Fishing – The Chandlery Bait & Tackle

July Fishing Report

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020Chris RipponLeave a comment

G’day Crew I trust you have all been keeping well and enjoying the winter weather that is here and man have we had some stunning days! Besides the rain that is falling as I write this and has been falling for the last few days….

So what’s been on the bite the last few weeks? Well being winter we all know that the squid are on the chew along with the winter whiting and people have been making the most of them that’s for sure. The cooler water temps have also seen anglers getting into good numbers of Bream. This makes for good fun on a light spin combo flicking smaller lures in around the mangroves up the creeks or flicking the pylons in Snapper Creek should see you bag a few this time of the year. For the bait crew try fresh strips of mullet or small prawns lightly weighted and fished back into the structure.

**Jacko getting a good feed up the creeks**

Up the creeks this time of year there are good numbers of Golden Trevally to be caught. Using your sounder to sound up schools of fish and targeting them with small prawn lures, vibes and even micro jig makes for some good fun on 6lb braid and 14lb leader. If you have a side scan unit it will pay to use it up the creek as the school may not be under the boat. I recently sounded a school of fish that was 5m to my starboard side and the school was 20m wide and about 30m long. I managed to pull three nice 60cm fish out of the school before it moved on. I end up with 9 fish for the session and 6 of them were over 60cm and all caught on small metal jigs.

If I were not using my side scan, I would not have even known that they were there. Using your sounder and it’s side scan feature to mark schools of fish can save you time blind casting and improve your catch rate dramatically. If you want to have a chat about how side scan works pop down for a yarn and we will be happy to interpret and explain what we see on the screen.

The flathead have been pretty tricky the last few weeks with the clarity of the water being crystal clear. Fishing longer leaders and getting a good long cast combined with a stealthy approach are going to be needed to trick them into eating your offerings. One of the stand out plastics lately would have to be the 4’’ Biwaa Deus in Pearl White & Pink Ice, rigged on either a 2/0-3/0 TT 1/4oz jig head.

Sand Crabs are on the march in The Bay, so now is the time to get the drop dillies out and do a little prospecting for some Blue Swimmers in the channel. Whiting frames would be my pick of baits for these tasty guys. Mud Crabs are also around but a little doughy with the cooler water, they have been rather good quality though. Crabbing at the back of the bay, in the shallows, around the full moon has been producing the better Muddies.

**Mitch with a proper** **handful of TCB goodness!!**

We have seen masses of bait fish turning up in TCB the last couple of weeks and there have been some good schools of Mac Tuna & Watsons Leaping Bonito’s terrorising the bait ball. We’ve seen this action throughout The Bay from Inskip right down past the powerlines. There have also been some nice catches of School Mackerel in the mix.

**Wyatt Lee picking of the Mac Tuna in The Bay**

If you are keen to go hit the beach the reports are of good whiting, bream, and some thumper dart getting around. So now is the time to grab the rods get down there and get a feed. Why not try your hand at getting a few worms off the beach or if that’s too hard, pop and grab some of our locally caught and cured worms. The Tailor should be starting to fill the gutters too. Surprisingly, a couple of decent Mangrove Jacks were caught off Rainbow Beach by Whiting Fishos. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it on a Facebook post a few weeks ago

Offshore there were some great catches of Emperor, Snapper & Pearlies early in the month before the closure. Anyone that has been getting out since have said that the tuskies, moses, husser & RTE have all been on the chew and filling the icebox

***Amber Browning doing for the girls!***

Well that’s it from me this month Crew, stay safe & healthy, keep warm and get out and have a fish!!

Find us at the Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor Street for all your boating and fishing needs.

Cheers & Tight Lines

Chris

Winner Winner!! Local yak angler Nathan Dennys with this months Fishing Photo Comp

May Fishing Report

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020Chris RipponLeave a comment

G’day Guys & Gals hope you are keeping warm? Looks like It is time to breakout the uggies & beanies, crank the fire pit and bust out the hot toddies, man It’s cold today!! As I write this it has gone from 23c yesterday to 14c today and personally I think that is dam cold. Well it is when you’ve spent the best part of the last decade living in FNQ & the NT. I guess the cooler weather should bring a stabilisation in weather pattens, although I hear from the BOM that it’s meant to be a pretty wet winter, but we will see what comes our way over the next couple of months.

