Holiday Sugestions

[haydenj]

Hi all,

I am taking a holiday to Hamilton Is in April and would like to hire a tinny and have a crack at some mak tuna and GTs just around the island.

Has anyone been there and fished close around the island? Will this even be available?

I am thinking that I take 2 riggs. One with a light 6lb braid and one with 15lb braid. I plan to cast lures and troll around.

Maybe you may have some better suggestions of locations to holiday where I can take my rods and relax on the beach.

thanks

[sydfish]

Hamilton Is is a great place to be at that time of the year. Have a bit of fun on the beaches with one light rod for the usual suspects. However make sure you take a bigger rod for trolling and bait fishing. There are some big Spanish Mackeral around there at that time of the year, so some heavy wire and big baits are the go. I would suggest you leave the 6lb rig at home and have the 15lb as your little rod. Take some little metal slugs and keep an eye out for birds as you would on the "Harbour" fishing for salmon, exept a bit of wire, Shiptons knotable trace seems to be the best, as most of the fish up there have big teeth and go like the clappers, its not unusual to get fish over 10kg doing this. Lures that work well on a troll are the Halco lazer pro's in black and gold, 2m, and the liveley lure blue pillie. Rapalas also go OK, but I have been getting 5 on the halco's /livley to 1 on almost all other types like rapalas or even skirts.

As for bait fishing, things are a bit simpler in QLD, 5/0 or 6/0 gangs with the biggest pillies you can find, or a paternosta. and 80lb trace. these 2 rigs will do all the bait fishing you require. Sinkers use ball or bean types on the gangs, if any is required, with a bit of glow tube or a glow bead between the sinker and gangs, also put a swivel between each hook to make your life a bit easier.

Ask the locals for a close spot with a bit of reef, they probably wont give away their best spots, but any patch will have good fish at some stage of the day or night, there are a lot of fish up there. Also secure your rods as
I lost my favorite one last time i was up there, I only turned aroundfor a second and then saw it flying away at 100km/h.
Good Luck

[haydenj]

sydfish, thanks for the reply. That is some great info. I am heading up the road in the next few days to purchase another small rigg. My larger riggs consist of a 4500 baitrunner and 6500 baitrunner (shimano) with 20lb braid and 30lb briad respectively. I am thinking that I will take one of these up there for the big fish. As for the casting work I am planning to buy a shimano twinpower 4000 and put either 15lb braid on it, I will be pairing it with some sort of shimano graphite rod, two piece at about 8 ft.

What do you think?

thanks

HJB

[dkfisher]

mate yes you can hire tinnies at Hamilton island just go down to the harbour jettys head for the yacht club and you will see a boat hire place called the dingy hire hut which is also a fishing charter place called renegade fishing charters
the guys at the dingy hire will give ya all the info ya need on were to fish also if ya fishing from the shore just head to any of the head lands and start spinning good chance of picking up fish from gt right through to macks you can fish of the beaches but just ask first as they cahnge were you can fish all the time ( for the beaches that is) even the rock wall at the harbour is a good spot to fish caught many fine fish there good luck you will have a ball
oh and head out on the charter boat you will clean up
pic is of the harbour arrow is were the boat shed is
656

[Elvis]

I have also heard that the lakes near the runway /gold range hold Barra and Mangrove Jack

[storms72]

Hi, I have been holidaying at Yamba the last few years, staying at the fishermans village van park in a cabin....magic spot on the Clarence river....you name it you can catch it....I am mainly land based but last time went out with another guy and got into some nice stripey tuna, kingies, he dropped a marlin.....well worth a look and you will definately have enough spare change to hire a boat, very economical holiday.

[jamiej]

They got big tinnies at thet boay hire place in your photo dk