Bribie Xmas Eve

[Mike89]

I've just been up in the motherland over the Xmas period and managed to squeeze in an afternoon on the water up at Bribie Island with my girlfriend. Bribie is where it all started for me one day pulling up a nice 45cm flattie off the sand flats when I was about 8 years old. My grandparents used to have a little unit just off the bridge on the Bribie side and we used to hire a little tinny and take it around Pumicestone Passage with my brother and old man; I remember the excitement and anticipation the night before knowing that we always used to catch fish!

We grabbed a boat and hired a few rods (that had definitely seen better days) and headed to the bridge just as the tide started to run in where we anchored and I began to re-rig the rods. Threw a whole pilly out the back on a two-hook snelled rig and got to work on the second rod when I heard the drag squeaking on the old corroded reel and looked up to see the rod bent right over. I dropped the knot I was working on and jumped on it, struggling with the creaky old reel until finally I lifted up a nice 39cm snapper - my first one of a legal size!

After getting a couple of snaps I rigged up another pilly and tossed the line back in and got back to work on the other rod, but not for long! The rod took another dip and the drag started to pull - I told my girlfriend this one was hers and she'd better take the reins quick smart! We both brought this one in and it was another first: a grass sweetlip.

My girlfriend had put up her rod against the side of the boat while we netted the sweetlip, but the fish was barely in the boat before the tip of her rod curled over and the drag started to whir. Another legal-sized snapper coming in at 36cm!

We had the boat for another few hours and tried a few different spots and although we did have a bit of action there were no more keepers. So, three fish all in the first five minutes.

Barbecued them up for Xmas Eve dinner with my mum and her partner when we got back to Brisbane.

Beautiful spot, it was great to get another chance to revisit the old haunt!

[Guest hawkesbass]

Mate cannot complain about that.

Weather looked great and revisiting old areas that started it all is always good.

[Fufu]

Well done mate 

[Mike89]

Yep it was a real nice day to be out on the water!

I don't fish from boats much so always a bonus when I can get a chance.

Here's a bit of food for thought: 6 hours tinny hire plus bait plus 3 rods to play with at Bribie cost about the same as an hour of tinny hire in Middle Harbour down here in Sydney. Definitely great value!