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Headed out early with Swano in the hope the water had cleared enough for some kingy action. On the squid straight away before light and with a dozen or so in the tank we headed for the point for a slow troll but was very slow so we spot locked the poly and sent some fresh strips of squid and that did the trick with us both getting + 80ss and I got smoked by a real monster 😡 and pulled the hook on another good fish. Great day out Deano and congrats on your PB Kingfish

Fished Sat and Sun on the long weekend in and around port Stephens, launching from good old tea gardens. Started early sat by getting some live slimies and searching for bait balls inshore, along with 3000 others, with the slow trolled Slimies finally paying off around 11am with a solid hookup on a bait ball about 3km south of Broughton in 40m above a reef holding bait A quick but intense fight saw a female mahi mahi (could not find the bull😢) at 120cm and around 10-12 kg on board. Have caught mahi mahi else where this size but beat our port Stephens best by about 80cm haha, was definitely a surprise this close to Broughton Sunday the wind picked up, no game fish, but still managed a decent bag of blue spot Flatties, 11 between 45 and 60cm in close around 45m on cut baits. Very satisfying to get a decent feed this time of year with all the traffic. Bring on the marlin the next few weeks 🤞🤞🤞

Hi Raiders After wild weather I finally got out to put the newly acquired Butterworth through it's paces. While the upper harbour is still off colour the lower reaches are clearing up after the big fresh and the Blackfish are hungry. I met up with Trevor at the spot before sunrise, only to find it occupied by another group of fishos there so we made our way around to a second spot hoping it might produce. In the pre dawn light it was hard to judge the depth to fish. It was a matter of trial and error, looking at the way the float was sitting and adjusting the float stopper. Trevor got the first down but pulled the hook, only just feeling weight. I got a few downs before I pulled up tight on a good fish. The new rod performed beautifully, with a great parabolic action and a softness which makes you really feel the fight. We were into a school and the fishing was pretty consistent as the tide was nearing high. One fish reefed me in the kelp, I couldn't pull him out so I free spooled, dropped all tension, and after a couple of minutes my float surfaced and I was still on and soon he was safely in the net. At the the top of the tide the bite slowed down, we looked back at our first spot and the other guys were gone so we move in. Fish came on from the first drift, and we kept adding to the bag. Quite a few throwbacks, but most fish were in the 30 to mid 30 range. Trevor got wrapped around a pylon by a very good fish, he tried everything to get him out, but had to bust him off and we watched his homemade Aussie red cedar float drift away. I bagged out with my 10 and the bite really slowed down so we called it a day. I pulled up the keeper net and 2 fish dropped out the bottom onto the deck and a third with his head half out the hole. The net obviously got torn on the oysters. 5 fish had made their escape so we ended up with 13. Good day thanks mate.

A great day on the water today with Tony and Lachlan. Bait was easy to collect and perfect “Kings Candy” size. Water Conditions were a little choppy off shore, but water was blue and warm - 25 degrees. There were lots of schools of Bonito eager to swallow baits of live Yakkas, salted slimies or strips of fish flesh. Tailor got into the act also and these were XOS size and I had to re-rig several times before swapping to ganged hooks. Kingies were all rats and released of course, but we were “smoked” by two kings fishing 40lb which was too light on Sydney harbour shallow reefs We Stopped in at Middle Head to restock with Yakkas then to North Harbour for a few more kings, but couldn’t find any slimies in the harbour - they were thick at the artificial 2 weeks ago - not sure if they have moved off shore or further into the harbour. I caught up with “Tony”, a fellow Fishraider and we shared some intel - hope he posts his awesome day on dollies.

Took the grand kids for a fish to finish off there holidays and will take their older brother tomorrow as he has an extra days holiday. Jew fish, bream, flathead, mud crabs and blue swimmers made for a great day.

G'day guys, it's good to be back! I've just been very busy and I've been meaning to post for a long time. This is linked to Stewy's previous report where we chased kingfish. This report is like the part before we hit Molly point where we chased squid. So consider this Part A 😃 It was a nice morning and it was great to catch up! I've got some pics of the little squid bash we had just prior. The squid were hungry and hitting jigs high up the water column. I think anybody could have caught a squid that day ... especially with a little green squid jig. Here are some nice pictures of the morning!

Ross, stoked for you on your 1st Jew. Anyway good things to actually make it a report would be to give some more details like general area & maybe gear used, otherwise its something better posted in here- https://www.fishraider.com.au/forum/16-brag-board/ Reports are supposed to help out the rest of the community not just showcase your catch.

