Posted 16/02/2012
Great weather again for much of the past week saw a lot of boaties out on the water. Post-full moon tides and a dropping barometer didn’t do much to boost the fishing inshore, but good catches were recorded out wider.
The boys on Ally-J Fishing Charters have been doing well offshore on the Sandy Cape Shoals for a mixed catch of reefies comprising of mostly red-throat and tuskfish. Big dolphinfish have been a major feature whilst drifting along the 40m line. Average dollies have been 10-14kg, with the best so far being a big bull of 21kg.
They have also been doing well on reds and big scarlet sea perch on grounds north of the gutters, where they have also found a few big snapper. Good trout are taking livies on the Southern Gutters, but sharks are a major hassle.
The reefs off Rooneys have been giving up a few decent scarlets, grass sweetlip, squire, cod and trout. School, spanish and spotty mackerel, plus yellowfin tuna and cobia are all working bait schools in that area as well. Sharks are a real problem up there too, so be prepared to move on if being taxed too heavily.
Spotty mackerel were hard to find for several days prior to last weekend, but then they surfaced in numbers from Arch Cliffs to Rooneys. It seems that when they were hard to find they were still there, just hanging deep, and were often working bait to the surface in the afternoons after many fishos had given up and headed home.
Mack and longtail tuna can be found throughout Platypus Bay and the central bay. Spanish and school mackerel and golden trevally are possible over reefs from Rooneys to Coongul.
The local reefs continue to produce coral trout, cod, sweetlip, blackall and tuskfish. Working soft plastics and blades over the shallow reefs is increasingly popular for those chasing trout. Many of the shallow water trout are quite small this late in the season, but enough better fish turn up to keep things interesting.
There has been much frustration and anger this week due to the mass slaughter of threadfin salmon by commercial netters in the River Heads area late last week. The fishery was looking so positive prior to this devastation, but now you will be lucky to find a salmon in that area for a while.
The River Heads Barra and Salmon catch and release fishing competition was a success for the club, with some 83 entrants all enjoying perfect weather and a well-run comp. The results were adversely affected by the abovementioned netting, making for very challenging fishing that saw 5 barra, 4 blue salmon and 4 threadfin brought to the bragmats. Word is that the comp will be run at a different time next year, and by all accounts should grow into a much bigger event.
Mudcrabs are active in our rivers and creeks, and also along the mangrove fringes outside these creeks. Small numbers of sandcrabs are possible in the Straits as well.
A feed of banana prawns is on offer for those who know where to look during the next set of bigger draining tides. Nice medium-sized prawns are showing up in a couple of creeks that have catchments away from our bigger rivers. It will only be a matter of weeks before the rivers also start to produce good prawns.
Lake Lenthalls has been firing for barra again on the hotter days, with late afternoon sessions being most productive. A variety of lures have been working, though weedless plastics, frogs and topwater presentations are producing the best.
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