Yowie

Another good haul of squid. Just need some fish now.

A feed is a feed. Normally this time of year is fishing better than of late. You found that out in Botany Bay.

Hopefully a bit of rain coming along.

The mullet were there so I grabbed a few before they swam off. I like to take something home for the table.

Mullet are usually found in shallow water, over sand banks, though at times I have caught them near the surface of deeper water. Bread for burley and bread for bait. A few small pieces that float along in the current will bring them on the bite, also a small piece of bread that is mashed up and thrown out to slowly sink. Floating bread crusts will also attract bream and garfish (very occasionally a blackfish). Floating bread also attracts *&#@*#* seagulls, that will swoop down to eat the bread and scare off the mullet. I use half a piece of fresh bread in the hand, dip it into the water for a second then squeeze out some water. Squeeze out a lot of water and the bread becomes a bit doughy, squeeze out less water and the bread is a bit softer. Mould a piece of a size less than a 5 cent piece - size 8 or 10 hook - and lob it out near the floating bread burley - hard to throw it against any wind, but you can use a small bubble float to gain distance. The best idea is to anchor or fish up wind so that the wind can assist with casting. Mullet will also eat squirt worms, small pieces of prawn, dough made from flour.

I like eating mullet for a change. Sea mullet can be a bit muddy in taste if they have been feeding up river on muddy bottoms, sand mullet feed on sandy bottoms so they don't normally have a muddy taste in the meat. Mullet also make great bait, as does the intestines which are a great bream bait. These were easy to fillet, and the rib bones are removed in one easy cut of the knife. Frying is not recommended, as mullet have a high content of oil (good oil for the diet) so other cooking methods are better.

Fished the deep off Lilli Pilli early this morning. Hardly any fish and not one at legal size. Only 1 yakka, a few little reddies and that was that. No decent hits on bait, and when some frigates turned up near sunrise, they were feeding on baitfish about 1.5 cm long. Not interested in any lures. No tailor around me. Normally March is a good month for most fish, but the lack of decent rain is probably the cause. Headed to Maianbar and pumped some nippers for the one whiting. Drifted about and picked up the flattie and bream, just very quiet. Near the ballast heap, I saw a couple of small schools of mullet feeding on the surface, so I anchored up and sent out a bit of bread burley. The mullet would not stay for very long near the boat, but they are a good size for sand mullet and go hard on a whiting rod. Bread bait on the hook, no sinker.

Probably an Eagle Ray has taken a fancy to the crabs. Small wobbegongs also like crabs.

Looks like you are having a good time up there. Plenty of fish to catch. Last time I fished up there, caught a few new species myself. A lot of variety to catch.

That is a great feed of fish there Bas. Looks like the biggest whiting is around 45cm, that's the biggest I have pulled out of the Hacking. Big enough at that size to feed 2 people. And a nice flattie as well. Dave.

I just line up a few trees or buildings on the shoreline. If you can see the bottom, it is too shallow. If your snapper lead hits the bottom in 10 seconds or so, it is flattie depth. Stick your finger in the water, if it feels cold then the water is cold. Who needs a sounder?

Nothing wrong with a feed of Bluespots.

You are a fisherman, fish and bait smell, nothing you can do about it, part of fishing life.

A great effort there Bruce, dollies then a bag of flatties. Up river is a bit quiet at present. The rain is rather sparse, yet on the northern side of the city they are copping plenty of rain. Dave.

Very good Ash, sounds like a great day out, with good sized fish on board. Dave.

Thank you, it was a surprise for up river.

Thanks Bruce. Keep that spot a secret. Did you do any good outside?

A very good effort there, they are fat buggers.

At least you caught a feed. As for the green toads, they do not go back alive. They can swim fast enough to chase down a lure.

I bought a couple of those bait jigs, but they are still in the packets. I use a small hook, small piece of bait, no sinker and a bit of bread burley. The yakkas are usually along the shorelines, and bite best at low light, such as early morning or very late afternoon into the night. I try fishing for them in the different spots I fish. Some days they are not biting at all, so If I catch a sweep or 2, I will use the fillets of them, and they will catch a reddie or tailor as well.

Thank you. Reddie fillets tonight, tailor in a couple of nights.

Caught one similar about 10 years ago in the Hacking. Don't know the species, only one ever caught or seen down here.

No snapper this morning, back to the pannie size reds (still good eating though) dropped a third when the hook pulled, and the tailor and crab. Fresh yakka fillets as bait. Plenty of yakkas about early, a few pillies jumping, but not one splash I could see from a decent fish. Rather slow fishing with the occasional little reddie pinching the baits.

That is a good lot. Should make a good feed it you can pull out a few more tonight.