Denisfisho

Thats a great recommendation, I'll put that on the list to check out in the tackle shops. I took out the abu garcia 1-4 travel rod to test out on redfin, and I had an unbelievable redfin session, almost 20 caught and my PB 42cm which felt like it was going to snap the rod but the rod pulled through and proved its worth. Now to get the nasci reel. Thanks guys

I have the abu garcia 4.0 veritas travel rod, 7ft and I think 1-4kg, going on it's maiden voyage tomorrow for redfin. I bought a nasci 1000 today but when I went in the car and gave it a few spins where it was more quiet I noticed it seemed to be creaking a bit so I took it back, will have alook in another shop as that was their only one.

I've heard a similar story about a Polish (I think) guy I talked to once talking about how redfin are loved from where he's from and that they have a legal size also. I have read about how fish in highly pressured areas adapt over time, I recall their size would decrease over time and that they were very lure shy. I think it's interesting to compare how carp fishing here is not known as difficult while in the UK they consider carp extremely intelligent there.

Hi all, I want to upgrade from my shimano sienna, after three years of use it's starting to show it's age and my attempt at self servicing has made it worse. I think I'd just like to try something a bit pricier but my budget is still limited to under $150.00 but I can push it to $200.00 if there is going to be a huge difference. I am thinking the shimano nasci. Ideally, I just want a rod that spins as smoothly as possible for that price range. It just feels nice when I move the handle and the reel spins so easily that's what I'm after. I've also been thinking about upgrading to longer rod for my ultra light land based fishing. As I understood a longer rod casts further and I've noticed that too with my 7ft rods over the shorter ones. I was thinking to get the shimano catana 8ft ultra light bream rod as my understanding would be that paired with light braid and appropriate weighted lures it would cast a mile. Would appreciate anyones thoughts on this especially if they've used both over and under 7ft long ultra light rods and have experience with the differences. Thanks.

Hey Derek. Only read the first few parts so far so will come back with a response after this one but will say now your input and insights into fishing are priceless in terms of learning the art of fishing. It's incredible once upon a time I was throwing out random lures on random setups catching nothing to now going out to places like yesterday where nobody has ever fished for squid but still managing to catch one. From nearly giving up lure fishing to now having gone around nsw and caught all types of fish on all types of lure including top water it really is a hobby with countless learning opportunities and experiences to be had when you put in the time. I've also kept a log of my fish caught to date and I'm at 108... now the amount I've spent on lures I don't want to know haha.

WOW that was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. Launched from one of the beaches at Windang just getting a hang of things for the first time. Kayak felt quick on the water and easy to use. The kayak was surprisingly stable (Osprey from <retailer removed>) but being just at the max user weight a sponge was needed to take water out the first go. The wife who had tried to stop me buying a kayak the whole way through then took a few turns with it and loved it just as much as I did, had to get in the water and chase her to ask for the kayak back lol. The first time I had brought everything I needed to fish but then of course I forgot the rod but we went back home took the rod and went down to a local harbour. After nearly 5 previous donut sessions of land based squid fishing my beginners luck kicked in and I hooked onto a squid first cast and they were seemingly everywhere because I ended up with 5 arrowhead squid, wife was shocked as she'd probably lost faith after all the prior donut sessions. I find they taste equally as good to calamari. It seems like the land based fishermen nearby didn't catch much but the spot I had access to seemed to be where the squid were, I'm guessing overtime less targeted areas may become locations where squid might gather or just by being inaccessible meant it was less pressurised and increased my chances. The squid jig used was a 2.2 yamashita in bright pink and while I know some say that colour makes no difference, my catch rates with full pink or orange are a league above all other colours. I feel like this new kayak has opened up a whole new world when it comes to fishing and I'm truly excited to start getting into it. Thanks again to Derek for being there to take my calls and answer my beginner questions.

Hey all, After a long time of wanting to buy one and some inspiration from the detailed guides here written by @DerekD along with him helping me with some questions, I took the plunge and bought myself a kayak and picked it up last evening. Sitting in my garage awaiting it's maiden voyage tomorrow. I've never used a kayak before but I've been doing a lot of research and from my understanding of the conditions they seem to be decent for Saturday in Wollongong in sheltered areas. Will only be bringing an ultra light rod but the main goal is to just try out the kayak, no big aim to catch fish, main goal just to get back in one piece. Since I joined this forum more than a year ago it's been quite an interesting journey, from catching my first fish with lures, to targeting blackfish, to targeting squid and now kayak fishing. If anyone in lake illawarra sees a guy in a blue white/black white kayak looking lost that's probably me. Lets see how we go tomorrow

Ah reminds me of our first session xD. Fishing light is so much fun. When someone during the first sessions catches a bream with the sugapen you'll know you found the chosen one lol.

