Double Island lagoon hammered again by Pro Netters and Teewah Beach a tad slow

[malby]

Hi all,

Just a bit of an update on the situation up at Teewah and Double island Lagoon area.

As many would know I am involved in running the SU Connect Program
http://www.su-connect.org.au/ and take small groups of 'at risk' boys from State schools around Brissy away on camps.

Our first camp (in a series of camps) is a beach camp which we do for 3 days up at Teewah and we usually start by fishing the Double Island Lagoon.

Well until a few weeks back (see my last post) all was going swimmingly but last trip which was the week before school holidays it all went pear shaped again (same as this time last year).

Having done about 3 camps we had been getting good catches of flathead, bream, whiting and other assorted fish but the presence of mullet worried me as I knew it would just be a matter of time till these attracted the usual onslaught of Pro Netters hammering this fragile little lagoon.

Well my guess after our last trip is that this has again happened as all of a sudden we could not raise a scale from the lagoon. We threw yabbies, soft plastics and anything else we could think of but all we got was toad fish!!:'( And they really take care of your soft plastics....not! I swear that they are the only thing that can shorten a ZMan. Not even Tailor can compete with what these guys can do.

So sadly our lagoon fishing is done for another year as last year we found that after the pro's had been in the fishing was then dead for months.

So what to do??

Well like all good fisho's we stuck at it and in spite of a howling southerly buster I took the boys down to the main Teewah Beach loaded up with plenty of yabbies and 'thankfully' we managed to pull a feed of dart from the main beach although we struggled to find ones that were big enough to qualify as keepers.

In case you're thinking of heading up there be warned...the beach has all but been washed away at the northern end and its a case of low to mid tide traveling only!

In places the sand banks have been washed away completely and in others there is dangerous little bits of sand bars left that if you drive along could easily collapse at any time. Not to mention you could veer off one of these anyway so 'be very careful'!;)

Its still a beautiful place though and great to sit around the camp fire and eat a few Dart after another great day in paradise.

If anyone knows any Politicians please say something to defend this little lagoon. ::)

Its such a pristine place and would be such a great fishing spot if we could keep it (and Teewah/Rainbow Beach) as a recreational fishing haven as Lindsay Dines has suggested.

Cheers,

Mal

[manta man]

Well Mark Robinson, whats more important "Kids of Tomorrow Or the Netters of Today. Cheers Manta Man

[manta man]

Well Mark Robinson, whats more important, "Kids Of Tomorrow or the Netters of Today.

[malby]

By the way, last year after advice from people on this forum I wrote to the newly elected state minister (fisheries and 2 other portfolio's as I remember) about this tragic state of affairs and never heard back a thing. Did I write to the right address I hear you say? Yes certainly did! Called them first and checked....Nothing and nearly 1 year later....nothing in return. And they wonder why the public lose faith in them.

[Just_chips]

I've sent an email to my local MP who replied with a fairly standard response noting that it had been forwarded to the relevant minister blah blah blah and I would upon their receipt of reply it would be reverted to me. It was very eloquently written but I would genuinely be surprised to ever receive a response.

[TREVELLY]

Persistence Mal - you have to keep at them.

Sadly they see the rec fisher as a minority and a terribly disorganised group that offer little resistance and also there is the old argument that the netters have time and place

[chisel]

Do we actually have any evidence that the netters hit the lagoon? No point in going off about it unless you are sure the netters were there. (I suspect they were but you really need some evidence before taking it further.)

[outsiderskip]

netters have right too
mullet are healthy to eat and are only caught in winter
they have the right to earn a living
just like every else does
and pay big money for that right

[malby]

No evidence Chisel. As I stated it is just a calculated guess based on regular fishing up there and the sudden lack of nearly all sea life in the lagoon.:(



Outsider skip I never said that netters don't have a right to net. I just oppose the current situation where they can and believe we should be looking to the future as Lindsay Dines and others on this forum have pointed out: fish stocks up there are on the decline (check Lindsay's post on this forum) according to catch records Lindsay has bought out of his own pocket. If netters continue the way they are, fishing won't exist for rec or pro alike.

I believe that we need to be taking steps to create recreational fishing havens just as they have down in NSW and encouraging the Politicians to buy the Pro's out.

I am not anti pro fishing per se. Having said that I am firm on the fact that fragile lagoon systems like DI Lagoon should be off limits to nets and just hope that we can bring this to the attention of those in political power before its too late.

