Fishing Reports

[geoffjy]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a fishing report thread? Find out whats biting in the Cape? There would be 2 or 3 different areas like Weipa and surrounds, Seisia and surrounds and possibly Lockhardt or Lakefield? What are everyones thoughts?

Would you be willing Stacky to do the Lockhardt one?

I will be posting on the Seisia one. What about you Bat? You interested?

Batesy, who do you think would suit the Weipa one?

[Scorcher]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a fishing report thread? Find out whats biting in the Cape? There would be 2 or 3 different areas like Weipa and surrounds, Seisia and surrounds and possibly Lockhardt or Lakefield? What are everyones thoughts?

Would you be willing Stacky to do the Lockhardt one?

I will be posting on the Seisia one. What about you Bat? You interested?

Batesy, who do you think would suit the Weipa one?

Sounds like a good idea Geoffjy,

There already is a forum with fishing reports...

http://forums.strikezonesportsfish.com.au/

but, it doesn't get the amount of visitors (or up to date info) that we get here.

The most important thing is that it remains current, so, from a moderating point of view, over time, it may be worthwhile starting a newer thread, and let the old reports move down the page.

Just a thought, anyway.

Tight lines !!

Scorcher

[geoffjy]

Thats what i was thinking Scorcher. It would not be a once off thing. It would have to be regularly updated. Due to the forum growing each month i thought it might be a good idea to start our own one. Who knows, might even become more popular than the one you mentioned. Only time will tell.

[Scorcher]

Thats what i was thinking Scorcher. It would not be a once off thing. It would have to be regularly updated. Due to the forum growing each month i thought it might be a good idea to start our own one. Who knows, might even become more popular than the one you mentioned. Only time will tell.

I have no doubt about it becoming more popular.

Especially since your idea will capture a much wider area.

I can see that threads like that can only add to the appeal of this site.

Only downside is that you will make the likes of Capmdog and Myself (and many others) VERY JEALOUS. !!

Only problem will be how you guard your "secret" locations, but I am sure we can pry them out of you if we come and say hello to you :D

[geoffjy]

I have no doubt about it becoming more popular.

Especially since your idea will capture a much wider area.

I can see that threads like that can only add to the appeal of this site.

Only downside is that you will make the likes of Capmdog and Myself (and many others) VERY JEALOUS. !!

Only problem will be how you guard your "secret" locations, but I am sure we can pry them out of you if we come and say hello to you :D

I had allready thought about that one. Anyone who does not wish to reveal their "Secret spot" would not have to do so. "In the Jackey Jackey" for example is a broad area and not location specific.

[Scorcher]

I had allready thought about that one. Anyone who does not wish to reveal their "Secret spot" would not have to do so. "In the Jackey Jackey" for example is a broad area and not location specific.

Yep, that'll work.

From memory, your the only regular contributor from that area. If you are a regular at the Seisia Fishing Club (isn't everybody?), I'm sure you will be able to source info from a wider group of people.

I'm still trying to work out my 2009 Tasmania via Cape York trip, but not looking likely.

Maybe if I plonk myself (next to Campdog) on the side of the road outside Cairns, Ant will feel sorry for us & pick us up on his way out with the tag-a-long crew....

Scorcher

[geoffjy]

Yep, that'll work.

From memory, your the only regular contributor from that area. If you are a regular at the Seisia Fishing Club (isn't everybody?), I'm sure you will be able to source info from a wider group of people.

I'm still trying to work out my 2009 Tasmania via Cape York trip, but not looking likely.

Maybe if I plonk myself (next to Campdog) on the side of the road outside Cairns, Ant will feel sorry for us & pick us up on his way out with the tag-a-long crew....

Scorcher


Maybe you can sit on top of the ol poly on your way up the Cape.
I'm at the Seisia Fishing Club nearly every Friday night. You get to hear what all the guides are catching and where to go and i am out fishing nearly every weekend. As im sure you know, up here the wind doesnt worry us as much. You can fish either the West coast or East Coast depending on wind direction.

