A very good mate and wife of mine are over in Peru visiting their daughter and son-in-law. Now Richard is a very keen angler, and like me will have a fish where ever we go. Richard sent me a couple of photo’s of a type of sole they catch over there from the beach. The locals call them "lenguado" - they are a type of sole that lives / feeds in the surf along the west coast of South America. These took a liking to a 3" soft plastic (Berkley Realistix) worked off rocks into 4 to 6 feet of water over sand. The big one was 6 to 7cms thick posing several kilo's of muscle to tire out and work into a rock gully so you Richard could get a hand to it and lift it out of the surf. Richard said it was great fun on 8lb line and they taste delicious. So far he has caught about a dozen, although only two have been so big - most are a handy plan size. Richards reckons it’s a pity we don't get them like this in Oz.
The Gold Coast Fishing Club has finally posted up the results of the 2007 Flathead Classic that I competed in for the second year in a row. Last year we made the top 20 (17th). This year we managed a respectable 27th out of 121 teams
Flathead Classic 2007 Results
Champion Angler Senior: Brett Howell (2055pts)
Champion Angler Senior Runner-up: Ross McCubbin (2024pts)
Champion Angler Junior: Joel Gartner (832pts)
Champion Angler Junior Runner-up: Jake Neilson (488pts)
Longest Flathead Senior: Chris Strathford (90cm) - Day 1
Les Bower (90cm) - Day 3
Longest Flathead Junior: Joel Gartner (71cm)
Longest Bream: John Siggs (34cm)
Longest Mangrove Jack: Michael Phillips (43cm)
Longest Estuary Cod: Robert Payne (48cm)
Longest Mulloway: David Fletcher (143cm)
Longest Trevally: Rowland Zwart (64cm)
Longest Tarpon: Wayne Lodington (60cm)
Longest Whiting: Charles West (33cm)
Longest Tailor: Justin Kenzie (48cm)
Most Metres Senior: Brett Howell (19.69m)
Most Metres Junior: Joel Gartner (7.3m)
Most Fish: Brett Howell (45 flathead)
Total Number of Flathead caught 2693
Top 20 Teams
1. Team Atomic (5444)
2. Team Sands (4148)
3. Team Dog (3702)
4. Team Benowa Tavern 1 (2629)
5. Team 4BC (2515)
6. B B Ms (2409)
7. Team What The (2206)
8. Croc Hunters (2022)
9. The Enemy (1974)
10. Team JAM (1892)
11. Team Bush n Beach (1792)
12. Team G Loomis / Sunline (1739)
13. Plastics Paranoia (1709)
14. 3 brothers (1692)
15. The Jig-olos (1668)
16. Team Pig Lures (1660)
17. Team Hinterland Marine (1643)
18. Drop Shots (1627)
19. Dusky Dominators (1624)
20. Cloud 9 (1615)
Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that one of his customers caught a blue morwong caught Tuesday at Henry Head on a Nipper . Last Sundayproduced a few kingfish and they are now a great chance as Scott has scored a few quality fish of late. Bait has been a little hard to fine on some days but if you put in the effort the results will come.
Trevally are in smaller numbers but most fish are of a good size, The drums, Oil wharf seem to be the spots worth trying, Trevally Alley a little slow.Trolling is producing the odd fish and the next day all quite Most fish that I have trolled up this week I have found down around the Third Runway, but is hot and cold. Bream are now staring to show along the end of the Third Runway and across the Bay, Best results are closer to the river mouth as the Bream near the Third Runway are a smaller run, Nippers or gut for bait. Spinning with soft plastics slow only the odd Flathead taken no real hot spots to list.
So if you would like to catch a few fish every time you are out on the water the fishing School can show you how just give me a call 0418 169 439.
Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
The good weather has brought the fisho’s out in force to take advantage of the fantastic conditions. It’s still a little slow outside but with the water temperature out at the FAD at 24 it’s only a matter of time before it fires up. Not much off Grassy in close the better fish are in about 35 meters. King Fish have been in huge numbers around Fish Rock but most are under size. Small Snapper are coming out of the same location. There have been some reports of good Snapper and Pearl Perch out on the wider reefs. The current has been light which may have slowed things down over the last week.
