Yowie Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) Headed out this arvo to Maianbar flats to pump some nippers. Some of the nippers are a bit soft due to the large amount of fresh water in the system. I caught the smaller whiting there, just over size. Nothing else but toads pinching the nippers. Headed to Gunnamatta Bay just before sunset. Anchored on the edge of the sandbank, rising tide. Baits into the deeper water, and nippers onto the shallow sandflat behind the boat. Nothing in the deep water, baits just sitting there. A few smaller tailor splashing but not taking any pillies. The nippers produced a lot of pickers, and an occasional crab though most fell off before getting to the boat. I used mullet fillets that I salted from last week, tougher for the crabs to hold on to. Bream on the nippers. On full darkness, I up anchored and tried a couple of drifts over the flats, and scored the larger whiting, but that was it, so headed home. Water very dirty up river, still murky in Gunnamatta, but not as bad. Lots of logs, branches and general rubbish floating about. Edited April 8 by Yowie 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabstar Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Good to see the fish are still on the chew with the fresh. Ill let the tide flush out another week and then ill venture out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Always manage a feed Dave, well done. I didn't realise that fresh water in the system makes nippers go soft. Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 A few healthy looking fish Dave and those male Blue Swimmers are very good looking. Hopefully your conditions will soon clear and bring the fish on again. Do you usually find the fishing is poor as Winter approaches (compared to Summer fishing)? bn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 8 hours ago, Crabstar said: Good to see the fish are still on the chew with the fresh. Ill let the tide flush out another week and then ill venture out. Not a lot of bites from bigger fish, mainly the little pickers - tarwhine, little reddies, toads over the sand flats. Another week should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, Little_Flatty said: Always manage a feed Dave, well done. I didn't realise that fresh water in the system makes nippers go soft. Interesting. Not a lot, but a feed of fillets and then crab. The nippers soften a little with large amounts of fresh water, mainly the nippers that have recently moulted their external shell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, big Neil said: A few healthy looking fish Dave and those male Blue Swimmers are very good looking. Hopefully your conditions will soon clear and bring the fish on again. Do you usually find the fishing is poor as Winter approaches (compared to Summer fishing)? bn Happy with what I caught considering others are not pulling up too many after the heavy rain. Fishing drops off a little heading to winter, but still fish to be found. I like autumn as the best time to fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Ct Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Good stuff Yowie, still managed a feed in the murky stuff. I might've been fishing too far up the river a few days ago. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linewetter Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Those are some nice sized crabs. How do you bring them up without them letting go? Is it just like bringing in a fish? I’ve not caught one yet on rod and reel, have been curious how that works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Nicely done Dave. I had a trip planned for yesterday but canned it - just didn’t want to face all the flotsam in the rivers. Hey, maybe the fish jumped on your hooks - they didn’t want to be in the brown muck either 🤣. cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, Isaac Ct said: Good stuff Yowie, still managed a feed in the murky stuff. I might've been fishing too far up the river a few days ago. Well done. Thank you. As I said, try further down river at the current time, especially when the run-up brings in slightly cleaner water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 43 minutes ago, linewetter said: Those are some nice sized crabs. How do you bring them up without them letting go? Is it just like bringing in a fish? I’ve not caught one yet on rod and reel, have been curious how that works When you realize there is a crab on, usually just a dead weight though at times you can feel a slight movement as the nippers are moving around trying to chop off the bait from the hook, slowly retrieve the line until near the boat. Keep the crab just under the surface, then slowly place the net in the water so that the crab is in the middle of the net opening, and scoop quickly otherwise the crab will let go and swim off. Just takes practice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 16 minutes ago, zmk1962 said: Nicely done Dave. I had a trip planned for yesterday but canned it - just didn’t want to face all the flotsam in the rivers. Hey, maybe the fish jumped on your hooks - they didn’t want to be in the brown muck either 🤣. cheers Zoran Thank you Zoran. The fish were eager to grab the baits, due to my fishing techniques. The fish are hungry, just having trouble finding the baits in the murky water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 5 minutes ago, Yowie said: due to my fishing techniques. Yup … I guess if you dangle enough hooks long enough something is bound to run into them 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dang T Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Good one Yowie, I managed to pull up a similar sized blue swimmer crab off Gunnamatta baths. I think the line was tangles on a claw so was able to pull him up. We released him Went for a land based fish around Salmon haul on Sunday 7th. Water was brown and terrible. Sticks and leaves everywhere. Packed up and went home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil D Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 keen aint you, I have brown water fishing , always a bit harder to fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 39 minutes ago, Basil D said: keen aint you, I have brown water fishing , always a bit harder to fish Had to get out for a fish before this southerly hit today, not staying home. Water a bit cleaner near the mouth on the run-up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Nice work Dave! A nice mixed bag after the deluge and you beat the southerly, astute planning👌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 27 minutes ago, jenno64 said: Nice work Dave! A nice mixed bag after the deluge and you beat the southerly, astute planning👌 Thanks Rob. Not exactly pulling them up, however, had some nice crumbed fillets tonight. Crabs cooked for another night. Could see what was coming along with the weather. My fishing mate could not make it Monday night, so I headed out myself at the last moment. Up river is very murky. Young Issac reported nothing biting on Sunday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter0069 Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Nice feed Yowie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 8 hours ago, Scooter0069 said: Nice feed Yowie Thank you, the fillets were good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 On 4/9/2024 at 7:24 AM, Yowie said: I like autumn as the best time to fish. Spot on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkin Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Mate, at least you got out there! Nice capture - and a couple of good feeds. Noticed some debris floating down river earlier this week, so got to be a little careful out there. I’ve been keen to get out - but this weather’s been terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 6 minutes ago, Larkin said: Mate, at least you got out there! Nice capture - and a couple of good feeds. Noticed some debris floating down river earlier this week, so got to be a little careful out there. I’ve been keen to get out - but this weather’s been terrible. I could see what was happening with the forecast, so had to go. The fillets were good, now crab next. Big swell for the rest of the week, also the wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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