BRISBANE RIVER ROCK WALL / MUD ISLAND

[Braddles]

Put in at Comslie Park Boat Ramp at around 11am and collected some live bait from the near by cement terminal pier area (poddy mullet and herring). Headed out to the mouth to fish the rock wall and the conditions were perfect.

Initially I was using bait (whole baby squid on a 2/0 hook, minimal lead and 20lb line) and First cast before the bait hit bottom I was on... a just undersized, but very healthy looking squire which was promptly returned.

Next was a double hook up with my house mate... I boated another squire (still undersize) and Dan my house mate had a small UFO of the sea... (see pics below).. He was simlar profile to a "blue banded goby" I used to keep in my marine aquarium only very dull and much, much bigger needle like teeth which he was snapping at us... he wasnt a happy chappy...

Over the next half an hour we landed a mixed catch of legal whiting, bream, flounder, more squire (every one under sized) and some tiny cute little flat head... amazing a 10cm flatty can fit a 2/0 hook in his gob! All fish were returned before heading over to mud in the beautiful conditions for mumma and poppa squire/ snapper.

The bay was flat and the sun was out and the wind must have been 5-10knts max. We dropped some crab pots on the South West Corner of Mud and looked for two pipes that I was told about coming from the land into the bay... which are meant to be grounds for some good snapper, but couldnt find any such pipes... Albeit at 2pm and high tide.

We sounded around and found some good reef over a drop off of 13m to 4m in a run of about 20m and anchored. There was also a small tidal inlet infront of us into the mangroves.

The sounder showed isolated but impressive passings of fish under us.. but not a single bite!

We tried a variety of soft plastics that the man at the bait shop said would be "dynamite" (I am a bait boy but thought I would give it another go)... and then went back to bait (prawns and baby squid). within 5 mins I was nailed and my boat road hand a nice big bend with line screaming off... and then nothing... I started to wind slack line and then I realised I was around a snag... Bugger! I snapped it off and nothing else would touch our lines all day..

None of us minded though.. The day was just so pefect in every way.. Fishing with good mates is like that... and anything you catch is just a bonus I think. We also had two seperate pods of dolphins swim past us rolling and playing in the water literally 10m from the boat... Its such a special feeling to be that close to something so beautiful!

AT around 4pm the wind started picking up and it was time to find the pots and head back to the river. The pots were in a 200m line about 30m apart and I was hoping for something exciting as I lifted the first one ashore...

YEs... Colour... but then soon realised that the 4 mudcrabs in the pot were all female.. Interestingly.. the only one undersized in this pot (was pretty small) was full of orange roe and the bigger females were clean... 4 Jennies retruned.

The next pots had one or two sandies and muddies, all jennies or undersized and only one legal (massive) sandy..

We never realised that both mud and sand crabs cohabitate in the same area....

Pics of UFO fish and other randoms attached...

Anyone else go to mud?? Hope you caught more than us!

Regards,

Brad

[R_K_HILL]

ISnt that a painted griiner?

[R_K_HILL]

Painted Grinner I meant...

[Bundy_Burp]

Looks like a grinner to me aswell .

Bundy

[LUMOX]

with an ugly mellon like that id have to say some sort of grinner.