Shorncliffe Pier - Why does it fish so poorly?

[Big Shaun]

I agree. I have walked on to the Shorncliffe pier and seen the big watermarks where the drop the net and so just went home. I have seen some people filleting bream that are 3 inches long. I have been a bird watcher since my younger days and the number of waders on the sandgate beach front has dropped massively. I believe this is because there is no food there for them. No soldier crabs or pipis. I went to Bribie Island on Sunday and was excited to see lots of soldier crabs running across the sand.

[TheRealAndy]

Go walk the pier on a very low tide on a winters day when the water is clear. Find out where the structure is and fish that. Plenty of squid to be had in the rocks on the northern side of the pier at the right times. About halfway between the shed and shore on the souther side is a good cluster of rock (and i think a tyre or 2) which hold some good flathead. Plenty of bream closer into the shore. If you head out to the end of the pier you are fishing in the desert. Fish closer to the shore, that is where the structure is.

The last time I fished down there (about 8 months ago) I took a PB flathead the was pushing 80cm. I waded in alongside the pier on the southern side and was flicking a 3" pink plastic minnow. The fish are there, you just need to find them.

[Keechie]

in my opinion it is way over fished, the amount of fishing pressure tey get there and the percentage of the fish that the anglers take, i would say about 95% of the fish caught off that jetty are kept 4% released because they are toadfish 1 percent because the smarter of the fisho's that fish that jetty know of legal sizes. Yes i have seen squire caught off there too, they were about 15cm and put straight into a plastic bag to go into some fried rice or fish curry. Once every blue moon you see a good fish caught off here, whether it is a good sized shark or a thready thats gotten lost. Thats just my opinion though.

nic

[Big Shaun]

I saw some newbys catch a cat fish about 2 1/2 feet long then stuffed it into a pail. To small to call it a bucket probably about 7" in diameter. I think more can be done to improve the situation. More structure can be added. I think the fisheries have their hands full policing the new marine park plans.

[Big Shaun]

Has anyone ever floated the idea of Volunteer Fisheries Officers? I think keen recreational, semi-pro and pro anglers would take up the challenge to help manage the bay. Of course there would need to be government support, structure and systems in place to support the volunteers. Just can't be a toothless tiger. I know the police force now has uniformed volunteers (with the yellow tabs on shoulders). There is NZ show about fisheries, they seem to show zero tolerance in NZ and appear to police it much better than Australia.

[Just_chips]

I saw some newbys catch a cat fish about 2 1/2 feet long then stuffed it into a pail. To small to call it a bucket probably about 7" in diameter. I think more can be done to improve the situation. More structure can be added. I think the fisheries have their hands full policing the new marine park plans.

Believe it or not the old blue catfish is not that bad to eat. We simply turn our noses up at them because of the availability of other better eating species.

Kev

[Big Shaun]

I suspect this catfish one was minced into fish cakes.

[Cammy]

Believe it or not the old blue catfish is not that bad to eat. We simply turn our noses up at them because of the availability of other better eating species.

Kev

Last catty i took from there tasted like crap and had worms in its flesh, gross in my book.

Cam