So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

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re-tyred
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So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by re-tyred » Mon Nov 05, 2018 2:17 pm

Well in the last 10 days I have been offshore 4 times. Twice in the tinnie and twice in the charter boat.
Not any big exciting snapper but a feed each time. Down the pipeline has been a bit disappointing. A few pinkies some nice flathead in closer 20mtrs. Had one very hard bite and lots of line taken many thumps but unfortunately I dropped it with about 10 mtrs to go. That was in the 26mtr rocks to the east of the pipeline.

Tried the 4 mile in my tinny and produced a decent pinky and some flatties just inside the rocks.
Tried the beach at the pines for a few flatties.
Today we took a real charter out to the 6 mile, 3 kids 5 adults. All but one adult was seasick. Kids did most of the fishing. We managed 15 pinkies in the 30-40cm range 3 nice Jackass Morwong, and a pike plus a bit of mixed rubbish that they wanted to keep. All in all quite a good morning for them.

Speaking to others the story is much the same. A few gummies on the beach at the tower if you want to get down there real early. No big snapper so far.

Water is now 16c so they will be about somewhere just not in the traditional spots.
There's nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (River Rat to Mole)

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by davek » Mon Nov 05, 2018 4:14 pm

Good report, at least you are getting a few, cheers :a_goodjob: davo
It's an exhilarating feeling catching a fish
But it's an even better feeling releasing them

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by Kimtown » Mon Nov 05, 2018 4:25 pm

Thanks for that

Do you believe lakes is a little overfished?

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by re-tyred » Mon Nov 05, 2018 4:54 pm

Kimtown wrote:Thanks for that

Do you believe lakes is a little overfished?
In a word no. There is reef all the way to Port Albert. Most of the year there is no more than 30-40 boats out. Holiday times there can be a few hundred but even then they are mostly spread out. I have over 200 reef marks within 15 mile of Lakes and I often find a few more bits. Issue is sometimes there is a lot of area to look and it takes time to find them. Also there has been a large amount of school whiting locally so any snapper about are well fed and probably a bit fussy

Snapper travel a lot. They could be sitting on a nice patch of feed 20 miles down while everyone gooses around at the pipeline.

Flathead come and go it has been a poor year locally for flathead, due to water temps and feed patterns. The commercials with flathead quota have worked all winter and most of spring out of Eden as the fish were up that way.
There's nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (River Rat to Mole)

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by Hosery » Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:30 pm

Boats hooked and headed off lakes tomorrow. Hopefully the rain holds off and the fish are chewing their heads off. Plan was to head to the pipe but after seeing the donkey of a schoolie come in today may reconsider location. Will post a report if I manage a few.

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by Hosery » Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:40 pm

Kimtown wrote:Thanks for that

Do you believe lakes is a little overfished?
I don’t think it is. In the lake system possibly but I don’t fish in side. I’ve fished out of lakes in my own boat for 10 years and a few years in others before that. Some seasons are obviously better than others but that’s fishing. The winter pinkies are always strong. Out side I never struggle to get a decent feed. I think the thing is locals always seem to do well as they have their spots. Than out of towners come and don’t no where to fish except the pipe or the 6 mile and if either aren’t fishing well or fished wrong than they complain the joints fished out by the pros cos all they can catch is gurned and couta by the truck load.

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by smile0784 » Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:28 pm

At least your getting a few fish
Can't wait for the bigger fish to start

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by Lightningx » Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:14 pm

Nice report.
Sounds like you have been doing alright!
Cheers :thumbsup:

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by re-tyred » Tue Nov 06, 2018 4:14 pm

So weather was good and is going to crap for the rest of the week. Headed out again today for a bit of a prospect.
Stopped off the grange area in 26mtrs first up at about 6am. Three of us fishing. First drop 1 reasonable size pinky for a mate. Me just cod.
He did it again almost straight away. Then nothing but cod and bulleyes for the three of us. So we headed down to the pipeline 26mtrs and spent an hour catching cod, bulleyes and coota.
Zipped into the beach in search of a flatty or gummy. I landed a small but size flatty and a School whiting. The others had coota and bulleyes.
We had a decent shark rig out and were burlying with old pillies. After about half an hour of nothing zing off goes the big rig. Mad scrabble to get all the rods out the water as line eeled off. One of the guys was turning up the drag to try and pull it up, but was losing the battle. So up came the anchor and we watched it pull a 4 tonne boat slowly sideways. The beast was stopped after another five minutes. Then line was gained as this thing zipped around. First guy was getting a bit knockup so we changed and the other guy had a bit of a go. Ten minutes later most of the line was back as we debated whether it was a shark or a ray. Then off it went and all the line gained was lost. My turn. I slowly gained some ground often just keeping the weight on and let it wear its self out. Slowly gained all the line and by this time was convinced it was a ray. Now it was directly under the boat in 15mtrs and I think I had it beat. Finally got it up and it was the biggest eagle ray I have seen. Massive, pulled the hook out of its mouth and watched it slowly swim off. It looked as stuffed as us.
So back out to some rocks off Metung in 38mtrs and did a few drifts. Finally landed my first pinky for the day, a tad under 40cm. Then we scratched a few more. Smallest we kept was 32cm and largest just over 40cm. Another feed for the day but nothing exciting. Still no big fish.
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There's nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (River Rat to Mole)

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Re: So what is happening offshore Lakes Entraqnce

Post by Kimtown » Tue Nov 06, 2018 4:38 pm

re-tyred wrote:
Kimtown wrote:Thanks for that

Do you believe lakes is a little overfished?
In a word no. There is reef all the way to Port Albert. Most of the year there is no more than 30-40 boats out. Holiday times there can be a few hundred but even then they are mostly spread out. I have over 200 reef marks within 15 mile of Lakes and I often find a few more bits. Issue is sometimes there is a lot of area to look and it takes time to find them. Also there has been a large amount of school whiting locally so any snapper about are well fed and probably a bit fussy

Snapper travel a lot. They could be sitting on a nice patch of feed 20 miles down while everyone gooses around at the pipeline.

Flathead come and go it has been a poor year locally for flathead, due to water temps and feed patterns. The commercials with flathead quota have worked all winter and most of spring out of Eden as the fish were up that way.
Is there such thing as big snapper off lakes?
Well obviously they would be there but are they caught frequently? Seems it's just mostly school sized reef pinkies caught in reports I read from there.. never really seen a 5-10kg snapper caught? Are they all living inside bays by the time they hit adulthood?
Last edited by Kimtown on Tue Nov 06, 2018 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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