The Spanish are here! Spanish mackerel that is; those long, mean toothy critters that can run off 300m of line, smoke drag washers and burn thumbs. They are a blast to catch and they taste great.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF6-HLQ-KsQ

This month being March 2011, in the gaps between wind and rain, almost every fishing charter has seen some red hot Spanish action. Mako’s skipper Brad revealed that floating baits were taking the majority of fish.

“Fresh baits are best, like gar, fusiliers and small pike,” he reported, “but we’ve caught plenty on fresh pilchards rigged on a set of ganged hooks. There are a few secrets. For instance, make sure your gangs are top quality, sharp and are rigged straight; also make sure you are using big, fresh, undamaged pilchards that have plenty of flash and shine (that’s what attracts the macks); and if the water is really clear, use 200lb non-abrasive mono (crimped) instead of wire.

Yes, you will still get chewed off by the odd fish, but sometimes wire trace will make them refrain from biting,” he said. Brad also pointed out that in most cases a float in the form of a balloon (that will bust when there’s a strike) is the best way to suspend your bait in the water column.

On the bottom things have been far from quiet too. Crews have been getting some nice coral trout and red throat emperor near the reefs. Brad did mention that he’s keen to get back to targeting the deeper water, but the recent big tides have made fishing there near impossible.

“The nannygai should be on the chew, but it’s just a matter of being able to get baits down to them as you rocket through a drift,” he lamented. “The tides are improving though, so my hopes are high for April,” he added.

Another species that has been showing up of late is the elusive and much sought after fingermark. Reefari regular and editor of NQ Fish and Boat magazine, Lee Brake got into a couple of snodgers on a rubble patch near Bailey Island. Lee was using big jerkshad style soft plastics bounced across the bottom to land huge fingermark of between 70 and 85cm.

There have also been reports of these gorgeous golden fish up to 8kg by Nick Munro who has been fishing with live bait off Sarina. Nick revealed that live bait is the only way to go with these prized fish, and in particular live squid are almost a sure thing!

Further inshore, Isaac Toivanen reported some good estuary size fingermark schooling in the St Helens Bay area.

Isaac, like Lee, was using soft plastic lures jigged over rubble in deep holes.

Furthermore on the estuary front, barra have been chewing and are in peak condition thanks to an influx of bait and nutrients from all the runoff. With the big tides, fishing for these sportfish has been fairly restricted, but by trolling or live baiting the holes at the very bottom of the tide just as the water starts to run in, you can be in with a fair chance.

Likewise at the top of the tide, plenty of bait is washed out of the creeks and will be set upon by cruising predators that patrol the shallow coastal flats. Long casting with shallow minnows like B52s and the trusty Gold Bomber is a top tactic!

In the impoundments things have been hot and cold with Kinchant and Peter Faust producing the majority of the noteworthy fish. At Kinchant, fish over the 110cm size have been taken casting around the weedy points on dusk with soft plastics and surface lures.

Trolling is still an option also, with yours truly getting a nice 84cm fish up there the other night. This fish fell to a Manns Stretch 30 8’ diver – an absolute behemoth of a lure.

The boys were pretty quick to give me heaps when I put it on, claiming that “the barra will probably mate with it, not eat it,” and “your best bet will be jagging one – they won’t be able to get out of the road!”

However, I had the last laugh when the solid little (by Kinchant standards) barra decided that the Manns was dinner!

That’s it from me. Here’s hoping for a dry and calm April,

Greg Reynolds

www.reefari.com

Well, it hasn’t exactly been the best month for charter fishing.

Between strong winds, massive tides, sharks and continuous wet season rains, the crew have been working hard to get fish. The skipper of our charter boat Mako, Brad Everett revealed that fishing has been difficult offshore. He reported that the rapid tidal movement associated with the 6m plus tides has made fishing in the deeper water difficult.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QY0g7dpiA

“We’d be drifting fast and then when we did go over the GPS marks, the fish were there,” he said. “Unfortunately though, the sharks were also around and weren’t about to lets us get away with our captures. The punters were hooking really good fish and it was just breaking my heart to see the sharks move in time and time again,” he added.

Further out and near the reef, Brad has been finding a few pockets of coral trout, but there have been very few larger specimens, however this could be due to the fact that the winds and currents have kept the boats from effectively fishing the deeper reef.

On a brighter note, the cobia are still about; with several nice fish taken this month. Cobia will sit off the bottom and are exciting to target on jigs. We’ve had a lot of success with soft plastics and slower-actioned ‘octo’ jigs.

