DerekD

Hi @monster bite

Personally I look up tides and winds to see where I can and can't fish. If it is a north easterly and top of high tide I go to A, B or C. If it is a southerly and a low tide then I go and fish at X, Y and Z.

I think people have been caught up in the fallacy of tides. You watch a fishing program and the host says "No run, no fun" or " fish one hour either side of top or bottom of tide" it sounds like great knowledge but it is probably bad advice. This is not to say the tides and wind don't have an effect but you have to look at a specifical area to see and learn what that impact actually is. I like to fish topwater and if I go to the areas I like to fish, on a super low tide, I am casting out on to a sand or mud flat. Can't work out why but I never catch anything then (being silly here to drive home a point).

People are also putting people rules on a fish. Do you really think there is a fish in Sydney harbour looking at its watch and saying "fish, we are almost one hour off high tide so lets start feeding for the next two hours and then stop till we are one hour off low tide". If that was the case then it would be extremely easy to pick my fishing windows.

Look at the data if you want but treat it academically and just go and fish anyway. While my line is in the water I have a chance of catching something. If I bring my fishing knowledge into play about what is likely to work, what the fish are likely eating my chances of catching something go up dramatically.

Regards,

Derek

30 minutes ago, linewetter said:

Those are some awesome pictures in that report.  I'll admit, I'm surprised by the quality of the photos - super clear all things considered from back then (though it's not that long ago really).  Did Han and Juul ever make it down to Sydney and fish with you or did you guys end up keeping in contact? 

The camera was the Canon EOS 350 and was released in late 2005 with an 8.2MP (huge right) sensor. I'm still blown away how good the photos are from that camera if the light conditions are reasonable and I've done several weddings with it. Think I've taken over 50,000 photos with it and still have it but I struggled with it under poor light conditions so picked up two newer Canons in the last few years.

I lost contact with Han and I don't know if Juul ever made it out here but in one of the EyeFish episodes they visited him in Amsterdam.

Hi @linewetter.

If you are looking at dropshotting then consider stand out hooks and then maybe pencil sinkers. We used these in a paternoster style format when fishing for Zander in Amsterdam. We just threaded the front of a 3" minnow onto the hook and the hook design kept it hanging square to the line and off the bottom.

The pencil sinkers are less likely to snag up in the Dutch canals where we used them. Surprisingly the takes from a Zander were surprisingly timid considering how big and powerful they look. Think flathead crossed with a bass and sharp teeth thrown in. Here was the report I did back then:

10 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

@DerekD using the Carolina rig? You mean he's not fishing topwater? C'mon Derek, explain yourself 🤣

Hi @Little_Flatty

Can't slip anything past you.

To be fair, my lure journey essentially started with soft plastics and I grew outwards from there. This was a trip back into my lure fishing roots to solve a problem I was having with the bass at Manly dam. My go to is spinners there and they are very effective but I wanted to start catching some of the ones in the deeper water. The challenge is there is a lot of weeds and other snags so I wanted a weedless rig that I could fish through clutter. I figured a floating plastic lure about 40cm above the bottom might do the trick. Still working on it.

Hi @linewetter,

This is one of those posts where I don't know if I should like it (awesome fish) or unlike it (broken rod). I know how hard those silver trevally fight as I've also had a 55cm model while on the kayak on the medium gear. That you landed it on the ultralight gear is a testament to how far you have grown. Wait till you get your first decent king on light gear.

Thought we'd covered how to land good fish on light gear but may have to cover this topic again. Coincidentally, @Jakob Duus contacted me last night after his first success fishing lures back home in Denmark and I am really hoping he does a report as it was an awesome fish too and a great story. We live chatted just after it happened and his excitement and the joy in his face was contagious. That fish has sealed his fate. He is hooked for life now.

Regards,

Derek

15 minutes ago, squidjigga said:

I'm based in Sydney. Is there a specific reason you prefer to teach with sugapens? I'm keen to learn poppers because the action looks pretty satisfying.

Basically the Sugapen 70mm is an awesome lure in itself but they are a little harder than other lures you can buy off the shelf to get a tight walk the dog with. However once you nail it then all the other topwater lures (poppers and dying baitfish) I demonstrate, work with that same retrieve. Bit like learning in a manual car and then finding driving an automatic is pretty easy in comparison. Starting the other way round is a lot harder.

19 minutes ago, squidjigga said:

@DerekD able to share any tips on surface lure fishing? Would love to hear your advice and anecdotes.

