Kracka

Nice catch and top vid. Whalers that size are great on the chew. I'd you want to take one for a feed, you will need to invest in some quality knives and sharpening stones if you haven't got any already. Never owned a drone, looks like fun! Can also try ballooning your bait out from the rocks if you want sharks specifically. Whalers will come close to the surface if you have a burley trail going. Or if there's a rip nearby, ballooning it out also works on most days. Hope to see some more of your vids and catches!

Gday blackie66, Welcome! I'm not sure how far youre willing to go to chase down some weed for the luds. The good news, search around a bit and you'll work out which spots you can rely on having weed at most times. For me, i fish around the norther beaches and around the northern parts of the harbour so i find the headlands are a good place to collect a few types of weed such as the wire weed and cabbage. Google Maps is your friend, any headland that has ocean swimming pools are a good place to start. You may have to bounce around a few places but it's worth it. Also, it's worth checking storm water drain outlets, they can be a good source of the wire weed at times. The bad news, sometimes no matter how hard you look, weed can get scarce after heavy rain, super hot days and after massive swells. For example, the other week i put up a post regarding weed spots as everywhere i looked had nothing. Seemed that after all the heavy rain and swells that the weed took a hit everywhere. I checked the other day, seems to be growing better now. I don't know much about the weed down south of the harbour, hopefully some other raiders can help you out, but northern beaches is quite good around Avalon, Collaroy, Newport, MonaVale and CurlCurl to name a few. Hopefully that helps point you in the right direction. As Rebel kindly advised, George's river and into botany might be worth while around pylons, moorings, bridges, break walls and jetties.

Thanks KB for the action report up at Tugg. The wire weeds growing well enough along some of the headlands down in Sydney. Haven't been for a fish yet but this Monday I'll get a chance hopefully. Some decent catches coming out of the harbour at the moment. Seen Royce on instagram chipping away at the lud population. Hopefully some of the action will come up your way soon!

Hi KB, Good to know. Thanks for the heads up. It sounds like a lot of blackfishos are doing it tough at the moment. Hopefully when the run starts up your way you can make up for the past few efforts.

That's good to know, thank you for the input. I'll have to keep checking my usual spots along the northern beaches and hunt around some more. Fingers crossed it springs back soon. I took a trip to the hawkesbury river the other day to chase flatties and thought I'd take some time to check some mangrove creeks and rocks... Seems to be the same story there... All short and scarce weed....slimy too. It seemed to grow OK on some of the moored boats and jetties but again... Too short and hard to collect from a boat. I would have thought the hawkesbury would be chockers full of it seeing as it would probably get more nutrient run off. I might do a fishing trip up to tuggerah KB, otherwise I'll bite the bullet and fish with cabbage like you suggested Ryder.

Wazas spot on. I'll chip in too. The hardest part of blackfish fishing I've found is finding the weed. You'll want to get a variety of weed if it's available. The long stringy weed, cabbage and brown weed (similar to the stringy green weed) if it's there. Most days they're not fussed but certain days they'll only take one type and you'll wish you had the right weed. Burley is a must... Only weed and damp sand...always handy to have some of the weed fly's too when weed is too short everywhere. Then you have right depth, drift speed, location, tide phase, float ballasting.. So many variables. It's best to keep a diary so each trip you can note the downs, bait used, weather, tide phase etc...a very handy tool as there's literally hundreds of spots within the harbour and each spot will have some form of difference that will determine your success. For example, My last outing was a donut but i flicked back through my diary and the only variable that's changed is that there's no kelp lining the rocks. Close to the kelp is where I'd get 95% of my downs. So with that info, i now know that the kelp was one of the key features to the blackfishs structure in that location. I have caught them on prawns over the weed flats up at the entrance but think that was a one-off fluke. As waza said, night time is probably the best bet if you want to fish non-vegan for these weed addict fish... But you will spend most of your time hooking bream instead I'm sure....speaking from experience lol. Hope that helps.

