Heavy seas a challenge
ANGLERS contesting the Bowen Family Fishing Classic this weekend will be less than enthused with the weekend boating forecast for the northern Whitsunday coastline – stiff winds and choppy seas set to ensure offshore fishing is uncomfortable at best.
Many will take heart that they don’t even have to wet a line to win either major Senior or Junior prizes when a “lucky draw” system rewards a single winner from both divisions a new Stessl boat, Honda motor and trailer package worth in excess of a combined $ 37,000.
Nonetheless, inshore grounds will be well fished with competitors endeavouring to hook “largest” and “secret weight” winning fish in any of 15 species categories.
There’s little doubt that some anglers will brave the elements to fish hot spots including the Abbott Point jetty, Nares Rock and any number of nearby shoal areas, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find winning fish – especially Spanish mackerel – pulled from well- fished inshore spots like Innamincka Rocks or the passage between Stone and Lighthouse islands.
Entries are great value at $ 25 for seniors and just $ 15 for junior anglers ( 15 years and under) and remain available today at the Fishing Warehouse and Tackle World, otherwise online at www. bowenfamilyfishingclassic. com
Each entry secures a ticket in respective boat lucky draw prizes.
Licence debate
“I WENT out in a boat last weekend and didn’t catch a thing,” said Kev from Kelso this week in a text to the editor.
“If I can’t catch a fish out there surely … people are taking too many fish,” Kev continued.
Kelso Kev is calling for the introduction of a recreational fishing licence for Queensland anglers.
“Is it time our state followed suit with the likes of NSW and started issuing recreational fishing licences?” Kev offered.
Personally I think not, and those thoughts were recently backed by Queensland Fisheries who admitted that plenty of revenue for fisheries management is raised from the state’s recreational anglers via several avenues including boating registrations.
I’m thinking that a recreational fishing licence might just leave Kev paying for the privilege of catching nothing.
The fishery is not in that bad a shape and anglers a lot wiser than me often recite a reasonably accurate adage, “10 per cent of the anglers catch 90 per cent of the fish.”
Kev says: “Recreational fishing licences and recreational quotas can only go towards helping people like me put a queenfish on the table in the long term.”
What are your thoughts? Email me eddieriddle@ fishcity. com. au
Garlic brings in barra
WITH just a little more than six weeks of the 2017 Queensland East Coast Barramundi Season remaining and half that for the Gulf of Carpentaria barra season, it is expected that local creeks and rivers will be well fished during the next month or so.
Oonoonba State School teacher Billy Green is using what little time is left of the season fishing his favourite creeks at any opportunity.
Green says he is deriving special satisfaction catching barras on his home brewed soft plastic vibe lures – artificial baits that he likes to call “Bagged Out” lures. He attributes a fantastic 14- barra haul from Morrissey’s Creek last weekend to a new garlic scent that he is including in the build process of his lures.
“We caught 14 ( barra) but only kept two,” Green said.
“And I think the scent had a bit to do with it … it masks the plastic smell of the lure and the hits seemed more positive,” Green said as he handed me a couple to try out.
The lures certainly look as good as any commercially available models and the garlic, well it certainly disguises any plastic odour that fish might not relish.
The Queensland East Coast Barramundi Season closes at midday November 1 while the Gulf of Carpentaria Barramundi Season closes midday October 7. Both barra fisheries will be off limits until midday February 1, 2018.
And an excerpt from the Queensland Fisheries website: “It is also prohibited to deliberately target barramundi for catch and release during these closed seasons, as the stress of capture may prevent a fish from spawning.”
Dates to remember
ANOTHER seasonal closed fisheries date to keep in mind is the annual Coral Reef Fin Fish restriction.
All designated coral reef fin fish including coral trout, nannygai, sweetlip and emperors ( among others) are totally protected during two five- day periods surrounding the October and November new or dark moons – October 17 to October 21 and November 15 to November 19 ( dates inclusive).
Exemptions are available for some charter operators who undertake extended reef fishing trips during these times.