LuckyFil

Really enjoyed reading your report and great to see you were rewarded with a cracker fish. Cheers Fil

Great pics Neil, cover all bases - the boat, the scenery, the beaches and the fish! Boy there certainly are some gnarly looking snags there. I'd hate to be trying to drag a fish out of them, but if that's where they live that's where you fish. Good luck on the next outing with your US friend. Cheers Fil

Great to see the Eastern Blue Devil Fish, I've only seen one before about fifty years ago when snapper fishing near Palm Beach Fil

@Bryant fishI haven't fished Pittwater in many years but when I did my old man and I caught many big flathead near the entrance to Careel Bay. There's a mud bank that runs from Stokes Point roughly north west for a hundred meters or so. I fished the drop off of that bank almost mid stream of Pittwater (almost to the old torpedo target, long gone) - which is around 6 meters deep. In those days SPs didn't exist and we caught most fish on yellowtail fillets or half pilchards. For some reason they were mostly big fish in the 60-90cm range very few small ones. Oh and nearly always on the run out tide. From now till Easter was best time of year. Good luck Fil

True but I leave the skin on till I’m ready to cook them and I get in trouble with scales in the kitchen 😳. I leave the skin on till then as it seems to keep the fillets in better condition, not sure if I’m imagining this though

Very true. I’ve caught most but not all in around 1 meter of water so long casts are important so you don’t spook the fish . I try to anchor casting distance from the areas that look promising and cut the motor as early as possible to minimise noise. Drifting can be good but where I fish the current is fast so you move away from the best spots too quickly, hence the need to anchor.

No I skin and bone them. Then flour, egg and panko . Lightly fry in rice bran oil. Hard to beat.

Well the flathead seem to have woken up and are enjoying the warm weather and warm water. I went to my usual spots near Hardys Bay and the Ettalong foreshore yesterday arvo armed with the usual plastics (Squidgy wriggler tail 120mm on 1/8th jig head and the Z-Man Diesel Minnow on a 1/4 jig head ), plus some salted pillies. I never opened the bag of pillies as the flathead were more than happy with the SPs. I hooked one on my first cast, not huge but at 42cm a nice eating size. Over the next of couple of hours I landed another 6, 3 were under sized (although one of these was 36 which is way to small I reckon) plus another two at 42cm and saved the best till last at 58cm. All were caught fishing the edges of weed beds near drop offs in 1-2 meters of water. Looking forward to flattie fillets in panko crumbs tonight and sharing the rest with my adult kids. I forgot to take a pic till I was halfway through scaling them so they don't look their best, ha. Cheers Fil

Great report and pics and very informative . Thanks Fil

I've been going to Weipa for many years and we often cast or troll for the long tail bluefin tuna up there, although they are much smaller than the yellowfin you encountered, averaging maybe 5-8 kg. The tuna are often 'busting up' feeding on schools of baitfish. We might get one or two before the sharks moved in and took our caught fish often just as we were getting ready to bring them aboard so it was a close encounter. Sometimes too close for comfort! The sharks had definitely learned to hang near the boats and we'd often see the shadows under us even before we'd hooked a fish - that was time to move on. Everyone up there says the shark problem has got a lot worse in recent years, various theories why some say the pro shark fishing is much reduced and the shark numbers have rocketed. Who knows! Fil

At the risk of repetition DO NOT GET SPIKED by these guys. The sting is extremely painful I saw a guy nearly faint after getting spiked and it lasted a long time. If you hook one use pliers to remove hook or if need be just cut the line! Otherwise congrats on your squiding session - sometimes you just need to say I won't try for anything else for a set time. Cheers Fil

Yes the lake is closed ATM and it doesn't fish well when that is the case. Also the weed is probably at it's worst right now. That's partly a seasonal thing and a lot of it will clear as the water warms up but it really needs a good flush with heavy rain, but that won't be enough till the Council finishes the entrance clearing job that is underway and will maybe take another month. I fish that area occasionally but always use SPs as they tolerate the weed. The flatties I've caught there are always just on the edge of the weed banks so no need to cast a long way out. Plenty of mullet jumping there currently if anyone knows how to catch them. Cheers Fil

Interesting report and nice pics. I remember being warned about sharks in the Macleay when bass fishing in west Kempsey i.e. don't do the comfort lift

Great report - lots of detail re bait, lures, rods etc, and pics - laughed when I saw the third fish being held in the teeth. The reddies seem to being going mad at the moment , at least down your way. I must get amongst 'em

Nice mix of fish on a very pleasant day to be on the water. That salmon looks to be the better size for eating, not chewy like the bigger ones, although you already had a good box of quality fish so no need on this occasion but worth remembering. Fil

Love the WA bush . Should get the wildflowers this time of year

Looks like great fun and some good catches of reddies. I'm interested in how you clean the red rock cod without the risk of getting spiked by the little buggers? I know their spikes are quite painful Cheers Fil

Lovely location and conditions, not to mention some beautiful big trout! Liked the video, gave a good sense of the adventure and a suitable soundtrack You are lucky to have access to such a location. cheers Fil

Great report @whiskey299 plenty of detail about the fishing techniques which makes it all the more interesting to read - and some really good captures - the big pearlie, jewie and red. Obviously a fair bit of current out there or was it wind(?) that required the bigger sinkers, were you fishing deep water? Cheers Fil

Trevally also make very good sashimi if you like it!

Lucky to have that personal history with the maker and those prototypes would be real collectors items.

Wow I thought I was bad, that's an impressive collection you've got there! You mention the Knolls lures - I have a couple of Knolls Natives that are top bass lures, shame you can't get them any more. Cheers Phil

A long outing in seriously trying conditions rewarded for persistence. A great story well told - especially the segment covering the challenge of getting the big girl to the boat. I could feel the tension. We all know it sometimes doesn't end well and just when the fish is in sight of the net something gives - a knot breaks, the hooks pull etc and you sit there in shock. So nice to hear a happy ending. Also very good pics/video of the fish and scenery . Well done. Fil

Threddies are different species but yes both are very good on the plate and both take lures and fight hard often doing aerial jumps .

Sorry to hear that on both counts. I like the houseboat option as it means we can make a base down the coast where we do most of our fishing so not travelling from the harbour each day which takes a while. We often did dawn sessions before brekkie and were fishing 3 minutes after leaving the houseboat. But you have to put a crew together (preferably six all up) and that can be difficult. Other options are the various charter guys who will always get you onto fish quicker - at a price . Or you can hire very good boats from the local tackle shop. If you ever get around to planning a trip give me PM and I'll pass on what I've learned about the place. Cheers Fil