Yowie

Enough for a feed, that's what counts. There were a few larger boils on the surface in the early morning, probably small kings.

Fished the deep water up from Lilli Pilli this morning for 2 flatties of 51 and 68cm, and a jew of 69cm. Caught on different baits, and only managed 1 yellowtail which was filleted for strip bait. The larger flattie was released. Pumped some nippers and drifted the flats for 2 legal whiting and 1 bream. Plenty of just undersize whiting and toads pinching the nippers, so headed for home. Also plenty of boats about, not the best time of year for fishing, but needed to get out for a fish. Yowie.

The biggest flattie I managed was 44cm, not big fish, but I have enough fillets for a couple of feeds. As you and Groper stated, no surface activity and no birds working the surface anywhere. The only birds I saw were a couple of penguins. I did spook a flying fish early as I was heading out, but only the one. I would have liked to have hooked up to the little mako, but he was only biting at the sinkers!

Headed out early this morning to a bit south of Jibbon Bombie. No wind and no drift. Only managed 1 blue spot flattie and a few small spikies. Moved a couple of times but no good, so I headed to Bate Bay. First drop was a spiky, and as I wound him up, something grabbed hold then let go under the boat. The 'something' was a mako shark about a metre long. It swam back, chewed off the sinker and swam away, so I tied on another sinker and dropped down again. As soon as the line hit the bottom, it took off towards the surface, it was the mako again, and he again chewed off the sinker. The baits were not touched. 2 small snapper sinkers chewed off. Shortly after that, a light southerly started blowing so the drift picked up. Every drop was a spiky flathead as soon as the line hit the bottom, must have been hundreds of them about. I was thinking of heading home, but had one last drift in deeper water. Still plenty of spikies, but I hooked another 3 blue spots and 5 tiger flatties. The tigers were not big, only around the 36 to 38 mark, but chunky little fish that are good eating. A current suddenly moved in, opposite to the drift, so I needed a lot of line to hold bottom. The fish stopped biting as soon as the current appeared, so headed for home. Yowie.

A good feed there Groper.

Have not been there for 15 or more years, not really changed that much since I first visited over 40 years ago. Usually a couple of fish about, and on the first visit managed a feed of abalone as well, now only limited to 2 per person. Have not eaten at that truck stop, however, friends always stop there and say the food is good. Yowie.

Headed to Merry Beach last week with the caravan and stayed for 6 days. Early in the week the southerly was blowing hard and the swell was over 2 metres. During the middle of the week the wind eased a bit but the swell was still lumpy. The rocks on the southern side of the beach is the place to fish, however, along the front the waves were sending water and spray to about 10 metres above the rock shelf so no fishing there. Tried along the rock shelf where I could see the beach. Some of the waves surged through fairly hard so that the line was heading in the direction of the beach in no time. Bought a packet of blue bait, slightly smaller than pilchards and salted so they hold on the hook better. Threw out a few on ganged hooks one evening after sun set, only one bite and it was a 32cm bream. A large wave caught it as I was winding it in and it bounced across the surface like a flying fish. I was using a 12 foot beach rod with 12 pound line on an Alvey side cast reel. Fished the next morning after sun rise, the wind had dropped but the swell was still lumpy. Cut the blue bait in half and fed it along a 2/0 longshank hook with a small ball sinker sitting on top of the hook. Threw it into the foaming water and pulled out a bream on the second cast. The waves were keeping the bait floating near the surface and some salmon moved in. Hooked 6 from 40 to 59cm, all released. Quite a bit of fun in the large waves, had to wait for a bigger wave to roll in so that I could wash the larger ones onto a ledge before lifting them up. Did not fish after that. Other groups of people fished the rocks at different times, some happy to catch salmon and others were not. Some were using pilchards under floats. One bloke I spoke to said he only caught a tailor of 1.5 kg, later in the conversation he said, maybe it was 1.2 kg, so I don't really know how big it was. On the Saturday, the swell had dropped a bit, so one fisherman tried along the front ledge for several hours. He pulled out 3 salmon and a kingie that looked undersize. He said he also caught a tailor that he put out as a livie, and after a while something big grabbed it and busted him off. No-one fished the beach as it was churned up with sand and a lot of weed, however, the waves were a good size for body surfing and the water not too cold (except for the first dive in). Yowie.

Size 2 longshank hook with the smallest ball sinker running directly to the hook.

Run-up tide.

Pumped some nippers and fished the Lilli Pilli flats early this morning. Landed 6 whiting to 34cm and 5 bream to 29cm. Not big fish but a coupled of feeds from that lot. Plenty of whiting just under the limit as well. Returned to mum's place on Gunnamatta Bay to put the boat away and clean the fish. While I was filleting the fish, I cut a piece off a whiting fillet and threw it out on a small hook among the fish scraps hoping the catch a bream, but instead a 67cm flattie grabbed it. Put up a good fight on the hand line, was measured and released. Yowie.

2 bloody big bream. Good to see that they were weighed and measured by an independent person. (no impropriety directed towards this post) Yowie.

