# Scarborough reef, learning the hard way.



## windy (Aug 21, 2011)

Gday all,

So Its been a week since the purchase of my revo and the start of a new addiction. I have managed to get out 4 times due to having 2 weeks off work and it has been bloody awesom! Nothing really special on the end of my rod except for a few nice flatty and bream but it doesn't bother me, just getting out there on my new yak was exciting enough.

So anyway, after reading about the shallow reef off Scarborough (Redcliffe area) and chatting to a few of the local fishing stores i decided to go out and check it out during low tide and mark some waypoints. Well now I understand that the meaning of the weather conditions for a land based fisho does not mean the same for a kayak fisho...LOL.
"Sweet, a 15 knot tail wind is going to make my casting massive" Will now become "a 15knot tail wind means 1.2m wind swell and a bloody hard 4 km back to the ramp". Also, just incase anyone who reads this is as stupid as I am, don't grab onto coral to stop... just don't. 
On the plus side, the swell didn't get the better of me and I got my waypoints In . It's all expierience i think. It's better I find out In Moreton bay as opposed to off Noosa.

So I will finish with a request for info from any expierienced Moreton Bay kayak fisho. I have been studying the weather like a hawk and have decided that next tuesday (30AUG) will be the day i hit scarby reef for a 6am start on a 9am high tide. I have chosen this day because the wind is predicted to calm to around 4-8 knots and the swell Is also due to fall. I have also decided to launch from the carpark behing the trailer park because it is line of site to the reef and i wont have any problems lifting the yak onto the beach. I will be fishing soft plastics and taking pilly's and squid too just incase.

I understand that weather can change quicker than my partners mood, so I will continue to check, but all in all does that plan sound ok? Does anyone have grid references to the smaller reefs that can only be found with a sounder? (that they are willing to give up ) And does anyone have any other general tips?

Thanks guys, and If you can pull a sicky on Tues and want to come along i would be honoured with the company. Or If you see a white Daewoo wagon with a blue hobie on the roof feel free to peg fruit at me and tell me not to grab coral and Its my own fault i wont be able to use my left pointer any time soon... just dont hit the yak.


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## mangajack (Jul 23, 2007)

G'day Windy,
The famed Scarby reef......well it has its times. 
Biggest thing to know about the place is avoid boats, if a boat comes rushing into the area, you should leave. Being so shallow the fish are very easily spooked.

Do not anchor......use a drogue and fish ahead of your drift line.

The hour before dawn is the hot bite period, once the light shines on the water it is time to go home with your predawn catch.

Dont bother with your sounder around Redcliffe too much. The whole peninsula is peppered with very low rubbly patches that do not effectively show on the sounder for the most part.

Take a GPS along and record every snag with a waypoint, this will give you a true map of the rubble patches over time.

Most of the decent fish are caught over rubble patches and not off the big visible reefs.

My preference is for low tides around the deeper rubble patches......that being said though.......evening sessions with a almost full tide in the shallows can produce lots of pan sized fish if you get decent drift patterns.


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## windy (Aug 21, 2011)

Cheers Manga, your advice Is much apprieciated. Will fish the predawn hour If the weather stays true. Not looking good though. Where abouts are the deeper rubble patches In regards to the main reef?


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Mangajack is on the money, get out of bed early, fish away from the rest of the cattle gathered around the only tree in the paddock, the conditions you fished in the other day sound ideal to me, in my opinion 10-15kts putting a good chop on the surface of the water makes the fish feel more comfortable than completely glassed out conditions. Drift don't anchor unless you are going to berley up a particular bommie or rubble patch that you know exists and you can be certain that there are no tinnies going to pull up next to you bashing their anchor on the side of their boats. GPS is invaluable. Tides don't worry me all that much, I simply fish when work and other committments allow me to. THere are some great spots out here with good fish caught regularly by those in the know. These good fish come from the most inconspicuous patches of rubble, rock, weed and bommie that is well away from the main reef itself. The main reef fishes really well for bream if you want to toss hardbodies at the rocks as the tide runs off them but no so well for snapper.

Kev


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## windy (Aug 21, 2011)

Very interesting Kev, cheers. Will deffinately have a re think about my game plan. Do i need lights to go out before sunrise? Is there a legal obligation? I was going to take my head torch but thats just so i can see enough to setup the yak.

How to you fish effectively In 10-15 knot winds with a 1.2m swell Kev? I found the only thing that would really work was trolling a deep diver, but even that was a bit iffy because of the speed changes goint up and down the waves. I tried to drift a bit but found I was moving too fast and It was difficult managing with the swell constatly trying to bury me under the waves. I didn't mind the wind or spending all day bobbing up and down like a cork though, so if there Is a way to fish those condition let me know... I will be unstoppable!!

And for anyone that Is interested the snapper are going off on the hornibrook platform, reckon it's due to the rain pushing all the bait out of the Pine. Spent 5 hours there last night patiently waiting for my first jew, positive I was onto him but made my strike early just like everyone says not to which resulted in 2 seconds of joy then heartache. Pretty sure i heard him laughing at me too... one day.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

1.2mtr swell in 15kts :shock: 
you have to fish before dawn :lol:

Thats just crazy talk


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

At least you were using a Revo. Decent swell and wind is easier to cut through on a Revo than a lot of other kayaks on the market. First time I went to Scarborough I was out at North Reef on my Nemo. After the wind sprung up, getting back was a challenge and a half.


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Get yourself a drogue (sea anchor) and I hook mine up to my anchor trolley and run it to the back of the yak so it turns and rides the waves lengthwise rather than side on, it slows the drift nicely. No legal obligations in regards to lights but safety is paramount especially out at scarby as their is plenty of boat traffic some days. If you can afford to the visi carbon light poles are pretty bloody good and double up as a flag during business hours. http://www.yakattack.us/Products/VISICarbonPro.html The only problem with lights at scarby is that it attracts others to your location also, so the use of it is entirely up to you.....

Kev



ArWeTherYet said:


> 1.2mtr swell in 15kts :shock:
> 
> Thats just crazy talk


Well maybe not quite 1.2m but definately better than when its glassed out.


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## windy (Aug 21, 2011)

Thanks for the advice guys,

Just finished cleaning my gear from the session. I am now officially addicted to kayak fishing. I got myself a drouge as you advised and It worked perfectly. Started at 4 (woke up earlier than planned because all i could think of was fishing) and fished through to 10.

Finished with 5 snapper, 2 flatties and a nice flounder. Alot I didn't get, but i expected that on my first real run. Let everything back except for the 40cm snapper that took me on my bream outfit... I deserved that one.


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