G’day Crew, well what can I say, man the weather has been less than average the last few weeks.
If it wasn’t tipping it down and blowing a gale it was bucketing down and blowing it’s ring off!! But despite the unfavourable weather we have had for going on nearly two months now there have still been opportunities to get out and get stuck into a few fish.
Even with the tannin-stained water ways we have been presented with the last couple of months, the fish have been there and anyone that has put the time in has been rewarded. The amount of bait in the Tin Can Bay Inlet and up and down The Straits is insane and trying to find a fish on the sounder some days has been nearly impossible to see through the bait on the screen.
This is, of course, a great sign and goes to show that all this rain is a good thing for the system going forward. While fishing off the bank yesterday we kept getting nipped on the toes by tiny jelly prawns and when you start to look around there were thousands of them cruising up and down the bank. Every time our lures hit the mangrove line on the other side of the creek there was a shower of jelly prawns. We could see the jacks and the bream actively feeding on them, but, unfortunately, they were not interested in our offerings.
The mangrove jack have not been turned off by all this rain and dirty water that’s for sure! Plenty of our regulars have been getting into some great fish the last few weeks and the average fish seems to be about 45cm. Live baits like whiting, pike and herring have been working well for the bait fishos.
Fishing the last couple of hours of the run-in tide, up tight and against the mangrove line has been the key here. 5/0 – 8/0 octopus hooks lightly weighted and fished deep in the snags on at least 40lb leader. Lure fishos have been having a lot more success on small lures, 3’’ Zman SlimZ in Calico Candy, Pearl White & Motor Oil colours have been working a treat. Rigged on a 3/0 TT Chinlockz & 1/8oz – 1/4oz Snakelockz with most of the fish coming from the last couple of hours of the runout tide and the start of the flood working the best. I like to run 30lb Sunline FC Rock as my leader of choice for this style of fishing and will normally have 15-20lb braid on my reel. I am a big fan of the Sunline 832 in lime green and the Sunline Siglon PE ADV braids.
There have been some great catches of mud crabs and most have been coming from further down the systems and in the deeper water with fishos reporting good numbers and good quality. I reckon the last two I ate were nearly the nicest ones I’ve ever eaten! Fresh bait is always the key to success when chasing crabs. Giving the pots a good soak and changing your bait every tide will also serve you best.
Flathead have been showing up is good numbers also. Working 3’’ – 5’’ soft plastics on the flats on the rising tide and hitting the drop offs on the dropping tide is a sure-fire way to catch a feed. Gulp 5’’ Jerkshads, Squidgy 120mm Wrigglers and the Squidgy 80mm Paddle Prawns have all been working well and the hot seller has been the Biwaa 4’’ Deus in Hot Pink, rigged on a TT 1/4oz 3/0 and running a bit of 12lb Siglon FC leader has been a killer combo.
The biggest complaint most have of course has been the recent weather and the lack of sunny dry days… Now if you haven’t wanted to put your big boy or big girl pants on, and actually brave the weather, and get out and go for a fish, there have been plenty of opportunities to get a bit of maintenance done on your gear! Like, giving the trailer a once over, the boat a good clean, polishing the gelcoat, tying up a few riggs and even cleaning out the tackle box.
One of the things often overlooked until it is too late, is the servicing of your fishing reels. It’s too late once you are in the middle of a battle with your fishy foe then suddenly there’s a grinding sound or something ceases up and things go south from there quickly.
Having worked in the industry for thirteen plus years I’ve seen and heard most of the heartbreak stories and seen a few reels bounce across the counter in anger “this piece of $h!*”. The fact of the matter is most of the reel’s failings could have been avoided with a simple servicing of said reel. But it’s not always the reel’s fault it never got cleaned! Look at your fishing reel like a car, you should really get it serviced every 10,000km. The same applies for a fishing reel, it needs some love every now and then.
I was once told by an old reel tech that if you fish once a week, service it once a year. Fish two times a week, service it two times a year and so on… While that might seem excessive to some, it has its merits especially for the crew that really put their gear through its paces. I tend to use that as a rule of thumb, but what I will say is that if you live in a fishery that has “seasons” you are best giving your reels a service at the end of the season. This way your pride and joy when put away is clean and tidy with a nice grease and oil change and you now know next “season” that she will be ready to do battle once again and is not going to be cased up and corroded when you take her out of the cupboard.
If you do need to have your reels serviced, we are happy to help. We can send reels down to our professional reel service agencies or get the parts you need to do it yourself. Just pop in and have a chat and we can point you in the right direction.
Don’t forget we run a monthly fishing photo comp on our Facebook page, with the winner scoring $100 in store credit. Entry is simple, snap your best fishing related photo & fb message us or post your pics directly to our fb page for your chance to win big! www.facebook.com/thechandlerybaitandtackle
Well, that’s a wrap from me this month, so till next time, tight lines and get out there and enjoy our beautiful Great Sandy Strait.
Tight Lines
– Chris, The Chandlery Bait & Tackle for all your fishing and boating needs.
