Page 5 of 10 FirstFirst 12345678910 LastLast
Results 61 to 75 of 136

Thread: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

  1. #61

    Thumbs up Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Thanks Charlie I really appreciated your post. I have just bought a boat and go to the bay via Logan river, so am exploring an finding my quiet spots. Your article is one of the best I have read. Thank you heaps :smiley:

  2. #62

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    I not long ago bought a part share in a boat with my brother. As yet I have not had much opportunity to get out. As soon as I head down to take it out from Biggera Creek, the weather turn foul

    I have read through this post thoroughly and would like to thank Charleville and other contributors for their most useful information. I am a very novice boat fisherman and am very keen to get amongst it, put the tips and techniques into action and catch a nice brace of fish.

    Cheers.

  3. #63

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Quote Originally Posted by hawque72 View Post
    As soon as I head down to take it out from Biggera Creek, the weather turn foul

    ----------

    I am a very novice boat fisherman and am very keen to get amongst it, put the tips and techniques into action and catch a nice brace of fish.


    Thanks, H.

    So if I read your post correctly, you will be fishing around the Broadwater predominantly and maybe up to Jumpinpin.

    In that terrain, you will be mostly fishing a sandy bottom - sandbanks etc - together with some mangroves and various man-made structures and the occasional log or two and around beacons.

    You will mostly have the opportunity to catch bream, whiting and flathead regularly with the occasional tailor, mulloway, sole and maybe, once or twice per year, one or two odd species such as stargazers. (Ugly fish but tasty. Just keep your fingers away from their mouth. One leapt up and took a decent hold of one of my fingers a couple of years ago. )


    I suggest that you have a good read of any of the posts by Youngy on whiting fishing (You have to see the size of whiting that he catches to believe them!) plus Nugget always gives good info on his website. He has produced a very good map of likely spots around Jumpinpin which you should find useful.

    We are now into the winter bream spawning season and good catches are likely to be made, especially at night.

    Baits like yabbies are readily available for pumping around the broadwater with a yabbie pump but many people have lots of favourite other baits for bream, especially mullet-gut, chook-gut, chicken flesh, beef heart, prawns etc.

    My favourite bream bait is mullet gut. Dip it in bran to make it a lot less yucky to use and also that allows a little berley trail when you throw out your line. Bran is cheaply bought from produce shops. As well, I have often caught really good quality bream on beef heart.

    The whiting specialist, Youngy, will talk about using jelly prawns for whiting in his posts. I have never used these but they sound like the best bait to use. Worms are also viable.


    For whiting, you will want a trace with a swivel connecting it to the main line with the smallest sinker possible above the swivel. For bream fishing just let your sinker sit straight on to the hook with no swivel or trace. Use the lightest sinkers possible to keep your bait where you want it to be. If you are fishing around mangroves, the bream will spend lots of time right in the mangroves and that is where they will bolt to when hooked so when you get a hook-up, you need to keep them from successfully getting back into the mangroves otherwise you will lose not only the bream but your hook and sinker as well. Fishing the edge of the mangroves will be profitable for you. Bream can really attack a bait and that is sure exciting but they are often very light feeders as well so if you are getting some nibbles, just remember what I wrote in my first post about letting them have a bit of line to build their confidence before you strike.


    Good luck!


    .

  4. #64

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    First of all I would like to say a big thanks to you Charleville for starting this incredibly informative thread and also to webby,greg and the other guys who have shared their knowledge and tips.

    I too embarrassingly admit I am one of those fishos who has done a heap of trips into the bay,and even tried curtain and hutchies for next to no fish certainly nothing I would ever be willing to brag about ...lol the family certainly never tires to rib me out it when I yet again come home empty handed...

    I loved this thread, has given me a lot to think about, some great advice and I can't wait to get out and put it to practice!

    A quick question about sounders... How important is the quality of the sounder used and is structure a must to look for when finding a good spot?

    Thanks again Guys!
    Regards Rod

  5. #65

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman R View Post
    I too embarrassingly admit I am one of those fishos who has done a heap of trips into the bay,and even tried curtain and hutchies for next to no fish certainly nothing I would ever be willing to brag about ...lol the family certainly never tires to rib me out it when I yet again come home empty handed...

    Thanks Iceman. One thing that this thread should show people is that they are certainly not alone if they are having some difficulties in catching a feed. It will come with patience and heeding the advice given by lots of people on Ausfish.


    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman R View Post
    A quick question about sounders... How important is the quality of the sounder used

    That is a damn good question but is one that I am not really sure that I know the answer to.

    I have an 9 year old Lowrance monochrome sounder that serves me well enough in the shallow waters of the bay so I don't feel it necessary to upgrade to a better more modern one until such time as the old one dies.

