Keflapod

Thankyou all for your kind words. That seems to be my main motivation for posting these days. To entertain people and have a laugh.... ..oh..as well as to share important information... like how many cormorants are around... and how silly people can be who are actually in charge of a boat... because they yell at defenceless cormorants as they drive by.... Tony

Over the last 14 weeks I have been spending my hard-earned at Mr Musemuchi, Sydney fish markets. Atlantic salmon, pink ling and barramundi fillets graced my table instead of bream, whiting and flathead. The shame and humiliation I felt when handing that credit card over the counter to buy fish was mentally scarring…. I almost didn’t let go of the credit card…Like Mr Crabs of Spongebob squarepants fame… My backyard has been a mound of dirt that needed my attention to get it sorted before the weather warms up. I had to take a break from fishing to de-mound the yard and make it look like people lived there, not bushpigs. Seeing as how my mental state was degenerating at an exponential rate I decided that I needed some fishing therapy.... And it goes like this.... Friday night, I opened the garage door. My boat looked strangely familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before. I remembered that about 10 weeks ago I tried to pull the boat out into the yard to flush the outboard but 3 of the 4 brake calipers on the trailer had rusted shut onto the disk. The boat was now nothing more than a statue ! I had to replace all 4 calipers, all disk pads and the brake cable as well... It was like Frank Spencer of Some Mothers do ‘ave them tinkering under the axles… It could only end in tears…. The whole caliper assembly needed careful ‘persuasion’ with a sledge hammer to get it all off the disk…. Cutting a long story short, after figuring out how everything works,I got it sorted… The following week I was ready… All went fine, towing, launching and driving down the river, where I was greeted by a horrendous sight. A huge flock of cormorants sat in the water where seagulls usually were, near the Captain Cooks Bridge. Hundreds of the darned things were there. I think the cormorants must have eaten all the seagulls ! I once created a collective noun for these birds. I called them "A brothel of shags".... And there was the brothel, floating on the water… The whole lot took flight as I drove past.... I shook my fist and yelled at them "Flocking Cormorants !"… I love those birds, having wrestled with them for fish that were on my line. Some bouts I won while others I have lost…. Gotta yell at something that won't yell back every now and then... It's good therapy... Forget the birds, off towards Yarra bay I went, where the squid where apparently jumping into people's boats…. All the reports were suggesting that so I decided to believe the internet… On arrival, 4 other boats there there and all on board were twiddling their thumbs. Within 10 minutes the boat count went to about 20. Ah yes - gotta love the return to fishing Pitt st.... I tried the entire length of the eastern seaboard, ie, from the suction (That concrete thingy as it was so aptly named recently) all the way to Yarra bay, Frenchman's bay, right up to Bare island. Not a tentacle to be seen. I zipped across the bay to Kurnell for the same. Losing two jigs in the process was salt in the wounds.... But like a true fisherman I'll be out to try it again next time and do absolutely nothing different but expect a bag limit... Now not to be outdone by creatures aquatic, I had plan B. I brought some bait to try for my usual bream'n'whiting. Starting the real fishing at 9:00am is a bit late but I was gonna fish until I caught something edible and legal. I certainly aint no donut-er, but a nutter, well maybe. Being in my usual spots and doing my usual thing after so many weeks away was quite surreal. The angle of the sun in the winter sky is lower and there is a definite dullness and shimmer that is very characteristic of the season. The last time I saw the water the sun was still high in the late summer sky and it was quite bright and glary. But winter had descended since then and it looked different, like I had awoken from a deep slumber and the world had changed… I got goosebumps, even though it was warm. I jumped around from spot to spot but the baits were coming up untouched after 20 minutes in the water so I was a bit disappointed at that….until the tide turned later in the day. Most boats had gone. I heard the drag scream for the first time in many hours and I almost didn’t recognize it… I picked up the rod and felt a good weight and headshakes… The rod was well bent. It was straight up but the tip was horizontal… I was liking this, and so was the boat that was approaching me from the bow. By the time I noticed him he was maybe 20m from me. The fish rose to the surface and created a bow-wave as I pumped it. A nice bream in the late 30’s. It’s bronzed flanks reflected the sunlight…. While I was lost in the ‘moment’, the other guys decided they would chase my fish as I wound it in, pointing excitedly at it like it was free swimming…. I had to call out to him to move back else he’s gonna run my fish over ! He looked at me and called out. “Have you got a big one?” I was stunned, I stopped pumping and winding and had a look at my crotch. If I had dentures, they would have fallen out at this point. I was happy to see the fish, that’s for sure but I didn’t think his question was appropriate ! I netted the fish and tried to ignore these pet-shop boys who were asking hard questions…when I noticed the rod on the other side of the boat was going off. I dropped the landed fish on the deck and picked up the other rod…. Again this fish felt solid. As I was bringing the fish in, the pet shop boys came around to the other side of my boat and started to chase this fish in as well ! It was like I was dangling a carrot in front of a horse… Again I had to tell them to back off. Crikey some people are away with the fairies – yes – fairies… They decided to anchor really close, as is usually the case with fishing fairies….So I up-anchored and moved 20m… But the pet-shop boys had no patience and left after about 20 minutes…To chase someone else’s fish no doubt…Maybe it was a seal under their boat pushing it around and in disguise…ready to pounce on my fish...who knows… The fishing was slow but relaxing. I finished up with 7 bream from 34cm to 37cm and 3 whiting around 40cm. Not a great catch but OK for this time of year. It was nice to be out there again…away with the fairies.... Tony