Where are you based? Teaching someone topwater with light gear usually takes me about half a day. I teach one specific retrieve with a sugapen 70mm which, once learned, works with walk the dog type lures (Sugapen and Slippery dog, K9, etc), popper type lures (MMD splash prawns, Skinny Pop Jnr etc) and dying baitfish (OSP Bent Minnow or Berkley Bender). The basics are easy to show but learning it is a bit like rubbing your head and patting your stomach - it often takes the student a while to make it look and feel natural. We then discuss about changing cadence and pace to tease up the fish. This is also followed up with discussions on where and why.

In my first light lure outfit article I've included a section further down on hardbody lures and specifically topwater:

Hi @SpeedyGiraffe49,

It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday and I was impressed at what you picked up so far with lure fishing. Based on what I've seen on how quickly you picked things up I was kind of surprised that you were not doing better at the lures than you say. Hope those tweaks are enough to kick you along a few steps in your growth. I also think a few sessions with @linewetter will help build up some further confidence (unless he catches all the fish like he has been doing recently).

Looking forward to fishing with you again.

Regards,

Derek

PS. For anyone looking for a fishing buddy in the Eastwood area suggest you reach out to SpeedyGiraffe as he is good company and has a good sense of humour (translation: laughs at my jokes and anecdotes).

Hi @linewetter,

If there was an annual Fishraider award for most improved I think you'd be a very strong contender. Please keep these reports coming as I have enjoyed every one so far.

Regards,

Derek

Hi @linewetter, one of the things we haven't covered is fishing near drains after the rain. Essentially that water coming down the hills, trees, hardstand surfaces collects and washes food (e.g. insects) down with the run off to the outlets in the bays. I have several fishing buddies who do very well on bream and other species in the channels after the rains.

2 minutes ago, linewetter said:

I have been wanting to get a fish measurement tool so I could take pics of the fish measured out....Every time I've been going fishing lately, I keep thinking....I could go buy that fish ruler...or I could go fishing instead.  I always chose fishing thinking I wouldn't get a monster so it'd be fine.  And this time I was really kicking myself for not getting the damn ruler!  Especially since I feel like it'd be tough to surpass this fish haha.  I went and bought a fish ruler today finally...

Just go online. Delivered to your door and won't cut into fishing time.

Hi @linewetter,

Reading this report this morning has put the biggest smile possible on my face. You and others like you are what has made the mentoring such a worthwhile experience. Considering how much time each session takes I made the decision last year to help only those who were hungry for what I have to teach with the intent to go out and really use it. I don't care what fishing level you are at, as we all start somewhere, but if you only intend to tie on a lure and not be engaged and try to grow then there is always YouTube. From the first day, your joy at seeing possibilities in what I showed you was contagious. I'd look across after you'd cast a little further and more accurately each time to see a bigger grin on your face. When I see one of your reports I click on it asap as I know I'm going to enjoy it and hearing about the growth in your skills.

Some of my biggest challenges when teaching people are breaking muscle memory from old habits (in particular casting) and then getting people to really think about what they are doing. Autopilot is great when it does what you need it to but can also be a hindrance in growth. Using that grey matter and imagination is a very powerful tool when fishing for consistently good results. The people in the fishing industry that I have the most respect for are those that think outside of the box and really learn to mix it up. You have been doing so in the time I've known you and have my respect. 7 species (Bream, Tarwhine, Snapper, Flathead, Trevally, Whiting, & Tailor) in a session on lures is an excellent result.

I'm also a little jealous of you as @R E G I C Y C L E is one of the members on this forum that I'm really looking forward to meeting one day.

Thank you for making it such a pleasure to fish with you and for doing these wonderful reports and contributing back to the Fishraider/Deckee community.

Derek

PS. You have graduated the light lure fishing outfit course with flying colours and a distinction. Maybe I should get around to doing some certificates these days. Next is salmon and kings on light gear for a high distinction (or a masters).

Hi agian @SpeedyGiraffe49

You said you were struggling on the plastics (which is where I really started my lure journey about 2 decades ago) and I might be able to see where you can use some pointers. It is also the tail end of what has been a fun topwater season for bream and whiting and if you can hit the inner west (think Drummoyne, Abbostford, Rodd point) we might be able to see where you are at too. Be warned the topwater is addictive and I've got several more people hooked on it this summer. Unfortunately, they get their own back by sending me photos of the awesome fish they have been catching. I'm still waiting for @foxyfisher to his report on the three oversize bream he got fishing with his brother a little while back. Then there is @FlickNAnthony with this report after I helped refine his topwater technique:

5 hours ago, SpeedyGiraffe49 said:

Do you know if there’s somewhere specific I should post to ask about meeting fishing buddies? I don’t know anyone that shares my level of interest at the moment, particularly heading into the cold and wind of winter beach fishing.

Out of curiosity where in Sydney are you based?

