Jack fishos?

[Didley]

I got nothin...........I think they just lay low for a while and slowly adjust

[ActiveAngler]

I agree Dids..im starting to think they dont actually go anywhere,but seeinf as us fishos are put off,bugger all get caught. i still think find the bait,find the fish

[Roo]

This fella came a'huntin' a day after a flood event we had down here...55cm of red devil. crazy thing is, the details of when it happend...2/7/2005. yup July. summer fish huh? winter flood waters where freakin icy and given the quantity of water that had been in the canal before receding I'd say it was pretty fresh too..

check out the tide mark from the flooding. water level in the pic is still half a meter higher than normal high tides. the house across the road is ripping out carpets ruined by water. This spot is where the water enters and leaves the canal via a pipe, there are grates over it to stop big biteys from chasin the mullet into the canal but also stops anything that grows big in there from leaving. I've heard stories of big trevally but also of big trevally getting chewed up in a long fight. the water in the creek was chocolate milk and flowing rapidly to sea but the canal was clear yet tanin stained as there is a sizable tea tree swamp to the west of it.
I'd just bought the new rod'n'reel combo so we only went down to the canal to have a practise flick to see how it casts etc. 3 casts straight up the middle ripping it back fast, not really chasing a fish but had a 3" berkley pogy in for good weight, then one cast to the rock wall over my right shoulder...hop...pause...hop....pause..hop blammo. surprised the hell outta me. fish was way over next to the wall which normally is about 1 metre deep and has a bit of eel grass on the sandy bottom. this and one other jack I snared on light bream gear is all I have on my tally...to be honest I think my jackin' luck has all been used up so I've not really chased them since.

[spaded]

gotta love land locked jacks

[spaded]

do you guys think jacks prefer a water where the current rips or slower water like in upper reaches

[Didley]

I think current is very good, but the Jack will probably be sitting just out of the flow eg. in a back eddy behind the structure, watching what goes by and venturing out to strike.(if he can see past his F###in nose that is)

[happygilmour]

Jacks are still there, but as mentioned, find the concentrations of bait, good structure to ambush, some current and you will find the jacks

There are plenty of creeks up in northern qld where you find jacks living happily in the fresh water, crystal creek near townsville is one such system were they are found from the salt to the upper fresh water reaches terrorising the bait populations

[Didley]

I agree Aaron, I think the problem is more the turbidity of the water cutting down vision to nil, time to use smelly dead baits. But I do think sudden changes in salt content slows them up too, but only for a short time.

[ffejsmada]

I think the problem is more the turbidity of the water cutting down vision to nil, time to use smelly dead baits. But I do think sudden changes in salt content slows them up too, but only for a short time.

I don't think cutting vision down for the fish is a problem, that's why fish have lateral lines to detect movement and pulses.
With the sudden influx of fresh from rain, runoff etc., comes a cooling of the water temp also.
I reckon that this influx of fresh and the cooling impact it has, is a big factor in laying the fish low for a while.
This is why it is better to fish the lower reaches, river mouths etc. at time of heavy rain as the water temp is more constant and the salinity is more stable than up stream.
It also pushes the bait into these lower areas for the exact same reasons.

[happygilmour]

Best bet is to try some deeper holes near the mouths of the creeks and rivers. There will be a more consisant water temp and area for the fish to stay out of the current and ambush. Agree regarding water clarity, caught jacks in water you cant see 10cm in front of your lures, Laterial lines sort that out.
At least you will will also encounter a few jews as well.

Go get em boys