Whens The Best Time For Offshore Fishing?

[roz]

I always find fishing is better off shore after a southerly (on the east coast) definately slower after NE particularly if I am after mackeral. I fish from Coffs Harbour up to 1770/Agnes Water.

[Leo_N.]

Fishinmishin,
No personal dig intended, but the practice of targeting spawning aggregations is inherently unsustainable. Spawning aggregation sites tend to become well known and when there is a large fishing effort the number of spawns from these aggregations can be significantly reduced.

It may seem like a drop in a proverbial bucket when you considder the number of eggs released per spawn, but the survival of egg to juvenile fish can be less than 1%. Therefore a fish needs to stick around to spawn several times to make a large imput into fish stocks (most marine fish will spawn several times in a spawning season).

Spawning aggregations can contain fish from a wide ranging area, and the larvae can travel huge distances for recruitment, therefore targeting these sites not only affect the local area, but also areas far removed ie. targeting spawning aggregations can cause a large reduction in down-current stocks.

Note that the scientific evidence for size and bag limits is incomplete to say the least, and mainly focusses on commercially important species. To maintain the integrity of such stocks it has been deemed necessary to prevent fishing over the spawning period (eg. barramundi and reef fish fisheries). I am sure the same would be concluded if the same research effort was put into other species.

Finally, if we as recreational fishermen (and women) are to avoid being excessively regulated we need to self-regulate and educate ourselves on the least damaging fishing practices.

Fish for the future.

[agnes_jack]

I was under the immpression that spawning time was around the new moon in oct, nov, and dec!
Hence the closures, or is that coral reef species only ??? ??? ???

Regards, Tony ???

[mackmauler]

Tony, it seems the snapper are spawning around here during winter/spring, this being the prime time to hit the rock and bag out on them.

[Leo_N.]

Yeah Tony,
Most cod and coral trout spawn on the new moon in summer. That is the main driving force behind the legislation as they are the most commercially important of the demersal reef species.

RobK, the criticism is not 'catching fish and sticking to bag limits', it is targeting spawning aggregations (for reasons outlined above).

[BigE]

only fish where the fish r and when there biting..... anything else is a waste

[DaneCross]

The best time for offshore is the next couple of days!
[issued 1506 Wednesday]
DOUBLE ISLAND POINT TO COOLANGATTA
Wednesday until midnight: NE winds 10/15 knots this evening tending variable at
5/10 knots overnight. Seas 0.8 metres.
Thursday: Variable 5/10 knots tending E/NE 10/15 knots in the afternoon. Seas
0.8 metres.
Friday: Variable winds 5/10 knots tending NE winds 10/15 knots in the
afternoon.
Saturday: NE winds 10 knots reaching 15 knots in the afternoon.
Doesn't get much nicer that that does it??
DC

[bidkev]

The best time for offshore is the next couple of days!
[issued 1506 Wednesday]
DOUBLE ISLAND POINT TO COOLANGATTA
Wednesday until midnight: NE winds 10/15 knots this evening tending variable at
5/10 knots overnight. Seas 0.8 metres.
Thursday: Variable 5/10 knots tending E/NE 10/15 knots in the afternoon. Seas
0.8 metres.
Friday: Variable winds 5/10 knots tending NE winds 10/15 knots in the
afternoon.
Saturday: NE winds 10 knots reaching 15 knots in the afternoon.
Doesn't get much nicer that that does it??
DC

And I'll believe it when it freakin' happens! Gave 10 to 15 today....it was blowin' 25 easy at 2.30 this arvo.only for an hour but enough to get some poor bugger in trouble.

kev

[DaneCross]

You're right Kev, have you seen this mornings update?!?! What a change from yesterday arvo's report...
[issued 0436 Thursday]
DOUBLE ISLAND POINT TO COOLANGATTA
Thursday until midnight: W/NW winds 15/20 knots offshore south of Cape Moreton
at first. Otherwise, W/SW winds 10/15 knots early morning, tending S'ly by noon.
Winds tending E/NE 10/15 knots inshore in the afternoon. Seas to 1.6 metres
south of Cape Moreton at first, otherwise seas to 1.2 metres.
This is probably the biggest turn around I've seen. I'm feeling for Rob and Ben now who, by going on yesterdays report, were heading wide of Pt. Lookout
Dane