Pete_NewFarm

You don't say what rig you usually use, but if you are using a standard rig running the sinker to a swivel, then I've seen it suggested that running the sinker right to the hook can reduce snags - and when I've tried it I think it may have helped. I guess the idea is that when you reel the line in, the sinker sits immediately above the hook and 'shields' it from snags. The sinker and hook then act as a single unit with the sinker leading the way and if the unit encounters a rock, the sinker is more likely to just bounce off, taking the hook with it. A ball sinker would make sense for this and it would have to be big enough to provide some sort of shield - so there are trade-offs. At the very least, it probably reduces the number of snags simply because the single-unit is less likely to get caught up than two units - hook and sinker - flailing about independently in the vicinity of rocks. If the sinker does get caught up, it is more likely that you can free it by pulling the line away in a different direction. This was what I found when I tried it out at a spot where I was getting a lot of snags on rocks. I got caught up twice and was able to free it, which rarely happens if I snag the hook. If you do give this a try, please post the results, as my sample size is pretty small. Of course, it is also possible to get snagged because a fish takes your hook and runs for cover. This may need a different trade-off - give the fish a bit of slack to work with, but don't allow them much drag. I find this can be necessary around piers where the fish charge underneath as soon as they're hooked.

Thanks guys. Gunther's Wrasse does ring a bell with me. I've read something about them being in SEQ before. Interesting that the Australian Fish Guide (Prokop) has about 6 different types of Wrasse, but not this type and nothing that looks like it.

Hi all A quiet day on the low tide at Shorncliffe Pier. As usual, lots of little bites but nothing substantial, and hard to hook anything. I added this one to my PWs ( personal worsts), which is all I got for my troubles. When I saw the coloration, I thought it was one of what I call 'the ugly fish' but on closer inspection, its face and mouth are more like a normal fish. Couldn't find a match in my Australian Fishing Guide. Can anyone tell me what it is?

Since I started this, thought I should follow up. I had a sudden inspiration to go fishing on Monday, 17/4/23, and decided to give Deep Water Bend a go. Had in mind to try out a number of spots there but ended up starting on one of the fishing platforms and stayed there. HT was due at 7.54pm, but couldn’t resist going out about 3.30pm (nothing else to do). I didn’t have any burley on hand but I did want to try out mangajack's idea of fishing very close in to the rocks using no weight. It was a difficult because the tide was running and when I cast up-current the bait would just shoot past me before it even went to the bottom. I did try putting on a little weight (up to a no.1 ball sinker) but it was still running past me, so I went back to no weight. The good news is that I was getting bites from the get-go, even when the line had tensed up. They were clearly bream because I managed to hook 6 of them, but 5 were undersized (maybe one of those just on 25cm), which is what Jono suggested. I did take home a 28cm one for tomorrow’s dinner. Missed a fair few as well, and I think some of those were a decent size. The bites slowed down as the tide eased off (just when it became a lot easier to drift the bait), but as the breeze settled down and the water was still, it was a beautiful night at a beautiful spot. Left about 7.30pm – still a few nibbles then. Didn't catch a 'decent' fish, but I thought the photo would be more meaningful. Biggest lesson: Take Mortein. Tried again about 10 days later. By chance, around the same tide time and I arrived at 4.30pm. Again, the bait was drifting past quickly but even on a tense line I was getting bites from the get-go, but only landed three and they were all small. 2 undersized bream and – shock! - a baby dart about 5-6 inches long. I thought you only get those in the surf, but the book tells me they are found in estuaries as well. Postscript: On the first trip I put the Mortein on late and over the next few days I suffered a bad allergic reaction to insect bites on my legs – lasted for a week. Second time around I was bathed in Mortein from the start but the bugs still found a few spots to bite (eg behind the ear, under the shirt at the front – not tucked in). It was less widespread but still had a bad reaction. I will give it another try but next time not at sunset.

Thanks guys. I've taken on board what you've said and I'll give it a go over a few sessions and see how I go.

Hi all Planned a trip to Shorncliffe Pier on the high tide last night. Very disappointing results, but on the way I popped in at Deep Water Bend to check it out for future reference. It's a really nice spot and obviously easy to fish. So nice that my wife might even like to come along, walk the wildlife areas, have a picnic and read a book while I'm trying to get off the doughnut. Trouble is, I came home and did some research, and I could hardly find any fishing reports on it later than about 2013, and the ones I did find were not optimistic. Some went as far as to say that there are no fish there, others said you might get some flathead and maybe bream if you fish close in to the rocks, but any sort of positive report was hard to find. It gave the distinct impression that most serious fishermen/women had given up on it in the last 10 years or thereabouts. Others said that the fishing had gone off since they refurbished the area, which makes it more frustrating to be only finding old reports that predate the refurbishment. Does anyone here fish Deep Water Bend with any regularity and actually catch fish?

Probably should mention, when I say Hamilton, I'm talking about the fishing platform at Cameron Rocks Reserve near Breakfast Creek, not further down the river.

No such luck, but I'm also not targeting them. They don't take chicken bait, do they?????? I'm also not trying to cast to the channel, as some do at Hamilton with big rods. I'm casting diagonally to the flats where I hoped to get flathead, and did get a 37cm one last night, but not legal.

OK, I'm finding a little historical stuff (not much) on the alternative name, Moses Perch. Some confusion on identification, and some of the photos don't look like mine, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Some photos show a fairly elongated fish, others more Bream-like, which is what I got.

Hi all Had an interesting session at Hamilton, Brisbane tonight on the low tide. 5 fish, 1 legal bream. Curious, I got one undersize fish that (based on subsequent Internet research) I think must have been a Moses snapper. I wanted to get it back in the water quickly, so I didn't dwell on it, but later on the Internet I couldn't find any mention of these fish in Brisbane waters. The 'fingermark" was prominent, and I remember a yellowish colour, fairly triangular tailfin. The vertical width was not so much as a bream, but more than a longer-type fish like a tailor. Overall, it looked closest to a bream, but obviously not the common types. Has anyone caught these in the Brisbane River?