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View Full Version : Freezing rain, wind & Gold Coast JACKS!



Franco
18-11-2005, 12:08 PM
Morning :) :)

Twas the night before Armageddon,
and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse.

EXCEPT for Stupid Franco & His mate Lynchie, who decided they would try to get a nightshift fishing in up the river targetting jacks and a feed of crabs. #Motivated by an inabillity to ever get up early enough to go jack fishing, We'd decided to go for a late night shift and come home 1st light. #Got the cobwebs off the pots as well. #The southerly change wasn't predicted to come in till around 4 am so we thought we'd be right.

Launched boat, set pots, fresh tuna 4 bait, start trolling. #It was hot n sticky and it felt right for some Red Terror action. #Just teaching Lynchie how to troll for em in one of my favourite spots and He gets slammed (drags are locked with pliers!) #& after a few minutes a nice GT comes to the boat. #Go hard they do, but not a chance with a drag set to stop the devil!

Next thing we know there's lightning on the horizon, and within frigging 1/2 an hour Armageddon hits us with Biblical vengence! #I knew I should've gone to Church! #That bloody southerly came in so hard it was scarey. #Thankfully not an offshore trip! #We'd only been on the water an hour, and after all the effort of crabbing there's no way we were going home. #We thought the jack fishing was bascially stuffed for the night, so we focused on trevors and crabs. #Things went from worse to F%$k^%g terrible and in summary it pissed down, I had no wet weather gear, and I froze my arse solid. #Had to hole up under a bridge for 3 hours, catching sweet FA. #I actually had to put my lifejacket on to stop myself dying from exposure!! #Then its first light, still raining, but we decided we'd go check out the next spot for jacks despite the weather and cold.

Water temps 27, outside its freezing still, but there's bait everywhere and it looks good. #Birds were actually starting to wok the bait, and it's like offshore fishing! #

2 Trolls ..... 2 JACKS!! #1st one 30 something, second one 43cm 1.5 kg. #Being the first Jack of the season, He goes "Straight to the Poolroom!" to become even more glorious after His death since its a Biblical sorta night. #The bite only lasts 1/2 hour, we can still see em on the sounder, but "No more bets" as they say. #Just a few more small trevors. #Anyway we're freezing and stuffed so time to go home, albeit with no bloody crabs! #

They are definitely active in warm water despite atrocious conditions above water level. #Find the warm water boys, with bait and you'll find the fish.

Earlier in the week we took a guest from Hong Kong who'd never held a rod in his life. #Lucky tin-arsed bloke ........ gumbies just don't lose fish! #1st troll ...... 51 cm JACK!! #Wrapped line around the electric too, but it still didn't brick him! #10 min later He nails a giant herring that thrashes and backflips all over the place but He still lands it, whereas WE only score one from 5 hook ups!!

Photo's:

Me freezing cold with 43 cm model:

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:12 PM
1st fish on a stretch 5+ goes back to grow big and nasty
Beautiful fish.

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:19 PM
Glorious in Death!
Baked with fennel, red onion, fennel seeds, lemon, S & P, olive oil and basil / dill / majoram MMMmmmm! A Jamie Oliver special.

Frank_Oostenbroek
18-11-2005, 12:19 PM
Trolling at night time it obviously works just fine...

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:20 PM
The evening meal ..... Buon Apetite!! #With the combination of me the Italian wog-boy, and my vegetarian girlfriend what else did you expect!

PS that's my favourite german beer!

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:27 PM
Lucky-arse visitor. #Had to delete background sorry boys but my mates live on this waterway and I don't want it ruined as a result of me. #Just find warm water, plenty of eddy current, and plenty of bait.

Sorry no photo of the giant herring you have to release em boatside or they die too quickly in the hands of gumbies!

Good fishing Lads.

beefaman
18-11-2005, 12:29 PM
Nice carrots!!!!

Oh, and nice jack as well ;) Well done. Bet it tasted GREAT :D

Colorado
18-11-2005, 12:34 PM
Nice work Franco,

Persistance pays off.

That is an awsome dinner, my mouth is watering.

The Mud crabs are a little slow but there is heaps of Sand crabs in the Broadwater at the moment.

Leigh

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:36 PM
I just noticed one of my spelling errors which I might leave alone ...... "the birds were starting to wok the bait.."

Hee Hee Hee.

Franco
18-11-2005, 12:38 PM
Hey there Leigh haven't seen you round for a while! #Didn't realise you were Colorado!

I'm off to wok(!) now but contact you soon mate.

Cheers.

PS check out my Weipa barra in saltwater photo's mate.

Argle
18-11-2005, 01:16 PM
Nice fish! Great report too a good read, I could nearly taste that dinner too..got to stop licking the screen....tastes funny

Cheers

maztez
18-11-2005, 01:37 PM
hey top report made me feel like i was almost there ...my old father in law (a fisho from way back always reckoned that when its shitty for the fisherman thats the best time to fish . he was right most times. ;D
cheers Terry

flickflack
18-11-2005, 01:58 PM
Franco

Mate am I glad I didnt go!!
When I left the restaurant at 11 it didnt look good at all definately prefered the sleep in. But hey I didnt get 2 jacks ;) ;)
Congrats

Rod

gogecko
18-11-2005, 02:27 PM
Nice jacks, dont you love beginners luck??


Water temp 37? Did you mean 27? You are one the gold coast arent you? Im seeing 24c on the gold coast lately.....

vertico
18-11-2005, 02:34 PM
some nice jacks there!
;)

lukesnapper
18-11-2005, 02:41 PM
Nice jack franco, looks like u done a good job cookin it too! its gona b hard to find water temps around 37! ;) :)

kws
18-11-2005, 03:50 PM
well done franco

persistency paid off.good fish mate,well done

kevin

morty103
18-11-2005, 04:44 PM
Top effort, thoroughly deserved mate
Morty

rabbitohbill
18-11-2005, 06:26 PM
Lucky-arse visitor. #Had to delete background sorry boys but my mates live on this waterway and I don't want it ruined as a result of me. #Just find warm water, plenty of eddy current, and plenty of bait.

