fragmeister

7 hours ago, big Neil said:

Looks very much like a Dusky Flathead Jim, take your word on the "normal" depth they hang around at. Hope the dog is not too traumatised by the experience and lesson learned for the owner, eh? Your overnight trips should produce better once the weather warms up a little, and yes Jewies are a magnificent looking fish. Tight lines.

bn

Thanks Neil, I think I was the most traumatised!  But yes, that wont happen again.

Cheers

Jim

Thanks for all the concern over my dog too.

...and the dog is fine.

Yesterday's  "operation' took place in my shed, where we spend a lot of time together.

It was actually quite tricky to get her to sit still while I cut the hook in half with some side cutters. She was not a happy puppy.

I had my fingers in her mouth and she would have been excused for biting me, but she didn't.

I was worried that she wouldn't want to visit me in there again after that, so today I cooked up some chicken and coaxed her into the shed.

That worked a treat and after that, she came and went all day as I did some post fishing trip maintenance.

At one stage though, did show her the side cutters, but she wouldn't look at them!

LOL! How funny are dogs!

Cheers

Jim

7 hours ago, JustJames said:

Glad Ellie is OK.  And yes, BC's are renowned 'one person' dogs.

 

Bantry Bay is my neck of the woods...I like your plan very much, but I will wait until it's a bit warmer before I try it!

I don't blame you! It was pretty cold outside the sleeping bag.

27 minutes ago, noelm said:

Sure looks like a Dusky Flathead.

Agreed,

I didn't see any spots on the tail, though, and I have never caught a Dusky so deep.

Process of elimination though ... what else could it be.

.

Cheers

Jim

Great report Yowie...

I don't suppose you could push some of those flatties north, could you?

Cheers

Jim

Lovely pearlie,

On my bucket list ..still yet to catch one.

Cheers

Jim

Hi Raiders,

I decided on an overnighter because the weather looked very promising.

So, on Thursday I launched at Wharf Road and headed off to Bantry Bay which would be my overnight base for an early morning fish outside Sydney Heads.

I wanted to try a spot in 80 meters of Rosa Gully that had fished well for me in previous years, but I just never got back to. When I say it fished well, it was more about the quality rather than the quantity.

Bantry Bay is a favourite spot of mine to anchor up on the public moorings and just relax the afternoon and evening away. Yesterday I got there at about 1:30 in the afternoon and that was just about on high tide.

I had packed the boat with my overnight gear including the portable stove plus some sleeping kit and food of course. When I say "packed", I actually meant thrown in, so I rigged a couple of lines and started to organise the boat.

I have a plan when I stay overnight in Bantry Bay, and it almost always plays out perfectly. It can be very slow during the winter, but generally you can count on a few bream when casting towards the shallows and at random times, some jumbo salmon turn up.  More to my liking, however, are the tailor that turn up during the evening. They are good Jew baits and there are a few Jews that haunt the area.

True to form, the Bream and the Salmon turned up, but there were no Tailor. All the Bream went back, and I settled in to a steak and sausages.

Aside from the absence of Tailor there were no baitfish around either. I usually throw a few pillies in the berley bucket and after a while the yakkas come around for me to catch and save for fresh strip baits.

Anyway, adjusting the plan, I put out a fillet of salmon on a two hook rig for a Jew.

After a few hours I had an inquiry on the Jew rig and a few minutes later I had one beside the boat... and beside the boat was where we parted company.  It was about 70cm long and would have been released, but my fluffing around with the net that I had lost track of in the dark made its escape a little quicker. Never mind.. But don't they look cool in the water under the glow of a head torch with that bronze side and reflective eye!

I had a couple more takes later in the evening, but I was bitten off by whatever they were. A 70cm Port Jackson was the last catch of the night at about 10PM. I went to bed thankful that I had my -5 degree sleeping bag with me because it was a clear, cold night.

At about 6am I headed back out into the harbour and through the heads off to my planned GPS location. I noted a remarkable lack of sea life compared to my trip out a few weeks ago. No whales, no dolphins and not many schools of bait.

The forecast for 0.6M swell was about right, but the uncomfortable Nor Westerly was not predicted. Anyway, I headed out to my planned spot and started a series of drifts. There were lots of inquiries and lots of baits being mauled, so I downsized the hooks to see what they were ...   small Bluespot Flathead and red spot whiting.

