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View Full Version : PERSISTENCE PAYS .... Finally



NAGG
20-07-2008, 08:15 PM
Hi All

Just got back from a nice little weekend away up Wisemans Ferry31212Wisemans ferry looking towards the mouth of the McDonald River I was staying with my mate DC " The Jinx" his wife Allison + dog & their friends Fiona & Luke + Baby............ I was clearly the ring in ..... with a boat;D
I arrived before the others on Friday afternoon ..... which turned out to be a blessing as the address was wrong ::) ..... but I found the place & fired up the heaters ( it was like death warmed up) ... Then the important stuff , stock the fridge with bevies & check the boat ramp out31213 .......... All good , but I wont be launching on my own with a really low tide ...... & it was blowing its ass off.
A couple of hours later the the others arrived after I made a frantic dash to a phone booth ( no signal) to give them the right address.
So after a pleasant evening ... & a good nights sleep , we awoke to a chilly windless morning , a magnificent setting fullish moon made an amazing sight as we motored down the McDonald to head to our first destination "Dads Corner"
Freezing our butts off as we made the 10km trip up river ..... we were greeted with glassed out conditions ,11 deg water temps but the odd bit of surface activity. This section of river is famous for holding various species of fish in the large eddy that is formed on the bend of the river .......... Well after throwing a variety of HBs , soft plastics & surface lures ,,,,,, not a thing but with decent bait & fish etchings it would just be a matter of time! ........ I made the suggestion to look at some other areas & to return for the tide change around lunch time. After a couple of hours the day was not going well till we returned to "'Dads"
Luke scored the first of a day ..... a nice little EP which was quickly returned to the water ...... 30 mins later we noticed some prawns flicking on the surface which we decide to flog "The Jinx" was soon on to a feisty fish that was really putting a bend in his little IMX Loomis ...... bass or EP ??? I fire off some photos before the fish got off;D31226 ........ but no , Luke nets a nice bass ...... & after a few Yahoos + photos 31225............ & the demons exorcised ....... off it swam .
Not too long later , I hook up on a little rapala glass shad rap & find myself playing with a decent fish that was giving the miss stella a good going over! Now with DC on the net 31235....... this fish wasn't coming easy ........ but come she did - a nice 39cm bass 31233... Pics taken & a swim before being released ...... all is good!
> > Clearly Dads was holding bass .... & knowing of the closed season ..... we took Luke back to the house to relieve his missus::) DC & I went back to fish a rock ledge ( Devils Den) that 3 weeks earlier had cost me a couple of fish that were unstoppable ! With a really low tide , I didn't have a lot of confidence........ However after a missed hit on a critter ..... I nailed a nice little bream on the next cast:)Both DC & I missed some more bites ..... Then DC is hammered on the lobby ..... a great little scrap ........ & a nice bass is landed ! 31236..... Happy times for DC ...... Persistence pays - - - finally
With dark coming on DC wanted to fish a little rock shelf just up from the house ....... Several bites missed - I manage a lovely bream that gave me stick on 4lb FC ........ Not being used to fishing mono , I'm sure I missed fish by not setting the hook:( .......... Now dark & cold , we call it quits
Today ....... was going to be a lazy day! The boys were entertaining their wives & I sat up too late watching the Rugby & Cycling +++ just a little too much beer & wine last night.
So with the lads doing their thing ...... I decide to fish ..... WHATELSE! 31251.....Now as DC had left his Luvius / IMX Loomis combo in the boat ..... I thought I might have a little play, I managed a couple more bream on Lobbys before I decide to go back to the devils den ....... ...... First cast = a little bream Second cast = All over red rover ..... a nice cast into the devils den with a lobby ...... a few winds of the handle ... & I couldn't stop the fish (even grabbing the spool .... there was enough bend in the rod to allow this THING to get home! ........ DC missed a fish here the previous afternoon that left a big swirl in the water - - THATs 3 times I've been busted up here>:( I will get it one day!