Ahhh man, those were the days @DerekD. Coincidentally, I also use Atomic ArrowZ AAS-270UL as my main rod and have caught dozens of fish with lures, all thanks to the advice of people like Derek who are willing to share their hard earned knowledge and experience with beginners.

I've seen that background in a few different trout photos and videos and I still don't know where it is so people aren't posting it online which is good. My local spot is shoulder to shoulder now because of people constantly posting there catches when the fish are on.

Thanks to everyone for the advice in this post. One of the most helpful things here was particular reference to the tides and with that in mind I think I've better understood my favourite spot and probably for the first time in more than 1 year of fishing got to take home more than just a single fish (took home three, 30cm plus). It seems to me like the run out tide brought in the bigger ludericks who really weren't hesitating to go for the cabbage then when the run stopped they had no interest at all. The biggest issue of the day was just placing the cabbage in a way that could get a down instead of just being nibbled off. Was getting so much action that a person walking by who seemed to be a luderick enthusiast came by for a chat and just watched the action (luderick seem to like hooking up when someone is talking to me). I'll be swapping to a luderick targeting rod in the future and after that might try those alvey etc reels also. Thx again

Sounds like an awesome time out, I usually fish solo and sometimes wish I had a boat and some mates as addicted to fishing as I am

Great catch mate, coincidence but I also caught a big squid - makes me wonder if the big ones are about

Very cool to see you caught them on that soft plastic, I have them too and might try them out on bream again.

Was saddened and shocked to see who had passed away as I had seen him (and I think his dad) posting on a local fb fishing group last week. I'm not saying ban the spot but something more needs to be done as too many people are losing their lives there.

Thanks, I'll definitely atleast get that rod to start out with and probably get the reel if my june tax return comes out as a nice refund. I do have a spot down south where I can collect the normal weed so I might go grab some and try those instead. Since dropping my phone into the water my parents and wife have staged some sort've intervention on me where Im not allowed to fish except on weekends so will see if I can get out this sunday haha.

I'll have to give it a go. THis isnt related but I noticed how on windang bridge fishing is banned but I always see atleast one guy fishing on it everytime I drive past hah. I'll be potentially scouting out multiple land based locations of lake illawarra as I suspect there are good locations kept on the downlo.

I actually tried that spot last weekend for blackfish but didn't have any luck but didnt pay attention to those conditions so Ill try again how you mentioned, that spot does get pretty busy at peak times though. This reminds me of something I wanted to ask, how can I actually confirm when it's an outgoing or incoming tide when Im sitting at home for example?

Thanks everyone for all the advice that Im sure will help me and any others that come to the forum looking for blackfish advice. Hey Derek, I will give you a call sometime this week after work. Unfortunately, my phone fell out of my pocket into the water while fishing and was too deep to try and retrieve so Im using some cheap spare phone in the meantime.

Hey all I have been getting into blackfishing the last week which honestly just came about from always seeing blackfish wherever I go fishing. It's also my first time float fishing and I have been enjoying it (when they actually bite) but I am still new and had some questions: 1. Is it worth the time to grab an Alvey reel and learn the traditional methods of blackfishing? Is it more tradition or is an alvey reel more effective? 2. Should I also grab a long blackfish style rod ? (I am thinking definitely yes but I am really tight on budgeting atm). 3. Is berleying essential? (I only ask because I dont want to be greedy with my weed spot if it impacts other fishers). 3. I don't where I can find blackfish articles on the website, can anyone point me to some? 4. What are some typically good conditions for blackfish fishing? I guess 1 hour before and after high tide or? 5. Whats the best ways to hook cabbage onto the lure and maybe any other tips? Is it normal to lose the weed without a proper down? A local down at shellharbour marina gave me some tips on how to handle a hooked blackfish which helped me to land the below the next day, crazy long fight.

As someone who's just started on blackfish and has a nice fish tank with lots of moss I'm honestly half tempted to try using them as bait, but I live close to a good cabbage spot so I dont really need to but still it plays on my mind lol subwassertang looks abit similar to the cabbage I ziplock and store the cabbage in the freezer and I still caught one luderick (my only ever one) when using it 2 days later so I just stick to that for now.

Epic moment lol barra posed nicely for the pic too You could probably send it through to the media and they might run a story since when you mentioned barra it reminded me of this video I watched

I think I've actually spoken with that fisheries officer before - have alot of respect for him.

I had to do a double take when I read the word barra and found your post with a picture of it - what a catch !

The percentage of fish you catch which is legal size is so much higher than my own. Mine would probably be 10%. I suspect because I only do lure fishing. However 90% of flatties I catch are legal size. I suspect again it may be because I only use lures.