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Changes in Rock Fishing and the dangers


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Hi Fellow Fishraiders,

I have fished the rocks for over 55 years and I absolutely love it still. I will also admit I'm a late adopter of youtube, which opened up an amazing new world for me. I would also recognise that technology has changed so much in the last 20 something years, which has been amazing and has changed the fishing scene and methods. Yet I am a tad concerned. There seems to be a tendency to use much shorter graphite rods - say 9ft, combined with 30 to 50 lb braid. 

Two questions: in the '70s we generally used around 18lb mono and landed a lot of pretty big fish - up to 60 lb tuna and 35 lb kingfish. Is using 50 lb braid a step forward to sportfishing - especially catching 2 kg bonito or tailor or salmon?

My second question is: We used to use 12 ft rods - there were a number of reasons for this. The most important being controlling and landing a fish. with safety. I see the latest youtubes with fisher people putting them selves in danger by having to get so close the rock edge to fight and try to land their fish and often with parabolic rods more suited to jigging off boats and not so good at guiding fish to the rocks -and I see so many failures.

Just throwing it out there, but my concerns are firstly personal safety and secondly sportfishing - 50 lb line to catch a 5lb fish? That doesn't quite make sense to me. When fishing for smaller sportfish, I would use 10 lb mono and did very well and was good sport. I had the benefit of being tutored by the late Bill Doe of Avoca Beach and he taught me so much about sportfishing from the the rocks.

Would be very interested in your thoughts - I may be way off the mark - wouldn't be the first time!

Regards, Steve

 

Edited by Twinfisher 4.9
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Was blackfishing off the rocks recently and had a fella tell me my 12’ rod was too big, I should get a nice light rod like him ..... it was only 6 or 7’.

He had to get right over by the edge to keep fish off the rock AND wash em up, got snagged on the edge several times...

I said yeah.... nah, I’ll be right.

I’m with you Twin.

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Steve, you are pretty right on all counts- read my comments on the "dover heights lost fish"" thread, i didnt even touch on the "fair chase"" aspects. I rarely fish the rocks at ll these days but even in boats- guys catching small kings on 100lb braid and 120lb leader- etc etc , the whole sportsfishing ethos is very different. I would also say that ""angling"" skills are on the wane, lots of folk using reels as winches IMHO

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In the 70's if you lost a 65lb fish on 18lb mono it was no problem, re rig or re hook & just go again & there was another 65lb fish lined up behind the last one, we now generally speaking don't have the luxury of having a large number of fish to play Russian roulette on so yes at times if you want to have a better chance of land a decent sized fish then you need to up the anti.  

Sure some people love that light sports fishing factor, I think most good fisho's want to use as light as possible to feel the fight in the fish, that all comes down to being location & circumstance dependant as in some condition you do absolutely need 50/80lb+ braid & 100lb+ leader to catch a 30kg giant trevally over reef or rock to have a chance!

Not sure what youtubes your watching but maybe Id suggest just change channels, there is some very cool vids out there where guys are catching some cracking fish on light gear, & guys catching very big fish on heavy gear.

Edited by kingie chaser
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Hi Kingie,

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that some of your remarks were a bit "tongue in cheek" as we didn't quite have 65lb fish all lined up. Regarding your example of catching 30kg GT's I completely agree, having caught a few and I still think it comes down to "horses for courses" - the chance of hooking a large GT off the rocks in southern NSW are pretty slim, if not zero. So how about we match our gear to the likely target fish. I use 3kg line off the rocks for luderick - yes occasionally I will get done by a black drummer. But if I were using appropriate drummer gear, I would likely not catch a luderick. Say off the beach, fishing for whiting with beach worms - perhaps a 20 kg mulloway may take my bait - in the mean time, I catch no whiting or bream were I rigged for mulloway. I still believe that fishing should still be about "sport" and enjoyment of the encounter and a real challenge between the angler and the fish. Now I'm getting far too philosophical so will shut up!

Cheers, Steve

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Back in the late 70's it was all about high speed spin gear for me, with 6:1 Seascapes and because the Currarong ledges where I fished were high and dropped vertically into deep water, 10 foot, 20lb rated rods were the weapon of choice. I can understand 12 foot is a better choice in nasty country, but 10's gave us a leverage advantage and on a few narrow ledges a longer rod would impede our back cast.

I think with today's gear guys are choosing to select heavy braid for a couple of reasons. 1: Braid is not too abrasion resistant, so its just insurance around nasty rocks and 2: Most guys fish spin reels these days and casting an 80g lure on 10kg braid, you're running the risk of the braid slicing your trigger finger to the bone.

