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Bradleys Head Luderick


Hunkgarian

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I took my 12 year old daughter for some bonding time today. 

We started at around 7:15am with a patchy NW blowing gusts here and there. I opted to berley with a lot of stale bread, weed (cabbage and green) that I collected yesterday after I fished at Honeycombe Rocks (South Coogee) with no luck, but two Rock Cale only, which were released as well as a lone Sergeant Baker that spat my lure's treble at the edge. No loss there. 

 

Anyway, the berley - that I mixed with sand - must have worked somewhat, as in the following three hours I managed to almost land two good sized Luderick and missed four good downs. Damn, just a bit out of touch. One thing I need to invest in is a landing net since I was not able to land the fish onto the steps next to the old structure where we fished and I got too lazy to pull them into the beach. I guess in my younger years rock fishing I rarely needed any landing apparatus, except a small wave. So lesson learned. All in all a fabulous morning with my young one and at least she could see I knew what I am talking about when it comes to fishing. Except I am not taking her rock fishing. 

 

I was fishing with my new 11'4" Luderick rod and a 5" Alvey with 6lb line, a small bobby cork and 4lb trace with a 10 green hook. Not sure of name. Gamakatsu something or other.  All my fish took the cabbage weed, no downs with green weed at all. 

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The stone wall is an excellent Luderick spot and great place to take young fishers, with the mast of the Sydney, the old fort with cannons and an interesting mixture of wildlife to go along with the fantastic view. Great that you could enjoy it with your daughter. September is a good month for Luderick there

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It's great to get out there and have a plan come together and even better if you can introduce your family into the mix. Did your daughter get actively involved and enjoy herself? I have very little experience with the fine art of Blackfishing but would say that a net is essential for many locations. One with an extra long handle. Cheers, bn

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On 7/30/2018 at 6:31 AM, big Neil said:

It's great to get out there and have a plan come together and even better if you can introduce your family into the mix. Did your daughter get actively involved and enjoy herself? I have very little experience with the fine art of Blackfishing but would say that a net is essential for many locations. One with an extra long handle. Cheers, bn

Thanks Waza and big Neil. :)

Nets are not necessary fishing off ocean rocks, as you can float most normal sized fish with an incoming swell when you are fishing at water level (not cliffs). 
However, here at Bradleys Head it would definitely be very very handy. Luckily, I have a friend who just said he'd give me his landing net, as he does not need it. 

Once a person gets the basics of it, fishing for Luderick is probably not any harder than any other land based species. 

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Nice work on the blackies. Took my Mrs there for some sight seeing on her bday. Beautiful place to fish and you can even see the blackies chasing each other around if you look long enough. Couldn't think of a better place to fish and spend time with loved ones. 

If you're not too keen on beaching the fish, u can get one of those telescopic ISO nets (about 5m long some of them). I got one the other day for about $150 which is pricey but you can lift boulders with em. Cheaper ones do very well too and can be scored for about $70...still a little dear but worth it in elevated fishing spots.

The luds can be finiky sometimes but I've found the cabbage is generally better in the clearer waters closer to the heads. You know the fish are there it's just a matter of figuring out what will get them to bite which,  although frustrating for the most part, is extremely fun and rewarding. 

Tight lines and thanks for the report. Keep em  comin 

Edit: mate the sgt bakers are great for fish stock. A nice clear broth simmered down with a little kombu (Japanese seaweed) and a splash of seawater to get that true, but subtle taste of the sea. Some nice wheaten noodles and fried crispy fish on top with the usual condiments... Great on the chew. 

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1 hour ago, Kracka said:

Beautiful place to fish and you can even see the blackies chasing each other around if you look long enough.

Edit: mate the sgt bakers are great for fish stock. A nice clear broth simmered down with a little kombu (Japanese seaweed) and a splash of seawater to get that true, but subtle taste of the sea. Some nice wheaten noodles and fried crispy fish on top with the usual condiments... Great on the chew. 

Thank you Kracka! Appreciate your input! :)

Man, can you believe I actually SAW one of the luderick come in and take my bait? Except I did not manage to hook that fish. It was amazing, I have never seen that before. 