Thanks guys, I'll have a look around at the golf courses next time too

Gday raiders, Hit the northern beaches headlands yesterday to collect some weed (i always collect both cabbage and string weed) for my blackfish sessions in the harbour BUT i could only find cabbage, none of the stringy stuff. I was hoping to get both types of weed as i was introducing a fellow work colleage and now fishing buddy to the dark arts. Got the the spot at Clarke's Point but knowing my luck...yesterday the luds didn't seem too keen on the cabbage even after tuning them in with a solid bucket of pretty rich cabbage weed burley. We had only a few downs through the last of the run out tide but i suspect few were blackfish as the floats rocketed down unusually fast. I suspect they were surgeonfish. We fished Clarke's Point which I've never donut'd at... But i guess there's a first for everything. I'm not asking for any secret weed collection spots. But was hoping for some 2c on the matter. If the long stringy weed is knocked out at all the headlands and lower reaches of the harbour, does it mean the weed is knocked out everywhere or are there still good spots where it'll grow well in the upper reaches like the parra and cooks river? Also, is it all the rain and cold weather that kicks out the stringy stuff? I've never had to look so hard to find weed before (and yeah gotta love that wording lol). Any help would be awesome. Tight lines.

Thank you for all the advice. It helped make up my mind better. Ended up going a Savage 425 Raptor 1.6mm sides, 2mm bottom with a 20hp yam. The 420 renegade looked super tempting but I used the money saved on a Kota instead. Can't wait to take it for a spin when it's ready.

G'day raiders, I was hoping to get some advice. I'll be buying a small tinny to suit outings for a small family (myself, wifey and our 1 year old bub) but also for my solo fishing trips. I'd be using it to fish and explore the estuaries such as the hawkesbury, middle harbour (from roseville down to the spit), lane cove river and the Georges. So I've been looking at something between the 3.9m to 4.4m range unpainted Vhull BUT what I can't really get my head around is the hull thickness. A lot are 1.6mm sides and base. Some with 1.6mm sides but with 2mm base. Then there are some with 3mm sides and base such as the savage 425 kestrel. I'm pretty keen on the Savage range at the moment. So my question is what does the hull thickness mean exactly? Does it just add weight for a smoother ride in choppier conditions? Would a 3mm hull side and base be overkill for the conditions I'd take the boat in? Does it mean that It would last longer in terms of any dents you would get from the usual wear and tear? Just hoping to get some advice as if I go a thicker/heavier hull I'd assume that means going from a 20-25hp to a 30hp to get the plane going faster? If you guys could chip in some knowledge if be super appreciative😊😊

Gday all. Was hoping to get some suggestions for a specialist rock hopper rod. Looking to add to my slowly growing collection of fishing gear (sshhh don't tell my Mrs). I'd be leaning more towards targeting larger drummer, blackfish and odd groper. I currently use an alvey 12ft luderick special rod (8-10wrap) and a gladiator 11ft luderick rod (8wrap) paired with an alvey sidecast for all my rock fishing (eggbeater when spinning lures). They're both serving me well, being long and whippy but a tough butt so it gives me some stopping power even with drummer and the odd small kingfish or salmon. I always break a sweat when I hook a larger fish as I feel even the alvey may break...had it for 6 years... Still going strong though. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Thanks Waza. Yep! Last time I'll ever forget the alvey. Plenty of battle scars on it and still purring like a fat tabby cat.

This topic is always debated...what should and shouldn't be eaten from the Harbour. It depends on quite a few factors such as the species - pelagics like salmon and kingfish or even omnivores like luderick, all travel in and about the system and aren't solely feeding in one area, they love to move about and follow wherever the bait is. What's not to say a fish that is caught in parra river one day, released, and follows the bait over into middle harbour or from the ocean rocks gets caught the next day... The fish's' diet also plays a big factor. The higher up the food chain you go, the greater the bioaccumulation of dioxins. Contrastingly, bream and flatties (especially) tend to inhabit and feed in one area for quite some time - THEN I would probably throw them back as they're more susceptible to bioaccumulation. A kingie, salmon or lud - destined for the plate, but not too regularly. It's a matter of personal preference.

