Captain_Birdseye

Great thread to make us all aware of this... thanks. Personally I can't help but think of that brilliant 'The Games' Episode when the organisers realise that the 100m track built for the Sydney Olympics isn't 100m... if you haven't seen the show, that episode in particular is pure gold. They play out the bureaucratic angle on the situation amazingly well...

Hey people, My mates who I went up there with didn't show any enthusiasm at all for the little trip and by the time Sat arvo rolled around the wind was up so it would've been hard work regardless. Ended up land fishing at Swansea for a few leatherjackets, some sweep and then headed back towards Gwandalan and hooked up on half a dozen small snapper and same number small bream... all the while watching huge mullet swimming around the rocks I was fishing off and not taking my beautifully presented float rigged bread... plenty of bread scattered around too! Nice evening to be out though on dusk...

Hey people, Am off on a short getaway with some friends to Gwandalan this weekend (28-30 August) and have floated the idea of hiring a tinnie between a few of us and having a fish in Lake Macquarie. Preliminary research sent me to lakemacboathire.com.au and I've sent out a feeler re: hiring but am wondering if there is any other places you can hire from? If we happen to do well with the fish - that'll be a bonus - but just getting out with some mates who don't do much boat fishing might tempt them into doing more around Sydney in the future. Won't be taking up the family boat though as it would be too much hassel since I don't know how many people want to fish/go out and the tinnie will be far less stressful with people who aren't used to fishing in a boat. And besides baking in an open tinnie - doesn't get much better than that. Depending on where we hire from (likely near Swansea) am thinking the drop-off to the Lake and the sandflats and shoreline around that area - and depending on our boat limit - the artificial reefs around the corner to the south. Any info - much appreciated.

Here's the report from Saturday: Not a huge day in terms of fish but it was a great 6 hours out on the water (pity that stretches to 8 total hours for the whole expedition when you add travel time and cleaning the boat afterwards). All up we caught a dozen fish (all flathead bar one legal Tailor) and kept two Flattys. Biggest fish 44cm, so no monsters at all. Early morning and on the water... the 3 hours of sleep before hand is quickly a non factor. There's much more of this fish... you just can't see it as the other 38cm are out of frame... Looks can be deceiving - really liked the look of this spot... nada, zilch, zero anything. But a good view. What we kept - two Flatties As fresh as it gets - been lugging around a gas burner every land based place I've fished for the past 2 months - and got it out to cook the smaller of the two flatties in kaffir lime leaves, onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, oil, butter and salt and pepper. Wrapped in foil, cooked on the front deck - beautiful. Highlight of the day was the 'catching' of the smaller of the two kept flatties. My brother hooked up on a plastic and I got into position to net it and it comes in really quick and does a head wobble about a metre from the boat. I was worried it'd spit the plastic so I get the net in the water asap and as my brother brings it a little closer with a quick wind, I just instinctively scoop - even though the fish wasn't ready by any stretch. Fortunately I did what I did - because no sooner had I started to scoop, the plastic and hook wizz past my head my brother exclaims that his line has busted (that's what he thought had happened) and he thinks the fish is gorn! I look down into the net - and the flatty is safely caught. Naturally I then claimed the fish as my own. Good day out, look forward to many more in the near future.

Well, we will be. My brother and I have dusted off the boat, checked the motor works before launching (made that rookie mistake before) and plan to head onto the Hawkesbury from Brooklyn tomorrow morning at first light. A quick chat with the bloke at Windybanks, confirms the belief around here that the bite will really pick up late Sept/early Oct but it has been 18 months since we've taken the boat out and I'm really looking forward to it. I love getting out onto the breakwall or sand bar up in the Camden Haven but being in a boat - you just can't beat the promise of maybe finding that spot no-one else has fished yet... that HAS fish. Or failing that - finding the same place everyone else fishes and catch a boatload! So we'll be out nice and early armed with plastics, lures, bait and a pocket full of dreams... Full report with some pictures (hopefully of fish) Saturday/Sunday arvo. Just hoping to land a decent Bream or three (as that's what we're targeting) - well at least one legal fish of any kind so I can get the gas burner out and cook up some extremely fresh breakfast/morning tea for us. Here's out trusty steed for the session... Good luck if you're fishing this weekend!

Helps a lot - thanks. Just wanted to go somewhere last weekend and hadn't been up to Wiseman's in who knows how long... Live in Galston so its a fair distance to fish anywhere which is annoying, so am keeping my ears open for a spot relatively close!

Outstanding fish. But time to get a new crew mate perhaps...

As someone who loves to fish Camden Haven this is incredibly encouraging! Was up there in mid July and while I only caught 2 legal Bream and about 15 over 20cm - being land based at the time I wasn't too disappointed. But seeing this just warms up my enthusiasm to get the boat kitted up and sneaking away for a weekend with my brother for a crack in September/October. Plastic/lure or bait sir?

Well that was a nice scenic drive... Not a single bite but it was a glorious day to be out and... well at least out. Tried wharf at Spencer, a nice rock with rod holes about 2km west of Spencer and the little beach up from the ferry at Wiseman's and just wondered - what was on telly at home? Haven't lost faith in the area - be foolish doing that - but will probably only be back with a boat and the freshest Hawkesbury prawns in the universe!

Thanks for that - my mate has failed to get his 'permission slip' signed in the affirmative (shouldn't be too hard to translate that) so I will be going out by myself. The upside is I'll be heading off earlier than originally planned so should get the both sides of the high. Will be trying the rocky spots on the wiseman's to spencer road and see what's doing. Just looking forward to trying out a new spot - if it shows promise with the land based stuff - could be back with the brother and his boat in the very near future. Appreciate the tips. Will upload a report and hopefully some photos post-trip.

Hey everyone, First time poster but have been checking out the site for a few months now. Am heading up to Wiseman's Ferry/Spencer for a land based session mid-morning til early arvo (would prefer to do early morning or dusk but getting my mates to agree to that is a deal breaker on coming out) and am wondering if there are any goodish spots to try out. Just checked out Google Maps and there seems to be a wharf at Wiseman's below the car ferry as an option and is there another wharf at Spencer? Can you fish off them? Will be trying a combo of bait (prawns/pilchards) and soft plastics and hard body lures but obviously being land based - need options to make it not entirely a waste of time. Any ideas, tips or suggestions most appreciated. Happy to do a bit of walking if required - but just a decent directional tip would be great. Thanks Captain_Birdseye