near the weight.

Going to e doing s lot of that on Friday I'd say, I'm off to a place called Amazon BKK tomorrow that a lure fishing only park.
Lots of Arapima and Red tail catfish, with a heap of other exotic species as well. The biggest Arapima ie caught there was around 150lb, that was 3 years ago so there must be a few 200lb ones by now.
Fingers crossed for a monster.
 

It was the river, only two fish caught.
But it should have been more, we got a heavy downpour and the bait got wet and wouldn't stay on when you can't it.
But we're going to try again and I'm going to get my wife to book me into two arapima fishing parks this week.
Will post some pictures as soon as I figure out what image hosting site I use.

Well I'm here, arrived last night and I'm off fishing soon.
I don't know if it's in the river or a park just yet, jet-lag and tequila made comprehension a little tricky.
But I'm planning on the 1st fish down today either way.

Check wivenhoe seq site for recent closures due to low levels and civil works for access, think billies bay is shut. From memory the red claw are native and noxious at the same time so I keep only the males, no size limit. Use shrimp or worms, if you can't find the bass you should at least find some catfish. Have fun! 

Check wivenhoe seq site for recent closures due to low levels and civil works for access, think billies bay is shut. From memory the red claw are native and noxious at the same time so I keep only the males, no size limit. Use shrimp or worms, if you can't find the bass you should at least find some catfish. Have fun! 

Check wivenhoe seq site for recent closures due to low levels and civil works for access, think billies bay is shut. From memory the red claw are native and noxious at the same time so I keep only the males, no size limit. Use shrimp or worms, if you can't find the bass you should at least find some catfish. Have fun! 

Check wivenhoe seq site for recent closures due to low levels and civil works for access, think billies bay is shut. From memory the red claw are native and noxious at the same time so I keep only the males, no size limit. Use shrimp or worms, if you can't find the bass you should at least find some catfish. Have fun! 

Check wivenhoe seq site for recent closures due to low levels and civil works for access, think billies bay is shut. From memory the red claw are native and noxious at the same time so I keep only the males, no size limit. Use shrimp or worms, if you can't find the bass you should at least find some catfish. Have fun! 

Strange day yesterday one decky slept in so we did the shrimp pots and returned to ramp to pick him up and headed downstream to find that he spare gas cylinder in his car so half cooked brecky was bagged up and returned to esky. No fish were found till we arrived at the floats where we caught a few 35cm bass and a couple of good sized spangled perch. Tai got a smile on his face when just as we were going to leave when he boated a nice yella. Tried a lot of places for only a 45cm bass before we went back to the floats for a few more 35cm bass. On the way back to the ramp we stopped at Andrews drop off and got stuck into some more 35cm bass. We finished up with 30 bass,2 spangled perch and one yella and finished up with a late lunch cooked up at the ramp.

That's a top fish good work. I always wondered when I tore my cast net am I putting more holes in it or less?

That's a top fish good work. I always wondered when I tore my cast net am I putting more holes in it or less?

That's a top fish good work. I always wondered when I tore my cast net am I putting more holes in it or less?

That's a top fish good work. I always wondered when I tore my cast net am I putting more holes in it or less?

That's a top fish good work. I always wondered when I tore my cast net am I putting more holes in it or less?