The trick is to use a heavy leader – 100lb-plus – and a fast actioned rod in order to effectively work the jig and cushion the strike as the cobia hits. These are a hard fighter and will run long and hard before being subdued, so buckle up for a battle if you get a big one!

They are also excellent eating and should be cooked up fresh – on the BBQ is especially good.

Inshore, the rivers and estuaries are very, very dirty and fishing has been difficult to say the least. Pushing up the river and inland creeks like Cattle and Teemburra is probably your best bet and those that have been doing the miles are landing plenty of small barra, sooty grunter and the odd mangrove jack. Keep your gear light for added excitement and employ small minnows, spinnerbaits and soft plastics.

If you’re after a feed of seafood then a cast net and a crab pot will be your weapons of choice this month. Crabs have been on the march and big bucks are coming from the mouths of many local estuaries; however, due to the big tides, it has been imperative to find somewhere safe and out of the main current for pots.

Also, it pays to use fresh baits and check your pots regularly, as debris washed downstream will often clog openings and impede the effectiveness of your trap.

Prawns are also worth targeting and are of good size in many creeks around Sarina and Seaforth. Target your gulleys around the fronts of the smaller creeks at low tide and watch out for crocodiles as they have been especially active lately. If you don’t want to travel, local creeks like MCcReady’s and Barns have been holding prawns if you’re willing to work for them.

Lastly, on the impoundment front, Teemburra is still fishing hard and anglers are really having to spend a lot of hours on the water to find fish. Kinchant and Proserpine however, are producing some really good catches of metre-plus barra on trolled lures and slowly retrieved soft plastics.

Well, that’s about it for this month, and it’s time to start looking ahead. Book early, as we’ve got some very exciting mothershipping operations and liveaboard trips onboard Mako, going ahead towards the second half of this year. With the inshore waters fishing as they are, they will be a great opportunity to get back into some serious fish!

For more information, or to check out some of the action from previous long-range trips, check out our website charter rates.

Fishing has varied from slow to red hot this month, with crews at times having to work hard to find fish and at others, getting amongst the ‘red’ hot action from the first drop.

On a recent trip, regular Reefari guest Lee Brake, editor of well known publication NQ Fish and Boat Monthly, was aboard for a three day trip to the reef and surrounding deep water patches.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxDMaIT0Y58

Now, Lee has been aboard many times in the past and foolishly let slip on one occasion that he has never caught a legal red emperor, thus earning himself the nickname ‘red virgin’.

Well, we have never let him live it down and this trip was no different.  Unfortunately for us, after two hours of travel where we ribbed him with every jibe we could come up with, the arsey bugger hooked up and landed a ten kilo red on the very first drop of the trip!

The look on his face when he saw what was arising from the depths was priceless and to say he was stoked would be like saying Queensland’s had a ‘bit of rain’.  You can check the moment out for yourself if you have  access to our Youtube channel at  http://www.youtube.com/Reefari

After that, the trip went from strength to strength, with more reds (including another to Lee), some solid nannygai, a few whoop-worthy monster coral trout, some cobia and some hard fighting trevally.

The crew also experimented with some on the new Berkley Elevator Jigheads (a moving jig with split ring between the head and hook) these worked too well and each time one was dropped it never returned thanks to three solid fish (probably horse cobia) lost after extensive battles.

Another highlight was a seriously arm-straining session on big yellow lipper, or spangled emperor.  These fish were upwards of 70cm and had the back deck of Raptor II breaking out in moans and grunts.  While opinion is divided about just how high the eating quality of these fish rates, I believe they are up there with most reef fish and consider them a welcome addition to any haul.

More recently, we’ve noticed what is probably a transition period due to the heat and the fishing has been tough in the deep, but very productive around the reef.  Mako returned from a charter just the day before I write this and found some good trout and redthroat on the edges of Steven’s Reef.  There were also some very tasty and sought after parrot fish/ tusk fish landed.

As mentioned, the cobia are about and can be taken on jigs, lightly weighted baits and trolled lures.  Graham Brake recently took a 50lb fish jigging around Keswick Island that put up a serious fight and was landed and photographed with mentionable skill, especially seeing as he was fishing solo.

We have also taken several great eating specimens on trolled skirted lures.  Also known as pushers, these lures throw up a bubble-trail as they are dragged at speed through the water.  Lately on charters they have accounted for quite a few feisty tuna, the odd mackerel, and cobia, as mentioned.

Inshore, the fishing has been hit and miss with most of the larger river systems still needing some time to flush out after the recent big rains.

