Reply With QuoteIf the winds die off mate, launch from Crystal and try Cattle creek. I've heard some great stuff about Cattle.
I am planning a trip to Crystal Creek (saltwater end) just north of Townsville in a couple of weeks when the water warms up a little more and was wondering if anyone has had any good fishing success.
I will be going out in a 16ft Quintrex runabout with a 60 4st yammie, are there any area of concern that may be too shallow i need to worry about given that I have no trouble in Stoney creek if the tide is greater than 0.5m?
Also does anyone know of any good areas where I can get bait from specifically yabbies (I always do well on grunter when I fish with these), also some mullet, herring and prawn?
Finding likely holes shouldn't be an issue with my new sounder but any helpful hints on location would be much appreciated.
I have fished this creek before with very little success (a couple of whiting and bream) and was looking at targeting maybe some early season Jacks and Barra. Are their any lures people have had some good success with in that area?
Thanks in advance for anyone's help.
If the winds die off mate, launch from Crystal and try Cattle creek. I've heard some great stuff about Cattle.
I would try cattle but from what I've heard it is very shallow at the mouth and I don't think I would make it through there, and I certainly don't want to get stuck for a couple of hours in an area notorious for those little blodsucking sandflies.
It's funny though I've been living up here for 6 years yet I haven't taken the chance to explore any of the creek systems out of townsville.
I just had a look at my green zone maps and noticed there was a small shoal just to the south east of the mouth. Has anyone had any luck fishing off there??
mate i haven't put my boat in at crystal yet, but i have fished it alot landbased, in it's upper reaches (hiking) and very rarely come home without a feed. The jacks have fired up that way all through winter, have seen barra, but still to hook one up there.
The area (from what i've seen) is very tidal, and i would be extremely cautious to head up-stream on an outgoing tide as there are many rock bars and stuff up that way.
In saying all the above, the curiosity has been getting the better of me, if the fishing is so good upstream, i'm sure it can't be too bad downstream. When your thinking of heading out, let me know, and i may head up that way for a trip also
two rocky shoals just out of mouth. both usually produce but northern one seems more popular. Mouth very shallow at low tide. Theres a bloke there who I'm sure sits and waits for the boats coming in of an evening and can't find the mouth. He quite often helps boats of the flats with his tractor. A few years back he helped me by bringing my trailer down so I could hitch up from my beached position. Great bloke, can't remember his name but he got our catch that day. Blood worth bottlin'. The ramp in the creek wasn't much don't know what its like now but its maintained by a local group who could do with donations every now and then for its upkeep. Used to be a sign there about it. Ramp is just a few logs that havebeen pressed into the ground. Very stable, not steep or muddy.
Creek was fantastic for jacks. Look for newly eroded banks - there is a good area to the right of the boat ramp often people will camp at the top of the embankment. Reddish clay banks with an aero bar sort of texture to it.
You can also folow the 4wd track north to another creek (?insulator) if I remember rightly its a powerline service road. This one has been recommended several times to me to give it a go but I don't have a 4wd anymore and crystal is a good enough adventure for me. Servo and caravan park are good places for local advice.
I'll be hanging around middle reef and picnic bay on Sunday. Not hoping for much more than a good day out on the water. Not a lot of run.
Any fishing is good fishing(should probably say Any fishing is...probably going to be illegal soon)
Thanks for your help guys, I have fished the mouth before and checked out the ramp, it seems to be in very good condition for a place a bit out of the way. I always use caution when exploring a new part of any creek cos I know how fast things can turn bad when proper car is not exercised.
I've already started planning the trip with the old man though he's not sure if he will come, just scoping out likely areas to fish using google earth (looking for little run off creeks and any visible rock bars). First trip I will probably take one of my mates just as an exploration mission and if we get any good fish spot x will be marked and used as often as we can.
I'm thinking of just camping the night down there and setting out early in the morning, taking plenty of insect repellant in case we get stuck waiting for a tide.
Once the rip takes place will post up some pics and a report to let you all know how we went.
Thanks again for your help
Scott,
Yep,
i've heard the same thing about Crystal re the bars and that it's good Jack country. I've fished Cattle but its such a big system that figuring it out would take some time - a bit like the Bohle I think. Very similar at the mouth with plenty of sand out the front.
