Fishing the tidal Brisbane River

[Vagabond]

Staying with relatives for a few days about 15 miles upriver from Brisbane (near Ipswich if you like looking up maps)

 

Part of the ritual is taking great-nephew Nick fishing on the river. The aftermath of the early 2011 floods is still awesome - swathes of huge eucalypt trees laid flat along the banks - a real obstacle course for would-be anglers.

 

The river was in red flood this morning, (although nothing like the catastrophic floods of last January) and only the eddies were fishable (small trees coming down the main current)

 

The Brisbane river simply swarms with small catfish and small "brim" or seabream. Any bait is attacked immediately by shoals of them. Legering, its a catfish a chuck, but using a paternoster or float fishing to keep the bait clear of the bottom brings a "brim" a chuck instead.

 

This morning was no different - well, slightly different - during the morning, in addition to the hordes of brim and catfish, I had a couple of freshwater grunters, and Nick had one. Never seen those in the Brisbane before, and I must have fished it a dozen times spread out over the last twenty years. I think they were spangled perch, but need to compare the pics with the field guide when I get home to be sure.

 

Any comment Bobj? I wondered if it were the unprecedented floods earlier this year that had washed the spangled grunters downstream - they are usually fish of small clear tributary streams.

[Vagabond]

Had another go this morning - a change from 2" prawns to 5" dead-baits just got bigger catfish.

 

Young Nick persisted with prawn pieces on float tackle, and got two more grunters amongst the usual bag of brim

 

We were warned of the possibility of hooking a dead body - they are still finding them even eleven months after the floods.

 

Norma was kept busy by the bird life - Osprey, Brahminy Kite, Aussie Pelican, various herons and a Blue-faced Honeyeater

 

Back for a lunch of fillet steaks - its a hard life

Edited December 17, 2011 by Vagabond

[Ken L]

I wondered if it were the unprecedented floods earlier this year that had washed the spangled grunters downstream - they are usually fish of small clear tributary streams.

 

Not sure about the "small clear tributary streams". i was catching almost one a chuck in an impoundment in QLD - The only time that I didn't catch one was when the redclaw stripped the prawns off the hook or when a golden perch got there first.

[Vagabond]

Spangled perch naturally inhabit clear streams, just as trout do in Britain.

 

Yes they are found in impoundments made by man, again just as trout are found in reservoirs, or in put and take "fisheries" - for neither fish could the situation be regarded as "natural"

 

Not having come across them in twenty years of fishing the muddy tidal Brisbane River, it seems strange they are there in quantity now.

 

Nobody disputes they are easy to catch if present, but I'm sure they were not in the impoundment by choice.

 

Not sure about the "small clear tributary streams". i was catching almost one a chuck in an impoundment in QLD

Edited December 17, 2011 by Vagabond

[Tigger]

Back for a lunch of fillet steaks - its a hard life

 

Sounds great, i'm very emvious Dave

[poledark]

Me too Tigs, I quite fancy the chance to catch a corpse or two

 

"all in the best possible taste"

 

Den

[Bobj]

Good one, Vagabond. Nice to read about something Australian in the forum.

 

The bream and forky tailed catfish are about the most common fish one encounters around there. The odd flathead should be available, but moreso in the salt reaches, spangled perch do tolerate saltwater even though spanglies are extremely common in the freshwater, further upstream. Be aware of the bull sharks, too; they have been caught right up into the freshwater reaches.

 

Caught squillions of spanglies up in the Territory and the Ord in WA.

 

http://www.nativefish.asn.au/spangledperch.html

[lutra]

Nice one Dave.

[Phone]

Vagabond,

 

Much like Poledark, I am intregued by "We were warned of the possibility of hooking a dead body - they are still finding them even eleven months after the floods."

 

It is hard for me to imagine the prospect but should it happen what are considered good manners and ceremonies established as acceptable or required in this case. Is it good behaviour to practice C&R? During the photo shoot do you look the guy in the eye?

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

It is hard for me to imagine the prospect but should it happen what are considered good manners and ceremonies established as acceptable or required in this case. Is it good behaviour to practice C&R? During the photo shoot do you look the guy in the eye?

 

Phone

 

When Lutra discovered a dead body in the Ribble, he notified the police on his mobile phone, then carried on fishing as if nothing had happened.

 

Seems a good precedent to me.....