Little_Flatty

Pretty nice additions to dinner there Isaac and a nice beyond slot flatty to boot. Well done!

Sorry to hear about your health woes Frank. Hopefully with all the support you have, you can adjust to this next phase of life. Please don’t feel stupid about riding the mobility scooter. You’re at a life stage where it could be useful in keeping you connected with your community, just as your computer keeps you connected to us (thank goodness you got it sorted!). We don’t feel stupid about needing reading glasses (I’m fast approaching that age!), and this should be no different.

They look like good fillets there Jenno. Nice work!

Bummer mate, really nice fish but tsk tsk...so many mistakes, tightening the drag mid fight, high sticking the rod, not bringing a net. As a tip, keep all the guides off the rod (you can carefully cut them off with a stanley knife) and for the tip, melt it off with a cigarette lighter and pull it off with pliers (as it will be hot). Particularly with ultralight rods, the tiny guides and tips can be very hard to get.

Great catch as usual Dave, shame about the whaler not being a gummy.

Flounder are one of the safest fish to handle. Apart from not having many spiky bits (just stay away from their teeth), they are also have quite rough skin so they are easy to grip. Great eating when you get a legal one.

@BaitDropper try settings > Camera > Formats and then select ‘most compatible’. That should change it to jpeg again.

What happens when you try to upload it @BaitDropper? Does it attach as a .HEIC file?

Another great report @linewetter. Fantastic to have an impromptu social. You’re getting very consistent now. I think you have got the hang of Sydney fishing😎

🤣 I was actually thinking maybe your kids were on a pupil free day (mine were). I get back a lot of extra time in the morning when I don’t need to make/pack lunches and fight them to get dressed for school! Don’t worry, I’m just jealous 🤣 Been a hectic week for me at work.

Great report Mike, two sessions on a work day eh? At 50+ tailor are great fighters on light gear. Don’t mind them when they’re that size. Just getting my workmanship and design right, but I’ll give you a few dowel stick baits when I have made them. You won’t need to cry if they wreck them or steal them😎

No more bad days at work either!

Plenty of Fishraider friends in Sydney Baz, so keep some outfits to go out with!

What an epic report @linewetter and a fantastic session to balance a bad day at work. I’ve been having a few of those lately too Yeah I have had a couple of sessions fly casting in the dark where people have wandered right into my back cast. I now look 360 degrees around me for a few 100m radius before commencing a fly cast. Part of me wonders if there might be value to creating a wearable sensor/alarm as an extra safety precaution…I’m only half joking! Also don’t feel bad about using bread. I do it a lot too. There’s something fun and challenging about it that I really enjoy.

Nice report @linewetter. Never forego a session because you only have a short length of time! I really like my squidgy prawns, it's one of my go-to plastics and caught me my PB flathead. As far as holding flathead are concerned, for the small ones I use the 'thumb on bum' technique as shown in this video:

Always manage a feed Dave, well done. I didn't realise that fresh water in the system makes nippers go soft. Interesting.

You’re an excellent and knowledgeable teacher Steve, all our experiences are different. Us city slickers live in a harrowing world at times!

Just a note. Do not taste water in Sydney or anywhere populous! Especially after rain! Last I fished a canal after rain I kept getting this white stuff on my line and lures. I soon realised it was TOILET PAPER and it doesn’t take much imagination to realise what else might be accompanying it!

PM sent. But I’m the spirit of sharing, anyone who is interested can google PRO TRUST Telscopic landing net and find it. I bought it from an auction site from a Japanese supplier. Seems like it’s come down in price by about 25%, bucking current trends! I swapped out the net itself pretty quickly as it is far too small for bigger flathead etc. A Berkeley medium sized rubber net is fine.

Yes it's relatively simple really. It starts with thinking through the process at home first, working out a way to get the net and extend it single handed. For me, I need some kind of contraption to attach it to myself. I ended up getting a belt mounted rod holder and have it on all of my fishing belts. I carry my net in those. For very light nets, you can use the magnetic net releases for fly fishing, which I do use but only on the flats. Apart from that, make sure you're not trying to net a 'green' fish. Ensure it's reasonably played out (although sometimes with fish like big flatties on light leader, you might want to take your chances sooner rather than later). My net is 3m long and carbon fibre, but it still weighs a bit, but it collapses into nothing and is easy to extend.

Thanks mate. Oh yeah, @linewetter I just need to get this off my chest. Where was your landing net mate?! I know the majority of Youtube influencers don't carry nets, but the next 40+cm bream to break your leader or fall of your trebles when lifting won't be the last! Some of you here will know that even undersized flathead sometimes get netted on my sessions. Last one I caught broke the single rubbish treble arm that it was pinned on (cheap rubbish lure).. I have a bee in my bonnet about landing nets. You'll realise this if you find my thread on it 🤣 As far as lure making is concerned, making lures out of wood is much more time consuming and expensive (in terms of tools) than I expected. Good fun but. Thread to come, but here's a sneak peek: The first two are me making a mess of a Greg Vinall design (of the Doclures podcast fame). It's the lure on the far right I'm most interested in! I want to discover the most effective lure for the least amount of effort. Even though it looks dead simple, the lure on the right took a lot of mucking around to get the weighting the way I wanted it and also getting everything in a straight line proved difficult for this very-unlikely-handyman...I'd use a screwdriver the wrong way around given the opportunity...

Yes, said supplier can provide many outfits for the price of the Crosswater. Well worth considering. Service has been ridiculously good given the small (but not unreasonably so) prices.

That's a fantastic multi-part report @linewetter. Goes to show you can still find fish after heavy rain. I took my eldest out early this morning to chase flathead but it was a disaster from start to finish. Starting with being tired to get up (in spite of an hour's sleep) to "I'm hungry" to getting freaked out by packs of dogs to finally hiding under a blanket with a mid range fever. And now I'm stuck at home with a sick kid on a nice sunny day. Thank goodness that I have my lure making project on full bore. I'm actually having nearly as much fun making lures as I am going out fishing...as long as the lure making results in an eat, I'll be happy😎

I bought a redington crosswater combo and am really happy with it. I think they are available at the orange chain store and currently at a bargain price of $220 or thereabouts. I paid $260 and I thought I got a deal! Trout are not my area of expertise but you will probably need 6wt or lighter for trout. It will also be perfect for Narrabeen lake if you still fish there.

Hi speedy, Yes it’s a very long lived forum. You can post proposed trips here: https://community.deckee.com/forum/38-plan-a-fishing-trip/ When you move to the Epping/Eastwood area I might be able to help you get acquainted with the fishing in the area. Lots of light lure fishing opportunities in the warmer months, if you don’t mind catch and release.