Anniversary Fish

Report for 30/3/08

Yesterday was our 6yr Wedding Anniversary. So what better way to celebrate than an afternoon on the water in a new boat? I didn't necessarily want to fish, just a run to the island and dinner on the boat was all I wanted. But Tania was keen to have a bit of a fish. So we headed to our usual inshore spot. Weather was good for an afternoon. 10knots or so from the SE. We launched about 4.30pm and were fishing by 5. We quickly got into some LM Nannygai. We finished fishing for dinner just after 6. We had caught and tagged about 10 fish, and re-captured 5 or so from the day before. Interestingly, all the re-captured fish were the bigger ones, over 35cm. So they must recover quicker than the small fish.

Incidentally, the 42cm fish Tania caught last week was also a recapture. Below are the details. It shows some good growth on the fish! (click to enlarge)

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NQ Fly Fishers - Fishing trip

Report for 30/3/08

The NQ Fly Fishers plan to fish Pioneer Mill for Tarpon didn't quite happen. 6 of us drove down there in 3 cars only to find the ponds weeded in. So the decision was quickly made to continue to Alva beach and try for a flathead or two. Tides were not ideal, and it was a little later in the morning than we would have liked for flathead. But we gave it a go. We spread out along the beach, 2 heading North, and 4 of us South. I was first to land a fish, 39cm. Bob put a tag in him and he was quickly on his way. Ward was next, with 3 fish in quick succession. With only a 5-wt rod and very small flies intended for Tarpon, Wards flathead were all on the small size. But Bob soon showed the big fish where there, landing a nice 53cm fish. This fish was also tagged and released. 2 more small fish for me, and one for Bob and finished up.

After a nice BBQ brunch we decided to try for some of the small Barra I was catching the week before. So we headed off to this small lagoon. We were quickly onto the Barra, one after the other. I'm yet to get the final count, but we must have tagged 15 or so fish between 24-30cm. Steve also managed a small Giant Herring and Ward a small Tarpon.

In terms of number of fish, this was an incredibly successful morning for the club. We just have to work on size a little!

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NQ Fly Fishers

North Queensland Fly Fishers are having a trip to Pioneer Mill tomorrow morning. With any luck we find some nice big Tarpon waiting for us. I need a big Tarpon for my top 10! Fishers will be meeting at the BP at 6am. If your a fly fisherman and would like to join us, please contact club president Ward Nicholas.

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Nannygai

Report for 29/3/08

Fished with the family today. Didn't look too good on the weather department, but we gave it a go anyway. Couldn't be any bumpier than on Good Friday! Run out was good, but we didn't get to the ramp until about 7.30. But it soon chopped up. We fished our little spot between Middle Reef and West Point for a good hour or more. Managed to tag 20 Large Mouth Nannygai. Most about the 350mm mark. Kids had fun, but the run home was very ordinary. Still, it was worth the run!

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Barra, Barra and MORE Barra

Report for 24/3/08

At about 3pm today we decided to take the boys for a fish. It was a bit 'last minute' but we quickly chucked a rod and box of soft plastics in the car and headed south. The plan was to go to Pioneer Mill and chase some Tarpon in the lagoon there. We arrived and it was pretty weeded up. But we found a clear patch and Lachy and I began fishing. Sebastian and Tania played on grass. I Missed one pretty quick on large plastic intended for flathead, so I changed over to my usual black and pick small squidgie. I was soon hooked up on a solid 3kg fish. Played him out and had him beside the bank. But with no net I was left with no other choice than to try a quick lift. But the light leader gave way and fish won his freedom. With nothing else for the next 20mins or so, we decided to head off.

On the way home we stopped off at another small lagoon I usually catch plenty of small tarpon at. All I wanted was to let Lachy catch a couple of fish. However, we very quickly discovered the area was full of small Barramundi. Most no more than 30cm. But we had stacks of fun. Must have caught about 15 or so in the 30mins we were there. Even Sebastian got in on the action, catching his first ever fish. And Lachlan landed his first fish with no help! Well....I still cast for him. It was great to see so many small fish about.