At this point of time ...... I've lost track of time::) , a couple hours of fishing had turned into 4 ....... shite , better get back! ......... The 2 min run back , tie the boat off ....... Ooops the others have checked out & gone! .... Eventually I manage to get the boat onto the trailer across a hard running tide on the steep ramp! ...... not easy.
quickly packed ..... The house locked up & off for the two hour drive home.
A pleasant weekend , with good company ..... some fish caught in difficult conditions ......... But most satisfying was seeing DC finally breaking his 6 trip hoodoo on my boat!:2vrolijk_08: ....... well done

Cheers All

Nagg

PS ...... If you are wondering about the naming of "Dads Corner"31215

BtotheM
20-07-2008, 08:23 PM
Awesome Read Nagg, how do you fish the lobby?

NAGG
20-07-2008, 08:30 PM
Awesome Read Nagg, how do you fish the lobby?

Thanks BtotheM ....... I basically vibrate the tip of the rod on the retrieve .... with a pause! ........ Its a great plastic8-)

Nagg

BtotheM
20-07-2008, 08:35 PM
Yer just bought a pack yesterday, after seeing the success your having on them in passed posts

Cant wait to give them ago

NAGG
20-07-2008, 08:51 PM
Yer just bought a pack yesterday, after seeing the success your having on them in passed posts

Cant wait to give them ago

Good onya ...... You can pick some good info off Ausfish! ... The 2nd bass that DC caught yesterday was also on a lobby ( with S Factor)

Hope you do well on them ......... Wasabi rocks:)

Nagg

BtotheM
20-07-2008, 08:52 PM
Yer thats the colour i got

NAGG
20-07-2008, 10:37 PM
Yer thats the colour i got

Good stuff :) Let us know how you go !

Cheers

Nagg

sleepygreg
20-07-2008, 11:14 PM
thats a beautiful part of the world up there. It really goes off with the bass and the EP's when the water starts to warm up. And an amazing amount of pure saltwater specimens.

Greg

NAGG
20-07-2008, 11:30 PM
thats a beautiful part of the world up there. It really goes off with the bass and the EP's when the water starts to warm up. And an amazing amount of pure saltwater specimens.

Greg

Hi Greg ...... Its not an area that I know ...... well at all! ......... but it has its own special appeal :P You know its going to be tough , but you fish it regardless::) It would be really nice to spend a week there in Spring or Autumn ...... to take the time to fish lures or baits (of a night) ...... to land one of those big Jews:P :P Nagg

BR65
21-07-2008, 06:58 PM
Nice ramp pic mate;D

Good read chris, thanks, your getting more time on the water lately than me, >:( , good stuff

cheers
brian

NAGG
21-07-2008, 07:14 PM
Nice ramp pic mate;D

Good read chris, thanks, your getting more time on the water lately than me, >:( , good stuff

cheers
brian

Just for you Brian !;)

Trying to fish as much as I can ........ Its good therapy:2vrolijk_08:


Cheers

Chris

nuggstar
21-07-2008, 08:14 PM
hehe cool read nagg

NAGG
21-07-2008, 10:06 PM
hehe cool read nagg


Thanks Nugg ..... we certainly achieved a goal ( Break the Jinx;D )

nuggstar
21-07-2008, 11:03 PM
hay nagg do ya think its a red critter doing you over at that spot at devils den.

NAGG
22-07-2008, 08:30 AM
hay nagg do ya think its a red critter doing you over at that spot at devils den.

I guess you're refering to Mr Jack ...... which is a rarity this far south , let alone so far up river
I'm guessing either a big old YF Bream .... or bass:-/ What ever it is ...... its a cracker of a fish in a pretty hostile environment!

The devil den is a really good description of the spot ....... Its a undercut rock wall , that has boulders & a gap that leads into the den ........ right on the edge of an eddy ........... Then you have to cast under the branches of an overhanging fig tree ..... or through a 2 foot gap between some branches:P Oh & depending on tide ( highish tide & the lower branches are in the water::) ) You can see the spot in the background of this photo 31418

Cheers

nagg

Little grey men
22-07-2008, 12:24 PM
Thanks for a top read Nagg, I'll have to grab some lobbies. They sure seem to attract the attention of those bass.
Nice looking spot too.