Sorry no photo of the giant herring you have to release em boatside or they die too quickly in the hands of gumbies!

Good fishing Lads.

I know those ripples! [smiley=beatnik.gif]

I'm there tomorrow! [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Why-ting
18-11-2005, 07:26 PM
great fish franco, seems like you've had a pretty good start to the season. Had 2 jack sessions 1 fish 45 bout 3 good fish still out there swimmin around 4 the rest of ya's.

Mad-One
18-11-2005, 08:14 PM
Nice feed of Jack mmmmmmmm Can still taste the one I had last weekend

Cheers Phil

Franco
18-11-2005, 08:28 PM
Sorry about the errors boys had to write it quickly before work. There right now and being the first night of Schoolies the Emergency Dept is starting to go to shit!

Yeah, and the water temp IS 27 degrees, of course!! Fixed it up now!
Got a photo of my mate Lynchie and his trevor will put that up after work.

Rabbitonbill; Its all in the ripples mate!

PS I actually am starting to feel a bit guilty even keeping the first one of the season these days as they're such an awesome fish to catch and deserve a lot of respect and protection from the butchers! I'd encourage all you guys out there to try to have similar ethics when chasing jacks and if you catch plenty then let a few of em go boyz. Your kids will love catchin em too one day!

DaveSue_Fishos_Two
18-11-2005, 09:20 PM
That was a great report and some of the most beautiful photos I have seen for a while. Good on you for persisting despite the weather!

Well done!

Dave

manangatang
18-11-2005, 09:35 PM
good on ya franco,well done ,you just cant beat nice jack photos , cheers ,mick

gcourt
18-11-2005, 09:49 PM
Nice work Franco [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]With schoolies starting up on the coast it's nice to know you'll be patchin em up for a couple of weeks and Rod(flickflack) will be busy with the restaurant,the rest of us might have a chance at a fish or two :D.
Cheers
Glenn

Franco
19-11-2005, 12:11 AM
Lynchie's nice GT. #One of those long, bullet shape models. #Released to imitate a jack for another day!
At least He had a bloody rainproof outfit on! #Being Captain of the ship I thought I had the right to ask for a warming-up hug, but needless to say that request was met with a rather blunt "F*%K off!"
No respect these days...... No respect!

Franco
19-11-2005, 12:14 AM
error

dachamp
19-11-2005, 06:13 AM
Great Report wish I was there chasing jacks instead of being dry in the casino waiting for a pair of jacks, would have been the smarter options.

The Hitman

cuzzamundi
19-11-2005, 10:58 PM
bloody fantastic jacks mate! cant believe the luck of that tourist - some people get it all dont they! still, im glad your exposure to extremes was rewarded! great report.

cuzza

Franco
20-11-2005, 12:47 AM
Thanks guys.

May I make a correction ..... that is in fact a Big eye trevally, not a GT.
And a bloody BIG big eye at that! They don't get much bigger. :)

Franco
21-11-2005, 10:45 AM
Hey Frank00

Trolling at night is definitely the go mate. Lures at night work, including SP's. Most of our jacks are caught this way, and have caught plenty of barra casting at night too, whether it be next to bridge lights or out in the dark open in awoonga dam. The hard part is using a tackleback on your own in 3-5 kn of current trying to not cut your fingers off!

Liking your reports out of Mooloolabah ... great photo's

and yeah like the name. I thought you were taking the piss outta me! Hee Hee.

dorado
21-11-2005, 11:11 AM
Great fish! Well done mate :)

Might I enquire how far off the river banks/canals did you actually troll for the Jacks? I've just spent 4 days and some very dark nights#trolling and casting for them with similar h.b lures and some squiggies, in the Upper Noosa River trying to get in as close as I possible could with out hitting the banks themselves and at a trolling speed of about 2 knots. Lost 1 lure to something unstoppable and caught no Jacks at all. I did however get 2 x 30 cm bream. Any hints?
Thanks :)

COORIV
21-11-2005, 11:15 AM
Nice fish Franco
Is that a growth on your forehead in pic 2 ? get Greeny to check it out for ya ;D
Congrat's on the ring Leigh you will never hear the end of it now it will be wedding this and wedding that every bloody day. Iam nearly divorced and were not even married yet. ;)

Tolga

Franco
21-11-2005, 12:33 PM
Dorado: #
Sounds like you're doing it right but just haven't found the concentration spots for the fish as yet. #Can't help you out in the Noosa river (always wanted to fish for jacks / trevors / tarpon / herring there but not gotten round to it) #but down here you have to concentrate your efforts on corners and bends, where there are good eddy currents pooled with bait. #Sometimes I have found the eddy currents are not easily visible on the surface, and I could tell only from the swim of the lure changing (ie suddenly as it hits the eddy, your lure doesn't swim as hard because of the swirling current). #In fact that's how I found the spot where my mate scored that trevally, and I'd scored a jack there last year, so I go back there for a look now whether there is bait or not. #
#Also try working your lure with your rod tip as well, giving the lure more action with pauses and quicker jerks. #You'll find that along a troll run there will be a few spots that the jacks will preferentially hang around, even though the rest of the area looks just as good to us!! #I wouldn't be suprised if that unstoppable you hooked was the Red devil himself!
Good luck.

Tolga: #Very funny bitch! #Good to hear from you again thought you'd moved to Siberia!

dorado
21-11-2005, 12:41 PM
Aye. Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to more of it in a few weeks again.
Cheers :)