Help needed for the hopeless

[smiley_doobinator]

Hi guys, I was just wondering if anyone out there was willing to help a desperate fisho?

I have been fishing in Moreton Bay for about 8 months or so now and have literally not caught a thing. Obviously I am doing everything wrong I mean 3 fish all under 20 cm is all I have pulled out of the bay.

I don't mind if someone doesn't want to tell me all about their spot x thatsnot a problem. I don't think there is any point in me explaining what I am doing cause it aint right, so if someone could help me out a little with what I should be doing it would be greatly appreciated.

By the way PM or email me spiritplane@yahoo.com if you want to keep you info confidential.

[straddie]

Heya Smiley

3 unders in 8 months is bloody depressing, I take it you are land based?

What are you trying to catch, where and with what sort of gear and bait? Just need somewhere to start, what do you want to catch?

[smiley_doobinator]

Hi Straddie

I wish I could say I was land based but I have a 4.2 m tinnie that I go out in and for what fuel and bait cost these days it makes an expensive trip when you keep coming home with nothing. I think the missus thinks I am having an affair cause I never bring home a fish. I usually use squid, pilchards, SP's and sometimes little bait fish I pick up from bait stores. Can't even seem to catch myself a livey to throw out there. I have pretty much fished everywhere from Woody Point to Green Island. Been out at night, early mornings like real early before the sun gets up, pretty much all times of the day. The only parts I havn't tried are the reef's off moreton, rainbow channel, rouse those sort of areas. Not really game to go over there on my own. My gear consists of a couple of 10 kg ugly sticks, a penn seaboy overhead, a couple of medium and light spinners (penn powerstick and a shakespeare) I would basically like to catch anything I can keep more or less I am no longer fussy about what jumps on my line. i would love to catch a snapper or squire or even a cod or 2. But the only bites i usually get are from the mozzies. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[sunny]

Hi Smiley,

Sounds like you're on the right track, but not having any luck. Tell us a little bit more. What kind of line? what size hooks? How much weight?

and most importantly what are you targeting? I struggled just like you until I started focussing on a particular species. Flathead in my case.


With a tinnie at your disposal there are heaps of places you have access to and they do hold fish. Just keep on trying.

[straddie]

Ok that cuts it down from a million possibilities to a couple of thousand. :D
Sounds like you are certainly putting in the effort and at reasonable times. Baits are good enough if they are fair quality so the problem sounds like where and how.

Rather than go back and forth I will send you a pm.

[smiley_doobinator]

Sunny i would love to learn how to target flathead. I see these flatties being caught everywhere yet i can't work out what i am doing wrong. Any help there would be greatly appreciated.

[silver19]

Hi smiley
are you on the northside? if so leave your boat at home and on the run out tide about 3 hrs before low wade out on the bay side of the Houghton highway with your light spin stick and a selection of SP and keep casting towards the highway use jigheads heavy enough to keep the SP bouncing on the bottom with a slow to steady retrieve- good flathead to be had. 3" SP in pink green or pearl seem to be best. if you can`t get there pick a creek that flows into the bay and at low tide just have a walk on the sand flats and look for flathead lies. if you have never seen one don`t worry you will know it when you see it. just looks like a flathead etched in the sand. if you find any then target that spot on the run out tide. main thing be confident in what you are doing it does work.
Cheers John

[Snapp]

As others have said,
target a species, research & research about them & areas from other threads and fishing mags.
I started boating some 6+ years ago, just wanted to catch fish but caught bugger all. Started around the Jumpinpin area.
Must say Nothing would get me back there now.
Flatties love a slow trolled "2-3knots" mad mullett, bottom end of run tide.
Try noosa river. I was shown a few years back, has worked in times I went back.
Go to Murphy's reef out of moolooba, (pick the day) find some structure, anchor up & berley like hell. Should find a squire or two.

[smiley_doobinator]

Thanks for the tips Snapp I really appreciate it. I have been to murphy's once went out with a mate 20 minutes out there and he was throwing up his breakfast so it was back to the ramp. I was real happy with that. >:( Now I just have to find someone game enuf to go out in a tinnie and not get sick. ;D I am planniong a trip up to the Noosa River soon maybe easter so hopefully I might pick up a lizard or 2.

[rogersto]

i reckon a good starting point for somebody with any kind of boat is a fish finder, so as you cruise the creeks you can actually see what's out there.

Beats hit'n'miss in my book any day !!

