Yearly Archives : 2015

Well what a weekend! A huge contrast to the previous few with virtually no sea or swell and only light winds conditions were ideal and have been so for most of the week. We got plenty of fishing in, doing full day charters to the Barwon banks and half day charters to Murphy’s reef catching the mixed bags of reef fish the sunny coast is known for. From coral trout and mackerel to snapper and big tusk fish we are so lucky this time of year and the mix of colours are amazing.  The picture below is from Fridays’ half day showing a 4kg coral trout and 2kg tusk fish and school mackerel.

So from our half days on Murphy’s reef species caught are sweetlip, squire, coral trout, tuskfish, school mackerel, maori cod, hussar, moses perch and pearl perch. This reef has been firing for a while now and with the inner and outer gneerings right next door it gives plenty of options for all types of fishing. We have caught almost everything in this area from marlin and mackerel in summer to big snapper and pearl perch in winter.  The picture below shows off a maori cod about 3kg, well done Stephen very good eating!

The Barwon banks’ is a regular go to area on the full days, this reef is huge. Over the past week we have fished the middle to northern section and depths from 28 to 55 metres the diversity here never ceases to amaze. Species caught here were tusk fish, fusilier, red throat emperor, maori cod, moses perch, pearl perch, hussar, trevally, pearl perch, coronation trout and squiry-snapper to 3.5 kg which the photo is shown below.

Still no big 8-10kg trophy snapper boated yet but it will be any day now and with good numbers of squire now is the time to put some hours in on the water. If you would like to join us for as trip head over to our contacts page and flick us an email or call to see what’s available and we will get you landing your own top catch until then HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!

Hi all, the weather pattern over the past few weeks has been a little ordinary with the weekends throwing poor conditions for offshore waters but the good news is it looks to change this weekend. The current forecast is fantastic with light winds and virtually no swell Hooray!!! Maybe the usual calm winter weather is finally here.
The past week we have managed to get out on Wednesday, Friday and yesterday (Tuesday) with reasonable results. Last Wednesday we did a ¾ day charter and it started off well we caught snapper, tuskfish, pearl perch, moses perch, hussar, trevally and morwong. After 2hrs things went a little quiet so we headed a little deeper to fish a couple of wrecks where we get cobia but they weren’t chewing all we could bring up were big grinners- bait wasters. So we headed back in to the reef to salvage some time and added a few sweetlip and mackerel to the esky.
Friday was a full day charter and we headed out wide to fish the barwon banks. We worked the shallow areas chasing those colourful varieties. Some nice eating size snapper were boated along with big spangled emperor. Other species included tuskfish, red throat emperor, gold spot wrasse, fusilier, pearl perch, trevally and maori cod.
Tuesdays’ trip was again a ¾ day trip and we headed south this time starting on Currimundi reef targeting school mackerel. We got a burley trail started and nailed a few before the sharks caught on to us and join in on the action. We then headed to the Caloundra 12nm and caught sweetlip, moses perch, tuskfish and some big cod which are pictured below. Well done to regulars Steve and Angelo both getting some big fish but Angelo got the bragging rights this time with his measuring 1.05m and weighing in at 14.5 kg.

Due to a cancellation we do still have spots left this weekend so if you would like to join us for a trip head over to our contacts and give us a call or flick us an email and we will make something happen. Until next time HAPPY HUNTING!!!

Unfortunately we won’t be fishing for the next few days. The massive high in the great Australian bite is generating strong to fresh S/W to S/E winds and a fair swell to go with it especially once you get a couple of mile offshore. So if you’re keen for a fish in coming days you will have to stick to the estuaries. This is very unfortunate as the fishing the past week has been hot!

Recent trips included ½, 3/4 and full day charters so a lot of different sunshine coast reefs’ were fished. The most productive was murphy’s reef, right on our doorstep, which seen us getting into a wide range of species including pelagic like cobia, king fish, amberjack and spanish mackerel as well as the bottom feeders coral trout, snapper, parrot fish, tusk fish, maori cod and pearl perch. It just goes to show that you don’t need to “do the miles to get the smiles” at this time of year. The picture below shows Tom, a regular customer, with a 5kg amberjack and a 5kg cobia well done!!