I have a few including a cedar spool job but here is the latest Christmas present... ... I ordered this when I though Alvey were going under but now it seems the rush of orders and a little restructuring has revived them indefinitely. Cheers Jim

I found it hard to find any worms, so went with nippers I did not expect the fish to be on after the rain had great time till the wind came up

Sorry to hear about your dilemma @JonD I hope the donk is sound & that the new purchase costs more in time than It does in dollars . On a another note it’s sad to hear of the zodiac moving on as I’m sure a lot of raiders enjoyed reading of you & your families exploits in that rubber ducky, but as is life we all move on & I’m sure the new owner is happy with their purchase. Once she’s up & running you’ll now have to cross the bar like everyone else😁 but I’m sure with your hours & knowledge you’ll be able to sneak out when most wouldn’t Looking forward to the new adventures of the D family & Co in there refurbished Haines

Buying unseen is fraught with danger, but, we all do "things" we should have been cautious about, I had a very similar story (kind of) but in reverse, a guy from interstate was going to buy my boat, it was as described, no hidden faults that I knew off, he told me he had transferred the money, and a truck would pick the boat up the next day, constant checking with the bank, no money, next day the truck turned up, check with bank again, no money, called buyer and he promised he transferred money, but I explained I hadn't any receipt of money, I called the bank again, and they just kind of said "yeah, that happens sometimes" I tried to explain my predicament, but, no go, I told the truck to go, I was not giving him the boat without money, he didn't care, he just said he will be back in 2 days. I started thinking how this looks from the buyers side, I still had the boat, in his mind, I also had his money, and I sent the truck away, the next day, I called the bank and they casually did some checking, and the money was there, thank god, the truck came back, picked up the boat, I called the buyer and he was pretty understanding, probably pissed off, but OK with it, and was/is happy with the boat.

That’s a great report & a good flattie there @kingie chaser I’d call that one 61 cm, would that be your PB by any chance & good on you for releasing it 😎

G'day Will I'm not a rock fishing guru but I have picked up some solid tips from other fishos. Some great hard bodies that I see often include Rapala X-raps, Storm So-Run minnow, Halco Lazer Pro and Nomad Riptide stickbaits. Nomad and Halco make some wicked poppers for the price so it may be good to have one in your box. Having a range of soft plastics is also handy. Anything from a 2.5" Slim SwimZ in a natural / white colour to large 9" plastics. It's good to try and identify what the fish are feeding on and try to match your lure to that. In saying all of that, the humble metal should not be neglected. I have caught some quality fish with them and when you lose one it doesn't hurt the bank too much. Cheers

I am new to the kayak scene and would be interested in joining an organised session if its isn't too far.

Thank you James. Yeah that's awesome, can't beat squid fishing in the cooler months! Appreciate it 61 crusher! It was a nice morning out with Stewy. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Great report Katoe and congrats on your capture. I would have accidentally turned the two way off! 🤣🤣 cheers scratchie!!!

Back in the early 80’s & still at home did an all-nighter fishing after work & the next night was on my way to the second of 3 party’s, pulled up at a set of traffic lights & looked across to a car pulling up next to me, next thing I was looking at bitumen ( forgot to put my feet down) the next morning being a bit worse for wear I took the laundry down & then lifted the laundry basket & proceeded to pee into it, sounded strange & stopped mid stream & quickly pulled the washing out of the toilet, lucky I didn’t flush & it was washing day 🙄

Agreed on trailer setup, I had to mod mine a bit OT make it easier to launch-retrieve to be honest, Im not sure how heavy those boats are, but I can launch - retrieve my old fibreglass boat on my own, and Id say its heavier

looks like the slammer and goosa are about the same ( reel weight 600g , line capacity slammer has bigger spool ) if you mean the Daiwa Saltis spin 4000 it's stats look smaller? ( 450g can't find braid capacty) you know the goosa is built like a tank. it's a bit heavy if you want to use it for hours but the next option is a stella at 4 x the price If you are throwing metals 30g - 60g the heavier ones need a bit of a winch to wind them in time after time. If you can handle the weight I'd go the Goosa.

Well done guys

We got them on 30 lb spin sticks with 40 lb leaders

Hey JohnD have you tried the fin nors?

Have a look at a Penn Clash CLA 5000. Great reel. Tell you what is a great reel Shimano Thunnus C14 6000. I have both. Can't fault them. Cheers.

Got a Saragosa 25000 paired with a terez 6'9 in 100lb line class. The best word to describe it is "tank" Saragosa is a good reel! Although if your going for larger faster fish maybe an overhead, although you would need a different rod. Maybe a Tyrnos or Talica.

