What should I be fishing with?

[Chamelion]

Hi all,

I've been fishing on and off for around 15 years. Unfortunately a vast majority of that has been land based beside rivers with one or two trips out in a boat offshore.

I've recently purchased a boat and I'm looking to try fishing around the bay at mooloolaba and around old woman island (mudjimba island).

I would greatly appreciate answers to the following:

*What sort of fish am I likely to find out there? Should I target something in particular?

*What sort of gear should I be fishing with out there? I've got a light 7ft combo that I use for bream, whiting and flathead that has 8lb line on a small 2000 size eggbeater. I've got a 7ft rod with a 4000 size reel sporting 12lb line and a 5'6" heavy action rod with a 6000 size eggbeater (until I buy an overhead for it) with 20lb line.

*What bait should I take? I was considering trying whole pilchards on gang hooks, some strips of mullet fillets, maybe some squid. I was also considering my old faithful whitebait on the smaller rod if there is anything out there that will take a liking to it.

I think I've made it painfully obvious that my knowledge and experience when it comes to fishing outside of a river system is painfully lacking so any and all advice greatfully appreciated.

Thanks :)

Matt.

[snagking]

Mullet strips would work well I'd imagine, and if you have a cast net, some live bait would work wonders :D, or you could troll.

You might also want to invest in a lure rod, for species from snapper to bream, and everything in between.

Hope it helps.

[Chamelion]

What's the difference between a lure rod and a non lure rod? :P

I've just spent a lot (in our terms) on a boat and gear, so I'm on tight rations for the moment. ;)

Matt.

[Jeremy]

your medium spin combo with 4000 size reel and 12lb line will be OK for chasing mack tuna around the bay. Watch for birds and boils of fish underneath. These are moslty mack tuna in close to Mooloolaba. Use small (10-20g) chromed metal slices and wind fast. You could try drifting with pilchards on gang hooks for mackeral, or try trolling some 4-6" minnow style lures. In close to Mudjimba Island there shold be mackeral, maybe trevally, dart, and small sweetlip and snapper.

Try to keep your line and leader size light as you will get more bites. Need to worry about hooking a fish before you worry whether your line is strong enough to land it. Combos you have sound OK, just don't go heavier than double the line size for your leaders/traces.

Alot of the action in close happens between first light and sun up. Get up early if you expect to catch snapper or sweetlip. The tuna will be there all day.

Jeremy

[blueline]

hey matt
i dont know your area , but i think your 5'6 rod will be all right. i know what its like on a budget and im not a rod man.
now up here in FNQ on the reef its pillys and squid, first send down some pillys even if two bites its gone it will berely up the bottom then send down some squid,or i use two hooks one pilly one squid or other bait then you know what the fish are biting on, and cut some pillys and throw them out it will bring the fish to you.get a 80 Lb hand line then they wont get away.
regards jamie

[black_sheep]

Mudjimba Is - You can catch pretty much catch everything off Old Woman. Mackeral, Tuna, dart, trevally, queenies etc. At certain times, there are ample reefies to be caught there too - sweeties, snapper, cod, parrot.

Your combos are fine. You need to fish either really close to the island in the white water that breaks around it or fish the deeper drop off around the island.

All the baits and methods you spoke of is worth a go, especially in the deeper water or when the mackeral are running but I would invest in a few packets of 3-4inch jerkbaits (soft plastics) and give them a go. They can be deadly in the white water. Also, don't be scared to motor a bit past Mudjimba as there are good grounds just a bit further north that are less pressured.

Good luck and tight lines mate.

[Chamelion]

Thanks lads, all information being taken on board! I quickly went up to the hill between alex and mooloolaba this morning before dropping my wife off to work to check out the weather. If it's as good tommorow as it is today I'll be out there for certain. Not much wind, water was relatively flat.. Lovely.

I think what I might need to do as soon as I can is invest in an EPIRB and a GPS unit so I can find/visit known decent spots.

Cheers :D

Matt.

[black_sheep]

Matt,

Good idea to have both a GPS and Epirb but wouldn't let it stop you fishin old woman tomorrow. Weather should be awesome and Old Woman is < 2nm from the coast line so you don't NEED an epirb.

[Chamelion]

I've got a marine radio on board along with the required PFD1's, a V-sheet and my wife has even put a whistle in the boat :P... I'm picking up some flares, signal mirror and a bailing bucket or two this afternoon. I'll have to check to see what else I need.

I feel safe and confident in myself, my boat and my gear or I wouldn't be going out there. :D

Cheers,

Matt.

[Mossy247]

Yeah I wouldn't be going out there without flares though. What size is the boat?
Just cover all the safety stuff you need..... Firefighting stuff if over 5m????
Yeah you can pick up the hand held GPS units cheap enough but, best is to actually get a map, have a look at it and know where your going I am all about GPS units but its best to know how to work out where you are without the aid of a GPS unit.... better to be safe than sorry.
Happy boating :)

[Chamelion]

The boats a 4.4m fibreglass runabout. Picture says a thousand words. I've got a beacon to beacon in the boat, hopefully that will suffice. It's not hard to find ones way out to old woman and back anyway..

[Chamelion]

Righteo, went out today and had a blast. I was a little nervous at first but settled down after a while.. Went reasonably airborne on more than one occasion.

My boat went like a champion and ate up the swell/chop with easte (and a little banging!)

Ended up catching a 37cm sweetlip and a 35cm tailor.. A couple of smaller fish also. My mate caught a sole and a couple of small odd looking reef fish.

Small quantity of fish by some standards but a hell of a lot more worthwhile to me than catching the usual junk in the Maroochy river.

Can't wait to get out again next week. :D

Matt.

[blueline]

hey matt
thats what its all about haveing fun and next time youll be a bit more experenced.but make sure you know your fish and size.i allways take a tide time becaus on the back it has the size and bag limets