Lure takes Billy further
SOFT plastic vibe style lures fooled plenty of fish for a Townsville schoolteacher during 2017, so many fish in fact that the keen angler decided to make his own.
Billy Green has demanded space in this column with some great fish lured by his own brand Bagged Out Lures and he has started the new year in the best possible fashion, claiming some superb fish when chancing his casts in local estuaries.
Green’s most recent trip began horribly, hitting a wallaby on the way to his favourite boat ramp and losing an anchor over the side when a shackle rattled loose, but it was all good from then on, according to the physical education teacher.
Green told me of hassles keeping his lures away from out- of- season barramundi and some fine fingermark and salmon that had trouble differentiating his lures from the real thing, but it was a thumping grunter or barred javelin fish that he was happiest with.
“Some quality fish hit the deck, but the pick of the bunch was a nice 65cm grunter,” he said.
Green said he was looking forward to the midday February 1 opening of the barra season and anticipates big catches on his lures.
Ramp ruled out of play
AND those early season barra catches won’t be happening on Green’s lures if anglers are planning to fish the Burdekin’s Morrissey’s or Barramundi Creek.
In their wisdom, the Department of Transport and Main Roads has decided to undertake reconstruction of the only boat ramp accessing the popular fishery beginning January 22 and rendering the ramp closed to all traffic until March 21.
Only the big fella upstairs will know why this project – closing one of the region’s most popular launch facilities – could not have been undertaken during the three- month barramundi season closure beginning November 1 annually.
It’s no accident that the creek is officially called Barramundi Creek, with access via Morris Creek Rd, hence the popular nickname Morrissey’s.
Anglers still keen on fishing the system during the ramp reconstruction period might have to consider access from the Haughton River via the ‘ Shortcut’ creek near Connors Island or alternatively, a seagoing one negotiating the mouth of the Haughton or the Barratta’s system immediately south of Morrissey’s.
Queenfish courted
THE largest queenfish are mostly encountered by local anglers during the height of summer and usually in the relatively shallow estuary and foreshore waters.
It is within those waters the largest females hunt – and apparently spawn – and they’ve already been doing their thing given the number of inch- long queenfish willing to recently take up space on bait jigs dropped close to any pylon within the Cleveland Bay shipping channel.
Local angler John Wharton, son Roy and daughter Lacey have claimed a bunch of great fish during the festive break while wetting a line in any number of Cleveland Bay hot spots, including both Alligator and Crocodile creeks.
Big grunter and salmon were both regular and welcome catches but it’s a whopping queenfish that sevenyear- old Roy might remember for a long time to come.
The youngster only required minimal help from his dad to help steady the rod, and following what must have been an epic battle, land a monster 120cm queenfish.
Mesmerised by the awesomeness of the critter, what else does a sevenyear- old do but lay alongside a beast of almost equal length?
Well done Roy.
Cody catches on
MEANWHILE, young Cody van Krieken is justifiably proud of a ripper land- based catch he made during the holidays while fishing the foreshore of Rowes Bay.
“It was just before Christmas,” mum Kylie said. “It was a very proud moment for him.”
Cody, 11, snared a sizeable golden trevally while fishing from the beach, a catch not often made by anglers fishing within Rowes Bay’s shallow waters. sponsored by
Golden trevally are a revered sportfish by many and rated as one of the best eating of the entire trevally clan.
Stenno memory lives on
THE Burdekin community will be poorer for the recent loss of wellknown fishing guide Andrew Stennett.
Stenno, late of the Barrattas fishing village Jerona, terrorised barramundi and jacks within Bowling Bay creeks as he treated clients of Stenno’s Fishing Tours to a tropical estuary fishing experience of few equals.
And an outboard mechanic by trade, he was also a handy bloke to have living in a village where nearly everyone owns a boat.
Stenno was the first to show me how to steam mudcrabs rather than boil the crustaceans and 15 years on, I think of him every time I spill just an inch or so of water into the boiler.
“Not gone, just gone fishing,” a family member posted on Stenno’s Fishing Tours Facebook page.
Friends and family will say their final goodbyes 2pm today at Ayr’s Presbyterian Church.