Monthly Archives : March 2014

Hi all,

The previous weeks have been good to fishermen working our local reefs off the sunshine coast. Species caught have been- Tusk fish, red throat emperor, job fish, pearl perch, squire, cobia, yellow tail king fish, moses perch and amber jack from the bottom as well as mahi mahi, skip jack tuna, mack tuna, yellowfin tuna and heaps of Spanish mackerel from the surface on lures and floating pilchards.

The past weekend was no different. Some awesome fishing action was had including double and triple hook-ups on the troll, hard fighting amberjack off the bottom and some tasty mahi mahi, pearl perch and coronation trout for the table. Both days were booked for full day trips and Saturday fished a little better, probably because of less boat traffic due to the weather forecast. Spanish mackerel were on the chew with catches between 5 and 13kg. This group shot is of the crew from civcorp, who are regulars with us, showing off their catch.

Sunday was a mixed charter and a full day again. We had the same plan- heading for the barwon banks. Weather was amazing, light winds and very little swell. We had a lot of company, plenty of other boats around, so the mackerel tended to stay deep in the water column however we did still knock off a few along with some tuna and a couple of mahi mahi. Bottom fishing was a little difficult due to strong current and big tides so we did a lot of drifting catching species such as coronation trout, pearl perch, tusk fish, fusilier, amberjack and red throat. This photo is a hard fighting 7kg amberjack caught in 45m.

If you would like to join us for a trip you can contact us via e-mail or phone. Until then happy hunting!!!!!!

Everyone remembers’ the sheer speed of that long first run when a wahoo is hooked. Fishing line cutting through the water as the rachet screams and it’s no surprise because wahoo are one of the fastest fish in the ocean. After some research I’ve learnt that wahoo have clocked at an impressive 75km/hr. As a fighting and table fish wahoo are at the top of the list. It’s fair to say that the majority of wahoo caught off Mooloolaba are by marlin lure fishermen and are not always welcome because they destroy expensive trolling lures. Wahoo can grow huge, with fish over 50kg recorded. The largest caught in Australian waters was 46kg, which is still a very big fish. Any wahoo over 20 kilos is considered a good fish. Our best so far is 30kg

Distribution in Australian waters is right across the Northern Territory down into northern New South Wales on the east coast and down to Exmouth on the west coast. Wahoo swim singly or in small, loose aggregations rather than large schools. Migrations are thought to be extensive; wahoo range over the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The pointed snout is the easiest way to identify wahoo. As well, the tail is much less crescent-shaped than those of its cousin the mackerel and it has a longer and higher dorsal fin.

Tackle and bait
Given that wahoo are generally found in the same waters as yellowfin and marlin, targeting them with light lines is not a good idea. As a bycatch encountered when mackerel fishing, 6-10kg line will do just fine, but out wide 15kg-plus is the norm – though this really doesn’t give the poor old wahoo much of a chance to show its turn of speed. Trolling lures, especially high speed metal heads, are the favoured way to target wahoo. Jet heads and other heavy trolling lures in red/black, orange/black and pink/white colour combinations are proven winners. Rigged baits such as garfish and slimey mackerel will catch wahoo and swimming baits seem to be preferred to skipping baits.

Fishing methods
As I indicated previously my preferred way to target wahoo would be trolling high-speed lures that hang in the water at ten knots-plus. Wahoo tend to either like the lure right in the prop wash or the one way out the back, so a pattern of five lures with four positioned in and around the prop wash and the fifth 50 to 70 metres back makes a good starting point. If there’s room for a Halco Giant Trembler drop one of those in the lure pattern as well for fish that are swimming a bit deeper.
Any current line in 50 metres or more could be worth a look or simply troll around crab floats, debris or a FAD. Once you have located wahoo, note the location and keep working the area because there’s a good chance you will find some more. They don’t form big schools away from coral reefs but a good spot could still produce three or four fish so it’s worth the effort.
Hopefully this gets you started and in time you may land a prized fish like this one caught last year. Happy hunting!!!!!!!

Caloundra 9 and 12nm- the odd spanish mackerel on lures, squire, cod and sweetlip off the bottom

Caloundra wide- good size snapper, pearl perch, kingfish and jewfish from the deeper bommies

Barwon banks- fusilier, red throst emperor, tuskfish, Spanish mackerel, gold spot wrasse, moses perch and tuna

Murphy’s and the gneerings- spotted mackerel, king fish, squire, sweetlip and plenty of tusk fish

Currimundi- grassy sweetlip, squire, school and spotted mackerel

Well the month of February was pretty much a write off for offshore anglers on the Sunshine Coast. I think we only managed to squeeze in 5 charters in between the relentless S/E winds and a constant 2m swell. Unfortunately this month has started the same, however there is light at the end of the tunnel with forecasters’ predicting a break in the weather on Wednesday(12.3.14) and good coming for the rest of the month. Let’s hope they’re right!!! When we have got out the fishing has been good especially on the full day charters to the outer reefs. This weekend was no different we had full day trips going Friday and Saturday and, unfortunately, the half day trips’ booked for Sunday had to be cancelled.

On Fridays’ trip we started off at the top end of Caloundra wide targeting snapper and pearl perch. A lot were caught but not a lot were legal size. An hour went past and we only had 1 squire and 6 moses perch in the esky so we worked our way north to the barwon banks and fished the shallower area’s which have been working well. The action got better and we boated Spanish mackerel, fusilier, gold spot wrasse, red throat emperor and some really nice size tusk fish. This pick is of Barry holding up tusk fish around 3kg.

On Saturday we changed tactics a little and headed straight for the banks. First up we trolled and had great success. Lots of Spanish mackerel in the 4 to 8kg range, a couple of mahi mahi upto 5kg and a couple of tuna about 4kg were landed and once everyone had got a turn we decided to start bottom fishing. The bottom didn’t fish as well as the day before but that may have been because we had spent a lot of time trolling the earlier part of the day. Tusk fish and fusilier were again on the menu and we picked up a couple more mackerel trolling between spots. The weather was a little sloppy but Mal, celebrating his 40^th, and his crew handled it really well and said they had enjoyed the day emensely. Well done boys’!!! This is a group shot of some the fish they got on the troll.

So we should be out again Friday and the weekend. If you would like to join us for a fishing charter this weekend or anytime give us a call or flick us an e-mail and we’ll make it happen. Until then Happy Hunting!!!!!