Just my opinion. Personally I fish 15kg braid, which most likely really breaks around 25kg, but my local has a reputation for large kings and every bit helps when it comes to landing one of those buggers from the stones.

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Yeah i mainly fished from Sydney -north- spin rod was 20 or 25lb nylon and livebait was 30lb. Most northern blues could be handled on that gear without too many problems, i actually preferred a 9ft rod because of the backswing factor. I saw plenty of 20-30lb kings landed on that gear but the terrain was the deciding factor, at some ledges a 10lb was a lucky catch, at others like Avoca you could get the rod tip out from the rocks and as long as you had good footwork most fish were landable. One of my best catches was a king of about 8kg (never weighed) that i got on 12lb nylon while spinning for tailor- no leader,no gaff, no help. I still dont think 65lb fish were that much more common 30 years ago and i would rather get the bite on lighter gear and worry about landing it later. I do watch some of the utube vids and i see guys skulldragging a bluefin close to rocks- you dont actually have to do that-freespool them and they instantly change direction but those ""angling"" skills are missing it seems.

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On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2020 at 1:44 AM, Twinfisher 4.9 said:

Hi Fellow Fishraiders,

I have fished the rocks for over 55 years and I absolutely love it still. I will also admit I'm a late adopter of youtube, which opened up an amazing new world for me. I would also recognise that technology has changed so much in the last 20 something years, which has been amazing and has changed the fishing scene and methods. Yet I am a tad concerned. There seems to be a tendency to use much shorter graphite rods - say 9ft, combined with 30 to 50 lb braid. 

Two questions: in the '70s we generally used around 18lb mono and landed a lot of pretty big fish - up to 60 lb tuna and 35 lb kingfish. Is using 50 lb braid a step forward to sportfishing - especially catching 2 kg bonito or tailor or salmon?

My second question is: We used to use 12 ft rods - there were a number of reasons for this. The most important being controlling and landing a fish. with safety. I see the latest youtubes with fisher people putting them selves in danger by having to get so close the rock edge to fight and try to land their fish and often with parabolic rods more suited to jigging off boats and not so good at guiding fish to the rocks -and I see so many failures.

Just throwing it out there, but my concerns are firstly personal safety and secondly sportfishing - 50 lb line to catch a 5lb fish? That doesn't quite make sense to me. When fishing for smaller sportfish, I would use 10 lb mono and did very well and was good sport. I had the benefit of being tutored by the late Bill Doe of Avoca Beach and he taught me so much about sportfishing from the the rocks.

Would be very interested in your thoughts - I may be way off the mark - wouldn't be the first time!

Regards, Steve

 

You would have to be lucky to land a 35 lb kingfish on the rocks on 18 lb line. Even with 50 lb braid it's no guarantee. And lighter braid is hard on fingers and easily cut on rocks. It's hard to extert enough pressure even with a 9 ft rod and given their strength and dirty fishting. Remember ANSA and sportfishing was all the craze back then and a lot of people were after line class records, this worked better with tuna. And there is more catch and release today so getting them in quickly is not a bad thing. Also sharks taking your catch is a big problem on the North Coast.

As to rod length it depends on the ledge. The southern LBG ledges are often quite high and drop down into deep water. It's like fishing off a wharf and there is no problem getting near the edge. Also livebaiting rods were always short as far as I recall.  And threadlines work quite well with shorter rod whereas overheads were more the go in the old days.

 

Edited by kingfishbig
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Hi Hornet, I also used to fish Currarong - Devils Gorge in particular - what a spot! I still have 4 old Seascapes - those brittle pinion gears didn't last long did they! My largest kingy from the rocks was 37 lbs, at Avoca at the deep hole, live baiting and it was taken less than 10 mts from the rocks (on a Seascape). We didn't have fluro carbon in those days so it was 18 lb Tortue straight through. I learned something important that day - no matter how hard you pull, they will pull even harder -  a technique I still use today. I was in trouble a few times as it went into the crevices at my feet - freespool immediately and it swims out, again and again.  It took almost 30 minutes but at times softly, softly can do it.

