Thought on the Brisbane River at present, prawns full, moon, tides.

[MudRiverDan]

I am referring to mostly land-based west of the gateway bridge.
And to add to the heading.. no fish!.

I am land-based though my outings usually pull a thready, jewfish or a flathead, even a bream or grunter bream, a cod even!...anything!

I will have to say on my last night session conditions were perfect, quiet nights tide around high and plenty of prawns and live bait to be had.

All I managed was a succession of catfish and on a previous outing, a couple of large stingrays.

The thought that a drop of rain might stir them up sent me out a few nights ago to no avail. Sitting in the moonlight with perfect live prawns on for bait without so much as a nibble.

You would think with the moon and bait situations being good my luck is about to change.

Anyone else noticed the fish go off the bite in the last few weeks?

Cheers

[Bay_Ray]

Same here up in rocky. Live bait everywhere, clear water, humidity up perfect conditions and not even a bite. Not even a damn catfish!

[softplasticsdude79]

yep,same in my local,have been bagging out for months on flathead,have now spent 25 hours casting for 3 flathead,2 only just scraped 50cm.I also had a river full of live bait,a few perfect tides and nice conditions,but cannot seem to find them anywhere.

[jezz11]

Its pretty sad he boys! Last two trips been like this.. The river has gone rather quiet. I'm starting to wonder if things have changed after the floods?? Any thoughts on whats going on?

[mickjbuist]

Im glad to see im not the only one. I bought a new rod a couple of weeks ago and in a 20 HRS of fishing i havent pulled a single fish, was starting to wonder if my new rod was cursed...

[MudRiverDan]

I have done well after the floods, but late August and spring the weather has been all over the place, temp too and wind, might be keeping them a bit shy.

I do pretty well for threadfin and Mulloway in winter, just have to brave the cold.

Cheers

[cuzzamundi]

I was just thinking yesterday how it's been the best season for me in a long time, fishing the systems northside of bris. Primarily been day time fishing, though, so may be different story at night. Either way been pciking up a feed every outing, and land based, too. I guess each area's different.

Have you also tried mixing up bait options? Maybe try something completely left field, like chicken breast, or ox kidney. I've caught jacks on these baits during sessions when they havent nudged a live poddy or herring. Strange how it sometimes goes.

Cuzza

[Bay_Ray]

Not a bad Idea Cuzza, Something totally out of the ordinary may be the trick. I used to catch and outfish everyone around me in winter chasing bream using chicken breast and thigh!

[cuzzamundi]

Yeah Bay_Ray can't agree more mate. The old breambos love it, dont they?! Give the old ox kidney/heart a go for jacks/bream/grunter sometime, it's amazing what that can catch. Like i said, there's just been days when the livies/butterflied deadies/you name it havent had a lick, then throw into the same snag a bit of ox or chook breast, and whammo. Can't figure it out, but sometimes it just happens. That's fishing!

Cuzza

[MudRiverDan]

Talk about "Silent Spring".. someone should write a book called 'Campbell Newman's "Silent River"'..

[MudRiverDan]

Nice to see SEQ water, Healthy waterways and DERM catchments have been up to their good old work of removing innovation and employing the lazy, the mealy mouthed and the redundantly incompetent pen pushers and yes people.

Thanks, now the bay is blanketed with 100 HA of mud.

ooh summers coming too isn't that rain season?

Pity they where too short sighted to take any action 4 or 5 years ago, now we can reap the benefits of a "mud desert".

cheers

[tunaticer]

I also could not work out why, when the drought is on and the dams are nearly dry, why they do not go into the dried flats at the top end of the dams and remove the huge amounts of siltation for sale as topsoil. It would increase the capacity of the dam enormously by removing this naturally replenishing resource whenever the dams drop a reasonable amount. It would go a long way to extending the water catchments capacities in the future, plus be a decent money spinner to fund all sorts of community endeavors.
North Pine dam alone would have a few million cubic metres of prime silt buildup along the western ends. They could easily remove vast amounts without interfering with the water supply itself once the water drops suitably. Removing this I would be surprised to have any structural effect on the dam or its waters.

[brisbane_boy]

Talk about "Silent Spring".. someone should write a book called 'Campbell Newman's "Silent River"'..

Yeh its been pretty quiet, got a couple of small jew on friday night and a ok cod...

[MudRiverDan]

Caught a small Threadfin tonight on live prawn (about 40cm), just kicking back on the riverbank relaxing at sunset like I do sometimes, might be a sign the weather and fishing in the river is coming good again....Hope so because it has been catfish ahoy for me the last 7 week.