The hot spot last week was Smoky Beach with Whiting in terrific numbers along the beach, most are legal fish taking live worms. Gap Beach is also producing good Whiting. There are a few Bream on the Beaches as well as big Salmon and Dart. The Rock Hoppers have battled again with one fish’o getting 5 fair Tailor in a session, and reports of a few Bream and Salmon.
The river is still clear even after all the rain we had and most guys are struggling to get a feed. Flat head are still the fish target with the odd Bream coming in as well. Whiting are on the flats, biting on live worms. If you want to try something different on these Whiting the Rebel Pop-R clear popper is like a magnet to metal. A couple of small Cobia have been caught in river along the Breakwall with the odd GT.
With only 10 weeks till Christmas the shop will lay-buys for that perfect Xmas Gift.
For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.
Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that The good rainfall we have enjoyed has had a significantly positive effect on angling throughout our estuarine systems. Last Fridays nights deluge alone saw a reasonable amount of fresh come down stream, and as a result, angling has picked up noticeably. Bream numbers were up in the lower reaches particularly around the break walls. Live yabbies and gut baits were particularly successful, although competitors in the Bream grand final too enjoyed improved rewards on both soft plastic and hard bodied lures. Flathead numbers have also been excellent with basically any location downstream of the Dennis Bridge producing good numbers of quality fish. On the flip side, whiting numbers have quietened down as is often the case with the river dirty, and the fresh was insufficient to fire the mulloway up off the break walls. For those keen on chasing a few crabs, the muddies should be on fire following this fresh, whilst a few positive reports on blue swimmers have begun to filter through.
On the beaches, the consistent seas of last week has seen most formations somewhat flattened. Although this makes life difficult in the short term, as I have said on many occasions, you don’t necessarily need a significant amount of structure on a beach to attract and hold fish. Quite often, a beach with just the occasional formation here and there will yield better results than a beach with a myriad of formations from one end to the other. You just need to be prepared to move around and seek sections that look different, whether that involves a small sand spit, hole or gutter. On the positive side, before the weather set in, some nice bream and whiting were on offer from both Lighthouse and North Beach, along with plenty of salmon thrown in for entertainment value. Still no news on the tailor front, although with the salmon run due to taper off shortly, a few choppers should hopefully grace our shoreline in the coming weeks.
Off the rocks, a few more tailor are now on offer although by and large catches are spasmodic as is the size, with most bags seeing a mixture of choppers and the occasional good fish. Night time anglers continue to pick up a few reasonable bream, with Big Hill and Racecourse both producing fish. The odd pig is still around for those willing to put in the time; however the season is rapidly drawing to a close with the waters now begin to warm noticeably.
Little to report from an offshore perspective, with this past week once providing only reasonable conditions at best. A few snapper and flathead have been snared from close off Plommer, whilst wider reefs to the north continue to give up the odd king, pearl perch and other assorted reef species when the current is reasonable. No real action as yet on a pelagic front, however the waters are now beginning to warm nicely. Once that greenish tinge disappears and the currents bring more of cobalt stuff down, look for our summer pelagic scene to begin to fire.
When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.
2. Team Sands (4148)
3. Team Dog (3702)
4. Team Benowa Tavern 1 (2629)
5. Team 4BC (2515)
6. B B Ms (2409)
7. Team What The (2206)
8. Croc Hunters (2022)
9. The Enemy (1974)
10. Team JAM (1892)
11. Team Bush n Beach (1792)
12. Team G Loomis / Sunline (1739)
13. Plastics Paranoia (1709)
14. 3 brothers (1692)
15. The Jig-olos (1668)
16. Team Pig Lures (1660)
17. Team Hinterland Marine (1643)
18. Drop Shots (1627)
19. Dusky Dominators (1624)
20. Cloud 9 (1615)
Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that one of his customers caught a blue morwong caught Tuesday at Henry Head on a Nipper . Last Sundayproduced a few kingfish and they are now a great chance as Scott has scored a few quality fish of late. Bait has been a little hard to fine on some days but if you put in the effort the results will come.