I preserved, and eventually I landed a quality Flathead in about 80M. This looks like a Dusky to me, but I wouldn't expect to find them in 80M.

Any ideas Raiders!

Now for the slightly traumatic experience...

I have a Border Collie called Ellie. She is very smart and very faithful. The whole family loves her, but she is clearly my dog.

When I got back from fishing, I washed down my rods and I noticed that on one rod, the hook, restrained in a runner, had some bait left on it... you can probably see where this is heading.

I thought, I must get rid of that, and I went about unpacking and cleaning the boat. Long story short, I find the dog half an hour later with a hook through her top lip and fishing line trailing out of her mouth. I thought the hook was safe in the rod runner, but clearly it was not.

She had grabbed the bait, the drag on the reel has provided sufficient resistance to embed the hook in her top lip, and she had apparently bitten through the line, enabling her to come back in the house.

I could see she was trying to deal with something in her mouth, so I grabbed her and took her into my shed. She was not happy with what I was doing, but eventually I managed to cut the hook in two and pull the barbed and the eye ends out in either direction.

I was relived, the dog was relived, and it all ended up ok except for me feeling that I was the most neglectful dog owner in the world!

All I can say, now that I have recovered from the trauma, is that I am glad it was a circle hook!

Cheers

Jim

On 6/30/2023 at 5:48 PM, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Good job...  that's not the easiest fishery to find success at!

Ain't that the truth!

Been there 3 times and caught just one fish. It was a good fish, but I circumnavigated the dam only to catch it when I got back to my starting place!

Great effort Jason!

Is this the one?

https://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/3840

12 hours ago, big Neil said:

Thanks Jim. I certainly enjoy taking photos, as well as fishing. Looking forward to seeing some new areas of Tassie and hopefully catching a fish or two.

Trust you are well mate and able to sneak out fishing occasionally.

Cheers, Neil

I am fit as a mallee bull, thanks Neil. Hope you are also well.

Going out tomorrow actually for an over-nighter.

Cheers

Jim

Some great advice from members here and this may have already been covered.

I tend to look to the predicted swell  and wave duration not just on the day but a couple of days either side.

I will go outside off Sydney this Friday

The swell forecast looks like this ... pretty flat 1 day either side.

Very little chance of the late Wednesday swells hanging around, and also very little swell well into the weekend.

Cheers

Jim

Hey Neil,

Never fished TAS in spite of pretty much circumnavigating it with the Mrs a few years back.

No fishing advice I'm afraid, but I hope you have a great time.. 

Plenty of subject for your photography.

Cheers

Jim

That's sound great Dave,

Going to give that a lash tonight.

Cheers

Jim

1 hour ago, zmk1962 said:

Sounds the goods Dave.😋 I’ll definitely give this a go - have some chunky blue eye fillet which would go well like that. 
Might also add a kaffir lime leaf from my tree 👍

Thanks for posting. 
cheers Zoran 

Chunky Blue Eye fillets... are you trying to make us jealous! LOL!

1 hour ago, Fab1 said:

Cyclists on the road should pay rego.That’s all I’m saying.Oh, and stay out of my way unless you want to become a speed hump.😂😂 interesting read.

 

I know you are only half serious, and I certainly have also been frustrated  (as a car driver) sitting behind a few dozen cyclists through the Royal National Park at midday on a Sunday!

Most serious cyclist try and avoid riding later in the day a get their rides over and done with in the very early hours when it is less of an intrusion for drivers (and for their own safety).

Cycle registration is an interesting proposition. Does it mean that if push-bikes were registered, drivers would then accept them as equals on the road? Probably not, because it doesn't address the underling problem.

The problem is that bicycles are incompatible with cars on the roads, at least in terms of complying with speed limits yet, drivers seems to expect them to play by the same rules.

In sporting terms, that's a bit like putting an under 9's team against a 1st grade NRL team.

If you did, by the way, put an under 9's against a 1st grade team, to level the playing field and make it safe for the under 9's team, you would make the 1st grade team give them a head start, play touch and walk!

The solution, in my opinion, is better cycleways and  to get involved in your local cycle club where experienced riders can guide you in safe riding.

