Mother Nature threw her weight around on the Sunshine Coast last weekend with some impressive storm activity. Fortunately, our fishing charters were early starts so we were home before the storms hit and enjoyed beautiful mornings with calms seas, light winds and heaps of fishing.
On Saturday we did a ¾ day charter and fished the Caloundra Nine Mile and Caloundra Twelve Mile Reefs, which produced squire, pearl perch and cobia. Unfortunately, we lost the biggest one at the side of the boat – it looked like it would have been eight to 10 kilograms. Never mind. It’s another fishing tale of the one that got away. We boated others between 70 and 80 centimetres.
Once it started to warm up we collected our crab gear and headed for Currimundi Reef to try and catch a few mackerel. We found some hitting bait schools on the surface so we drifted next to the school, floating out pilchards, fishing our paternoster rigs mid water and sending out some live baits but we only picked up squire and small cod. As we headed back we set a few lures and trolled, which proved successful. Young Riley was stoked with his three kilogram school mackerel. Well done mate!
Sunday was a full day fishing charter and we headed to the Barwon Banks. We started on the shallow section at the bottom end and hooked fish but kept losing them to sharks. It seems they have a real affection for red throat emperor and tuskfish. We got tired of the competition so we we steamed north six nautical miles and fished the outside edge in 50 metres where we were rewarded with some delicious table fish including pearl perch, tuskfish and moses perch.
The crabbing was great, a haul of 43 keepers and all really good size. Good to see the big breeders are active as there are only a few days left until the season closure and their annual spawn.
This picture is of a pearl perch and red throat emperor, around two kilograms – top quality fish for the dinner table.
It was a great weekend and this week looks similar. It will be safer getting out early before the storms brew up and hit in the mid afternoon. Monday’s full moon should increase fish activity on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Happy hunting!