Hi @SpeedyGiraffe49,

That was one awesome introduction. Welcome to the site and I hope you get a lot of pleasure out of being here over the coming years. I miss the Sand Flats Fishing videos too. It was one of the recommended viewings for people I mentor in topwater fishing.

Looking forward to seeing your reports.

Regards,

Derek

3 hours ago, lhan said:

Sounds like a fun session! If it comforts you, I lost @DerekD's bent minnow on the first cast when I was having the first session with him. Good side is I always open bail arm before casting now, 1000%.

And he bought me a replacement which shows to me @lhan has had an excellent upbringing and moral fiber. He is also a lot of fun to fish with too.

We've done pretty well suspending squid so it is about 4 above the bottom. I pick areas where the kings are likely to cruise past - for example along a point where they can follow the shoreline but with water depths of about 10m give or take. I try and put the squid in their line of sight. You are trying to find that one king that wants to give the bait a try.

I try and keep 10 to 15m away (or 20m maximum) from the shoreline. Essentially you want terrain or structure which directs the kings past as they are cruising around the harbour. 

I really don't like fishing the northern side of the dam. Difficult access, structure, so on. Most of my fishing is done between the dam wall and the ski ramp. Just watch it around the ski ramp as there is one person in particular that treats it like personal property and tells people off for fishing there as it not allowed according to the signage. Me being me and wanting not to do the wrong thing read the signage from top to bottom three times and I couldn't see it. Went back to person and asked for them to point it out and then they said they would have to get the sign changed. I just wanted a fish and do my best to work around and in with other people using the area.

Also several people have been doing well on carp with bread in Manly dam the last time I went there. Probably because the fish have been conditioned to bread from all the visitors. You will also probably get a few bass too.

Congratulations @linewetter,

Looks like you don't need my lessons anymore and are in the process of getting your own students.

They grow up so fast...

Well done on the effort and you will only get better over time. I look forward to each of your reports as you have a engaging way of taking someone along with your stories.

Regards,

Derek

Hi @Steve0,

That was an awesome and informative response. I'd love to see that extended with additional information (gear, reading the beach) and photos and added to the articles section on this site as I suspect it would help a lot of people.

Regards,

Derek

Hi @telescopic_rodd

What is your outfit and of particular interest to me is the braid you are using. I noticed you commented on my "first light outfit" article so I know you have read it.

It sounds like it comes down to the way and where you are working the lure. Are you always in contact with the lure. Are you winding or flicking the lure? Have you worked out how to work the lure in a subtle way with small flicks as well as larger ones. Are you letting it hit the bottom (watch for the sag in the line). Are you teasing the fish - remember it is not bait or actual food so we are usually pushing for the reactive strike. Easy meal or the lure is getting away (in little darts).

Certainly worth persisting but it does take a while to crack the code if you are self-taught. It is more satisfying to work it out yourself but if you continue to struggle reach out to me or some of the people I've helped mentor (it is good for their growth to teach someone else as it helps crystalize what they have learned by having to explain it).

BTW - if I absolutely have to catch fish I'm using bait but lure fishing is way more satisfying to me and generally I found the quality of fish went up.

Regards,

Derek

Hi @The Asian Squid

BTW did you read this one yet?

Depends where you are fishing too. We use them when we head out on a charter and they are very effective. We find the bait schools and have a slightly heavier sinker than you would expect on them and we send them whistling down into the depths. We can control the descent with our fingers till we find a speed that seems to work. They would look like a school of fleeing mini baitfish which seems to trigger the attack response in the predators (yellowtail scad and slimies). If they get hit you feel it and then you wind it up and put the fish in the bait tank. If you don't then wind it up above the bait school and send it again and again till you hook up again.

Hi @The Asian Squid,

I agree with @Restyle that squid are a visual predator so movement is probably a far more effective way to get a squid's attention. By the time the squid smells the scent the lure is probably meters away and again it comes to sight hunting. There are probably a lot of other scents in the water so why would they zero in on yours. Early in my squidding career I tried using scent but then decided I didn't like the way it stains my jigs so stopped using it.

How well a scent works is a difficult question to respond to as you have insufficient information to make an good decision. Considering the only data points you have are you and maybe a fishing mate, how do you test the effectiveness of a scent? If you cast it out without scent and don't get a squid then is it the lack of scent or are they not there or not playing. You would have to head out multiple times with multiple jigs with a mixture of scented and unscented and then cast to the same location and work the lures back in the same way to start to build up some data. Personally I couldn't be bothered so this will likely remain an academic question for me.

The biggest impact of the scent is probably on you. Maybe it gives you that extra bit of confidence so you work that lure a little better. Maybe the scent convinces the squid to hold on that bit longer but if they are close enough to grab the jig then they usually will at some stage.

Good luck and I'm interested in how your data collecting goes.

Regards,

Derek