Anyone else struggle out there today?

Hey fellas

My brother and I finally managed to get out today (been probly 6+ months due to having shoulder surgery), we launched from ocean reef and headed about 17k's west. There was plenty showing on the sounder but couldn't tempt anything for the esky!

We persisted for a while using almost everything, placcies, metals, and bait until trying a scout for spots in closer for the same result.

So to conclude, we brought home the usual.... naught! It will be a year on the 27th since we've brought a demersal home. Are we doing it wrong or did anyone else have the same issue?

Steve 


tim-o's picture

Posts: 4657

Date Joined: 24/05/11

Sheart

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:14

Unlucky. What bait were u using? If it was fresh caught, I too would be throwin my hands up in the air

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I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

Bait was squid that I caught

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:20

Bait was squid that I caught and has been sitting in the freezer waiting to be used. 

Has me stuffed. Everyone else seems to be posting p.b dhu bangers, haha

sea-kem's picture

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Date Joined: 30/11/09

Yeah a fairly slow day for us

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:21

Yeah a fairly slow day for us Stevee too. Still managed a nice Pinky on a Mulie and son caught  a Baldy on jig. Few undersize Dhuies and that was it, certainly not the action we had yesterday.

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Love the West!

Posts: 17

Date Joined: 05/12/15

What Struggle??

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:23

 You have those days don't you? We headed out wide south of Rotto behind Garden Island but had no joy in 40 or 36 metres. Came in behind FFB and tried around some pots and bam, got 2 dhu 60 cms and 82 cms. What a day?? Thats fishing.

Cheers

Twiggy

 

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Posts: 140

Date Joined: 10/02/11

 Was a bit slow but we had

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:50

 Was a bit slow but we had our bag by lunch off hillarys.

Dhu, baldys, black ass and a kg. No monsters though

Bodie's picture

Posts: 3758

Date Joined: 05/11/07

 Plenty of fish about, we got

Tue, 2015-12-22 17:55

 Plenty of fish about, we got our bag easily woh dhus, baldies, BB's. Bi catches of KG's, flatly and tuna.

 

keep moving about, we were a little further offshore than you today but not much further.

Posts: 124

Date Joined: 06/11/13

Nothing worth keeping today....

Tue, 2015-12-22 18:21

 stayed in close looking for KG but nothing ...even around 30m the old reliable sand whiting were not on the bite... Only normal reef stuff, wrasse etc but nothing worth keeping.  

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

Don't get me wrong, very

Tue, 2015-12-22 19:32

Don't get me wrong, very happy just to be out there. But it's good to get some feedback from others. 

Sounds like you had a good day out Bodie and Andy we were very similar, two baby dhu's and a skippy. 

Perhaps we need to move around more if nothing is happening, but as we don't have many spots it's always a toss up as to keep fishing or try sound around for another spot. 

Steve 

Ashen's picture

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Date Joined: 22/03/13

 Yes, I struggled badly

Tue, 2015-12-22 20:11

 Yes, I struggled badly today.. delivering 3 pallets of drinks to various customers down south in 39 degree heat while you blokes are enjoying yourselves! 

 

Same thing again tomorrow..

Oh well, I'll have 10 days off after tomorrow, to fish! 

 

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A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!

JohnF's picture

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Date Joined: 07/07/10

Good day again today, 2 good

Tue, 2015-12-22 20:18

Good day again today, 2 good dhuies 700 and 870, 3 KGs and a BFT on the way home.

I learnt something today from Bodie, fish very small shows, some have big fish.

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Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.

Bodie's picture

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Date Joined: 05/11/07

 Thought there was a baldy

Tue, 2015-12-22 20:49

 Thought there was a baldy too???

 

small lumps hold fish too... Most people drive right over them, but plenty of fish boated between the 2 boats:

 

now for that yellow fin!

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

John I am constantly in awe

Tue, 2015-12-22 20:48

John I am constantly in awe when I read your reports. I recon you could catch fish in a bucket of water, haha. 

 

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 who's heading out tomorrow?

Tue, 2015-12-22 20:21

 who's heading out tomorrow? ^^^^^^ 

JohnF's picture

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 Bring on the fins Bodie. But

Tue, 2015-12-22 21:08

 Bring on the fins Bodie. But first, we gotta get that water temp up....

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Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.

Posts: 1535

Date Joined: 30/12/08

Dunno what electronics you

Tue, 2015-12-22 22:17

Dunno what electronics you use Steve but most of them bullshit you [ show fish when in fact there is nothing more than a clump of seaweed or whatever ] there is a sure fire way to get them onya boat..buy a Furuno with a 600watt tranny then you are going to catch good fish.

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

I run a fcv620 with p66

Wed, 2015-12-23 03:17

I run a fcv620 with p66 transducer. I also bought and keep rereading john Adams 'how to use an echo sounder/fish finder' book and study sounder shots posted on here. 

 

Posts: 755

Date Joined: 29/03/13

Bad day for spearing

Tue, 2015-12-22 22:17

 but we walked away with a 7kg blue groper, a 700mm dhuie 11kg sambo big snook a baldie

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Down the Line

 

Catch the Experience 

Tom M's picture

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Date Joined: 22/09/15

 They are out there just need

Wed, 2015-12-23 16:45

 
They are out there just need to find them, easier said than done. Today boated 4 dhuies, released 3, big Baldy, Pinky, King George and shark. Fresh occy today, bonus as it came from our cray pots.

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Tom M

Chinbald's picture

Posts: 317

Date Joined: 21/02/09

Fresh Bait,

Wed, 2015-12-23 17:02

Anything fresh, wrasse, cuttly or Occy if you can get it. Fish small strong snells, best chance for local Baldys,

sea-kem's picture

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Date Joined: 30/11/09

 Yeah mate, got my Pinky

Wed, 2015-12-23 17:10

 Yeah mate, got my Pinky yesterday on a whole live Wrasse. 

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Love the West!

bowlsie51's picture

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Date Joined: 02/06/14

 we had good daya few big

Wed, 2015-12-23 19:21

 we had good day

a few big sambos

90cm snapper, heaps of black ass

dhuies baldy and assorted cackas

 

quiet at time

 

boat ramp at 2 rocks a fricken joke!

 

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

Cheers for the advice guys.I

Wed, 2015-12-23 21:42

Cheers for the advice guys.

I was actually using a paternoster with twisted droppers and a sliding snell before i lost it to the bottom. I was devastated as it took bloody hours to figure out how to tie them! haha. 

Seems fresh wrasse gets the nod from the majority, I actually released the only one we caught. It would appear that was a rookie mistake!

Thanks for the tips, happy to listen.

Steve