PerryR

My Son and his mate were keen to get out and do some fishing. Yesterdays weather was too good to let the opportunity go by. Seeing so many reports about flathead biting offshore, I decided to give it a go. Loaded up the boat and was out of the drive at 7.00am. On the water at 8.00am and fishing by 9.00am Outside conditions were near perfect, 1.5m swell and a light nor-wester blowing. Decided to turn left at Sydney heads and try a couple of areas which I thought would be productive. Hit the 50m mark and then moved closer in to 40m. First spot a bit slow, but managed a few. Moved to another spot and fish were coming up just about every drop. Fish didn't seem to fussed with the bait. Squid, pilchards, prawns all took fish. Left the fish biting at about 12.30pm and headed to Watsons bay for lunch and a swim. Great day to be on the water.

Guys. Just a note regarding reports on the 12 Mile and Peak. The Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph run daily fishing reports. These reports mention the 2 offshore reefs in question consistently. I would say that the amount of people reading the Downrigger reports would be insignificant if compared to the amount of people reading the papers. So based on the hundreds of thousands of newspaper readers, a turnout of 50 boats on the weekend is pretty insignificant. We all need to wake up to the fact that there are 5 million people living in Sydney and there are going to be more. Perhaps we all should be grateful if we can get out there, enjoy the experience and catch a fish or 2. The days of going out with the express purpose of bagging out and bring home 5 kingfish ( 25kg of fish for the freezer ) are just about over. No point whinging and complaining, there will soon be 6 million people in Sydney and lots more people wanting a share of an ever decreasing pie. Just get over it! if you want solitude move out of Sydney.

These reports always give me a bit of a laugh. If this fish was caught 2km down river and somewhere near the runway, everyone would be saying thats great. Can't wait to get it on the BBQ. Does anyone seriously believe that the jewfish caught at Tempe has never been past the breakwall. Of course not. These fish swim in and out of the river, through the bay and back into the river. Every jewfish in Botany will spend some time in the Cooks River chasing bait fish. So next time you catch one, it will either have been in the Cooks River sewer or the upper Georges River toxic sludge system. Some will even have been feeding in Penhryn Bay which is also closed to fishing. Moral of the story. Any fish in the Botany system is fair game.Eat at your own Peril. On a lighter note 13kg is a very nice fish. Cheers

If thats a panny, then I'd like to see the size of the pan you are going to cook it in. Great catch.

Its funny how everyone is quick to say dont eat anything caught from the Cooks River as it might be toxic, but do people consider the fact the the bream,jewfish and whiting that they catch out in the bay probably spent a good deal of time foraging and eating all the slime and muck at the bottom of the river before heading into the bay and then the ocean to breed. Also consider that the fish people catch from the breakwalls will be feeding on the crap that flushes out of the stormwater system and the river with every change of tide. Nobody would eat fish from the river, but I would be cautious about the amount of fish I eat from the bay in general. Bear in mind that the Penrhyn Bay area near the new boat ramp is also toxic and off limits. You are also catching fish which feed in this area. I guess that its a bit like Sydney harbour. Eat fish in moderation and at your own risk. i dont think that the fish feeding in this area dont move a

Look like unicorn leatherjackets. I was fishing at the quarantine marker last year about this time and they were in our berley trail. Cheers