Top week on Fraser Island

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Don't know if there is such a thing as a bad week on Fraser.

Just got the report via phone of what sounded like a great week at Fraser. My oldies, Sis, Bro-in-lo and 4 tin lids, and Uncle and Aunt were good enough to use the week in my time share at Orchid Beach which I missed out on this year due to work commitments my old man has a share also so 8 people in 2 units is plenty comfortable). They are a great family and even took my 100 series cruiser up there so the battery didn't get flat and took half my fishing gear just so it didn't get rusty. So whilst I wasn't there in person, I was certainly there in spirit, and in a material sense as well it seems.

They were lucky with the weather and the weed. Still plenty of weed south of Indian Head and tonnes of it north of Nagala Rocks apparently but they had a nice weed-free window around Waddy, Wormy beach and North of Waddy up to Nagala. Were surprised during their drive up the beach on Sat 15th not to see any pipis popping up in the wheel tracks for the entire stretch of beach from the bottom of Fraser (Hook Pt is it?) right up to Indian Head. They talked to a fellow there about it and he reckons the weed that has been on the beach for many weeks before is rotting in the sand and may have made them scarce.

Not as many whiting this year from our usual haunt in front of the big sand blow near the airstrip at Orchid Beach. The shallow ends of the series of gutters that form along this section from the boat lanch area down to the sand blow seem to consistantly hold whiting, but don't expect elbow slappers. However, still enough for a couple of feeds of just over legal length. Beach worms are the go of course, and we have noticed that the whiting seem to come on the chew even in the middle of the day and seemingly regardless of tide with a group of lines in the water with worm baits. (sorry to anyone fishing nearby with pipis - you may as well pack up if there are a bunch of worms in the water nearby. )

Plenty of Tailor off the rocks around Waddy. Firstly on the north side point while the sea was still up for the first couple of days. Then it was around to the rocks on the wormy beach side. Plenty of nice Tailor pulled out of the gutter that had formed in front of the rocks there including a 7 to 8 lb specimen my old man landed and released. Think he said this was the biggest he has ever caught in many (many) years of tailor fishing. (since he hasn't got a photo of this, I'm going to hold out and say he's fibbing ) It also goes to prove his theory of the big tailor being at Fraser in Oct - Nov and it is much more pleasant fishing than the bedlam of the fishing classic time of year. My 11 year old nephew and my 50+ uncle both got their first tailor (and second, and third .....) so that was great to hear.

It was so good at Waddy, they didn't bother looking much elsewhere and interestingly the tailor were pretty much on the chew from early afternoon on. (they also didn't bother getting up to fish dawn) Perhaps it was due to the run up to the new moon. Heaven only knows what they might have got if they fished a slice of cut bonito at night.

The grey suited ones with the big grins turned up occassionally also to add some further excitement and made off with a fair bit of tackle. (no doubt there will be someone claiming they were all grey nurses after reading this, blah blah blah )

Also some of the usual big Fraser Island Dart providing top sport as well. Boy the big flat lads there know how to pull! They scoff beach worms so aggressively that I find it better not to use red tubing on top of the hook so there is less chance of them gut hooking themselves. Might be better to put up a little stop sign at the top of the hook.

So that's about it. Thought someone might be interested to hear. I noticed most recent fishing reports from up that way have been saying there wasn't much around. And the guy at the Orchid Beach shop seemed pretty surprised to hear they had been getting plenty of fish when they dropped the keys back on sat 22nd. Maybe my rello's lucked it, maybe it was just the clearing of the weed, maybe others haven't looked too hard or aren't telling.

They didn't travel back along the beach between Double Island Point and Tewantin this year so can't give you an update on the weed situation there. Might have a few photos sent to me shortly, so will post one or two if any good.

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has had any luck up that way recently.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Fatty]

hi jeff
a mate just spent the weekend up at DI & reckons it was horrible the weed was that bad that it was a waste of time fishing he got his cruiser ute stuck for the first time in the six years that he has been going up there. the cold beer was the hilight of the trip sounds like work comittments saved me from a very average trip
regards fatty

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Thanks for the reply Fatty,
Just thought I would post a report of some success up that way; the weed and lack of fish seems to be a constant theme for the last few weeks and I'm sure there are people thinking of heading up that way for hols pretty soon.
That weed can be a trap for young players, and old as well, as far as getting bogged. A couple of years back on a trip to Fraser, the weed had been horrendous for a few weeks before we went. A change of wind for a week prior to us going, cleared the weed from the surf but also blew an inch or two of sand over the layer of weed lying on the beach. There was a couple of places we were the first ones to drive over after the run out and as we cracked the thin layer of sand ... it was like driving on grease. And then your diff can start dragging pretty soon when you are in 2 inches of sand and suddenly 12 inches of weed.
Sounds like the coast up to DI and the bottom half of fraser is still pretty RS. Might be worth the expense and time to make the effort and travel up to Waddy if you had planned a week on the beach at Cooloolah and find yourself rooted by the weed; even for 24hrs.
Also my old man bumped into a mate that normally camps up north of Nagala; said there was so much stinking weed on the beach, he only spent a night there and packed up and moved because of the smell.
Can't be pretty.
Cheers,
Jeff