Cheers, Steve

Edited by Twinfisher 4.9
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On 5/6/2020 at 4:59 PM, PaddyT said:

Steve, you are pretty right on all counts- read my comments on the "dover heights lost fish"" thread, i didnt even touch on the "fair chase"" aspects. I rarely fish the rocks at ll these days but even in boats- guys catching small kings on 100lb braid and 120lb leader- etc etc , the whole sportsfishing ethos is very different. I would also say that ""angling"" skills are on the wane, lots of folk using reels as winches IMHO

There is another side to the topic PaddyT. Most anglers don't want to have fish "escape" and swim away with hooks and line attached to their mouths...that's not a good outcome. Ideally finding a balance is the go. Giving the fish a chance a skillful angler can test himself and his capabilities (ie as in SPORTFISHING). It's really about finding the right balance. The one unknown will always be that you just don't know what's going to jump on the end of your line. I'm not an advocate for skulldragging fish out of their environment, nor am I an angler who uses 6lb line to fish the snags for Murray Cod. I do tend to agree with you that the equipment available to anglers nowadays makes fishing much easier and there's a "different" type of knowledge required for success in many situations. Just my 2 bobsworth to throw another viewpoint into the wash. Cheers, bn

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I guess in a kind of way, no single rod suits all occasions, I fish a spot now and then that even a 13' rod is too short, simply because the rocks in front slope out a long way, anything shorter, and you would have to hold it over your head to stop getting snagged right in front of you, but then, on the beach, I use an 8' rod most of the time, because I chase Whiting, and usually fishing flat water and short casts, the same rod I use at only 2 rock fishing spots, because it suits the area, few snags, deep water at your feet. The line is kind of interesting, and in a way, fishing shows and YouTube are probably the reason "modern fads" are widely used, people see these "celebrities" catching fish after fish on some kind of thermo nuclear, triple black hook and it appears that it's a must, or some kind if 50kg super space age line that's only a minute diameter, and a reel with 50 bearing, 80kg of drag and  the price of a second hand car, and just have to have it. Quality gear is a joy to use, but rock fishing in the main is a simple past time (forgetting LBG) and in my opinion, requires a simple approach, a "thinking" fisherman will outfish anyone armed with a tackle shop of the best gear in his "kit" but little knowledge.

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11 hours ago, Twinfisher 4.9 said:

Hi Hornet, I also used to fish Currarong - Devils Gorge in particular - what a spot! I still have 4 old Seascapes - those brittle pinion gears didn't last long did they! My largest kingy from the rocks was 37 lbs, at Avoca at the deep hole, live baiting and it was taken less than 10 mts from the rocks (on a Seascape). We didn't have fluro carbon in those days so it was 18 lb Tortue straight through. I learned something important that day - no matter how hard you pull, they will pull even harder -  a technique I still use today. I was in trouble a few times as it went into the crevices at my feet - freespool immediately and it swims out, again and again.  It took almost 30 minutes but at times softly, softly can do it.

Cheers, Steve

Eaves Ravine was my favourite Steve and back then I had the ledge to myself most of the time.

I used to have a compartment in my lure box just for 'Scape spare pinion gears, a bit of grease and the tools to replace them.

My PB from the rocks must be roughly the same as yours and weighed in at 17kg. I had a much bigger one beaten, or so I thought one day fishing by myself and when trying to reach for the gaff, the fish took off along the rockface. Skipping along with it, my boot got caught in a crevice and the only way to free my foot was to freespool and remove the boot. The fish had wrapped me up in a kelp bed and when I put pressure back on him, I felt a couple of kelp stalks pop before the inevitable and the line parted. 

The softly, softly approach never worked for me. It was straight to full drag and wind like hell.

Here's a pic of my 17kg fish, along with a bonus around 9kg caught the same day.

9-04-83 16kg web.jpg

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I nearly bought an old Seascape at a garage sale a few months ago, looking back I should have, I just wanted it for "old times sake" no intention of using it, just like the old 499 Mitchel, I would love to come across one cheap just to have to play with.

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26 minutes ago, noelm said:

I nearly bought an old Seascape at a garage sale a few months ago, looking back I should have, I just wanted it for "old times sake" no intention of using it, just like the old 499 Mitchel, I would love to come across one cheap just to have to play with.

Same here, The ones I didn't destroy, I traded in years ago and really regret it now. 

I've been keeping an eye out on for one on various for sale websites, but its hard to find a 6:1 Major in good condition.

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I had two, one to use and one in the tackle bag, just in case! Pretty sad reel in a lot of ways, but, it's all we had and we embraced them, lots of reels were like that, Policanskys (spelling) were well regarded, but, in reality were quite primitive and had several weak points, even the rods, old ceramic guides, brass reel seats and twine bound on for grips, they were the days.

