Central Moreton Bay - Toondah, Coochie, Banana Banks & eCAR

s04e24
In this thirteenth video in the series on central Moreton Bay I am looking at the area outside Toondah Harbour, Coochiemudlo Island, the Banana Banks, and the east Coochie Artificial Reef.
The area outside Toondah Harbour is interesting because I have only just discovered it myself. I came across it while I was researching this video, so I have never fished it. I also do not remember ever talking to anyone who has mentioned it as a fishing spot. That could mean it is a rubbish spot, but it could also mean it is a closely guarded secret. I have included it in here for you to decide, just remember that vehicular and passenger ferries operate on a regular schedule out of the harbour, so stay clear of the channel.
Coochie was a decent fishing spot back in the days when I had the big boat moored between Coochie and Victoria point. There were the reefs to the north of Coochie and the red buoy off the south east corner for the days when we stayed on the mooring. The sand banks to the south and Russel Island also provide a good feed, and these are covered in the episodes dealing with the Southern Bay. I didn't go into detail on the bait and tackle because that is the same as I have been talking about in previous videos on fishing the shallow reefs around the bay.
The banana banks were a spot where we could always bring something home. As I recall, whiting and sand crabs were the most common catch, but I am sure we also caught bream, flathead, sole and stingrays and ray sharks in the area albeit in smaller numbers.
The east Coochie Artificial Reef is another spot that I have not fished yet. I was never attracted to fishing the artificial reefs until a couple of years ago, so I am still learning the best techniques and rigs to use. One thing I did not mention in the video is that I have found that I get bigger fish if I am a little bit away from the structure than I do if I am dropping straight down on it. I will try to explain this a little more in the next video.
The playlist of all my All About Moreton Bay videos can be found here:
• All about Moreton Bay
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[@jakeorthman1496]

Coochie is my favourite fishing location. There is always somthing to do on most wind directions. I have chatted a lot to the locals and I would like to share some of my knowledge. Down south off the jetty there is lots of squid I caught my latest one in October which says somthing and once I chucked a bream frame out into the water and quite a large squid came up and grabbed it. The jetty is constantly surrounded by bait balls with hardy heads at the end of winter into spring and herring at the moment. The jetty fishes great with simple baits for bream and Moses with the occasional baby snapper, sweetlip and other reef species. A couple of the locals pull substantial snapper off the end of the jetty at night sometimes. The red beacon off the south east side is well known and you will always see boats anchored near it. I haven’t fished it personally but I know it holds snapper, bream and probably Jew. I haven’t fished much off the east beach but I have heated from locals that there are a few sharks associated with the artificial reef and hang around in that area. I also heard a lot of the reef got buried by sandbanks changing but I don’t really know much about it and it was a while ago. At the north beach I have gotten bream whiting small grassys and squire in bait and also my Pb tarwhine at 32cm. At low tide I put crab pots out in one metre of water raising to about 3.5 m at high tide and I did well. Not insane but out of the three pots we got one in each and sometimes a bonus one. That was three days straight. Enough for my grandad, brother and myself. Off to the left I have fished the rocky outcrops and chalkie reef (wading at low /runout tide) and have caught decent bream and small grassys on soft plastics. Off the mangroves in the flats I had a great topwater session with the daiwa slippery dog and got 6 whiting which was very exciting. There are lots of leopard rays and a few small shovel nose sharks. It’s is mostly Seagrass beds with patches of sand with yabbie holes. There are some isolated sand banks and mangrove trees and lots of shore birds like to hang around there. Which ever side of the island the wind is hitting will be dirty and the opposite will be quite clear on a north or easterly wind the south beach is quite nice. I’m hoping to go out tmr morning and not get bashed around by the sea The weather too much😂😂

[@weFishAU]

Thank you for sharing the information. One of my boys kayaked around Mud today and said conditions weren't real good, I hope you have better weather tomorrow. Will be able to find shelter once over there. I remember a few times when I had the big boat moored between Victoria Pt and Coochie that I had to get to ferry to take me out to the boat because it was too rough for the tender.

