Best destination for fishing holiday trailerable boats central qld coast mid year

[wetryin]

We are 4 guys that take our 2 boats and go away each year for a week fishing holiday and looking for the best place to stay Fraser Island/ Harvey bay area to Gladstone (or anything in the greater area). Looking for a holiday house and location to base ourselves for about a week June to September 2013.
One boat 6.5m Cruisecraft; the other 5.3 Barcrusher. Need a ramp that can take the 6.5m (not too shallow)
Both are towed by 4wds, so dirt road/ sand access ok
Preferences:
Prefer bar not too dangerous, after all it is a holiday
We are strictly day fishers and want to pull our boats out of the water daily
Dont want to stay too far from fishing grounds (dont want to travel too far to to fishing;up to 50-60 km to the grounds from the boat ramp but would rather be fishing and not motoring)
Want to stay in a house where we go and definitely not camping
Want to target different fish than we get down here on the Qld/NSW border. Looking for red emporers,reefies etc.
We prefer to fish 50+m of water and have gear to go deep, but we can go shallower.
Prefer some place that has sheltered fishing in times of bad weather
Any suggestions? Either a fishing destination or a good place where you have stayed oor some place you have heard of that you have thought would be a great place to stay and fish
David

[copie]

Well i am a Hervey Bay lover and ofter holiday there. great boat ramp and pontoon with fuel and bait next door. Accommodation everywhere from park cabins to houses and units. There is also lock up boat storage near the ramp if required. Fishing grounds can vary from 20 minutes run up to 1/2 to 20 hours from the ramp depending on where you want to go. Windy weather opions also available and no bars to cross. Take-away foods pubs bunning and bcf stores all local if required.
Even though i did read all of your needs what about orchid beach/waddy point on fraser. Good accommodation NO BOAT RAMP limited suppies big drive and expensive fuel. Fishing can be great though.
1770 again good accommodation pretty good ramp and pontoon generally bar is very good fishing can be very good. Shops pub bait and tackle all local.
Mooloolabah plenty of local accommodation good ramps and pontoons, bait tackle shops plus everything else you can think of. Bar is generally ok and fishing is a plenty from 15 minutes to 2 hours run.

Mark

[wetryin]

Thanx copie
We have been looking at Fraser/ Harvey and will get back to you
What about Orchid beach/ waddy on fraser as you mention- is it only a beach launch there or is there anywhere on the western side of Fraser that we can launch in still water and round the point to save us time?? Or is the beach (still side) ok to launch? I amd ok in the crusher but the cruisecraft wont handle a beach (surf) launch so this is not an option and we dont want to go the extended drawbar launch. We usually bring loads of fuel with us and lo.ads of supplies.
If we were to base on fraser how far to the good fishing grounds vs harvey bay launch? Would have to save 40+km looking at the maps???
Were looking at 1770 but from what we heard to get to where we want to fish (and dont know if its the same as here as you have to fish deep to get the preferred fish species) you have to travel 70km out (40km round trip)
Of the 3 suggestions if you were us which is the preferred between Harvey based, staying on fraser or Mooloolaha? After all we are there primarily for fishing.
David

[marto78]

What about a house at Rainbow Beach, there are plenty of houses with room for a couple of boats to choose from. The Bullock Rd boat ramp is just up the road which will be fine for both boats although it can get a bit slippery on low tide.
If the weather is fine the bar is pretty good (well it was when we were there) and if not there are plenty of other options up the inside of Fraser.

[Almako]

What about Stradbroke island. Good boat ramp, semi secluded, 4x4 beach runs and beach fishing, offshore fishing, Moreton bay fishing. Fishing spots as close as you like or as far as you like.

[copie]

David fraser island trip you can to my knowledge only lauch into the gutter at waddy point, the beauty about fraser is you are already outside (no gar to cross) and the fishing grounds are far less visited by other fisher people. These outer grounds are realy visited by non locals as the bar at the top of fraser is one that should be crossed in good weather and with local knowledge. A run up to the bar from Hervey Bay Marina is a good 2 hours or more. Hervey Bay well there are plenty of spots in platypus bat up around roonies point and the gutters without going over the bar at the great sea spit. Mooloolabah has many ares in close like the blinker the inner neerings murphies and many more unnamed patches to the south and north. Travel further and you have caloundra wide barwon banks and the hards. There are a lot of fish caught out of there on a daily basis. Smithy on this site runs a very well known charter in that area and appears to always have very happy customers, look up some of his posts he always adds photos.
1770 well again i have heard and read of many people catching good quality fish within 1/2 hour from the headlands. Do a search on hear about 1770.
Sorry i cant be of more help and the decision in the end will be yours good luck lets us know how it all goes. Dont forget the camera.

Mark

[cobiaman]

1770 for sure!

[Shelby35]

what about buxton good ramp and have houses for rent from $75 per night just a short trip over to fraser.

[Horse]

1770 for me or drive another 6 hours and rent a house at Stanage Bay.

[banshee]

Turkey Beach.......but don't expect anything flash.Close to 1770 but with a few more options if the weather is shity.

[Noelm]

having fished here and there as a "tourist" from southern NSW to up the QLD coast, I reckon 1770 has all the right things, decent ramp, good shops, good tackle/bait store, good places to stay over night in your boat (so you dont have those long day trips) good fishing, is there anything else you would want?

[manchild]

Tin Can bay or Yepoon . This 2 is bypassed for some reason by many and both offers good facilities ,real pubs ,good cheap food and fantastic fishing .
George

[aus2045]

I would say Hervey Bay or 1770. In my experience once you get further north of 1770 the fishing gets really quite poor until you get up near Stanage Bay.

[thelump]

1770 mate. There are plenty of places to fish inside the reefs that produce the type of fish that you are seeking. True that the grounds east of the reefs will be around 70kms to get to but if you jag a couple of good days it is only about an hour and a half run out there. And if you are setup for it you can anchor in the lagoon at fitzroy reef for the night. Go out for a fish during the night, come back in for a snooze and up early to have a crack in the morning. Just make sure it is a good forecast and you mark your track into the lagoon. Try and time it for the M&G up there in September. Good fun and you will get some good info as to where to fish. We could always do with a few more cockroaches!

[wetryin]

Thanks all.
Will have a meet with the other guys (they have been already emailed with responses to date) and let you know.
It seems its either 1770 (we thought we would go there a few months ago) or Harvey seems to be the pick. For first timers which would be the pick for fishing out of the two?
Pros and cons please if you dont mind. Its shitty weather anyway this weekend so we may as well take this opportunity to pick your brains
David

[Schulzy]

You can go over the top or bottom bar depending on wind direction a sw is good over the bottom bar or over the island would be the pick beautiful drive up the beach not to bad to launch seen a 685 cruise craft on a normal trailer launch just as easy as any one else when the tides and conditions are right sw up the bay is not real good can get rough

[Smithy]

1770 or Turkey Beach fit your criteria. Hate the bay at Hervey Bay but outside is good but massive distances to anywhere good.

[perko]

Turkey Beach is good if you can handle the sandflies. Good crabbing, creek fishing and some good macks and reefies just outside. Still a 40 mile trip to outside the reef to get to deeper water. Plenty of 40 meter country from about 15 mile out though. If you get a tinnie there as well as your big boat there is still something to do every day if it blows. But don't forget the bushmans.

[Bruce Micheal]

Stanage Bay!
[URL="http://www.stanagebay.com/township.htm"]

[Mr Squiggles]

Tannum Sands is OK too . A mate of mine has a shed at Agnes with a 7.4m boat & some of the catches out from 1770 are preeeety good!!!! It's my pick.