With the relaxation in the COVID 19 restriction we are bound to start to see a few more boats on the local waterways as people are now allowed to travel further afield. Our local population of fish seem to have been thankful for the break also. Many locals have been saying that the fishing the last few weeks has been the best in a long time. This is partly due to less traffic on the water but personally I think it has more to do with the good down pours and the good flushing out that the creeks got at the end of summer.

The Winter Whiting have been getting caught in good numbers and have been of good size with mid 20cm fish being common. The mouth of Kauri has been the hot spot, also drifting around the Lady Woodward & the powerlines.

The squid are still around in good numbers and the YamashitA Sutte R Jigs in NEB have been popular with most of the TCB Fishing Club members. Pink & orange colours have also been working a treat on the local Cephalopods, no surprises there. Still haven’t seen any good tigers yet but they can’t be too far away.

***Ron Cox with mnaged to put the breaks on this slob of a Blackspot Tuskie!!***

On the squid jig front, keep an eye out on our Facebook page for a YamashitA promo this month. We have teamed up with our good friends and supplier of the YamashitA jigs, E.J.Todd and will be running a comp to promote the release of one of their new jigs! Logon to our FB page to find out more www.facebook.com/thechandlerybaitandtackle

A few Squire have started to show up in The Bay the last couple of weeks, fresh squid baits & divers being the bait of choice for most anglers. There are also some good Blackall being caught and a few Grassies in the mix. The 40’ has been fishing well the last couple of weeks for those guys. We have also seen some solid Blackspot Tuskies being caught on crabs along Teebar ledge. There have been some solid Golden Trevally being caught on also. Vibing the drop offs on the runout tide has seen some good fish being caught.

There were a few nice Jacks still being caught in the creeks midmonth before this cold spell really kicked in. A few of the young lads that had been using the Madeyes Paddle Prawns rigged weedless and slow rolled out of the snags hunting Bream also got a few nice Jack. This cold snap is sure to quieten them down but the Bream fisho’s will be happy to see this cold weather kick in. Flathead are also out in force now. Some of the local guns have been getting some great fish stalking the shallows on a rising tide with 60 & 90mm hardbodies. A steady retrieve & making sure your lures are smacking into the mud and kicking up a puff of dust is key. I am sure you all know how much fun the old Flatskulls are in shallow water on light line.

The Pelagics have still been hunting up around Inskip and there have been some big Spanish being caught. Slow trolled live baits and the trusty Laserpro in 160DD & XDD doing the job up there for the fishos into trolling. The guys casting slugs at the bait schools have been getting Mac & Longtail Tuna but the big Spanish have been holding deeper under the schools and picking off the scraps. So sinking a Halco Twisty down through the bait schools a good 10/15m will work if you are targeting a feed of Mackerel. Again, try retro fitting your slugs with a single hook for a better hook up. I like to use the Mustad Tarpon hooks in 5/0 & 6/0 as they are an inline hook.

We have been getting great reports of Sand Crabs on the march in The Bay so now is the time to get the drop dillies out and do a little prospecting for some Blue Swimmers. Whiting frames would be my pick of baits for these tasty guys.

Well that is it from me this month Crew, but one last thing from myself, Emma and the whole Crew at The Chandlery Bait & Tackle, we would like to say a
MASSIVE THANK YOU for the ongoing support you have shown us especially in these trying times. Thank you all for shopping local and helping us keep the doors open.

Cheers & Tight Lines

Chris

**Winner Winner Brett North took out the May Fishing Photo Comp with a nice Green Jobfish**

January Fishing Report

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020Chris RipponLeave a comment

G’day Crew hope you have all been getting out and wetting line this past month. How good was the rain we got mid month, saved me washing the car for another six months.

I know I said it last month but to say the Mangrove Jack are on fire at the moment would be an understatement!! Now if you thought December’s catches were up there with the numbers and quality, January is giving it a touch up that’s for sure. Kauri has been producing the goods and fishos have been catching fish from just under legal size to the well and truly legal high 40s. It’s great to see such a range of fish being caught in out system. It shows that they are breading well and there is a healthy population in our local water ways. Carlo & Bullock Point boat ramps have also been hot spots especially for the land based fishers. Mixed in with the Jacks there have been some pretty impressive Barra bycatch and the fish that we were shown looked to be all over a meter mark (fish were all reported to have been release.)

**Wyatt Lee with an** **entry into the 2020 Mangrove Jack Comp**

Speaking of Barra as of the 1^st of February Barra are now back on the cards for a target species. Here’s hoping that we see some good catches in The Bay this year. There are more Barra here than most people know. If you actively target them & fish for them in their prime bite times and put in the hard yards I’m sure you will be rewarded in the long run. Feel free to pop in and have a chat if want to get out and chase a few Barra this season.