What was supposed to be a short outing turned into dinner at Aligator Creek roadhouse on the way home, and the boys are just now in bed (9pm). Lucky they don't have daycare tomorrow. But I still have to work.

Tania managed to capture some of the action on my mobile. Take a look.

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Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all. Hope you managed to get out and catch some fish. The weather Gods have not been kind to us at all. Next weekend is looking better!!

Anyone got a report from the weekend? Send me an email if you do.

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Good Friday Fish

Fishing Report for 21/3/08

Finally got the boat out for a fish. Although it wasn't too serious. Got the the ramp about 7.30am. Very quiet there due to the poor forecast. But the wind was very light. A quick launch and we headed toward West Point. However, it soon became clear that we were not going too far. By Middle Reef it was blowing 15's and capping quite a bit. We headed for a spot between Middle Reef and West Point. It was very exposed to the Southerly wind that was blowing. But we had to have a fish, even if it wasn't a long one. Once anchored, the boat sat quite nicely in the water, and we managed a good hour or more fishing. Caught a few LM Nannygai, including a keeper about 42cm. Not bad for a mark so close to Town. The run home was rather bumpy. But we were easily able to maintain a consistant 20+ knots.

This is a picture of the first fish caught on the new boat. Didn't have my camera with us, so its a mobile phone shot!

And this is Lachy's first from the boat.

Video of Tania catching her Nannygai!

The Side Imaging of the Humminbird sounder seems pretty good. I didn't get a shot of the spot we were fishing, but I grabbed this while driving past the ramp. Not the best shot due to the angle I was on, but you get the idea.

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Wind, Wind and more wind

Well it looks like the wind will continue for the Easter long weekend. It was looking like dropping off for a while there, but I'm not so sure now. We will probably head out Tomorrow anyway. Need to test the fishability of the new boat. Probably just fish in close to middle reef or West Point. But there is no way I will hit the ramp before about 7.30am. So with any luck there will still be some parks left! Wind should keep a few away. I'll post a report if I end up going.

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Boat is wet!

Well we managed to get the boat wet yesterday afternoon. Probably picked the worst weather for our first launch. But I figured if we could do it in 20knots, we would be right for any normal weather we would be going in. Was a pretty stressfull time, not knowing now the wind would effect the boat on the trailer. But with the motor in gear it was dead easy to keep her straight while Tania winched it back into the water.

Performance seems pretty good. We easily surpassed my old boats top speed of 23knots at about the 4000rpm mark. I never went WOT, but 30knots was easily achieved at a little over 4500rpm.

The motor was a little smoky, and a bit hard to start. But I think that might be due to the extra oil in the fuel that is part of the run-in period. I will have a chat to the guys at Rising Sun about it. But noise level was better than I imagined. Even Tania, who was sitting at the back, said the noise level was quite good.

Side imaging on the sounder looks impressive. But I will need to see it on my marks before I will be happy that the money was well spent. But I got a very nice image of the ramp as I went past, could see the drop at the end.

Steering is a little heavier than I would have liked. I can see why people go for hydrolic. But at speed the hull handles a tight turn like a dream.

All in all a good 1/2 hour or so on the water. I look forward to some nice weather and a proper fishing trip. And finally, thanks to the guys who gave Tania a hand reversing the trailer down the ramp. I was not keen on tying the boat to that dodgy jetty to go and get the trailer myself. Tania did a pretty good job, and will be backing like a pro in no time!

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New Boat is here!!!

Got a phone call today to say the boat is finished an ready for pick up. Yay! Was pretty late in the day, so these are just a few pics I took before attempting to put her away down the side of the house.

And look....IT FITS!!!

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New Boat – Not Yet!

Well it appears that my new boat will not be ready for pickup this week. Very disappointing. Funny how things change from discussions prior to purchasing to after placing the deposit! Been a few things along the way with this purchase that have disappointed my about the service from where I’m purchasing the boat. Even my wife has said that if there was another dealer closer we would have passed this one up. But anyway, I’m sure it will be good when it’s all over.

