Ng but barra still turn up
considered a “strong wind warning” issued by the Bureau of Meteorology when they pushed their 5m centre console boat beyond the cape and towards Salamander.
The waters were rough but navigable, according to the Sharpes as they continued at slow speed while trolling a pair of deep diving Rapala lures, albeit for no result.
The hubby and wife fishing team agreed the trip was worth it when they found hungry queenfish to nearly a metre long willing to eat almost anything thrown their way.
Sharpe said they each caught and released two fish while also pulling hooks free of at least that many again.
He admitted it was too rough to take photographs and a moderately more comfortable troll back to the cape proved as uneventful as the journey out.
Staying grounded
LAND- BASED angling enthusiast Bradley Mikic proved a boat was not necessary when in pursuit of big queenfish.
Mikic can regularly be found wetting a line from local hot spots including the Picnic Bay jetty and the Rock Pool at Kissing Point, however, his most recent success came when fishing from the extremities of The Stand jetty.
Using a garfish fillet bait and small 1/ 0 size hook, Mikic landed a ripper shallow water queenfish from among his usual catch of grunter, salmon, trevally, shark and rays.
The avid angler said patience was an essential tool for successful landbased anglers, the local man known to spend entire tides waiting for a single bite.
Better days ahead
THE word from the forecasters is that this weekend’s boating conditions should improve markedly.
Winds should ease from a gusty easterly to south- easterly direction to a lighter and more typical summer northerly influence by Sunday.
The trend is expected to push well into the new week and it is then that seas might settle enough to encourage boaties offshore and to the reefs.
Tides are building to Thursday’s new or dark moon and combined with reasonable boating conditions, are expected to entice anglers to do the fingermark thing during the evening hours when live squid are attracted to a light, scooped up with a net and sent back immediately to attract savage strikes.
Lures also work well for fingermark – even at night – and some of the best are octo- jigs and soft plastic vibes.
Work them ever so slowly close to the bottom and hang on!
Anglers are reminded that fingermark or golden snapper are governed by a minimum length of 35cm and “in possession” bag limit of five fish.