Yowie Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 (edited) Headed to southern Qld with the wife to visit our daughter and family. The grandkids wanted to fish with a "professional" fisherman, that is what they call me . Better that their father they tell me, so it was a surprise visit for them. Headed out with the family in their boat to a sandbank and pumped some nippers. The kids have as much fun picking up the nippers as they do fishing, until getting nipped by the big male nippers 🤣. Tried one spot, and the little bream, tarwhine and whiting were on the bite. Eventually pulled up half a dozen legal whiting, which the boys kept and were very pleased to catch. Big smiles on their faces. Some boats turned up so moved up river a bit. Anchored and the jet skis roared past, time to move again. Headed to the mouth of one of the large canals, and again pulled up little bream and tarwhine. Whilst there, something swam around the back of the boat, so I lobbed out a piece of bread and it was garfish. I used a slice of bread from a sandwich and pulled out quite a few. Kept a dozen for the table, and released a number of small ones - would have made good bait for ganged hooks, but luck was on their side. They were Snub Nosed Garfish, a very short lower beak with an orange tip. Relative to other garfish, they have a thicker body than those from the south - sea and river garfish. Time consuming to prepare - scaled, filleted and the rib bones removed, then crumbed and pan fried - however, ranking just behind whiting on the plate. Enough fillets for a good feed, with a few left for another night. A couple of the largest ones, the others not far behind. Edited January 25, 2023 by Yowie 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Good time to avoid the Hacking Dave🤪 Good to see the gun Hacking fisho can rustle up a feed away from the local! great to see the grandkids learning from the specialist👌 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 2 minutes ago, jenno64 said: Good time to avoid the Hacking Dave🤪 Good to see the gun Hacking fisho can rustle up a feed away from the local! great to see the grandkids learning from the specialist👌 Thanks Rob. Their father caught one garfish during the time - "how do you get the bread to stay on the hook, then cast out with no sinker?" 🤣 The boys were very happy with the surprise visit, then a fishing trip and another day at the beach. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Nice work Dave! Are you towing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 8 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said: Nice work Dave! Are you towing? No towing Donna, just a drive up, stay at their home, then drive back. Busy roads, quite a few vans heading north. The Bruce Highway is still a nightmare with the roadworks out from the Gold Coast area. A few years to complete, as the workers stopped working during Covid time and pushed out the completion date. Coffs Harbour bypass not due for completion until some time in 2026. The Hexham Bridge also needs a bypass, but have not heard if anything is happening there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Nice report Yowie, great to see you showing the grandkids how it's done! Maybe their parents will take them out more now that you got them hooked Those stub nosed garfish are interesting critters, I've don't think I have ever seen or caught one before. I will note however that you have to find a regulation concrete slab up that way on which to display your catch! 🤣 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkin Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 3 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said: I will note however that you have to find a regulation concrete slab up that way on which to display your catch! 🤣 Haha, it not the same not seeing them laying on a slab! 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkin Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Bet it’s nice having the grandkids to collect the nippers for a change. Well done on the catch! brought in a feed and showed up the son in law! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Love this kind of thing, kids love catching bait....my grandkids call it "going Nippering" they prefer to do that than fish I think! Nothing better than taking kids fishing, I make a point of making them do the "work" finding holes, picking up Nippers, look for other stuff, Mullet, crabs, anything to get their mind "working". River Garfish are fun to catch, pretty good eating, but "fiddly" to prepare, lots in Lake Illawarra, and big ones too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 I guess the message in this thread is, if you know how to fish, you will catch them, secret spots, rigs, reels with 50 bearings and all that kind of jazz are really secondary, learn HOW to fish, HOW to gather bait, think about where your target species lives and feeds! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Little_Flatty said: Nice report Yowie, great to see you showing the grandkids how it's done! Maybe their parents will take them out more now that you got them hooked Those stub nosed garfish are interesting critters, I've don't think I have ever seen or caught one before. I will note however that you have to find a regulation concrete slab up that way on which to display your catch! 