    I suspect that a lot of the features on the latest ones would be very handy for the offshore fishos who are searching around in deep water but as I rarely fish in anything deeper than 20 metres and in reality mostly in less than half that depth, I am not aware of anything that I should look for in a newer, more featured model.

    The exception to this may be in the benefits that come from sounders that look to the side as well as below. I vaguely recall that our Brissy River soft plastics expert, Chief, once said something in one of his posts that suggested that he had benefited significantly from having a sounder that told him what was happening to the sides of his boat as well as under it. Of course, he is looking at activity around wharves and the river bank especially in his pursuits where I could imagine such an expanse of sounding being very useful.


    Can I suggest that you pose that question in the electronics section of Ausfish as a standalone topic? As this thread has now been going for a couple of months, it will not attract as many of the regulars as a new question in the Electronics section would.


    I will reiterate something that I have said before about equipment in that it will not be the quality of your sounder that is stopping you catching at least some fish. It is a question about whether the better sounders are "must-haves", "should-haves" or "nice-to-haves" in relation to open bay fishing. If you have the money then the nice-to-have stuff is nice to have but the lack of it won't be what is stopping you catch fish, I suggest.


    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman R View Post
    is structure a must to look for when finding a good spot?
    It is a damn good starting point for all sorts of reasons that you will read about on Ausfish.

    There is a lot to be gained by just drifting around with your line in the water seeing what happens. You will be watching your sounder when you are drifting and marking your GPS if you see something interesting to try later, or alternatively if you find a fertile patch.

    Of course, you can do far worse than just tossing a line as close as you can get to the lee side of beacons of any sort and let it drift away and re-cast a few times. You can get the odd flathead doing that - or mackerel if you do it at the bigger shipping channel beacons.

    Also, note Webby's earlier comment earlier in this thread about fishing the edge of sea grass etc.

    Any sort of drain in say, a sandbank, is always fertile territory to try.


    Best wishes for your continued efforts.
    .

  6. #66

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Hi fellow ausfishers,

    Well I have a confession to make,

    You see I am the person Charleville was referring to when he bagan this thread. I was having alot of trouble getting a feed of legal fish and was getting a bit disheartened by it all. The ribbing by the Mrs and others didn't help either. I was often wondering whether I was wasting time and money getting nothing in return. I had a boat for 2 previous winters and never managed a legal snapper when it seemed that everyone else was getting stuck into em.

    Now things have changed a bit and I have caught more legal fish in the last couple of months than in the previous 2 years and this is no exageration. I haven't had a trip to Peel in the last few months that hasn't produced at least some sort of feed in my esky. This has been a big turn around I can tell you.

    I work away 3 weeks on 3 weeks off in the oilfields and I contacted Chaleville just before i left to let him know how I had started to get stuck into the snapper. He suggested I start doing some reports so I figure since it was he that gave me some invaluable pointers that this would be a good place to put my first report.

    Now over the last few months of regularly catching Snapper and the occasional Sweety I haven't caught any monsters, as a matter of fact the 42cm snapper in my avatar is so far my PB (still stoked anyway) but I realise this is still a small one and I am sure in time I am bound to get a big one sooner or later. What I have managed to do however is get a feed in the esky regularly which is all I really want anyway. I would love to catch bigger ones but as long as I am bringing home something to show for my trouble I am quite content with that.

    My first trip back from work-

    On saturday I took out a mate and my 10 yr old daughter for a fish at Peel. Now if I followed my usual plan of attack I should have been there well before dawn but this time we were getting there just before noon. Also there were boats everywhere and it was busy. I anchored in slightly deeper water than I normally would but to be honest I expected to get bugger all as I was breaking a few of my rules but it was more to get out of the house than seriously fish so all was good.

    Now our bait stocks were ravaged pretty quickly by undersize Squire and sweetlip but I still managed 4 legals and I am sure i would have bagged out if the bait supplies had held out.(Lesson learned......always take more than you think you will need). I was pretty happy with that result as we got a feed.

    Now what I don't get is why I couldn't get my Daughter and mate onto a few as they were doing everything I was doing and using the same gear and bait, so that is a bit of a mystery to me. The only thing I coule probably put it down to was feeling for the bites and setting that hook before they get a chance to change their mind. I find you have to really concentrate on what is happening. I have flash rod holders on my boat but I barely use them now. I find I get more fish if I hang onto my rod. I only use the one rod at a time now most of the time.

    Anyhoo, to those disheartened fisho's who feel like thy are wasting their time....

    1. Pick a location with some structure or a dropoff
    2. Follow the advice in this thread
    3. Put in the time and try to get there when the boat traffic is at a minimum
    4. Put in more time
    5. Once you start getting a few....experiment a bit and see what works for you

    I guarentee if you put in the time and use wisely the good advice in this thread, you will catch fish.

