Rock in Shoal Bay

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FishMick
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Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by FishMick »

Hi There,
Trying to find out the best tide to fish the rock in S/B for barra, casting at the Rock or trolling,
Does Mondays high tide look good?


Quinntreximon
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Quinntreximon »

yep. 2hours before and an hour or so after is good, just after the neaps. Dont leave too late or you will be there for THE NEXT TIDE. Troll deep divers,
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by slug »

Best of luck getting a trolling run in there of late. My last 2 or 3 attempted sessions at spending an hour or so chucking laps trolling have been aborted due to the increasing trend of everyone wanting to anchor off on the NW end 20 meters off the rock (did I miss a recent bulletin or 'instructional video' that this was how The Rock works ??).

Had some cockhead abusing me a month ago when we were perceived to be trolling too close to where he & his mates in another boat had anchored up to cast. The crazy thing was that we had been there trolling around for 1/2 hour on our own before he & his mates turned up & anchored right on our troll run :banghead:

FishMick - this arvos tide no worries as Q said. I personally don't believe there is a better or worse tide to fish it. VERY hit & miss for us & and always has been. Of the fish we have scored there over the years, they have come at all different times & tide sequences (altho late Sept thru till around now does seem more productive). About the only constant I've noticed in all the years I've fished it is that the average size of fish caught there is much better than anywhere else in the Bay - excluding the front of Kings maybe ...) :mrgreen:
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Fish Tank »

slug wrote:Best of luck getting a trolling run in there of late. My last 2 or 3 attempted sessions at spending an hour or so chucking laps trolling have been aborted due to the increasing trend of everyone wanting to anchor off on the NW end 20 meters off the rock (did I miss a recent bulletin or 'instructional video' that this was how The Rock works ??).

Had some cockhead abusing me a month ago when we were perceived to be trolling too close to where he & his mates in another boat had anchored up to cast. The crazy thing was that we had been there trolling around for 1/2 hour on our own before he & his mates turned up & anchored right on our troll run :banghead:

FishMick - this arvos tide no worries as Q said. I personally don't believe there is a better or worse tide to fish it. VERY hit & miss for us & and always has been. Of the fish we have scored there over the years, they have come at all different times & tide sequences (altho late Sept thru till around now does seem more productive). About the only constant I've noticed in all the years I've fished it is that the average size of fish caught there is much better than anywhere else in the Bay - excluding the front of Kings maybe ...) :mrgreen:
Far out mate, you need to calm down. The Rock "works" however you want it to "work". Last I heard it's a free country. If someone's anchored or god forbid, casting at the Rock ... get over it.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Richieboy »

Sorry FT.
If I was in the same boat as Slug I'd lose it as well. It's the inconsideration of others thinking they can come in and drop pick wherever they like. Esp considering he was there trolling well before their arrival.
Contrary to the ever increasing popular belief, this is not the 'norm' although since I've returned from down south to the Territory it seems to be. Try doing that at Shady in the run off and use the its a "free country" speech and see what happens.
Show some courtesy and at least ask if other parties mind if you drop pick. It's not that hard.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Jeno »

As far as I'm concerned it's first in best dressed...always has been.....so if you are there already anchored up when someone comes along to do a trolling run it is their responsibility to ensure they don't troll in your fishing zone.....conversely.....if you rock up to a spot (like the rock) and people are trolling it is your responsibility to hang off and watch where their run is and you then have to make sure you anchor up outside of their run and fish in a way so as not impede their trolling.....if you are not sure then just wait until they turn and approach them (at a sensible and considerate speed) and ask them......it's really not that hard......a level of situational awareness and a little bit of common consideration...
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by cuddlescooper »

I don't think it should have been a problem for one boat to troll and for the other boat to cast. At the end of the day it only takes 10 seconds for the trolling boat to pass by. Just don't cast in the direction they are trolling until they have gone past. Both parties doing there chosen method. I think people are just going to have to get used to working with other boats because in this day and age you aren't going to get a spot to yourself very often any more.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Fish Tank »

I totally agree with working with the other boats and don't be a dick to other people. I don't agree with blokes who make up their own unwritten rules about how a spot should be fished then cry and whinge like little so and so's when it doesn't happen the way they think is should "work". The best fishermen are adaptable to whatever the situation. The NW corner of the Rock used to fish okay at times for Jew (although hasn't for a couple of years) in the hole there (also not as good as it was). If someone wants to fish for a Jew and old mate wants to troll for Barra, you're just going to have to adapt and deal with it because both are valid fishing methods. The rocks farked now anyway.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by hobbit »

One thing that annoys me is when your trolling a spot for ages in shoal bay and old mate comes along and drops all his crab pots in the same part as you have been going up and down. And you tell them but they don't understand you.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by shaggs »

Might try anchoring at sanpan with a diver down flag LOL
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by STANDY »

Anchoring in a troll run during some one trolling is poor form. Getting there first and anchoring is no drama. Fark 14 boats last time I went put me off

Flew over in plane on way back from tiwis this arvo and saw a few boats heading there and already there
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by slug »

Fish Tank wrote: Far out mate, you need to calm down. The Rock "works" however you want it to "work". Last I heard it's a free country. If someone's anchored or god forbid, casting at the Rock ... get over it.
Fish Tank wrote: I don't agree with blokes who make up their own unwritten rules about how a spot should be fished then cry and whinge like little so and so's when it doesn't happen the way they think is should "work".
Thanks for your valued input cus :mrgreen:
However I'd suggest it's you that maybe take your own advice & calm down - maybe some anger management counselling?
I thought I was quite calmly relaying a recent incident - tho' in hindsight 'cockhead' was a little over the top ..... :cool:

Anway - back on topic - how'd ya go FishMick??
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by Matt Flynn »

Might try anchoring at sanpan with a diver down flag LOL
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
in this day and age you aren't going to get a spot to yourself very often any more.
Gotta wonder what it will be like in 50 years because no one is seriously stalking about population growth as an issue.

They need to install another three or four rocks out at Shoal Bay, and dig out another 10 coastal feeder creeks along Chambers Bay and Finke Bay.

Or encourage everyone to stay home and play computer games.
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by cuddlescooper »

Well here's a little food for thought on fishing pressure..... Just how many barra are really in the harbor. 30 released and 3 recaptured with in 2 months. I'm starting to think that the over all numbers cant really be that high. It would be interesting to see how many fish overall have been captured in the harbor over the time the comp has been running. Some serious data could have come from those numbers compared to tag returns.
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back-cast
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Re: Rock in Shoal Bay

Post by back-cast »

Why not just cease Barramundi Gill Netting...
wow... that might increase barra populations..
or have i missed something in the 26 years I've been working as a fishing guide watching the so called professional barra fishing industry Decimate Barra numbers... i wonder if closing Chambers bay to commercial netting might be responsible for the fantastic captures recently.... i'm suspecting that will continue to improve... but seriously would not the rest of the NT benefit from a total close of this archaic wasteful industry... might i say disgraceful....
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