Yowie

That will work for a smaller flattie, however, one at the 60, 70cm mark or bigger is a different thing. An angry fish is what you have with the larger flatties, just wanting to swing that head, and the head spikes will rip and tear if they make contact with you. Extreme caution needed with a large flattie when the head is swinging, especially in the confines of a kayak. There are various grips to hold one. Practice a grip first on a dead one, then imagine the swinging head of a live one with the grip you are using, and where the head spikes will end up in your hand, arm, feet.

A very successful session, a good variety of fish with a big bream as well. Bream at 40cm and over are good sized. 👍

As Noel stated, fresh bait is better than salted bait, however, in the early mornings, fresh bait may not be available. I cut off the fillets - mainly tailor, slimies, bonito, little tuna species, yakkas but also smaller trevally and mullet at times. I use a large glass dish. Fillets skin side up, a shallow layer of salt onto them, then turn over and a thicker layer of salt applied. Into the fridge. One day of salting is good for most of the above, except for larger bonito or small tuna then 2 to 3 days. Drain the water then each fillet separately placed into a plastic bag, labelled with type of fillet and date. I have used the salted fillets 12 months or more later, the better ones being bonito, tailor, small tuna for that length of time.

Vehicles flooded, damage inside and to wiring, insurance may be difficult to claim. Drop kicks.

A legal bream, nice work there Mike. Just one legal fish can make you happy for the effort.

Another saying - haste makes waste. Just take your time and don't rush things. The mullet would be most likely sea mullet. Rarely do they bite. That particular rock may have certain weed growths they like to eat. One has a go and the others follow - yes, like sheep.

Thank you. Handlines are easy for smaller fish, however, bigger fish like jewies, kingies, small sharks and large rays are not easy and can panic the inexperienced angler causing the line to break. A large eagle ray going flat chat out from the boat will cause line burn on the fingers, and I mean a small burn mark that leaves a furrow in the skin. No problem with taking a handline along in the backpack.

Well Mike, it is not easy trying to wind up a fish, rod between the legs, and another fish on a handline that wants to take line. Must look like a circus to others motoring along. 😂

Thanks Waza. The only trouble with fishing more than one line - not the first time and will not be the last. Many years ago, my fishing mate and I use to target the school jewies that frequented the Hacking. Always 3 handlines each, different baits, to see what was happening. A school swam past and the 6 lines took off one after another. We landed the six jewies, but it was lines crossing over, tangles, fish flapping in the line in the boat, more tangles, and a bit of language. 🤣

Headed out early this morning, to the deep water up from Lilli Pilli. Quiet at first until a little bit of light appeared in the sky. The rod with a pillie was doing nothing, so gave it a lift and the flattie was sitting on it. Pulled it towards the boat, not a lot of fight, then a handline takes off. Grabbed that and it was the jewie, so attention towards the jewie. Put the rod down and the flattie decides to wake up and fight, trying to pull the rod out of the boat. Fighting flattie on the rod, and the jewie kicking away on the handline. Attention paid to the jewie due to the fight by it. A second handline takes off, one of the reddies so grab that, hook up and let it run. Jewie still kicking away on the handline, rod between the legs trying to retrieve the flattie. Jewie netted and dumped into the box, flattie then netted and dumped in to the box, reddie retrieved and no lines in the water for a while. Flattie photoed and released. Not big reddies, biggest only 32cm, but provided a nice feed (another recipe to keep the wife happy) Plenty of just under reddies as well. Only thing jumping were pillies, not a decent fish to be seen near me. Also pulled up a nice blue swimmer and dropped another. The crabs at this time of year head to the deeper water, but are harder to land due to having to pull them up from the deeper water. If they let go of the bait, they swim off and are hard to locate again. Headed to South West Arm to look for a squid, and saw quite a few jumping mullet near the mouth. Used a small piece of bread on handline for the mullet, and dropped a bigger one, also small bream taking the bread. The mullet were on the move, around the berley for a short time, then disappearing for a minute or 2 before returning. Had enough so headed home.

A few stones or chunks of broken brick cheaper than lead sinkers

Fish do shrink with death. Larger fish like kingies and jewies, allow an extra 1 or 2 cms over legal to keep. Ice causes shrinkage (to just about everything or body part 🤣) It is best to go a little over the legal limit to be safe from the authorities. Keeping a fish alive will not be a problem - try keeping a legal kingie alive in an esky - not nice for the fish. Smaller species of fish will keep better.

Yep, I know what you mean. Too big a fish for the system. Not easy to do. I have seen a couple of fishos out there with a large wooden reel on the side of the boat, then wind it up with a good fish on the hooks. I still fish with handlines, but not out there at Browns.

A great detailed report, good fish, wildlife, scenery, and happy faces. Echidnas look like you could pick them up easily, however, not the case. They roll up, squirm around and those spikes penetrate most clothing and gloves.

Good bag of blue eye and dollies. The big one is a great fish, and having to wind up manually. 😂 You would still be happy though.

A nice mixed bag there, certainly worth the time and effort to head out.

A lot of effort to catch a fish and a lure. 😂 At least it is back in the tackle box, until next time.

Very nice, couple of bags of fish so your time out paid off. Have not tried eating bonnies, always use them for bait, mostly salted and frozen for another day.

Sounds like a good time to be had - nice fish, plenty for a few feeds. Problem with the long weekend and crab pots - thieving bastards about. If the pot was missing, probably a crab or 2 inside it.

A good bag of fish and crabs. *&#^@& green toads. RPG's needed for the drop kicks in the 6 knot zone.

2 landed is better than none at all.

Very nice Issac, some legal reddies of a better size for a change.

Good work there b.n., a few nice fish for the outing. The young bloke is happy. Had you not caught anything, there was plenty to cook up - cocktail franks, chicken, cheese, shrimps 🤣

*&^@#*^ green toads. Might have to fish in the Hacking, though I have caught a few of them inside as well.