Reefari Fishing Report January 2010

G’day all, I hope everyone had a top Christmas and New Years.  Fishing in the Mackay area has been somewhat restricted by the continuous 30+knot winds and the wet stuff falling from the sky.  Those that have done well have made the most of every good day to be out there on the water.

On the offshore side of things, Reefari Charters has been making the most of the few windows in the weather to put punters onto some seriously trophy class Nannygai and metre-plus cod.  Inshore, angler’s efforts have been hampered by almost constant wet season showers.  Not only has this made fishing uncomfortable, but the fresh water runoff has discoloured the water a tannin colour and dispersed the bait schools that were prominent pre-Christmas.

Getting back to the bluewater front and it has been the Nannygai that have fired for the punters aboard Reefari’s long-range vessel Mako, with the skipper, Tony Kennedy reporting some massive specimens ranging up to one 15kg monster.

As an interesting note, Tony reports that the monster Nanny, and one just a little smaller, both had sizeable nicks out of their tails.  This could either have been from a pursuing shark or interschool fighting amongst the dominant fish.

On the 34ft Cougar Cat, Raptor II, skipper Glen Montgomery has been able to report a bumper month for big cobia.  These sleek, streamline pelagics are top eating and once hooked take off like a bandicoot in a bushfire.

Like most pelagics they stay close to the top of the water column, but are instinctive feeders, with the Reefari crew reporting many of theirs caught on intercepted dropper rigs meant for the bottom.  Anglers should be aware that a circling cobia can look like a shark and many, many quality cobia have been cut free by overzealous fishos, so always double check before employing the knife!

Glen has been putting the punters onto some solid reds with a 10kg fish being the most noteworthy.

Reds are less prolific this time of year with most marks holding solitary fish, so for optimum results the boys have been keeping the boats moving to cover more country and are using only the freshest strip baits to give anglers a better chance.  Tony reported that he is amazed at the toughness of these fish with almost all undersized models being easily returned to the depths.

He did mention one poor red which was looking a little tired, so being a responsible skipper, he did the right thing and swum the red beside the boat with a pair of lip-grippers.

Sure enough, the moment the red felt wet stuff it was away taking Tony’s lip-grippers with it!  On ya Tony!

Worth looking out for in the months to come is the new boat in the Reefari fleet – Obsession, a 7.2m custom, plated alloy fishing machine that specializes in smaller group day trips running out to southern waters for more specialized charters, including snorkeling and spear fishing as well as intense pelagic action.

On the downside, Coral trout have unfortunately been more than a little quiet in the deeper water, but as the weather settles these to should come back on the chew.  Speaking of settling weather the inshore anglers can’t wait, with the Pioneer River running with plenty of fresh and the local creeks having had a good flush.

On the upside, the rain has really brought on the prawns and crabs with good hauls being taken to the north around Seaforth and Saint Helens.  Crabs will be starting to move around the mouths of the creeks so try stringing your pots along the mangrove headlands for best results.

The impoundment scene is still fishing strong, with local anglers consistently landing metre plus barra fishing Kinchant during the night.  Slow rolled plastics, like Squidgy Slick Rigs, have on the whole, been the most lethal weapons.

Teemburra is uncharacteristically quiet with the usual numbers of smaller fish remaining conspicuous in their absence, though some excellent sooty grunter have been taken towards the tops of the main creeks.

Well, that about wraps it up, so here’s hoping for some good weather and a feed of prawns and crab.

Catch you next month,  Reefari.

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