I have decided not to replace my sounder with another Furuno! I am a little uncomfortable with the decision as my previous 620 was so good. But I have chosen to give the Humminbird 997 with Side Imaging a go. From what I have seen of the SI, it’s pretty spectacular.

If your board and what to have a look at what I am getting, here is the boat and here is the sounder.

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Baptist Church Fishing Competition - March

Well it’s nice to see that some had better luck than I did for the fishing competition. At the weigh-in and BBQ last night there were some lovely fish weighed. With such poor weather it wasn’t surprising that the number of fish caught was a little low, but the quality was great. Dion Forman caught a lovely Grunter measuring (58.5cm). The fish was caught on a butterflied herring on a dropper and 2/0 wide gap hook. Fish came from some rubble patches near middle reef. Greg wasn’t too far behind with a slightly smaller Grunter. Greg fished wide of the beaches inside Cape Cleveland. Greg has an interesting story to tell about his boat ride home in the rough conditions! Jordan weighed in a nice Barra (4.8kg) caught below Aplin’s using a live Tarpon in a 7/0 wide gap hook. These wide gap hooks provide an excellent hook-up rate. If you have not tried them you, give one a go.

Apparently this Catfish is still swimming around with Dion's lip gripper!! LOL

Thanks to Dion for the photographs.

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What is it about competitions?

Report for 8/03/08

This weekend is the Baptist Church monthly fishing club competition. I followed my plan and headed for Pioneer Mill first thing this morning. Had 3 Tarpon in about 15mins! All in the 2.5-3kg class. But, as things go on competition days, all 3 threw the hooks. Feeling rather frustrated I stuck to my guns and keeps moving to Alva Beach. Dropped a small Flathead on my second cast, and didn’t see another fish for the next hour. Wind came up, so fishless I thought I’d give the Mill another shot. Sure enough, another Tarpon within minutes. I thought I had this one too. Played him out for several minutes. He made some big runs and a few jumps. Then, almost at my feet, he took one last little lazy jump and hooks came free. Didn’t give it much longer there as I wanted to try another couple of spots on the way home before it got too late in the morning. I tried another little Tarpon spot next. And sure enough the fish where there. Boiling in fact! A dozen fish in 5mins and it became clear that I was not going to be taking a fish for the weigh-in. They were all 3-4in in length! Cungulla was my last ditch effort for a Flathead, but again I couldn’t manage so much as a bump.

There must be something about me and competition fishing. I never seem to do any good. Maybe I try too hard. I hope others in the club had better luck than me? Think I need a boat!!

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Boat Sold

My boat is now sold! Being picked up today by Garry from Cairns.
Good luck with her mate, she is a great boat!

Now just have to pick up my new one.....

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Weekend Ahead

This weekend sees the next Baptist Church fishing competition. Being that I am boat-less and for a while, I will be fishing the bank. I think I will try Pioneer Mill first up Saturday morning for a nice Tarpon, then off to Alva Beach for a Flathead. If nothing else I might get another couple of fish for my top 10. At this stage I am the only one going in my car if any members want to join me? Just leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

Don’t forget that Thursday night is the Club meeting. This week there will be a rotation of several instructional/demonstrational techniques. One of which is on photography that I will be presenting.

My boat is now sold (well I have a deposit anyway). All things going well I should be able to pick up my Outsider 575 by end of next week. Fingers crossed for better weather that weekend!

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North Queensland Fly Fishers

Townsvilles North Queensland Fly Fishers had their first fishing trip for the year today. Just a small trip to the lakes in Fairfield Waters. In all 9 members showed up for a fish. Fishing from 7am to 9am several Tarpon were caught and released.

Liam scored best, with a total of 3 fish.

After fishing some members adjourned to MacDonalds for Breakfast.

Below is a pic of Bob Avery with a nice little Tarpon.

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