Mud today

[alleycat]

Hit mud this morning at 5.40 and fished around my usual haunts on north and west side and what a great morning it was on the water, beautifull conditions and my total catch was a 20cm moses perch, i didnt catch even 1 undersized squire and looking back on the last 12 months i can honestly say i have caught under 6 snapper in all that time, this compares to hundreds caught in the twelve months pior to may 07, that means my catch rate is down 90-95%, is anybody else experiencing the same?, and should we be concerned?, my mate also fishes mid week as i do and we used to get into the snapper at green and wello before going over to chase whiting but the last 12 months its seemed a waste of time, it almost unbelieveable the change in such a short time, any one got an opinion on whats happened or if you have found the same?.

[gaz066]

Alleycat , (we met once at Wello about 12 months ago I think ) I don't think you are on your own . I too fish regularly as often as 3 times per week and am also struggling for some decent catches this year.

Methods and tactics do not appear to be getting the same results as last year and recently I have been experienting with some different methods and locations with average success.

Maybe the fish are smarter or they just aren't there.

Just got to keep trying . it's always to good to get on the water though regardless.

[alleycat]

Hi gaz!! were you the guy i gave a few plastics too? i remember, and for me im going to stick to chasing flathead near the pin or go the whiting for a feed until i see some reports on snapper coming in, and im sure its not tactics, even the small ones are not there most days..cheers

[gaz066]

Alleycat , no different fella .

Best of luck with the pin area , it sure gets some pressure.

[goggles]

Hi alleycat work down on the river and it seems that the snapper are later then usual coming in. They did seem to stick around longer in the summer months. It could also be to do with the huge amounts of baitfish[hardyheads] that r in the river at the moment. Wayne

[beefaman]

I agree Alleycat, it has certainly switched off in the last year.
Dont know the reason behind it, but it sure is strange.

[alleycat]

I agree Alleycat, it has certainly switched off in the last year.
Dont know the reason behind it, but it sure is strange.

Switched off is right, that a huge drop in catch but im serious it would be 95% or worse, all the posts back then on wello ect with the posts that read " first cast and zzzzzzzzzz i was on" ect, last 12 months you could flog the guts out of it and barely get a legal fish, the bay should have a resident population of snapper, either they have moved or maybe the evolution of using plastics for snapper was such a success we belted them?.

[charleville]

this compares to hundreds caught in the twelve months pior to may 07, that means my catch rate is down 90-95%, is anybody else experiencing the same?, .

Exactly the same for me.

2006 was awesome for me at Mud Island. 2007 was a dud, albeit that I did not fish as often as in 2006.

2008 is very ordinary - however, I have only fished the same hours that you have whereas my preference is for night time. I would be out there now except that I have not organised myself well this week.

Likewise, I have fished favourite spots on the west, north and east of Mud with very little worth keeping.

[Poodroo]

I was also fishing at Mud today. Great conditions but we experienced a lot of reasonable bite sessions. Pulled in a few squire and even what may have been just legal but the golden rule when I fish in my boat is if it is under 40 cms it goes back to do some growing. Some nice quality in amongst them so they are in great condition for their size. Also saw BlueFin59 on the water and had a good chat with him out there. Better luck next time alleycat. You'll get there. Fishing has been very ordinary in the bay of late.

Regards,

Poodroo

[Scalem]

It's a little humbling isn't it? As much as I thought I was pretty much on to a consistant catch rate, at Last years' R2M i weighed in a 60 and 63cm fish, the following weekend got a 63cm and a 70cm, and the next month bagged out at Wello starting at 5.00am and bagged out by 6.00am. My last 3 trips in the bay have not put a scale on the table. It's like my red wagon has a wheel fallen off somehow, and I am not sure how to fix it

Time to get really silly and fish as Foggy has suggested - with really light string. Trouble is I can't seem to time my weekends off when the weather permits. I think you've actually got to get your line in the water to test any theories. Not this weekend either...... Damn!!

Scalem

[alleycat]

Im using 6lb fireline myself now so its not the line class, i will put something to you all! and you can either agree or not, the bay is a big body of water but the areas where reef fish will gather is much much smaller and the snapper will congregate at these places, with the advent and use of soft plastics we saw great catches of snapper, ie they worked very well, to look at it another way if you were a shooter as i am and you hunted on a huge paddock that only had a few waterholes you would think the game was plentifull as you hunted at the waterholes where the game gathered until you had taken all the game, then you realise your left with a barren paddock, could it be the same with the snapper?, we all know the relativelly small areas where they will be and with the advent of plastics it would see like they were in abundance until we had really belted the numbers, know what i mean?.

[tunaticer]

I think that we may be returning to "normal" fishing again after the prolonged drought. I remember back between the 80's and 2003ish the catches of snapper were seldom bagouts in the bay.
I believe that the extended drought has significantly raised the salinity level in the bay and close to shore areas enough for normally offshore preferring fish have come inshore.

Too many very odd captures have happened in the last two years for it to be coincidence. Pearl perch caught in the Tweed River and similar deep water fish inhabiting the shallows is abnormal as is the immense schools of snapper that nearly everybody was bagging out on last year.

Jack.

[The guru]

Im in the same boat. Last year would bring home a few squire 90% of the time. This year the sounder appears to be dead, if it wasnt for the tailor and bream i wuld be going home hungry. Usual river spots dont seem to be working either. Still when you get good weather its still great fun.

Cheers

JF

[ALB78]

G'Day Allycat, i personally think its a little to soon after so much fresh, maybe if you be a little more patient the fish will come!!! Over the last month i havn't had a problem catching my fair share of fish(squire) a generally bringing home a feed in the 48-65 cm range. I think the problem sometimes is the bay can be "hot and cold" and the solution to that would be to explore outside your usual huants and have a few different spots up your sleeve to try just incase some of the others have shut down(for snapper/squire fishing that is)!!! Cheers and good luck!!!

[mullet66]

Things have been bit quiet at mud, fished it for half a day early last week with great bait and a really nice drift and managed one cod, 1 bream and a grinner, dropped one small squire on a plastic(also had toads massacre the tails of three plastics), i was even feeding berley out as i anchored and had lunch for an hour without a touch. Thankfully caught the fattest 60cm flattie ive ( released, a little big and not sure about eating bottom dwelling fish in the river) seen just inside the mouth at the mouth on the way home using a large 100mm soft prawn plastic.
Hopefully strike a pinkie next time.