# QLD: Wonderful Woodgate



## Kahuna (Aug 9, 2010)

The family & I have just returned from a couple of weeks holiday at Woodgate. indiedog and his family joined us for the first week.

Overall the weather was pretty good. There were a handful of days when it was too blowy to head out the front to the artificial reef, but the beauty of Woodgate is that the Burrum River or Theodilite Creek usually offer an alternative fishing destination.

I took along a handful of lures that I had made to try. I had some success on a few of these.

The first trip out to the artificial and Taylor's reef gave me an opportunity to test out my fairly 'agricultural' home made sabiki rod. It worked, bringing up a mixed variety of little fish. I hooked up one of the little blue and yellow striped fusliliers and trolled around with him swimming out the back, but on this day he wasn't on the menu.




























indiedog hooked up to something big which towed him to Fraser and back, but I'll let him tell you all about that. As we trolled back towards our launch point indie ahd a brief hook up which ended up with his leader shortened up and vaguely resembling an octopus skirt.

I also hooked up to something 'interesting' on the way out on this trip, I'm sure indie has a photo he wants to share.

The next trip was down to the Burrum River. This time my eldest daughter Abi joined us. We launched from the boat ramp at Walkers Point (where the horse flies are pretty friendly) and ventured a little way up stream then drifted back towards the mouth on the outgoing tide. indie picked up a nice flattie of about 45cm.



















Abi had a SP on and eventually got a good hit on it after we drifted across a sandbank and into some deeper water. She got the fish close to the kayak and then the fished went on a couple of blistering runs. At one stage I thought Abi was going to end up in the drink, but she hung in their and I netted her first fish on SP...... a big old green toad fish. The SP was pretty battered but was still hanging in there so we tossed it back out.










Before long Abi was on again. This time a little gold spotted rock cod came aboard for a few pics then swam back out of sight. We kept drifting along with the outgoing tide and flicked some SPs around the mouth of a creek that was draining into the river in some pretty snaggy country.










With little activity here we started heading back towards the boat ramp. I thought I would troll one of my home made lures on the way back. I managed to pick up a little gold spotted rock cod.










Another day indiedog and I went for a fish up in Theodolite Creek. indie picked up a barred grunter as we rode the incoming tide up the creek. We spent a while fishing along a bend of the creek where there is some deeper water and lovely coffee rock ledge with some overhanging vegetation. The wind made it pretty difficult to fish this spot, so after a while we continued on up the creek. I anchored up and dropped a yabbie down on one rod and flicked a lure around on another. I checked the bait rod and thought I was snagged. I ended up winding in this ugly critter. So what is it, a stone fish or a stargazer?



















Not long after this indie had to head back to camp. I explored the creek some more and found a likely looking spot to drop the crab pots in at some stage. I trolled a couple of lures on the way back and picked up a fiesty little bream.


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## Kahuna (Aug 9, 2010)

One foggy morning I launched from the beach and started towards the artificial reef. I was trolling a pilchard on a mack rig indiedog had given me one rod and a home made lure on the other. Soon enough the rod with the home made lure on starting jumping about. I wound it in to find this little mackerel hanging off it. That's a promising start I thought.










I peddled on through the fog and noticed the odd tern or two flying past. I got to the reef, anchored up and sent the sabiki rig down, bringing up a few odds and ends. I heard one boat to the north of me and heard another sound to the south. At first I thought it was another boat heading out. When I turned I saw big bust up a few hundred metres or so away from me with the terns twittering and diving head long into it.

This was about my third trip out to the reef, and I had seen any bust ups previously. I had decided to leave the coupe of slugs I had behind.....doh! I rumaged around in my kit and the heaviest thing I could fins was a little silvery Shimano waxwing. I tied this on to my lighter combo as I had a livie on the heavier combo. I pulled anchor and started tearing around after the terns.

After a lot of racing here, there and everywhere, lobbing a few cast into some bustups, getting a touch but no hook up I just sat for a while to have a breather. Next thing there is a bust up about 20m behind me. I grab the rod and fling the waxwing into the middle of the boil. Hooked up. Heart rate slightly elevated. Fish realises it is hooked........drag starts singing a few octaves higher than I have ever heard it...Holy Burgermeister!! ...heart rate sky rockets. Now this is where the adrenalin, excitement and most of all, inexperience kicks in. Instead of settling in to fight this fish I get all carried away, have a fleeting thought of being spooled and have a brainwave that thumbing the spool right about now would be a good idea. Lesson learned.

I tie on a new leader and the heaviest jighead and SP I have just in case I get the opportunity to cast into another bust up. I release the livie and tie one one of my home made specials. Things go quiet so I mooch around at the reef for a while. As the morning wears on I hear the excited twittering of the terns as some more bait fish get carved up. I give chase, but they keep disappearing before I get close.