It also wouldn't hurt for a few drivers to do a long bike ride on the road and " walk in the shoes" of a bike rider for a better insight... a bit like how many people who ride motorbikes for the first time get an insight that gives them a new respect for the safety of motorbike riders and change their driving behaviour around bikes accordingly.

Cheers

Jim

Another bike rider here.

Not a fanatic, but I use it as an exercise alternative.

I stick to reasonably fast 30K rides on Sundays and mid-week rides to and from work.

A little cold at the moment, though, so morning rides are not on my schedule.

A bet, we could share some stories about angry car drivers, bike track bird watchers and dogs on those retractable leads.LOL!

Cheers

Jim

Maybe, as you said Frank, you can turn them into down riggers and value add.

The one you gave me a few years back works a treat!

Cheers

Jim

Hey Frank,

That interior looks like it will come up well after a clean.

On the battery question... :Lots of good info already provided, but I would add that :-

1) Cranking batteries are more likely to fail if you completely discharge them

2) Deep cycle batteries are most likely to fail when you draw heavy currents from them.

So biting the bullet and getting a cranking battery is a good move.

Cheers

Jim

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

FFS. What is going on?

What is wrong with a muesli bar and an apple? Cannot burn yourself, cannot blow up the boat, won't miss that fish bite. 🤣

Agreed, but I think most of us that do this are doing an overnight camping trips on the boat... and a muesli bar for dinner and a cold thermos coffee in the morning just won't hit the spot. LOL!

I also use the portable single burner camping stove.

I put a wet rag down on the cutting board, so the stove won't slide around and because they do push a little heat out the bottom.

Although I am usually well and truly in calm water at the end of the day on an overnighter.

I get the gas and naked flame concern, but up on the cutting board it is well and truly ventilated.

Cheers

Jim

On 7/16/2023 at 11:24 AM, Larkin said:

Sounds like a great day on the water was had!

Good sized Bonnie!

I think that might be a PB for me ... but I don't keep records so I am not sure.

On 7/17/2023 at 8:48 AM, JonD said:

4.3am is time to go to bed, not heading out on a cold morning!!!!!....Really though great report, surprised how warm the water is up there, with it being 14'c on my last two dives down here, not to mention dirty brown sludge in the water here. 

Was very cold until I got down the harbour . I guess the warm water keeps the air temperature above quite warm.

On 7/17/2023 at 9:17 AM, kantong said:

top report mate, a nice mix of fish

Thanks. Winter at Longie always fires well for me. I reckon I could have had a keeper king if I paid more attention to the drag settings.  I let them reef me a little too easily.

On 7/17/2023 at 7:51 AM, dlvbw said:

Sounds like an Epic rat session! So much fun! 

Great fun. I miss it. Used to do every Friday. Damn work!

On 7/16/2023 at 11:24 AM, Larkin said:

Sounds like a great day on the water was had!

Good sized Bonnie!

Yes mate. Sometimes I forget how great it is to have a day out.

Getting a feed out of the Hacking in winter can be a little tricky.

I have never seen any donuts from you though!

On 7/16/2023 at 8:45 AM, zmk1962 said:

Excellent report Jim … my last two trips have resulted in no bluespot as well - think we need to wait for slightly warmer water.  You seem to have had great conditions and a very enjoyable day on the water after the long hiatus. 
Re: muffs - they would have restricted water flow definitely- maybe there is a thermal sensor that activates a limp mode to reduce risk of overheating - I don’t have the yam150 to check the manual so just a guess. 
cheers Zoran 

Not a bad theory . I did actually think I heard a warning beep from the console, but when I checked the temp was normal, so I thought I imagined it.

Cheers

Jim

21 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Great report and photo's- sounds like an excellent day out Jim

Hey Waza.. Thanks. Forgot to mention that I tossed out one of your 6' worm patterns and that was one of the times I got smoked.

21 hours ago, Yowie said:

Well Jim, just a matter of perservering to see what turns up. Have caught flounder in 150 feet of water, the smaller one not too bad, the larger one is a great size. No throwbacks in the deep water.

A good sized chopper there.

Plenty of spikies out there at the moment. Blue spots not in big number yet.

Can't wait till the Bluespots are back!