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Hi Hornet, I had fished the Currarong headland many times and had never heard of Eaves Ravine - had to look it up tonight. Hope it was easier to get into than the Gorge. Had a few scary moments on that track in the dark! Do you know if we are still allowed access into it? Used to love driving in and seeing the red double-decker buses (mostly undamaged) that the Navy used for target practice. As a teenager it was an exciting environment. Have been back with my boat a few times and have never been as successful as it was off the rocks. But times have changed. Enjoyed your pic - we didn't have much in the way of camera gear in those days (oh for a '70's iPhone) so don't have any photos. It's interesting how the "soft" approach works or doesn't. I was constantly made fun of on the rocks with my approach - "I put more pressure on a luderick than Steve does on a kingy etc". From the boat I float a live bait near a bommie in less than 2 mts of water with a very ugly bottom. Once hooked I try to simply lead them away from the rocks and they seem fine to be guided. Once I get them closer to the boat, yes I lock up. I'll dig out my old 'Scapes and see if you may like one  - I  don't need that many to reminisce with!

Cheers, Steve

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Steve, back in the mid 70's the Gorge was a fairly simple walk in until the navy bombed the track. Between a lockout on the bombing range and marine park sanctuary zones, that area is of limits to fishos now, along with a fair stretch of the coast containing several famous LBG spots.

I remember the bus and there was an old plane fuselage as well. I was climbing around inside the plane many years ago searching for bullets, when I heard the roar of the Skyhawk fighter jets approaching. You never saw a guy scamper out of there quicker than me, haha. Of course I was safe as the range was open that day, but still got the heart pumping.

That would be terrific if you could look out the 'Scapes, I'd love to add one to my collection. If you do, could you please PM me a pic and a price?

Thanks
Pete

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Was great seeing the Navy actually bombing, especially at night, I have seen it a few times now, nearly ran into a Submarine once running across JB at night, the sub was "hiding" near submerged with no lights, when I got close, they turned on bright lights and gave me instructions  over a PA system, scared the bejesus out of us.....

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1 hour ago, noelm said:

Was great seeing the Navy actually bombing, especially at night, I have seen it a few times now, nearly ran into a Submarine once running across JB at night, the sub was "hiding" near submerged with no lights, when I got close, they turned on bright lights and gave me instructions  over a PA system, scared the bejesus out of us.....

I've only recently moved from Hyams Beach and watched night bombing with the flares and fighter planes a lot.

Eaves Ravine was just outside the range and I often saw the Skyhawks firing rockets/missiles at Drum and Drumsticks.

One day while cleaning my fish at Moes Rock, a Skyhawk came over super low, scaring the crap out of me before disappearing over the range. About 5 minutes later it happened again, so I kept an eye on the plane as it circled, setting for another run and as he got near I stood up and flipped the pilot a double bird.

On his next run as he passed overhead, he tilted the plane on it side and birded me back.

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I'm pretty sure they used to fly low to scare people, sometimes out at the Banks, they would come in at what looked like sea level, and they would be over your head before you saw them, then the sound would catch up and scare the daylights out of you.

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That happened to me in my backyard with an F1-11.

The first thing I heard was a cracking noise that I believe was the air parting around the wings, then an almighty roar of the jets as this thing dropped and shot across the bay. It actually had to climb a little to get over point Perpendicular, it was that low.

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Back in 89 I was in a 12 foot tinny on the inside edge of Ningaloo reef 200k’s south of Exmouth not a soul about when an F-18 buzzed & boomed me & then shot off vertically & out of sight in about 8 seconds, he was so close that the water rippled & my boardies changed colour, lucky I wasn’t wearing undies & my heart was still pounding 10 minutes later

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Thats funny about the stories of the fighter jets - not so humorous when you are on the receiving end.......but if you were in the cockpit, wouldn't you just think about doing it as well? I would.

Pete, "Gorge was a fairly simple walk in" - you must have had a better head for heights than I.  As Crusher mentioned, my shorts had changed colour by the time I reached the ledge!

Have recently moved house so still unpacking and will find the Seascapes and send pics and details - does it have to be a Major?

Edited by Twinfisher 4.9
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Regarding rods & gear suitable for the situation - here's an example. Rock fishing for "Monster Blue Groper" with an 8ft parabolic rod from a high ledge. What is he going to do next if he even gets the fish near the rocks - put his or his mate's lives in danger?

The prosecution rests its case your honour!

Screen Shot 2020-05-12 at 5.48.40.png

Edited by Twinfisher 4.9
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