A few years ago I wa determined to fish it so we drove to Insulator along the 4WD track aiming to put the boat in there but we liked the look of Insulator so much with the advantage of having the ute for cooking facilities, we said 'stuff it' opened the esky for a couple of coldies and had a great coupla nights camping on the beach with plenty of fish action.
I'd still like to spend 4-5 nights at Cattle tho' - it just looks too good to miss. Although the pros DO hammer it during the week...
Cheers
Mozza
Its a very shallow system last year we got bogged at the boat ramp on a in coming tide and took about two hours to get free and the car had water up to its tyres, its a very good creek fished at the right time of the tide we always fish it with lures on a low tide once it starts to push in it doesnt take long to fill up we always get barra, jacks,trevs queenies and grunter there i have been told that cattle is a fare better creek to fish.
I Would like to fish cattle but for now I think I'll stick to places with easy access.
As I don't have a 4wd at my disposal driving to insulator is out of the question. I would attempt to cruise up the coast via boat with plenty of fuel from crystal, but as I haven't had my licence for long I'm not 100% confident on going too far out of the creeks systems just yet so I'll stick in close until I am 100% certain I will be able to handle the boat in open water, after all it's not only my safety that is at risk.
Don't get me wrong I have been out wide before whilst in control with my dad also along for the ride in case I start getting in trouble but until I'm more experienced I'll avoid solo for now.
Dad's been driving a boat in open water since he was about 10 because until the last 20 years or so, you didn't need a licence to operate a boat outside a harbour or estuary in NSW, where the sea gets much lumpier.
jackextractor,
That's just what I was thinking about Xtal - must try it sometime...
Do you head up stream or downstream from the ramp, and what are you looking for (both sounder and bank) when you motoring??Originally Posted by jackextracter
Well maybe i will be heading up that way a little sooner then expected. I too only fish with lures altho slowly reverting back to live bait in desperation to catch my first barra
That's a wise choice leaving the run to cattle till you've got a bit more boat time under your belt. whilst it's pretty straight forward, you do need to pick a special kind of day.
In the morning you need a good 2 m of water to leave crystal, & the same to enter cattle a few mile up the coast. We usually head into cattle for the day, then get back out late in the arvo with 2m plus of water. You basically get stuck in there for the day during the low. That isn't the problem, in a small tinny the problem is getting back to crystal late in the arvo with a decent s/ easter blowing, it can be pretty messy in the shallow water of both mouths.
Ideal day would be a high of around a 3m high around 5 or 6 in the am, & the same on the next high at 5 or 6 in the arvo. This gives a couple of hours either side to play with going in & out of the mouths of both crystal & cattle.
When leaving or entering crystal to head north, don't shortcut the turn. It's very shallow & rocky on the northern side for several hundred metres out.
Crystal can be a fun place to fish, be careful as you work your way upstream, as mentioned, there are heaps of sandstone outcrops mostly just under the water.
This is the mouth of cattle, late in the arvo on about a 3 m tide, we had some fun with a pack of small trevally while they were munching out some jelly prawns. It look deceiving, most of that water would be less than a metre deep over the sandbars.
Last edited by Dicko; 17-08-2007 at 03:12 PM.
F4L, I rarely use lures at all and I get plenty of fish in the local systems including Barra, jacks, the odd fingermark and plenty of grunter when the tides are right. The only time I will use a lure is when the bait fishing is really slow, just to keep myself occupied.
I'm thinking of having a go with some SP's but am unsure where to start, I have had some success with them in NSW (Forster, Mid-north coast) on bream and flatties but haven't really had a go with them up here.
My uncle in Wollongong swears by them, he reckons he never uses bait or burley any more and catches more fish than he ever did.
Thanks for the info Dicko, I can easily navigate through quite shallow water @ about 0.6m is the limit, using extra caution and just putting along with the motor trimmed up I don't think I'll have any problems. If I do, thats what deckies are for, to push me off a bar, so you see, I'll be perfectly dry and safe sitting up in the boat while the croc bait is in the water
Last edited by Scott nthQld; 17-08-2007 at 03:43 PM.
great action photo
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