K jewfish hit estuaries
el. Mcglone coached Sally expertly hile waiting with the landing net and as ecstatic when a ripper black jew rfaced beside the boat.
“That’s better than a barra, Sal. You on’t get these every day,” he said. At 104cm, the jewfish proved Sally’s rgest fish to date and a bag limit fish – e maximum individual take of black wfish is now just one fish better than cm.
Fantastic fish Sally, happy birthday ani and electric guiding Vince!
irst-class decorum
TOUCH of luck and some nexpected fishing etiquette helped cal youngster Jarrod Edmondson nd his first ever spanish mackerel on unday.
Fishing with his cousin Matty Lee om Alligator Creek and their andfather Trevor Bower, a Cleveland alms resident, Jarrod reached for the nt rod on the starboard side of the ern as the trio fished close to the uthern limits of Salamander Reef. The fishing had been regarded as ugh in the early part of the morning hen mackerel pretty much ignored res and baits rigged with wire.
The same offerings though, tied to eavy monofilament leaders and aces, resulted in savage strikes but bsequent losses when the mackerel’s zor-sharp teeth found the mono. Jarrod struggled to pull the rod from e holder and the line, being pulled om the reel at a great rate of knots, aced a line towards another vessel hing close by.
Without any request made, the nglers within the vessel hurriedly ted their anchor and retrieved their nes for fear of tangling with Jarrod’s ooked fish.
It was a sign of first-class fishing corum that was truly appreciated by e young angler and his grandfather, in spite of the fish pulling up shorter than anticipated and changing direction.
The experience was especially spectacular when the fish was steered to the boat – but continued to hang deep – and all could marvel at the mackerel in gin-clear water, the reef bottom easily visible 17m below.
Only then did Jarrod realise how lucky he was.
The mackerel wasn’t hooked in its mouth, the 4/0 size hook finding purchase in its left flank. And that was probably a good thing with the monofilament trace almost certainly to have been bitten through otherwise.
Jarrod inched the fish closer until his first spanish mackerel, a fish of about 12kg, was pinned with the gaff.
Matty replied with a bunch of hookups on hot running fish, his best perhaps a 90cm golden trevally pinned using light line while grandad was unlucky to pull the hooks free of another mackerel that had again been foul-hooked when swiping at a bait.
Rollercoaster up creek
MT LOW’S Craig Allen was reporting on recent trips with mate Curtis Layton to the Barrattas Creek area, the pair chancing casts while fishing from their tinny in a small nondescript creek.
“Heaps of barra landed; not too many jacks,” Craig said.
Plentiful bait, schools of diamondscale mullet, enough large creek mullet and waters registering 22C was considered a recipe that should have resulted in fish on the deck.
That was hardly the case though when, during the morning tide, the mates cast Atomic brand lures and various model paddle-tail soft plastics for nothing more than a few small cod.
“I started getting the ‘look’ and that deafening silence from Curtis, but I assured him of my high hopes for this creek due to the accessibility, and last time I fished the area it was extremely productive,” Craig said.
That silence lasted until about 10am, according to Craig, when Curtis nailed a 42cm mangrove jack. It was then a whole lot of yahooing and high fives, Curtis claiming another jack (43cm) five casts later and then a ripper 79cm barramundi a little further up the creek.
Craig told how elated Curtis was and how he almost had to hide when tying on a lure, such was his fear of a fish grabbing it before he could manage a cast.
“He was a very happy lad now,” Craig recalled.
Warming waters during the afternoon tide found the mates trolling a section of the creek where plenty of fish were detected on the sonar.
Curtis was unlucky to lose another large barra when the bib pulled free from a normally reliable Halco lure and Craig made his move nailing six barramundi in as many troll run past a particular piece of structure.
“The bite was ridiculous … five barra were legal (size) and one just under,” said Craig, who declared the fishing a rollercoaster ride.
Magnetic lure for the game
MAGNETIC Island’s Horseshoe Bay will be a hive of activity this weekend, more so than usual, with game fishingminded anglers having descended upon the popular tourist beach, the famous Marlin Bar home base for this year’s Townsville Billfish Challenge.
More than 20 teams will compete for $40,000 in cash and prizes during the three-day fishing event, which will see valuable points awarded for marlin and sailfish, hooked, tagged and released, while other game fish species – including mackerel, tuna and cobia – may be weighed for minor prizes.
Having started at 8am yesterday, anglers will cease fishing tomorrow at 2pm with the final weigh-in between 2pm and 5.30pm and presentation at 7.30pm at the Picnic Bay Hotel.