Half moon creek today

[Synful]

With the wind dying down a fraction today I decided to do a solo trip to half moon creek; amongst other things, the weekeday trip means that I wouldn't be annoying anyone else with my launching and retrieving prowess.

Left home at around 8:30 and got to the ramp not long after.

While I was rigging up, another guy came in and got his tailer ready to retrieve a boat, he mentioned that he was going to do this so i said no worries and figured that another 3 or so minutes wouldn't be too much.

He went to his house across the creek and started to untie his boat from where it was moored; then his wife came out and gave him the phone that had been ringing. This took him another 15 minutes to wrap up; now I don't mind him taking a few minutes but when he knew that I was pretty much rigged up, surely he could have called the person back later.

To top it off I had to give him a hand to retrieve the boat as it was quite large compared to mine. Finally we got the boat on the trailer and he drove off - would have been nice if he had of said 'thank you' after all that; a little gratitude goes a long way buddy!

So I finally got the boat in the water, and surprisingly, it only took me one attempt to launch the boat. I decided to motor on down to the first creek that I had seen some feeding activity when I took the boat for it's maiden voyage.

After tossing out a mud herring, I decided to try my prawnstar and on the thrid cast, it didn't dissapoint. The lure was crunched by a little cod similar to the one that I got last trip to the creek.

That was the end of the action till the tide turned in the afternoon and I went up to the mouth thinking that there might be something waiting there for the incoming tide. After anchoring up, some 15 minutes went by then my rod buckled over and soon after I had about 1.5m of angry eel on the end of my rod.

Given that I've been warned against bringing one of these things in the boat (they are slippery, wriggle all over the place and snap at anything that they can get to), I decided that gear was cheaper than bandages and or microsurgery and snipped the line.

To top it off my baitcaster wouldn't go into gear after bringing in the little cod and I'll be without it for close to a week while it's repaired.

All up, not a productive day but better than working and a mild sunburn for my efforts but not complaining. Also learnt that Half Moon Creek isn't a productive place on the run down, only on the high tide by the looks of it.

[chrisallangler]

The old honey pot junior i think did the damage? Nice little cod their mate god i hate eel hearing that report just made me reminice about the dam things. As you said atleast it was better than work. Cheers Chris.

[Synful]

The old honey pot junior i think did the damage? Nice little cod their mate god i hate eel hearing that report just made me reminice about the dam things. As you said atleast it was better than work. Cheers Chris.

Hi Chris, yep - a honeypot junior as you suggested
Just wish that I could get a cod 35cm or over, at least it would be a feed and I wouldn't need to listen to the missus whinge every time

The wind is scheduled to drop down later this week so hoping to get out with the Father in Law to some wrecks and in shore reefs on Thursday and Friday this week.

[cuzzamundi]

Geez the smaller cod love the prawnstars! I remember hooking seven little fellas in one session last year against a breakwall - they seem to love em alright. Hope it's a better trip next one.

cuzza

[Simmo2]

Hi Chris, yep - a honeypot junior as you suggested
Just wish that I could get a cod 35cm or over, at least it would be a feed and I wouldn't need to listen to the missus whinge every time

The wind is scheduled to drop down later this week so hoping to get out with the Father in Law to some wrecks and in shore reefs on Thursday and Friday this week.

I tried right up that little creek to the right last friday night. (in the rain!) around the high tide with no luck at all....
And like you, I'll be out on the reef Friday too! leaving at around 4am!

[Simmo2]

And like you, I'll be out on the reef Friday too! leaving at around 4am!

How'd you go Synful??
We got a nice GT and a 'bewtiful' (sic-spelling) trout. Let another big GT go to fight another day. No lobster tho.
Better than that, found a couple of great marks for next time!
Was that you on the ramp at 5am???

[Synful]

How'd you go Synful??
We got a nice GT and a 'bewtiful' (sic-spelling) trout. Let another big GT go to fight another day. No lobster tho.
Better than that, found a couple of great marks for next time!
Was that you on the ramp at 5am???

Nah, not me Simmo - will be trying to get out to Haycock Island when weather permits at around that time though.

Good to see that the genius that designed Bluewater placed the trailer park some 300m + away from where people on solo trips are launching their boats. Cairns City Council has been around placing notices on peoples windscreens re the illegal parking.

I can see both sides of the equation, but I wonder how long before someone gets their boat nicked while parking their trailer "legally"...

[Simmo2]

Yeah, agreed! I was one that got a 'warning ticket"! (as did the other 50 cars there!)

