Wello/Green...more boats than fish!!

[Ninja]

I'm sorry to burst a bubble but the whole Wello/ Green area is far from a secret...just as the pin or seaway. Read any book or ask any tackle shop or local in the area and you will be pointed in the same direction if fishing the bay shallows is your thing. I still haven't read a post giving out the GPS marks but 'secret spots' do not really exist in well know areas which are so easily accessed and get so much through traffic. I have had my very occasional flick at the islands for some fish but because the whole crowd thing is not what I look for in a days fishing...I choose to give the area a miss. A simple answer for those that feel the same. Otherwise....good on those who do share a bit of info. That's the whole reason for these chat boards. With the increased amount of boats on the water every year....accept the area is only going to cop even more of a pounding. The boat is not reserved to small craft.....and those fishing small craft are not limited to fishing that area only.

[minno]

Interesting. Sea captain is spot on. You can have all the fancy boats, fishing gear and the best fish finding equipment, it don't mean your going to catch a fish. I see it all the time. Boats everywhere, but only 10% catch fish or even 20% for those blokes that get lucky. But there are people that know their stuff and they are the one,s that don't say very much, why! because they don't want to be shot down by others.
I tip my hat to those people that put 1000,s of hour,s into there craft and some of these people don,t mind sharing. Thinking like a fish, only a hand full of people would know what this means. Please! This type of talk will get you nowhere. Fishing is a art to some, and opinion,s is like an arse hole, everyone,s got one.



minno

[Mozza]

(Try again)

Well, that's it. I'm all for seceding to a northern state!! All youse southerners will get turned around and marched back to your Wello's and your Green's and wherever else it is you get your bag-outs, your no-bags, your bagging, your bragging and barfing!!

I've never had so much fun on a computer

I read many of the reports from down your way as I'm pretty well interested in any kind of fishing and always get a kick out of someone else's success. Yes, I understand the concern that you have about the snapper fishery - stories like these are happening all around the world so we're not alone but, it seems to me talk like this good if it means that a few more individuals or groups become convinced or motivated enough to want to do something about it. There are plenty of you guys down there that I'm sure know lots about about your favourite prey and in that respect makes you experts so, you have something of value to contribute. Seems to me that many of the fisheries that have collapsed around the world, have occurred because not enough were known about them to have any real impact on managing the fish stocks.

I like catching (and eating) barra not just because they look nice and taste nice (and I never seem to get near my bag limit of 2) but also because I know a legal barra (58cm last time I looked) grows so bloody fast that it's probably no more than 3-4 years old when I happen to catch it. If there was a case for a fish to be over-protected then the barra would have be it but, I digress. Fingermark on the other hand take forever to get to a good size so my guilt kicks in pretty much straight away. Living in Darwin and hearing of catches in the 00's of fingermark can't be good for the fishery right?

You can have a go at the scientists one way or the other but, without knowledge your local fishery is stuffed. As alot of you have stated, more boats = more fishing = less fish in the sea. But to me, a northerner up here waiting for the bloody rain to clear up (bet that hurts), anectodal evidence (if its not, I apologise) about whether an inshore fish is a brooder or not isn't Science. It's like the flathead story - a bit more knowledge and suddenly people are catching alligator-sized flatty's! Isn't that great!!

So what exactly is the critical size for the ladies? A couple more cm bigger? What about the blokes - can they lay the taddies out at 20cm? How fast do they grow. To some extent, it's not just sticking your head in the sand and saying 'I'll go by the rules'. How old are the rules - or should I say how old is the Science that the rules were based on?

Geez.

It was supposed to be a humurous post - must mean I'm going to work tomorrow.

'Night all
Mozza

[Lovey80]

Ok some very interesting reading. Can I ask one thing do i have to hear the 10% -90% saying anymore its getting real tired on me. im going to bed right now to think of a new one.

Keep up the good work lads and keep posting the report.

Cheers Chris

[finding_time]

Hey fellas i know none of you like confrontation but perhaps in 3 years if the average fisho struggles for 1 legal squire then perhaps you might see that the horse has long bolted.

Have just reread this whole post , some of the ill informed comments leave me breathless, Allycat the above one is just hysterics! You really have no idea about the fish being caught today as opposed to 15-20years ago do you!!

The introduction of bag limits have had a significant impact of fish taken both inside and outside moreton bay. 20 years ago the amout of snapper HARVESTED by rec-fisho'swas out of control, with some boat's bringing over a tonne of snapper from 1 trip , this being sold on the black market. People were catching snapper and bream in similar numbers around mud then as well you just didn't hear about it!! And this is the point , you hear about things faster these days but this doesn't make them more common, and while Mud and Wello are the flavor of the month, Plenty ( and i do mean PLENTY) of other area's in the bay are getting less pressure than they have in the past. As Webby has said the bay is a big place with lots of area's that hold good fish, as these are being relatively being left alone atm , it doesn't matter that other more accessable places have increassed pressure, it's the balance that matters.


I you only have a little boat fish where you feel safe, if you have a big boat fish where you want. As Pinhead said as long as your not breaking the law you should not feel guilty. And Allycat if you feel so strongly about catch rates lobby the government to change the rules dont run guilt trips on people obeying them

Ian

Ps. If i wanted to catch a really big bay snapper i wouldn't be fishing either Mud or Wello

[alleycat]

Have just reread this whole post , some of the ill informed comments leave me breathless, Allycat the above one is just hysterics! You really have no idea about the fish being caught today as opposed to 15-20years ago do you!!