 

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3 hours ago, Amatteroflight said:

Thanks Waza and big Neil. :)

Nets are not necessary fishing off ocean rocks, as you can float most normal sized fish with an incoming swell when you are fishing at water level (not cliffs). 
However, here at Bradleys Head it would definitely be very very handy. Luckily, I have a friend who just said he'd give me his landing net, as he does not need it. 

Once a person gets the basics of it, fishing for Luderick is probably not any harder than any other land based species. 

G'day mate I used to fish the stone wall for Luderick a fair bit just wanted to alert you to another good spot really close to there that is also a spot that's good for younger fishers. It's known as White Rock or White Wall and is accessed from same car park- it's back around the 'front' towards the heads. If you look at my posts it comes under a reply I gave to Spit Bridge Blackfishing. It's a run out tide ONLY spot for Luderick, but there are plenty of other fish there also and it's a more private area albeit close. If you can't find it msg me and I'll send you the details if you're interested. Cheers Waza

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Thanks Waza. Legend. I read that White Rock somewhere here on the forum. Was that you replying to a post with a very detailed description of tides and other requirements? 

 

 

Thanks

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15 minutes ago, Amatteroflight said:

Thank you Kracka! Appreciate your input! :)

Man, can you believe I actually SAW one of the luderick come in and take my bait? Except I did not manage to hook that fish. It was amazing, I have never seen that before. 

 

Gotta love it when they're ballsy like that ? bummer you didn't hook him. (edit: if you didn't already try varying the depth of your rig. Sometimes even half a foot adjustment makes a huge difference to hookups)

Try out what Waza has mentioned. As one other raider recently mentioned... He's a walking encyclopaedia. Wouldn't mind testing out white rock myself. Sounds familiar I think someone PMd me or it was in a previous post RE white rock

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2 minutes ago, wazatherfisherman said:

G'day mate yes spot 1- the 'crack' is the southernmost tip of the line of front rocks. Spot 2 is much shallower and there are more Black Drummer but far, far less Luderick

Waza, by any chance are there surgeons around there? Have been trying to find a good spot for em but only mange a few luds 

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33 minutes ago, Kracka said:

Waza, by any chance are there surgeons around there? Have been trying to find a good spot for em but only mange a few luds 

G'day mate yes indeed there are Evil lurking Surgeons there! They are in the crack on the run in- no Luderick there then. They are usually upwards of a kilo and are the supreme fighting fish encountered by all us Blackie chasers. They 'smash' pigs for strength, speed and dirty-ness! September-October they are around in better numbers and have provided plenty of action, both tragic and triumphant, When a school moves into the crack, you get bites one after another with them often pulling the float about 3-4 feet under and just stopping, 9 out of 10 times the float then comes up with bait snipped off 1mm below hook, 10th time they go on with it and bolt out of the crack 100 mile an hour, they then turn and swim back to the school. The kelp sides of the crack protect your line to a degree, but you still have to do some 'fancy' rod-work to subdue them before they come right back in as there's a 'tunnel' that goes left at your feet and I've had the horror of having 3 foot of rod tip dragged into it- so far no broken rod but more from luck than skill! Caught them at 2 of the other drift areas there as well, again at high tide. One was all light blue with a few yellow markings around the eyes- one of the coolest fish I've ever seen. Almost all others light brown to greyish. Good tucker as well. Most landed there only 2 in a day by me. For sheer numbers the northern side of Shark Island is the spot to go but you need a boat. They school up there late September in number. Another spot for them and Pigs is the "Island" at Chowder Head- I haven't fished for them or Luderick there but while Mulloway fishing there have been told by divers "you should be fishing with weed, heaps of Surgeons, Pigs and Luderick down there"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

