Snapper and Crabs from the "Banks & "Bay" !!

[craigie]

With reasonable weather being forecast, I planned an overnighter Saturday evening for Moreton Bay. The plan was to take the Crab pots, set them, then head off and anchor near the Islands. Well........ plans are made to be broken, as I received a Phone call from my mate Jeffie.H, who was organising a crew for the "Banks", departing Brisbane North at 1.30am. I still had time to run the pots out before getting a kip prior to the mission to the Sunny Coast.

The run out from Mooloolaba was quite good, 10knot South Wester and little swell. We drop off a few "Spanner" traps along the way in some virgin country.
The Big 6.4 Trailcraft gets us to the Southern Banks around 5.00am, ready for the daybreak burst !!
Well it didn't happen :? , we scratch around for a few just legal Squire but hardly a decent hit for any of us. Wind is now 15 + knots and a bit uncomfortable. We try a few marks in the general area for a couple of bits and pieces but nothing worth a photo.
It's time to head North, we troll past the centre of the banks for one small tuna then anchor up on some lumpy bottom in 40 odd metres. We pull a couple of decent parrot, varigated Emp's and Gold Spot Wrasse before 10 min's of mayhem sweeps under the boat !! The sounder lights up with massive numbers and sizes of fish !! Any line in the water is hammered !!
At one stage all 4 rods are bent solid !! First fish to hit the deck is a 5kg Knobbie to Jeffie, then I land a 3kg little brother to the first fish. John beside me pulls in a monster Brown cod that later weighed in over 5kg's, in this time I have dropped down and instantly hooked up and landed another brown Cod. The other boys are pulling hooks and busting fish off as I drop down for another 3kg Knobbie.
Then silence..............The fish disapear from the sounder and all goes quiet below............. The hot bite was over as quick as it started !!

Time to pull stumps as the wind is again picking up to 20 knots from the South. A quick troll back over the centre of the banks leeds to a double hook-up on Boofheads that are kept for Crab Bait.
The trip home is rough and slow but very safe in the big Trailcraft.
We collect the Spanner traps and wack a few more tasty mosals in the ice box.

Thanks to the late morning hot bite, we take home a tidy feed of fish & crabs. Throw in a few beers and a quick clean up and the drive home and your left with some very tired fishos at the end of the day !!

As my Crab pots were put to sea on the Sat Arvo, they were long overdue to be checked. Well I managed to get to them late morning today and what a bonanza !!! Sharks had done a number on two of them, but they still contained a few crabs. The others were choca block !!! Just set a new PB, 14 legal blue swimmers in one pot !!!!!!!!!!!
Pots have been rebaited with fresh Tuna, can't wait to get back out to them. Hopefully Wednesday some time ??

pics to follow,

Cheers
Craigie.

[craigie]

Some of the catch on ice

[craigie]

The boys with the pick of the catch.

[craigie]

As mentioned the Blue Swimmers are still on the move, this was the contents of 1 pot, prior to being sorted. The females were released alive !!
This was not the PB pot, it only had 8 or 10 keepers ::) !!

[craigie]

Last one !!

30 odd keepers for 4 pots, does it get any better 8-)

My share of Sundays catch is also in this esky, along with 5 bags of Ice, so no its not full of crabs ;D

[Grunter71]

Without giving away Spot "X", whereabouts in the bay did you set the pots for these. I am guessing out in the middle of the bay, out of sight of anyone that might think they have a greater need for your crabs and pots.

[StevenM]

How good does that esy look.

Good stuff

Cheers

Steven

[craigie]

Grunter71,

Crab Spot X is in the middle of nowhere, it's deep water and in rough weather will see little or no boat traffic.
Pots are located by land marks only, a gps would be easier :D

Biggest danger would be trawlers running them over at night :(

If I wasn't catching good numbers it would not be worth the fuel bill to keep heading back out there. To run the pots out initially, then go back out again to check them has cost me $50 in Juice. Money well spent, just can't afford it too often :) . Will be taking a spell after Wed pull-up.
I've tried day trips, but you just don't get the numbers , plus pulling heavy pots all day from deep water is hard yakka, although thats usually the Deckies job ;D

With the approaching cooler weather and dropping water temp, I expect the crabs to be gone very soon.

Cheers
Craigie.

[F1SH_BOY]

NICE CRABS AND I LIKE THAT SNAPPER TOO :P

[Herm]

Craigie!

If you are after a deckie, give me ring :) # I would only be too happy to help you bring in your pots! ;)

Janine :)

[Eddy1]

Craige...Weather looked good Friday so rang a couple of mates for a possible first trip to the banks Sat afternoon. Set off keen as musted and arrived Mooloolaba at 3.00pm. The two guys I had with were well prepared, armed with kwell and a positive attitude, they were not going to get sick!...We poked our nose out of the harbour into a approx 1m swell and 15knt SE. I said what do you reckon, the banks or stay in close? They made the decision for me and we made it to the banks before dark...Sounded around for a while to find some good shows but had some trouble holding anchor in the swell and wind...eventually held and settled into some fishing, a few small and more reasonable pearlies hit the deck for a while and then went quiet. I'd been asking the guys how they felt and up to this point all was fine, however when the fish went off the bite the berley flowed....vomiting in stereo...poor buggers...Sam reckons you could shove the kwell up your arse for all the good it did. Sam was spewing so hard he pulled a muscle in his stomach. They were a couple of troopers though and eventually hit the sack.
Woke Sam up at 5.30 with a slap from a wet remora...the thing followed a paternosta up and took the second bait just beside the boat. We all had some fun pulling some more small to fair pearlies and trevs for an hour or so...the weather deteriorated to 20+ knts SE'r and rain squalls so we pulled the pick and headed in...was like a simpson top loader with the lid open all the way back to Mooloolaba.. Not a real successful trip fishing wise but a good test for the boat which handled it well and used only 48L . Glad to see you guys had a successful trip and some nice fish. Will contact you soon.....want to get back to the banks on a good day and have a look around......ed

[nqboy]

yumo mate great work
30 odd sandies mmmmmmmmm i am drewling already

[-spiro-]

Very well done 8-)crab sangers for a while hey ;D