Only a very quick report today. Took Tania and the boys back out into the Bay for a quick session.
The wind is dropping, but was still very sloppy early. Initially we headed down the front of Crocky / Cocoa to get out of the rough stuff. But the tide really wasn't idea for the type of fishing we have been doing there. So we only got in a short session before the fish went off the bite. Still managed a couple of good Salmon and few smaller Grunter.
We then moved back into the deeper water for a troll in the 3m mark for some Doggie Mackerel. But after about half an hour it was obvious this plan wasn't going to work. I think there was only one boat on the weedbeds, and he left as we approached.
As the morning progressed the wind had dropped a little. So I thought we might give the Mackerel in the shipping channel a go. I started toward the North Cardinal, thinking we could work the markers all the way home. But it soon became obvious that it was just too sloppy out that wide. So a change of direction had us comfortably heading to some markers closer in. I sounded around 3 or 4 different lead lights before the Humminbird showed a good patch of bait. Initially I sent down a 40g slice in the hope of attracting the Mackerel, but nothing would hit it. A few decent fish showing on the Humminbird amongst the bait convinced me to put down a Threadybuster. It only took two drops and a fish hit and run. He had me guessing for a while as the fish ran deep. I was even thinking a small Fingermark! But it turned out to be a foul hooked Doggie. With Mackerel clearly around, and Threadybusters already hitting the back pocket hard, I quickly added 2 inches of light single strand wire. For the next hour we proceeded to pull in about a dozen good size Doggies.
Also witnessed a free jumping Queenfish not 2 feet from the front of the boat with big black GT on his arse! That queenfish, or one of his mates, was also hooked during the session. Awesome fight with several good jumps. But the hooks pulled at the last moment.
The new Shimano 3000 Ci4+ Stradic performed superbly. It is perfectly matched to a Raider II Soft Plastics Barra Spin and 15lb Power Pro line. This setup actually handled the big queenfish very well. The Raider II Soft Plastics Flathead Spin I purchased from ProTackle is also an excellent match for my older 2500 Ci4. Doggie Mackerel were no problem and kids found this setup very light and easy to use. Excellent quality setups, without breaking the bank.
