Little_Flatty

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 lagoon charter with Gary Crombie fishing for double headers in the lagoon. We got four and kept two around five kg a piece. Not sure if Gary is still running tours but when we booked to go with him it was through the local shop. 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.

Hi Admis, If I am not mistaken, I think that Rick means to set the bait deeper under the balloon, maybe 15-18ft below it. Obviously you won’t be able to cast it if it is fixed at that depth, so you will need to figure out how to let the balloon run on the line, with a stopper at the specified depth. Hope this helps. Mike

I've seen fish take stationary gulps before. The squidgy prawn was a bit more of a surprise.

Hi all, Went for a fish at Iron Cove this morning. The original plan was to head to the beach to pick up some whiting, but my 10 month old woke me up at 1am and I couldn't get back to sleep, so the decision was taken to drive less and fish locally. So I picked up my dad and we headed to Iron Cove. The fishing was ordinary - just a couple of legal flatties, but the way in which the first flatty was 'caught' was why I am writing this report. Long story short, I decided to take the baitcaster outfit out for a change. Dumb choice, as there was a bit of wind and my first cast resulted in a birds nest which locked up and surprisingly, the braid snapped like cotton, sending my Squidgy Prawn into the ether. It was quite new 15lb braid, so I'm not sure what happened there. Ah well, these things happen. So I re-rigged and put out a second cast. A few hops in, I was ON! It was the usual flatty fight; headshakes, a bit of drag pulling then eventually submission. As I worked the fish in, I notice that there was my lure working halfway up my line. Then as the lure reaches the rod tip, I realise it was the lure I had just tied on, and the fish was actually hooked on some other line I had snagged. Ok, that's strange, I thought, as I started handlining the fish in on this other line. This was when I realised that I had snagged the length of braid that had broken off on my first cast. Somehow, between breaking the line on the first cast and re-rigging, a flatty had eaten my lure and hooked itself! The flatty eventually sawed through the leader as I was trying to land it. I was so gobsmacked that when I tried to explain what had just happened to my dad, I didn't make any sense! In thirty or so years of fishing, this would have to be one of the stranger ways in which I have caught a fish (another that comes to mind was when as a young kid, I hooked a plastic bag that had a little Groper living in it). So the fish were nothing to write home about, but I thought it was a story worth telling. Strange but true Mike

I have a Shimano Raider Travel Shore Spin. I think it's just over 9ft. The four piece construction makes it easy to transport as well Matched with a 4000 reel.

Hi Admis, As someone who has dramatically improved their fishing from this site, here’s a few tips on sleuthing potential spots and techniques from forum posts. Firstly, the reports are a good source of information as to what is biting and what they are biting on. For instance in my last report, I was clued in by fellow members that prawns were running at the entrance and there were flathead about. I put two and two together and fished with prawn lures for flathead and got a few. This was in spite of the fact I had very little local knowledge of the area. Second, google maps is your friend. Some people post up photos with the background included (they won’t if they are very protective of their hard earned spots which is their prerogative). Observe what is behind them (flats, rocks, wharves, boats, etc) and if you have a little local knowledge, you could pinpoint the exact spot, or at least find similar (the latter is even better because you may well find your own spot x with less travel). I have spent hours on google maps looking for flats, my favourite fishing environment. Next, think about the time. For me, I fish an hour either side of tide changes (for what I do, I prefer the highs) as a rule of thumb. It varies though for where you are fishing and what you are fishing for. When I was preparing for my entrance holiday I dug up an article by Jamie Robley that said tides don’t matter so much when the Tuggerah lakes were closed, and that time of day mattered more. So out I went at the crack of dawn and in the early evening. The best thing about doing your research ahead of time (apart from finding fish) is that you can indulge in your hobby even if you are far away from the water . Finally, just get out there and post a report afterwards. Talk about where you went and when, and what you did. If it was a donut, still post it - members might help you troubleshoot why. This is probably the best way of soliciting information. Sometimes it’s not you - there have been some weekends when everyone donuts. Even if you donut, at least you got out there and you can be sure that you probably still had fun Hope this helps. Mike

I like it. Those same EPs might well smash those plastics as well. Have fun with the new outfit!

