Restyle Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 5 hours ago, krause said: Down south has all the cheat codes activated, hardly open water. A good spot to test yourself in a bit of swell with local company and safety near by. Current and backwash can present problems but like anything you choose your conditions wisely. You shouldn't be out there if conditions are uncomfortable. What denotes suitable conditions depends on the location, and your understanding of the area. You'll almost always have swell and backwash to deal with but you get used to letting the kayak rock side to side and going up and down as well as whats a safe distance from the cliffs and what areas are to be avoided. For example North head always feels very rough on the way out to Old Mans Hat and I've seen people turn around because of it, but its always more comfortable past OMH in the primary swell. I also swing very wide around the SE corner of the headland as I don't like to risk going surfing. A suitable level of scepticism and following others will get you a long way in learning whats where. I always collect livies from the yak, and as a result I generally fish areas where live bait is reliable and on the way out. Actually that's another reason I find fishing systems a pain, paddling to find live bait can be a real effort especially if it is mobile or variable. Legend! Ill probably try just of the hacking first in bate bay before going around to kurnell once i get comfortable. Weather & swell is really just common sense i was just worried about current and backwash. Im properly over thinking it, ill get out when the swell isn't so big and powerful. kurnell, as i see it the only local spot to pull a big king and a few bonnies (god they are fun on light gear), millions of rats inside the hacking around lilli pilli, like usual. I don't expect to pull one on my first trip ether, takes quite abit of learning of the new area before you start constantly pulling fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted February 18, 2020 Author Share Posted February 18, 2020 Get a feel for it all first but I'd join in for a trip to Kurnel, though they police that wharf pretty well. I generally go to Molli if I'm headed to BB as its a little manageable. Though it can get like a parking lot on weekends.... Can produce the goods though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restyle Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 12 minutes ago, krause said: Get a feel for it all first but I'd join in for a trip to Kurnel, though they police that wharf pretty well. I generally go to Molli if I'm headed to BB as its a little manageable. Though it can get like a parking lot on weekends.... Can produce the goods though have been to the wharf quite alot for a kingie or two & have seen them paroling it every now and then telling the occasional boat thats a little to close to the wharf to move out. Do get slight swell in there but mostly wind chop. Theres plenty of yakkas and occasionally slimeys & squid all around the wharf and the tug moorings around the north side of the wharf. Dose fish well at times. Probably the best place to get lives if your going to go around the heads as they are a 10 minute paddle away. parking at moli can be bad on the weekends.. i have just launched at kurnell and just peddle over to moli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lungfai76 Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Monster Kings from a Yak would be hell dangerous if you ain't set up properly for them, stick to the rats and hoodlums or you'll get towed about like this dude 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey299 Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) 23 hours ago, krause said: Lets make clear i don't land monsters, but I guess that's the goal. I just run a poor mans down rigger. No room for real down riggers on the yak and towing that resistance would prove painful. A poor mans does the trick though, if they're marking on the bottom then ill hit the brakes and get the bait down there. North Head has never proven fruitful for mass numbers of rats for me, I generally would get one solid hit a trip and that was it, alongside whatever I could spin up along the way. Though I don't frequent the area as much as I once did Don't worry I don't land monster too, so I am in the same club as you! How heavy is your sinker and roughly how fast do you troll with the live bait? Edited February 19, 2020 by whiskey299 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Gotta aim big, though I agree its probably smart to have more than a 2.8m yak and a coles bag at hand. Rats are entertainment enough on their own IMO but always hoping for those bigger models. Sinker size, err about that big? I can find out for you but its a rough science. I have a number of sizes and use them loosely, the reality is if you're drifting they all sink down and if you're moving they'll all sit in the top few meters. Minimum of about 60g maybe? Idunno but theyre not small, but still towable in a kayak. Speed is what ever is comfortable, ave of about 4kmh according to my sounder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey299 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 I fished Middle Harbour this morning for a big donut, water is still very dirty and lots of debris on the surface which made the pedal annoying as stuff kept getting stuck on my rudder which made it vibrate. I had to head back to the ramp by midday and just my luck my friend who kept fishing managed to land a legal jew on freshly caught squid. Spewing! Great for him, spewing for me! Can anyone help me, I was told there is a wreck at Quakers Hat, I searched around that area twice and could not find it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, whiskey299 said: Can anyone help me, I was told there is a wreck at Quakers Hat, I searched around that area twice and could not find it! Yep. Do you have a fish finder with GPS? Without GPS a little trickier. There are some marks I usually use or look for the boats sitting on it. Edited February 20, 2020 by DerekD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey299 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 12 hours ago, DerekD said: Yep. Do you have a fish finder with GPS? Without GPS a little trickier. There are some marks I usually use or look for the boats sitting on it. Yes I have, my fish finder even has the new side scan feature which I turned in hope to see something obvious, but failed! If you have GPS co-ordinates that would be awesome! Anyone other useful co-ordinates will also be greatly appreciated. Happy for you to PM the details if you want them kept private. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razzell Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Krause! G'day buddy! We had a cracker of a summer those few years back, hey? You still rocking the reload? Mines still going strong. Went a bit quiet for a while as I changed jobs and couldn't plan trips effectively - they became opportunistic. Got a close mate involved as well, so we started fishing regularly together when the opportunities did arise. I only periodically check in here now as I moved to Melbourne about a year ago. Fishing down here but it's not as good as Sydney. I may well be back in a couple of years (or less), a primary motivator for which will probably be the fishing. The snapper are good, but everything else is smaller! If I come up to Sydney on a road trip with the yak on the roof, I'll be sure to shout! Hope all is good with you bud (and all the other old crew!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 Hey mate good to here from you, my reload is still going strong as well. I'm in the same book as you with work, gone are the loose days of choosing when to fish, now I just "go" when I can. If ever you're back up you've got my details, well go chase something somewhere. Cheers mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Well, I just bought a kayak 20 minutes ago, so I am extremely new to the fold! When it came on FB, I couldn’t resist the price. 😎 It’s 2.7m and came with a trolley. I’m hoping I can walk it down the end of the road and fish around Corlette (Port Stephens) for flathead, bream, whiting etc. and maybe drop a couple of crab traps in. The theory is that I might get a quick fish in occasionally without the hassle of cleaning my boat afterwards, even maybe drop the crab traps in the evening and pick them up in the morning. It would be rare for me to manage 2 days in a row in the boat but the yak might make it manageable. There is also a sneaky spot I want to try for bass but the reeds make it look a bit daunting from shore. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Ha ha hope your going to get crabs in boat not yak bloody braver man than me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 You get very good very quickly at wrestling assorted dangerous things in your lap. Rule one is point toothy things away from your crotch! The convenience of living near the water and owning a yak would be what dreams are made of. I wouldn't know as I live no where near the water but I can only imagine. You'll have a ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Bryant fish said: Ha ha hope your going to get crabs in boat not yak bloody braver man than me Well, I haven’t thought through the logistics of it yet. 🤔 I might have to paddle back to shore with the trap and deal with it there! PS. Do you often hope people get crabs...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Some people deserve crabs and more😁 but really I use witches hats in the boat hard enough to untangle them there do have a yak as well no way am I bringing crabs onboard ouch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Bryant fish said: Some people deserve crabs and more😁 but really I use witches hats in the boat hard enough to untangle them there do have a yak as well no way am I bringing crabs onboard ouch Ah, yes witches hats could be tricky. They’re illegal in Port Stephens... I figure my standard round traps will be easier... but maybe I’ll start with just 1, not the usual 2. Remains to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharknett Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 9:15 AM, whiskey299 said: Don't worry I don't land monster too, so I am in the same club as you! How heavy is your sinker and roughly how fast do you troll with the live bait? I use 6 or 8oz drop sinkers. May be a little heavy but I got them cheap a while back and the bait doesn't rise up too much when moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharknett Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) On 2/21/2020 at 9:47 AM, whiskey299 said: Yes I have, my fish finder even has the new side scan feature which I turned in hope to see something obvious, but failed! If you have GPS co-ordinates that would be awesome! Anyone other useful co-ordinates will also be greatly appreciated. Happy for you to PM the details if you want them kept private. TIA Coming North From Tunks Park ramp there is an old red hulled sail boat on your right near Quakers. Should find the wreck between the boat and headland, holds schools of yakkas on the right day. Only legal fish I have caught there was a Watsons Leaping Bonito, I think Seaforth is more reliable for legal kings. Edited February 27, 2020 by sharknett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share Posted February 28, 2020 Headed South tomorrow, check the Kayak section or PM... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey299 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 To follow up on this really old thread. I did manage my first session out in open water last month. The weather is warming up and I hope everyone is staying safe and getting out there to wet a line. Here's a video I put together , which was cut short due to wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 @whiskey299 great video with explanation Good use of technology right there (thx Siri) mrsswordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey299 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 5 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said: @whiskey299 great video with explanation Good use of technology right there (thx Siri) mrsswordie Thanks! You can take as many photos as you want and have no one else to blame for taking a crappy shot but yourself! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynabolt Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 hello @krause! I havent been on this site in a while! Still remember that hairtail fishing session in winter a few years back. Didnt catch anything but enjoyed the serenity of fishing at night. Would love to catch up with everyone for a fish once the weather warms up. I will be up the coast in the port stephens area the coming weekend, for a short break. Land based fishing for me. I've launched from Clontarf and gone round to Beauty point. Have also swung past grotto point in front of wash away beach. Didn't catch much though. But really enjoy the time on the water. Angela 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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