The barwon banks’ was fished earlier in the week and numbers of fish were great but the size was a little down on previous trips. We have been working the bottom end for the past month or so and doing reasonably well on numbers and with some big fish coming aboard as well. Species caught were snapper, pearl perch, tusk fish, gold spot wrasse, amber jack, maori cod, hussar, moses perch and fusilier. We might have a look further north on our next full day to try for some bigger specimens. The picture below is of a quality pearly boated by one of our regulars Wayne. Well done mate

The next couple of photos are of coral trout caught on a half day. We get quite a lot this time of year and they should stick around for the next couple of weeks.

So there is plenty going on at the moment and snapper season is only just getting started, a great time of year for fishing offshore in Mooloolaba. If you would like to join us for a trip head over to our contacts page and flick us an email or give us a call – until then HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!

How about the weather lately, it’s been crazy, hopefully now things will settle into a normal winter pattern. Some calm and cool mornings would be nice! In between the storm cells, troughs and cold fronts that have been hitting south east Queensland the fishing has been quite good. The cooler temps have done wonders to the bottom fishing with good catches of snapper, pearl perch, kingfish, and amberjack and on certain days even the prized coral trout. It is not isolated to certain areas or reefs either, reports all reefs in close and out wide have been quite good for these species. We are looking forward to a great winter season.

The size of the snapper are from 1-4kg so no trophy fish yet but numbers’ are good – very good signs for this early in the season. Pearl perch is another species which have been in good numbers lately in fact we have been getting good catches right through summer and plenty in the 2-3kg range which are great size for this quality eating fish. Ok so now for the big trophy fish the first picture shows an amberjack weighing a whopping 21kg after tax (shark bite). A great fighting fish providing a nail biting 15 minutes and mike was very unlucky to have a shark take bite only metres from the boat, well done mate!

This next picture is of a whopping gold spot estuary cod weighing over 30kgs (scales bottomed out) and measuring 1.38m and it was successfully released, after a few photos of course. Lukes first fish and what a way to start! Well done mate

Here is what has been caught over the past couple of trips:
Barwon banks– snapper, pearl perch, moses perch, amberjack, tusk fish, gold spot wrasse, hussar, fusilier and maori cod
Caloundra wide– snapper, tuskfish, trag jew, pearl perch and gold spot wrasse
Murphy’s reef– snapper, pearl perch, coral trout, moses perch, hussar, king fish, school mackerel and estuary cod
Caloundra 9nm & 12nm– spotted mackerel, mahi mahi, sweetlip, squire, pearl perch and tusk fish

High tide for Wednesday 5th may is 9:10am at 1.48m

If you would like to join us for a trip head over to our contacts page and flick us an email or give us a call until the happy hunting!!

Hi all

It seems weather forecasts were a little out over the past week which made it a little harder than usual to plan trips. Conditions were unstable, patches of brilliant sunshine and flat seas mixed with rain periods and sloppy seas however we did get a few trips’ in, some in less than ideal conditions, and we were rewarded. Once again Murphy’s reef and the Barwon banks were the reefs’ that fired. These two areas have been fishing superbly for the past two months. Some of the standout catches for the week were coral trout, pearl perch, snapper and sweetlip all of which are top table fish.

The 1/2 and ¾ day charters were spent on Murphy’s reef bottom dropping on the inside and outside edges and both sides of the reef produced quality fish. There were snapper to 4kg, coral trout to 6.5kg, sweetlip, tuskfish, school mackerel, hussar, some good size moses perch, gold spot estuary cod, morwong to 5kg, gold spot wrasse and the king fish are still hanging around in good numbers. The pilchards and local squid did most of the damage with a few kingy’s and cod taking live yakka’s and small fusilier. Well done to the boys in the picture below boating some quality coral trout 5kg and 6.5kg.

The banks are where we have been going for our full day charters and the deeper sections of the bottom end were targeted this week. Species boated were amberjack, rosy jobfish, pearl perch, fusilier, big tea leaf trevally, snapper, tusk fish, gold spot wrasse, moses perch, kingfish and small mac tuna. It is good to see the snapper coming through and numbers will only increase over the next two months as the temperature starts to drop. All ready we are starting to get plenty around the 3-4kg mark so I think the snapper season is going to be a good one, I can’t wait! The picture below shows amberjack to 5kg which gave the boys’(and their dad) a good fight well done boys.