    I would like to thank Charleville for taking time to give me some valuable advice and also for starting this thread, I sort of feel like I have been a part of it form the beginning and have been quite chuffed at what a wealth of info it has become.

    Charleville, If I ever get a chance to meet you in person, I owe you a beer mate.


    Cheers,

    Bill

  7. #67

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    I'll add to this on catching bream during winter. Predominately night fishing.
    I use 9' Snyder raider rods..alvey reels..and mono line. I use a leader of about 1 to 2 metres in length with a swivel and the sinker above the swivel. I use a No. 2 hook. and only use chook gut...prefer the stuff with a bit of aniseed in it..better smell, especially in the early hours of the morning when having a bite to eat.

    I prefer fishing one or 2 days before or after either a full or new moon. On the full moon fish in a bit deeper water and shallow water on the new moon. Most importantly..be quiet..bream are a flighty fish. I also prefer a low tide from about 4 to 5pm so a run in up until about 11pm to midnight..by that time you can come home as you should have enough fish for a feed or if too lazy to head home..grab a nap for an hour or two. I will be having a crack at them this coming weekend..probably Friday night.

    I cast out upstream and let the bait drift along in the current..the bream will have a bit of a pick at the bait..DO NOT STRIKE AT IT!!!! let some line out and wait for the 2nd run which is usually a good one. Then just lift the rod tip and the fish is hooked..usually gut hooked by then. You know when you have a good one as the first run just keeps on going..you then hook those. It is all a patience game.

    I have caught my PB at 41cm using this method. About 3 years back..brother in law and myself had a good session..fish were biting all night but on the top of the tide we changed locations to a deeper hole when the tide was slack..15 fish all over 35cm in about 30 minutes.

    My favorite locations for this type of fishing..I have been fishing these areas since I was 12..a bloody long time ago.

    Jumpinpin area...Kalinga bank, Short island, Tiger Mullet and Pandanus Island.
    Caloundra..I have a couple of spots that usually produce the goods..no structure but right over the top of yabby banks.

  8. #68

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Would just like to say thanks to everyone who has contributed in this post, has all been really informative and hope to put into practice this coming weekend with the first trip for the new big tinny.

    Cheers and tight lines to all

  9. #69

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    thanks for the info on the spots and the handy tricks :-) just took my boat out for the first time last weekend mostly for a pleasure trip but had a quick fish for half an hour and caught a legal flathead but i just anchored up somewhere as i didnt know any good spots!!! All i can say is look out for shark bait, she's gonna be trying out some of the good spots around this bay in the next few weeks

    Thanks again for sharing your experience,

    Mitch

  10. #70

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Thanks to all for the good advice.
    Have just bought another boat and will be eager to head out and try what I have read.
    Back to basics and keep it simple

  11. #71

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Have just finished reading this long thread. Its almost like zen and the art of fishing. A bit too much to take in all at once for me.

    I may be wrong but I find that the best fisherpeople I've come across be they chasing barra or trout are very deep thinkers about their sport. They put in lots of effort and I means lots. I could tell tales of one mate who is an absolute fanatic but only for 20lb snapper. He gets maybe one every two years. He will get up at five one morning just to get the fresh squid. Then go to work. Next morning up at two thirty fish till nine then back off to work. He will do this continuously for a few months and will get run down and will end up being very relieved when the season has ended.

    Not saying anyone here is like that but there is some sort of special dedication going on to achieve what we all have found and most still find very difficult.

    Don't really know what I'm trying to say here. The techniques that we use down south are, in a lot of ways, very different to what has been explained in this thread but chasing the same fish mostly. I wish I could take charlieville out for a few sessions on the local snapper and whiting. I'm sure that he would end up with more fish than me using his techniques rather than mine. Our season is over until october although there will be feeds of squid and maybe whiting around.

    I'd like to put some of charlieville's techniques into practise against some of the older practises down here and see how it goes.

    Thanks everyone for the good read.

    Cheers

  12. #72

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Quote Originally Posted by Jarrah Jack View Post
    I'd like to put some of charlieville's techniques into practise against some of the older practises down here and see how it goes.

    Thanks everyone for the good read.


    Many thanks Jarrah Jack.

    The theme of this thread has always been that it is about the very basics rather than being about techniques that might land trophy fish or win competitions. As can be seen by several of the responses by Ausfishers, there are lots of people who spend the necessary $ to enjoy the fun of fishing and then suffer continuous disappointment by not catching any, and worse, suffering family ridicule because of it, sometimes for years.


    So what I have started the thread with is my recipe for how I catch fish each and every time that I go fishing with the intention of catching fish.


