Monthly Archives: May 2012

Yeppoon – Rosslyn Bay & Double Head – 26 May 2012

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Saturday

Once more I have allowed myself to be diverted from my true purpose in life. Yes – I have been engaging in that most dreadful of pursuits – earning a living. I have hardly wet a line in three weeks and I have been missing one of my favorite periods of the year.

It was time to fish – so on Saturday I found myself near Rockhampton and decided to stay for the weekend and have a fish around Yeppoon. There are lots of options along the coast in this area. I decided to start on the rockwalls at Rosslyn Bay Boat Harbour and the exposed rock ledges at the foot of Double Head.

Unfortunately, the weather tried its best to derail my plans. Saturday 4.30 am, I woke to light rain and no wind. I drove down to the harbour and fished around the lights and the edges of the pontoons and felt a few touches. I tried big and small soft plastics but could not raise a solid bite. As it grew light I moved down to the entrance to the harbour and cast all around but still could not stir any interest. Low tide was at about 6.30 am and the water was a milky brown colour. I could not see any bait around.

I walked out onto the rocks in front of Double Head. This area looked seriously fishy, but the water was very murky on the bottom of the tide. I walked across the small bay and out, around the headland until I could walk no further. The rain was coming and going and the wind was picking up. The tide had now started to run in – there was no sign of the sun.

A miserable morning on the rocks – Yeppoon
There is good fishing access all around Double Head
Looked very fishy – Double Head
My first Blue Salmon
Another baby Salmon?

I tried a small hard body vibe lure and then a bigger popper. I swapped back to the soft plastics and put on a GULP 3” Minnow in the Nuclear Chicken colour on a 1/8th 1/0 jighead. After a few casts, I felt a bite in close to the rocks. I paused for a few seconds and then set the hook. At last, a fish. It wasn’t very big but it was a new species for me – what the locals call a ‘blue’ Salmon. It looked like a Threadfin Salmon to me – perhaps they are the same thing? It was about 45cm long, so I took a few pictures and threw it back. The next cast produced a smaller fish – I think it was a baby Salmon? And then it all went quiet again.

The wind turned colder and the rain started to get serious so after 5 hours of fishing, I gave up. It can be hard exploring new ground, especially in crappy weather, but it’s always better to fish, than not to fish!

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Bribie Island – The old oyster jetty – 7 May 2012

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Monday

I was time to hit the flats and weed beds of Bribie Island. The weather forecast was pretty much perfect – no wind or rain and we would have a low tide at about 4.00 am.

I set out at about 4.30 am. The moon was full and, with a clear sky I did not need the headlamp, as I waded out under the bridge at about 5.30 am. This is a great time of year to be fishing. The mornings are crisp, but not too cold and the sunrises are fantastic.

I started on the mainland side under the bridge. Now I am not a ‘tree hugger’ but like any serious fisherman I care about the environment. Just recently, a large area of woodland has been flattened just behind the old oyster jetty – huge gum trees, pines and mangroves all torn down. The area now looks like a bomb site. Apparently, a new ‘eco’ resort is on its way. I would have thought it could have included some more of the beautiful old trees. I am glad it will provide jobs and I hope what they build will invigorate the area – but I am not convinced.

I waded down out under the bridge cast around in the rocky area, just to the south. I was using a GULP 2” Shrimp in the Banana Prawn colour and my first customer was a Pike. There were plenty of prawns jumping and I presume that is what the Pike and Moses Perch were feeding on, under the bridge lights.
I carried onto the south. I swapped to a GULP Jerkshad in the Lime Tiger colour, but the bigger plastic did not get the fish going. After about 15 minutes I swapped down to a GULP 3” Minnow in the Pearl Watermelon colour. This produced results – on the first cast I felt a solid bite, but could not connect. Three slow retrieves later, in the same spot, I got the fish. It was a small Flathead about 35cm long.

SANDSTONE POINT - SMALL FLATHEAD LOCATIONS

SANDSTONE POINT – SMALL FLATHEAD LOCATIONS

I kept going south and picked up 7 more fish on the flats on either side of the Oyster Jetty, over the next 2 ½ hours, but unfortunately only one was over 40cm. I swapped plastics between the bright and dark colours, big and small. I certainly caught more fish on the 2/3”plastics, I could not get a bite on the bigger ones.

They may have been small today but where there are small fish, there are big mothers – so I will be back out looking for them again soon.

Caloundra – Power Boat Club & Diamond Head – 3 May 2012

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Thursday

I was back on home turf and decided Caloundra was the best bet for Thursday morning. It’s getting a bit colder but the bonus is that you don’t have to get up quite so early to fish the dawn.

I arrived in front of the Power Boat Club at about 6.00 am, just after first light. High tide had been at 5.20 am and it was close to full moon. Light south easterly winds were forecast but around dawn the water was completely flat.

I was fishing with my Loomis GL2 light spin rod and Shimano Stella 2500, now loaded with 6lb braid and a 10lb fluorocarbon leader. The water temperature feels like it has dropped considerably since I was last fishing up here, a few weeks ago.

It was a fairly crisp sunrise on Thursday

It was a fairly crisp sunrise on Thursday

I started with a GULP Jerkshad in the Curry Chicken colour on a 1/8th 1/0 jighead. There were a few schools of bait in close to the shore and these scattered as I pulled the plastic through them. Sometimes they would scatter in all directions but I could not get a bite. I swapped to a 2” GULP Shrimp in the Banana Prawn colour. I worked the plastic along the edge of the weed beds and just after 7.00am, I came up tight on a small Flathead – just under 40cm long.
I tried a small DUO Tetraworks Bivi vibe lure for a while and I felt a few hits but could not hook anything. I swapped back to a GULP Shrimp in the Peppered Prawn Colour and caught another Flathead that was just too small.

The GULP Shrimp got them going today

The GULP Shrimp got them going today

I gave up and drove down to the flats in front of Diamond Head. I waded out to the weed beds and started to cast around. The water was running out fast and it had turned pretty dirty. I think there must have been some pretty heavy localized rain over night.

Angry Flathead - Caloundra

Angry Flathead – Caloundra

Another small Flathead slammed the GULP Shrimp. I pulled it in. This one was just over 40cm, but one fish would not feed my mob so I let it go. With no more action I packed up at about 9.30 am went back to the car.

They were all just the wrong side of 40cm