rebehy

Nice catch guys. What was your water depth?

Forgive me if I am wrong, but you may be a little inexperienced with boating?? Is this your first boat? If so then DON'T head out in such a small boat even if the wind and swells are down. Gain experience in the bay first. Try some rougher days inside the bay but be careful. If you decide you are going to venture out, try to arrange another boat company to stay close by. Incidently, you should be able to catch legal fish (and even some monster fish) inside the bay on almost every trip. Try some of the well known charters on the bay for a day. Trust me, you will thank me later. Cheers Eddie

I really enjoyed reading this report. It's always good to get out after a couple of tough months and pull in results like you have

I use baitrunner reels so when I say 'strike' I mean that I set the bailarm after the fish has run freespool. Once the fish is loaded, I often pull back a little initially to ensure the hook is set. Is that not necessary? This works for me on trevs, snapper etc... Sorry for hijacking the thread Joe, but it is all relevant to your initial post. Cheers.

Well done on a nice catch Joe. 5 pulled hooks on trevs in one session seems a little harsh.I use small circle hooks and let the fish run before striking. Much better hookup rate since I started doing that.

You don't know my cat. I had to take him to emergency vet once at 1am because he bit a hook that smelled a bit fishy on my boat. True story.

Congrats on the Sambo Jono.

Well done Carlo. I caught my first Pike on Saturday as well. I read on the net that they are an ok table fish but I think the fishos on this site know better More for my cat I think and I'll know to release them next time. Nicely done on the Trevs. Eddie

Great report Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun!

I kept these two for bait/burley but I have heard several people say they are ok to eat when done properly. I'm not sure about the pike. will try frying it. Regards, Eddie Anthony: I always get backlash even after years and years of practice always trying to push their limits.. I still love baitcasters though. I am having much more trouble with them after switching to braid.

Well done. The kids must have had a ball.

Hi Guys. Inside the bay at bear island I anchored and ended up with two PJ's (now I know why everyones so peeved off with them). I decided to head just outside the bay drifting in 25-40m waters a few hundred metres out. The water was calm (which is why I found the courage to venture out on my own. Not a bad day in all but I quickly got a birdsnest on my brand new baitcaster on its very first cast I'll have a go at it later but I think I blew $70 worth of braid. Anyway back to my fishing trip. I quicky set up my two eggbeaters (a 4000 and 8000 Shimano baitrunners). I caught my first Pike (around 45cm), one Travelli (40cm), three legal snapper , a very legal murwong (also my first) and a whole lot of throw backs mainly reds. On my way back in I trolled around near the northern breaks and got two stripies. Sorry, It was too dark for photos by the time I got back.

Hi Mickey, This video is made by Scotty Lyons and as I suggested, he can take you out on the bay hands on for a minimal cost. Cheers Eddie

No worries and thanks for the replies. Ranting (or venting) is something we all do from time to time. Here's my rant for the day: You wouldn't beleive it but I had my rod/reel (the one used in the photo to catch this PJ) and my whole tackle box in my driveway from last night stolen some tome during the night. I forget that I left them out.

Hi Tony, I'm not too certain but I think that our carp is in fact European carp that was introduced into our waterways some time ago. (someones biggest mistake disguised as a brilliant idea)Incidentally, I have seen them on sale in several places and as low as $99c/Kg. Cheaper than cat food! Eddie

You should get a good idea just by looking for areas where multiple boats huddle, although this isn't always the case. My advice would be to invest in the fishing school that Scotty Lyons runs which will show you the best techniques and most of the good spots on the bay. I learned heaps from it and am looking at doing it again just to pick his brain a little more.

Glad to hear you enjoyed SP fishing. The huge advantage with SP is that you generally don't get the little buggers nibling away at your bait. If a fish is to go at a SP it normally means business. Bad luck with the Flatty but at least you got to see it. I can hardly wait till I get around to trying SP bottom bashing off shore. I hope its as good as all the hype that we see on all the fishing shows. FYI; I do much better fishing SP off my sea wall in Sylvania Waters than I do using baits. I just have to learn a little more patience and that finesse technique of flicking. Let us know how you go in the future. Cheers Eddie

I used to catch European Carp as a child in Lake Burley Griffin (Canberra). I used to have a ball with the bigger ones (I was around 13 at the time). Coming from a modest family, we actually tried these a few times and yes you are right...a lot of herbs and spices. Cummun used to drown out a lot of the muddy taste. I wouldn't recommend them and would never pay for them but hey, they are edible and actually quite good if you are REALY hungry

Hey Yusef. Glad you all came out of it ok. Good luck in your exams.

I guess in reality it's me that envys you because you take your fishing so seriously (and probably have all the PB trophies to show for it). I never have been that serious...which reflects in my catches. I have been fishing all my life and at 42, I still can't say that I know how to catch fish. That's why I still try and enjoy 'boating' so much as opposed to just fishing. Not knowing anything about Port jackson Sharks (this is the first two I have ever caught), I though they were a little like Gummy sharks in that they were better prized or valued which is why I was so excited to get such a huge one on my light tackle. Anyway, I think that your response shows just how much of a 'seasoned' fisherman you are and I guess it is what I aspire to be one day. So it is me that has to thank you for the lesson if I am to ever catch decent fish. I still would have enjoyed the nature events associated with my boating trip (and yes the perspective is somewhat still there for me), but then moved to another spot a few hundred metres away to seriously fish. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for the report guys. Well done!

Went out on my own at 11am today and fished the edge of the channel at Travelli Alley. Didn't get much fish but WOW what a great day out. Started off seeing a Pod of dolphins which stayed around a while. Then the local seal turned up. I wonder if he's got a name Finished the day after a couple of hours fishing with a couple of port jackson sharks on 2-4Kg gear. The first one was quite big and I almost couldn't haul him over the side. The second one was less than half the size but still was great fun on the small rod and baitcaster. They both went back in to sulk for a while and live to fight another day. They dont take big runs, but gosh they are heavy on light gear.

Well Done on the Kings.

I had to laugh at your reply Tuffy. Thanks for all your feedback guys. One thing I should have added is that I probably lost half a dozen more Trevs by striking too early. I found that at least five seconds after a nibble was needed to ensure setting a hook. Still learning and force of habit took over on several occassions missing more fish that I actually caught.

I've got a hydrafoil on my 150hp yamaha fitted to a 6m centre console. It planes really easily and flattens well. It is also very stable in the water but unfortunatley I can't compare what it would be like without it because I got it fitted with the engine when I bought the hull. For all I know the boat may perform just as well without it.