Hopefully the fishing keeps firing for the last week of the school holidays and there is still spots left on various charters so if you want to keep the kids occupied for a day and yourself head over to our contacts page and send us an email or give us a call. Until then happy hunting!!!!

Well we are very thankful for the weather received over the Easter long weekend. It wasn’t looking too good this time last week but the rain and wind stopped Friday morning leaving us with perfect fishing conditions, and the Sunshine Coast reefs fished well too.  Pelagics’ like mackerel, kingfish, amberjack and big trevally were boated as well as some tasty reef species like coral trout, pearl perch, squire and tusk were pulled up from the bottom. The spanner crabs were hungry as well especially on the full day trips with hauls of up to 64 keepers. The current was quite strong out wide on our full day charters’ but it didn’t seem to stop the fish everyone had a good bag of fish and crabs to feast on over the Easter break.

We had ½ day charters on Saturday morning and afternoon and tried 3 different reefs- Currimundi, the Caloundra 9nm and Murphy’s. Fish were put in the esky from all but the afternoon session on Murphy’s was probably the most productive some quality kingfish 5-8kg, squire, sweetlip, tusk fish, hussar and moses perch all coming home with us for dinner. They might have liked the hours leading up to the full moon rise. The 9nm provided tusk fish, sweetlip, squire, coral trout and morwong and we had school mackerel, big estuary cod and moses perch from Currimundi reef. The picture below shows a beautiful coral trout caught on a cut pilchard, well done mate!

The full day charters were spent on the Barwon banks and the variety of species caught never ceases to amaze me. There were good numbers of amberjack in the 3-5kg range some nice size pearl perch, rosy and green job fish, squire, lots of tusk fish, big trevally to 7kg, kingfish, fusilier and moses perch to name a few. The picture below shows a 4kg green jobfish which are pretty rare for our reefs and top of the table as far as eating is concerned well done Greg!

This last photo is an 8kg king fish that took a live yakka on a paternoster rig. One of our regulars Doug and his son Jai were very impressed, good work boys.

If you would like to join us for a trip head over to contacts page and drop us a line or call anytime. We do still have some availability for the remainder of the holidays. Until then HAPPY HUNTING!

Hi all,
Sorry I didn’t update you last week but we took the opportunity get away camping on Bribie before the Easter rush. It’s a hidden gem, I hadn’t been there before but enjoyed it thoroughly and the fact it’s on our doorstep makes it very appealing for future getaways. We only had 2 nights and with the kids fishing opportunities were limited to just 3 occasions but they were very productive! There were heaps of swallow tail dart during the day. Some big whiting to 40cm and bream at dawn and a huge 63cm permit or snub nose dart at dusk which put up a great fight on the light gear.

Some good times but now back to business the offshore scene has been going great. The past fortnight has been some big numbers of fish put into the esky as well as some quality size specimens as well. Murphy’s reef for the half and 3/4 day charters and the deeper sections of the Barwon banks for the full day trips have been the pick of the reefs and are going off! Lots of squire coming through with fish up to 4kg being landed. Also plenty of king fish, amberjack, sweetlip, moses perch and trevally. There are still a few Pearlies on the full days and we have got into some schools of trag jew and fusilier as well. And all that is just to name a few, below shows a decent 10kg cobia caught on the Barwon banks.

And this picture shows Kathy, one of our regulars, rewarded with some snapper to 4kg from Murphy’s on a ½ day trip. I tried to get her to hold the 5 other fish she had caught in her mouth for the photo but she wasn’t into it ha-ha

So lots of action over the past 2 weeks and the fishing is looking good for the upcoming Easter holiday period. We do still have some availability for charters over the next 2 weeks so if you are interested id book in now before things fill up!! To do so head over to our contacts page and flick me an email or call 0429013012.
Until then HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!!