Besides the very welcome rain we had in January we also got some cracker days on the water and the fishing didn’t disappoint. Mackerel made an appearance offshore in numbers and everyone capitalised on them. Spanish and Spotties were all on the menu. While in good numbers the average sizes of Spanish were around the 8kg mark with a few bigger models in the mix also. The trick has been to get them past the Shark which seem to be in plagues at present. Good catches of mixed reef fish filled the eskies with Tuskies, Trout, Pearlies, Grass Emperor and some solid Reds all coming home for dinner.

**Megan With a nice Snapper from a recent trip on Keely Rose**

We had a lot of holiday makers come through the shop the last couple of months reporting good catches of Squid. Not in the numbers that we see in Winter but most days consisted of double figures. Most of the action was from around the Carlo cardinal marker when the tide had some movement to it. The ever loved YamashitA jigs were again a popular choice with the punters.

Mud Crabs are also on the menu now. The quality of the crabs we have been seeing in the last few weeks are A grade. The better crabs have been coming from up on the flats. The catches in the creeks seem to be smaller empty C grade crabs. If you are unsure on how to tell the difference between an A grade crab & an empty crab swing in and see us and we can run you through a few pointers to get the crabs with the best yield.

We have not had too many reports of flathead and whiting this month, maybe it’s because everyone seems to be out hunting Jacks while the going is good…

On that note, our Mangrove Jack competition is in full swing now and the race to the top is tight. 1^st & 2^nd place is likely to come down to the time the fish was registered. So sit tight and we will announce the winners next month as the comp runs till the 29^th of February.

That’s about it for now Crew so till next time take it easy and get outside and wet a line.

Find us at the Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor St for all your boating and fishing needs.

Cheers & Tight Lines

Chris

Australia, Bait, Cooloola Coast, EjTodd, Fishing, Fishing Tin Can Bay, Fraser Coast, Fraser Island, Molix, Tin Can Bay — ***WINNER WINNER!!!!! Lester Cross took out the January Photo Comp with the cracker of a photo!!***

***Rae has been getting a few the last few weeks also***

**Karl on board Keely Rose with a beautiful Red Emperor**

December Fishing Report

January 3, 2020January 3, 2020Chris RipponLeave a comment

Happy New Year to everyone!! We trust that you have all had a very merry Fishmas and were able to get out on the water.

So what has been getting caught in the area throughout December and the Northerly blow?

**Lilly & Grace Muggleton with a nice feed of Summer Whiting**

Summer Whiting have been around in good numbers with Yabbies & Worm working the best. Fisho’s that have been sneaking into a few of the small less fished creeks and fishing the tides have been well rewarded with good numbers and sized fish being caught. Mixed in with the Whiting there have been a few nice Lizards & some good size Golden Trevally.

Now if we didn’t talk Mangrove Jack in December it would be a travesty! The water temp is right up there now and this means that the Jacks are firing. I had a water temp of 29.8c the other day while flicking up a creek, it was almost cooler in the boat. A lot of the crew prefer to fish for Jacks at night it seems, with fresh bait being the preference for a lot people. But the lure fisho’s have been getting some runs on the board the last few weeks with the water temps creeping up.

The 4.5’’ Molx RT Shads rigged on the OH1500 Tungsten Swimbait Hooks have been a great seller and are proving themselves as a great soft plastic and hook combo. Running the 5/0’s in a 1/4oz on the 4.5’s for skip casting into the back of the snags has been having good results. Poppers like the Lucky Craft 80mm G-Splash and walk the dog style stickbait like Sugapens thrown into the shadows and overhung mangroves around low light periods can be explosive fishing when Jack is home. If you are keen to give lure fishing for Jacks a go, or any fish, pop in and see our new range of plastics, hardbodies & popper that are pretty Mangrove Jack specific for this time of year. The boys will even show you how we rig them so they swim dead straight.

**Young Bec had a great holiday in TCB**
**boating a number of good Mangrove Jacks for the week**

***Bret with a nice Snapper Creek regular***

On the topic of Mangrove Jack, we are running a two month Mangrove Jack fishing comp that kicked off on the 2nd January and runs until the 29^th of February. This is a catch and release comp and there is a 1^st prize rod & reel combo worth $600.00 up for grabs. The total prize pool for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd & 4th place will total just over $2000.00. For more details pop into the shop and have a chat to the boys to get registered.