    I am not saying that I know the best way of doing it but that I have described my way, which is based on a fair amount of concentrated experience and learning from lots of seminars and reading magazines and websites and which unfailingly works for me. Fortunately, some others have contributed their perspectives and I would hope that we see more of that on this thread or others. I am far from a guru and there are much better fishos around than me.

    I have read southern websites on how to catch snapper and it is true that my style is different to the methods shown there.

    For example, in this website http://www.trackairadventures.com/Sn...ing%20tips.htm , the Port Phillip based author talks of using four fishing rods at a time. Only three are legal in Queensland anyway, but as stated in my original post, I have found that really actively fishing with one is much better for me, plus having an unweighted floater way out the back on an unattended rod.


    Of course, my method requires that one can actually feel the nibbles on the line in one's fingers. I went fishing last night in Moreton bay and it was so cold (for a Queenslander) that I could not feel any bloody thing in my fingers at all so, whilst I did bring home a feed, it was not very spectacular. So I could understand if Victorians find active fishing with just a single rod to be less easy than using four unattended rods.

    I agree with you that the best fishos are deep thinkers about their sport. Ausfisher (and fishing journalist and seminar presenter) "Webby" always impresses me in that regard. He is a bloke who can really tell you about the ins and outs of Moreton Bay and he also puts in big hours on the water.

    Likewise, your comments about putting the time in on the water, especially your anecdote about the fisho who goes fishing before work.

    In good seasons, I have put in up to six nights per week on the water. That requires the forgiveness of a very tolerant wife and one who, herself, came from a fishing family and therefore understands the passion. (albeit, I have been scolded for going fishing with a cold last night and coming home with a much worse cold. ) There is no doubt that more hours on the water = more experience( good and bad) = more fish in the future.

    So thanks for your thoughtful post. Much appreciated.

    I will mention one major difference between Queensland conditions and Victorian though. This relates to optimal fishing times.

    In winter, night fishing at either end of the day can be very good and most winter nights are exceptionally nice on the water. Indeed, it tends to be warmer a few kms from the shore than it is closer to shore so winter night fishing here can be quite an exquisite experience. Winter is also our dry season.

    In summer, though, most nights are not good on the water here because summer is when we get lots of violent electrical storms at night, rough seas and pelting rain. We also do not get a twilight like which occurs in southern latitudes. When the sun goes down here, it does not muck around, it just switches off at say, 7.30pm

    On the other hand, the sun is usually bearing down full bore on us after 4.30 am in the morning. Once again, it goes from no sun to full sun in an instant. Summer mornings on Moreton Bay are stunning and the fish life is an awesome sight to see with pelagics doing acrobatics in huge schools, mostly in the eastern bay and in the lovely calm sea conditions that stay that way until about lunch time. Indeed the best fishing can be over by 7.30 am in summer.


    So if we were to apply a daylight saving regime for the same reasons that southern Australians employ one, viz to get more recreational time in the best part of the day for that, what we should be doing in Queensland is putting the clocks back one hour so that we don't have to go to work until an hour later and enjoy the very best of the day when it happens.


    Of course, that would put us two hours out of sync with the southern states but what the heck, some things are too important for silly conventions such as time clocks.


    But that is another story, of course.




    .

  13. #73

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Thanks Charlieville....... are you sure that you don't just talk the fish into the boat I reckon the back legs of a grasshopper would be yours if you could find something to do with em.

    Its funny the snapper down here. I gave up chasing them in the early 90's and went after girls instead, thats how hard it was to catch a snapper. Now the amount that must come in PPB is staggering. A light plane flying over the heads could see the red in the water during the run in. Still there are plenty of people who can't get onto them.

    One guy posted on here not long ago asking for that secret spot. I told him there ain't any really, they( snapper) are simply everywhere which is not quite true but close enough. All you have to do is know the basics as you said and be on the water at the right time, not when it suits you. There are always exceptions as you mentioned but first and last light and tide change are still the main feeding times. If you like to be tucked up in bed at dawn and home for dinner then you will struggle.

    I won't hog the thread as its really about Moreton which I would love to fish sometime.

    Cheers and goodluck.

  14. #74

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Maaaaaaaate
    That is the most informative, interesting and most pleasant reading experience I have had in an age.
    I haven`t bought a fishing mag in months, just read your info.
    Keep it up
    Regards. Bob

  15. #75

    Re: How to catch a feed of fish in Moreton Bay (bait fishing)

    Crikey Charles you'll have to write a book on you exploits.
    The problem with most fishos these days they want to start off higher up the food chain and not with the basics.
    If you dont spend the time on the water, experimenting and searching, the bay can become very depressing.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Join us