campr

A few years ago I fished all over the Hacking after rumours of big reds being around. At midday I was about to give up when I saw 5 perfect arches show on my sounder next to a little ledge in sw arm. Anchored at casting distance and flicked back 2 squid strip baits on 1kg pretest line. I had 2 hook ups within 15 minutes with 2 identical reds at 52cm. Can't tell you how stoked I was to sight and target a sounder sighting and come up trumps. Ron

Lucky it was the net and not rod and reel.

Check out the specs on the rod before 1st runner. Should state max casting weight and use this as a guide for starting point and experiment with weights from there. Should be ok but length may limit your distance. Ron

When using live baits hooked through the top of the mouth I use wide mouth hooks also called Kale hooks. My 2 pb flatties were almost identical at 97cm, one 5.64kg the other 5.66kg. Caught 2 weeks apart, 1st at Sussex Inlet and other from Port Hacking. Both were caught on 1kg pretest line but the funny thing is I lost one in the Hacking well over a metre when the swivel pulled apart just as I was about to net her. Realy strange considering I was again using 1kg and couldn't use much pressure. And yes I now use a tiny and expensive stainless swivel for my comp fishing. Ron

I used to lower blaçk crabs down the gap for monster bream with cars tearing by my bum. Ron

Reminds me of the best worm bait ever, Botany Wrigglers. They were red worms with little leg like things down both sides much like a centipede. They were very much like a squirt worm but were much tougher and stayed on the hook well. They were only found on the Botany side of the bay and could be found by digging under the long piles of rotting grass weed piled up at the back of the beach. All that area is now developed as the port and I have never heard of them being found anywhere else. Ron

I have an old usa made Penn and I would have complete faith in it. Although I did replace drag with carbonex washers and I would recommend anyone with these old models do the same. Ron

Like all northern rivers the nth haven mullet run varies each year but is around Anzac day period. Ron

Inlaws used to live at North Haven and I loved to visit. I used to fish Southern wall for Luderick and bream as well as jewies at night. I believe this wall is second to none for jew if your lucky enough to get there during the mullet run. Ron

A call to Service nsw will result in advice that as long as you conform with other rules, traveling on water to fish is ok outside 10k. Boating for recreation and not fishing isn't allowed. Ron

I phoned Service NSW ON Thursday to clarify this and got a strange reply. I was told once on the water the 10k rule no longer applied and you were free to go to sea which I suppose is common sense. I was also told it was ok to go to the closest ramp if outside the 10k, but it was not ok to travel up or down coast to fish other areas. Again common sense but I wonder if those enforcing the rules are on the same page. I am retired and often fish alone and have the Hacking and Botany Bay ramps within 10k and am tempted but may wait a bit yet. Ron

I find the main problem with removing adhesives is that it resticks. Try a patch sprayed with wd40. Spray on and give it a couple of minutes to let it penetrate and soften before using a scraper. Clean well before regluing. Ron

In 1982 I bought a new quinnie with a Coaster branded trailer that had bolted on cross members that was great. Easier to flush out after using and when the rear cross member got rusty it was easy to replace. I recently got a new trailer for my current quinnie and would have got a similar one if I could have found one. Ron

I hold the ANSA 2kg record for Cobia. A little tacker only about 2kg but interestingly caught at Narooma at the entrance to Wagonga Inlet. This is the furthest south I have heard of them being caught. Ron

When it comes to lures, just use a fast clip with or without a swivel and leave lures off until you clip them on to fish. With a bit of care you should be able to keep bait hooks clear of hooking up. Ron

Tailor can be a pain when fishing for jew and I have caught them on plastics at night, so I can't see them not taking a metal which they also like. Not so sure about jewies as they usually hit a slow moving lure. Ron

I agree with Noelm above that winter can be great for big whiting, especially at night using live nippers or worms. Last winter was my worst for some reason but previous years a normal night was up to 14 fish between 36 and 43mm. Daytimes I tend to chase fish less and chase squid more with the occasional try for John Dory or Hairtail. I keep thinking about going out to Browns mountain to try deep dropping but find the thought of going past the 12 mile a bit daunting. Ron

