Z-ster

We've already made plans and booked a hotel for two families at coffs this December. I've never been there before but looking at Google maps there seems to be some nice locations for the kids to fish. Can't wait to get up there. I haven't had a chance to fish all year so due to work and kids (youngest is 2) I'll be the fishing guide for 3 kids between the ages of 7 and 11. However I also plan to do some early morning fishing on my own. Should be great!

Awesome catch, I've been fishing that location for over 20 years. Don't go there much these days. I've never seen any bluefin caught of the rocks. Well done mate It would be the fish of a life time for me too.

Hi guys, Hoping for some advice on fishing locations up at the Gold Coast. I only have limited time to fish as we're only going up there for 4 days and 2-3 of those days will be spent at the theme parks. I will be up there in mid Jan with two 10 year old boys that are keen to do some fishing and I'm hoping there will be suitable locations for them to catch some fish. Looking at Google maps I can see what appears to be two suitable locations. Gold Coast Sand Pumping Jetty and the Gold Coast Seaway breakwall on the south side. BTW, we will be staying at the Sheraton Mirage Hotel, which is near by. Although the two location above might be better suited to the bigger species as I play to do a morning session on my own. The boys however will be running light to medium tackle (8-12lb), I might even offer them my lighter gear if necessary. I will be ok to travel further (20 mins drive) if better location are available a little further. Bream, whiting, flathead, taylor, etc should all be good for the boys to have some fun with. We plan to throw everything back so even if they're a little under size they should still be fun as the boys have not caught anything of significance in the few fishing endeavors. Thanks

Thanks for all the replies. While I was down with a cold a couple of days ago, my wife decided to pop out to BCF during the sales and purchase a Shimano long sleeved shirt for me at a discounted price. I may look like a bit of a dork wearing it but at least I won't get sun burnt. As for the pant, I have a pair of lightweight hiking pants that zip off just below the knees, which I purchased many years ago. These will match the shirt and multiply the dork effect. However, if I can catch fish like a pro this should help to reduce the dokiness to an acceptable level. Thanks

Hi Guys, Just wondering what fisho's on this forum wear to protect themselves from the sun? I tend to wear a t-shirt, sunscreen and a hat. However, I occasionally get a little sloppy applying the sunscreen and miss a spot or two, or I don't apply enough on other occasions. It's also a bit of a pain to apply when you're in a hurry getting to your favorite fishing location and rig up. So I've been thinking of getting a proper cap that protects my ears and neck and also purchasing a proper long sleeve fishing shirt. These seem to be made of a lightweight and comfortable materials that helps keep you cool, so I'm wondering if anyone has some recommendations on which brands/styles they prefer. Also, would a hiking store offer a better, and possibly cheaper, variety of such products? Thanks, John.

I was there last weekend and saw a guy catch a Watson's leaping Bonito. The fist one I've ever seen live.

Thanks guys, I saw what I think were the Griprox fishing spikes at Complete Anagler in Villawood and they look good, not sure if they would last as long as the conventional old school type though. I would also welcome the convinience of being able to use the same shoes to walk into the location then just slip on the Griprox. As for the inflatable pfd where is the best place to purchase these from? I did a search and found many results linking to fleebay, but not sure I would trust that place for an item that demand quality. Do tackle shops stock a good variety of pfds? Thanks again.

I've been fishing off the rocks for around 25 years, and I'm thinking it might be time to upgrade my safety equipment. I've never worn a PFD but I'm now thinking it's a good idea. I only fish the one rock location, and only fish it in the right conditions, however I am getting older and my agility/coordination is not as good as it was. Although I include these factors when deciding on the conditions it still makes sense to improved your chances of survival as extraordinary events can and do happen. I've also been out of the fishing game for several years and in the last year or two I've been getting back into it with some new tackle and line. So what I'm looking for is to upgrade my cleats. And include a PFD. I wanted to know what brands people here recommend for both cleats and PFD. For the PFD I'm thinking something compact that's inflatable. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info, Had a look at Bass point on google maps and the street view pictures and it appears the main fishing spot is facing north. It appears there are many good spots but google maps can be deceiving.

Never been to Hill 60 but I have been thinking of heading down there this season. Would it be considered safe for an early monining spinning session? 6am - 10am My Father loved fishing at Julianne's Rock (Little bay) our main fishing haunt for over 20 years, but now he's approaching his mid 70's. He's still fit but due to a heart attack suffered almost 10 years ago he struggles to getting back up the steep ravine at little bay. Therefore I was thinking that Hill 60 would be a good substitute. Also, how does Hill 60 compare to Bass Point, which is another location I've not been to but have been interested in fishing. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info.