I start trolling homewards, zig-zagging in pursuit of the just out of reach bust ups. Suddenly the heavy rod starts loosing a bit of line. I quickly wind in the SP then grab the heavy rod, happy to find some weight on the end of the line. Before long I have my first school mackerel in the yak, sporting one of my home made lures from it's toothy gob. He went about 56cm.










I keep chasing the bust ups for while longer, they are moving in closer to the beach, but I am unsuccessful in hooking any more mackerel. As I approach my lauch point the heavier rod moves around a little. This time a small gold spotted rock cod has taken a liking to this lure.










As I was preparing to get back on land I notice some structure on the sounder, only a few hundred metres out from the beach, just in front of where I launch. I quickly mark this on the GPS and have a half hearted cast of an SP for a while before heading in.

The next outing I took Abi out to this spot and we anchored up and starting to deploy some prawns. We had a fun afternoon, catching a mixed bag of fish including what I first thought were little soapies (but now think were silver teraglin(yankee whiting)), whiting, tailor, green toadies, little flatties and some scaly jewfish.



















My last trip out to the reef saw a handful of little squire and a few other little reef species. One fusilier was hooked on as a livie. There was the odd bust up in the distance, but nothing close enough to chase. I pedal off with livin on the heavier combo and the lure that caught the school mackerel on the lighter combo. I slowly troll along the artificial reef and a fair way past the southern end when BANG!!! the lighter rod buckles over.




























I grab it and hold on as line is peeling off at a fair rate of knots. I notice the livie line is getting tangled so swap rods and after a few tense moments untangle that mess and get that rod out of the way. I get back to the battle on the other line. The runs are getting shorter and I am gaining some line peddling after this thing. I think I am getting the other hand when the line suddenly goes flacid. What ever it was had made it back to the reef and busted me off. Bugger! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I'll have to make up some more lures like that one when I get home.


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## Kahuna (Aug 9, 2010)

We put the crab pots out a couple of times, managing about 8 or so mud crabs each time, all of which were undersize.





































The last trip of the holiday saw Abi and me heading off up the Lagoon Creek arm of Theodolite Creek. We trolled our way up the creek, around islands, further and further, bend after bend. We peddled along until the creek narrowed and the mangroves encroached to a point where we could go no further. We made a three point turn, clipped on some different lures and then started to back with the outgoing tide.

We were approaching a bend where a crab pot was located and we could hear a boat pouring up the creek at a fair pace. We moved over to the side of the creek out of harms way. Fortunately the boaties saw us as they came tearing round the bend and pulled up in time. We waited until they had checked their crab pot and headed back off down the creek before we continued on.

As we snaked our way back along the creek Abi suddenly starts winding away. I grab my rod and wind my lure in out of the way. Abi gets the first fish of the day, a little estuary cod. A couple of quick pics and we watch it swim back down into the snags.










About 10 minutes later Abi starts winding in again. "You've gotta be kiddin me!" I say. She just grins and tells me she has another fish on. I watch as she brings the fish closer to the kayak. Bloody hell, that's a nice looking flathead. I grab the net and on about the fourth attempt I have the flattie on board for a measure.....51cm. We stick the fish in the bag, give a few high fives then move on as the creek is fast emptying.




























The closest I got to a fish was when my lure got nailed by a jack along a coffe rock ledge. I lost about 3-4 poppers along this stretch the first time we holidayed up here. I tie on a new leader an SP and work along the the ledge for a while. I got one hit, but no hook up.

As we were leaving Woodgate, the weather was picture perfect....... but it seems to do that to us every year when we are leaving.


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## Joseph1958 (Sep 20, 2013)

Thank you Kahuna. One of the best reports I have read for quite some time. Cheers!


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Some good fun on that break away from home, and good to read the homemade lures kicked so goals for you as well.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2013)

Plenty of action there , Theodalite ck should be good for Jack's and the odd Barra

My wife's family had a beach shack on 5 acre's right on the main drag there , flicked it years ago unfortunately

Cheers


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Stargazer I think Rob.

Great trip, great place.


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## paulsod (Dec 28, 2008)

That was a great read, Rob.

"I ended up winding in this ugly critter. So what is it, a stone fish or a stargazer?" It not ugly enough for a Stonefish and a Stargrazer eyes are on top of it's head.









Cheers
Paul


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## captaincoochin (Nov 11, 2012)

I just got back from a quick trip up to burrum point. It's a beautiful place. Although the 20 knot nnw made Woodgate itself very messy today. Great read too. Cheers.


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## richmond (Dec 20, 2010)

Good trip report mate.

Definitely not a Stargazer nor a Stonefish.

It's a Blotched Jawfish.

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/10862


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## youngfisho (Feb 13, 2008)

nice report, good to see you got onto some fish. Nice Schoolie to. Good to see they are turning up somewhere. Will have to deploy the AI out there very soon.

cheers

Andrew


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