Well I'll be buggered. I have spent a lot of time on the banks there fishing. Sometimes even knee deep in mud with the cast net, never at night but. I think I will be keeping one eye on the water and one eye on my rod from now on.
I not really sure where the old calliope bridge is out at calliope but I am really keen to give it a go if there is the chance of some good fish. Can you give me any more details of how to get there. is it off the dawson highway somewhere? Cheers mate
GregM
If you know they are in the area I would not be taking any chances Day or night, there is a reason they have been around for a couple of million years..... they are bloody good at sneaking up on things!!!!!
GregM,
The Old Bridge is on the Old Bruce Highway. Easiest way there and not to get lost is turn off the highway just north of the Calliope River bridge and go past the Historical Village and head down to the camping ground.
Fishing can be very patchy as it gets a lot of attention. You need a tidal run through to stir up any action. A 3.6mtr tide will just run through the causeway up stream, so plan your outing to co-incide with a suitable tide. Incidently, tide time is approx 1 1/2hrs behind Gladstone depending on the size of tide.
Local nasties besides crocodiles (several confirmed sightings last summer) include Box Jellies (personnally sighted as big as 2ltr ice cream containers), Bullrouts, Happy Moments, broken bottles, tangled messes of old fishing line, plastic bags and various other rubbish left behind by inconciderates. Yeah, I'm a local and the mess makes me cranky.
BTW, no barra at present and the jack have gone quiet. The old story--- should have been here last month, I got 5 barra and a number of jack with the best red toothy at 52cm.
Regards,
Steve.
Steve,
Aint that always the way it goes with fishing. Thanks for the info mate, I might have to go and check it out one weekend.The old story--- should have been here last month
Cheers
GregM
just came back to brissy from up there and was just talking about the very same thing. 20 years ago i remember a photo in the local paper that showed 2 crocs lying on the bank of a farmers dam down towards miriam vale and bloke that worked at the smelter did all his prawning around mangrove jacks in the boyne, said it wasn't uncommon for him to get small ones in his drag net and at the time i thought nothing of diving in the river or wading chest high across at the gravel bar up at benaraby in the middle of the night. how big does a little croc grow in 20 yrs? and how many to a hatch and successive hatches?. a friend that lives at tannum told me of a young bloke fishing at mangrove jacks at night awhile ago got chased by a sizable one- his mother said it had to be true as he ran all the way home leaving all his gear behind. if you see those signs i'd take heed. i did a lot of camping/fishing up in NT back in the 80's and the same place we set up camp was also where they chose to sunbake at certain times of the year just cos you don't see them doesn't mean their not there and my guess is you'll hear more of this occurance.
those snapping geckos certainly stain the jocks when they sneak up on you like that. i've had a few close calls in my time growing up in nth qld, time to start turning a few into handbags again i think!
Any updates on the fishing at the old calliope river bridge at the moment? Im keen to try it.
Thanks
Wow, what a story..I'd have thrown my underpants at him - that would have turned him back towards deeper water.
Seems to be an explosion in population in the last few years !
If men are from Mars, and women are from Venus, politicians must be from uranus ?![]()
I'm sure that would be deemed as cruel and unusual punishment.Wow, what a story..I'd have thrown my underpants at him![]()
holly,
Have skied, fished, crabbed, camped that river for 15 years, never even thought about a croc. There has been a lot of rumours over the years but no evidence in Gladdy or further south for a fair while. Sure it wasnt your dog. Have seen heaps in the northern narrows so I wouldnt doubt it. I just thought there was a magical line they didnt cross.