Hey fat souvlaki, How deep is the water in yarra bay ? I thought it was very shallow.... Tony

I can't believe I missed this entire thread - since May 7th... I almost reposted it today when I heard about the proposed changes from a friend. So we all have a serious vested interest in our sport. Did we all go to the DPI site and fill in the survey form ? I did. I agree with comments here aregarding flathead, luderick, jewies and leatherjackets - all commonsense ideas I reckon. My view is that everyone has different requirements and expectations from fishing. Trying to make a blanket rule to cover all situations is incredibly hard and ultimately unfair on at least one group of fishos. The main point I made was to impose a BOAT limit of 30 fish because it was the best fit I could think of. Certainly not perfect, but.... Wwhere there are 3 or more anglers on board, they may have to think their strategy through a bit more clearly before they head out - shouldn't be able to catch a cricket score of fish... Where there are 2 anglers, then 15 fish each could be seen as a fair and reasonable number for one trip. Lone anglers are quite rare I think and for them to catch 30 fish is very unlikely (not impossible tho). So did we all put in our 2 cents worth on the feedback form on the DPI website or are we all convinced that the decision has already been made ?

G'day Scratchie, yes we can always attribute 'our' mistake to a simple accounting error on 'our' part such that the scores were indeed even. But if the ledger was in 'her' favour, mate, I bet she would NEVER admit ANY type of error.... In fact, she would rub it in for a while to all your mates, right ? Yes......and we still would have to let it go and pretend to be all embarrased about it.... But you know what ? That is the best way to go about it. When we show such humility and good nature to our other half it goes a REAL long way. It keeps that special friendship strong between us and our better half - er, I mean 'equal' half, right ? Ok, ok, 'she' is the 'better' half..... Tony

G'day Mousse, Your story was very deep and touching. It portrays a character who has values that are all but lost in todays world. That character is you. You grew up as a kid with fishing memories, made for you by your uncle. Those memories were very powerful and shaped your thinking and personality for many decades into the future. You understand and appreciate the beauty of those memories and love your uncle very much for contributing so much to your life. You understand the meaning and importance of what he did for you and you are returning favour to him. I have the greatest degree of respect and admiration for you sir. I firmly believe that anyone with whom you interact, at any level, be it fishing or otherwise, would also see the same character in you that your uncle does. It is always a pleasure to read reports like this and fishraiders are lucky people to have you here. May your esky always be full of fish and good times. Oh by the way, that's not a Tarwhine - It's a HORSE ! Tony

G'day Mr President, That's a deep part of the bay there. Not far from the headlands as well. My guess is that you were fishing a fairly full moon and the current was strong which may have brought more food / bait into the bay which the gummies followed. That is a rare capture for the bay but not too surprising. Can I ask on what did the third fish reef you on ? Was it one of the shipping drums, poles or ropes/chains ? Nice eating though. A meal fit for a king - or a president.... Tony