The introduction of bag limits have had a significant impact of fish taken both inside and outside moreton bay. 20 years ago the amout of snapper HARVESTED by rec-fisho'swas out of control, with some boat's bringing over a tonne of snapper from 1 trip , this being sold on the black market. People were catching snapper and bream in similar numbers around mud then as well you just didn't hear about it!! And this is the point , you hear about things faster these days but this doesn't make them more common, and while Mud and Wello are the flavor of the month, Plenty ( and i do mean PLENTY) of other area's in the bay are getting less pressure than they have in the past. As Webby has said the bay is a big place with lots of area's that hold good fish, as these are being relatively being left alone atm , it doesn't matter that other more accessable places have increassed pressure, it's the balance that matters.


I you only have a little boat fish where you feel safe, if you have a big boat fish where you want. As Pinhead said as long as your not breaking the law you should not feel guilty. And Allycat if you feel so strongly about catch rates lobby the government to change the rules dont run guilt trips on people obeying them

Ian

Ps. If i wanted to catch a really big bay snapper i wouldn't be fishing either Mud or Wello

Finding time, accross australia there has been a big change in fishing in recent years, look at bream fishing, it was once a bread and butter species taken for the table and now it has a huge following by sports fisherman targetting them on lures and light gear, the major majority of the fish caught are catch and release with anglers chasing bigger fish as a goal, this website is a good insight into the sporting side of bream fishing especially in west aussie.
http://www.breammaster.com/forum/
Now finding time i love fishing and yes i love eating fish as well and want to keep on doing both, in snapper we have right on our doorstep a great sporting fish that can be targetted in shallow water in the bay with light gear and soft plastics and the fighting power of a decent snapper is way under rated, i myself let go fish over 55cm and if i keep any to eat i might keep 2, im not out to make anyone feel guilty at all, you choose what you do with yours, i feel the fillet recovery on snapper is very poor and its a shame to kill a bigger fish to retrieve such a small amount of flesh when the bigger fish are such a thrill to catch.
But some people will never see this and its thier right to keep whats legal.

[SWANY22]

the other day there was 178 posts now there is 127 what happend to the other 50 posts

[Horse]

I doubt if Snapper in the Bay are under any sort of real threat in the Bay. I doubt very much if the fishery will collapse overnight. If the fish per effort start to drop significantly them less people will target them and the impact will lessen.

If more effort is directed to specific areas then catches will probably drop in the short term but fish will still be found in less known spots. If catches start to dsrop significantly then fisheries will act on regulations in order to correct the balance

Cheers

Neil

[webby]

Nothing wrong with mud for big snapper, as a matter of fact, there's nothing wrong with a few other places in the bay for big snapper, just have to do your homework and not tell everyone ??????

[bugman]

Come on Webby you can tell me!!!

Iain, - they didn't have to sell them on the black market there was actually a clause - rule 20 or something that allowed rec fishos to legally sell there catch.

You don't have to look very far to see some rec fish identities that have filled their coffers with fishing harvesting in the past.

I've never fished Wello or Green - Webby has never taken me

[Chris Ryan]

the editors pencil has been back by the looks......hmmmm missing 40 odd posts. ahh well, that's life.

[beefaman]

They just dont want this thread to beat the BCF one. Unfortunate.

[Chris Ryan]

Well that is downright silly.

[beefaman]

Lol, I have no idea why it keeps getting edited.
I might go down and flick a few lures around on dusk I think. Weather looks alright.

[finga]

Where's Wello??
Can I get my tiny tinny there??
When's the best time to go??
What's a bag limit???

Look out Lilly and Lilly jnr...looks like someone is going to be up you two for taking undersized fish that are breading stock...wake up to yourself Lilly

I know what to do now to make for a nice quite day when I go fishing...I'm going to put a post up "bagged out at spot ZZ" (oops, that's a drag going off if I used plastics...I better make that spot B for bloody good) so that'll leave just me going to where I want to fish.

Charlie...Isn't it amasing how you can be drifting in the middle of nowhere and boats will anchor 10m off your bow.
I actually stopped to do a Number 2 one-day in the middle of absolutely nowhere (actually it was way out the back of Couchie) and before the job was done someone was fishing just off me.
IMO a radio isn't needed in a boat anymore. If you get into strife all you have to do is bung a big donger sinker on and pretend you've got a whopper and I guarantee within 5 minutes at least 3 boats will be anchored either 3m of the bow or 3m of the stern. (just been silly there...a radio is a necessity in a boat)

TOL...mate, about post 12 or 13...remember the dicky ticker

Poodroo....mate all I have to say your a lot better then me.
I would have gotten the poo's after catching 10 squire let alone 60 of the buggers.
It may be just my bad luck but when I hook the little buggers 9 times out of 10 they swallow the bloody hook so I have to cut the line so I don't hurt the poor little tyke
If the same ratios apply to plastic hookups then that's 54 jigheads lost in 60 hookups in one session. That's gotta hurt the back pocket.

GW.... mate we better go and have a fish and discuss/discover the things you need in the boat. You also might be able to show my how to catch a snapper because the only things I catch are squire (actually that'll be No.1 priority).

PS if someone find my foldup anchor can I have it back please??