Winter fishing weather

[bonka]

Hi all,
New to the Gold Coast boat fishing scene. Can any "old timers" advise on typical winter weather patterns around here? Should we expect a lot of this windy weather over the coming months or is it normally quiet? Not looking for long term forecasts here, just an indication of typical winter conditions so I can decide if it's a good time to do major boat maintenance.

Thanks,

Bonka

[charleville]

Ahh - winter on the Gold Coast....Ahhh.... big spawning bream coming into the Broadwater and Jumpinpin area.....(Sigh!)....night fishing for big bream....(sigh!)....no cyclones (nor rain! @&&^&*%&^!) ...beautiful clear night skies under the stars, close into the mangroves catching those big bream... Ahhh! ... (sigh!) ... ;) still in shorts except on the coldest nights..(sigh!)... 8-)


Ya wouldn't be dead for quids!


Boat maintenance! You must be from Victoria, Bonka! ;D ;D ;D There is no period in the year here in SE Qld where you put you boat to sleep for a few weeks. ;D ;D ;D

So best to do your boat maintenance when you can. Normally we get some strong westerlies around August but nothing much interferes with estuary fishing at least and winter is when we get the bigger bream come in to spawn in the estuaries.

Need to ask someone like Heath about offshore, however.

No need to get a marine insurance policy that allows for a lay-up period though. :) :) :)

[Jitlands]

Winter pattern is roughly a 6 day cycle with a change over day between.
The change over day being the best for off shore

That is

3 days west or south west followed by 3 days south or south east then change over day before the new cycle.

You will only get rain from the south easters.

Winter spawning fish, tailor, bream & mullet travel on the westerlies

Not set in stone but is the normal winter pattern for Gold Coast/Northern Rivers

[Mick]

Notice every weather report on TV has got one of those big H things that slowly float accross the bottom of Australia. These are the taj mahal of Winter Weather and any dummy can pick em. Jitlands is pretty spot on about it. When one High pressure system moves off shore into the Tasman there is usually 24 hours before the next one is in full swing. Especially look for a low pressure system between the high pressures. They can give us a few extra days of light winds in the north id they cause a bit of havok in Vicco and hang around the Alps for a while.

The bigger the high pressure the slower they move.

The further north the high pressure the more west in the wind.

The closer the isobars the stronger the winds

Example of possible winter forecast fro QLD

Day1 - South West 15 knots (temp very cold)
Day2 - South / South -West 20 knots (temp cold)
oldDay 3 - South 20 -25 knots (temp cold)
Day 4 - South / South - East 20 knots (temps warming)
Day 5 - South east 20 knots (normal winter temp)
Day 6 - South Easters 20 knots easing to 15 knots in the arvo
Day 7 - 10 knots Easterly winds with 10 - 15 knots nor easterlys in the afternoon (warmest day of cycle)
Possible rain / storm / Change come through / temperature drops

Start again

[DeeGee]

Later in winter we sometimes get lucky and some of those big lazy highs move across the centre of the continent. Then if we're really lucky they are right over the top of us for a few days. That's when you get cold clear nights and calm sunny days with glassy seas or better still, just a little riple on the surface.
Doesn't happen as often as it used to - climate cycles or global warming maybe ???. But when it does it's great.
Cross your fingers, or sacrifice a chicken, or whatever works for you, and hope we get a few this year.
Cheers, Deegee.

[bonka]

Gee, thanks guys for this info. Much more detail than I expected and I will study this info and use it.
What a great mine field of information Ausfish through its members can provide. Look forward to the day I can add something worthwhile.

Will organise a rooster sacrifice when I next hope to get out "Degree" ...thanks for the tip.

Looking forward to the M&G at Jacobs Well on 24th June and catching up with some of you keen fishermen and Green Ginger Wine drinkers...ooooooh! eh Touchy? Wild Turkey for me. Drunker and less hangover???

[Burley_Boy]

Hey Jitlands,
Great info but if the Bream and such travel on the Westerlies does this mean they're more inclined to get a feed of hook or are they just guaranteed to be somewhere I am not?