It has been blowing again fresh to strong south to south easterlies most of the week with a bit of swell around as well. I can’t wait for the cyclone season to pass! Sunday just gone was the only trip for the week and it was a cracker! A 3/4 day spent on murphy’s reef with glass out conditions from 9am. The fish were chewing too we had a mixed bag which included squire, spangled emperor, moses perch, pearl perch, kingfish, hussar, golden trevally, tea leaf trevally, sweetlips, tusk fish and morwong. We did get busted up a few times but no really big fish were boated however 55 fish made the esky look good. Looks like a good winter season coming up for reef fishing out off Mooloolaba. The good news is the weather is going to be quite good for the weekend.  It will be a wait and see approach hopefully the south easterlys hold off for a while (fingers crossed). The photo below shows a 4kg spangled emperor which was probably the biggest fish of the day.

Below shows a king fish and these have been plentiful over the past 2 months on the gneerings and murphy’s reef. Most, like this one, are in the 60-75cm range but there is the odd one getting caught over a metre or about 6kg’s. First timer Charles thought this one fought plenty hard enough for him and was stoked when it came over the side of the boat. Well done mate!

If you would like to wet a line with us please head over to our contacts page or give us a call on     0429 013 012. Until then happy hunting!!!

The weather, overall, has been a little rough for what feels like a couple of months. The cyclone season has certainly been felt across Queensland this year and our thoughts go out to everyone affected. However it has not all been bad news as in between weather systems we have had 2 and 3 day windows which have fished quite well in close and out wide.
Last weekend was spent in close on the inner reefs. We had 1/2days booked and both mornings’ and afternoons’ were fished with Sunday afternoon fishing the best. Good to see online casino some numbers of squire put in the esky this early in the year. It looks like a good snapper season ahead!!!
Here’s what has been happening:
Murphy’s and the gneerings– tusk fish, moses perch, hussar, sweetlip, pearl perch and lots of squire
Currimundi wide– sweetlip, squire, school mackerel and cobia
Caloundra 9nm– school mackerel, squire, tusk fish, moses perch, pearl perch, maori cod and big estuary cod
Caloundra 12nm– sweetlip, squire, spotted and Spanish mackerel, tusk fish, pearl perch and moses perch
Barwon banks– some good size snapper, pearl perch, moses perch, tusk fish, fusilier, job fish and red throat emperor
Good signs- Great numbers of squire in the 35-45cm range have shown up on the inshore reefs.

The sunshine coast forecast for the weekend looks a bit blowy again; maybe the bigger boats might get a chance offshore on Sunday (Fingers crossed). We can’t wait to get back out there and if you would like to join us give us a call or email.
Until then HAPPY HUNTING!!!

HI all,

After a couple of ordinary weeks’ weather wise the Sunshine Coast fishing scene is back in full swing.  A glorious weekend on the water and the next few days all look the same. We had done trips from Thursday through to Sunday with a mixture of ¾ day trips fishing the inner reefs and full day trips to the Barwon banks. Tusk fish seemed to be chewing baits everywhere and were the most prevalent species, weighing in the 1-2kg range and the bigger ones up to 3kg.

We fished the bottom end of the banks on both Thursday and Saturday for our full day charters.  Species bagged were king fish, squire, pearl perch 2-3kg, rosy job fish, moses perch, hussar and of course all those tasty tusk fish.  We stuck in the 45 to 60m depth range as the shallower areas have been a little quiet for the last month or so. The crabbing out wide has been excellent!  Since November we have been consistently getting hauls of 50-60 keepers and the last couple of days were no different. I thought after all the swell they might stay buried for while but that did not happen; to everyone’s delight there has been plenty to go around. The photo below shows the biggest fish of the weekend coming from the banks. It’s a hard fighting 8kg tea leaf trevally – Dan was stoked, he had been telling everyone all morning he wasn’t going to catch the most fish just the biggest and he pulled it off.  Well done

Our ¾ days were spent between Currimundi reef and the Caloundra 9nm and 12nm reefs. Species caught were school mackerel, moses perch, hussar, squire, amberjack, morwong, lots of grassy sweetlip around the 40cm’s, big cod and plenty of tusk fish. The mackerel were caught on live yakkas while the sweetlip were taking flesh strips.  All three reefs seemed to fish the same, while there was no hot bite for an hour with everything going crazy there was just fish consistently going in the esky every 10min or so.  The crabbing was good in close too good hauls of 40 keepers. Everyone got a mixed bag of fish and a few crabs to take home. The picture below shows a gold spot estuary cod caught by Dusty on the 9nm, it took a big live yakka in 39m of water.