On the plus side though, the prawns have been numerous and of good size with very impressive catches in both the Sarina and Seaforth areas.  Crabs too have been on the march at the fronts of the creeks.

Fishing wise, the grunter are pushing in with the tides and are in good numbers, with the odd mangrove jack and fingermark amongst them.

Ok, that’s about it from me for this month.  February is so far looking good and if we can get some fine weather I think we will start to see the trout well and truly come on the bite!  Here’s hoping,

Greg Reynolds
www.reefari.com

With months of planning and organising, “D Day” had finally arrived, with 14 keen anglers from across the eastern seaboard positively foaming with excitement.  Gear was checked, double checked and checked again.  Beers were nervously cradled and everyone spoke in hushed voices as they barely concealed their nervous trepidation.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQETJ7fuigo

A few of the crew were veterans of past trips, but most of the crew were mothershipping virgins and their excitement was palpable.

And who could blame them, as our five day/night Reefari piscatorial adventure of a lifetime had just begun as we steamed from Mackay Marina aboard the mothership Centurion.   This was to be our base for the next five days, a big comfy air-conditioned 80 foot mothership, with all the comforts of home.  To top things off we were also spoilt with the benefits of Raptor II, a 33ft Cougar Cat as a  tender.

Then, not forgetting of course our three dories to get amongst and explore the reef proper.  All in all we had the boats, the gear and the enthusiasm to take the outer reef by storm!

The first night was spent travelling to remote Trogibee Reef approximately 180 kilometres offshore for our first anchorage.  This is a known serious fishing nirvana and anticipation was off the scale, with the boys settling in for the first night and then awaking on the reef, ready to get into some serious action.

And the reef fishing didn’t disappoint, with the dories catching the usual quality red throat emperor and coral trout, and thanks to having the Cougar Cat in tow, we were off into the deep water aboard Raptor II chasing the big red emperor this area is renowned for.

With our quality Furuno FCV 585 sounder and 1kw transducer we were in the ultimate playground, and it was the icing on the cake to have full fuel tanks to play with.

Being towed out opens up all this area with plenty of fuel to race around and sample what each part of this piscatorial wonderland has to offer.  Usually if you can get out this far, you just don’t have the fuel to explore; you’re normally too worried about whether you’re going to make it home!

Did I mention the mothership?

Now this is the way to go fishing!  We used the range it granted us combined with our experience in fishing these deep marks and enjoyed some of the best red fishing ever.

With red emperor fishing becoming harder as the years progress, and distances needing to be traveled becoming greater, this was truly some of the best fishing I’ve seen.   We caught an absolute plethora or ‘average’ size red fish in the 6 to 8 kilo bracket and several monsters pushing well over 10 kilograms.

Hello red heaven!

Clayton from Emerald landed a monster on the first day and it was later deemed to be the best red of the trip, however some other giant reds gave Clayton’s benchmark a shake on more than one occasion.  It was actually Clayton’s first trip to the reef and thankfully it was proving to be a real cracker.  The bloke was on fire (red fire), and he also managed another horse the next day – this red fishing is too easy!

Everyone was having the time of their lives and no one could complain about the masses of trophy fish that just kept coming! We were even catching the reds on the reef edges and legal fish off the mothership in the shallows at night.

We managed one exciting night time Cougar Cat excursion before the weather turned for the worse, with of course more red emperor.  Norm and Greg did battle with some large spangled emperor and local Mackay angler, Conrad lost a monster red just as he was nearing the boat.  We could see a great blur of big beautiful red and it was sooooo close, but hey, that’s fishing.

In the end it was starting to get late and the sharks moved in.  These weren’t your little island bities either and I swear I heard the theme song from Jaws on more than one occasion.  Funnily enough it quickly became time to pull up stumps and call it quits, but sharks aside, it’d been a great start to the first day.

As the trip progressed so too did the highlights.

Chad and Co from Newcastle did battle with a gargantuan giant barracuda of 25 kg, which was bravely brought aboard the dories with only a lip gripper and released after the compulsory photo’s.   This truly was a monster with the teeth to match.  It was an awesome fish and just one of several of these crocodile-denture-packing missiles that were landed over the five days.

The trolling was never dull, with plenty of Spanish and shark mackerel around the reef points and edges, which kept everybody busy and the reels screaming.

Greg, also from Newcastle, kept the fishing gods happy and sacrificed plenty of lures and tackle, much to his annoyance and everybody’s  entertainment.    Buster quickly became his nickname, with Two Heads, a much more ego-enhancing name, given to Linc.

