Yowie

Another good story, and those are the dangers of rock fishing. Climbing down ropes hanging over the edge, and crawling along edges and under overhangs, was not my idea of fun. I once looked over a ledge to see the way down, only to find the ledge was about 4 inch thick sandstone, then heard the others yelling at me to back up slowly. Regarding the bream taking the small bait, an old timer told me he used to fish with a large bait on a 6/0 hook, and almost under that was a 2/0 hook with a small bait, and most fish took the 2/0 hook. I never tried it though, as outside I fish with 2 hooks, equal size, same with the bait size.

Well Scratchie. I might give the hand lines a miss as well. The 15 pound line I use only comes in 500 metres spools. 😂

A long way to drop a line. My mate complains about 50 metres.😂 At least there was something to bring home. Makos are selective feeders, picking out the best fish.

I tossed the first one back, only very small, then thought maybe I should have kept him. The second one was bigger, so kept him. I had 2 more hanging at different times, wind them up a little way, they let go, drop the line back to the bottom and a short time later they are hanging on again. They were occies, not squid.

Couple of very nice bags of fish, including the big reddie. Good work.

Thank you.

That's good. I like eating the tigers, nice fish. My mate just had his boat returned after a service, and a new drive shaft (he is trembling waiting for the bill). He wants to head out soon, and is interested in pulling up a few tigers. His boat is a 25 footer, so I am happy to be fishing in that outside, rather than my close-to-14 foot tinny.

I pulled up a blue spot flattie yesterday, it looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, never seen one as deformed. It was undersized so was sent back.

You guys need to train the pelicans. 🤣 At my mother's place, they learn to wait. I can leave the fish on the brag mat while I collect the phone, and the fish are still there, with the pelicans looking on. While I am cleaning, the old bugger stands at the top of the queue if there are a few about, and if a young one wants to butt in, the old bugger grabs the young one around the head, nearly swallowing his head then wrestles him down the ramp to the back of the queue. He then pushes his way to the front of the queue and waits to be hand fed the skeletons. One day I filleted a jewie, then cut off the wing section (the section behind the throat with the pectoral fins, it is a bit spiky with the bones in it) and threw it to the old bugger. He caught it and flicked it back to me. I cut out the meat chunks and threw them to him, and he ate the pieces, he did not like the bones. Fussy old bugger. 😝

The kings are about in places, though I don't target them, they turn up as by-catch for me when fishing for others species.

Good work, a nice mixed bag. A few tigers starting to show up, getting ready for their breeding season. Some of the S.A. salmon are smaller than what we catch up here, and am told they taste a bit better, probably the size of the smaller ones. In W.A. they pull out some whoppers, but are still eaten by the locals.

Thank you. Very few boats out considering the good conditions outside.

Headed out this arvo, as the forecast was looking good. First drop at 2.30, then finished up at sun set. The blue spots were scattered, one or two in one spot, then nothing for a while. A few unders returned as well. A slow drift with a light northerly breeze kicking in just after first drop. Not too much swell. A few spikies in places, used a couple for bait. No sign of life, apart from various birds, and a few squawks from penguins. Not big flatties, the best about 41cm, and an occy. Don't know whether to eat the occy or keep it for bait , never cooked them before.

I did eat a Barry Couta once. A mate and I caught some tailor, and a couple of larger Barry's. Kept one and cut off the fillets. Smoked the fillets in a smoke box with the tailor fillets. It was fairly edible but very bony. First and last time I ate one. The tailor were pretty good eating.

Grab his bill and pull the fillet out!! The pelicans at my mother's place just line up and wait, with one old bugger grabbing the youngsters around the head and pushing them away, and he then heads back to the top of the queue to be hand fed.

Nice cod. Shame you cannot keep them anymore, as they are good eating. I caught a few in Port Hacking over the years, many years ago, released most but ate a couple, very nice. A few of the bigger ones reefed me, and would not budge, even after letting the line go slack for an hour or 2. Not that many about these days, so they need to be released.

In the last photo, the kingie is not going anywhere but down the hatch. Plenty of critters to see out there. One thing I remember from a few years ago was 2 little penguins popped close to the boat, so I cut off a flattie fillet and fed them small chunks of fish for 5 or so minutes, until they ate enough then swam off.

Thank you. Ate tailor fillets last night, reddie fillets tomorrow.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Winter is not good, however, after the heavy rain I suspected there might be something to catch with colour in the water.

Are you going to try spinning for some salmon? Should be a few reds about when things settle.

Headed out early this morning to the deep up from Lilli Pilli. Water was very brown, could only see a fish just before it was pulled out of the water. Both the tailor was caught before sunrise, on pillies. After that, it was plenty of small reddies on any bait that was thrown their way, plus one smallish red gurnard that was released. I was thinking of moving, however, the tide was slowing so I waited a bit longer. Near the bottom of the tide, the just legal reddies turned up, all on squid strips. Not big reddies, but for this time of year up river, no complaints as a feed of reddie fillets is most welcome. Tried spinning with a metal lure in a few spots for nothing, so headed home. (the photo looks crappy, but could not rotate it or alter it)

Great fish Jani.

Nice sized fish when they hit the 40 mark.