Mr Squidy

Yeah +1 on that comment. I do the same and dont miss to many hits, plus once you get to the rod the fish is already hooked so at least you don't stand there wondering do I or don't I strike. Rich

It was only about six months back they released a scientific investigation paper on changing the bag and size limits with regards to Jewies and now this comes out with no mention whatsoever of the proposals in the previous report, do these people actually speak to each other?? For me 45cm on Jew is just criminal, must be increased to at least 65cm (preferably 70cm) and i'd love to see the bag limit back to two per person. Like many my dream is that 30kg+ monster and with the current setup that is only gettting less likely in Sydney year on year. Hope all the other fans of this species on this site make their feelings heard. R

Are you sure they were Nannygai?? Would be a very unusual capture. More likely Red Bigeye's which do show up in the Hacking some times and are a bit similar. Post Link R

Yep, I've trodden on them a couple of times wadding in the hacking and i can assure you its not something you'd do for kicks R

Yeah baby, fish of a lifetime

Top stuff Alan, Another nice fish to add to your collection, you'll have to give me some lessons on the Jewies soon haha!! Rich

Hi Mate, As PM'd I'll be keen to try and make it whatever the dates, have the leave saved up at work and this is top of my dream fishing destinations. Cheers, Rich

Personally i'd love to see maybe one over 65cm to allow for a feed and then one over maybe 90cm or 1m just to make sure there is a reason to keep fishing for the night once the first schoolie is in the bag. Under 65 is pretty pointless as they aren't great on the chew anyway and are a pretty sad looking fish once they get much under that. I'd also made the recommendation in my reply that any change should be permanent, not temporary as suggested. Whatever happens its great that some action is being taken as the current limits are ridiculous, hope all the raiders take their time to have their say. Rich

Nah, A Dawg is on the money again. Our two common species are the Loligo squid (Loligo formosa/Loligo chinensis commonly called arrow, mitre or hawksbury squid) and the Southern Calamari. As mentioned above they are best told apart by the fact the Calamari's fins run the full length of the mantle and they grow much larger. Here are a few links to read up. Southern Calamari Arrow/Loligo Goulds It is confusing as Goulds are also refereed to as arrow squid. I've caught them down in tassie a few times and they are larger/heavier boddied than our arrows (average size in the above link is 700g as opposed to 100g for the loligo)and the skin is really really difficult to peel off, they are also much more red in color. I believe they do get Goulds off shore in NSW but its not commonly caught by anglers. Rich

Top fish mate, especially on 4lb silly string. Well done. Rich

Hi Boattart, Only just saw this post, great idea mate. Not 100% sure what i'm up to that weekend but should hopefully be able to make it along. Rich

Hi Mate, There is a lot that goes into choosing the right kayak for your purpose. I've done a lot of paddling over the years on a few different surf ski's and kayaks and recently bought my first "fishing" kayak a Prowler 4.5m Elite. The best advice is try and do some test paddles on a few different kayaks and get a feel for what you are after and what factors affect how a kayak handles/paddles/etc. Any good kayak shop should be able to arrange test paddles. If you are down south I know there is a store at Bundeena that are right down near the water. A list of a few key questions to think about before deciding on your kayak would be as follows: Usage? You've started this answer with the fishing purpose. Your best bet for this is without a doubt a sit on top as they are far easier to use in terms of stability, storage, kitting out etc. If fishing is the only reason for the kayak then without a doubt hobbie pedal kayaks are the best (but pricey) as you can maneuver hands free while using a rod. Personally i bought a normal paddle kayak as i enjoy the exercise of paddling. Other considerations in usage come down to things like deck layout, storage etc. A great example of this sort of thing are the Malibu Stealth kayaks which have a moulded compartment set up between where your legs go that are all set up for you to add a bilge pump and use as a live well (I very nearly bought one of these kayaks for just this feature). Where do you want to fish? If you are happy that you are going to fish very close to where you launch then things like speed and tracking are not too important. If you need to cover a couple of km's to get to the locations you want to fish then its really worth looking at either a hobbie style kayak with a foot pedal system or a kayak suitable for paddling good distances. These sort of paddle kayaks are generally quite long (4+m), not too wide (around 70-75cm is good) and with a good shape for cutting through chop etc. As a general rule the longer and thinner a kayak is the faster she will go. The downside of being skinny is obviously stability and the downside of length is that turning gets harder. For any kayak 4.5m or more you really should get a rudder as these make turning a breeze and are very simple to use once you get used to it. Personally i would not buy a paddle kayak less than 4m as they are to slow for what i want to do. Stability? This isn't as big an issue as you may think as once you get a few trips under your belt you will very quickly get used to the balance side of things. As mentioned i've been paddling for many years but i would really have to do something pretty silly to fall off my current kayak. That said, fishing does make the need for reasonable stability important so best bet is the test paddle. Also,keep in mind that some kayaks these days are designed for you to be able to stand up on and fish from in calm waters so if that's your thing it may be a consideration. Weight Capacity? If you're a bigger guy this can be a problem on some kayaks. Also keep in mind what gear you may want to take ie: Would you ever try and take it on overnight camping trips? Would you ever want to use it as a dive platform? Weight of the Kayak/Transport? My kayak weighs around 30kg all up and I have to lift it solo on and off the top of my 4x4, this is no a simple exercise and certainly if you're not reasonably strong it would present problems for some. Comfort? If you're tall like me then some kayaks can be quite uncomfortable. Make sure you have sufficient leg room etc. Cost? This is obviously a big factor. Keep in mind though that if you are really serious about doing this sort of fishing regularly it can be really frustrating if you end up with a kayak that doesn't meet your needs. There are an awful lot of people who buy themselves a brand new $300 kayak, use it once or twice, find it slow/unstable/hard to use then never again does it see water. If cost is an issue save money by looking for what you want second hand, i recently saw a Prowler 13, a fantastic general purpose yak, sell for around $800. This may be $500 more than the "bargains" out there but i promise it will make the difference between a great kayak you would use for many many years and one that will quite probably frustrate you immensely and end up cluttering up your garage. Anyway, as for some personal recommendations I reckon you'd struggle to go wrong with any of the following: Hobbie Kayaks, either the Outback or Revolution: Hobbies are expensive but they are fishing machines and everyone that uses them swears by them and the foot pedal system. Ocean Kayaks, prowler series: I bought a Prowler Elite 4.5m and love it. Prowlers are generally recognised as being the best paddle kayak on the market for those serious about fishing. All the kayaks in this range have good stability and speed. The smaller 4.1m is great for estuary and river work and the longer models are great once you start to cover some extra km's. Watch any footage on you tube of people fighting Marlin etc and nine times out of ten they are on Prowlers. Malibu Stealth range: As mentioned i LOVE their set up on the live tank and as such this was the only sit on top that i seriously considered instead of a Prowler. Otherwise they are slower than the equivalent prowler and i have read some review of people using them off shore having issues with water getting through the seals so probably only worth looking at for use inside the esturies. None of the above are really "cheap" options but again if you keep your eye on the second hand sales for a few months you may well find one at the right price. A bit rambling but hope some of that helps a little. Cheers, Rich