For the nocturnal fishers trying to avoid the heat there have been some good sizes Grunter being caught on squid bait and Mullet flesh in the creeks. Bird Rock has been a popular spot with the holiday makers reporting some nice catches of Cod, Jacks, Bream and Flathead. All taking a mixture of lures & baits. Teebar ledge has been producing some great Tuskfish, Sweetlips and Cod also.

Offshore there are reports of some good Spanish coming over the side and there are large schools of Cobia out there too. Summer Snapper are making an appearance and there have been some cracker fish being caught mid water on floated baits. Have not yet had any reports of people fishing the new FAD off DI. Personally, I’m keen to get out there and pin a few Dollies on the flyrod when it starts to fire up, I’d be happy with a Who or even a small Billfish LoL.

So we also had the Flathead comp running during December. The fishing was a
little slow to say the least.

The Winners were;

Biggest Fish: Ron Cox 66cm

Mystery Length was 49.5cm: Rio Took it out with a 50cm

Lucky Tag Number: #17 Tom Head

Well done guys and thank you to everyone that participated in the Christmas Flathead Fishing Competition.

That’s about it for now Crew so enjoy the rest of your holidays if you are lucky enough to be on them and don’t forget to get in and register for the Mangrove Jack fishing competition!

Find us at the Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor St for all your boating and fishing needs.

Cheers & Tight Lines

Chris

December Fishing Photo Comp Winner was Tom Head
With this nice Jack Caught on lure

July Fishing Report

August 1, 2019July 29, 2019Chris RipponLeave a comment

IT IS HERE!!! Hello Winter & big hello to some stable weather patterns. I hope I’ve not jinxed us all now…

So, the weather has been playing the game and so have the fish. Where do we start…? The unbelievable squiding, the great offshore fishing, the influxes of Winter Whiting, Bream & Flathead in the bay or the Tailor that are starting to show up in the passage…?

*Debbie from the TCB Fishing Club with a nice sizes Pearl Perch*

How about we start with Sand Crabs. I’m not going to say that they are on the march in The Bay just yet as we have only had a few sporadic reports of good catches. But a little further afield up around Figtree there have been some good numbers and good size Sandies taken by Fishos willing to travel a little further. While up that way it’s worth having a troll with some 100mm lures in 1m – 4m depths for a few Tailor to. For the Tailor Fishos the last couple of weeks have seen some good catches off the beach on Fraser in the 50-60cm range, Pillies doing the damage there, no surprises. Once you have your feed why not try spinning for them with a metal slug on a light 6-12lb 7’ spin outfit, great fun on a bit of silly string.

Winter Whiting have been in pretty good numbers the last few weeks & fishing the mouth of Carlo, Kauri & Teebar Creeks have been producing. The Squid have been out in numbers again with good numbers of Cuttlefish mixed in. Now while they might be messier to clean, they are regarded as better eating by many. Personally, I like my Squid tubes stuffed and baked and my Cuttlefish with a light coating of Salt & Sichuan Pepper and shallowed fried.

*A healthy Gold taken on fly by the owner on one of the TCB flats*

With the Bream starting to school up to breed you should start to see the catch rate increase. Worm, Squid & Prawns will work well but a nice Flesh Bait fed back down a burley trail should see you get the bite from the bigger models. A favourite way I like to chase them is on the flats using small Stick baits and Poppers, like Sugapen, Ecooda Mini Pop & Burkley 3B Cranks. Working them slowly with big pauses can make for some pretty cool surface strikes. Look for weed beds, rock bars or even slightly deeper channels on the flat using this method. Keep an eye out to as there have been some nice Goldens cursing the flats.

*Mat Cooper with a 14Kg Red on board Baitrunner*

Offshore conditions have been great for most of month of July with light winds & small swell becoming a more regular occurrence. The Crews pushing out wide have been treated to great catches of Pearlies, Snapper, & some good Reds around that 14kg mark. In closer we have seen smaller Snapper, Morwong, Sweetlip & Cod filling the ice box. There are still a few Longtails & Mackerel around in close, so it pays to have a Floater out the back as you never know what could be swimming by.

That’s all for now Crew & don’t forget that if you get on to a few, feel free to post a couple of pictures of your catch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thechandlerybaitandtackle/

Or pop into the shop and have a good old brag to the boys about the one that didn’t get away. We love talking fishing and love to hear you stories even if it did get away.

Find us at the Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor St for all your boating and fishing needs.

Cheers & Tight Lines

The Chandlery Bait & Tackle