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Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:44 PM
Fished the Hervey Bay Tournament again on the weekend. Fishing was Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Only one boat ventured across the bar late Friday afternoon for a couple of hours with the weather we had leading up to it. Saturday and Sunday were perfect and maybe too calm if that is possible for Pelagics. There were about 20 boats in it this year but only two Billfish were tagged so unfortunately my pictures will be boat show ones again. Few dramas with the fuel barge this year so people in our circumstance had to carry fuel on the deck and leave it on the beach which was a pain. Mothership luckily went all the way up to Sandy Cape which saved a bit of travelling.

We headed to the bay Thursday to organise our fuel and attend the briefing and Calcutta. Brieging did happen but Calcutta didn't. All the running around about the fuel was a waste of time as well so the day was a waste in the end. Up at 3 and on the water about 4 for the run to Rooneys. Stashed the fuel and found the Tuna. Spun our alloted 6 up in the first hour so set a spread and trolled Rooneys. Hooked a Black at 9.30 in 7m of water just to the south of Rooneys, got two jumps out of him before he fell off. Other than that we got a couple of Spotties which we released as our food in the esky had to last till Sunday and we didn't want fish all over it. Sportfish 1770 dropped two Blacks in the gutters as did Billistic who dropped one but saw another and Watch Tower up near the green zone on the inside. Nag Free popped outside but didn't do any good. That night we anchored up under the lighthouse at Sandy Cape.

Saturday morning we ducked out through the 4 mile gutter. The run from the cape to the inside mark was sloppy but the bar looked good. Once outside we set a spread and worked south to the hotspot from the year before. We took a strike from a Billy doing this but didn't hook up. Trolled south and marked bits of bait but nothing to write home about so trolled up north again. Parrallel to Nag Free and in the same spot as our earlier shot they hooked up and tagged the first Black for the Tournament scooping the prize pool with the one fish. They had caught a Mahi Mahi in the same spot earlier. Spotfish 1770 had dropped a Black earlier luckily for them. We went for a cruise around a heap of marks I had and up over the shoals where Sportfish 1770 were working catching Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and YFTs. In this area a heap of small Wahoo and Mahi Mahi were caught and a few sunbaking Blacks were seen but couldn't be temped by lures. Around then Watch Tower with Andrew Yeh on the rod tagged a Sail which was the only other Bill tagged for the tournament. We trolled south to the mouth of the 4 mile and found the bait. Only thing was the Bills hadn't found it. We got bitten off on strike by one Wahoo then tagged another. We caught a heap of Bonito here which must have had the bait balled up but no Bills. We crossed the bar at the four mile then fueled up. With a northerly predicted the mothership moved to the south side of Rooneys.

Sunday dawned with a bit of a northerly and sloppy trip from Rooneys to the bar. We had a look at the 0 mile and then crossed a gutter about a kilometer out. The bar and outside were dead flat compared to inside. We trolled where the bait was the afternoon before without seeing anything. The wind was a slight NW and it slowed the fishing. We trolled over the Shoals with about 1/2 of the fleet and 4/5s of everyone who was outside for nothing so back down the sand bar we went. No-one reported anything worthwhile and the wind had swung Westerly. At the sked Sportfish 1770 who didn't move Saturday or Sunday had hooked and lost another Black. They did 4-5 for the weekend but won the over 7.5m section on other species over Watch Tower with the Sail. Knowing that we headed their way again and picked up a Mahi Mahi for ourselves which went in the esky. Bakes was on strike for both of our reasonable fish - the Mahi Mahi and the 'Hoo. Lines came in at 1.00 and we blasted through the bar doing 27knots drinking a beer it was that flat. Averaged about 24knots all the way back to Urangan in the 15knot northerly which was on the inside only.

Luke Whybrow from Nag Free won most awards with the Black they tagged and they stumbled onto some Cobia just before cease fishing. They were allowed six a day to kick a few field goals to assure their victory. We did 288Nm and used 520 litres of fuel in the Signature with 4 onboard. With towing costs and comp entries it was $295 each for us. The Capricorn from 1770 only used 320 litres and it travelled from 1770 and trolled all three days. Most boats used around 500 litres. A 39' Riv used 1,300.

Few interesting things from the weekend. A couple of Wahoo have been caught at Rooneys the last couple of weeks with one during the comp. No Queenies or Spaniards etc. which was unusual. One Sail and one Black were all that were tagged for the whole weekend. Maybe 15 hooked and that number again seen but that is for 20 boats over 3 days each. Fair few freeswimmers that weren't interested. Either stoned on toadfish or moon phase or something. Looks like the Sails are north going by what Volvo caught and another mate got a Sail off Elliot Island.

Will we be back? See what happens but it is the first game comp we ever did and it is our tradition that we do it every year. They are certainly blessed with good weather every year for at least some of the weekend.

Here is the mothership Hellenic Pride a 50'+ Randall.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:45 PM
The winning boat, "Nag Free" a Hydrofield 18 with twin 90 Mercs.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:46 PM
A few NSW Lake Macquarie game boats were on their way to Lady Musgrave and stopped at Rooneys for the night. #They were probably wondering what they hit with all the boats in there.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:49 PM
Saturday morning.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:50 PM
.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:51 PM
Sunday morning at Rooneys.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:52 PM
.

Smithy
22-11-2005, 07:54 PM
The old Watch Dog is now called Short Black.

gavsgonefishing
22-11-2005, 08:36 PM
Top report, its a bit of a worry that that many boats over that many days can only tag 2 billies. Its certainly unusual for the type of country your in

bazzaman
22-11-2005, 11:03 PM
Another boat show report! >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

DaneCross
23-11-2005, 02:16 PM
Hooked a Black at 9.30 in 7m of water just to the south of Rooneys...
Is that normal for up there? Is that normal for blacks anywhere?

vertico
23-11-2005, 03:01 PM
where are the fish ?

Smithy
23-11-2005, 04:13 PM
7-13m is about right on the inside. My old avatar was a Black from the mouth of Wathumba Ck in 21 feet right on the edge of where the weed grows. On the outside our shot came from about 15m and Nag Frees was in the same area. Last year they were in 15m as well. Trolling Breaksea Spit on the outside can be the way to go some years. When Rod March was running the 40' Obrien Obsession out of the bay he often caught Blacks stirring up the sand with his props.

Verts,

dunno - maybe out in the Coral Sea near where Damon Olsen in chartering? It is a mystery. Peter Stephens was getting them at 1770 but that was during August and September and they haven't hit the Sunny Coast with any numbers yet.

mackmauler
23-11-2005, 04:18 PM
reports of a few nth of the cape today, none ate my lures though >:(

Matt_G
23-11-2005, 08:35 PM
Smithy

Great report. My feeling from reports I have had is that they should be right on the Sunny Coast's doorstep, unless the currents have carried them wide. A few are starting to show up south of Mooloolaba.

Matt

Burley_Boy
23-11-2005, 09:12 PM
Thanks for the effort you put into the report mate, good read, thanks. :)

krtazy
27-11-2005, 08:09 PM
the small blacks can be prolific at rooneys point in shallow water. We tagged six last year and most of them no more than 5 mtrs from the beach