[malby]

For those that have never seen Lindsay's Recreational Fishing Haven proposal you can read about it here:

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?179693-Cooloola-amp-Fraser-Island-Recreational-Fishing-Havens&highlight=slider

Another great read:

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?186165-And-Then-There-Were-None

Lindsay's name on here is slider and he makes some great points that are well researched and backed up by solid evidence over many years.

[Gon Fishun]

Last week I had a search and found some articles in regards to the traditional owners of Fraser. It was a lot of reading of which I didn't. It is just a thought if you haven't already perused these, there might be something there that could help your cause. I didn't book mark them at the time and could not locate them at this time of typing.

[feral cat]

95216


I went to take my 6yr old son to the lagoon at DI on the weekend and came across an pro netter.
I was chucking my cast net to get some livies for flathead and this pro drove straight in and dumped his boat in lagoon across other side, then yelled across oi im going to run my net there, so i yelled back so, sounds like your going to stop me, his reply was nah yah F###WIT But how bout you F### off anyway..................................
I had my 6yr old as i said so what was i going to do.A few choice words back from me and i was off.I fair dinkom wanted to smack this C###heads lights out.
He raped the whole lagoon and acted in a way that he owned the place.
You tell me is this right.

[B_E_N]

gee i would have thought he would have been a bit nicer than that...

[mangrove rat]

Yeah something has too be done, it's the same further up the coast on inside of Fraser! We used too get quality summer whiting there years ago but come sept the netters go beserk all threw the night running nets along the banks where the whiting feed and when tide goes out there all trapped! All we got up there last few years are 25 or 26cm and smaller where we used too get 35-40s consistently! Talking to a pair of old blokes they said they only had small setup...only 600m of nets!
It would be so bad if they had too catch the whiting same was as us, but were flat out catching a quality bream or flathead on those banks now!

[GreekBoi]

I got a question.. Do you know if these "pro netters" were doing it legally or illegally?
Cause I've heard so many stories of people netting illegally and catching from 3 - 12 tonne's of fish
then making it impossible to catch fish in those regions of water till they re-populate..

[mangrove rat]

Also can u put a boat in that lagoon then head offshore? Or is it all closed off at the moment except at high tide?

[malby]

I went to take my 6yr old son to the lagoon at DI on the weekend and came across an pro netter.
I was chucking my cast net to get some livies for flathead and this pro drove straight in and dumped his boat in lagoon across other side, then yelled across oi im going to run my net there, so i yelled back so, sounds like your going to stop me, his reply was nah yah F###WIT But how bout you F### off anyway..................................
I had my 6yr old as i said so what was i going to do.A few choice words back from me and i was off.I fair dinkom wanted to smack this C###heads lights out.
He raped the whole lagoon and acted in a way that he owned the place.
You tell me is this right.

That's a total shocker mate and I'd have seriously considered taking that to Fisheries/local politicians etc if that had happened to me and my kids.>:(

Same thing happened to a mate of mine though they were not so rude. He was nicely bribed to move on by being offered some fish.

I have spoken to someone in the know and apparently it turns out that they are not allowed to pull their net within 200mtrs of a fisherman or member of the public in the area so he needed to get you to move or he could not legally do his netting. ;)

Speaking with the Ranger at DI Point the other week turns out a number of them have been abused by Pro's in the DI Point area over various things.

As for if they are doing it legally the answer is pretty much yes but the question is: "are they releasing the undersized fish???" When my mate witnessed these guys he did not see them sort the fish after netting them and reckoned they just took off but did not go over and look specifically so there was no certainty of what took place either way (although most often the whole experience of being dragged around in a mullet sized gill net kills most small fish anyway including undersized and all!!!>:().

If you suspect anything illegal from either pro's or rec guys be sure and call the fish watch hotline asap on: 1800 017 116. Every rec fisho should have this number in their mobile phone I reckon. Also its well worth taking a quick video or photo of anything illegal you see as then there is proof.

[malby]

Also can u put a boat in that lagoon then head offshore?
Or is it all closed off at the moment except at high tide?When I was up there 2 weeks back you could but I did not check depths at various tide stages etc. Stick with the top half of the tides and you should be fine I'd reckon depending how big your boat is.

[mangrove rat]

Thanks for your help mate! Once in there can u get out around and offshore from there easily? Thanks bud!

[malby]

Thanks for your help mate! Once in there can u get out around and offshore from there easily? Thanks bud!

Yes no probs judging by having watched others do it but keep in mind that with each new swell the conditions change and so does the outlet/inlet to the lagoon and on my last trip up I never saw anyone doing it but other trips have seen people doing so.