[Freeeedom]

Hi Smiley
Plenty of good advice so far. Here's another bit to get you in touch with something. Pump some yabbies and then drift the estuaries or fish the obstructions (bridges, rock walls, weed beds etc) with them on a number 1 long shank hook on a 1 metre trace below the smallest sinker that will hold the bottom. You WILL catch fish and some of them will be legal. I'm doing this at Bribie at the moment in between running my crab pots and in the last couple of months I've caught (all on yabbies) bream, tarwhine, squire, grass sweetlip, saddletail sea perch, Moses perch, dusky flathead, bar-tail flathead, fringe eyed flathead, trevally, happy moments, estuary cod, netted sweetlip, slatey morwong, stone fish, sand whiting, long tom and probably a few more I can't remember. I'd much rather have fun catching 10 fish and releasing 9 than catching 1 or maybe none (unless the 1 I'm targeting is 20kg). If you want details of when, where and how to get in touch with some fish - any fish, let me know and I'll send you a PM
Cheers Freeeedom

[rogersto]

Yes, I agree here, freeedom, it was the same case down at Port Macquarie, I'd go pumping nippers, and my mate would be down at the beach extracting worms.

Live bait has got the be the way to go, we'd get a few fish here and there, mostly littlies, but at least we were getting action whilst the guys using plastics or shop-bought frozen baits wouldn't get anywhere near as much luck as us using live yabbies & beach worms.

Kinda surprised we lucked out here at the seaway breakwall though last Sunday, with nothing else wanting my nippers than those pricks of things toadfish.... pesky little fellas.

#1 hook, hmmm, been using #2 long shanks. Might try the change and see if it makes a difference next time 'round....

[Freeeedom]

Yes, I agree here, freeedom, it was the same case down at Port Macquarie, I'd go pumping nippers, and my mate would be down at the beach extracting worms.

Live bait has got the be the way to go, we'd get a few fish here and there, mostly littlies, but at least we were getting action whilst the guys using plastics or shop-bought frozen baits wouldn't get anywhere near as much luck as us using live yabbies & beach worms.

Kinda surprised we lucked out here at the seaway breakwall though last Sunday, with nothing else wanting my nippers than those pricks of things toadfish.... pesky little fellas.

#1 hook, hmmm, been using #2 long shanks. Might try the change and see if it makes a difference next time 'round....


The #1 is just that bit heavier gauge wire that gives you a better chance of landing the odd large fish that takes a yabby. It's also fits a large yabby better than a #2. I also use the #1 in the surf when fishing worms for large dart where you can also find jew, trevally and large bream and tarwhine. My best catch to date on the #1 is a 14kg jew that took a yabby at night in the Tweed River.
Cheers Freeeedom

[smiley_doobinator]

Guys's

I really am overwhelmed with all the advice and help and most of all the detail you guys are providing. I never imagined the amount of information I have got from just one post. I do have a fishfinder Rog a Humminbird Matrix 17 with GPS antenna connected. I have just found a book that seems really good on the basics and a little advanced stuff. Makes a difference when you know what your looking at. By the way if its not pushing the friendships ;D if anyone has a handle on the i guess advanced settings, a little advice there wouldn't go astray. Anyway I am going to have a red hot go at digesting as much of this as possible and would like to thank you all personally for all the advice and will certainly let you know how I go this weekend. I am really hoping that I may come back with a feed of whiting and flathead. So keep an eye out for pics.

[smiley_doobinator]

Freeeedom,

I would love to hear any advice you have on flathead and whiting. The 2 fish I loved to catch as a kid and can't seem to even get a nibble these days. Feel free to send a PM and thanks heaps for you help.

[smiley_doobinator]

I've got a yabbie pump and siv so this weekend gonna dust it off and get me some livies.

[Freeeedom]

hi Smiley
Unfortunately the flathead and the summer whiting have both had a very poor summer in the places I fish. I can't remember a year when I have caught so few summeries, although they have been OK in the surf gutters on the Teewah beach. I've spent a bit of time deliberately chasing the flathead using live baits and have caught very few compared to previous years. Either their numbers are down due to over-fishing, or, more likely, they are not in their usual habitats due to the drought. On the other hand there are a lot more reef species in the estuaries this year than is normal, so at least that's a bonus. I think some good flooding rain will probably get things back to 'normal' and the fishing will become a bit more predictable. Where are you thinking of going? Let me know if you want some specific locations
Cheers Freeeedom
PS Make sure your yabby pump washer is still OK if it hasn't been used for a while

[smiley_doobinator]

actually freeeedom a little bit of info regarding tides and times would be awesome. Like what tide is best for flathead and I have heard they are aminly day feeders, have you caught more during the day than you have at night?

