so i've got a gps mark... i motor out to it and then what?

[reel overtime]

I'm after some advice, i've been chasing down a few marks off gladstone lately, when i get out to these marks there is nothing, well a bit of structure but no fish, i'm relatively new at this sort of thing so what do i do next?

i've tried dropping anchor and throw a few lines out and mates are happy to sit there and wait, not me, if there are no fish i want to move, am i right, should i just keep slowly motoring around chasing fish on the sounder or what? i've had a few hook ups on plastics while sitting round waiting, so now i want to learn how to find the fish then drop a plastic on their noses and nail them!

any help would be great!!

cheers,
todd.

[ronnien]

reel overtime,
fish dont always show on a sounder, eg. fish that hold right up tight to the structure are going to be hard to pick, & how close are you to the mark after you anchor up? maybe give it 30mins- 1hr fishing time? & if no fish move, work out what time & tide height fishes the best at that mark, does it fish better on the incoming or out going? trial & error =good fishing! you have said that you have got some hook ups on sp's so there is fish on it. keep at it mate.

ron.

[garman1]

If you have found structure at that gps point, Isn't that what a gps point is for? As for the fish who knows if they are gonna co-operate with you this time. Your gps mark might be a cracker compared to a spot 100 mtrs away with no structure, but in the end if the fish don't wanna play then enjoy the day or move.........

[rhycebullimore]

words of wisdom.....build and they shall come, get your burly trail working and baits down.

[reel overtime]

ok cheers!! just on the burley note, have you tried the new adjust-a-bite or whatever its called, they use like a big frozen sausage thing? or do you just cut up little bits of bait and throw them over?

[revs57]

G'day Todd,

I will usually go to a mark and grid it (go back and forward north/south over a 50-100 metre area at 15-20 mt intervals and then grid it east/west similarly over about the same area) to get an idea of the shape of a structure, then depending on which way the current is running and how fast as it will affect where the fish hang off the structure, try to get a feel of it with a couple of drifts. Some times the fish hang off the up current edge if the current isn't too strong and feed off what comes in, or they'll hide behind the structure to get out of the current, if its too strong and feed on what comes off it. So to try and get a handle on what's going on down there my first approach is a few drifts to see where the fish are feeding, then depending on what is either coming over the side of the boat, or what is showing on the sounder, I'll either try to anchor up current of where the fish are feeding to float a SP or a bait back into it or keep drifting the grid at various points.

As far as berley is concerned, everyone has their secret formulas ranging from tinned cat food with pilchards or pellets and fish oil, to cubing up the odd pillie and setting a trail up, don't need too much, just a trickle to invite the fish in to feed.

again depending on current/ wind and drift rate, you can berley and drift the area, but usually I'll burely from an anchored position.

cheers

Rhys

[Fishbait]

Fish are like cattle - they graze all over. Set up a slow burley trail at the right time of day and tide they'll come to ya. Cheers, Darren.

[mangomick]

Mate
a lot of marks out from Gladstone are in rubbly country like the 12 mile. Bugger all in prominent features but just a bit of rough bottom.Most probably fish better at night than during the day and during the day probably fish better right on the top and bottom of the tide on the bigger tides or fish better on the run up on smaller tides.
some spots you get sick and tired of catching trigger fish but if you perserve youll find they go off the bite and good grassies and tuskies come through feeding .
If you want to drop plastic on their nose try fishing the wrecks. You've got the marks for the bindaree , Red dolphin ,melissa and cape cap barge havent you.

[Jeremy]

Another perspective on this - how good is your sounder? You sure it is good enough and set up correctly to pick up structure and any fish on it?

Jeremy

[reel overtime]

mangomick i have two wreck marks, one is morton star and there is another wreck marked just north of the morton star.

jeremy i'm getting better at my sounder, i've chased trag on it down nsw north over christmas so now hopefully i can find fish up here. I can pick up structure perfect. learning learning, i'll get i down some day! at the moment i'm always waiting for good weather!! damm gladstone wind!!

[levinge]

A good trick with berley is what ever bait you are using on your hooks, that should be the predominant component of your berley.

Just think if your fishing with squid, you want them going for it, if you used pillies in your berley, your going to confuse the fish.

Mix it with chook pellets and sand. The sand will coat with whatever you are using for berley and will cloud and sink. This produces a far better scent stream in your berley. Cubing also works

[tunaticer]

With structures like wrecks I always try and fish with livies drifted through near the wreck. All too often a dead bait hanging on the bottom attached to a sinker etc is not enticing enough to get a reaction. Livies tho.........a whole different ball game.

[Belly72]

Go down to the Blue nurses garage sale and pick yourself up an old blender(the older the less likely its going to break).When eating prawns ,fish and crabs blend them up with a bit of water and fish oil and freeze them in an old margarine tub.Works for me.I have a plastic burley bucket about 1 ltr and sometimes zippy tie it to my anchor chain puts the berley right where your fishn or tie it to the back of your boat and give it a tug every now and then......Be the hunter.Belly

[Stubbie Holder]

Reel overtime don't rely only on marks, sometimes you can do well heading for somewhere like Masthead on an incoming tide and fish the east end of the reef. Start in around 30m of water and drift towards the reef until you get to around 6m and repeat. You will catch a variety of fish like sweetlip and trout and if you keep a livie out a good chance at Mackerel.

Stubby!

[reel overtime]

thanks everyone.. the more info in my head the better i'll get, hopefully. Where is the best place to chase livies? i've caught a heap of pike on small yellow gulps near gatcombe head, but that was in the middle of the day when i couldn't find anthing cause it was too windy. so do i go there first thing on the way out to the reef or just jig around the reefs with a berley trail set up?