Total Newbee

[Margery]

Hi
I'be just moved to Brisbane and rediscovered a passion for fishing. The nearest place to fish is Jacobs well but Jabiru Islnd and Paradise Point have also been clecked out! I have a gps thingie so I can find anything! Withoout it I'd end up in Bunderberg or Melbourne!

So far nothing to put in a pan! Can someone give me a good spot to go to, the right bait and even how to rig the line? I'm determined to get this right! and catch something good!

I'm sort of middle age and usually round up one of my girlfriends to come with me, my husband hates fishing, so I'm getting no help except from his 21 year old grandson who would rather be boiled in oil than take Nana fishing!!!

Any advice will be very greatfully recieved.
Cheers
Margie

[bennykenny]

hi margie, welcome to ausfish, i know some really good spots around paradise point that i will pm to you later if you like, i used to live down there, and im sure you will catch something, sounds like you are landbased, so a good jetty or rock wall will suit you well, what kind of bait do you usually use??? this time of the year we start getting some good bream in the rivers so you should be eaisly able to catch one of these with our help,i assume you will be using dead baits so you could use anything from prawns, mullet fillet, yabbies,and my favourite chicken breast. cheers bennykenny

[CreelReaper]

Welcome aboard Margie,
I assume that you want to fish landbased. What kind of fish would you like to catch?? Are you an adventurous type of person?? That is you do not mind clambering over rocks or would you prefer to just soak a bait and catch whatever comes along. :P What gear do you currently have??

I would suggest spending as much time as you can going through all of the forums. They are absolutely full of great places and the type of info you need.;)

The Sundale bridge down the coast and the sandy beach adjacent (as you turn left heading to Seaworld) can be a good place at times for whiting, flathead and bream.

Hope this helps

Shane

[Snapp.]

Hi there Margie,
I think its fantastic that you've found a passion for fishing again, and esspecially that your using ausfish. This website is a world of knowledge, And by browsing through all the old posts you'd be sure to find all the information you need. Now i'm not to familular with jacobs well or any southern bay really, so giving you any pointers on where to start fishing is out of the question. But.. I'm guessing you have a light outfit which is ideal for land based fishing. I try to fish as light as possible and by that i mean using the smallest sinkers i can get away with considering tidal flows. You really want the bait to look as natural as possible. So i suggest using a small sinker just down to a swivel and maybe a 45cm trace or so down to your hook. Id'e use a rather smallish hook, and would suggest that you hunt around and get some live worms or something like that from your local fishing shop. Not all tackle stores will have live worms but their ideal for esturine fishing, and you'de be sure to catch some bream or whiting. Other baits could be prawns, cut up strips of small squid, yabbies, or even some bread over a hook. Hopefully some other ausfishers can point you in the right direction, but i'm sure it'd be sfe to say that there would be some jetties or nice beaches to fish from. Oh and probably go fishing around a tide change so maybe a couple of yours before and after a high tide. I hope some of this helps. Iv'e tried to keep it all pretty simple.
best of luck and enjoy the wonderful world of fishing.
ps give that hubby of yours a kick up the bum. haha

Snapp.

[Margery]

Thank you everyone for your time and great advice.
Yes I am land based and as we are mostly old ladies and I have a dicky heart, scrambling down rock walls is a bit out of the question ( I did try it last weekend but it wasn't my best idea!)
My Pommie mate Pat dosen't like squishy mud and I have to give into that:-/
So mostly I look for places that she will enjoy, even if she's reading a book. If I start catching anything she's in there like a flash;D

I use a light line with a no 4 hook and mostly hope for whiting or bream.... a good flattie wouldn't go astray either. Mostly I use praws from the supermarket as those frozen bait prawns are too frail. Haven't had much luck finding worms to buy. When I was a kid we used to dig them out of the mud but things seem to be different in Qld. Don't know how I'd go pumping yabbies, may have to sit down too much.

Re Husband, he is the sweetest bloke, but trust me the girlfiends are more fun!!! Nobody is judgemental about the stupid things we get up to and the food is better when we've all had a go::) I'm also finding there are many middle age women who have mentioned that they like to fish!! So much so that I've offered a social fishing day with my Uni of the 3rd Age....it will be interesting.

Thanks again everyone, yes pm me with anything
Cheers
Margie

[rando]

Margery
We are coming into the best part of the year to catch bream.
So i suggest you target that species first.
Bream like structure, rock walls, bits of reef, submerged rocks, sunken trees, pontoons, jetties, pylons, you get the picture, anything they can hide in or near.

They can be targeted in surprisingly shallow water, sometimes only a few inches deep.
they are not to picky about what they eat but a good clean easy to get bait is chicken breast. But mullet ,tailor flesh pillies , pippies, amongst others are all good
The simplest rig is the best. Unless you use an Alvey reel you don't even need a swivel.
So use a #1 or#1/0 hook, tied straight to the line is good. With and alvey reel use a swivel.

A good bream rod is usually light ( line class 2-4kg, its on the rod just above the hand grips). it will have a sensitive tip,to indicate bites and a bit of strength low down in the rod to stop the big ones. For land based i would recomend an 8ft rod in two pieces for easy transport any small to medium reel will do a 1500-2500 size reel is commonly used, 6lb line is average.
But a hand reel will do just as well, you dont need special gear. Just light.

I find that a slowly moving bait attracts fish more than a stationary one, so either allow your bait to waft along in the current or slooowwlly retrieve it. you cant go too slow IMO.( if you are fishing rock walls do not use the slow retrieve method or you will get snagged)
I like to use 'circle' or 'octopus' style hooks.
With a pea sized sinker that sits straight on the top of the hook
you can add a coloured bead (red or flouro) as an attractant if you like, put it between the hook and sinker,
or even no sinker at all.
Do not strike when you feel a bite, gently lift the rod tip a foot or two to set the hook when the fish moves off with the bait,

A good time to fish is at night, on a rising tide,
because the fish are in close, and in shallow water, lights, movement and sound will make them more cautious.so try and keep those to a minimum. fish your bait close to the bank/ rock walls etc
if you are fishing in close like that stand back a bit as the fish can see you, dont crowd them.
Bream respond well to berley, bread, rice, almost any starchy thing mixed with some sand to help it sink and with a bit of fish oil or some minced up fish or chicken/meat will do.
Only use a little, dont feed them, just a bit ,often, to put some scent in the water.

I hope these ideas get you started, there are stacks different of ways to fish. Remember though, a good fisher is thinking and adapting all the time, if something you do is not working , change what you do. Try and work out what will make them bite where you are and give that a go.

good luck
rando

[Margery]

Thanks Rando
Great advice. I'm off again on Tuesday unless it's raining! My family think I'm nuts....don't care! It's exciting and addictive. Will keep what you have said in mind.....then at my age I'd better print it off
Cheers
Margie