For this skilled (or arsey) angler almost every catch was a double header of quality fish, including two 60cm-plus red emperor in one haul.  Now that’s how you do it kids!  Captain Cod (Dave) was, funnily enough, great at catching cod, with an 8kg version and an even bigger 18kg model falling to the captain over the extent of our adventure.

As a note, the largest cod was towed (to flush oxygen through its gills) and released to fight another day.

Lures were lost and heroes created, with the Rapala Magnum X-Rap 30s giving another standout performance that keeps the brand’s reputation strong in my books.  We even managed the odd coral trout on these lures when they got down close to the reef.  Other consistent performers were the Halco Laser Pros 190’s, and the Big Downsider 200 by River2Sea.

This big lure with an even bigger bib seemed to be diving the deepest amongst the lures.  It valiantly managed to land some nice fish only to – I must solemnly report – be lost in battle towards the end of the trip.

Some of the spots we fished had probably never ever been fished before, with five and six way hook-ups common.  There were more than a few “unstoppables” which usually resulted in only a few making it to the boat at the end of each round of chaos.

To elaborate, when fish can’t be stopped on 50lb-plus line and 24kg heavy tackle, they quickly fall into the category of “unstoppable” and once hooked all an angler can really do its smell his or her thumbs burning against the spool and desperately try to hold onto the rod as it is plunged seaward under a mountain of pressure.  This usually doesn’t end favourably and there were more than a few rod-but bruises and sore muscles amongst the crew from repeat failed hookups.

On one serous drift we ended up with a ratio of two large nannygai to one red emperor, but mostly it was just red, red, red and well, more red!  Things had been seriously reversed with reds usually about one for every six nannygai in our usual stomping grounds.  Here it was one nannygai for every six reds, but who’s complaining?   We were actually joking about trying to get the hooks past the reds.

To put things into perspective I remember one big six-way hookup only resulting in three fish making it to the boat; a mixed bag with a nice cod, spangled emperor and of course another red!  These were all trophy fish, so you can only imagine the bust-offs.  If you ever fish out this way, it’s recommended to use heavier tackle, at least 50lb braid and 100lb leader, and check your knots, with these quality fish finding any weak links.  Unfortunately, even with this calibre of gear, tackle losses were high, so bring what you think you’ll need, then extra, and then double it!

Reds aside, there were other fish of note, including a 60cm grassy sweetlip by Greg which pushed close to the boat’s record and some other large spangled emperors and nannygai.

Did I mention fishing nirvana?

One morning was spent trolling south of Denton Reef, with plenty of birds working in some challenging conditions.  It was pretty atrocious really, but the yellowfin tuna didn’t seem to mind and readily attacked our lures, putting a bit of variety into the esky.  With one per person on the scoreboard, we decided to move on.   Tough to leave them biting, but there was just too many options.

Lynn from Centurion served up some fresh Yellowfin Sashima that afternoon, and I’m still raving about how good it was. The tip is to chill the flesh, then fillet into very fine slices.  Then serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi.  It’s just so tender!  It’s well worth giving it a go, and I’ll be on the lookout for more yellowfin tuna, solely with this recipe in mind.

Night time fishing was good with some great red throat emperor sessions. Freeding frenzies involving these tasty reef-dwellers can break out at anytime so it pays to persevere.  Sharks were numerous as usual (this is barely-fished water after all), but once they cleared out, some quality fish came aboard the boat, with once again the odd red emperor amongst them.

This is a great time to get out the plastics, the Berkley 7” Gulp Shads being a personal favourite, and the octo-style jigs.  One memorable catch was a nice, legal, night-time red emperor on a Shimano Lucanus Jig to Ian Meads.  Some big spangled emperor also like to get involved in this nocturnal pandemonium and Norm and Greg’s double header were prime examples of these quality fish.

Unfortunately with great fishing, time seems to go even faster, with the trip finishing up at beautiful Penrith Island for the last run home.  Around the island a few more coral trout and redthroat were added for the table and all up it was a great way to finish the trip.   Look out for our videos on our Reefari Youtube Channel, 4 part series coming soon.

Fact Box –  Five Day Highlights

Day 1: Night time red mayhem in the deep, GTs on poppers and 25kg-plus barracuda.

Day 2: Travelling to Eaton Reef with reds well over 10kg and trout and emperor from the shallows.

Day 3: Pelagic pandemonium as yellowfin tuna schools moved in and smashed lures along with Spanish mackerel.  Fishing into the night at far-flung Denton Reef sees frenzied red throat emperor and spangled emperor sessions.

