Yowie

Heading across the bottom eventually to the southern areas, then north along the coast, a few stops here and there and eventually to Darwin before heading south to home. That's the plan at this time.

Thank you all. The missus is going with me for the trip Have not planned any boat trips, a Dhu would be nice but just wishful thinking at this stage. I don't freeze any fish (except salted for bait), all caught and eaten fresh. The 3m plus fish at Lilli Pilli had big teeth, could explain why I had fish around the boat at times, then suddenly not a bite at all. And that is not the only one in the Hacking.

A mate took me out to his secret spot in Bate Bay last night. Anchored up a short time before sun down. Straight into the bait stealers - maori wrasse, sweep, ling, little red rock cod and others. Was hoping for a bream or reddie but none about. Near full darkness , the rubbish stopped biting. Floated pillies for the tailor and bonnie, and suffered a few bite offs as well. It was a while between bites, then the pillies started getting picked at, so changed to a single hook, half a pillie and the trevally were there, a bit slow at first then they came on the bite. Getting a hit every drop, just over the size limit, threw back a few then gave it away. Also pulled up one squid, used some of it for bait but nothing interested. My last Hacking trip for a while, as I will be hooking up the van and heading to W.A. shortly. Will be travelling a fair bit so not much fishing, but hopefully some. I will be reading your reports, so good luck all, and leave me some fish for when I return.

Would rather eat a shit sandwich (well, almost) before eating a common mowie.

Tried all that, still do not like them at all. The flatties and reddies any day for me.

Why I don't go fishing on a weekend, or especially a long weekend. A frigate it is. At least a legal dolly for the table.

A very nice fish.

Good eating sized reds there Scratchie stick out amongst the others.

First one looks like a Saddle Tailed Cod or Black Rock Cod (protected species, not to be kept in NSW) Second one looks like a Half Banded Sea Perch Third is unknown Fourth looks like a Wrasse species.

Nice bag of squid there. When are you going to convert them to fish, or are you pigging out on squid recipes?

Nice bag of fish.

A couple of nice fish, except for the mowie's eating qualities.

I think if you pull them up hard enough, they will stretch and fit. You could stick a mullet head in the feet, put them on then wade through the shallows and grab the crabs that are following you.

A great feed there Ash, crab entrees and some good fillets for mains. I beat the westerly wind home on Monday by a couple of minutes.

Use a fair sized hook, as you could pick up a tailor or good flattie on the baits, 4/0 or 5/0. Around 15 pound line would handle those fish, unless a kingie or something bigger takes hold. Big strips of a tough bait, such as mullet would do, or fish heads. Fish heads are harder for the little pickers to demolish, however, in some areas the heads attract such things as big rays or eagle rays. Hooking a large eagle ray in a kayak will have your heart pumping.

Good sized fish, worth the effort.

x2. Sea mullet are getting ready now to head to sea and travel north to breed. Many will be found out the back of beaches (which will attract the sharks and bigger jewies) Most of them will not take a bait, you will have more luck picking the winning lotto numbers (tell me the winning numbers if you think they will win ) Most sea mullet will travel north, but a small number will remain behind. The large sand mullet I caught last week were also full of roe, but at least that feed on bread baits. They will also disappear shortly.

The flatties have been a bit scattered lately. With the clearer water, some species have probably moved up river a bit. Normally March is a good time for the Hacking. There is always next week Bruce, could be better then.

Thank you. The S-I-L told me he wanted to pull up a big flattie, and he no sooner said that and I pulled up the larger one.

Nothing wrong with a couple of nice crabs.

Headed out early this morning up from Lilli Pilli in the deep. Took the son-in-law along. The fishing was again fairly quiet, plenty of yakkas, and pillies jumping in various places, but, nothing bigger that I could see. Around this time of year, the tailor tend to swim a bit deeper in the Hacking and are not always splashing about. Used salted pillies and strips of fresh caught yakka, the yakkas caught the fish. The S-I-L caught one bream, I caught the rest, and he took home something else besides a bream. The bites were slow, but as soon as the sun appeared from behind the early morning cloud, all bites stopped. Rather strange.

A good feed there, couple of nice jackets, bream and already cooked crabs.

A good feed there, reds and flatties. Mowies deserve to be thrown back.

Done.

Why did you throw back the black duck? Would have made a nice accompaniment to the flatties. Duck a la orange.