ParaPaul

29 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

ParaPaul, firstly what a great little system Currumbene Creek is and good to hear you got a nice fish from it.

Rules are rules mate and don't feel guilty if you want to keep a big one here and there, you're doing nothing wrong.

I've caught plenty of large flathead from St Georges Basin over the years and have copped my fair share of abuse for letting them go by the "kill and Grill" brigade, so damned if you do and damned if you don't. I kept a big one once that died before I got it to the boat and to be honest it horrible, very dry and tasteless. I guess that's the same reason we pay big money to eat lamb instead of mutton.

I agree with others, 99% of flathead over 60cm would be female, but I have also caught undersize fish full of roe. No matter how big the fish, if the belly looks fat, I hold them up to the light and if they're in roe you can see the orange inside them. Personally, I release all roed fish, but that's just me.

The lesson to be learned here is next time, don't forget your phone/camera haha.

Haha, mate I deliberately left it behind in order to be uncontactable for a few hours 😁. Next time I'll take my gopro for the money shot.

Your 'lamb vs mutton' comparison makes perfect sense, my thoughts were along the lines of taking one big fish vs 4 to 5 regular sized is more environmentally friendly.

Cheers.

Thanks fellas,

I understand that I am within the law to keep a big one, I  guess that after reading a few horror stories of people being roused on by fishos for keeping instead of releasing made me feel that I didn't want to be 'that guy'.

I feel that keeping one big one to feed an extended family is more economical than 4 or 5 small to medium fish, everyone loves a feed of flathead at $45 or more per kilo from the fish shop ... AND you get to use the bones and all for stock or soup, no wastage.

Although the law allows to keep one at over 70cm, I hear of people being called out for doing so. Has the DPI got it wrong? Should the law be changed to 40 - 70cm keepers only?

Confused. 🤔

G'day all.

So I was at Currumbene Creek near Huskisson fishing with my Alvey estuary setup using salted pillie cubes on a 1/0 suicide hook, short 10lb fluro trace, swivel and sinker onto 12lb mono.

I was casting into a drop off, pulled in a coupla small fatties and a couple of 40cm models, when I was hit by a beauty!

It put up a good fight and when landed and measured, came in at 79cm ... pb btw. No photo as I left my phone at home.

I know that it is best practice to put them back in the water, so I did. Heart pounding, shaking and sweating, shitting myself that I'd get spiked, but off she swam.

Now. I REALLY wanted to keep her for a few photos and to feed the fam but anyway, back she went.

I want to know, if it is best practice to release them, then why is the law that you can keep one over 70cm in NSW? Why not just make it that you can only keep 'em between 36 and 70cm?

I read on a forum here that not all big ones are females, approx 25% are actually males, and there is a way to assess gender by rubbing the abdomen. I'm not sure how prolific 'regular' sized fatties are at breeding, but if there are large ones releasing up to a million eggs and others producing a healthy amount as well, then surely the creeks are well stocked?

Just asking as I seek to learn.

Thanks raiders.

10 hours ago, Bernie W said:

Great fish on light tackle, especially from shore. Even better that the guy came back with the net and didn't steal your car!  Well done mate.

Haha, yeah, always a bonus 😆👍

So I thought I'd head out early to catch the 2 hours run in before high tide and try to nab a couple of flatties. Got down to the Cook's river breakwall at Kyeemagh at around 0730 with my 7' 2-4kg rod and Daiwa 2500 reel which is spooled with 14lb Fireline and an 8 lb fluoro leader, rigged it up with a 1/8 oz jighead and loaded on a 3" ZMan MinnowZ in bloodworm colour and cast in towards the bridge on General Holmes drive.

First cast at 0740, 3rd cast around 0742 and I was on! Line came screaming off and then it stopped, I thought I was onto a flattie at first, but then zzzzzzzzzz.......line came screaming off again and towards the pylons. I then reassessed and thought either a kingie or a jew. I abandoned the jew idea after a number of good, strong runs and not feeling as if it was tiring and settled on the idea that it was a kingie. A couple of guys came and had a look as I had been playing this thing for about 15 minutes, I threw one of them the keys to my Commodore and asked him to get my landing net out of the back for me as i didn't think I would be able to land it on the gear I had. Good bloke whoever you are, thanks. Another bloke came down to the rocks with me ready to assist with the net.

Anyway, managed to land it after 25 minutes, kept it going right towards the ocean as much as I could, there were a couple of hairy moments there.