[Stacky]

o.k. i'm in,
i don't have worry about the tourists coming over here and raping our river system like the lime lights of Weipa or Bamaga. Mainly cause it's a rough long ride from Chili beach to the Lockhart River System. If they did make the journey then they deserve to catch a few.

Finally the suns out, winds dropped a little. Now i am starting to get a little anxious to take the boats out and wash the red dust off from storage over the last few weeks.

[yetti]

howdy crew,

havnt been to the seisia fishing club for months, but if your interested i can keep you updated on the east coast activity.

this month has been average, some good weather...15-20 kn, but has been fishing very avg. last night hit a few spots around the tip, left at 11pm and home at 6am, and only got 3 jewies of decent size, 3 fingermark, and a cuppla small nannies.

sounds good to a southerner, but for that ground it was very average.

earlier in the week i chased macs a cuppla days, around adolphus/johnson area, and had mixed results. came home with fish, however, on paper would have expected better results...guess thats why we all love fishing, no matter how welll you think you sumthing pegged, its still mother nature that decides!!

anyways, if you want me to contribute Jeff, i'd be happy to.

i will say though mate, some of the fishing reports i've heard from so called guides of late, certainly havn't been the same as what i've heard from their customers.....but hey, thats fishing??!!

cheers all

[geoffjy]

howdy crew,

havnt been to the seisia fishing club for months, but if your interested i can keep you updated on the east coast activity.

this month has been average, some good weather...15-20 kn, but has been fishing very avg. last night hit a few spots around the tip, left at 11pm and home at 6am, and only got 3 jewies of decent size, 3 fingermark, and a cuppla small nannies.

sounds good to a southerner, but for that ground it was very average.

earlier in the week i chased macs a cuppla days, around adolphus/johnson area, and had mixed results. came home with fish, however, on paper would have expected better results...guess thats why we all love fishing, no matter how welll you think you sumthing pegged, its still mother nature that decides!!

anyways, if you want me to contribute Jeff, i'd be happy to.

i will say though mate, some of the fishing reports i've heard from so called guides of late, certainly havn't been the same as what i've heard from their customers.....but hey, thats fishing??!!

cheers all

Thats great Stacky.

In the last 2 weeks i have fished the Jackey Jackey and Middle River.
Im afraid not much activity in Middle River, bait was scarce and the only place i did manage to find some fish was one of the rock bars in about 12m of water. There was a strong current which seemed to bring the big fingermark on the chew an hour before top of the tide. We landed about 10 4kg fingermark and about 15 small nanni's all on fresh squid. Plastics would have worked here well.


Last Sunday i went out and fished a creek i hadnt been in before. I have will definitely be taking pots next time. I have never seen such quantities of crabs before in this system. All along the banks were nice fresh crab holes. Big ones too. There were plenty of mullet around.

All the snags up the creek had 1kg+ black bream swimming around them on the surface but there was hardly any movement in the tide, only .2mt. We fished a few snags and of course picked up quite a few bream and a 3kg Jack. Most of the day was like that until the turn of the tide in the arvo in a gutter out on the flats we picked up about 8 3-4kg fingermark on fresh squid again.

Water is still a bit cold in the rivers at the moment, only 23 degrees, so the barra are a bit slow on the take. However we did land one and got a rise out of another 2.

The jewfish have died off a bit but expect to catch a few again around October hopefully when the water warms up a bit. Saying this though, there are still a few juveniles around the river mouths.

Anything you can add yetti would be great as i havnt been around the island a great deal this year. Only the rivers. Not that i am complaining of course.