NAGG
22-07-2008, 04:29 PM
Thanks for a top read Nagg, I'll have to grab some lobbies. They sure seem to attract the attention of those bass.
Nice looking spot too.

Thanks LGM ........ Mate those Lobbys :happy: Quickly moved into top slot for me! Very consistent , but because of the length you get heaps of short takes :( I wish they had one the size of a Gulp Craw .......... I reckon it would be the bees knees

Cheers

Chris

nuggstar
22-07-2008, 07:03 PM
YER A BIG MEAN BASS HOLE THERE NAGG, look like a sweet place to flick a plastic

NAGG
23-07-2008, 08:46 AM
Yeh Nugg the "Devils Den" got my attention the first time I saw it ......... Cant drive past it , without having a cast or 50:P

Cheers

Chris

JJT
23-07-2008, 05:49 PM
gud report mate
just wonderin tried many ways of fishing the critters and only success benig on a straight baitkepper hook size 1 along the surface cannot find a jighead small enough to make it look natural,
i thought possibly the 0.5 gram squidy finesse bu still hook goes a long way back
any help wud be awsome
regards jason

NAGG
23-07-2008, 07:52 PM
gud report mate
just wonderin tried many ways of fishing the critters and only success benig on a straight baitkepper hook size 1 along the surface cannot find a jighead small enough to make it look natural,
i thought possibly the 0.5 gram squidy finesse bu still hook goes a long way back
any help wud be awsome
regards jason


Jason ...... I hope this helps

31511

No 6 Squidgy Resin head

1.5g Squidgy #4 hook

TT ...... I cant remember the size ..... maybe the pic will helps

Nagg

nuggstar
23-07-2008, 08:18 PM
try a hiddon weight jig head in ya critters next time, and i bet your strike rate and hook up rate go,s thrugh the roof.

NAGG
23-07-2008, 08:36 PM
try a hiddon weight jig head in ya critters next time, and i bet your strike rate and hook up rate go,s thrugh the roof.

Hi Nugg

I already do use them ...... but not with any great success ( but i'm not blaming the TT HWSs::) )

Chris

nuggstar
23-07-2008, 08:43 PM
ok then
i still have not given the critters a bash, i now chief cleans up on them. i gotta give them a go one day. have ya found the gulps to work any good for the ep's, and bass, iv tryed useing gulp on bass befor but never had a hit on one, they only wanted jackall's

Pistol_P
23-07-2008, 09:00 PM
The old Bass love the gulp shrimp....New penny colour works a treat.

Pete

NAGG
24-07-2008, 08:09 AM
ok then
i still have not given the critters a bash, i now chief cleans up on them. i gotta give them a go one day. have ya found the gulps to work any good for the ep's, and bass, iv tryed useing gulp on bass befor but never had a hit on one, they only wanted jackall's

Nugg ..... I've really only started to use the Critters as an alternative to the lobby when I'm getting short takes ! .......... So I'm undecided at this point ( lobby rocks !) Used to use the gulp Craws but got sick of the toads chewin on them :(
As for bass & EPs .......I'll let you know in a few months!( open season) Clearly they get hit!
Gulps for bass ........ The best session I've seen on bass came last Oct at Cania , Mighty Whitey brained them on pumpkin seed minnows ( I got a few too) ..... over 2 days

Cheers

Chris

BtotheM
24-07-2008, 04:35 PM
Yer gulp shrimp are really good bass lures

Little grey men
25-07-2008, 12:12 PM
I use Gulp shrimp for my bass quite often. I must admit, it was after reading a thread by Pistol Pete. And yep, I used the new penny.;)

the_matrix
26-07-2008, 07:32 PM
Great report and pics Chris, the lobby is a neat little plastic hey!
We brained the fingermark on them in the NT recently they totally outfished everything else we had in the boat.
Cheers
Jas

NAGG
27-07-2008, 09:22 AM
Great report and pics Chris, the lobby is a neat little plastic hey!
We brained the fingermark on them in the NT recently they totally outfished everything else we had in the boat.
Cheers
Jas

Hi Jas

Love that lobby ...... & between you , me & the gatepost ..... combined with a little of that "S" peanut butter spread - its unbeatable on my boat atm
I cant wait to get into those NQ tropical creeks & toss the 95mm rigged weedless at some snags .................. :P I think more than a few jacks etc will be tempted!

