Hervey Bay Spotty,s Platipus Bay

[ddobson]

Got a phone call on thur, asking for a weekend run to hervey bay for a spot of chasing pelagics. So left friday late after work meeting>:( Got to the boat ramp close to midnight and camped in the boat ramp car park ready for an early start. Got up early after boats heading into the car park so off we went8-) Headed out to platapus bay and unloaded exess fuel and food ect. Headed out to chase the speedsters of the bay. Found birds working and off we went. Hours of casting into bait balls, trevally,spotties,sharks,one fat cobe we started to pull in some good sized fish. Our captain forgot the legal size limit and said 75cm so a lot went back:'( Headed out to a reef 9 ks from land to only have little takers on plastics and jigs. Had some mackeral for lunch and some trevally for tea. Woke up sunday and it was glassy but no birds. We headed out anyway and there they were. Larger schools of bait fish and larger spottys circling the bait. More time to cast into but more finiky this day. Ended up with a lunchtime swim in the glassiest water ever and headed back to a rocky beach for a go at some cod or parrot in the shallows on plastics. Picked up a handfull only to throw the little buggers back but still a fun way to end my weekend. Got back to brisbane about 5 pm with enough time to wash the boat (6metre booker centre console) only used about 200 litres for the whole weekend which we put down to the boat design. A great weekend and still can not beleive we did it all on a standard sat, sun. Heres some shots of the trip:o

[bay_firey]

Looks like a great trip. I hope they are still around and chewing when i get down there first week of January

[chief]

You lucky lucky bugger, some nice fish. Conditions look great.What more can you say you lucky bugger ;D

[jaredluke]

What SP were you using and what size?

[Horse]

Sounds like a great trip.

I can't wait till they get down this far

Cheers

Neil

[ffejsmada]

G'day mate, I think I overtook you on the Highway at Nambour heading south around 4pm Sunday. I said to the missus, sh!t that's a nice boat. Hooker.
Was that you? You were in a 4WD.
How do you rate the Hooker, especially in the rough stuff??

Jeff.

[Smithy]

Be careful eating the Kingy or whatever at the bottom of the pic. They are known carriers of Cig. The highly migratory species like the Spotties are the only things safe to eat in that area.

[nuggstar]

that would have been a awsome day 4 ya ddobson. keep em coming

[2DKnBJ]

Hope you gtave them directions to Moreton Bay.

Cheers Dazza

[oddbudman]

Nice going. Love the show on the sounder!

[needmoretime]

ddobson,

Now that is what I call a great fishing weekend. That would have been a great trip and some good fish to go with it. How glassy is the water in that first shot.

Hope they get down here soon.

Well done.

Cheers
NMT

[ddobson]

To Jaredluke the plastic was a 3"nuclear chicken prawn on a 1/2 ounce jig head.
To Ffejsmada the 6 mtr hooker was a smooth boat to ride in and was loaded to the eye balls with feul and food and gear and planed with no problems even with a 75 horse. I am looking at the 5 mtr centre console with a 60 but i forgot i have no money DAMB.
Smithy thanks for the tip on the cig with the 60 cm trevally.
2DKnB I dont know if these boys will come down to us because they were swiming around in circles with a baitfish bullseye lol.

[Jono_SS]

that's a very encouraging report! thanks ddobson

[niceone]

What about that t curve i heard a romour that it might need some repair?::) and more line.
The skipper should have chased those fish for you .

[ddobson]

nice one the braid may have gotten twisted around the eye and after one last run under the boat it may have snapped of but there were to m

[Marlin_Mike]

you get lost going over to Peel dobson?

What you doing at Hervey Bay mate???????????????????? Wish I went with you, Hervey Bay is my favourite place for a fish.


Mike

[Big_unit]

In the last two weeks we have been out 7 times and bagged out on 6 of those trips - some of the spotties are huge. Got onto some big schools of Golden Trevally and even found some Permit feeding in about 3 foot of water one day when we went in to the beach for lunch. The trip we didnt bag out on saw us land two Giant trevally and came close to landing a small black marlin ( spat the hook at the boat, would have released it anyhow though ) just off the flats whilst trolling between feeding schools. Longtails have been sparse but the quality is awesome, some pretty big specimens amongst them. Sharks are incredibly thick from Moon Pt right the way up to Breaksea, although they are feeding spasmodically. Cobia seem to be scattered although afternoons seem to produce some very good fish on floated pillies in the right locations.

Cheers
James