J0nn0

Stewy finally met his match @Scratchie 😂😂😂

After promising my eldest daughter since the start of covid, that Stewy and I would take her out fishing for hairtail, we finally managed to take her out for an awesome day on the Hawkesbury. Left home at 8:30 for the trip up to apple tree bay to meet stewy, launch the  mighty polycraft, and away we went cruising up Cowan Creek to Jerusalem Bay.

We started our burley, rigged up our sabiki jigs, and set in for trying to catch little jelly bean livies for hairtail later that night. Now these little yakkas have been hard to come by for us over the past few trips, but the eldest daughter brought all the luck and we were bringing in heaps of them!

Managed to fill the live bait basket, and a few larger specimens to use as fillet baits as well. Managed a bit of by catch in the way of baby Jew, Bream and a stonker Trevally.

The eldest daughter managed to spend hours catching live bait, eat cookies and killer pythons, and talk Stewys ear off, I think Stewy finally met his match!.

After seeing the sounder light up with arches for the past couple hours, we decided that it was time to put some of the hairtail rigs out, as we were pretty confident what we were seeing on the sounder could be hairtail.

Edlest daughter took a break and watched some shows on her iPad while Stewy and I settled in to see if the hairtail would come on early.

First fish on board was a very nice Jew, that took a fresh pilly, had a great fight, and a nice net job by Stewy. Called by Stewy for a metre, and put on ice for dinner the following night.

All the commotion on the boat after landing the jewfish got the daughter excited and keen to fish again, and the pilly went off again about 10mins later, with the fish taking off under the boat and around the anchor rope while she was starting to fight it, some great manoeuvring by Stewy, and he had the fish unwrapped, and was helping my daughter fight a very good fish up front while I managed to record the action, and get the net ready.

Ended up netting a very chunky 60+cm Tailor, a brilliant fish, and great figh, and her biggest fish caught by a long way.

Things went quiet for awhile, with only one good Trevally caught by Stewy, so we cooked up some hot dogs, had a drink and some cookies, and waiting for these hairtail to come on.

We waiting for ages, burleyed hard, and finally seen one of the livie rods go off, called the daughter to come fight it, only for it to wrap around the anchor rope, and ruin her first chance of catching her first hairtail, although we did managed to unwrap it from the anchor rope, and get it on board, she refused to accept it as her catch.

After awhile, with plenty of burley in the water, thinking it wasn’t going to happen, and it might be time to pack up and head home, the livie rod went off again, and this time she’s fighting a very good hairtail!

After a good tussle, she’s got a big hairtail to the side of the boat, we lift it in, and ask her if she wanted to take pic with it - NO WAY!   she wasn’t having a bar of a getting near lively hairtail with big teeth.

After that we packed up and headed home, both Stewy and I happy that we managed to get her her first hairtail, a cracker of a Tailor, and plenty of yakkas, and what we are sure will be great memories.

We did manage to get her to take a pic with the hairtail back at the ramp, great pics with a really good size hairtail.

She was very tired by the time we got home, she did amazing to be out on the water for an entire day and into the evening, not to mention putting up with Stewy and I.

Massive shout out to Stewy for taking her out and helping get her first hairtail, and helping her catch that great Tailor as well, amazing day, and it wouldn’t have happened without him.

Hey raiders

Its coming into that time of year where the days get shorter, the nights get colder, and the mind wanders to thoughts of teeth and chrome.

Its time for HAIRTAIL!

After about a year of no fishing, managed to finally catch up with Stewy last week, after a he called and advised to leave work early (the king of last minute fishing trips) so we could go see if the hairtail were around after all the rain and flooding.

Happy just to be out, expectations weren’t too high, but we did confirm, there are hairtail around!

They came on late, well for me anyway, and was a very late night, not getting home until around 2:30am, which didn’t make the boss too happy.

After last weeks late night, I was surprised to get the ok from the missus to head out with Stewy again yesterday.

Better prepared than last week, we arrived early, catching livies and slab bait, joking around and enjoying a nice afternoon in the sun, picking our spot and waiting for darkness.

The bites weren’t regular, but when they came around, a couple of bites turned into fish at least, and we managed enough to call it much earlier than last trip, getting home at 10:30pm

They aren’t around in massive numbers, but they’re around!

Thanks again for a great couple of trips Stewy, always a great time, although let’s not wait another year to go fishing again 

 As the total says, it’s been a long time since we managed to get out for a fish (Stewy and I)

Hit up the Hawkesbury for a hairtail session, with the weather looking good, but cold!