Great job and nice EPs! I love my baitcasters. For 99% of my fishing, it makes no sense to use one, but there is something nice about the ergonomics of using them. I actually just picked up a new reel that was on sale, left handed like yours (very rare). Maybe that will get me back in the mix.

Thanks Frank, I might take you up on that offer when I finally muster the energy to do it! Mike

So long as they don't come with...CROCODILES! 😜

Do a google on Manly Lagoon. Rumour has it that there are mangrove jacks and other tropical species there in there...don’t eat anything though...quite polluted.

Thanks for the advice Frank, I knew someone would know. I don’t have a dremel but have a couple of mates who have one. I wouldn’t mind getting one myself as well I didn’t think about the rod holder issue, but I’m mostly shorebased and like to be mobile so it’s not a huge problem. I’ll need to budget for a new rod when I finally act on my dream of getting a yak I do have a broken rod I might be able to practice on first, will see how I go. Will post pics when I get to it. Mike

Hi all, A question for the experienced rodbuilders/modders out there. I have a couple of old baitcaster rods which have a longer butt than I would like for casting single-handed. They are all very light rods - 2-4kg which I use for casting small plastics and lures. I was wondering if anyone has ever shortened the butt of their rods and what process they followed. I was thinking of cutting about 100mm from the butt of the rod, and then installing a butt cap, making for a more comfortable single-handed cast. With these outfits, my hand doesn't change position for casting or fighting fish. I was also curious to see if there might be any problems with the 'balance' of the outfit, or if this concept only applied to threadlines. I've always been congniscent of balance for all of my spinning outfits, but funnily enough I've never thought about balance for my baitcasters. So long as I didn't put an ABU7000 on a 2-4kg rod, I'll get away with it. I've built a rod before, but never modified one like this. Can anyone offer advice? Mike

Hi all, Just got back from a weekday break at The Entrance. Reading @LandBasedKeith's report about prawns running and @Toby_fisho's reports of flatties on the flats, I went up there feeling confident I could find some fish. Thanks guys for your reports and intel Day 1 we drove up to Swansea for lunch at the RSL. After lunch I wandered down to some flats I had scouted out to see if I could snare a whiting on a sugapen. They were there, and they certainly weren't shy - I actually had one by the nose for about five seconds - but I struggled to work poppers due to the huge amount of weed on the surface. I gave up after half an hour. Changing to a gulp 3 inch minnow found me a couple of pike: Would have kept them for bait, but didn't have an esky on me, so they were sent on their way. Returning to The Entrance that afternoon, I had a cast around the flats and got myself a legal bream for dinner. The next morning waiting for the sun to come up, I was casting in the deeper water west of the bridge and hooked up to something huge. Whenever it ran, I was powerless to do anything, but when it stopped, I found that I could let the line go slack. Something told me that it was a foul-hooked ray, but seeing as I could gently turn it every now and again, I thought I would play along to see if I could get it to reveal itself to me. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the hook straightened after about ten mins and I was free to pursue something else. Once the sun was up, it was out again on the flats. The tailor were busy chasing prawns like every other fish in the lake. It was actually difficult to get a plastic to the bottom without it getting butchered, hooking up to a just-undersize tailor or both. Was good fun, but it did get old (and expensive) after a while. When I finally got a lure to the bottom, I was lucky enough to snare a 53cm flathead: My final session the next morning saw a repeat of the first morning, with the tailor even thicker than the previous morning. However, I managed to catch myself a legal flounder: All in all it was a few good sessions, was glad to be up there. About to whip up a thai fish curry with the flathead now Mike

Great report! I love Lake Parramatta. One of Sydney's hidden gems. You can have a fish and then get a coffee after