Hey Scott. Noelm and GoingFishing are spot on. Pillies will do well and so will strip baits of salted down mullet or bonito are good for salmon, bream, flatties and tailor. Early morning and late arvo during the low light periods are the go. Overcast days are the exception. Try not to fish an overly heavy rig. If you find a nice gutter... Only fish a weight enough to get the bait out while keeping it mobile. Don't dismiss close to shore if there's a gutter there. Sometimes fish can be at your feet. Some gutters won't even hold fish. So it pays to try the whole beach and stay mobile. I've done well in the past at palm and whale beach for shovelnose sharks and small bronzies in summer. Good on the chew and some nice sizeable fillets. Burley definitely goes a long way.

Top catch. Gotta love when you fish with zero expectation and a lovely surprise like that sweeps you off your feet

G'day raiders, been out of action for a while so finally managed to hit the stones yesterday in a long time. Wanted some aussie salmon or bonnie action. Crack of dawn, low tide, some nice discoloured washy water about but not much happening on the surface with lures except I got to see some whales and dolphins which was a sight for sore eyes. So flicked over to a tiny ball sinker and 1/0 hook and the pigs were on fire. Averaging at 30cm they certainly gave my 14lb spin gear a real workout...think the drag may be busted on it now (yep...the ONE time I leave my alvey reel at home! ). Managed over 20 fish (no joke; lost count after a dozen) with 2 of those being the largest drummer I've ever seen (not landed as the line snapped trying to haul them up the ledge - they put the 30cm fish to shame) and got smoked by some even bigger unstoppable beasts that I suspect may have been a big blue. All fish were taken on cungie and the larger ones on small half crabs. Kept a couple small ones for a feed and released the rest. Apologies, no pics thanks to a giant crack in my phone screen now Also found out that life jackets are a must now along the northern beaches, so just a friendly reminder to fellow rock fishos...don't risk the $100 fine that comes along with being caught without one. Some good deals on Dinga and a shop at the moment if you need one. All in all, a great plan B day out and its definitely time to get out there and start chasing some drummer. It's great to see the drummer are around in numbers and quality. Tight lines all.

Some nice fat blackies there. Well done. Still some weed off the rocks if the luds are tuned into cabbage.

Depends what works for you. Some prefer one large multi-tray tackle box, others like to pack super light...particularly when flicking plastics or trying to locate the fish on a large rock platform for example. Personally, I have about 7 smaller boxes - each for a target species as I like to pick a species or location and pack accordingly. For example One box is just for blackfish which has a few floats, barrel sinkers, swivels, FC leader and hooks. The others are for bread n butter species such as bream, then a surf box, rock fishing box, pelagic box and a shark box. Also have a lure/SP box. I used to have a big single tacklebox which had everything in it but found I was always more tempted to target something else if my luck wasnt up with those species. Plus I would always end up exhausted from lugging around kilos worth of tackle I would never use when walking fair distances. Having said that... You will lack the versatility doing what I do. Entirely your call with what works best for you and your style of fishing.

Hey Waza. As always a wealth of knowledge. Thank you. I'll steer clear of the fly reels. I saw the UK reels but always thought they were designed for freshwater and will be prone to rusting up quickly. Just checked out one on eBay the cyprinus monarch. Looks nice n not too dear. Might try out a South Pacific n see how it goes. It's hard to make a decision when no tackle stores stock them. Can't get a physical feel of the reel. Btw thanks so much for the info RE white rock. Took the Mrs and we both managed a few blackies on the last of the run out. Kept two - 42cm and the other, which was my Mrs first ever blackie went 40cm.

Nice flattie. Salmon can be pretty good on the chew if looked after. Bled and kept cool by burying in cool moist sand until you leave or better yet a salt water ice slurry. Fillet and de-skin when you get home. Marinated briefly in a little chilli flakes, light soy, ginger, garlic, sesame oil n chuck straight on the BBQ. Top with some coriander and a squeeze of lime and fried shallots... Mmmm. Simple is great as well... Salt pepper and a touch of butter on a really hot grill (wrap in foil).

Gday raiders, I've been looking at a few fly reels and centrepin reels to use on my blackfish and bream sessions around Sydney. Namely the Alvey 475CP - which I've been looking at for a while now to upgrade my 475B. Then I stumbled across some pretty fancy looking fly reels by South Pacific which are similar in action to the alvey. Has anyone had any experience with the SP brand of reels? And do they deal with wear and tear as well as the alveys do? Looking at spending up to $250 if anyone has other recommendations.