Got there at the gentleman’s hour at around lunch time, and hit up the edges with plastics and vibes for a couple of tiny squire for Stewy(apparently they count as runs on the board) and a leather jacket.

The call was made to head into Jerusalem Bay and anchor up for some livies, a feed, and settle in.

No livies to be found, managed a small shovel nose, and a couple bacon and egg rolls.

Moved spots a couple times, for Stewy to hit a good size salmon just on dark.

We had quite a few chances with pillies, but just couldn’t managed to get the hooks to connect.

Finalled managed to get a livie, which went straight out, and finally hooked up to a nice hairtail.

As always, thinking our luck had finally changed, and had more livies in the basket, the bite went.

Packed up and headed home, Stewy cleaned up and filleted the hairtail, and off we went, happy with the day, and nice and warm with the heater on in the car!

 Geez Stewy, you’re smashing the hairtail this season!

I missed another good session 😞

This whole work thing is really getting in the way of some good fishing!

Search ‘Shroom’ on youtube

you will find some videos by nbdshroom, fishing for squid in some of those locations, I’m sure you will get plenty of information from them

WOW

what a report!

well done swordies, killing it

Great to see you both out on the water again, even better to see you landing some great fish for you’re efforts.

Well done to Stewy for cooking up a feed as well, such a gentleman!

Good to see you out fishing Stewy once again Donna 😂

Congrats everyone, well deserved!

Wow!

And I thought Stewy had a big collection!

Tasty catch there!

Not much in the way of kings last time Stewy and I hit the bay either, not sure if the seal hanging around molli has anything to do with the lack of kings?

11 hours ago, swano said:

Mate its hard enough to get bait on the poly.

Have to agree on that call, kingfish in the bay, it’s the only time I have seen bait on the poly 😁

But let’s be honest, much more enjoyable casting plastics when you’re chasing anything else

20 hours ago, swordfisherman said:

Ok after seeing a few guys getting busted off decided  to go with the heavy artillery and the 50 saltiga short rod and big daiwa reel loaded with 24kg braid and a 1 and half mt trace of 60lb fluro with snelled hooks of 7/0s. This was needed to get down to around 8 or nine meters so a swivel between the trace and leader with a small length of 25lb mono perhaps 30cms and a 1/4 lb snapper lead and troll really slow or as slow as the 50 yammy would go around 700 rpms.

Yamashita squid jig in GU 2.2 with egi spray catches the squid and must be kept alive.

top hook in point of hood and bottom hook in the skin on the back of the head and hold on tight .

I hope that helps.

Regards Stewy and cheers for the feedback. 

You forgot to mention, it’s a must to have expert drivers put you on the spot 😂😂😂

I honestly thought I was going to see a video of stewy, justifying the amount he was taking 😂😂😂

Hi everyone

Managed to finally get out with Swano today, after many failed attempts due to weather, work, or family commitments. Possibly due to a curse by someone currently travelling 🤔

Anyway met Swano down at the cooks just before 6, and after a a bumpy start, battery for the motor wouldn’t crank the motor, but after getting the leads from the car, and jumping with the leccy batteries, we were off, and didn’t have any further dramas all day.

Swano was first on the board, with a nice little jew, followed up with a surprise kingy, fair to say he was pretty happy.

Got a little quite, so went to another spot chasing bream, and came up tight to what I first thought was a little bream, that was soon called as a trevor, then called for a small jew, until finally seen a kingy, great fun on a 1-3kg stick, 1000 reel and 6lb line.

For the next couple hours, we tussled with more kingys, and a few trevors.

Got smoked a few times with the kingys, bit like bringing a knife to a gun fight 😬

Anyway, top day out, and great to finally hear some drag sing.

Few pics of the day.

Cheers

Jonno

18 hours ago, Berleyguts said:

Thanks Jon. Does it flip up all the time, too? I may have set mine too deep trying to get it to read at speed. I’ve been reading some US forums and a lot of those guys use a second through hull transducer for reading at speed. Might be an option in a glass boat but not really possible in a tinny. 

I’ve been thinking that my finances will dictate me just buying a new transducer for the HB and living with it.  The missus will surely notice a whole new sounder! And then I’d be wanting to buy the optional Live transducer too!

It doesn’t flip up, but it must move enough that it does incorrectly read a ridiculous depth at speed.

Could be interference from the prop too maybe? Mine that is.

either way, you could always go with the old saying.....

its better to ask for forgiveness, than ask for permission, and get the lowrance

🤔🤷🏼‍♂️