G'day mate yes indeed there are Evil lurking Surgeons there! They are in the crack on the run in- no Luderick there then. They are usually upwards of a kilo and are the supreme fighting fish encountered by all us Blackie chasers. They 'smash' pigs for strength, speed and dirty-ness! September-October they are around in better numbers and have provided plenty of action, both tragic and triumphant, When a school moves into the crack, you get bites one after another with them often pulling the float about 3-4 feet under and just stopping, 9 out of 10 times the float then comes up with bait snipped off 1mm below hook, 10th time they go on with it and bolt out of the crack 100 mile an hour, they then turn and swim back to the school. The kelp sides of the crack protect your line to a degree, but you still have to do some 'fancy' rod-work to subdue them before they come right back in as there's a 'tunnel' that goes left at your feet and I've had the horror of having 3 foot of rod tip dragged into it- so far no broken rod but more from luck than skill! Caught them at 2 of the other drift areas there as well, again at high tide. One was all light blue with a few yellow markings around the eyes- one of the coolest fish I've ever seen. Almost all others light brown to greyish. Good tucker as well. Most landed there only 2 in a day by me. For sheer numbers the northern side of Shark Island is the spot to go but you need a boat. They school up there late September in number. Another spot for them and Pigs is the "Island" at Chowder Head- I haven't fished for them or Luderick there but while Mulloway fishing there have been told by divers "you should be fishing with weed, heaps of Surgeons, Pigs and Luderick down there"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Waza. As always such a wealth of knowledge. I'll add it to the list. Along with that king spot down south. Just waiting for some hairy weather for those reds to come in close.

Been keen to get onto some surgeons. Pretty sure I've hooked the random one while blackfishing as the reel screams off and the line breaks in a heartbeat the moment pressure is applied.

Is float fishing the best way to tackle surgeons in "the crack".

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1 hour ago, Kracka said:

Thanks Waza. As always such a wealth of knowledge. I'll add it to the list. Along with that king spot down south. Just waiting for some hairy weather for those reds to come in close.

Been keen to get onto some surgeons. Pretty sure I've hooked the random one while blackfishing as the reel screams off and the line breaks in a heartbeat the moment pressure is applied.

Is float fishing the best way to tackle surgeons in "the crack".

G'day again yes bottom ballasted float weighted so it's only 'dimpling' the surface as you fish so close, seeing it isn't an issue. Single piece of lead works best here as the best time is when tide well on the way back in which pushes float to the right. Also as tide coming in and most kelp branches well 'spread' you need to be able to quickly sink bait between waving branches so it settles in clear space- this depends on the changing kelp growth. Used to jump on the rock that forms the northern side of crack at dead low tide with a knife every so often and 'trim' any wayward arms as the spot is pretty small. Careful if you do this as it's further back up than it looks! Don't worry about not much drift as most of the fish sit in the shadow of the northern wall and don't be afraid to let float simply sit against any 'offending' kelp arms of either side, as long as bait down in 'strike' zone. Even though the 'clearer space' on the sea-side looks promising, the narrowest bit which is virtually in the middle provides the most action. Northeast wind is no good if you want to go for Surgeons on run in as it makes drift only last 2 mins max. In original article I said don't burley if you want Luderick on run out. A lot of fishers may disagree with that advice re Luderick, but for the crack works best and attracts less 'vermin' species, however if Surgeons are the target, a few well directed handfull's AFTER the tide has started coming back in will often excite them. You'll know when there are a few there as they compete aggressively for the bait and as you are virtually dropping it 'on top' of them, the "Surgeon-downs" come rapidly. As previously mentioned, the 'Surgeon-down" is often a sharp sinking of the float about a metre then it just sits there, sometimes for a minute. Don't worry if it keeps coming up nipped off a fraction below the hook,(I originally thought they were called Surgeon's because of their habit of precisely nipping off so close to the hook) eventually one will go on with it and take the lot. I used to try and use a "lump-less" bait here with none of the round 'roots' only the flat filamentous strands that are in effect 'filamentous cabbage' rather than round weed, this was far more attractive to the keen eyed Surgeon's. On the rock before the one you stand on for the crack, there is a tiny convenient pool which can be used to see how your bait sits on the hook- this might all sound like 'overkill' but when chasing these fastidious fish, every advantage needs to be used. Whether you fish outgoing for Luderick or incoming for Surgeons, the most action happens when you are standing in the water around knee deep to ankle deep. In summer, when you can stand deeper in the water, you can fish about 12 ft deep and there's plenty of action but you have to have a net then as there isn't any dry place to wash them out on. As for fighting one, best advice is to let go of the centerpin's handles and try to keep rod up-it's hard when something tears off like they do- but if they don't reef you straight away, they usually race back to where they started from(the school) and you can wind like mad and regain most of your line. If you can, 'encourage' them back out at least a second time to prevent them heading for the left hand 'tunnel' all the better. White Rock fishes well in any type of west wind as it's protected by the 'cliff' that runs all along that side of Bradleys Head/ Ashton Gardens.  P.S Don't use a 'beloved favourite' float when you first chase them as sometimes you'll never see your float again! Hope this helps in chasing them, they are the pinnacle(in my opinion anyway!) of light line fishing and MUCH harder to land than Pigs and Kings. Best of luck and I'd love to hear of you nailing a couple! Cheers Waza