Trevally are in smaller numbers but most fish are of a good size, The drums, Oil wharf seem to be the spots worth trying, Trevally Alley a little slow.Trolling is producing the odd fish and the next day all quite Most fish that I have trolled up this week I have found down around the Third Runway, but is hot and cold. Bream are now staring to show along the end of the Third Runway and across the Bay, Best results are closer to the river mouth as the Bream near the Third Runway are a smaller run, Nippers or gut for bait. Spinning with soft plastics slow only the odd Flathead taken no real hot spots to list.
So if you would like to catch a few fish every time you are out on the water the fishing School can show you how just give me a call 0418 169 439.
Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
The good weather has brought the fisho’s out in force to take advantage of the fantastic conditions. It’s still a little slow outside but with the water temperature out at the FAD at 24 it’s only a matter of time before it fires up. Not much off Grassy in close the better fish are in about 35 meters. King Fish have been in huge numbers around Fish Rock but most are under size. Small Snapper are coming out of the same location. There have been some reports of good Snapper and Pearl Perch out on the wider reefs. The current has been light which may have slowed things down over the last week.
The hot spot last week was Smoky Beach with Whiting in terrific numbers along the beach, most are legal fish taking live worms. Gap Beach is also producing good Whiting. There are a few Bream on the Beaches as well as big Salmon and Dart. The Rock Hoppers have battled again with one fish’o getting 5 fair Tailor in a session, and reports of a few Bream and Salmon.
The river is still clear even after all the rain we had and most guys are struggling to get a feed. Flat head are still the fish target with the odd Bream coming in as well. Whiting are on the flats, biting on live worms. If you want to try something different on these Whiting the Rebel Pop-R clear popper is like a magnet to metal. A couple of small Cobia have been caught in river along the Breakwall with the odd GT.
With only 10 weeks till Christmas the shop will lay-buys for that perfect Xmas Gift.
For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.
Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that The good rainfall we have enjoyed has had a significantly positive effect on angling throughout our estuarine systems. Last Fridays nights deluge alone saw a reasonable amount of fresh come down stream, and as a result, angling has picked up noticeably. Bream numbers were up in the lower reaches particularly around the break walls. Live yabbies and gut baits were particularly successful, although competitors in the Bream grand final too enjoyed improved rewards on both soft plastic and hard bodied lures. Flathead numbers have also been excellent with basically any location downstream of the Dennis Bridge producing good numbers of quality fish. On the flip side, whiting numbers have quietened down as is often the case with the river dirty, and the fresh was insufficient to fire the mulloway up off the break walls. For those keen on chasing a few crabs, the muddies should be on fire following this fresh, whilst a few positive reports on blue swimmers have begun to filter through.
On the beaches, the consistent seas of last week has seen most formations somewhat flattened. Although this makes life difficult in the short term, as I have said on many occasions, you don’t necessarily need a significant amount of structure on a beach to attract and hold fish. Quite often, a beach with just the occasional formation here and there will yield better results than a beach with a myriad of formations from one end to the other. You just need to be prepared to move around and seek sections that look different, whether that involves a small sand spit, hole or gutter. On the positive side, before the weather set in, some nice bream and whiting were on offer from both Lighthouse and North Beach, along with plenty of salmon thrown in for entertainment value. Still no news on the tailor front, although with the salmon run due to taper off shortly, a few choppers should hopefully grace our shoreline in the coming weeks.
Off the rocks, a few more tailor are now on offer although by and large catches are spasmodic as is the size, with most bags seeing a mixture of choppers and the occasional good fish. Night time anglers continue to pick up a few reasonable bream, with Big Hill and Racecourse both producing fish. The odd pig is still around for those willing to put in the time; however the season is rapidly drawing to a close with the waters now begin to warm noticeably.
Little to report from an offshore perspective, with this past week once providing only reasonable conditions at best. A few snapper and flathead have been snared from close off Plommer, whilst wider reefs to the north continue to give up the odd king, pearl perch and other assorted reef species when the current is reasonable. No real action as yet on a pelagic front, however the waters are now beginning to warm nicely. Once that greenish tinge disappears and the currents bring more of cobalt stuff down, look for our summer pelagic scene to begin to fire.
When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.