[yetti]

hey geof,

i'm incognitto here man...crikey you'll blow me cover:rolleyes: ...but i'm getting your gig mate. i will speak to the other three guides i trust and see if i can't get them on here as well. like i said, i've heard the amt of species OTHERS catch, and having fished customers in the creeks a few times...i now know why they count species...:eek:

cheers mate

[geoffjy]

hey geof,

i'm incognitto here man...crikey you'll blow me cover:rolleyes: ...but i'm getting your gig mate. i will speak to the other three guides i trust and see if i can't get them on here as well. like i said, i've heard the amt of species OTHERS catch, and having fished customers in the creeks a few times...i now know why they count species...:eek:

cheers mate

G'Day yetti,

Even if i did blow your cover mate, who the hell could find you.

I recently have been looking into fish tagging and monitoring. What are your thoughts on it?

[campdog]

I met an old guy in Bamaga who suggested fishing Jacky Jacky creek.Maybe its worth while towing a boat the bit extra from Virilya for a couple of days.
John

[geoffjy]

I met an old guy in Bamaga who suggested fishing Jacky Jacky creek.Maybe its worth while towing a boat the bit extra from Virilya for a couple of days.
John

It can be quite good fishing. I always find a week before the full moon right up until a few days after the moon is good in the Jackey Jackey. Outside of these times, good fishing can be had providing you know where to go. Or who you know should i say. I would definitely say it is worth the extra couple of hours travel. In my boat it takes me about half an hour from the boatramp to the river mouth travelling at 30kts.

[campdog]

It can be quite good fishing. I always find a week before the full moon right up until a few days after the moon is good in the Jackey Jackey. Outside of these times, good fishing can be had providing you know where to go. Or who you know should i say. I would definitely say it is worth the extra couple of hours travel. In my boat it takes me about half an hour from the boatramp to the river mouth travelling at 30kts.
I had a canoe with me the first time I visited the ramp at Jacky Jacky.need i say it stayed on the trailer.That is one eerie place.

[geoffjy]

I had a canoe with me the first time I visited the ramp at Jacky Jacky.need i say it stayed on the trailer.That is one eerie place.

Yes, well, i wouldnt be recomending you go out in a canoe. Although that is only my opinion campdog.:D

[campdog]

Yes, well, i wouldnt be recomending you go out in a canoe. Although that is only my opinion campdog.:D
I agree with you. I was going to go back and fish from the ramp at night, back down to the water and fish from the roof rack but couldnt get any takers.
Maybe next time.

[Nedly]

I agree with you. I was going to go back and fish from the ramp at night, back down to the water and fish from the roof rack but couldnt get any takers.
Maybe next time.

Only if you can get to the roof rack through a sun roof

[geoffjy]

Some of the boys went out on the weekend down the west coast a bit had some great spaniard fishing. FINALLY. They are normally going nuts out around the islands by now. And i have to work. Damn. Oh well. Thats life.

[campdog]

Some of the boys went out on the weekend down the west coast a bit had some great spaniard fishing. FINALLY. They are normally going nuts out around the islands by now. And i have to work. Damn. Oh well. Thats life.
My mate was at Virilya in June and they were in plague proportion.

[Scorcher]

My mate was at Virilya in June and they were in plague proportion.

They obviously came on after we left :(

How long did they stay there for Campdog, and how was the weather while they were there?

We were there during the first part of June, and had to contend with Easterlies whipping across Heathlands, resulting in a 1 mts + wind swell.

Scorcher

[campdog]

They obviously came on after we left :(

How long did they stay there for Campdog, and how was the weather while they were there?

We were there during the first part of June, and had to contend with Easterlies whipping across Heathlands, resulting in a 1 mts + wind swell.

Scorcher
Exactly as you described except they got plenty of mackeral and very little reef fish.

[geoffjy]

I spent a week fishing from Vrilya south to the skardon in mid april and only managed to get a few school maccy's. There were a few fish around the rubble patches and plenty of action in the creeks. I havnt caught any spanish mackeral this year.

[campdog]

I spent a week fishing from Vrilya south to the skardon in mid april and only managed to get a few school maccy's. There were a few fish around the rubble patches and plenty of action in the creeks. I havnt caught any spanish mackeral this year.
Last year we were there from end of April and managed a couple of spanish and all reef fish.I think this year my mate mainly trolles a lot due to the wind and rough conditions.