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Another insightful post Waza,

I have only accidentally caught 1 Surgeon when I was fishing for Blackfish

from that little wharf at Hermit beach ( mostly gone now)  so I don't count it for a win!

I might target them from the boat and see if I can claim a "catch with intent"

Thanks again for your continued contributions.

Cheers

 

Jim

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, fragmeister said:

Another insightful post Waza,

I have only accidentally caught 1 Surgeon when I was fishing for Blackfish

from that little wharf at Hermit beach ( mostly gone now)  so I don't count it for a win!

I might target them from the boat and see if I can claim a "catch with intent"

Thanks again for your continued contributions.

Cheers

 

Jim

 

 

 

Thanks Jim -ANY Surgeon caught while Blackfishing goes into the "Personal Hall of Fame" captures as far as I'm concerned- they rarely come without an awesome battle. I think a lot of people put a Surgeon "bust-up" down to the usual suspects- Pigs, as even small ones fight like mad. Years ago, we knew a guy who worked at a marina or yacht club in Yowie Bay and they used to fish for them using 30-40 lb handlines and unweighted live nippers. Still got busted by them! When you were fishing around the Eastern suburbs years ago, did you ever meet Alan Skelton the great float maker from Bronte? He lived in Macpherson Drive and was always in the know about anything being caught around the whole area, as heaps of fishermen used to visit him, often for floats, bobby corks and custom built rods. He told me (with a wink in his eye!) the Hermitage Reserve Surgeons were great for the float making business as there were plenty of really big ones along that stretch. Other boat locations where they "lurk" other than Shark Island were Clarke Island and the N/E side of Sow and Pigs drifting from that side towards the 'wave'. Be really interested to hear how you get on if you target them. Regards Waza

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Thanks so much for all the detailed info Waza. Legend! My next trip will be at White Rock most likely. To scope it out at the least. 

I think I must have hooked a few surgeons in the past while fishing for blackish based on the types of downs you described. The float suddenly sky rockets down to the depths. Once hooked it was unstoppable. The line peeled off like mad and then the 6lb leader snapped like it was cotton the moment I applied a little pressure. I thought it was a Kingie turned vegetarian.

Now I know the likely culprits were surgeons. Good thing I have a solid stash of home made wooden floats I don't mind parting with.

Will take a crack at the crack and let you know how I go. 

 Cheers. 

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5 minutes ago, Kracka said:

Thanks so much for all the detailed info Waza. Legend! My next trip will be at White Rock most likely. To scope it out at the least. 

I think I must have hooked a few surgeons in the past while fishing for blackish based on the types of downs you described. The float suddenly sky rockets down to the depths. Once hooked it was unstoppable. The line peeled off like mad and then the 6lb leader snapped like it was cotton the moment I applied a little pressure. I thought it was a Kingie turned vegetarian.

Now I know the likely culprits were surgeons. Good thing I have a solid stash of home made wooden floats I don't mind parting with.

Will take a crack at the crack and let you know how I go. 

 Cheers. 

