Trip date: 3 January 2016
Participants: Eyetag, Redwood, Soren, Stormin, Tunny
Launch Site: MG
Conditions: Wind 5-10 knots from SE with some stronger gusts, very lumpy, low tide 8.30 am
Keen Angler Program: Nothing donated
At 3 am Seabreeze showed little wind at DIP or the Sunshine Coast, but a 15 knot southeasterly at Moreton Bay, so I expected conditions to be a bit worse than yesterday and they were. Eyetag as usual launched early with the rest of us following after 4 am. The launch was easy enough and we all headed for Little Halls as this was where most of the action happened yesterday.
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| Beautiful sunrise, but choppy conditions |
Once we were away from the protection of the headland the SE wind felt stronger and conditions became quite lumpy. We trolled a mix of Halco lures and weighted baits around Little Halls, then Eyetag came on the radio to let us know he was about a kilometre East of Little Halls where there was bird action and some Longtails breaking the surface. Redwood, Soren and I headed there while Stormin continued towards Halls Reef. But the bird action did not last long and the Longtails disappeared.
We continued trolling around Little Halls and chasing the sporadic bird action but with no success. Soren and I decided to head towards Granite Bay while the others continued to fish the Little Halls to Halls area. When we were half way to Granite Bay Stormin announced he had caught what he initially thought was a Spaniard but is probably a Grey Mackerel. This was caught on a trolled pilchard close to the beach north of Little Halls.
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| Stormin with his potentially recorded smashing School Mackerel |
Redwood then had his trolled slimey taken but failed to hook up while Eyetag caught and released an undersized spottie.
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| Twin peaks - Conditions were not the best especially in close near the 3rd cutting. |
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| Redwood arriving back at MG |
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| Grey Mackerel? (Confirmed later to me a School Mackerel) |
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| A visitor to Noosa with Stormin's Mackerel |
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| Who can positively identify this fish? It went 86 cm |
I think it is a school mackerel and a new record for that species. It does not have the main features of a grey mackerel. I saw the fish, on ice in stormins esky.
ReplyDeleteHard to tell the lateral lines are the same in Grey and School but the first dorsal fin is a lot longer in the Schooly.
ReplyDeleteRedwood, thanks for adding your photos, cheers tunny
ReplyDeleteBrian Pullar who was out as a visitor today and has just asked to join the Noosa Yakkers added these comments: Nice report, mackerel and photo's. I was out as well as a visitor today. Launched approx 6:45 am and back about around 1:15 pm. Did not catch anything but did see a lot of fish, getting follows on soft plastics and after dropping the trace for a better? attempt at a long tail got bitten off (later) at Halls where I arrived with dolphins to see the end of an apparently epic bait ball session with spotties. Got teeth marks all over a hardbody as well but did not hook up. Great day for me even without getting one. Nice talking to you out there Tim, thanks for making me feel welcome.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Brian