I'll give u a few back up suggestions in case if teeing up with someone is difficult. Don't know of too many people who chase huge sharks specifically in Sydney. You might want to consider going with a charter for sharks if you want some seriously sized ones around Sydney. Plenty of 1-2m length bronzies from the beaches in summer which are easy enough to get onto but the really big 3m plus may need a bit more specific tackle, gear and locations. I. E. Big Tiger sharks will be out deeper and rarely come up to the shallows. I know Wahoo charters in Sydney offer game shark fishing. Might be a little pricey as far as charters go but all the gear is prepped, baits taken care of and any catches are dealt with by experienced shark fishos. It also opens up your target species too...such as tiger sharks and makos. Rather than just bull sharks and whalers. You might have better luck by boat as the larger sharks will require longer shock leaders (at least 1.5-2m) and wire traces (about 1m). When using rigs like this off a beach... It makes casting impossible on those rigs for big sharks. The solution around it is to get someone to kayak out your baited rigs for larger sharks. Ballooning a bait out from shore has worked for me in calmer waters but ive never tried from a beach. Theoretically I'd chuck a ballooned shark rig into a rip on the beach and let it go out 100-150m but again... Never tried it. If going from the rocks you might want to target some blue groper as well. Take the time to source some red rock crabs and whack one onto a 6/0 octopus style hook. No trace just straight 30lb mono straight to the hook with a tiny ball sinker running freely to it. They inhabit the washes of just about every headland in Sydney. You won't need to cast far... They're usually hugging up close to the rocks under a gentle white wash. I've seen (and hooked... Yet to catch) the big blue's around LongReef and Barrenjoey heads. Plenty of raiders who are familiar with groper if you want to wrestle with a few. I'm hopeless at getting onto the blues. Like you mentioned... Best to tee up with a local. I can suggest you check out Alex Bellissimo from Bellissimo charters in Sydney. He's top of the game and will definitely be able to get you into some great fish from the rocks. He offers beach fishing too... So sharks might be on the cards too. Again... Can be pricey but worth it.

G'day Billy. HEAPS of places to check out. Your gear sounds great for starting out. Light line is best for flicking a few plastics and match the jig head to the size of plastic and the depth and current. Best to start off with easier more abundant species such as bream or Flathead. Jetties, weedbeds, sandflats with nearby channels, oyster covered rocks ate all good places to look for. I used to love flicking plastics along the edge of the weedbeds in the hawkesbury and the entrance for Flathead in summer. Can be very productive. In Sydney though I don't flick plastics anymore except for Flathead. I love the blackfish fishing too much! Anywhere there is sand and weedbed there will be flatties. Now that the water temp will be on the rise you should have more frequent action re flathead. A good spot is lane cove river. Flick along the sand and mud near a channel or flat on a run out tide. Stacks of bream around the bridges and oyster covered shoreline. You also have any of the little beaches around middle harbour. Around clontarf is good (north eastern side of the spit bridge) there's a lot of weedbeds and sandy shoreline stretching for a distance there. Key is to keep mobile and focus your efforts where the fish will be (I.e where they will be feeding). Back when I had my boat we were flicking a few small jerk minnows around for bream under the boat moorings around balgowlah. No bream but turned out to be a few rat kings there. You never know what will turn up so it pays to have a selection of plastic styles and colours too. Plenty of raiders will be able to give u advice. Good luck. P. S. Enjoy the arm workout from casting all day haha Edit: I'll add this too as I found this to be the most productive way to haul in flatties (for me anyway). Jump on a boat with someone or nab yourself a kayak from gumtree and troll some deep diving hard bodies along the edge of the channels. Used to get at least half a dozen nice flatties by trolling homemade lures that my neighbour taught me how to make.

It looks like a Long face emperor (Lethrinus olivaceus).

They always win lol. Ah bummer you can't fish from the resort. You would probably have some nice trevs around the beaches early morning or late Arvo. Charter will be awesome! Some seriously sized fish out there. Keep us all posted how you go. Very jealous. Good luck!