Lol! A Kingie turned vegetarian is by far the best description I've ever heard! That is exactly them! Am still sitting here laughing! Over the years, I've caught and seen caught, Surgeons from a fair few different spots. The common denominator has been the 'down'- it's really common that they 'rocket' the float down like you described, when close enough to see it -like in the crack, or "Bennelong" at the Quay (where you sit virtually straight above your float) you'll notice after the float goes down 3-4 feet it just stops- if you strike then you'll miss 95% of the time and due to their habit of nipping the bait off below the hook, your float will often come back up, bait ruined- this is common when they are schooled up, but eventually, one will go on with it and the float takes the secondary downwards plunge, then it's action stations! I've fished with 6 and a half pound Tortue for 40 years, when fishing for them instead of Blackies I fish straight-through so only 1 knot- the hook- that equates to losing floats to them and the odd Pig (though most inner harbour Pigs are mostly under 2 kg and 'manageable'). We reckon somewhere in the harbour there's a Surgeon's "Hall of Fame" that's packed with all the stolen floats! I hope you get one(or more!) with the memory of that nice Kingie on the Alvey fresh in your "feel" as I'd love to hear your thoughts re a comparison of the two. Best of luck when you go.  Cheers mate

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Haha I love that. A gallery of floats lost to the depths over the years. Might be worth a pretty penny if someone recovered them.

Yeah keen to get onto a few and see how they fight. I'll be in for a pleasant surprise I'm sure. It's a very interesting way to float fish. You technically have to wait for that second down before striking. Sounds like a fun challenge. 

I never knew 6lb line was enough to stop these guys. I assumed it would have been similar to drummer fishing around the 14lb side of things. I also completely agree with the single knot to the hook. Minimise the weak points.

What type of rod would you recommend? I have 3 blackfish rods. One in the 8kg line class @12 foot and an alvey 16 foot 3-4kg line class. It handled a 5kg silver drummer well enough the other day.  Also have a 5.3m ISO rod I just bought which is great for the blackies but I've been a bit of a chicken using it for drummer yet alone surgeons. Don't want to burn away a $350 rod lol.

A mate I used to work with fished for the 70cm models around pylons such as pier 2 using 70lb line and a stocky boat rod to out muscle them from wrapping around the pylons. Unweighted bread baits got him a few. They were huge.

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G'day again I have been using a 3145 GP Blackie rod for them which is far from ideal, however as they have mostly been an 'after-thought' of a Blackie outing (or were the dominant species instead) that has been the rod- genuine Blackfish rod, slow taper, bending through 70-80% of the blank (built by me)- these blanks are 12 foot one inch and made genuine 3kg rods, so I'd recommend the lighter but not the ISO as you don't want it pulled inside out after just getting it. 'Pin or Alvey the only way to go. 70lb line sounds like a good idea to me, use whatever is necessary for the locality. The guy at Yowie Bay used to get busted on 40lb due to pylons but neither were using weed and I couldn't tell you if they'd be interested with taking it on the heavy line- same as big Pigs, you can hook them all day on light gear, as soon as you get the heavier stuff out, no more runs. Maybe try your 12lb first, if no bites go down a bit in line class. Reckon I've probably hooked some of the 70cm ones- spool is a 'blur' and precious float never seen again. Was at Port Stephens a few years ago and there was a weigh-in for a spear fishing comp, walked over for a look and amongst some other awesome captures were a few different types of Surgeons- plenty were 6-7 kg- can't imagine what they'd do to fishing line!

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Wow that sounds intense. I'm surprised you would just lose a float. A 7kg model would probably take more than just the float,  it'd take the whole cake and probably the plate too...

Yeah that's a good idea. I'll start off with the lighter line and go up or down accordingly. Alvey all the way. 

If all else fails I go croc dundee style and wrestle them with my bare hands

Thanks for the advice. Fingers crossed

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27 minutes ago, Kracka said:

Wow that sounds intense. I'm surprised you would just lose a float. A 7kg model would probably take more than just the float,  it'd take the whole cake and probably the plate too...

Yeah that's a good idea. I'll start off with the lighter line and go up or down accordingly. Alvey all the way. 

If all else fails I go croc dundee style and wrestle them with my bare hands

Thanks for the advice. Fingers crossed

Don't know if those varieties from offshore (the spearo's got) venture inshore but you'd need a game rod to land one

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