Yowie

Thank you Rob. I have seen turtles feeding in the Hacking on sea grasses, but not fish frames.

A nice session for sure. You would have been telling a different story if a kingie hooked up. 🤣

Good sized bonnies about, must be hungry to be attacking your yakkas on the bait line. A few flatties, and a kingie, will be good for the weekend meals. Good to see some flatties out there. A long time since the green toads have been about, can be worse than jackets for tackle bite-offs. Last time there was a plague outside, a few turned up near Lilli Pilli and chewed off gear, and they can swim fairly fast for toads.

More than likely what was happening. With the larger duskies, I take photos of them then release. The dots, colours, lines are different on all duskies from what I have seen. and act like a fingerprint, so each dusky can later be identified if you so desire, to see if you have re-captured that fish.

I caught one in Port Hacking many years, legal size, then nothing until early last year when I pulled up a few over several weeks. Mostly undersized, though a couple just over the size limit. Thank you Issac, plenty for the weekend. Thanks Zoran. Mrs Yowie was happy 🤣 - fish again. What else do you expect if I go fishing? "Well you could throw them back" Not happening dear.

Headed out to Bate Bay late yesterday arvo with my mate. Caught a couple of large slimies, which provided enough strip baits for the night. First trag not long after anchoring, then an occasional one until semi dark. 4 each, and mate dropped a couple boatside. Biggest at 48cm. A few tailor started biting after sunset, with a couple being released. Biggest at 45cm. The bonnie was 50cm, and all fish on slimie baits, pillies chewed off by pickers - mados, sweep, yakkas. I hooked up 2 kingies about 60cm long, and one tried to get into the reef as I could feel the line scrape a rock. One bait was taken by either a large squid, or cuttlefish. It hooked up and I dragged it almost to the boat before the hook let go. All I could see was a large wide body in semi darkness. An average sized squid grabbed a yakka and hung on so I netted him. Headed home on full darkness. I was cleaning and filleting the fish at my mate's place, throwing in the skeletons and some good sized bream were feeding on them, could see them with the light from the filleting table. During this, a turtle swam past then stopped, swam up to the skeletons and began feeding on them. It grabbed a skeleton in it's mouth, shook it's head and appeared to be using the front flippers to push the skeleton away while chewing on the meat and guts. Water about 5 foot deep, so we had a good view of this for about 10 minutes, then the turtle swam away.

Very nice there Zoran, some good fillets off those critters.

Trebles can be harder to remove than doubles. It appears that doubles are not available, only older stock being sold. I was told that doubles are going out of fashion and not being manufactured anymore.

My shoulder wound has left a scar - just add that to the list of scars. The trouble with fishing during the day. Reflection of sun from the water is more intense than just a direct hit of sun light standing on land. All fishos need skin checks.

It was good to get away, more or less just fun fishing with the others. The entrance to the lake is shallow, so not much tidal run for prawn movement. At night off the rock wall, you could shine a light onto the sand just out from the rocks and see many flatties sitting and cruising about, grabbing little fish and prawns - all flatties were just undersize and not interested in our baits anyway.

Keep at it Mike. No fishing means no fish caught.

It was with the new group Donna, RV NSEW. Plenty to eat without heading to the shop. One fisho who was camping had too many whiting, so he offered me 4, that were gladly accepted - filleted, crumbed and cooked with some chips and salad.

I will take the kayak next time to explore a bit further, though a swim to the nipper beds on the other side was not too hard.

Many great spots down south Bob. I have a tackle box, a bucket with various reels, and a tube for the 2 piece rods that fits across the back seat, though the 2 piece beach rod is too long for that, it sits inside a tube under the van for transport.

Yes Mike, something different for a change. Have had the kayak for some time, and it is some time since I used it.

Very nice there Bob, not many but enough to keep you occupied.

Travelled there last week with the caravan, and met up with a group of others from the van club. A few keen fishos amongst them. Stayed at the van park nearest the entrance to the lake, fishing was either from the rocks along the river side in front of the park, or from the beach. First morning to the beach, a couple of salmon caught by others, not me, only pickers taking the pillies. No fishing that night, however, one of the guys pulled up a couple of bream , and dropped a good one, off the rock wall. No beach fishing for me the next morning, but a couple of the guys pulled up several salmon, a bream and a trevally from the beach. That night on the rock wall, a few bite offs from tailor, and only the little ones about 25cm landed. I caught a duck in my line, swam into it and tangled up. Not much of a fight, grabbed it, untangled the line and set it free. One of the guys wanted to take it home and make it pluck-a-duck, into the cooking pot as duck-ah-l-orange. 🤣 Next morning to the beach again. Only one salmon for me, several for the other 2, and 2 large sand mullet on salmon strips on a 3/0 hook. Something different. Tried prawning that night, half a dozen tiny prawns, and 2 small garfish. Very little run in the water, and a full moon. Gars kept for bait. Swam out to the sandbank in the arvo, rod, nipper pump, bucket on a boogie board. Plenty of small whiting and tarwhine on the sand flats, but no legals. One flattie caught off the rock wall, by one of the others. Fished the rock wall later that night, and a 30cm bream on a gar, plus little tailor. Not too many fish caught up river by the other campers in the park, mainly flatties. The salmon were from 40 to 50cm. Was going to take my kayak, the doctor advised against it due to an infected wound in my upper arm, so left it at home. Will be heading back there another day, the last time I was there was about 30 years ago. Rather busy on weekends, but a nice place to visit again, week days would be the best. A good time had by all, wines and bourbons consumed, and 2 large meat trays (steak and chicken) from the bowling club raffle provided plenty for the BBQ.

Nice dollies there Bob. A few reddies as well (mowies don't count as fish 🤣) It paid off for your trip out, a good effort there.

Catch a rock crab, then hold it out for the occie to take (not a blue ring, just the normal brown ones) and they will swim up and take the crab from your hand, then laugh at the free feed.

Occies like crabs, so that is why you pulled up a few. The blue rings are standing out, so he is a bit agro.

A few nice fish for your efforts, considering you have a problem on Saturday. Green toads can swim rather fast for those of the "toad" family. Able to chase down a lure retrieved at speed, and I have had them chase a bait inside the Hacking. A nightmare from the fish world. Do not need them out off Cronulla.

Nice fish. A good outcome for both of you. The other fisho should be happy the fish was landed. 😂

Nice bonnies, and good sport at the larger size. A smart idea to study the rocks and swell before fishing in the dark.

Nice work. Surprising how hard the larger mud mullet fight. A bonus good sized bass to top it off.

Very nice bream. Not too many of that size kicking around.