Sunday

On Sunday lunchtime I had to fly home from Rockhampton. In Yeppoon, it had rained all night and was very cold but by Sunday morning the weather was perfect.

I did not have much time so I decided to return to the rocks at Double Head. I arrived just before dawn and followed the path out to fishing ledges. It was about 5.45 am and low tide would be around 8.00 am. I set up with a small 20g metal slug. I was fishing with my Berkley Nomadic 1-4 kg travel rod and a 20g slug is about as big as you can throw. As the sky started to change colour, I cast the slug in all directions but could not raise a bite.

At about 6.15am, the sun was just coming over the horizon and suddenly the bait fish started leaping around, in close to the shore. I was now fishing with a GULP Jerkshad soft plastic in the purple and black colour. I felt a few solid bites, but could not hook up. I down-sized to a GULP 3” Minnow in the Nuclear Chicken colour, on a 1/8th 1 hook, jighead and carried on casting. I was now using only 10lb leader in my desperation to land a fish.

Once the sun was up the bait activity died away. The water was a milky mess with all the fresh water from the night before pouring out of the creeks. I moved around the headland casting in all directions but the water was now very dirty on the bottom of the tide. Finally I hooked up with a small Bream but I failed to find the monsters this spot is famous for.

Finally a clear, cold dawn

The water got murkier as the tide receded

Nice steep edges

Interested observer

Plenty of fishy structure

Eventually I found a small bream

By noon I was on the plane heading for Brisbane and already planning my next trip to this part of the world. Hopefully the weather will be kinder next time.