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.

What looked like bonito splashes were happening around the boat occasionally but no hits on the lure.

Fished Gymea Bay to the north end early this morning, a bit of colour after the rain and expecting a few fish, but not the case. One small jew at 48cm, but it did not look too good after being landed. Put it in the fish box to see how it was going, and it died soon after. Would not have survived being released, but that was the only fish. Was thinking of going home, and moved just out of Gymea Bay. Burleyed up and put the lines out, and things were quiet. Was thinking of packing up and pulled out a 38cm tailor, and shortly after a just legal reddie amongst the bait stealers. Then pulled out 2 small flatties, 43cm and just a bit smaller. Not a lot, but a few fillets for tea, bread crumbed, pan fried and washed down with a nice bottle of riesling. Yowie.

Don't know the water temperature as I don't have a thermometer in my tinny, however, standing in knee deep water pumping nippers and fishing, it was fairly cool. I had a swim at Wanda Beach today, the water temperature is 18 degrees according to the surf website, and up in the Port the water temperature is about the same on the surface and I would imagine a bit cooler deeper down. Enough to say most people would not be swimming at this time of year. Dave.

Fished early this morning along Deer Park for 3 reddies around the 32,33 cm mark on squid. The pilchards only attracted the little reddies. While I was trying to catch some yellowtail, some chinaman jackets turned up in the berley trail and chewed off a few hooks. Landed 4 that were big enough to keep. I pulled in a small flounder that I released, and a kingfish followed it to the boat. A few bigger splashes around the boat early in the morning, probably more kings but not of any size. The wind was swirling early in the morning, south-west to west to north-west and back again. I pumped a few nippers at low tide, headed to the main channel to drift and a south-westerly blew up around 20 knots, out of South West Arm and down the channel. It lasted for a little while, so drifting was out of the question, so I waded the shallow bank. Pulled out a few whiting, all undersized except for one at 38cm. The wind started to ease, the nippers ran out so I headed for home and the wind turned to the south east. Yowie.

They were not mullet. Yowie.

Pumped a few nippers this morning and drifted the bank along the main channel, a bit difficult as the wind was against the current, so I kept drifting over the weeds. For nearly 3 hours, I managed 2 bream, 29 and 30cm, and 1 blackfish at 37cm. I dropped one just legal whiting beside the boat and missed another fish, probably a bigger bream when the hook pulled out. There was a short session of larger fish, probably a few salmon, chasing pilchards into less than 1 metre of water, but no hits on the lure. Yowie.

Can also hot smoke the fillets in a shoe box sized smoker, have tried it that way before. Yowie.

Funnily, out of all the Flatties, they were all Eastern blue spot, with no marbled mixed in. I wonder if it’s a seasonal thing? Chewie. Marbled flathead are usually found in deeper water than blue spots, have caught a few blue spots in shallow water off Lilli Pilli in Port Hacking at various times. Has been a few years since I landed the occasional tiger flathead off Cronulla. Has anyone caught any tigers recently? Yowie.

Dropped a jig to the east of Jibbon Bombie at first light, no bites, so moved to the south for a drift along the bottom for a couple of sergeant baker, then snagged and a break off. Moved a bit further south, and several dolphins swam beside the boat. As soon as I slowed down, the dolphins disappeared, so I dropped a line for bugger all bites. Started the motor and moved off and the dolphins re-appeared, followed me and disappeared again when I stopped the motor. They did this several times, until they eventually disappeared for good. At one stage a seal appeared, looked like the black fur seal that has been hanging about for several weeks, and some of the dolphins swam near it and the seal jumped out of the water. Must have thought he was under attack. Drifted for quite a while only landing small spiky flatties and was about to move, when I hit a small patch of blue spots, landing 5 to 42cm. Drifted back over the same patch but no more, so moved several times to land one more blue spot and plenty of spikies. Had a visit from an albatross, so I fed him some cut up pieces of bait while he was swimming next to the boat. No surface action, unlike a couple of weeks ago when many gannets were diving for pilchards over a wide area. Still, good to be out on the water with no-one to annoy me! Yowie.

They can be eaten hot smoked, just watch out for the bones, best way of cooking than other methods. I used a shoe box size smoker, and ate them hot from the smoker. When that's all you catch, they are better eating than carp or kelp fish. (Have not tried either of them though, the smell is enough to put you off) Yowie.