Further to my comments above, attached photo of 97cm flatty also shows the type of rod holder I use that have given me good service. Ron

I usually only chase the big duskies during ANSA comps and leave them alone at other times. I find the big girls are fairly predictable and have been lucky enough to win more than my fair share of comps. I keep the smaller ones caught in comps for a few feeds but normally if I need a feed I go outside for blue spots. I fished for them with jigs tied with feathers before softies were available and a bloke I fished with at Swansea was one of the 1st to import the Mr Twisters which were a revelation. I have fished softies for a long time, but to consistently catch (and hopefully release) the big girls live bait is the way to go. Best baits are yellowtail, mullet and slimies but any live bait will do with trumpeter being a personal favorite alternative bait. I put a 1/0 or 2/0 Kale (big mouth) hook in through their mouth and out through top of head just before their eyes. If you want to catch a big one don't be afraid of using big baits I have caught an 83cm one on a mullet about 35cm long when fishing for Jew and dropped one next to the boat well over a metre long when about to net one as she spat out a 40cm flathead that I had hooked. I'm a fair judge of her size as I had caught my equal best flathead of 97cm and 5.64kg the day before at the same spot. They get a bit lethargic as the water cools at this time of year and you need a big bait to make it worth their while to get off their spot and chase it, as well as giving them some time to eat it. All my comp fishing I do is done with 1kg pretest line with a 15lb flurocarbon trace to hook. All big ones were released except one at Nowra that wouldn't revive. Attached photo is 97cm one described above from the Hacking that beat my previous pb by 200 grams but same length caught at Sussex Inlet a couple of weeks earlier. You can see 1200cm tank in photo behind me I use to keep them alive to weigh and then release. Ron

I use tube type holders mounted to the rails of my quinnie when jew fishing and when trolling to get a bit more lure spread. Dont be afraid to tighten allen screws to the point where the holders bight into the tubing. I have caught kings, big striped tuna and had a couple of marlin hook ups with no sign of holders moving on tubes. Only issues I have had was damaging them when I forgot about them coming alongside wharves and clipped the posts. Ron

Wharf at Wonga rd Yowie bay. Anchor close to Bundeena wharf and burly to draw them out from wharf. Be prepared to move if ferry comes. Close to nudist beach inside of Jibbon pt. Close to shark island. Don't discount any caught trumpeter as they are a good and hardy livebait for ph and I caught my equal 2nd pb flatty of 97cm on one. Ron

Hi Issac. I fish the Hacking a fair bit and bait can sometimes be tough. When fishing comps I get my limit of poddies 2 weeks before as a start/backup and go for yakkas and nippers the day before. What baits are you looking for and are you boat or land based? Ron

Late report from Tuesday 8 June. Had a late start last Tuesday launching from Yowie Bay at 9am and went out the front of Pt Hacking. Conditions were beautiful with first drift for squid resulted in 2 reasonably good calamari in 15 minutes and I thought I was in for some fun. Tried same and other spots for over an hour and half without another touch. I then tried for a flattie but they were hard to find with a lot of little spikeys coming over the side. Ended up with 5 reasonable ones where normally I manage my limit of 10. Two humpbacks blew together about 7 meters from the back of the boat and frightened the daylights out of me. Their close presence usually doesn't bother me but they were behind me out of sight and extremely loud. Results were a little disappointing but a lovely day on the water with a feed or 2 caught and hooks only in fish and not my calf like last time which was a bonus. Photo a bit ordinary with torch as I couldn't get flash to work. Ron

She didn't stop me I was fishing mid week with only a few boats out. She was probably bored and was up for a chat. Ron

I once read an article by an outboard mechanic that reconds that a couple of minutes was sufficient if you flushed immediately after taking boat out of water because thermostat was still hot and open. Let motor cool off and its a different story and I flush for about 10 minutes. Ron