Little_Flatty

@maccapacca I'm one of those, and there's plenty more like me. Take that as a big endorsement of the community. If you can get down to Iron Cove this weekend on a high tide, I reckon you might well pop that cherry then! Just watch your cast because human beings don't count as a catch... Whilst I'm on the topic of tides these are the predictions for the weekend Parramatta River (Iron Cove) - Rodd Island Tide Times, NSW - WillyWeather. It's not always as simple as just fishing a high tide but for Iron Cove, there's more water to fish. That's plenty. If you get out every week for the year, that makes 52 sessions! Imagine all the experience you will gain after 100+ hours fishing! As @big Neil says, just get out there and put in the hours.

On the the prawns vs sps topic, if you have prawns you’ll generally attract some bites if there are fish in the area but you will find it hard to sort the small fish from the big ones. In the right situations, lures are just as effective on bait on bream and flathead. Whiting on lures I find a bit harder work but maybe I just haven’t cracked the code yet. If you have had several sessions without a bite, I’d say change something. Try a new spot, try a different bait or lure or a different time of day. Make sure you are fishing as light as possible from a sinker and line perspective.

Indeed! I think I tend to start at the same spots out of habit, and I run out of time before I get to move along any further. The best thing about the Bay run and any other expanse of clear shoreline is that there are limitless environments to explore (we haven't even mentioned the canals yet). Looks like I'll need to mix it up a little more when I'm out there again!

If you can get down to Berowra easily, fishing on a high tide from the park on the western side can turn up garfish, mullet and bream on cheap white bread on a high tide. Fish the bread under a float (what Dave has suggested will do) on a size 6-10 hook. Good fun - want to get there soon myself.

It's a very commonly fished spot/area for lure fishermen and you will likely have company. You'll find everyone there is mobile - keep everything in a bag and walk around. I myself found this area through this forum.

I only fish it landbased. The only problems you will encounter with people is if you don't check your surroundings before casting (and you probably deserve whatever you get if you can't get that right).

Not sure if you can get yourself down to Iron Cove, but the highlighted regions below are probably my more consistent spots for bream and flatties on SPs. I tend to target these spots an hour either side of high tide because it gives you more fishable water. Actually you can find fish pretty much along the whole bay run, but these are the areas I tend to start from.

Get well soon Waza! Hopefully the fishing is hot by the time you are back on the water!

Interesting point Derek. Over lockdown I read 'Chasing the Ghost of the Estuary' by Sol Bannura. He mentioned that he does all of his connections using metal - snaps, swivels and combinations of the two. Instead of a uni or FG knot, he'd tie a snap directly to the mainline. Then all of his lures for his trip would be pre-rigged on about 60-80cm of leader material, with a loop knot at the lure end and a swivel on the other. Then swapping lures would be a simple matter of unclipping the leader-swivel connection and then clipping on another leader/lure. This saves one from re-tying loops and also making sure your lures have a nice loop pre-tied where applicable (e.g. hardbodies). Your average angler might think that the extra hardware might put fish off, but you can't argue with his results. Neither can anyone argue with yours. To be honest, I tried this and it does my head in, even though I like the idea of swapping out lures easily like this. Out of habit I keep winding the snap into my guides, which I thought wouldn't be good for my rod. Old habits die hard I guess (and funnily enough Sol's book spends quite a few words on angler's habits and assumptions, and the need to keep an open mind!).

Great report. Holidays are fantastic with > 2 generations attending. Happy memories for all. Hoping you all get more in!

That's an epic session to make up for all the missed lockdown fishing! Regardless of the result, I bet it felt good to be back on the water. At least you scored one keeper. And hey, if we only wanted to eat fish, we'd just buy them from the shops. So it must be more than just the 'catching' bit that appeals to us

How did you go Macca? Maybe it might be time to write up a first report Even donuts are interesting.

Awesome report @pscarey. Looks like you've gotten off to a great start and just goes to show how good guidance leads you on a faster path to success. If @DerekD was a paid guide, that would probably equate to close to 10K in guiding fees! As always, he's always hugely generous. Some great tackle choices there as well. With the few outfits you have, you will enjoy years of fishing.

In practice they don’t bother you that badly, unless you are really intent in a different target species and know they are underneath. Make hay while the sun shines…tie on a metal and make the most of the opportunity they present! Other alternatives include using 10x tough Z man plastics, squidgy bio toughs, hardbodies, heavier jigheads in an attempt to get under them….or just moving spot.

Tailor are a worthy target in their own right, for both sporting and culinary reasons (provided they are well handled). Sure, they can get in the way, snipping off lures, tearing up SPS and taking lures meant for fish underneath, but they are plentiful and fun to catch. It’s all part of the fun. The only time they have ‘gotten on my nerves’ was when the prawns were running at the Entrance, and I couldn’t get a lure down to the plentiful Bream and Flatties underneath. I wouldn’t have minded if the Tailor were legal, but alas they were all just under. But all in all, I was still happy to see them. First world problems eh? I think after COVID we’d all be happy catching almost any fish at all!