Day 4: Deep water bombies found and double headers were commonplace.  Reds, giant cod and trout!  Exhausted, the crew turned to trolling only to usher in a Spanish mackerel blitz that provided little reprieve.

Day 5: Island hopping at Penrith for trout and redthroat, then home.

October already!  Where has this year gone?

It seems like only yesterday that we were catching snapper, and now the water is warming and were are gearing up for the tropical species to start chewing their heads off.

It’s been a mad month of mackerel mayhem offshore with some calamitous catches being recorded, there’s been some top bottom bashing action with big reds biting strongly, and anglers have been getting their arms stretched to the limit by some barnstorming Queenfish and Trevally.

All in all folks, the fishing has been full on!

Probably the best catches have included red hot mack attacks.  Reefari has been trolling up a storm with one charter finding themselves in the thick of it to the point where they literally had to stop and find something else to target.

Spanish and shark mackerel have been the most common with strong catches on every charter, unfortunately that means my lures replacement orders have been through the roof, but, that just means you’re in the thick of it, right?

One lure that has been good to us is the River2Sea deep-diving Downsider – a newer lure out that is getting down to where the mack schools are holding.

On that same note, jigging is working well with knife jigs finding the macks once they dive deep and a fast retrieve is producing some smashing hits and gut-punishing strikes.  Now that’s good fun!  As yet most of the mackerel we are getting have been offshore; probably due to the bait schools remaining out wide.  Given some more northerly winds and a bit of luck though, and we should see them come into the range of the smaller boats.

While we are mentioning pelagics, there have been some herculean battles taking place.  Glen Montgomery got a 9 kilo queenfish trolling the St Bees/Keswick Channel and after a taxing battle, he released it to fight another day.

Likewise, Graham Brake found a patch of bait in deep water and after jigging up several small 3kg-plus giant trevally, he put a Halco Crazy Deep lure out and trolled over the school.

Graham reports that as he ran over the school, which was 60 feet down, a 25kg-plus GT rose from the depths and gave him an almighty battle before being landed, photographed and released.  These fish are awesome fun to catch, but do the right thing and release them, as the bigger they get, the poorer they are to eat.

In the deep water scene, our gun Reefari skipper Sally has reported a slowing of action around the reefs, but an influx of big reds.  She reports that the guys willing to drop big baits are being rewarded and who isn’t happy with a trophy red emperor?

Other notable catches include some solid nannygai, with a seven kilo model falling to Han Ditzel aboard our special Dowden’s Pumping charter.

While other species, like the coral trout, have been quiet, it is only a matter of time before they come back on the chew.  Usually we do find that the change of seasons slows down the fishing for a week or so until the temperature stabilizes and then it’s on for young and old alike!  Bring on the big coral trout!

In other news, as I write, we are gearing up for our annual mother-shipping adventure to the outer reef.

As you read this, the Reefari crew, myself and a group of keen fishos will be either aboard the 80 foot mothership relaxing, or more likely, battling titanic GTs, dropping for monster reefies, or just exploring the untouched blue ocean that is the outer reef.

It’s a top week away and with the Raptor II trimmed out and hitting 34knots thanks to its new 300hp Suzuki’s, we won’t be going softly.  No readers, this will be serious adventure fishing and is definitely not for the faint hearted.  Keep your eyes peeled, because hopefully next month we’ll be bringing you a full wrap up!

No, the running of the bulls hasn’t gone international; we have just had a thumper of a month on the Spanish mackerel.

Trip after trip Reefari has been able to put clients onto double, triple and even quadruple hookups of these exciting sportsfish.

There has also been some tremendous catches of coral trout and a smattering of big reds to keep the smiles wide and the eskies brimming.

Folks, it has been a cracker of a month!

We were able to push out wide early in the month with a keen crew that included NQ Fish & Boat editor Lee Brake, his father Graham and the Godfrey clan.

The Brake boys brought along a few trays of jigs and not only got their backs and arms stretched, they also landed some top fish.

At first, we trolled a good show of fish on the sounder with some proto-type Reidy’s lures which saw young Mitch and Harrison Godfrey hooked up and fighting several charging Spanish macks.

Graham also got in on the act and the day was off to an exciting start. Unfortunately the boat traffic seemed to push these fish down deep and out of the range of our trolled lures, so out came the jigs!

Using metal knife jigs Graham and Lee sent their lures shuttling down into about 50m of water and ripped them back towards the surface with strong, fast rips of their rod tips.

We didn’t have to wait long.

