bump73

Maybe i've misread this but if you are fishing from wharves in the harbour why would you want or need a 12ft beach rod?? Sounds like major overkill to me and i can only think it would be a pain in the arse to cast and land fish with pylons and stuff all over the place. Ben

Best advice i can offer is to have a look at this thread in the link below http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=61851&pid=433754&st=0entry433754 Ben

MMMM left this a little late didn't we seeing as the first game has already started :074: Oh well i'm in password please Ben

WOW a bream that size hope you got some pics of it as it would easily be a new Australian record, can't say i've ever seen a pic of one over 50cm personally.. Ben

Easiest option would be to drill a 10mm hole as deep as possible and make a rod holder with a 10mm rod on the end to fit into it. Should be able to do it with a cordless hammer drill. Rod holder could be as simple as a length of PVC with a rod cable tied to it. As to whether it is legal to go drilling into rock platforms not to sure but i can't imagine it would be technically legal. Ben

And this is why i refuse to disclose any of my spots on a public forum, seeing "popular" spots end up a bloody mess just makes more and more guarded about keeping the lesser known spots quiet. Just waiting for someone to come out with the "They mustn't be raiders" line that normally comes up in a thread like this, well they may not be, but what about their mate who told them about it or took them there in the first place. These people are a bloody disgrace, I fish a spot on Parra river which has a bin about 10mt from the waters edge and the $#@%&'s are to lazy to walk over to it and put their crap in the bin. I'm normally cleaning up at least 2 plastic bags of rubbish every time i go there. Ben

That has to be one of the best fishing reports ever mate :074: :thumbup:

Pretty sure you have to pay to fish out at the rowing place at penrith, mind you, you really only get carp and the occasional bass so i'd say it's not worth it. Ben

personally i release the majority of the fish i catch because i know, i've read scientific studies by the csiro and various govt bodies, that recreational fishing has no long term impact on their numbers. I like to compare them to cane toads, in that even if everyone killed every toad they saw it still wouldn't get rid of them. Tasmania is a perfect example of how hard they are to get rid of, it has taken 10 years of netting and electro fishing to just clear 2 lakes. Now until a scientific solution comes along we are stuck with them and it doesn't matter how many you catch and kill it won't make a difference especially in open systems like parra or Nepean river with all the creeks and drains they inhabit. Now if you want to kill them go for it, all i'm saying is studies have shown rec fishers have little short term effect and absolutely no long term effect on their numbers. Ben

Mate if you check DPI website it is NOT against the law in NSW to release back if you don't want to kill. Some people need to check facts before posting as the internet is full of enough BS already Ben

Definately pounds not kg's. This DPI page has good length to weight info.. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/saltwater/weigh Ben

Nice one mate that's a regular spot of mine I grew up in East Ryde and have fished there for years. Fishes best down there on a falling tide and don't be afraid to use big SP's as there are some BIG fish down there, i got smoked by one about a month ago that i thought was a ray at first glance only to have it go ballistic and run into the deep and bust my 6lb leader , i now use 10-12 lb just in case. There have also been jewies caught on SP's down there in the deeper water on dusk so it can be worth a cast and slow retrieve just in case. Ben

I make my own timber lures, a lot of sites say to use balsa but it is rubbish IMO, I generally only use cedar as you can get a much nicer finish to it and you have a decent amount of weight there for casting. I make my bibs out of titanium sheet either 0.4mm or 0.8mm thick, mainly because i have access to it at work. As far as tow points go i only ever do a through wire construction which can be a bit tricky when having 2 trebles on a lure but you never have to worry about tow points pulling out of the wood. I planning on making some stick baits and poppers soon so i'll take pics along the way for a step by step thingy.. Pics below are some i made out of cedar and decided to leave natural finish rather than painting them up. They've had 1 coat of 2 part epoxy which got rubbed back and then another 2 coats applied to finish them. Would have more pics of these but the missus needed a christmas present for her step dad and took them as soon as they were finished.. Ben

