Sweetwater Fishing Forums

General Category => Fishing Reports => Topic started by: Hodgie on January 21, 2016, 10:49:35 AM

Title: Townsville Fishing Report
Post by: Hodgie on January 21, 2016, 10:49:35 AM
This warm weather is getting a bit of stuff happening, and the inshore and river fishing has been pretty good. The Crabs on the other hand have apparently been very quiet. Small Prawns are in all the systems so the food plentiful also. We have mostly been targeting tighter water and the inshore stuff as I only have a small boat, but that still puts us amongst some fish. Although not a rare fish, the Tripletails are a less than common catch, and there are a few poking around, with several juveniles we spotted in the river doing their best to look like a mangrove leaf.
If you’re travelling and see some weed or debris floating, just take a closer look as you pass, because there could just be one sitting in tight to it. As we passed some weed the other day we spotted a smaller model sitting in tight on the weed and first cast got smashed. Not looking at all like an aerial fighter, they'll surprise the hell out of you as they jump and thrash quite high into the air and pull well on light line.
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The bigger tides are going to be a little more difficult to fish for the lure casters over the next few days, but you still shouldn't have too much trouble finding fish. Blue and Threadfin Salmon are also getting about, and the they seem to be hanging out together in some spots, as we had a few chasers the other day with one Thready going up over the meter mark.
Numbers of Grunter have slowed a bit, but the size of those being landed has been reasonable with fish of around 60cm being catchable. Gar and Herring fillets have been working well, if you can beat the small sharks.
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The bottom fishing has been pretty consistent, with word of some big Nannies and Reds coming in, not to mention some stoncking big Trout and Lippers. Cuttlefish have been doing the trick on the night species, and not many things will pass up a well presented Cuttlefish. Most fish have been landed, but you can't go to easy on them when hooked, because there will more than likely be something with teeth down there wanting your fish as much as you do.
I’m not sure what water clarity is like at the moment, and it did murk up a little bit in close, but the visibility was awesome once you got a couple of k's offshore, and the Mackerel were apparently chewing well out past the island on trolled lures and swimming Gar. Surface activity has dropped off a bit, and the schools of Pelagic's are still out there, but holding down a little deeper so maybe a down-rigger could be the go for both lures and Gar also.

While the school holidays are on, a great place to take the kids for a flick is off the beach, where they can run a round and burn off some holiday sugar and still have a chance at catching a fish. I took the young fella down to the beach the other day and even though we never landed anything decent, young Tannhym still enjoyed it, pulling in all sort of things from GT's, Slateys, juvenile Hammerheads, stingrays and Cod with a. Couple of bigger bust off's and a bite off from what I would say was another bites, all in just a couple of short hours.
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Anyway, I'll be back at work again in a week or so and will have a bit more of an idea as to what's been going on, so will be a more thorough report then.
Cheers and good luck, Hodgie and the Akwa Pro team.