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Downsized lures, upsized fish TOWNSVILLE
Dave Hodge
I think it’s timely to talk about the mackerel fishery offshore from Townsville, and the conflicting reports on mackerel numbers versus the assumptions made by the Spanish Mackerel Task Force. The Task Force biomass ‘estimate’ completely contradicts what’s being reported by the fishers who spend time on the water. It’s the same story with the shark number estimations dealt out to us a couple of years ago, when they told us that shark numbers had dropped by 92%. We need more evidence, not just a figure plucked from the air. I also have an issue with an escape clause called a ‘situational scenario’, which allows the figures to be adjusted by up to 50% to sway the figures in a particular direction, depending on the agenda. In this case, figures didn’t seem to match the claims of a supposedly decimated
It took around 20 casts in the exact same spot to get this nice barra to have a go. the results depend on each angler’s experience and range of techniques employed, the locations fished, knowledge on species and location. However, most anglers are catching their fair share of all
none the less. Another way of capitalising on every opportunity is to have a chrome slice or slug ready to drop on those deeper schools that are often down and out of reach from trolling lures and
‘Blue Box’ Squid are the choice of big grunter specialists. Unfortunately, those squid are as scarce as rocking horse poo at present, but fresh gar fillets are almost as good. I use snelled 4/0 and 5/0 Gamakatsu Octopus suicide hooks on the bigger baits. If you can get past the sharks, this kind of presentation will put you in with the best chance. BARRA AND JACKS There have been a quite a few locations where big barra have been schooling lately. However, finding them and then getting a bite out of them are two different things. Going against every natural instinct, downsizing your lures can often be the secret to getting at least a few bites from the dormant sloths. The lighter lines needed to cast and then fish them effectively can be a bit off-putting for many anglers, but it can be
Mick Rennie with a flathead that intercepted an Atomic 4” Prong meant for a jack in the shallows. Radioactive rooster is an effective colour in winter on a range of species. a very productive approach. There have been quite a few instances in recent weeks where small lures have by far out-fished the standard sized offerings that we normally chuck. Lately we have been using 3” Atomic Prongs, Plazo paddle-tails in the 3 1/4” size, and 4” Halco Paddle Prawns rigged on 1/4oz Atomic Seeker heads with 1/0 heavy
When you get those glassed-out mornings and the water clears up nicely, jacks can be pretty active. The Halco Paddle Prawn in pink has been the author’s go-to of late. biomass (populations of adult-sized, sexually mature specimens). It’s this sort of ‘escape clause’ that discredits legitimate research done by non-biased experts who work to determine an honest estimate. I also believe that the head of a particular task force should have no affiliations with extremist and powerful movements who are historically anti-fishing, and I’m sure you’d agree. MACKEREL ON THE MOVE So, how are the mackerel going? Well, judging by what we are hearing many times a day through the doors of the Fishing Warehouse in Townsville, they’re going very well thank you. Obviously, 30
SEPTEMBER 2021
species of mackerel. Recently we acquired some of the biggest, fattest, mutant-looking 5-spot gar from one of the local bait suppliers and they’re proving to be highly successful on the Spanish mackerel when rigged on a weighted chin rig or woghead trolled in a likely area. Trolled lures are also pinning plenty of Spanish. For the big fish specialists, chin-rigged wolf herring trolled slowly and slightly deeper are accounting for some massive fish, with the biggest I’ve heard of going an incredible 40kg, verified by one of Townsville’s most creditable game skippers, Mickey Meirs. I wouldn’t be keen on trying a meal of this one, but it’s an impressive fish
baits. It’s actually very simple to put this into practice – it’s simply a matter of spotting the fish on the sounder, dropping a slice down to their level, and cracking back flat knacker. This technique has been a day saver for some anglers, and the fish that are taken in this manner are generally the best table sized fish at under 10kg. A short piece of wire may be needed if the bites are aggressive, just remember that the addition of wire may reduce the amount of strikes. CREEKS AND BAYS Grunter in the XOS size range have been reported very regularly over the past month, with fish up to 75cm being quite a bit more common than in recent previous seasons. Traditionally the Lunds
Night time expeditions can deliver some nice fish, but keep your wits about you when you’re in croc country.
Gamakatsu hooks. We often chop the heads down a fraction on the Paddle Prawns to make a more compact presentation. About 10mm off the nose can make all the difference. Obviously, downsizing lures calls for a downsize in leader too, and I’ve been using the Dangan 25lb FC and am very happy with its abrasion resistance and diameter for more subtle presentations like this. For us, the jacks seem to be a bit more difficult to find at present, and similarly to the barra, they’ve been sitting a little bit deeper. Surface presentations just haven’t delivered the results we were expecting, but that will change quite soon as the water warms and their aggression levels are re-ignited. Small surface lures such as the 60mm Roosta Popper and the walk-the-dog style stickbaits are very successful options to throw. All in all, there are heaps of options for the North Queensland fisher at the moment, and if you want to just kick back and soak a bait off the beach there plenty of bream, whiting and flathead getting caught, not to mention those unexpected interactions with predators like golden trevally and GTs to keep you entertained. It’s a pretty cool time to be a fisher in the north of the state, so get out and make the best of it, while we can.
