Fishing hervey in 2 weeks

[mackmauler]

any takers ;)

[sharkbait]

looks like heaven mate!

[jaybee]

What are the sand flys and mossies like. looks good wish i could go :(

[mackmauler]

Where we camp Jaybee almost no sandflies :D but they are thick if your in the wrong spot ;) can be march flies like any of the sand islands, and the odd dingo, but there are rewards as well ;) probly best if not to many come hey :D :D more serenity 8)

[jaybee]

awwwwwww mack you are just teasing us eh..you only did this to make us jealous ya bathtub ;D
cheers

[mackmauler]

Sometimes we need our priorities in the right order, fishing fishing fishing and you can't go wrong ;D

[jaybee]

yeh without inviting ya chat mates eh
:-[ :-X :'( :'( :'(

[Wesley_Pang]

Mack,

I did my 1st trip up to Hervey Bay of the summer last weekend .

A few Golden Trevally on the flats, though in deeper water. I fooled one on fly while drifting over the flats. Hopefully as it warms up they will start waving their tails in the air.

I also landed a 1+meter queenie. I didn't think they got that big down here, maybe it was lost.

Heard reports of big schools of large Mac Tuna at the top of Fraser. I'd have check it out myself if they where longtails.

I plan to get up there next weekend.

Is that the bluewater 4.4m Ocean Cylinder?

Wes

[mackmauler]

You did well Wes, was the northerly blown up there.

Queenies are quiet common up there at that size, the big ones I've seen have come from near little woody and 10 k south of rooney pt, did it jump, the ones I've taken from this area were all non jumpers.

At this time of year there is a very good chance of finding the 20kg size longtail up the top of fraser, not to mention big early season spotties. There are so many mactuna you need to be selective, the longtail in this area don't usually get into schools like the small fish off bribie did last year so reports are a bit iffy for mine.

Thats the rig, been a good boat in the shallows up there, only draws 15cm.

Rob

[Wesley_Pang]

Mack,

It was blowing NE on Saturday, and swung around to the NW on Sunday. I prefer a little wind to chop up the surface. The goldens get very spooky when its still.

The queenie did an aerial display. It couldn't go deep in the shallow creek.

I'll have to toss a popper fly around now I know there are some queenies about. Queenies are just great on poppers.

20kg longtail. I'd like one of those on fly please. What sort of technique do you use on these monsters? Do the big ones feed in small schools? Do you burley for them?

I've heard if you fish a big fly around Mac Tuna schools you can sometimes pick up a longtail.

Do you pick up an odd Yellowfin Tuna? My brother swears he had one chase his slug.

Wes

[mackmauler]

I know how frenzied the Queenies are up north Wes, there isn't much competition for food down here, that might be why they arn't as suicidal.

You ever got giant herring? got a 3 kilo one near moon point a few years ago spinning. My brother lost a Giant trev off the beach there after an hour and a half, must of been around 15 kilos.

The big longtails are usually in pods of about 4- 10 fish and are balling bait, doing the slow feeding style, since we got a 4 stroke we have been getting onto 10 times the number, cast a 15- 20 gram homemade slug into them and let it sink, they don't chase as much as the small ones, should be easy on fly, if you can get close enough, my biggest landed is 15 kilos and my number lost around this size and bigger is around 60, on 8 kilo spin gear ive got em circling around the hour mark and since we don't gaff them, the next hour usually sees the hook pull or line snap, shark attack, bloody something goes wrong, awesome fish the big ones, I don't use a trace, I'm sure on livebaiting tackle they'd be like any other fish but on lighter rods and small hooks, the ultimate, I'm tying doubles now so I should get one landed. I've seen the far end of the bay lifeless till 11 a few times and a wind change comes through and they suddenly everywhere. Caught them in amongst spotties but rarely with mactuna.

Havn't caught a yellowfin in hervey before, plenty off brissie in summer if your after them.

Send a pm Wes if you need some more detail.

Cheers Rob

[Smithy]

Rob,

I must have seen you at Wathumba before, the Ocean Cylinder looks familiar. Do you remember my 15' Blackfin Centre Console with 15' outriggers. I was there with the Gold Coast Sportfishing Club one October and also a couple of times when the Brisbane Sportfishing Club has been there in December.

Wes,

YFT do come into the bay. I know a local that landed one around 50kg and it was out near the Fairway Bouy. I can also remember whiting fishing at Moon Point watching a school of 20kg+ YFT jumping out the front as they headed south. Those massive sickle fins look awesome.

When the mixed schools of Tuna start working off Caloundra you should get into some YFT. I tell you what are under rated and that is Stripies. We got into some 3-4kg models up near Rooneys one year. For a change of pace and change of direction you can't beat them. All of a sudden they would run at you and you would have to crank as fast as you could on a TSS4 to keep up. This was on 3kg spin gear and it was awesome fun. Unfortunately the Stripies I have caught off the Sunshine Coast have only been around 2kg.

The other Rob.

[mackmauler]

Rob,

The only time I had the OC up there when the Brissie club was there was the dec 2000 trip, bit of a shame the trucks not allowed over now, to cart the fuel, it was real quiet up there last dec, only 3 tents when we were there.

Does seem somewhat familiar your rig, can't place it there for sure.

About those stripies in jan this year I was in noosa for the week and laguna bay was loaded with them, averaging 3-4 kilos and up to 5.5kg, they were awesome, similar runs and direction change to big spotties. They leave a mactuna for dead, also soon after that we got 4 or 5 a trip off straddie trolling, even converted 1 into a wahoo.

Cheers

[Smithy]

Forgot where I answered your post.

Last year it would have been Warren Steptoe's Cat or a big Grady White or something with Warren in it plus Tim Simpson. Steve Stazenewski's big Fisher might have been there as well.

[mackmauler]

They must of come after us,

Read in Warrens article there were no spotties, we caught average 30 a day, and by the time we left on the 10th, the 17 ring netting boats, could of been more, that was a quick count ;) had finished them off.