Within minutes both anglers were being smashed up by unstoppables that left them standing around slack jawed and looking like stunned mullets.

They went to heavier gear and sure enough some big trevally, including a double on goldens, and at least a dozen Spanish were fooled by the jigs. I’ll admit it; I could get into this jigging thing!

Once we moved on, the same trip saw us in coral trout heaven.

At first the fishing was a little slow, but then Janelle, Harrison and Graham all found themselves hooked up to solid, hard pulling coral trout. The interesting thing was; they were using lunch as bait.

Yeah, freshly cooked banana prawns where going down and coming back up as 60cm-plus trout over and over again!

Graham revealed that he has been using this trick for years, but usually makes do with the cheaper cooked imported offerings. He reckons it is the bright red of the cooked prawns that attracts the trout, and after seeing Harrison pull up two thumper trout and a nannygai one after another on the prawns, I’m convinced!

In other news, our Steber gameboat, Mako has been putting in some awesome trips, with new skipper Sally Vennick reporting some interesting catches.

“Last trip to the reef saw us getting some lighting fast yellow-fin tuna,” she said. “It is a little early in the season for them, but the pelagics seem to be in good numbers.

We got into plenty of good mackerel on the troll, with the Classic F18 Bluewater lures proving lethal in the gold and mackerel green colours!”

“We even saw a sailfish that was all lit up and hunting!”

Bottom fish wise, Sally revealed that they have been also been landing loads of coral trout with over thirty fish taken in the last reef trip – many of a very high quality.

Well, there is much, much more that I could report, but we are out of time for this month, so I all I can suggest is that you to stop reading and start fishing!

Check out the great action on our Youtube Channel at www.youtube.com/reefari and really am looking forward to our Reefari Hardline Mothershipping trip next month, can’t wait!!

This was the start of a three day charter with Reefari onboard Mako, a big comfortable Steber 41 gameboat. Jason Kennedy from Southern Cross TV Show, “Fishin Trip”, as well as Steve Burns, and John Kavagnah were our Guests on this fishing adventure, all from Victoria.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=juKwJ64Vnwc

We fished our way out to Steven’s Reef for the first night, with plans to target a secret Reddy spot at Charlie’s bommie, plus check out a few new marks on the way.

The weather was holding nicely, as we cruised over some new marks, and we dropped a few exploratory rigs down in the hope of some good fish, but unfortunately, nothing in return.

They can be hit and miss, and it pays to keep on trying, which we did, until we came across the Motherload, an unexpected bonanza which blew everyone away.

It was of course appropriately saved and the waypoint called the Motherload, what else, with five and six way hookups the norm, and all quality fish including Nannygai, Red Emperor, spangled Emperor, Cod and Trevally coming aboard thick and fast.

Even XOS Chinamen of 10 Kilo’s plus gave everyone a back breaking workout, with calls of big reds, resulting in huge disappointment, every reef fisherman knows the feeling with these fish having to be released.

They’re well known for ciguatera poisoning, and now protected.

Trolling the reef edges is also a popular option, and great fun, with more Spanish Mackerel, Shark Mackerel and Trevally falling to the lures. One Monster Shark Mackerel worth mentioning pushed the scales down to 10.5 kilo’s and was one of the biggest I’ve seen landed, caught by Kevin Boyle.

Red emperor came on steady and even landed several into the night, with a mixed bag of Red throat and Spangled emperor also landed for those who persevered.

Special mention must go to Sally Vennick, Reefari’s new skipper of Mako, and good to see her outfish the blokes with the biggest fish of the trip, a Huge cod of approx 25 kilo’s. Matty Sutton, the Decky and Sally went to great efforts, venting the fish, and towed before successfully being released which was great to see.

Everybody was blown away with some great fishing, with about a dozen red Emperor to 8 kilo’s, and a great mixed bag, It was decided to chase some of the Big Nannygai that Mackay is famous for, for the Camera, Going to some of our old favourites failed to find a big Nannygai, believe it or not, more Red emperor and a quality Coral trout.

That’s fishing and not a bad consolation prize, with the weather now picking up and running out of time, it was time to head for the Marina.

Make sure you checkout the above fishing video at www.youtube.com/reefari and the “fishing Trip” TV Show in early October, will be a Red Emperor Spectacular.

What a month July 2010 has been!

It has been a little hectic I must admit, but the fishing has been unreal!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=juKwJ64Vnwc

Between the Spanish Mackerel Shootout, the very pleasing run of big Spanish, the visiting TV crews, our new skipper, more reds than a Queensland football side and a motor upgrade, I don’t know where to start!