🤣 The kids have been out a couple of times already, but appreciated me being there - to hook up a nipper, cast out then show them how to wind in. Both of them wound the handle the wrong way a couple of times, so that the line was tangling around the spool. Cannot get angry, just put up with it and teach them. 😁 That is my first time with those gars, used to catching the river and occasional sea gars down around here. 2 hours ago, Larkin said: Bet it’s nice having the grandkids to collect the nippers for a change. Well done on the catch! brought in a feed and showed up the son in law! Saves bending down to pick up the nippers, enough back strain just pumping them out. The S.I.L. was lucky with his garfish, it just landed in the boat when his hook knot came undone. Not used to tying on small hooks. 😂 53 minutes ago, noelm said: I guess the message in this thread is, if you know how to fish, you will catch them, secret spots, rigs, reels with 50 bearings and all that kind of jazz are really secondary, learn HOW to fish, HOW to gather bait, think about where your target species lives and feeds! That's it, and I don't spend much on rods and reels. Everyone wanted to fish in the deep water, but I found a small sand spit, stired up by the current, and that is where the whiting were feeding, close to shore. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 2 hours ago, noelm said: Love this kind of thing, kids love catching bait....my grandkids call it "going Nippering" they prefer to do that than fish I think! Nothing better than taking kids fishing, I make a point of making them do the "work" finding holes, picking up Nippers, look for other stuff, Mullet, crabs, anything to get their mind "working". River Garfish are fun to catch, pretty good eating, but "fiddly" to prepare, lots in Lake Illawarra, and big ones too. Point out to kids where critters live or swim. Nipper holes, soldier crabs scurring about, crabs living under rocks and down holes, ghost crabs living in holes way up the back of a beach. Living where they are, there is usually a koala or two in the back yard trees, goannas, a few different and sometimes poisonous snakes, various birds, cane toads, even found 2 scorpions inside the house. They are now doing a bit of gardening, growing various veges. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Fantastic, let's hope they keep at it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Top report. Watchout for Invaders. QLD is full of them. Great photos. Enjoy yourself. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 1 hour ago, Rebel said: Top report. Watchout for Invaders. QLD is full of them. Great photos. Enjoy yourself. Cheers. Thank you. I did enjoy myself. A good time with the kids, a few fish, scantily clad women on the beaches, a few glasses of red to drink. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Ct Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 Good stuff Yowie, nice to please the grandkids. They aren’t wrong with the professional fisherman bit, except you do it for fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 A kind of funny thing happened about an hour ago, there was an Asian family setup across the road, having a picnic lunch, and a young kid (about 10 or so) dragged a fishing rod out of the car, he had some old Prawns and was casting out where there is nothing but snags, after losing a few bits of gear, I went over with a bread roll, and told him to take the sinker off, go just along the rocks a bit, and pointed out some sand patches, I got some bread, squashed the air out of it, pressed it onto his hook, and soaked some and tossed it out for burley. Told him to try to cast out onto the sand patches, (about 8m maybe) his line was in the water about 20 seconds when it buckled over, and he started yelling, I reckon he wound that Bream right through the guides, he was so excited......his parents came yelling and screaming and offered me some money, I just smiled and said "no thanks, I have been paid by his smile" I gave him the rest of the bread roll and walked back home, feeling very proud of myself! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mullatt Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 That's a great story mate. I can fully imagine how the young fella and yourself both felt. well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 It's nothing really, and I have fished there hundreds of times, I enjoy helping people out, especially kids, some people are happy to learn, others just tell you to buzz off, those I just walk away from. Sometimes just one simple "tip" can open a whole new world to a beginner 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kantong Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 well done mate and that is how the 'professionals' do it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Sorry about hijacking Yowies thread........ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 3 hours ago, noelm said: Sorry about hijacking Yowies thread........ A few of us have done it before, not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil D Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Great time of year to get away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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