20 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Great report as always

Thanks Jim welcome back 👏

Thanks Donna, Hopefully, it won't be so long next time.

20 hours ago, big Neil said:

Great day on the water Jim and really good to see you back on here reporting on your fishing. Hope all is well in your camp, you really have to try to get more time on the water, it's the best medicine for all that may ail us. Cheers, bn

Thanks Neil.  I am fit as a fiddle but a little more time on the water won't hurt!

9 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

What fantastic photos!

Cheers.

8 hours ago, Blackfish said:

Great write up and great photos. Better than being at home.

Thanks. Soooooo much better than being at home or work.

6 hours ago, Rebel said:

Top sunrise.

Great stoory.

Well done.

Thanks Rebel.

5 hours ago, jenno64 said:

Great report Jim!

lots of sounder action there and plenty of fish to keep you busy! Cracking tailor too!

Thanks. Yes, the sounder was very fishy. Plenty of good-sized fish in there too. Some rat kings were having around, and it is interesting to see what baits drifted in among the burley will entice them. Close to the boat will only take pillie cube if you have a clear leader and hide the hook. Away from the boat and in deeper water, it seems less critical.

I caught a few on light tackle, and they were lots of fun.

Hi All,

Another long hiatus from my Friday Fishing Reports... but here it is.

I managed to get a Friday away from the office, so I headed out to Long Reef just on dawn armed with a block of pillies and hoping to snare a snapper or two.

I left the Wharf Road ramp at around 4:30am hoping to get out to Long Reef at first light.

On the way down the river some weird stuff started happening with the outboard when I throttled up and put the boat up on the plane. It felt like it was cavitating. It would run ok, but it still felt a little "off". Each time I throttled up, it felt like I was trying to get the boat up on the plane with the motor fully trimmed to the plane position.... you know the feeling.

The temperature was fine and the teltale was dribbling away as usual, but everything was not right, so I stopped the engine and tilted it up to have a look. I had left the earmuffs on the motor! Now if someone can explain to me why it resulted in those symptoms, I would be very grateful.

I headed on my way with the Yamaha150 4 stroke purring away as usual and passed the heads just before first light.

The seas were pretty flat, and I arrived at my Long Reef Wide marker a bit later than I wanted to, but I engaged the Minkota, set the spot lock and started a burly trail in about 40 meters. Two hours of burlying later and I had only one bite ( a jumbo tailor) , so I moved closer to the reef at a place called White Rock.

I spot locked again, started another burley trail. I was only in 15 meters of water and I could see Trevs and Sweep in the trail, plus some rat Kings.

Over the next 2 hours or so I must have caught 30 rats, on just about anything I threw out.  This is what the sounder looked like.

The action was so frantic, I didn't take any pictures of the Kings.

There may have been some better specimens in the mix, as I did get reefed a couple of times

They took whole frozen squid, half pillies and a 6 inch jerkshad in psycho chicken colour. The occasional Bonito came along, but I decided to move.

Didn't mean to take video of the bonnie LOL!

I saw a couple of whales at Longie on the northern side of the reef. They seemed to be in quite shallow water, which surprised me.

I went over to South Head in 30 meters of water off Rosa Gully for a bit of bottom bouncing just to see what turned up. As expected, just Spikey Flathead ... but bigger than they are when the blue spots are around in summer.

I moved out to 40 meters ... slightly bigger Spikies

I moved out to 50 Meters ... slightly bigger Spikies

I moved out to 60 Meters ... the same sized Spikies.

I moved back to 20 meters and picked up these two flounder. I put them both on the brag mat and sent the smaller one back. I didn't expect that. I don't know much about the season for flounder, but clearly they are in the shallows. Maybe @Yowie can shed some light on this.

I think if I had rigged smaller hooks, I might have picked up a few more of these.

It was 1:30, and I was ready to head back home, so I moved in close to South Head on the way back into the harbour and saw lots of bird action close in but no apparent pelagics. Lots of bait on the sounder though.

All in all, it was an excellent day. Lots of fish (although not many keepers) but very relaxing. The swell has very low and the wind for most of the day was light.

Water temp got as high as 18.5 out wider

Looks like Saturday should be a good one too, so get out there boys and girls!

Cheers

Jim