[Simmo2]

Well yet again I tried the creek today.
Shocking weather, blowing from every direction with wet bits innit...
On the corner of the little creek I caught a few little Cod and one way undersized Jack.
Running on the electric up the creek on the incoming tide I flicked a Gulp 4" swimming mullet everywhere....nada...
Turned around just past the 'school chairs' and headed back, this time trolling a hard and flicking when I felt like it.... nada...
Stopped (or reversed!!!!) by a bloke fishing livies and he was doing no good either...(except for my lure...ooops! Sorry matey!)
Must admit tho he threw one cast net and got enough bait for a week!
Anyway, wet, getting cold, needing a shower and no fish to speak of....I headed home.
This local creek of ours must be holding its secrets well or I'm wearing the wrong deodourant!

[Synful]

Well yet again I tried the creek today.
Shocking weather, blowing from every direction with wet bits innit...
On the corner of the little creek I caught a few little Cod and one way undersized Jack.

Geez, surprised you didn't end up out at green island after deciding to do a drift; she wasa touch windy

I decided to go take the cast net off the old Barron River bridge Saturday Morning and got a few prawns (about 15 and another two lunch bags of 'em for bait) for dinner that night .

I went out close to there the previous weekend with one of the kids and she got a 36.2cm Jack; they were smashing everything; except what I threw at them

Running on the electric up the creek on the incoming tide I flicked a Gulp 4" swimming mullet everywhere....nada...
Turned around just past the 'school chairs' and headed back, this time trolling a hard and flicking when I felt like it.... nada...
Stopped (or reversed!!!!) by a bloke fishing livies and he was doing no good either...(except for my lure...ooops! Sorry matey!)
Must admit tho he threw one cast net and got enough bait for a week!

Where was he getting the livies?
I've seen people casting near the first green channel marker, but never getting anything. Livies should literally be getting hammered in there! I've been launching or retrieving there before today and there's been bait getting smashed @ the ramp

Anyway, wet, getting cold, needing a shower and no fish to speak of....I headed home.
This local creek of ours must be holding its secrets well or I'm wearing the wrong deodourant!

Mate I reckon that inside those creeks is a bit over rated and there are some good fish just out front of 'em and back upstream a bit from the mouths of those two creeks. Another guy told me one day that the first creek (heading out to the mouth), you need livies but there have been some really good barra caught there on the high tide.

Half Moon Creek seems to be dead on the run down but fires on the run up between 1 and 2 hours before the high tide early morning, so you need to be in the water by 5:30am and back at the ramp by 10:00am I reckon.

[Simmo2]

Yeah mate, I was coming back home one night under lights, and there was a bloke sitting in his boat, motor up, stern ON the ramp, waiting for a mate to turn up to go fushun....he got a massive hit whilst I was waiting for him to move his bloody boat!!! I reckon thats the spot!! The RAMP!!

The cast net full was caught on the 'northern' corner of the creek to the right. The water is very shallow there so you need to go past the creek, then come back upstream.. right on the upstream corner, in the main creek.

Around the corner, in the smaller creek about 20 or so mtrs in...there is a small clump of branches sticking up on the right....when you are next there...what does your sounder tell ya?????

[Synful]

Yeah mate, I was coming back home one night under lights, and there was a bloke sitting in his boat, motor up, stern ON the ramp, waiting for a mate to turn up to go fushun....he got a massive hit whilst I was waiting for him to move his bloody boat!!! I reckon thats the spot!! The RAMP!!

The cast net full was caught on the 'northern' corner of the creek to the right. The water is very shallow there so you need to go past the creek, then come back upstream.. right on the upstream corner, in the main creek.

Around the corner, in the smaller creek about 20 or so mtrs in...there is a small clump of branches sticking up on the right....when you are next there...what does your sounder tell ya?????

So that's the first creek on your way out that dries up at low tide?
There's not much water in there at any stage of the tide if we're talking about the same one, so I haven't been too keen to go venturing in it for that reason.

[Simmo2]

Noooo!! Not that one, thats a drain or something aint it??!
The next one down...about 150 mtrs past that one.

[Synful]

Noooo!! Not that one, thats a drain or something aint it??!
The next one down...about 150 mtrs past that one.

Yeah that's what I thought too; people go up it though 'cause I've seen crab pots in it about half way up. They'd have to be in a little 3m or smaller tinny to do it I reckon; doubt there'd be more than 1.5m of water in it even at high tide.

The one that you talk about is the one I frequent; a couple of the banks at / near the mouth are worth a cast too as they can hold some activity at times as well.

[Simmo2]

Mate I remember when the whole creek used to be about 1.5 FEET deep at low tide!!!

(winds down this weekend...reef trip methinks!)