Quick Trip to Island Head Creek

[Graham Scott]

We did a quick day trip along the coast from Yeppoon to Island Head Creek last week. Result was 1 25kg GT on the second cast, missed a few more Gt's at various spots, 2 queenfish about 10kg each, plus lots of other follows, strikes, jump-offs etc. Also missed a couple of big spanish mackerel. The legendary ledges of Island Head did have fish but they were very fussy (haven't forgot the Nomad boys yet??). We bumped into more fish on some of the isloated Islands.

To fill in time over lunch we picked up a heap of reef fish including 6 good trout and 15 or 20 sweetlip. The weather was a bit of a nuisance with a South easter hanging in at about 17knts making it a bit difficult to keep poppers in the water.

For those locals to Central Queensland there will be some footage on WIN TV this friday night at 6:25pm at the end of the news. Otherwise I'll try and round up some photos.

The aim was to see if it's possible to do day trips chasing GT's. The answer is....maybe. They were pretty slack during the middle of the day, and to fish the hot times of dawn and dusk turned the trip into 15 hrs on the water. An overnighter is a certainty.
The other question was whether an 11m cat could get close enough to put guys within range. The answer to that is a Yes, PROVIDED you know where you're going.

We have also recenty done a trip with Queensland Weekender including some general fishing along the coast. This will be shown on Saturday May 17 at 5:30pm on Channel 7. If you want a challenge between GT's in Shoalwater Bay try 25kg Cod in 4m of water. Should make good viewing seeing me getting pulled backwards. Deano also got blown away in about 2 seconds and the look on his face was great!

[Travis Heaps]

Nice work Graham - timely as well.  A mate and I are doing a run up for an overnighter this weekend (can you say "extra jerrycans" Our first trip up as a bit of an exploration - looking forward to it.

Will try and catch the footage - would love to see some pics.

[Brandon Khoo]

Thanks for the report, Graham. I can't get enough of that area!

What we have found at Island Head Creek is that the GTs are most active on a big incoming tide. You can spend hours flogging the area for no result only to see the fish turn on once that incoming tide starts going. We've found the various spots at Shoalwater are very tide specific. Some spots fire up on the incoming and others on the outgoing tide. Island Head Creek is definitely an incoming tide spot.

There are some very good areas at Island Head Creek and the rock outcrop just south. We've raised and landed some really good fish there over the past couple of years, not to mention the ones we've lost!

I thought we (Nomad Group 1) were the only ones who worked Island Head Creek hard this year. In any event, it was all CnR and I'm not sure GTs have memories that are that long.

[Graham Scott]

Hi Brandon,
I think its more likely our inexperience than GT's with long memories.  We picked big tides for our exploratory, but it was running out by the time we got to Island Head Creek. I also think the GT's would prefer to sit on the upstream side of the rock bars, but seeing I'm a bit shy about putting $500k of boat in a position to drift onto rock, we mainly fished from the downhill side back up to the rocks. We rechecked a couple of spots on the reverse tide on the way home and either found the fish gone or moved. I've fished a fair bit further north but that was too far for a day. I love around Strong Tide Passage.
We also didn't go into Port Clinton, I was there a week earlier and it was loaded with longtail tuna and small mackerel, so we didn't worry about them this trip.

[Graham Scott]

Hi travis,
The footage of the trip is playing at Barra Jacks in Rocky, if you get a chance call in. I'm still trying to find the still photos.
Where are you headed and what size rig? As a starter Port Clinton is a great place with plenty of variety from estuary to good reefies, big jew and plenty of mid range pelagics. Currently the place is full of longtails feeding on tiny bait, so take plenty of really small slugs. We also had fun with golden trevally up to 10kg along the sand drop offs.

Just be careful, the area is unforgiving and generally much rougher than Keppel bay. Our last trip was about 7knts and 0.2m in the bay, but 17knts and 1.4m up the coast.

[Travis Heaps]

Hi Graham - we'll be into bj's on saturday morning to stock up on goodies, will likely have a chat to you or someone else that did the trip. 

At this stage it's an exploratory trip - we haven't been before so are open to destinations, Island Head Creek is as far north as we intend to get though.  Port Clinton - is this the bay/estuary to the south of Island Head Creek?  It's still an on again/off again proposition dependant on weather (thanks for the tip regarding generally rougher conditions up there vs the bay).  We'll be running up in a 5.4m centre console powered by a 115yammy and about 7 spare 20L jerry cans.     

So the Longtails are out in force hey?  Small bait as well - have had that experience before and as such am stocked up on tiny white gillies slices  

See you Saturday if you are in.

[Graham Scott]

Travis,
 I don't work at Barra Jacks, I just keep them in business.
Port Clinton is a major estuary bigger than Island Head Creek about 10 miles closer to Yeppoon. If you catch a longtail with a small white gillies in its mouth it's mine.
There's a funny sort of change coming thru this weekend. I think Friday and maybe saturday will be OK then supposed to go thru the west NW-SW and then die out by Monday. Keep an eye on it, you can work along the coast with SW OK but watch a NW north of Manifold Island.
Don't forget there's a big green zone from the mouth of Port Clinton to just south of Pearl Bay.

If you want to catch a 20kg Black jew, have fish close to Bullock Point in Port Clinton just after dark. Good tides for them this weekend.

[Travis Heaps]

Thanks for the tips Graham.  Yeah it is a strange change coming through.  Definitely prefer to do a fri/sat trip at this stage but due to work it's not possible. 

We have till wednesday though so no rush - and if worse comes to worse we'll do some day trips to the keppels/rama/double rocks/manifold/perforated etc. 

Got the zoning maps so will keep an eye on the green zones.  Wouldn't want the fisheries department to issue a fine - I hear they enforce it with F1-11s up that way 

[Graham Scott]

Travis,
I see mainly blackhawks

[Travis Heaps]

damn the blasted furnurgled weather.  No weekend trip - south-westerly change careering through saturday night.  Maybe still going tue/wed.

[Graham Scott]

Travis,
 Up north works pretty well going up on the tail end of the South westers as they will die out late afternoon and returning before it comes around to the south east.
Keep an eye on it. You will get 2 good days next week, either Mon/tues or tues/wed,

[Matt Kilpatrick]

We have also recenty done a trip with Queensland Weekender including some general fishing along the coast. This will be shown on Saturday May 17 at 5:30pm on Channel 7. If you want a challenge between GT's in Shoalwater Bay try 25kg Cod in 4m of water. Should make good viewing seeing me getting pulled backwards. Deano also got blown away in about 2 seconds and the look on his face was great!

Hi Graham, I saw the Queensland Weekender footage last Saturday ... it was great. Obviously wonderful country stocked with some nice fish. And a super boat as well, very impressive. No wonder you were keeping it well shy of the rocks.

I'm looking forward to having a fish with Brett and Howie in July. Matt

[Graham Scott]

Thanks Matt,
Pity I have to work even harder to pay for the boats. Hopefully one day they might make a profit.
I don't think us locals realise how nice it is here.