If you just want to wet a line target the carp in the freshwater sections of Parra river. Lots of fun to fish for and i'd rather catch a 50-70cm carp over undersized bream that you'll get in Narrabeen lake. Ben

Mate if you want maximum distance you need an overhead. Pretty much all of the casting records are with overheads and a fair percentage are with the Abu ambassadeurs or Penn maggs. I use the Abu 5600c4, 12 years old with upgraded bearings, and even though it's a level wind it will punch out at least 50-60mt and that's with a 7ft rod. The main thing with distance casting whether it be with a spin reel or a overhead is loading up the fishing rod with the right weight, chucking a massive snapper lead on won't help if the rod isn't rated for it. Ben

It was caught in the lower section about 50mt down from the bridge. I don't normally fish that section as i do better with the carp in the top part, might have to fish there more often now Ben

Went for a quick carp bash down behind Parra leagues club after the storm this afternoon. River was running hard so i found a nice spot where the water was relatively calm and burleyed up with some corn and bread and cast out a couple of unweighted corn baits. Kept getting bites which is really unusual as the only things i usually catch down there are carp which pick up the whole bait and run, or eels which also swallow the bait whole. After rebaiting my hook about 5 times i decide to strike at the fish as it was biting and managed to hook up. At first i called it for a small carp as it was pretty feisty but on seeing it come to the surface i thought i'd hooked one of the elusive bass. Landed the fish, took a couple of pics then released it and realised the head shape was all wrong for a bass and after searching the internet the only thing that seems to match is a Silver Perch. Anyone heard of these being caught in the river? The fish was seemed really healthy and was nice and fat, probably from eating all my burley. I'm thinking if this isn't a one off i'll have to start casting some small lures around the snags whilst i have bait out for the carp.. Oh yeah ended up with 6 eels and no carp but the perch definately made it worthwhile. Ben

What do you mean weeks ago report says it was last week are you saying it's BS??? As for not many kings they are still around I know of 2 x 1mt+ ones caught on Saturday you just need to find them. Ben

Just a heads up you are not allowed to stop and anchor at the spit bridge at all. Just because you've gotten away with it doesn't make it legal, saying its alright because you haven't been busted yet even though there are multiple signs saying you can't is just stupid... Ben

Here's mine a modest 10 cm bream that absolutely nailed a dodgy tied fly that only 2 casts before i'd landed a 38 cm whiting on.. Ben

Love the second shot where its close to the boat jumping yet the line from the rod is still in the water, But it must be true because it's on the internet :074: Ben

That was my solution to the problem, just get a bit of wood and start whittling surface lure are about as easy as it gets, making a nice diver that swims well can be a bit painful though. Ben

Okay there were bass stocked in there but i think there was an algae bloom 5 or so years ago and a lot of fish in there died. Not sure if has been restocked or how many survived but you might get lucky if you have a go at dawn and dusk.. Ben

I'll release any over about the 60 cm mark, and one thing that really pisses me off is the bag limit of 20 for flatties. I mean seriously 20 fish, how long are they going to sit in the freezer before they are eaten, it just ridiculous in my opinion it should be more more like 5 definately no more than 10. Ben

The only way you are able to fish in Centennial park is by being a member of Sydney Fly Rodders who use one of the ponds or by attending one of the carp days which are held every second Tuesday from 3pm til dusk. You need to register for this and numbers are limited so it fills up pretty quick, it is actually part of a research project where they are tagging and releasing the bigger ones as they think they actually help control the numbers by eating eggs and fry. Saw some nice ones caught there last summer but it can be a bit hit and miss depending on the rainfall and what pond you get to fish on the day. A lot of the ANSA carp records have come from in the park, most of the caught by Tony who runs the days. Actually you can also book a day with Tony to fish the park and he will put you onto some massive fish from ponds that never get fished not sure what the cost is though. Ben