Yowie

A feed of ocean caught flatties is hard to beat, good work there. Flounder are a bonus.

Good work. Jew will swim into shallow water at night. Have caught them on the surface, feeding with tailor, in water that was around the 30 to 40 feet deep mark.

A bit hard to tell, other than they were a small tuna species ripping into the bait fish at high speed.

I have fished from a beach with a 6 foot (not too whippy, around mid strength) 12 pound mono, and pulled out bream and whiting using blood worms or beach worms. 12 foot rods are better for throwing out lures or pillies, or using larger baits for tailor, jew, salmon, sharks.

So long as there is something to take home to eat, you are in front.

Thanks Scratchie. It is the same brag mat I've had for years. I have a couple of spare ones not yet used. Why, do you need another one?

Thank you all, managed to pick the right spot. A couple of feeds for my family, and a feed for mum and the others.

Headed out early this morning a bit up from Lilli Pilli in the deep water. Caught the reddies and tailor on yakka strips and squid strips. The jackets are not big, but they swam in with the burley, so I used small pieces of squid for them. Mum likes the jackets so she will pick through the bones for the meat. A few pillies jumping here and there, a couple of probably frigates on the surface, but nothing else. At this time of year, the tailor stay down a bit deeper and don't always break the surface when feeding. At the bottom of the tide, the westerly picked up so no drifting with nippers. I waded the shallow sand banks instead and used a soft plastic prawn imitation. Spent a bit of time wading for the one legal flattie, plus several others but they were just under sized.

Nice eating size reds there.

Sometimes you can fool the kings by hiding the hook inside a mangled bait, that is, a fillet that is a bit chopped up. A perfect bait is sometimes too perfect for the smart arses. Another technique is to bounce a bait on the surface, a hungry king will sometimes grab it on the surface, though this usually only works with the rat size kings. By the time they have reached legal size, they have wised up to a few of the tricks used.

Was it really on your "list?" or just some poor bastard that happened to grab Scratchie's bait?

The fun of motoring through a channel to the ocean !

If you head out on a run-out tide, against a swell or any waves, the size of the waves is magnified, and can be dangerous. The run-up tide with the swell behind can be less severe, but still need caution. Low tide or high tide, where there is little flow in the river, can be a better time.

A great feed there again Penguin.

Agree with Swordy.

A change from the usual flatties and other reefies down that way.

Thanks Ribs. I have seen flathead fillets in fish shops that were nothing like the shape or colour of our flattie fillets.

Thank you. Had to go out before the swell picks up. Won't be pleasant over the next few days outside, will be rather lumpy.

Used to fish that area as a teenager, plenty of fish to be found. Always a feed of flatties around the drop off. I would catch and keep a few small prawns as livies and use them the next morning, dynamite for flatties and big whiting. The biggest school of mullet that I saw there stretched from way below the bridge, up the main channel and into the lake itself. Must have been a million mullet in a continuously moving school. Sounds like a great day out.

Same with the reddies up river, most just under size. Sounds like a good feed regardless.

Have been catching and eating fish since about 5 years old, now on the wrong side of 60. I am happy to have fish without too many additives during cooking as I can taste the differences. The wife likes many additives, as it all tastes pretty much the same to her. (she is happy to eat battered fish/shark/whatever turns up in the batter ) Duskies are a little bit firmer, and maybe a touch drier, than blue spots and tigers.

Do not catch many marbles at all, 1 every few years. I don't fish too deep, maybe 30 to 40 metres or so (don't head out too far with a 15 H.P. motor and tinny) but far enough to find some fish. Sometimes pick up a few tigers in spring. Last year some of the blue spots had rather large roe, so I kept them, bread crumbed and pan fried, Very nice, but I think the fillets were a bit better eating. The roe are very nutricious food though - the seagulls eat the roe in preference to most other scraps. I did not think that the blue spots would be breeding now, thought spring was the best time.

Yes Scratchie, no mixed bag this morning. A feed of flatties rates near the top for me. I like the blue spots (and tigers) a little bit more than duskies.

Thank you. Quite a few boats outside this morning.

Decided to try Bate Bay this morning for something different. Trolled around Jibbon and the Bombie until sunrise - not a touch on the lure, no birds working near me. Headed a bit further out and bottom bashed. It was a bit slow at first, then I found some blue spots. They were scattered but I only did 2 long drifts. some just undersized amongst them. I caught my bag limit of 10 before 9am and headed home. Not big fish at all, all female and some with fat roe. Biggest at 42cm. Not complaining as flattie fillets are good eating at most sizes,