Reefari Fishing Report March 2010

Fingermark Fever

As a charter boat operator, I can’t wait to see the back of it, but in the mean time, let’s look back at the month that’s been.

The recent Barra Pro Fishing Competition held at Teemburra Dam proved incredibly popular with anglers.  Tony Ballingal, from Yehah Boat and Trailer Hire took out the biggest barra of the competition, an impressive 1015mm fish that ate a trolled lure.

Large Gold Spot CodThe overall winner was young Andrew Dixon, and Nicholas Moore was lucky enough to win the door prize, a Reefari Charters Day Trip.  Overall, 140 competitors registered 45 barra and 50 sooties, with the continuous rain and cool water being the most likely cause of the higher sooty count.

Earlier in the month, the bigger boats in the Reefari fleet managed to make the most of some small windows in the weather and enjoyed some awesome fishing as a result.

The Tony Kennedy skippered Game Boat Mako had a corker of a start to the month with surprising, and very welcome, catches of fingermark (golden snapper).  Tony said that the fingermark were all good fish ranging form about 3kg up to 5kg.

“We got most of them in the morning from patches of rubble in around 40m-45m of water,” he explained.  “We’ve been really lucky to have consistent catches of reef fish like trout and grassy lipper and some good black kings too (cobia).  The days that we’ve been able to get out have all been great.”

On the Glen Montgomery skippered Raptor II reports have also been phenomenal with clients enjoying nannygai by the esky-load and some above average lipper and trout.

Like Tony, Glen was surprised and pleased with the number of cobia being caught and revealed that his charters have been regularly picking up decent specimens.  Most fish have been coming on fresh bait, but Glen has also been singing the praises of soft plastics and reported several reds and nannygai taken on them.

Red EmperorOn the weird side, it’s not often that a fish comes over the side that our experience crew can’t name, but Glen had a strange one early in the month.  I hadn’t seen one before so I posted a picture online and initial feedback has come back as ‘reticulated emperor’.

Check out the photo and feel free to drop me an email at www.reefari.com if you have any suggestions.

Inshore, there have been a few barra caught in the Pioneer River, around the bridges and up towards the brackish upper reaches.  Try brightly coloured lures with flashes of pink to increase your chances amongst the dirty water.

The crabs are still on the march, and with the wind as it is, your best bet might be to head up the creeks, drop some pots and head home for a warm cuppa.

All in all, it has been a good month for flying a kite, taping windows and stocking up on emergency gear.  Here’s hoping for a sunny April with many 5-10 knot days and a joyful Easter for you and your family.

Cheers, Greg Reynolds