Thinking of doing a trip to Swains Reef in a 7.4m think it would be possible?

[Reefmaster]

Hi Justin,
Im my opinion I think the swains is way over rated and maybe 20 years ago the fishing would have been a lot better then what it is now. There has been a hell of a lot of charter boats and commercial fishermen hitting the easier accessable areas of the swains for a long time now and I believe it's taking its toll inparticular on the shallow water grounds where the Trout get targeted.

There are a lot of other places which would offer a lot better fishing in my opinion and require half that distance of the swains. I think you're on the money with thoughts of fishing the reefs out from Lucinda as there are a lot of options up there and some great fishing to be had if you think outside the square. Don't be affraid to hit areas well south of Lucinda and personally I would be looking to hit reefs and areas you have never heard of as you increase your chance of fishing grounds that have seen a lot less fishing pressure which is important for finding good reds.

Areas off SE Queensland such as Fraser and DI offer some of the biggest reds in Australia so don't always think that the more Northern areas of Queensland offer better Reds because its not always the case.

Just remember to think outside the square and fish areas different to everyone else and you will be rewarded

Regards,
Greg

[Lucky_Phill]

Very good advice greg.

Hope all is well in your world atm.

Catch up soon.

Skippalong... interesting question and thought.

There is a couple of points I agree with from other people.

1. ..7.4 boat can get awefully small really quick.

2. . Communications.... can be life saving.

3. . Is the adventure worth the risk and is any fish worth the risk.

4. . If you do the trip, I wish you a safe passage.

Cheers Phill

[Vindicator]

Hi Justin,
Im my opinion I think the swains is way over rated and maybe 20 years ago the fishing would have been a lot better then what it is now. There has been a hell of a lot of charter boats and commercial fishermen hitting the easier accessable areas of the swains for a long time now and I believe it's taking its toll inparticular on the shallow water grounds where the Trout get targeted.

There are a lot of other places which would offer a lot better fishing in my opinion and require half that distance of the swains. I think you're on the money with thoughts of fishing the reefs out from Lucinda as there are a lot of options up there and some great fishing to be had if you think outside the square. Don't be affraid to hit areas well south of Lucinda and personally I would be looking to hit reefs and areas you have never heard of as you increase your chance of fishing grounds that have seen a lot less fishing pressure which is important for finding good reds.

Areas off SE Queensland such as Fraser and DI offer some of the biggest reds in Australia so don't always think that the more Northern areas of Queensland offer better Reds because its not always the case.

Just remember to think outside the square and fish areas different to everyone else and you will be rewarded

Regards,
Greg

Totally agree with Greg. I did a trip on a charter to the swains in '07. We only got a few reds for the week and there were quite a lot of undersize ones. There is so much unchartered territory along the coast from DI and to the north, I reckon you'd have just as good a chance to land a good bagful there.

Oh, and I still have vivid memories of the return trip across the channel.

Cheers
Kezza

[skipalong]

yeah my old man said the capricorn channel gets hairy if not crossed in the right conditions very good points from all and thanks greg i may bring my trip a little lower and just start doing trips off fraser and north to tannum sands and see how i go, just want to get onto some good isolated patches. start channeling the shelf and see what happens.

caught plenty of 6 - 9 kg reds would like to go up that bracket from 10 -15 love those fish, they make it very enjoyable.

cheers justin

[Redfisher]

there are blokes doing it from stanage bay in 6.8s, theres about 3 of them going out at a time but. iv thought about doing it in my 7.2 as its only about 70 mile from there but not to keen on doing it by myslef.

redfisher

[insideout]

I had a big reply to this, but, in a nutshell,plan fror every forseeable problem, think of ya family, god go with u.( 10 + kg reds on eastern side of fraser , much easier option) Fern country off yeppoon is also a place to check out.....

[grahams]

Skipalong,
I fish out of Yeppoon and have never felt the need to go to the swains. The fishing is much better in the Capricorn Channel and north towards the Percy Islands. If you want a challenge why not go from Yeppoon to Mackay, refuel and come back again. The fishing is better than the swains, the scenery is better than the swains, you have a lot of good anchorages and if your mate is giving you the sh....s you can put him on an Island and have a break.

[Noelm]

kind of funny how people get the perception that the further out to Sea you are, the bigger the Fish and the bigger the waves and so on, as long as you have fuel, and the engine is still operating OK, then it matters bugger all if you are 10 miles or 100 miles from shore, certainly, if something does go wrong, it is further to limp home or get help, remember, just falling ar$e over head can be a drama if you break your leg and you are 10 hours from home, or you slip with a knife or a hook in the leg, all possible and all can be drama, but the boat itself will make it fine, whether the occupants cope in a 7 metre boat is entirely another matter.

[rando]

Ive been to the Swains 3 times in 5 years and the trip I go on has been a standing booking with the Booby bird for 14 years we wont be going again as the diminishing results make it somewhat less of an adventure. The Old hands on the trip have certainly seen the change ,and even during my three trips there was a noticable change in sizes and quantity of fish.

[skipalong]

sounds like everyone has thee own opinions, i was never going to rush into this trip it was a thought as with a few other destinations, but the swains is an awesome place and would love to do it, i know the further offshore you go the fish dont get bigger, because i have landed well over 10 cobia at 30plus kg 500m from the sea break, but like everyone it would be good to try something different.

justin....

[Vindicator]

Justin, It certainly is an awesome place. Just to see the patches of reef come out at low tide and to see the sand islands out in the middle of nowhere are something else. Also to look over the side of the boat and see the fish swimming around the coral is something to be believed.

Cheers
Kezza

[lippa]

i know a few that go from stanage, they drop fuel at the percys for the return trip home. exploring the reefs from stanage would be just as rewarding mate. to do the swaines in a trailer boat would only to be able to say ya've done it!!!


good luck mate

cheers

lippa