Pickles

Hey @Aussie_fisher, thanks for your report, it highlights the fact that bait is a critical component to getting onto the fish and preferences and feeding habits change - someday I like a steak, other days Laksa, other days a zucchini pie (not really). Also you noted that the charter operators / guides work hard to get their clients onto fish. I am buddies with 4 of the harbour guides (and several of the off shore guides) and often pass on and receive intel from / to them. I know they charge a lot, but their running and maintenance costs, insurances, etc etc certainly ad up and they know the habits and haunts of their target species. But like you so rightly noted “some days just aren’t the best”. Thanks for sharing - it would have been so easy to be disappointed and “bag out” which you didn’t do 👏👏. Praise to you my friend.

Cheers Neil - I remember well the big Mako, you battled with off Dee Why, didn’t seem that long ago.

Caught up with @The Rev (a dead set legend who is just as curious and experimental as myself, but more successful than I ). We met up on the harbour bait grounds and filled up with livies in no time and we planned to fish two up out wide, but the weather was much windier and choppier than predicted. However My colleague Adam (before I retired) and his young bloke (Harrison aged eight) wanted to catch some Kingies and Harrison particularly wanted to catch a shark and was adamant he was going to get a Hamerhead (we prayed to that effect, but I suggested that we may get a shark, but very unlikely we would get a Hammerhead). We headed off shore to the FAD and hoped to get some Dollie’s, but no luck, but plenty of rat kings - same at Long reef 😞. We decided to try a drift for Flatties, but again no blue spots 😞. I wanted to send the crew home with a feed so decided to try inside the Heads (as I had scored some solid kings last week and plenty of bonito around). We burleyed up and set a livie and 2 fresh squid baits (unweighted) out and the chaos began. I hooked up within 5 mins of anchoring and line started peeling off, I wound the drag up and line kept peeling off, I tightened it up again (65lb braid and 50lb leader) and still kept peeling off. I immediately handed the rod to Adam, retracted the Minkota fired up the Merc and chased the MONSTER KINGIE. It was quickly apparent that it was NOT a big king, but a shark. After 20 minutes my suspicions we confirmed and Harrison’s prayers were answered and it was a 2m + Hammerhead shark. The young bloke was really keen to get a pic with it, but I told him that they were not good eating and shark that size would destroy the boat if we tried to get it in, so as it was lip hooked with a circle hook (love circle hooks for Kingies), it was cut off and swam away.

Well done Dunc, a great result mate - great to see the boat getting a good workout (far cry from the day we met on the harbour in the kayak)

Some great result @Isaac Ct - they are good sized prawns, well done. (last time I went prawning I threw a handline out with a livie on it and bagged a feed of flathead and flounder as well - and also netted a few squid.)

Another good day Dave, well done (again) mate.

Good advice to”get and give it a go” - especially with your young bloke and always better than sleeping in or mowing the lawn. They are some nice Flatties and muddies - well done.

Great report @NewToFishing, thanks for sharing. I don’t know that area, but if it dived straight for the bottom it could well be a Kingie - they are a hard and dirty fighting fish and a meritorious catch from the stones.

Only one fish in 5 hours, but what a beauty Neil. I’d rather catch one solid fish of 73 than a stack of little ones. Thanks for sharing my friend.

Great report Sam - family stuff is so good to read - fishing can be a selfish pursuit or a family pleasure. There are some solid fish there and a great feed of flathead fillets. Thanks for sharing. I don’t know Botany area, but you certainly got great results.

Way to go @Fab1 - love your attitude. I’m a bit like you in that cleaning too many fish is a pain (I usually always only keep a few and very rarely ever the bag limit and if then to give to family or crew)

Outstanding results @Scienceman, well done.

Yum Rob - you’re a legend, bet Mrs Jenno was happy you taking over cooking duties. The crabs (muddies and Blue swimmers) have been outstanding this season after all this rain - Flatties obliging also.

Hey @faker, Gulp is actually a bait (flour based compound soaked in a scent). As such it is not actually a “soft plastic”. This being the case, any gulp product will probably work.

The more time I spend targeting a species, the more I see patterns of behaviour, but the more diversity I experience in that behaviour. I do know that squid like specific habitats at different times of year and I quess this is due to life cycle, which if the current info is correct, suggests they hatch, grow, reproduce and die, all n 12-14 months, cuttlefish a bit longer (upto 2 years). To do this they have a voracious appetites and move around to find it. It makes sense that if there is food and cover (from predators) in a particular area they will hang around that area. SO, once you find where they are, there has to be a reason that they move from that area - food supply deteriorates, predation, change in physical conditions, change in environment. When I’m squidding I do what I do to find kingfish - go to where I got them “yesterday” and if they are not there, go to other spots I’ve got them before. Usually I’ll only spend 20 minutes in one location before I move on.

Way to go mate 👏👏

Nice work, nothing better than fresh flattie fillets. It’s amazing how small flathead will take a lure as big as themselves.

Great post @R E G I C Y C L E, the product you are looking for does exist and I have used them in the past, (don’t remember where I purchased them on line, but made in Japan - like mot egi specific tackle) I dont bother any more as, once you find squid, they are not that hard to entice to take a lure. My experience is that the real trick is to keep moving till you find them. They DONOT like fresh water, so when it’s been raining an incoming tide near the heads (brings saltwater in) works and and outgoing tide doesn’t. Having the correct size is important also, but as a general rule a 2.5 is often the “go to” size. I like yellow, white and green colours, but the “pilchard” in Yamashita works well.

Hey @R E G I C Y C L E, you certainly did kick some holiday goals. Well done mate. I loved reading your reports (following you now). A 52cm yellow belly and 78 Cod are 2 meritorious catches. The Redfin was a solid fish at 42 and that rainbow looks like it could be a big buck salmon well done. The miles you covered were well rewarded. Dave and Neil (@dirvin21 and @big Neil) are certainly highly experienced, helpful raiders willing to share their knowledge and info. (Being an inexperienced inland fisho & having a son living at Bathurst now, I might have to hit you up for some input on freshwater fishing the dams around the area). Any time you want to target Bass In Derrubbin (Hawkesbury) feel free to get intouch - I don’t know much about other freshwater species, but usually do OK on Bass and E.P’s).

Well done @Aussie_fisher, @DerekD is a great mentor and good on you for recognising his input.

Way to go Rob a good feed of quality fish and that Flatty is a real beauty - free to breed another league of fishes.👏👏

After reading a post by @sashkello, relating to leftover power bait, I thought I’d share a “tip” that I experimented with a few years back. I’d forgotten to put any bait in 😞 and had some bread for burley, but did have some GULP “plastics” and power bait. I cut it up into tiny pieces and the Yakkas took them. This converted to some Kingies and a successful trip that would otherwise been a washout.

Hey @sashkello, I know from personal experience that it definitely works on yellowtail - but this using burley to attract them and I know when the Yakkas are around the burley trap, they’ll take just about anything - then you’ve got a great live bait for Kingies.

Hey @squidjigga, from personal experience, I’ve gotta agree with @willpethh, that hot, hot water (in conjunction with swallowing a few Panadol - not in the hot water). I carry a thermos in the boat now as only way I know of to get really hot water.

Hey BN, sound like you’re giving the Cod season a darn good shake - onya mate. The garlic infused chicken breast sounds tasty (must be hard to use it for bait and not dinner). Do you have a theory on why there are few juvenile fish (mind you, I’d rather catch one big fish than 20 small ones.)