Tin Can Bay - A Culinary Experience

By Paul Chew

So desperately needing a break from the everyday grind, we found ourselves booked in at our favourite dog friendly Airbnb at Tin Can Bay, located in the Gympie Region and about 210 kilometres north of Brisbane. We had no real plans in mind, other than to unwind a bit, chase a few fish and squid, and partake in some of the fresh seafood that Tin Can Bay is renowned for. As I have mentioned previously, the house is centrally located just a five-minute walk to the bakery for a great coffee of a morning (though that's still too far for one dog apparently) and about the same to the beach. Also, the 4km walk from Crab Creek to Norman Point is popular for walkers and cyclists alike.

The town itself has everything we need, with an IGA, bakery, butcher, pub and fruit mart, as well as the service station. There are also plenty of places to eat, should you like to dine out. It's super quiet here, except for the four-lane boat ramp on the weekends (which is generally pretty busy). This also suits us to a tee.

We arrived on the Friday morning, after a quick trip down, unpacked and Jode grabbed a hot chook from the IGA for dinner. In the meantime, I unpacked, the dogs got familiar with the neighbours again and I sorted the boat. A stroke of luck that my crack (half shell scallops) supplier had berthed Friday morning, so I shot over to the Tin Can Bay Tourist Park, where John and Amanda were doing a roaring trade with their fresh seafood.

I ended up with 48 half shell scallops, a kilo of fresh brined medium kings, half a dozen U10 green prawns and a long tail bug for around $70. The prawns, scallops and LT bug were destined to be grilled over the fire, while the kings were for afternoon snacks on crackers, with a good wine and beer. The scallop thing is a bit of a funny story, as I have always like them. Jode only eats whiting really and not much else seafood wise, however, on our last trip to Tin Can I grabbed a dozen scallops, grilled them with some garlic butter and lime... and maybe got 3 or 4. So, I just got a box this time and a good decision that was. We ate well this week.

A standard morning was out early solo, with a coffee drop and a breakfast pie for me for the trip, a couple of muddies in the pots, some good sand whiting and the staple was the arrow squid with a few cuttlefish thrown in for good measure. I found plenty of tiger quid on the flats, but really enjoyed chasing the arrows for something different. Just of note, there is a 50 limit for squid other than tigers (20) now thankfully, so common sense has prevailed. Remember when you are holidaying to check regulations in the area.

We try to support local when we holiday, as much as we can, and the local butcher is second to none. Like plenty of family butchers, it's about good meat, good prices and some good advice to go with it. I grabbed a pork rack for around $20, to do a cook up on one of the windy days and it was one of, if not the best pork I have ever eaten. Magnificent and glorious were words used to describe it. We had plenty more products from there, with this the highlight on this trip.

The Fishing... well chasing cephalopods.

So, as I hadn't done too much research on what was going on, I called in a grabbed a few pots from the guys at The Chandlery and they pointed us in the right direction in terms of what was biting. Although the squid season was coming to an end, there were still a few around. While in Tin Can we try to support the locals as much as we possibly can, with the support rewarded with good info and friendly service.

Most of the nuts and bolts can be seen on the included video clip, however a paternoster rig and a couple of small squid jigs, should see you in the running. I lit the fire, cracked a beverage and did a bit of Googling about where to fish. All arrows pointed to "start at the Lady Woodward (Tassie Ferry I think) and drift. Good info, however, when we got on the water and went to the Lady Woodward it appeared the launch had shifted spots since our last trip.

As I mostly do, we tried a bunch of stuff and different places. What I can say is that, for us at least, the squid were pretty much from the beacons at Crab Creek (south) to not far off Norman Point to the north. The better squid did come from the deeper water, with around 25 to 30 feet being the most productive.

There was no real secret spot, or jig, although I will say that the Pro-Cure Egilicious Squid Jig Scent did appear to work, given that I was towelled up on the first day when we weren't using any at all (someone had left it at home). While the next few days had Jode asking for some to be sprayed on, following my success using it. It's a subjective topic, however for the week, with the spread that we were drifting, a regular spray did seem to commit the squid to the jig.

Mostly we used a size 1 teardrop sinker and 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 size jigs. The most productive size was the 2.5, with a few of the better squid coming on the 3.5. As far as colours go, I have always used pink or orange. The first day Jode had about ten on one of the Fish Inc. Egilicious 'Glow' colours which I sort of didn't have much faith in... you know... glow... until squid number ten! Might I just point out that Jodie Lee is not a gracious leader in the out-fishing stakes.

Anyhoo... I had a heavier 'sleeper' double rig out midwater to snooker the ones that followed the jigs to the boat, however mostly we used a 1-3kg or 2-4kg Okuma outfit. Whatever works for you is cool. We tried a few different rig leader weights, settling on 20lb Platypus Hard Armour Supple Leader. We found that any lighter and the sinker abraded off on the bottom as it was pretty rough. Jode used 30lb leader and still caught squid.

Seriously, it's probably the easiest and least technical fishing I have done in ages... and I loved it! So did Jode, which was great. Also, the dogs had a good time and only ten minutes from the ramp. Grab a couple light rods, a few jigs and drift around. Easy to clean, toss them on the plate or crumb a few, with a white wine or beer and you are living life how it should be lived.

As far as the other fishing went, I can say that there are a few barra and jacks around, along with sand whiting. I found more than I needed for the week, with good fish in super shallow water. Pump some fresh yabbies on the banks exiting Snapper Creek or grab some preserved beach worms from The Chandlery if the tides don't suit as they accounted for plenty of fish also. Just take a few light to medium spin rods, along with a heavier baitcast outfit if you want to chase a jack or barra along the moored boats.

Notes of Interest about Tin Can Bay

Just a few musings from the week, both fishing and holidaying, to wrap up.

• Keep an eye out for the local dolphins and dugongs on the flats. Stay still if approached.
• Fish light-ish for the squid with pink, rainbow and stripey being the standouts in the small sizes. Try Pro-Cure Scent if it's hard going. See The Chandlery for current info.
• Prep the boat at home if you can, to streamline the busy ramp on weekends.
• Freshly pumped yabbies catch everything at Tin Can Bay.
• Check out the bakery, butcher and the North Queen Seafoods at the Tin Can Bay Tourist Park (find them on Facebook for sale weekends).
• Pizzas are fantastic at the Tin Can Bay Pub and good bar service also.
• Haven't had a bad experience at any of the retail outlets in Tin Can Bay, so shop around.
• Yabbies can be pumped landbased at the end of Bream Street, on the southern side.
• Teewah Point track is probably 4wd only (let's speak of that no more).

Chewy's Wrap

To sum in up in a few words, I bloody love this place. It's just my kind of holiday, with no stress, walking distance to a beer, easy fishing and friendly businesses to support. Just a caveat, that I am not affiliated with any TCB businesses... this is purely a recollection of our holiday. Fires most arvos at the house, good coffee and treats from the bakery, beers at the pub and some super easy family fishing. It is just my utopia. Come and say g'day if you see the poly out and about.

Tight lines,
Chewy