[sunny]

a little bit of info regarding tides and times would be awesome.

Think about the following things:

1. What species you are after?
2. What does it eat?
3. Where will you find its natural food?
4. What time of day / tide / wind will concentrate this food?
5. What can you present that looks really close to an apealling piece of this food?

As an example, flathead are mainly ambush feeders. They lie in one spot on the bottom and wait for poor harmless little bait fish to swim by and then SLURP!! So the trick is to think about the places where such a beast would be waiting for an easy feed.

One that often works is to go out on the second half of the falling tide and look for the spots along the bank where a little creek is draining out of the mangroves. Flathead like to sit and wait near the entrance to these creeks for small poddy mullet.

Another one that sometimes works is to look for the drop off at the edge of a sandbank when the water is flowing off the bank. Same idea, the flatty might be waiting for small fish to swim off the bank.

Presenting the right lure, bait or livie at such places gives you a good shot at catching a decent flatty.

This is just a general rule of thumb and of course doesn't always work, the idea is to think about what you want to catch and then make things as attractive as possible for that species.

[smiley_doobinator]

Sunny

That really makes sense especially the part about what conditions will concentrate the food. Thats kinda put it all together and now I understand alot clearer thanks champ.


Jason

First pan size flatty goes to you.....

[beedge]

Hey

just my 5 cents worth

Hit the pine river for cod try going right up the north pine or hit any snags, rock walls or wrecks you can find on the way and hit em where even when it's low tide they're submerged. Use squidgy fish in neon or silver fox colours 70mm or larger 20lb fluorocarbon leader minimum and lock that drag if you can afford it also use a light jig head and 3/0 - 4/0 hook size. I do this kind of fishing on a kayak and have had success from time to time. If I had a boat I'd start looking at structure on low tide to see what snags are the best to fish there's a few good ones in the pine you may even get busted off on a jack depending on whether they're there or not. As for flathead I've caught em as far up as leis park going 50cm so there's some fish up there. They like flash prawn squidgy flickbaits. Note all the fish I catch are from early mornings. Hope my 5 cents helps :)

from beedge

[rando]

Talk about deja -vu.
I wrote this same request 2years ago and the ausfishers helped me out (same guys too, thanks fellas.) (GDay Straddie, we still havent had a fish together)
Now I rarely go out and come back empty handed, so be assured the advice you get on ausfish is the real .

Here is my take.
Fresh bait ,fresh bait ,fresh bait, .....ad infinitum.
Burley, Burley ,Burley...

Go to the top of this page , Hints & Tips , and read and absorb "HOW TO BE A BETTER FISHERMAN.
Fish as light as possable lightest line, smallest sinker that will do the job, smallest hook that will suit your bait/target.
In the bay Whiting will feed with the rising tide up onto banks and weed beds exposed as the tide falls and they will be in as little as 150mm ofwater. So taget yabbie banks and weed beds that have been exposed , a good place to start is the area around Lota/Tingalpa creek.
On surf beaches sometimes the whiting are right at your feet, so dont try and chuck your bait to whoop whoop they will be lurking just behind the shore dump where the waves stir up the sand and uncover all the bits and pieces they feed on.
Keep asking questions,,,, there are no stupid questions!
GOOD LUCK.
rando

[straddie]

Heya Rando

(GDay Straddie, we still havent had a fish together) *Deja vu*
Funny I only mentioned that yesterday to another ausfisher, of the 4 or 5 or 6 times we have tried to catch up you or I have been either fishing elsewhere or had something on so we couldn't get out.

Might wait till the cooler months when I get a lot more active but will try and hook up with you then. It's just a matter of timing.

[Feral]

For location, you cant beat the blow fly or seagull technique. Without fail if some one catches a fish in the bay there are 5 other boats around him within 2 minutes!

So look for others catching fish and join in. Just approach slowly, if they are drifting, preferably up current, and then allow your boat to drift down over the same area (as they drift away, dont drift down onto someone). Dont get to close because you dont want to put the fish they are onto off the bite. Even if you dont catch any watch them and you might pick up some pointers on technique.

[smiley_doobinator]

Your spot on feral I think I learned a bit from a couple of blokes down at Jumpinpin this morning. I watched as the threw plastics about for flathead and they caught a few pan sized ones for their trouble and learn I did as I watched their techniques but I still gotta learn how to decide what weight to use for the conditions. Straddie has me sorted there tho the guy's a legend.