# Fishing Morton Bay with no result



## Frewy (Apr 6, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

I have been kayak fishing Morton Bay for 1 year with limited results.

I have a fish finder and GPS but do not seem to be able to locate bait, target (using Snapper, Sweetlip etc) species or decent fishing locations. I mainly fish Peel or Couchie as they are close enough for a good day trip

I have tried different techniques including bottom rigs, floating bait, Blades, trolling and soft baits but just don't seem to get any results. When I do catch fish they are either vermin, sharks or small snapper.

Really appreciate advice anyone can give me. Particularly any GPS marks which produce fish, tips on how to locate bait fish, best times/tides/moon phases in Morton Bay, the best rigs and gear to use.

Cheers


----------



## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Plenty of fish in the bay. If your not catching anything your doing something wrong.

What type of gear are you using? Biggest fundamental mistake people make is fishing too heavy. Rod should be in the 2-4kg range, reel around 2000, line around 6-8lbs. Use at least a meter of 8lb fluorocarbon leader. Use the least amount of lead as possible. Hook size should be no bigger than 3/0 for big snapper and you work down for smaller fish.
Search in the trip report section for areas where you want to fish. Red Phoenix trip reports would be a good start.......you might have to go back a couple of years.
Look for fast running water, eddies, drop off, where other people are fishing. Talk to fisher people, especially regulars, once fishermen get to know you they are usually more forth coming with info. 
And most importantly go often, persistence pays off.


----------



## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

It is pretty easy to get the yak fishing bug and then go all out with big lures / baits and troll around the bay willy nilly and expect a great catch...some of the trip reports even read like this is the way it is done...wrong
Here should be your thought process...below that is example

Choose your area to fish
Choose your main target to fish for , often depends on what option you choose for number 1
Choose your method of fishing 
Have a back up plan for the area
Go out with others who know the area
Enjoy it regardless of result

Coochie
Bream in shallows around the beaches / mangroves at high tide
Surface hardbody lures and plastics with a 2-4 kg rod , 1500 reel and 4 lb braid with leader 4-6 lb
If weather is kind head to the deeper water around the island and fish 5 inch plastics with 12 lb leader for snapper
Meet Red , Geoff etc at the ramp or on the island and get some local knowledge of whats biting lately , at worst send them a pm etc to find out the latest reports...ps names may be changed to protect any actual identity
Have a chat/drink with other fishermen on your return until you realise that its getting dark and the inevitable has be happen - you have to HOME...

Bait schools and bust ups - yeah , it happens now and then in the bay - but the bay is shallow , its not what you need to look for to get a feed
Mouths of creeks , canals and run offs from the islands will serve you well for flatty , bream , whiting and other species
Mudflats and sandbanks all over the bay will be productive on the outgoing and ingoing tides
Shallow reefs/bommies around coochie , peel , wello pt and the close islands fish well for snapper , sweetlip , tuskfish and jew early mornings
Boat channels and around beacons for tailor , tuna and macs when they are in season 
All these places do well with persistance and patience...you will be surprised how far you "don't" have to go to catch good fish
Definately troll lures , but be particular what and where you troll if you want to catch regularly...
Good luck with it , may see you on the water one day...rob


----------



## Baitman (Aug 1, 2009)

Hiya,

I am a big believer in the quality of bait. Suggest you invest in a cast net and start drifting live poddies and herring. My catch increased substantially in size once I started using livies.


----------



## RackRaider (Nov 10, 2010)

I've been hearing some things about "j Poppers"? some chick called natalie said there alright :lol: 
But on a more serious note;



Baitman said:


> I am a big believer in the quality of bait.


+1
Fresh bait, light line. Natural presentation, with plenty of hook exposed from the Bait. Maybe try light berleying with bread and chook pellets? Make sure it does'nt have fish in it or you'll get sharks


----------



## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

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


----------



## Frewy (Apr 6, 2012)

Thanks Everyone, really appreciate your advice.

I have started focusing on targeting specific species and finding the approach to work really well. Have picked up a couple of good size snapper, and a feed of whiting. I have also change gear, I am using a far lighter rod, line and set up.

Does anyone know of a fishing calendar with a high level overview of which species are active in the bay per month/season? I am not sure when to target certain species etc

Are there are fishing groups which regularly catch up and go for a fish in the bay?

Cheers
Frewy


----------



## Iseered (Oct 25, 2010)

Frewy,
Most of the species mentioned in the above posts are available year round. It just depends on where you fish and the conditions at hand. Sometimes it seems as if there's nothing living in the bay at all, other times its teeming with life. I would be looking for the cycles of available food in the bay: Life cycles of squid, prawns etc, rather than the times of the year that certain species are available.


----------



## AJD (Jul 10, 2007)

Frewy - as I'm no longer based out of Brissy I'm not too precious about my old marks at Wello which have produced well for me over the years. PM me if ou want one or two of them. Regards Al


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

That's not my part of the world but be aware that yesterday's hot spot won't necessarily produce the goods the next day. Just the same as the spot you caught sweet FA might be someone else's spot x!


----------