Ended up with a nice kingfish, coming in at 72cm on the tape. Machine guns thumping in my chest and a couple of nice frays on my leader. Lovely early morning surprise. I had a few more casts after that but couldn't stop thinking about that high octane half hour, so pulled stumps and took him home.

Happy fishing to all

3 hours ago, Bill Morris said:

Hey @ParaPaul is the currumnene boat ramp you talking about the one at Myola? or the one near the Huskinson ferry?

 

Cheers

Bill,

It's actually called Woolamia boat ramp, at the end of Frank Lewis Way. About 2 minutes out of Husky.

38 minutes ago, Toilor3000 said:

I use thigh fillet fairly big pieces for the Snapper. Let us know next time you're down if ya keen for a fish. 

Thanks Toilor3000

Don't be surprised if I take you up on that, always keen. I'm gonna be down in another month.

Many thanks. 👍

11 hours ago, Toilor3000 said:

Sometimes you have to get off the beaten track in JB to find the fish. It was quite calm on Saturday with late arvo low tide. I found some protection from the wind and got these 2 lost a big one using chicken 20lb line and 4/0 circle hooks. Went back Sunday and couldn't get a bait past the squid.

Toilor3000,

Nice catch mate. Was it on chicken gut or supermarket chook?

I was land based and only tried my usual haunts but trying to avoid the wind direction changes.

3 hours ago, big Neil said:

G'day Para Paul. What a great place to have a holiday home. I've taken my tinnie down there a few times and fished the creek. Absolutely great place for flatties...casting ahead of the drifting boat with soft plastics and trolling lures on the return to the top of the drift, both bringing results each time. No doubt casting lures around the moored boats would produce bream too. Half ur luck. Cheers, bn

Big Neil,

Yeah it's certainly usually a fisherman's paradise. This time around I didn't see anywhere near the amount of fish milling around like I usually do.

1 hour ago, Green Hornet said:

I agree with Toilor3000. When the water is ultra clear you need to start thinking of outside the bay. The local surf beaches have been fishing well after the big swell a few weeks back. Big salmon and tailor at the moment.

In retrospect to that, there has been some really good blackfish in the two creeks. I've been getting amongst them not 50 metres from where you took that photo. Good weed is scarce but the weed flies are doing the job.

Thanks Green Hornet.

Yeah I have made the trek to Steamers and Caves a couple of times before and done alright on pillies and spinners. I'm dirty on myself for not bringing my surf outfit down this time. Maybe i can convince the minister of  finance and war that it's a necessity to have a second surf rod kept down there....

I have seen the weed flies online but never used them, they sound like an economical and time saving solution to finding and storing weed.

Mate, I've been coming down here for over 20yrs and never not seen or caught a few beauties.

I've got a spot where normally I'll come home with a bag full of drummers.

Whiting at Moona Moona creek are almost a gimme on small poppers thrown at the mangroves or bait with a red tube and #6 long shank hook off the beach at any time of  year.

I've always caught squid at sunset near Vincentia and Currumbene boat ramps too, usually on any tide.

Guess that's why it's called fishing not catching eh?

Just been down to the holiday house in Vincentia for the past five days,  fished early every morning (land based) and some afternoons and evenings for one legal sized salmon off a gutter on Nelson beach with a 20g Spanyid raider in silver. I salted him and dried him for bait. Otherwise, nothing. Not a skerrick, nix, nada, nought.

I have been at Currumbene creek, Moona Moona creek, Huskisson wharf, Collingwood beach, off the rocks at Vincentia with spinners, poppers, bait, SPs, Plantation point with floated baits (windy and snaggy). Light tackle, medium and heavy. Different times, different tides.

Even went squid jigging at night still without a hit.

Reports from a couple of local fishos come back with the same. Just one bloke catching luderick off Husky wharf by floating some dough.

Where have they all gone? Migrated north or what?

Can't complain too much though, beautiful weather and crystal clear water. 

Hope you all have better luck (or skills) than I did.

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

I would try 12 pound mono if you are looking at what you have already caught. Buy a quality brand - some are made thinner than others for the same breaking strain.

12 pound will enable you to chuck out pillies without a sinker, and be strong enough handle most fish. A kingie or bigger jew will give you a workout.

Lighter line if you are targeting bream, whiting, flatties.

I'm thinking primarily a setup that will allow me to switch between targeting  luderick one day, to bream/ drummer/ whiting/ flatties the next without having to re-spool every time.

I might just have to get an Alvey 60 reel to spool a bit heavier and use it with that same rod if chasing tailor and the like. 