What, no bream, whiting or blackfish ? Crikey it can't be THAT good now can it ? Well done Ray. That's an awesome trip you just did. I bet you cried when you would in your last cast and I wouldn't blame you one bit. All those fish, the hassling eachother about they way they fight fish, the bragging and the photos, the storytelling about how you landed each fish and the story of the one(s) that got away. These are the memories we make that give us that warm'n'fuzzy feeling, just before the goosebump waves wash over our body. We recall those good times on cold winter days as we stare into the windswept sky, just reflecting on those days gone by..... ..or is that just me... Tony

Friggin little birdies ! That's the last time I talk to the birdies. Actually next time I'll tell the birdies that I'm catching cormorants, seagulls, mutton birds and albatross. The birdies will not come near me again ! No matter how hard I try, that cloak of invisibility that I bought from the Harry Potter website for such a huge pricetag just isn't big enough to cover my boat during a fishing trip. Some bits of my boat are still visible and all they have to see is a net materialize to net a fish and the cover is blown. I should have bought 2 cloaks of invisibility - I'm such a tightarse... That is the only way people are finding out about me, right ? No ? Well how else are people finding out about my catches? We all know how good us fishos are at not bragging. And we are the world's best liars and exaggerators. OK - seriously, I haven't been out for a couple of weeks but when I last went, there was a bit of fish around, but the water has cooled off a bit since then. The fish should start to move upriver now, unless we get big freshwater dumps and the fish would be more in the river mouth. When the weather behaves itself, I'll go into the bay and I'll post a report, whether it's a good one or not... Tony

Mrs Swordie, An old manager of mine once told me "Tony, you only ever open your mouth to change feet"... And he was right. I'll probably demote myself from the 'never-to-be-banned-list' just as quickly as the promotion... ...but thanks for the promotion... Tony

Basil, You like to live dangerously. No I don't mean messing with waterspouts, I mean taking Chris and Meng instead of your wife ! Then staying out after dark and giving your wife 'reasons' for being late like "I'm at the ramp", then "I just finished cleaning the boat'.....when all along she's calling you FROM the boat ramp... You are certainly living the charmed life. Probably you are a fishing equivalent of 007, evading evil leatherjackets, weaving between waterspouts to catch your arch-rivals, Mr Snapper and Doctor Squid. Well done yet again - you must have squid coming out of your exhaust - er I mean your outboard's exhaust...and so would Chris. Shame about the lost outfit - that would be heartbreaking... Those reds are top sydney fish Basil. The cuttlefish caught the snapper ? I reckon you sould tie a rope around the seal and send HIM to the bottom to catch you a red - the way the Japanese use the cormorants... That would be the day when snapper fishos triumph over the seals.... Perhaps a job for Basil Bond - 007... Looking forward to your next post - and some parcel posted squid - not for the jewies though - the frying pan is ready.... Tony

Hey JaniFIN, The water is 7 degrees in finland in summer ? That is c-c-c-cold ! Don't worry about forgetting the fishing knot. I would worry if I fell in the river and forgot how to swim ! Maybe if you forgot how to tie your shoe laces, you would fall over and maybe fall in the water.... Just joking. I'm sure you will remember next time. If Stewie and his lovely wife will come to visit you, just remember one thing. Ask them who is the better fisherperson. Be prepared for a nice little debate ! Very nice fish JaniFIN. Does the Zander taste good ? How do you cook it ? Tony

Mate that's a very healthy redfin you got there. Very good eating I believe as well... jelly legs eh ? LOL - even when legs are made of jelly, us fishos can turn them into legs of titanium just long enought to land that fish ! As for the broken rod - that is a real downer. In the old days of fibreglass rods, they rarely got damaged or broken and when then did it was always fixable. Carbon rods though - aren't up to the ruf'n'tumble of travelling but when they're asked to bend on a good fish, they are a pleasure to use - light and powerful - just like me (light on intelligence, powerful after a plate of beans.....) Tony

Mate what was his name - and yours ? Is the stake you are talking about the one at the front of Bare Island or the one below the coast Golf club (just before little bay)? My mate Tony The Master installed them when I was fishing with them. The stainless was provided by Ricardo who worked in a shop called Flanbay (did a lot of work for ICI). I can't say I remember fishing rod details but I did know everyone's name... Also, I know Tont the master is still around but failing eyesight. He still fishes but I don't know how often and I have not spoken to him for a couple of months.... Also out of interest, we were the first people to start fishing for calamari from LaPerouse. Before us, we didn't see anyone doing it... Not a lot there these days - too much competition... Tony