Well, let me begin with saying that the Spanish Mackerel Shootout was a great success despite less than friendly weather conditions (thanks a lot Mother Nature)! All up, 58 entrants accounted for a total of nine Spanish Mackerel and 15 reef fin fish at the weigh in.

Mick Rethus and Craig Breadsell both fought it out for the grand prize, with Craig taking home the spoils thanks to a 30.50kg Spanish.

Well done Craig. A mention must also go to our own Reefari crew who braved the shipping channel and 20-plus knot winds to secure the biggest nannygai and coral trout.

Now, on the subject of big Spanish, the Reefari crew aboard the 41’ Steber, Mako were lucky enough to play up for the cameras when Jason Kennedy from the Southern Cross TV show “Fishin Trip” came for a Reefari three day Charter. Using Berkley Frenzy and Halco Laser Pro lures, the anglers trolled up a school of high jumping, long running Spanish that not only saw us fighting numerous three-way hook-ups, but also engaging in a running battle with the ‘men in grey suits’.

By the end of a crazy 45 minute session, we’d landed eight (and a half) solid macks up to 12kg.

The same trip was topped off with an almost unheard of run of jaw-dropping red emperor, with over a dozen being landed, including a few models that gave the ten kilo mark a serious nudge!

Without an exception, every angler onboard walked away with stretched arms, sore shoulders and big, black, angry bruises on their abdomen – yes readers, big reds pull like angry bulls!

Now folks, it may hurt, but that kind of fishing makes you grin until your cheeks ache!

Some truly awesome Reef fishing Action.

More recently, our new skipper Sally Vennick has been showing off her fish-finding skills on a recent four-day voyage by putting the punters onto some impressive patches of thumper red throat.

“They are schooling up to spawn,” she revealed. “We had an awesome trip out to the reef with the Spanish, red throat and trout all on the chew. The whales are in too and they seem to be getting more curious every year!”

Sally is a local mariner with buckets of experience on the blue and we at Reefari count ourselves very lucky to have such a seasoned professional at the helm of Mako. With time spent on the most of the well known local charter boats, Sally is sure to have some insight for us in the months ahead. Welcome aboard Sal’.

Before I go, I should probably update you on our 32’ Cougar Cat, Raptor II. I mentioned last month that she was out of the water for an upgrade. Well, now she’s back and she goes like a scalded cat (excuse the pun) thanks to a pair of sexy 300hp outboards that I will have you too the fishing grounds, and fishing, just that bit quicker.

Well, honestly, I’ve got no complaints. Let’s just hope next month brings more of the same!

The 15-20 knot forecast reaching 20-25 knots at times meant for trying times as 58 registered anglers did their best to land the best fish they could find.

Credit must be given to the team on board “Somewhere”, skippered by Dennis Breadsell, who managed to get Mick Rethus and Craig Breadsell hooked up to some monster spanish mackerel..

The first 2 fish they put on the scales were impressive:- Craig’s first a commendable 17kg while Mick’s first fish at 21.6 kg put him in front of the best fish weighed in on the Saturday that was 18.65kg from Jason Jenkins.

However, when the second mackerel bag was opened up it was clear the competition was just between Craig and Mick. Craig’s 2nd fish was weighed in at 30.50 kg and when Mick’s 2nd fish was weighed at 30.00kg Craig had found himself the winner of the $1200 cash 1st prize in the 2010 JG Marine& Mowers Spanish Mackerel Shoot-out.

Mick Rethus ended up with 2nd and third prizes in the Mackerel section to also take home $750 cash. Some quality Spanish Mackerel caught on Wolf herring, top baits for these big fish.

The Spanish Mackerel mystery weight section saw Chris Ellis score a Reefari one Day Reef fishing trip with his 10.75kg Mackerel being the closest to the 13.5kg mystery mark.

Mitchell Bridson weighed in 2 Spanish Mackerel (16.1kg & 15.4kg) to take out the Junior Heaviest Spanish Mackerel and junior mystery weight Spanish mackerel division to end up with $350 cash.

The new reef fin fish sections also generated a lot of interest this year, however, the strong winds also made it difficult for most people to fish where they wanted, with Coral trout, Nannygai and Red Emperor up for Grabs. Greg Reynolds from Reefari, took out 1st & 2nd prize in the coral trout section and the 1st prize for the nannygai section to walk away with $1000 cash and a $250 rod and reel from Nashys compleat angler.