The fish on the right looks look a blackfish with the faint darker stripes. Don't forget, that not all fish will look like perfect specimens (e.g. look at humans) Also, some fish do interbreed (but not as much as humans) and you will see characteristics of both species. Yowie.

Fished Lilli Pilli early this morning, throwing out into the deeper water. Pulled out 7 tailor to the 40cm mark, and dropped a bigger one at the boat, plenty of reddies but only one of legal size, and 2 blue spot flatties to 41cm. Have caught the occasional blue spot in the deep water near Lilli Pilli before. I had a few cooked prawns that were left for too long in the fridge, so I used pieces of them thrown into the shallower water for 3 bream. The other fish took pillies and salted bonito strips. Pumped a few nippers and drifted the Lilli Pilli flats for 5 more bream to over 30cm and 2 whiting. A breeze was blowing against the current, so it made drifting a bit difficult and I left the fish biting. Most of the bream and a few tailor were released, still have enough for a couple of feeds. When I pulled the boat out of the water at my mother's place on Gunnamatta Bay, the old seagull was waiting for a feed as usual. In the side of his neck was a thin piece of steel rod about 15cm long, which appeared to have a spike under the skin, similar to a small arrow. Could not get close enough to catch him, he seemed to fly easy enough with the rod hanging from his skin. 2 weeks ago he did not have the steel rod hanging from his neck, so it has happened recently. Possibly someone shooting at the birds in the Gunnamatta Bay area. Yowie.

A mate and I found one struggling in the surf at Merry Beach, about 40 years ago. A third of it's tail was missing, but what was left measured near 20 feet long. Yowie.

A nice fish, Chris. Dave.

Drifted the Lilli Pilli flats this morning for 9 legal whiting and 1 bream, plus a few just under legals, on nippers. The biggest whiting was 38cm, though most were around 30cm. Kept 6 that were filleted, and will be later bread crumbed and pan fried. Can't complain about that. The fish were scattered, and the current had quite a bit of run due to the mid morning high tide. Yowie.

Could have been a frog fish. Yowie.

From the deeper areas up past Lilli Pilli, or South West Arm, the yellowtail are reasonably close to shore. The different spots I fish usually have yellowtail swimming about. Burly up in the early morning or late afternoon, sometimes the yellowtail will be swimming not too far under the boat. Yowie Bay wharf should have a few about as well.

Fished early this morning in the deep for one jew of 64cm, but that was it. Took a strip of salted tailor on a 10 pound handline, and burned a cut through a finger it took off so fast. One of the disadvantages of fishing handlines. Had out squid, pilchards and fresh yellowtail fillets on other lines for only small reddies. Rather quiet. Pumped a few nippers and drifted the main channel hoping for a flathead, but only managed a couple of little whiting. The 2 flathead I saw on the sandbank were both about 30cm long. Drifted around Lilli Pilli flats for 4 keeper bream to 30cm, but most caught were just undersize. They were scattered about and feeding on squirt worms. I could see some of them, drifted a nipper right past their noses and most were not interested. Yowie.

Was anchored along the drop-off, but threw the bait into the deep water. As you probably know, the jewies cruise the deeper water, however, I have caught the odd one at night feeding on the surface like tailor. I have heard them attacking the mullet schools at night during autumn. You can hear the mullet jumping, then there is a big slap on the surface as the jewie goes crashing through the school of mullet.

The big pelican is actually fairly good as opposed to the normal greedy bastards. When the others turn up (I have had as many as 14 around at the one time) he tries to scare them off, as he probably thinks it is his area. If he is quick enough, he will grab another pelican around the head with his beak and wrestle it to the ground until it backs off. Around the head of the jewie are a couple of chunky pieces of meat, so I cut the chunks off and threw them to the pelican. The pelican usually walks up the ramp and stands a few feet away from me waiting for it's feed of scraps. Well, he did not like the big chunks, so he threw them back to me so they landed near me and just looked at me. He actually flicked them out of his bottom beak. I picked up the chunks and cut them into smaller pieces and threw them back to him, and he ate them. What a fussy bastard! Dave.

Yes, a picture from me, from the phone. Don't hold your breath waiting for the next one. The red marks happened just after death, maybe because he was curled around in the fish box. Yowie.

Fished near the mouth of Yowie Bay early this morning for the one jewie, measured a fraction under 90cm and weighed 13 pound, or about 6 kilos. Bait was a strip of squid on a 15 pound handline, and it took quite a bit of line on the first run. Managed one legal reddie which was returned as I had enough with the jewie, but not many other bites, so headed home early. When I returned to the boatshed, the old pelican was waiting as usual for a feed, and even he looked impressed. He is tame enough to hand feed on occasions. Yowie.

Shared it with the missus and daughter (usually have to force feed them, as they are not big fish eaters) and a couple of fillets saved for mum. When the son heard it was fish for tea, he took off with his mates. Dave.

I don't normally fish Gymea Bay much, but I do hear of reasonable size ones being caught now and then, just a matter of perseverance and a bigger one should turn up.