I was down that way a couple of weeks ago with my BIL and was tempted to head down there for a look (never been there before), instead we opted for Wyndang, which I don't really like for surface fishing, besides I didn't have my rock plates with me. Can anyone confirm if this location demand rock plates? From what I've read it seems that it does.

Looking at heading to Lake Macquarie for a short family (3 families) holiday during mid Jan and although we’ve tentatively booked at Kiama (have not laid down a deposit yet) I was thinking the fishing opportunities would be much better at Lake Macquarie. I’ll be doing a mix of jetty fishing with the kids and some more serious fishing of the rocks. I’ve looked at some of the rock locations near Lake Macquarie (Google maps) and they look awesome. For instance there are some locations at Wallarah National Park, also at the end of snapper Point Rd and Wybung Head Rd, which is the only spot out of these which I’ve fished. I don’t really like the rock locations at Kiama, they are very dicey. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever fished them before. Perhaps I did once but that could have been a dream. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on accommodation near Lake Macquarie with activities for kids. I’ve searched but could not find much. Thanks

That has been my experience. The smaller the size of the mullet the easier it is getting them to respond to bread burley. But once they're over approx 40cm it's near impossible getting them to take a bait or show any interest. Unless they're constantly exposed to bread burley on a regular basis, like Ned's beach at Lord Howe Island, they seldom respond. Mind you there have been several report on this forum of people catching Monster Mullet.

If it's a two piece rod then it would be identical to mine, even down to the colour of the line! Mine is loaded with 6lb Sunline if my memory serves me right.

Thanks for the info guys, I guess I'll stick to the northern break wall if I head down there again. If only they had made those boulders smaller.

I've never fished the south wall only the north wall about half a dozen times. I was given the impression that south wall was restricted to public access. I remember several years back I was taken to the south wall and there was no access, just a turnstyle gate. Perhaps this gate is not locked and we overlooked it! Also, what are the concrete blocks like on the south wall? The ones on the north wall are very awkward with very few spots giving a good fishing platform to stand on.

Nice catch I live within walking distance of that canal and was down there about a month ago. I noticed the bream and mullet but didn't expect to see much else. Sorry but can't help you with the mystery fish. Salmon perhaps? I caught one in Balmain last year on a small blade and they have been known to venture further up river.

My partner caught a few fish on a hand line one time at Balmoral wharf, including a Leatherjacket and a Pike. We cooked them both and the pike trumped the Leatherjacket by a fair margin. Having said that I have no idea where Leatherjackets rank on the eating scale.

Bimini Twist (main line) to Ted Donelan's (Leader) I prefer this over the albright, which I've used for many years.

Thanks for the feedback guys. It's also only just occurred to me that the Starlo 902 is 6-10kg where as the Jewel 902 is a 4-8kg. I really need to see both these in the flesh before making a decision. Cheers

Thanks for the response

A while ago I purchased a Shimano Starlo Classix 902 Shorespin as part of a spinning outfit for my borther-in-law's birthday. I really loved how lightweight the rod is and loved the fast action even more. Ever since I purchased one for him I've been thinking of getting one for myself, however I now noticed the Shimano Jewel 902 ShoreSpin has dropped in price and is actually cheaper than the Starlo. Does anyone know how this rod compares to the 9' Starlo Classic? I'd be fishing anything from bream, taylor, bonnies, salmon etc and probably matching it up with my Stratic FI 4000 with the spare spool I already have a Tiralejo 9' which I use off the rocks for heavier pelagics and the like, which is paired with the Stratic. The one thing I hate about the Tiralejo is the name. I can never remember it or how to spell it. Had to go downstairs to remind myself Other suggestions are also welcome. My criteria is 9' fast action 6-8kg, prefer the bottom half of the blank to be relatively narrow and lightweight. Budget $100 to ~$130. Thanks

Thanks, I'll try without a swivel this coming weekend and see how I go.

I started spinning over 20 years ago and since my early days I've been told that with threadline reels (eggbeaters) you're required to use a swivel or you will get ridiculous line twist. In fact I've always used a ball bearing swivel on my threadline outfits when spinning. This to me makes sense but with the popularity of braid lines I've notice some people are not fitting a swivel when spinning with a threadline. I've also got into the untra-light finesse fishing with small lures, which makes the swivel look proportionally larger. So what is the deal, can I do away with the swivel altogether or should I just downgrade to the brass ones which come is very small sizes? Thanks