Dirty water cairns

[chop duster]

Anyone else head out off cairns last sunday?
We headed out mid morning into a solid 15 knot breeze, in the search of a mackie or 2. Only to find rank green water and a stupid amounts of seaweed. Couldn't figure it out? Tried Pixie, Jorgensen patch, wide grounds etc..
Hardly turned a reel all day, and the deckhand was not a happy chappy with the amount of seaweed hookups:o at least he has the outriggers sussed now.
Talked to a mate who hit up Elford reef to find the same thing, only managing a couple of mackies.
So was anyone able to avoid this soup, and if so, how far out did it extend?

[nickstock]

I went out for a brief fish off Cooktown on Sunday.

20 knot s/e and 1.5 chop.

Shit conditions in a 5 meter tiller steer so I turned around and fished a reef about 5 miles out.

Very dirty water, copious amounts if sea weed and very few fish. I only managed a few mixed reefies. My better half Holly hooked a nice fish which turned out to be a Slatey of about 5 kgs. I didn't end up keeping a fish on the trip.

Very disapointing but thats all I could expect with the conditions.

Welcome to Cooktown Nick hahaha

[chop duster]

thanks nick, gees must be some weed around, lucky i didn't try head any further north to try avoid it.
I guess the green water has something to do with the abundants of weed
eg: high level of nutrients in the water or something causing a explosion in weed growth.
Lets hope it clears up by this sunday as i think a window may open for the day, well lets say seabreeze is my friend at the moment.

[Scott nthQld]

I hope it stays north and doesn't come down this way.

I was out on the Saturday off Townsville, a bit of weed around, but water was crystal clear. Has there been a bit of rain up there over the last week or so?

[FNQCairns]

Bugger! was looking also at this weekend with all fingers crossed, is it a filamentous goop? No way it's eutrophication outside of natural variation (we are brainwashed on these senario's), would have happened before cook also, nature does what it does.

Regardless i don't want to deal with the stuff, it was not there 2 weeks ago when I last was, water temps or up-welling somewhere might have changed in the last little while.

cheers fnq

[chop duster]

fnq,
Water has been cooling as of late.
This is the best picture i could find (after a quick search) that best ressembles the type of weed encountered. I was in no way implying the nutrients were man made. Just a pain in the arse. T least the water wasn't brown, now that crap depresses me for some reason.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2967548669_7ac4924d99.jpg?v=0

While i'm at it, anyone been out trolling for those fish with a stick on their head? keen as mustard to tag a couple more baby blacks this year.

[FNQCairns]

y
fnq,
Water has been cooling as of late.
This is the best picture i could find (after a quick search) that best ressembles the type of weed encountered. I was in no way implying the nutrients were man made. Just a pain in the arse. T least the water wasn't brown, now that crap depresses me for some reason.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2967548669_7ac4924d99.jpg?v=0

While i'm at it, anyone been out trolling for those fish with a stick on their head? keen as mustard to tag a couple more baby blacks this year.

Well if that's more or less the stuff then either physical trauma or life cycle would be the cause, I would go for lifecycle as it's been windy but not that windy...sometimes I cannot help but throw the environmental rationalist bit in wherever I see an opening these days, was not implying you thought it was the reason.

Just then checked seabreeze...lately each update it keeps changing a little more for the worst.

Best of luck with the pointy ones!

cheers fnq