[geoffjy]

Last year we were there from end of April and managed a couple of spanish and all reef fish.I think this year my mate mainly trolles a lot due to the wind and rough conditions.


April is a good time to be up here, except from the wind of course. I havnt done any trolling since april and have not even been out around the islands. Been confined to the creeks. Im not complaining though. I think you may have told me, but when is your next trip up here?

[campdog]

April is a good time to be up here, except from the wind of course. I havnt done any trolling since april and have not even been out around the islands. Been confined to the creeks. Im not complaining though. I think you may have told me, but when is your next trip up here?
Not quiet sure yet.Talked to a mate last night and hes not prepared to tow his boat up again as its only 2 years old and pretty scarred.Was hoping for early in the dry. My sons getting married next October so that will put me out for the Tagalong I think.

[Nedly]

My sons getting married next October so that will put me out for the Tagalong I think.

C'mon Campdog, prioritise.
Have your son change the wedding date to allow for the tag-along.
Easy :)

[campdog]

C'mon Campdog, prioritise.
Have your son change the wedding date to allow for the tag-along.
Easy :)
True, he has already called it off once a couple of years ago so one more time wouldnt matter I suppose.

[Stacky]

First day of the school holidays and a strong wind warning is current.

Bugger it!!!

I hooked the boat up and went out anyway. I haven't been in the water for what feels like a long time.

I snuck across to the Lockhart River system from the Claudie River trying to avoid the full brunt of the southerlies..............to no affect. It took a long time getting there sitting on not much more then trolling speed and still getting airborne with a bone jarring landing. What a relief it was to get into the protected bay.

Waisting no time i tackled my usual haunts close to the mouth of the river. First cast got a small 40 odd cm Barra that was looking very healthy. A quick release and second cast resulted in a 60cm Barra. The freezer is low at home he got gilled and placed on ice. The next hour resulted in a lot of Barra all around the 45 to 55cm mark, i don't bother counting any more. The only bycatch today was a small GT and estuary cod. I had a quick troll before heading home again which resulted in another small Barra and a 63 cm one off the same snag.

In total 2hrs of fishing time and 2 legal Barra.

I am pleased to see them on the bite again as it had been quiet during those cold months.

[campdog]

Good to see you out doing what you like.Hope the weather behaves for the rest of the holidays.Im yet to catch a keeper Barra so I might come knocking on your door one day.
John

[geoffjy]

First day of the school holidays and a strong wind warning is current.

Bugger it!!!

I hooked the boat up and went out anyway. I haven't been in the water for what feels like a long time.

I snuck across to the Lockhart River system from the Claudie River trying to avoid the full brunt of the southerlies..............to no affect. It took a long time getting there sitting on not much more then trolling speed and still getting airborne with a bone jarring landing. What a relief it was to get into the protected bay.

Waisting no time i tackled my usual haunts close to the mouth of the river. First cast got a small 40 odd cm Barra that was looking very healthy. A quick release and second cast resulted in a 60cm Barra. The freezer is low at home he got gilled and placed on ice. The next hour resulted in a lot of Barra all around the 45 to 55cm mark, i don't bother counting any more. The only bycatch today was a small GT and estuary cod. I had a quick troll before heading home again which resulted in another small Barra and a 63 cm one off the same snag.

In total 2hrs of fishing time and 2 legal Barra.

I am pleased to see them on the bite again as it had been quiet during those cold months.

G'DAy Stacky,

With your next post could you start a new thread? "Fishing Reports- Lockhart River Area".

Sounds like you had a good day. Except for the pounding from mother nature of course. Its good to see so many barra in an area isnt it.

Unfortunately i didnt get a single barra yesterday. I hear tell though that they are getting a few in the billabongs so thats where i will be heading next weekend.

[plucker]

I have fished the Lockhart region quite a few times now and it does fish well.
High tide out the front and all the barra you need.
Low tide up the creeks.
Magic place.