[@Beyondthebackyard-au]

I used to do really well at the red beacon on the SE, about 10-15 years ago. I tried again a couple of times recently and didn't fare well. But I am by no means an expert. I will try out some of the other tips you mention next time I'm over that way.

[@Jazzy78910]

Being from Redcliffe, I'm very much hoping you follow on this great 'Central Bay' series with a Northern version. I imagine you don't come up this way too much, launching from the south.

[@weFishAU]

No, mainly around Moreton, Flinders and Hutchinson's. I did fish from the jetty's and beaches in the Northern Bay but I was very young . Too long ago to count. I am planning to take a bit more time over the Northers bay series and get up to fish some of the shallow reefs before I do a video on them..

[@Morlegroom]

Hi Paul, thanks for another great video in your series. I am only new to Brisbane and have only had my boat for 6 months. Your series has and will be very helpful. Keep 'em coming.

[@weFishAU]

Thank you. I hope they help, we are really blessed to have Moreton Bay at out doorstep.

[@Beyondthebackyard-au]

I used to do really well for bream on the banks to the south east of Coochie. I forget now if it was on the run in or out tide, was 10-15 years ago.

[@weFishAU]

Yes, those banks provided a lot of whiting for me about 30-35 years ago. Like you, I can't remember the tide I used to fish there either.

[@caseystringfellow2066]

Hi Mate, Thanks for all your episodes. Even my missus loves watching so you’re doing well! Question for you…Are you able to guide me to where the aerial shots of Coochie came from? I’d like to use them in a letter and credit the owner. Many thanks and safe fishing

[@weFishAU]

Thank you. The screen captures are all from my FishTrax program and I generally use Bing maps for those. Google is also quite good but I find Bing is just slightly better for aerial shots of Moreton Bay. There are several other alternatives as well. NearMap was extremely good but now requires a paid subscription.

[@caseystringfellow2066]

@@weFishAU Thanks Paul. Would you know what year the phots were taken? We’re fighting with RCC to retain a kayak and tender precinct on the western side of the barge ramp…marine assets and storage being removed to rejuvenate “grass” 🙄

[@weFishAU]

Sorry, I don't know. By the sounds of it, what you need is Google Earth Pro. It is a free download and if you go the View menu and tick Historical Imagery then a slider will appear at the top left of the map and you can look at various years back to 1985. The further back you go the worse the imagery is. the 1985 imagery is all but useless, however 2003 onwards is pretty good.

[@kevcrowther4435]

Hi Paul. The creek is pronounced ep-ra-par.

[@weFishAU]

Thanks for that. Always good to know.

[@sooty155]

Hi Paul, I have been enjoying your videos. I notice that you are a member of Redlands Boat Club. I am thinking of joining to access their facilities at Cleveland, so I was interested if you would like to comment on the facilities, but I am mostly interested in the ramp and pontoon, and how the various wind/tide conditions affects them.

[@weFishAU]

Thank you. I did a short review of the facilities in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipPGlXqjfqlnpMk I am very happy with the facilities myself. I can always get a park when I go there. I can wash the salt water off my trailer as soon as it is out of the water, along with the boat and flushing the motor when I return. There is 24 hour CCTV security giving me peace of mind when overnighting. The ramp is good and the pontoon is close by, just not alongside as it is on the public ramps. They also have club nights once a month and boating weekends from time to time however Covid-19 ensured those didn't happen last year.

[@ryanmcmillan9795]

Hey David I signed up six months ago and am still on the waiting list to join haha.

[@weFishAU]

Ah, yes, there is that. They only have one intake a year, I think it is in August. I had my name down for 5 or 6 months before I got in but that was a coincidence of timing, had I put it down in September I would have had an 11 month wait.

[@sooty155]

@@ryanmcmillan9795 thanks Ryan

[@texasflysuperstar]

I’ve been wondering about the Coochie artificial reef, do you have any knowledge on the Pelican Banks? I managed to pull out a 50cm Cobia there.

[@weFishAU]

I intend to try the Coochie artificial reef myself one day. It's been a good while since I fished the Pelican banks and I don't remember fishing it a great deal. I think what I know about it would be in the last video of the Southern Moreton Bay series.

[@texasflysuperstar]

@@weFishAU ok, I will check it out