how many lures?

[Scott Maybury]

Scott - I love the "yes, I lost five lures in a day and no, I don't want to talk about it"!

Alex, my guide on this particular day, is no doubt still laughing his head off..just like at Bligh when the huge wrasse came up on my popper only to have the lure stolen from its massive lips by the tinest red bass at the last second....Alex always seems to be there for my most devastating fishing moments!!  I landed 0 GT this day from like 10 hook ups, it was ridiculous. I am pretty easy going but I do not like losing fish and I especially do not like losing lures when I am not catching fish. The steam coming out of my ears just made him and my fellow angelrs laugh even harder haha

I can kind of see the funny side of it now. Kind of.

[Brandon Khoo]

That is bloody priceless! 
ask Damon one day how lures he lost in the first two years at Shoalwater. My first trip there was years ago with only three other customers as we were invited by Damon. Only George Pang is still fishing of the three. It was devastating - I lost fifteen poppers that trip. I don't know how many poppers George lost but the trip was expensive - he broke three rods!

[Darren Douche]

That is bloody priceless! 
ask Damon one day how lures he lost in the first two years at Shoalwater. My first trip there was years ago with only three other customers as we were invited by Damon. Only George Pang is still fishing of the three. It was devastating - I lost fifteen poppers that trip. I don't know how many poppers George lost but the trip was expensive - he broke three rods!

OUCH

[Brandon Khoo]

At least there were plenty of memories!

[Scott Maybury]

That is what really keeps us coming back isn't it, the memories....good, bad, triumph, tragedy.

[Tony Busscher]

So Brandan do tell why were so many poppers lost and 3 rods broken it may help to now as others will learn what not to do .

[Scott Maybury]

The only answer needed is 'Shoalwater Bay is why'. That place is mental, crazy terrain, shallow water, big fish.

[Brandon Khoo]

So many lures were lost because the fish kept stealing them   
If you don't want to lose lures, the only advice I have is don't fish there

So Brandan do tell why were so many poppers lost and 3 rods broken it may help to now as others will learn what not to do .

[Bernie Keys]

G`Day all
I have been wanting to ask the question for some time now but just haven`t come across the right topic to ask the question.
I know the question is ( How many Lures ) but i see the topic is also about lure colours and size.
 
My question is are fish colour blind...?

This is one of the those old perennial that keep coming up. The short answer from me is I'm not sure BUT light is attenuated differently depending on the colour when passing through seawater. The red end of the spectrum fades out first the deeper you go. I seem to remember that red is just about gone at 30 feet

Now we see a particular colour because the light reflected off the surface is that colour. BUT if there is no light red light then red will not show up. (is this why a lot of deep water fish are red - there is no light down where they are )

BUT if you live your life (as a fish ) with red fish round you your eyes just might just become more sensitive to low levels of red light through the eons of natural selection.....so at the surface they may well be more sensitive to the much stronger light........

Many years ago I was long lining for Yellowfin tuna off the NSW south coast. The water was very clear and I could see yellowfin circling baits very deep down and following baits as we retrieved the long line. The yellowfin would veer away from the clear nylon droppers (250kg mono) so they could see them, but would invariably brush against the long line itself which was coloured a reddish Brown colour.

I was pretty sure they could not see that mainline or at least did not see it as solid. There are often algae blooms of a similar colour at times in these waters.

For Marlin an "Evil" Colour works better than most  (its sort of a slimy mackerel or striped tuna colour) but also another colour that works well is a lumo (flouro cream/pink colour) both of these same action, shape size and brand lures in different colours don't catch as well as well.

Finally, remember commercial lures are meant primarily to catch fisherman, the fisherman have the money, the fish do not....

[Graham Scott]

Shoalwater Bay??...my backyard, now you know why I use cheap poppers.  My loss rate is pretty bad everywhere around CQ though

[Aaron Concord]

Shoalwater Bay is a very "hard on everything" fishery!
It's a loose cannon of a destination and certainly a real shit of a place to nominate how many lures will suffice on an extended trip chasing GT's.

Brandon,
I clearly remember Damon getting up to "favourite popper #6" pretty quickly when we filmed the Nomad/Australian Adventure Production trip in 2006..........I have never seen so many casualties so bloody fast!

Graham,
I'm the first to advocate the use of premium grade poppers as a general rule, though the thourough spanking we copped on that first trip made 130gm Jai Big Heads THE popper of choice for that place, since many were looking at serious tabs being accumulated from lost poppers!
A bit of sensibility had to be shown after losing so many (at the time) hard to get premium lures.

Aaron.

[Ben Furness]

Is there somewhere I could get specifics on fishing Shoalwater bay?

I am thinking a run up there at Christmas for 4 days might be fun. Might have to stock up on Halco Roosta's by the sound of it!

Is the fishing good inside the bay or is a trip out to the reefs required?

Is Stanage the best place to stay for access to the fishing grounds and if so, is there a caravan park or other accomodation available there?

[Graham Scott]

Hi Ben,

Send me a pm if you llike. Most of the "Shoalwater Bay" Gt fishing is not in Shoalwater Bay, its on the surrounding Islands and headlands.
It's not the sort of place you plan a trip from a long distance away as there is always a better than average chance the wind knocks you out. Stanage Bay gives you options if its windy. We fish it from Yeppoon, but there is a lot of ugly water before you get to the GT's and its not a lot of fun fishing exposed headlands in anything over 10 to 15 knots...and in my experience its also pointless when it gets rough. The "reef" is over 100 miles out.
Even though I live at Yeppoon I still think the Whitsundays are probably your most reliable, easily accessed area for trailerboats to encounter GT's. At least you're still a chance in 20 knots plus.

Like Aaron said Shoalwater is a pretty hard place. I've been going up there for over 30 years and it still scares me.

[Aaron Concord]

Ben,

As Graham mentioned, the Bay itself isn't where the main fishing for GT's occurs.
Island Head Creek, the headlands to the North and South, the Clara Group of Islands plus the other Islands to the North and North-East, such as High Peak, are the places where it really happens.

It's hard on fishing and boating gear, fuel and food rations plus the weather is a bugger to pick.

Unless you have a 30 plus footer with a couple 5m tenders in tow, I'd go to Stanage Bay!

Aaron.