Fixation
10-11-2005, 01:09 PM
Hi I’m new to the site and just wanted to know if anyone else has caught grunter in large numbers on the reef?
I have only really had one good reef grunter session in the time I've spent out on the
water over the years. I now spend most of my fishing time off the sunshine coast. Now and again we catch one or two but never in big numbers like a couple of years ago off Hervey.
We headed out late one arvo with a 10/15 knot wind forecast for the night and thought it would drop out during the night and into the morning but the wind grew in strength the further we headed offshore. After steaming for more than an hour an a half the muscles and spine were starting to cop it a little. We finally arrived at spot X and everyone stopped groaning as the throttle was pulled back on the yammie.
Not wanting to sound for too long (cause of the conditions) we came over this nice show of fish just to the side of our mark. It looked awesome. We tried to anchor right on it but the wind was playing havoc with us and the bottom was just not solid enough to hold us. After another couple of anchoring attempts she finally held and all of us just wanted to get our lines to the bottom because we could see the activity on the sounder. (see picture) It wasn’t yakka’s that’s for sure.
During the arvo/night we lost heaps of grunter but also landed plenty as well. We only used pillies and squid and the bite period seemed to slow into the night as well. Only managed one nice knobbie but the rest were just grunter.
I’ve fished that same area numerous amounts of times and even on at the same time of year and have only managed one or two. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience at all with them schooling up like that cause it's coming round to that time of year again. I’m thinking they were spawning. Not exactly sure though.
I have only really had one good reef grunter session in the time I've spent out on the
water over the years. I now spend most of my fishing time off the sunshine coast. Now and again we catch one or two but never in big numbers like a couple of years ago off Hervey.
We headed out late one arvo with a 10/15 knot wind forecast for the night and thought it would drop out during the night and into the morning but the wind grew in strength the further we headed offshore. After steaming for more than an hour an a half the muscles and spine were starting to cop it a little. We finally arrived at spot X and everyone stopped groaning as the throttle was pulled back on the yammie.
Not wanting to sound for too long (cause of the conditions) we came over this nice show of fish just to the side of our mark. It looked awesome. We tried to anchor right on it but the wind was playing havoc with us and the bottom was just not solid enough to hold us. After another couple of anchoring attempts she finally held and all of us just wanted to get our lines to the bottom because we could see the activity on the sounder. (see picture) It wasn’t yakka’s that’s for sure.
During the arvo/night we lost heaps of grunter but also landed plenty as well. We only used pillies and squid and the bite period seemed to slow into the night as well. Only managed one nice knobbie but the rest were just grunter.
I’ve fished that same area numerous amounts of times and even on at the same time of year and have only managed one or two. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience at all with them schooling up like that cause it's coming round to that time of year again. I’m thinking they were spawning. Not exactly sure though.