Cheers

Chris

the_matrix
27-07-2008, 01:42 PM
Yeh mate, the Barra loved them too on finesse heads thrown deep into the roots of snags.
Yep, the P-butter has a special place in my boat also.;)
Cheers
Jas

Rainbowrunner
27-07-2008, 10:39 PM
that brings back memeories, those bass n eps, didnt think that many people knew what an ep was up here

NAGG
27-07-2008, 11:01 PM
that brings back memeories, those bass n eps, didnt think that many people knew what an ep was up here


Hopefully ....... I can educate you Qld boys / girls in the next month or so ;) ...... Once the open season starts ....... sadly ,you guys dont have them in Qld

Nagg

NAGG
27-07-2008, 11:06 PM
Yeh mate, the Barra loved them too on finesse heads thrown deep into the roots of snags.
Yep, the P-butter has a special place in my boat also.;)
Cheers
Jas

As you know Jas ...... I was certainly unconvinced - but open minded! . However during this Winter ....... on the bream :thumbsup:

Obi _ Wan
27-07-2008, 11:17 PM
G'Day Chris,

You are certainly giving the Sydney scene a hammering, before you depart the joint, good on ya.

Sounds and and looks like another good trip for you, well done.

Ovewr thirty years ago a mate that i fished with from the fishing club i was in used to sneak up Coal And Candle Creek early mornings or late evenings on a rising tide. What we did was to anchor in the deep water in the back of the bays and throw baits up on to the sand flats. The bream would move up over the flats with the rising tide, it was good fun and very productive.

If the bream didn't show the hairtail would always save the night for us as they moved around the drop offs where we were anchored.

Cheers,
John.

P.S. Hoping to see the P-Butter available in 1 lb jars, maybe maybe not???????

NAGG
28-07-2008, 07:48 AM
G'Day Chris,

You are certainly giving the Sydney scene a hammering, before you depart the joint, good on ya.

Sounds and and looks like another good trip for you, well done.

Ovewr thirty years ago a mate that i fished with from the fishing club i was in used to sneak up Coal And Candle Creek early mornings or late evenings on a rising tide. What we did was to anchor in the deep water in the back of the bays and throw baits up on to the sand flats. The bream would move up over the flats with the rising tide, it was good fun and very productive.

If the bream didn't show the hairtail would always save the night for us as they moved around the drop offs where we were anchored.

Cheers,
John.

P.S. Hoping to see the P-Butter available in 1 lb jars, maybe maybe not???????

I've probably fished more this winter than I have in any given year ........... I think my enjoyment of fishing plastics & lures out of the hornet has been a big part of it! ( places that I would drive past on the way offshore are now fishing destinations)
Other than that ....... I love fishing new destinations too:P So another 5-6 months of this before I start the process again up Brissy 8-) Though it may be difficult to change the autopilot from Monduran / Awoonga;)

Chris

Obi _ Wan
28-07-2008, 12:36 PM
I've probably fished more this winter than I have in any given year ........... I think my enjoyment of fishing plastics & lures out of the hornet has been a big part of it! ( places that I would drive past on the way offshore are now fishing destinations)
Other than that ....... I love fishing new destinations too:P So another 5-6 months of this before I start the process again up Brissy 8-) Though it may be difficult to change the autopilot from Monduran / Awoonga;)

Chris

Yeah Mate, I know all about that. My cruiser has huge problems stopping at either Monduran or Awoonga on it's way to Faust.

Just managed to get it to stop at Awoonga in April, hope i can fool it again soon.;D

Cheers,
John.