Thanks guys, the water still had a bit of a brown tinge to it where I picked up the tailor probably coming from the beach, out the front it still had a bit of a green tinge to it & starting to clear up with a couple of bluish pockets, there’s still an occasional bit of salad around. @Central Coast Fisherman Yes spot on Phil I put the info out there to let people know the good water has arrived, hopefully the fish hang around for awhile

Sounds like there's a real mix of pelagic species around . Well done on the kingie too. A good sized fish, especially having to deadlift it up the rocks on relatively light leader. Fil

Out from Sydney and caught a fish that no one on board had encountered. The beardie was identified by referring to an on board book. The muddy water and strong currents made for a difficult day out from Manly and Freshwater. Nevertheless, eight of us weighed in a mixed bag of 22 kilos (cleaned).

That’s one Cracker of a break there. Nice work getting him off of the Pylons

@PaddyT , the greens want everything to stop, from fishing, to using machinery on farms , and back burning of bushland.....

He saw you coming a mile away mate. For an expeienced boatie that's owned so many boats you'd think you would of learnt a looooong time ago not to depart with your hard earned until you were 110% sure everything was honky dory. DTA- Don't trust anyone. Hopefully your mistake doesn't send you broke.All the best with getting her back on the water.

Sounds good Adrian, hopefully they won’t need stretching the next time we get out, we’ll have to try & get out soon @kingie chaser those stars just need to line up again They were the first 2 I’ve caught up here, I didn’t measure them but guessing the larger rat was around 62 cm

Congrats to you and the kids Scratchie. It's so good watching the kids compete and enjoying their sports.

Hi all no work and still no power since Sunday morning decided to take daughters boyfriend out for a fish. Launched parsley bay yacht washed up on side of ramp at mouth of parsley another yacht on rocks and about 4 more washed up trees and shit everywhere. Tried jump for a short while nothing happening so moved to west head pittwater caught nothing but rays and shovel nose .moved to palmy side of entrance few flatter while anchored then daughters bf caught biggest bream I've seen went 45cm but fat as let it go too nice to keep then I got one another beauty but not same calibre let it go thinking not enough for a feed. After getting a few underside flatter decided to drift few keepers then a keeper snapper in pittwater mouth then a 65cm flatter all fish solid good feed tonight thanks to bbq

Good work. No surprise where bream will turn up.

Nice report, I cross over the top of Johnston’s Creek on the light rail every morning on my way to work, and always wondered if the fish were in there, particularly that still pool opposite the tram sheds. good to know they are there, nice fish!

Great report there Niall, congratulations on the all fish to.

Great report. Fabulous photos and some.

OH, and squirted Dencorub on my toothbrush once, but the smell gave it away before I put it in my mouth.

Well done mate......you'll always remember your first. If you're going to give away a location.....just say what system.....ie hacking, georges, botany, sydney harbour etc etc

Congrats and great pic, more details would be welcome! Tell us a story😏

Hope she doesn't see this report mate or you and your wife are in trouble LOL. Actually real good that you turned up when you did... Cheers, bn

Fished Port Hacking FAD on Thursday, see hookerbruce's report. Dolphin fish where there but not in big numbers and shut down by 9ish, small live bait were the key. Like Christb said I found the day almost spoilt by inconsiderate and foolish people. It is so simple. Start 100-200m up current and drift past about casting distance from the fad continue past out of the way and then motor back up around the outside of the drifting boats. If everyone does this the fad works and everyone gets a fish. On Thursday we had up to 15 boats trying to fish, with a charter boat holding on one side of the FAD, a 40-50ft game boat on the other side and numerous small boats trying to hold in the current, particularly with no one at the wheel. It was hectic at times and here's the thing, it doesn't seem to work, they definitely don't catch any more fish. They either use heavy sinkers to get baits down, which fish don't like or their baits where miles out the back in the current. We found we had to start our drift, get a hookup, then motor out to the side to avoid the boats. I wasn't all that concerned when the fish shut down and we left. Sorry for the rant but the FADS can be such a good fishery when everyone plays along. Thanks Ash

