Mackerel on Half Days

[Smithy]

Mostly been chasing the macks on my half days. Haven't had a bag out for a couple of months but had a good trip two Mondays ago.









Snuck in my first serious bottom bashing day during the M&G. Got 20-25 good fish, mostly pearlies and snapper. This was the best on a plastic to Frank. Mostly 38-45cm fish though.





Lost a good mackerel the other day and first hit of the morning when the downrigger rod holder snapped, scratch one Tyrnos 20 combo and the mackerel of course.



Other trips.







I ended up with one side of this mackerel and this is how you poor man cryovac them.





I've also been taking a Phd student out on a few trips who is researching tuna. We have been trying to get them live to the Bribie Island Research Centre in tuna tubes. So far Skirmish point is as close as we have got.

[terry71]

thanks for the report looks like a few nice days out

[thelump]

Nice one smithy may I ask if you troll live, dead or lures for the macks?

[Smithy]

All fish there were on livies or minnows. I have only towed dead baits for them once or twice this whole season.

[TREVELLY]

Some nice spanos there Smithy.

I have had a near loss from a downrigger so I took the rod holders off and just sit the rods in boat holders - much safer.

Thanks for the report.

[Barralundee]

Hi Smithy

Are they trying to breed the Tuna at Bribie??

I was going to add a rod holder to my downrigger but seeing what happened to yours I will just add another rod holder in the coming


Darryl

[Smithy]

Yeh I'm strapped for space on my transom for rod holders and then I have the survey height rail all the way round which makes using my corner flush rod holders a pain. I normally don't use it but the clamp on ones were moving the days before when fish were taking off at an angle so I went back to using the Canon one which I didn't trust either. Over time the downrigger is getting brittle. It is only in the sun during trolling days as I remove it from a transom rod holder.

They are going to use any species of tuna/mackerel/bonito/slimey/yakka, whatever, as a surrogate mum to produce blue fin tuna projany. It must have some SA tuna industry money in it. The Japs use this technology now.

[ColeDaddy]

Great report and photos of what I don't get to catch (as you Qlders tax them all before they get down to us in NSW) Ha ha.
Good on ya for helping out the fisho research as well. It is a very worth while process to do anything to keep our fish stocks up for the future.