Page 54 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing mag

MWuddies, jack and mackerel more active
E have al- released at Agnes Wa- unacceptable behaviour ready had ter Seventeen Seventy around – ‘share farm-
Bundaberg Region
by BRAD YOUNG
a couple of which had lost one or days over 30C in the both claws – or more
ing’, where other peo- ple check your pots and take your crabs, and ‘pot stealing’, where your whole pot is taken – it is wise to set your pots and fish nearby in sight of them.
Bundaberg area, lead- ing to a corresponding increase in water tem- perature.
The wind has had a negative effect on our rivers and creeks also, as there are areas where the breeze from this direction blows right along a stretch of the river.
endeavouring to do so this month.
likely had their claws removed.
In our region, this change is a signal to anglers to prepare for species that respond to a higher temperature.
However, I have had a couple of crabbing trips – avoiding open stretch- es of water and look- ing for small drains and holes to drop my pots.
At the time I set these pots, we had not had any rain and the temperature had not reached much higher than 25C.
I know of a few suc- cessful crabbers who give their pots an hour or so and then check them, moving them to a new area if no crabs have been caught.
In estuary systems, it livens up mangrove jack and mud crabs, while offshore mackerel be- come more prevalent.
This combined with a high outgoing spring tide can produce rough conditions for smaller tinnies and uncomfort- able blustery fishing conditions for all an- glers.
On my first trip in late October, I saw only six jennies over my two pots after an overnight soak, with all released to continue producing future crab populations.
On my second trip, after a small amount of storm rain and an in- crease in temperature, I was hopeful of seeing more bucks appear.
Recently, a consist- ent northerly wind has limited opportunities for anglers to head off- shore because the sea has been a little angry.
I haven’t targeted mangrove jack this sea- son as yet but will be
As a side note, all six of these crabs had both claws – unlike the jennies we caught and
Unlike the first trip where there were many jennies, this trip saw only two jennies, two undersized bucks and an obvious keeper.
If you do experience success with a number of crabs in one area, it is likely that you will catch more either im- mediately up or down- stream of that area, so keep working your pots in the same area.
The keeper crab was also very full, with my son even commenting on its heavy weight.
Reuben jigged up a horde of solid snapper and this one was the best of the bunch.
Patience required for pelagics
* from P52
the sharks making
lone fish was target- ed.
quality fish hitting the deck.
sure the fights were very brief!
The bigger the school of fish, the higher the probability of sharks.
They were eating plastics, vibes and even jigs.
I have spoken about it many times before – fish that battle deep are more likely to get taxed.
In saying that, we still lost fish.
We found them mixed in with schools of longtail, trevally and school mackerel.
So, with the no show of surface schools, I targeted fish deep.
One day of note was when we had a big golden trevally eaten, though not long after a large snapper was landed by my wife.
As it was a great last-ditch show by this species over Oc- tober and November, I’ve included pictures of them.
My only option was to search for small schools with a small- er shark school fol- lowing.
Speaking of snap- per, they were mak- ing a strong show recently, with several
Be sure to scan the QR codes to watch the videos too!
Occasionally, one
I will set the pots again on another week- end in the near future and keep a track of what I catch in an effort to improve my crabbing results – I keep a fish- ing diary.
One unfortunate pros- pect is that we will experience heavy rain, which will flush our es- tuarine systems out.
One of the most suc- cessful crabbing trips I’ve had with my son was in late November, when our four pots scored seven keepers.
While this rain is needed to keep our systems healthy, it will shut down crabbing for several weeks until they make their way back in- to the creeks and rivers.
I am hoping to have similar results later this month
The bonus is that these fresh flushes will liven up fishing and al- so prawns, which have been very quiet lately.
If you do want to have a go at catching your own tasty muddies, take the time to check the current regulations in terms of marking your pots, crab sizes and limits.
As always, I can be contacted via email at fishnboat@bigpond. com or via mail at PO Box 5812, Bundaberg West Queensland 4670.
With the amount of
Until next month...
Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020
www.bnbfishing.com.au
A lovely full buck mud crab from the Bundaberg region.