Mate I remember a Bob - polish fellow who fished for small gropers and the occasional blackfish. I fished religiously from about 1990 to 2003 - mainly Pa Perouse (Bare Island) and The trap, Greenie, Old Mans Rock, The doctors and Little bay. The guys I knew were Verner (Austrian), Herbie (indigenous Aussie), Pepe (Mexican), Spanish Tony (The master), and several other drift-ins then drift-outs.... They are probably all still there and in their 60's - 70's... A great bunch of blokes with whom I spent a significant part of my life.... Tony

G'day Stormy, Your report has brought back some fond memories of when I used to hop the rocks at LaPerouse with my 'clan' of old-timers. I was in my mid to late 20's (nearly half my life ago) and we often had sessions like that. Usually there was one guy in the group who would struggle (and we all had our days), but what was amazing was the fact that others would just put fish in your net. When you were down because you weren't getting downs, they gave you fish and pretended they knew nothing of it. Such generosity and cameraderie is almost lost in today's generation of rock fishos. They would rather throw the fish back after they caught a decent bag and say 'they are sustaining the fishery' rather than give you a fish or two - literally. While what they are saying is essentially true, it is perceived as an "Every-man-for-himself" situation. The miniscule gain in sustainability creates a subiminal level of bitterness amongst the group. In my opinion that goes against the grain of blackfishing lore. You my friend have kept the tradition alive and I commend you for it. I love to hear it whenever it happens and serves to remind me that this important human value still exists in the world of the men with the steel-plated sandals. I hope your keeper net is always full of fish for you and your great mates. Tony

G'day Basil, Mate that's a top bag of squid. Well done. A lot of people don't realise that when squid school up, they are around in their thousands. They do so to spawn and once they do, they die... They lay millions of eggs and so they are very prolific breeders. To take 60 squid is really nothing but to run a trawler thru them - that would be a problem.... I do know that Chris is a fanatic about his squid jigs, his techniques and his results prove it. Even his bonnie trolling is very well set up and highly successful. Well done to you all. If I smell stuffed calamari from Chris's general direction, I may have to pay him an unexpected visit ! Tony

These debates are always fun and I love being a part of them. Indeed bait and lures have their place, sometimes together, sometimes one or the other. We just never know when one will outfish the other.... But guess what ? That IS the reason why I fish. People underestimate (or don't understand) the importance of the uncertainty. I'll tell you why. Some years ago, I found myself in a dilemma. I was catching good fish every time I went out. I should have been happy but I realised something was wrong.... I found myself quite flat, a bit bored and unable to enjoy the constant stream of fish I was getting. Why ? It dawned on me that I could predict where and when I was going to catch fish on bait and that took the magic away from me. I needed to add some uncertainty to the equation to get back the magic. So I began to experiment with SP's and did manage to catch a few fish which made it interesting for me. I began to mix bait fishing in with lure fishing, but considering I had so much experience with bait and not so much with lures, my main catch was on bait. I only use the lures sparingly, but I do use them to 'mix it up a little' so I can keep the magic alive. Trung, I'm sure you would know what I mean and I hope this makes sense to others as well. Thank goodness fishing is an inexact science else I would have given it up years ago and saved myself hundreds of thousands of dollars....... Something else to think about. You can't buy bait at that shop you were in. That old guy who was bagging lures was in the lure section.... He was watching what you were gonna buy He was smarter than your average bear..... He was buying some 'Uncertainty".... Tony

