Gold Coast

[slinkymalinky]

After a great run of incredibly diverse fishing on the Gold Coast and Tweed inshore grounds recently, Jewhunter, my FIL and I were greeted with ugly sea conditions outside the Gold Coast Seaway this morning. Even with my expanded confidence in my trusty Quinnie, we took one exploratory run into the start of the world's biggest washing machine at the entrance and decided that today was in 'inside day'.

The conditions looked good but outside it was another story

So we had to leave the gear for the exotic stuff in the rack and get back to some bread and butter stuff. We'd started the day by struggling to get a few herring in the live bait tank and after a couple of horrendous drifts along both walls of the Seaway with current, waves, wind and lines going in all directions, Jewhunter made the good call to try for some more bait in our 'never fail' spot (that had failed at first light)

FIL joining the struggle to get herring early

With the sun up we nosed around while JH pulled in string after string of herrings. We'd decided to use jigs instead of the cast net because it causes less damage to the fragile herrings and they live heaps longer in the tank that way.

A bait tank full of Seaway candy

With a tank full of bait we headed back into the seaway for the change of tide. Each of us pulled nice Flathead with FIL's the best going 59cm (although every time he talked about it for the rest of the day it kept creeping up to 60... 62. I reckon he's at home with my MIL now and it's probably about 75 by now

Like clockwork right on the top of the tide the Jewies came out to play and I picked up a little soapy of about 50 or 55cm (75cm minimum limit in QLD). FIL then picked up another one and Jewhunter another nice 45cm'ish Flattie.

With slack water the fish went quiet so we upped stumps and went off to prospect some areas with plastics and found at least one nice drift with great looking pockets, depressions and drop offs along the edge of a sand bank.

A few hits and bumps but all we managed was an undersized flattie and a greedy little bream that scoffed a 110mm Squidgy flick bait. We'll have to get back there on a day when the wind isn't wuite so strong and the boat traffic a little less like Pitt Street.

Greedy Gold Coast bream

We finished our session at one of the Broadwater bridges. As soon as we got there bait was showering around the pylons and first cast, JH's plastic got slammed but the hook failed to connect in what was probably one of the resident travally. And unfortunatly that was it on the fish action front although after confidently announcing to my FIL that there are never herring around that bridge (the bait was getting low), I immediately started pulling them in no problemo.

It was a day where we had to work for our fish and while we're a long way from getting the place wired, the story on the boat ramp was 'no fish' so we more than held our own again.

Thanks JH and FIL for another enjoyable day on the water.

Cheers, Slinky

The Gold Coast Broadwater isn't exactly wilderness fishing but the fish don't seem to mind...

[Ray R]

Hey Slinky , great report mate, a very interesting read, shame you couldn't get out, but at least you got a few flatties in the calmer waters, I have used those little herring things at the 'V' wall Nambucca Heads, I can remember they produced some nice flatties.

Good day out for you chaps, nice pics as well..

Cheers..

[WANNAFISH]

Top report mate. Thats the good thing up there, Most of the spots holds fish and theres always plan b and plan b normally works not like down here in Sydney.

Thats a good experience to that parasailing. They pick u up from the tall ship and take your money too.

[slinkymalinky]

Nice report Slink,

The bream up in QLD are so greedy! ahah i remember getting a fairly small one on vibes!

What size jig were you using? Did u have bait on the hooks to get the herring?

Cheers,

Mike

G'day Mike,

No bait for the Herrings mate. Just VERY small jigs... if there are herring there, they seem to always take the jigs. Even got one today on a much bigger jig while trying to snag a chopper tailor for bait. The Herrings show a distinct preference for jigs with red heads rather than the green ones though. I stocked up on a heap of tiny pioneer jigs at Go Fish... they come in 2 strings of 3 rather than one long one of 6... much easier to handle.

Cheers, Slinky

[tcjc86]

nicely done fellas,

the broadwater looks great with the sun over it, at least until the wind gets up! good to see a few different fish coming out of there

[rooster]

you guys worked hard for fish . . .

even tried kite fishing for reef sharks

have you lads hit the reefs east of Cook Island yet ??

[Jewhunter]

That's a great summary of the day Slinky.

We did work hard & put up with some messy conditions but I think we gave ourselves the best possible chance at getting into some fish which we eventually did with a nice bag of flatties. A couple of small jew are always a bit of fun as well even though I didn't manage one!

As always it was another fun session & another learning curve in our new stomping grounds.

Rooster, yes we have had a couple of sessions out off Cook island when the conditions allow. Last week we fished 9 mile, south reef & Fidos for a good bag of fish.

Here's a couple of Slinkys' fish. Even using a towel he still manages to get spiked by every flattie he touches!

Cheers,

Grant.

[arpie]

Great report Slinky & Grant - sounds like a fun day on the water even tho the biggies were too evident!

Your jewie looks about the same size as most of mine (altho I did get at least one legal one that I kept .....) the others I felt sorry for & put back!

Ever tried the bigger blades (eg sonic) for jewies around the bridge pylons? I reckon they'd work a treat!

Cheerio

Roberta