Hi Will, You have asked some questions which were going to be covered in my Kayak fishing 102 article - practical fishing from a kayak. Still working on that one. The fishfinder does allow me to check out structure. It allows me to see the schools of baitfish. It allows me to hold to a specific depth when using my poor man's downrigger. It also has a GPS so lets me find marks again - even if I know the general area. It gives me something to watch when not much is happening and I'm heading from A to B. I've had a few times when I've seen something interesting on the fishfinder and then I hook up. Would I say I could do without it - YES! Most of the time I like to chase the pelagics so I'm looking at the surface activity. I still take it out most times because I keep learning by using it. The head unit is waterproof to a meter or two - I wash the salt off under the kitchen sink when I get home. The batteries I use are not waterproof - hence I have mine in a hollowed out Hobie tub. As per my article the wires on the system have heatshrink on them at the joins as I expect them to get wet. As soon as I get home the small battery I use gets hooked up to the JayCar Smart charger which drops down to a trickle charge when the battery is charged. I expect an anchor to be a waste of time for the majority of situations. I have a Hobie Mirage drive so I can hold position relatively easily. In the areas I might want to anchor up I can usually find a loose mooring (or another vessel to tie off to on the odd occasion - but generally not done). It is another thing to carry. I use the drift to my advantage. Line up with the wind and it allows me to cast ahead and cover an area pretty thoroughly. Don't buy one until you actually start to come across situations where you realise you actually do want an anchor. What is your logic in getting a trolling motor? From past posts you are young enough not to need it. Getting out there on the kayak is one way of combining exercise and fishing. A trolling motor and battery is another thing to manage (space for example). Another two items to carry. Is that specific kayak set up for the electric motor or will you have to make brackets. Get out there first before putting on all the bells and whistles. If you want a powered kayak then look at an old hobie or similar with pedal power. By the time you buy the kayak, the trolling motor, the battery, the charger, the mounting system the cost will be similar. Storage solutions depends on your kayak. I have easily accessible hatches. I have a drink bottle holder pocket in which I drop odds and ends. Mine comes with rod holders to which I added a third. I bring a handy pail (squat Bunnings 11.1L bucket complete with lid) for dropping freshly caught squid into so I don't get squid ink onto my kayak - hard to clean off. For the simple kayaks the milk crate is the classic solution. You can fasten your rod holders to it. Occy strap it to the kayak and store stuff in it. Esky won't be overly compact - saw a guy with a Pro Angler out on Middle Harbour on the weekend with an esky but those things feel like they are large enough to land a small plane on. I asked if he'd passed up on the bbq option for the back of his kayak. Get the starting package. Get out there. Get experience. If you work out a need then fill it. This is coming from a guy that does take a lot out there as I'd rather have something and not need it than not have it with me and then need it. Regards, Derek

Either the one near the caravan park, or the one I normally use is the one at Jamieson Park. There are 2 other ramps in the lake but they are only really suitable for small tinnies. What size boat are looking at launching?

I went there in the ‘95 as a kid and had a ball fishing off the jetty. The gars were really something else. They were large, numerous and tasty. The silver drummer were also present at the wharf and were a constant source of amusement for me as they would only take floating bread on ultra light line...recipe for bust offs. I also got a reef shark off the wharf one night as well. We did a charter. We got four and kept two around five kg a piece. when we booked to go with it was through the local shop. PM FOR DETAILS Kayaking in the lagoon with lures sounds like a great option. If I ever go there again that would definitely be on the cards. Enjoy the trip. It’s a magical place.

Fishing late one night, I opened the thermos to have a coffee, and put the thermos down, but it was outside the boat, dropped straight into the water, as I tried to grab it, I knocked my coffee cup off the gunnel into the water too!

Hi, I am Martin and I work in the construction industry for one of the majors in business development. I have been fishing since I was young and spent better than 20 years with the sole passion focused on game fishing competitively, having caught a few and learnt heaps about marlin, sharks and tuna. At the same time it cost me a fortune to be involved in the sport. Getting married and then the children put a halt to it. Not fair to be away every second week somewhere fishing while there at home. I now fish mainly the Hawkesbury and Pittwater, enjoy fishing with my 8 year old son We are learning about bream flathead and jewfish. Our goal is to catch a big jew. I have an Aussie Whaler Profish 5.5 with a 115 Johnstone. Unfortunately this we have not had the spare time to get out there and have not been out since March for a fish. However I hope to give the fishing scene a real work over through summer. My daughter is more into swimming at one of the many beaches in Pittwater. We live all of a few minutes to Bayview boat ramp so we have it easy in getting access to the water. I do not have the passion I once had for just game fishing, but am still passionate about fishing generally. I really enjoy fishing for flathead and coming home with a feed of fish. There’s simple pleasure in teaching your kids to fish and be together as a family having a great day out. Fishing lets friends and family get together, have a chat, a laugh and a bite to eat while enjoying the great outdoors. Cheers Martin