scarby reef help!!

[bowds13]

Hey guys, I originally posted this 2 years when I found it hard to get consistent catches. In the 2 years gone by I followed the advice given and I was able to start catching good fish on most trips. Since then iv added side scan and MK I-pilot to my boat and fishing out there is a breeze. Fishing on scarby reef really is a simple thing to do when fishing smart with a plan if attack already set befor you hit the water. So yes the advice is spot on for the area

regarding the anchor issue pixie, when I anchor there (on very rare occasions) I use a reef pick. Why? Because I use a pick more then a sand anchor and can't be bothered changing it over. In saying that I have plenty if mates who use sand anchor there and have only heard of one being lost. Most of the ground is rubble bottom but there is patches of some nasty stuff so be prepared for a tug of war from time to time if your use a sand anchor

[PixieAU]

I did read the posts. I did note the advice not to anchor. I did do many, many drifts. I did approach quietly. I did skirt around the area i wanted to drift. I did drift from well upstream. But, I also wanted to do some stationary fishing over a couple of spots. So i did gently and quietly pull the anchor out of the well and gently and quietly lower it into the water without making a splash.

So yes, i am sure people have learnt something from the advice. But on occasion people also might like to just sit back and have a bite to eat or a drink so anchoring with a line out is also an option. My question was whether i would lose my sand anchor there if I did use it.

Sorry just_chips, i should also say that i am very appreciative of yours (and many others) advice earlier on in the thread and i took it in board, even the bit about anchoring.

Bowds, thank you for the follow up. I think each time i get out there i will learn something new about the reef and about prior preparation.

[Just_chips]

No worries Pixie, this is just one of many threads that has been posted about this area, and I reckon I have given the advise about not using the anchor literally dozens of times in threads on Ausfish and other forums over the years.

I was just a bit bemused to see a question about anchoring in a thread that really pushes drifting over anchoring and wondering whether that particular message was getting through. Sound out there is a genuine enemy and I know how hard it is to be quiet in a tinny as I fish from a kayak and couldn't believe how much noise a boat at anchor actually makes when I went back to a boat for a fish. It's no secret why kayakers are so successful out there, and it's not because they are better fishermen, it is the silence of the craft they use that gets them within casting range of the fish.

My theory is that the fish out there move around 'grazing' over different feeding grounds and if you're anchored up, you might get a fish or two as they move through and then the bite will drop off, it will almost certainly drop off if you loose a fish, they spook easily if their mates get freaked out and take off. If your drifting you can work from spot to spot with a couple of drifts at each location before moving on and covering heaps of ground and hopefully intercepting these grazing fish.

If you don't have 'spots' the best way to find them is to drift using your sounder if you have one, but most importantly if your bait or lure snags on the bottom, move over the top of it and mark it on a GPS or take note of a basic triangulated landmark if your memory is good enough. Each snaggy spot is likely a rubble patch or at least something that could potentially hold fish. Basic handheld GPS units start from about $150-$200 and are more than good enough for this application. After a few trips you will develop a healthy database of locations to fish. There really are some genuine treasures to be found out there if you put in the time and do not get disheartened by fishless trips, because eventually you will turn those results around.

Kev

[bowds13]

You have hit the nail on the head kev. In regard to noise I have abit of a theory going that the fish are even trained to different noises. Being in mates boats that are ally and having waves slap the full shuts the fish down very quick but in my tub which is a polycraft the bite dosnt seem to be affected much by hull slaps. It has me wondering if the fish know what water on ally means but are untrained to the sound of water on poly as there isn't to many poly boats around.

It can be a sorry old day when you realise you have been getting out smarted by a fish.

[tunaticer]

A couple of years ago I was on a hot patch near scarby with almost constant hits for 40 minutes.
A tinny decided to join in the drift line and the bite shut down because of the noise of waves slapping the tinny.
That tinny left after one drift, i went back for yet another drift immediately over the area and it was as if that tinny was never there, hits aplenty again.
Definitely use a lecky to control the attitude of the boat to the waves to avoid wave slap.