With bait quality such an important factor on the Jew why not catch your own? its cheaper and at the end of the day it shouldn't take too long to get a bucket full of fresh yakkas together and butterflied they are as good as any bait on the Jew. Rich

A big +1 for the orange 2.5g Yamashita. In the end a lot of factors could be playing a part. My first thought is if you are getting a few octopus are your jigs to big? i usually fish between 1.8g-3g depending upon the target squid size and conditions of where you are fishing. Also, what weight leader? I find 8lb is perfect to not spook the squid but still get your jig back more often than not from snagged ribbon weed/kelp/etc. At the end of the day though squid more than fish seem to come back to luck on what they feel like going for on the day. Rich

Thanks Guys!! Just did a little reading on Wallace and Lyell and they look just like what i'm after. Cheers, Rich

Thanks for the feedback guys!! The yak is a prowler elite 4.5m so a bit big for tackling the white water stuff anyway. Was more thinking of any damns and the like where this might be possible? For example would kayaking be allowed on TCD which i keep hearing people mention? Also, thanks Roberta for the heads up on the bass closure. Wasn't planning to head out until the weather warms up a bit more but its good to know. Cheers, Rich

Hi guys, Recently purchased myself a kayak for terrorising the Port Hacking squid and jew populace and have started to wonder what options there are within reasonable driving distance of Sydney for freshwater kayak fishing? Would love to go chase some bass or trout on spin gear from the yak, maybe take the tent and camp out for a few nights, but have no idea where would be worth the while. Are there any worthwhile areas that people could recommend? Was thinking maybe launching at Talawa damn and paddling up the shoalhaven looking for bass as i have hiked in and fished for bass in its upper reaches before with some success. Cheers, Rich

Cheers Mate, Was just about to start looking around for some sunnies for yak fishing, will have to check them out. Rich

Yeah GreyNurse, the hacking is really really slow at the moment, often is in the winter months when the cold clear water moves in. I find in winter in the hacking changing to larger heavier jigs (2.5 to 3 instead of 1.5 to 2 in summer) seems more productive because, just like you found, the squid seem to sit down bottom. Also the average size in winter seems larger and sometimes you'll get the big green eyes moving further into the system as well. Rich

Hi Mate, I've found Trev's respond really well to a constant burley trail, I usually use a mix of cat food, chicken pellets and whatever fish scraps i have left over from earlier trips. Get that going and if they are around you should get a few. As for bait they'll take pillies and prawns fine, try free weighting them down your trail. Rich

Thanks for the feedback Guys, I've already got a boat kitted with a Lowrance Elite 5 Sounder and GPS which i installed new last year. The yak is just for a bit of fun so really cant justify spending to much on it, hence why i picked one up second hand and am looking to keep cost right down with steps like this. $30 isnt much but it is still a couple of new squid jigs Rich

Hi Guys, Just bought myself a second hand yak and starting to kit it out. Currently looking at setting up a cheap and nasty sounder, probably a Lowrance x-4, and have seen that a few places sell "Factory Refurbished" Lowrance sounders. Has anyone on here bought one of these before? What was the condition like? Any problems? Trying to decide if the $30 odd saving is worth the potential stuff around. Cheers, Rich

Last time i went for mullet i was killing them using a sabiki jig with as much of the glow beads and feathers cut away and bread on each hook. I started with a float attached to the end of the jig instead of a sinker similar to what you suggest and got a couple in about 20min. Then i changed back to a sinker and was surprised to find that this hugely increased the hook up rate and i pulled in another six in five minutes flat. Was only fishing in about 2m of water so i guess the sinker set up just had the bead well staggered across the different height of the water column maybe? I'm curious to give it another test soon to see if it was maybe just the way they were feeding that day. Rich

Great idea for a comp Donna, with just about every fisho on here having a camera and lots of time on our hands waiting for those elusive bites there's got to be a great collection of shots out there. Rich

Thats a brilliant idea, just dont forget the stubby holder