Trung, My dear friend. It seems you constantly get yourself into awkward situations. If there is just ONE man in a million with whom there is ANY chance of a confrontation, you can bet you will find him and have an argument with him over something. You probably singled him out as an eccentric old man and a bait fisho. Then you picked up the most wacky looking lure and began to talk to the lure, telling it how amazing that lure would be in your very able hands, while patting it on it's head. That poor old goat would have probably had enough and tried to do the right thing by setting you straight about lures.... He tried to tell you that the only point of the invention of lures is to catch fishermen. And he was right ! But that was your mission - to get under his skin ....Mission accomplished ! Now that you have your new lure and a newly created enthuisiasm to prove him wrong, fuelled by your recent argument, you have all that you need to get out there... That personal best bream is a cracker fish tho - is it real ? It looks like it has an air intake nozzle just after it's anal fin. You might have to attempt to blow it up for us to prove it's real... The flatties well yes one guy here saw clearly that it's the same fish from different angles so that one is a no brainer. Maybe next time I will dress up like an old man and go into your local tackle shop and lie in wait for you near the lure bins.... See if I can get you to bite.... PS - some people say they don't use smelly bait anymore.... That is the laugh of the century. If they were using smelly bait, the bait was obviously undergoing putrification. Is there any wonder they couldn't catch a fish ? So they had to go to the last resort - lures - at least they got rid of the smell of old bait. At least that was an improvement of the situation.... Actually in all seriousness - well done Trung - that's an amazing catch - especially the prawn on a lure. Obviously that's what the fish are feeding on. Were you fishing the new moon on a runout tide ? That is my guess. Lures and bait both have their place and lures are fake bait that require the ingenuity of a keen fishing mind to make it look real and convince the fish to eat it. That's a real challenge - one that you continually meet - so easily in fact that it's not really a challenge for you anymore. Wanna try bait fishing ? It may prove more of a challenge for you....but then you would have nothing with which to argue over with old eccentric bait fishos.... Tony

G'day SV Solaris, You had a ripper of a day mate - after all, you put smiles on the dials of more than 4 kids ! Now you may not have gotten a feed this time but think of it this way: You may not get fruit from a sapling tree you just planted, but give it a few years and you will have more than you can handle... Keep nurturing the saplings and they will love you for it - even well after you're gone.... Tony

Trung ! What a catch mate. The only reason I don't fish for these fish is that if I brought home a catch of trevs, tailor, kings, salmon and bonnies, I would get the Clint Eastwood squint look. They just don't like eating them and I won't take fish I'm not gonna eat and I can't bring myself to catch'n'release. If I brought back a feed of jew, flatties and squid though, I would get the Marilyn Monroe look from the missus... I know which look I'd rather get... Well done also for taking out so many newbies, but I reckon you just wanna see them get owned and have a wicked little chuckle eh ? Probably take secret footage of it and post to face tube or something... Just kidding mate - I take my hat off to you... But just the hat....OK ? Tony

Ah yes - all we need is to catch a fruit bat and attach it to the cuttlefish mantle and you have a Cthulhu. I wonder if fruit bats take squid jigs...

Mate, you seem to have caught every type of cephalopod known to man....... except one..... I wonder if nautilus take squid jigs.... Well done - that cuttlefish is a big one - love eating them... I don't know what a "Cthulhu's face" is though.... Jdanger has got me there... Tony

G'day Steve, I find the big soccerball-sized toads will slowly move up to the bait and eat it spaghetti style, then bite thru the line. You will never see the rod tip move. Check the trace. You will usually see one or two 'squashed line" marks on the trace, just above the bite-off point. Their teeth are not that sharp but rather they sever the line with a scissor style bite that squashes the line until it parts. Believe me you'd rather have them take the hook than bringing them into the boat for a photo. I once netted one because it was so big and I wanted to photograph it. It blew itself up after biting the line, while in the net. It's spikes got tangled in the net and I couldn't get it out until it deflated itself.... I had to keep the net in the water, with the toad in it, for a while...... so I couldn't use the net on the other fish until the toad calmed down to detangle itself from the netting.... Lesson learnt.... Nice catch by the way - the whiting are beautiful.... Tony

Hey Nibbles, Mate that photo of you conducting an orchestra on the rocks there - what a great shot. The baton looks suspiciously like a fishing rod and you also look like you are singing a mean vabrado. LOL ! That is a great photo and I would FRAME that one. The "power and the passion" is what it should be called. The power of the fish. The passion of the angler as he screams at the sky! You know we have seen countless scenes on TV where lure caught fish escape but the host takes it so well that they nearly laugh. That just peeves me off because they are holding in the anger, the frustration, the expletives, the passion..... They are FAKING it ! Why can't they just do what you did ? Let it all out ! Actually one guy does it properly. Robson Green on "Extreme Fishing".... His show is rated M+..... ...and for good reason.... they don't bleep out anything...... Love his show...... So do my kids ! Tony