The biggest of Greg’s fish were a Coral trout weighing 5.00kg gilled & gutted and a Large Mouth Nannygai weighing 7.80kg gilled & gutted, both quality fish in such rough conditions from the Shipping Channel.

A crowd of well over 100 people attended the final weigh in and presentations held on Sunday 11th July at the Mackay Surf Club.

Once again this year the Fisheries research team attended the weigh in sessions and showed the public how they go about their research into determining fish length, age and sex and how the public can get involved in their research activities.

Great to see, and help in Spanish Mackerel research. The other crowd pleaser for the Sunday prize presentations was the lucky draw prizes that included a $400 Tackle World voucher won by Ian Meads, a Tackle World rod and reel won by Warren Meads & Sebastian Evans.

Once again the Mackay Game Fishing Club would like to thank all of the tournament sponsors JG Marine & Mowers, Reefari, Nashy’s Compleat Angler, Tackle World, Hitachi, Sharps Heavy Equipment Repairs, CQMS razor, Sea FM, Hot FM, Zinc FM and Bullivants for their contribution to the event and the people of Mackay that made the event the success that is has been.

Thanks must go to the Organiser of the 2010 JG Marine & Mowers Spanish Mackerel Shoot-Out Ian Meads, the president of the Mackay Game fishing club and the committee for the time and effort in putting such an event together. No doubt we will all be lining up in 2011 to do it all over again, and hope to see you next year.

The Mackay Game fishing club had a social weekend planned for an overnight fishing trip to Scawfell Island, which is one of the best and most scenic anchorages on the East Coast.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6uXPR3CXM8

Scawfell island is located about 25 nautical miles to the North east from the Mackay Marina, an easy hour or so run.    Scawfell is a large island with a large horseshoe shaped bay, appropriately named Refuge bay, and  protected from our Prevailing SE Winds, with beautiful beaches and coral line bay, it’s hard to beat, plus of course some great fishing.

Reefari and Co, planned to fish the shipping channel, for the day, and come back to Scawfell for a bit of R & R, and spend the night, with a leisurely Sunday before heading home.

The weather gods must have known it was a Mackay Game fishing club event and the usually 15 – 20 knots forecast was standard, which of course makes things generally uncomfortable and the fishing difficult.   So in Marginal Conditions we set off In Raptor II, for some of our wide fishing marks.

Yohan can attest to that, being rather Green about the Gills, he still held his own and courageously fished on, although he did let quite a few go, and got plenty of ribbing for his efforts.   The tides were good, with not too much run, and the start of the build up to the full moon.

The fishing started slowly, getting some nice pan sized Nannygai, small and large, grassy sweetlip and the odd Coral Trout.

Luckily, things kept on getting better, moving to some wider marks and everybody getting their sea legs, some quality 5 & 6 kilo Nannygai now regularly were coming on board and everybody was enjoying the fishing, with the lumpy trip, now worthwhile.  We of course were the only ones silly enough to be out there.

The fish kept coming nice and steady, with a 8 Kilo Nannygai to the Skipper, Greg Reynolds a great highlight for the morning to take the fish of the day.   Jason Horton Landed a beaut 60 cm Grassy Sweetlip which pushed Reefari’s record of 63 cm, and everyone will agree is a quality fish at this size.

Yohan did finally manage to land a nice coral trout of about 3 kilo’s which was his first and was mightily impressed.

There was Plenty of Red emperor  on the chew, but being of the smaller variety around the 40 – 45 cm, they all went back for another day.

The fishing was excellent working a few new marks with one spot erupting into a 5 way hookup and Kaos, ducking and weaving rods, to end up with a mixed bag of five quality fish, 3 Largemouth Nannygai, Large Grassy sweetlip and Coral trout coming to the boat.

A top way to end a hot bite, with us deciding to move on and we left them biting, the Spanish mackerel esky was 3/4 ‘s full and a good feed for everybody.

We checked out a few new marks and then worked our way back to Scawfell island for the night with seas on our Quarter.   With calm seas, and a sheltered anchorage, the ice cold beers were very appreciated.

Definitely great fishing, great company and it doesn’t get any better.

The Mackay Game Fishing club’s next big event is the Spanish Shootout to be held over the Weekend of the 9^th and 10^th of July with heaps of Great prizes on offer, and not just Spanish Mackerel, with Reef fin fish species also now eligible, including Red Emperor, Nannygai and Coral Trout.

Make sure you get involved with everybody welcome, bring the kids and have a great fishing weekend.  Reefari is proud to be sponsor this event with some great mystery weight prizes up for grab.