2 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

Welcome to Fishraider Paul

That's a cracking snapper for inside botany bay. Great effort.

I agree with Kingie Chaser and would advise you to reduce the size of your line when you have a chance. Another thing you can do to increase your catch rate is burley. Take an onion bag and about 10m of rope, throw it out into the wash and inside put some goodies such as old fish frames, a couple of cat food cans with 2cmx2cm punctures, expired bread and whatever. The burley will bring the fish to your location. When your done drag the onion bag back with the rope and dispose of whatever is leftover!

Great advice, thanks GoingFishing.

I know where those fish frames are going now. Usually I make a nice fish stock and use it in my seafood risottos. Reckon the stock will be better served attracting some choppers.

17 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

Great effort there 

 

Although I do have to mention imo your set up sounds a but on the heavy side for fishing in botany bay.

That is unless you are targeting legal size plus kings.

My usual set ups for boat are 8 to 10lb braid with 10 to 12lb fluro & I have a 20lb braid/30 or 40lb rod ready for kings.

For shore casting mono is preferred but if Im using braid it will be 15-20lb with about the same leader in fluro again.

Personally I think you will get more hook ups on lighter gear without compromising the success rate to much.

 

Just saying but each to their own & what you are doing seems to be working!

Thanks for the advice kingie chaser.

The setup I used was out of pure laziness and opportunism. I had been in jervis Bay for the long weekend and had been using this outfit off the beaches in Vincentia (with no luck I might add until I took my lighter outfit to the estuary and jigged a couple of flatties on SPs.)

I had a couple of ganged rigs already setup from my beach sessions and on impulse decided to have a crack off the rocks with the whole shebang after the weather broke. Glad I did. I'm still not sure on whether it was just pure dumb luck in combination with a good tide and full moon.

Incidentally, my new Alvey Estuary Special 55 rod (3.2M / 10' 6") just arrived by courier this morning so I'm looking forward to setting it up with my Alvey 500 reel and trying the same spot on a lighter setup and rig. Thinking 8-10lb mono with a 6-8lb fluoro leader onto the same (but lighter) paternoster type rig. Whaddya reckon?

Not sure on whether she'll be able to handle the ganged hooks, or even the same sized fish as they were bloody good fighters on the heavy setup I used last night. Any advice on hook/ sinker size for targeting good tailor on this outfit?

Hi all, first post and just thought I'd share my bonus evening with you all.

It was the first clear evening after the storms and decided to try and break my recent drought of decent fish having only caught the odd flattie and squid when targeting them. I went to the Yarra Bay groyne out in front of the sailing club at about 4.30pm. It was the slack tide, and about to start coming in. There was barely a wave in sight - as flat as a millpond, which was a welcome sight after the recent crappy weather. Rigged up and had my first cast at about 4.45 just as the sun was setting behind the clouds.

The setup I used was a Shakespeare Outcast combo I got for a good price at Ananconda. 10' rod and 8500 reel. I took off the generic line they had on it and spooled the reel with 300M of 40Lb JW braid and whacked on a rod's length of 30Lb mono. The rig was a metre of so of the same mono, size 4 swivel down to a gang of 3 x 4/0 hooks with a drop loop and size 1 snapper sinker about a third of the way down from the swivel. Bait was a whole servo pillie and cast out towards the container wharf approx 30-40 metres.

Nothing but the odd picker for the first hour or more until BAM! Line started screaming off the reel. I set the hook and let him have a bit of a play. Back and forth, back and forth until I netted a beautiful shiny 45cm tailor at my feet, Iki spiked him, bled him out and straight onto ice.

Cast straight back out again and rolled myself a smoke, waited about another hour and was about to go home. I actually packed up my bag and reeled in what I thought was an empty hook but saw the pillie was still ok, just the head flopped off the top hook. I readjusted and thought 'Righto, this is the last cast' when I got another hit! Same again, line screaming off the reel, more play, more drag, I thought it was another Tailor as it fought much the same as the first one, when out of the light of my headlamp I saw it was a Snapper. Beauty! Netted him up, unpacked my tools, cleaned him up and straight onto the ice with the Tailor. 44cm, fat and heavy, I don't know how heavy. 

Stumps on day one, I decided to drive home via the bottlo and attempt to placate a fuming missus with two lovely fish. (It worked). The Snapper will be baked whole with eschallots and Asian flavours, the Tailor will be filleted and floured for me young bloke cos he doesn't like to eat fish off the bone (time for some education on that methinks.)

Anyway, after a month of bugger all, seems the hungry winter fish are on. Hope this helps.