MikeR

thanks guys. I've seen some tropicals in the middle of winter scuba diving in Botany Bay - but with all the reports of marlin and such was curious to see people's thoughts on what happens when the music stops!

Hi guys - For any marine scientists on the board... a bit of a question I've pondered this time of year for a few seasons now... with all the marlin, mahi, and other tropical species that come down the coast with the EAC, what happens to them when they get too far south and the current starts to thin out? And where do they go at the end of the season? Thanks guys!

awesome experience! and a great result

this is a great initiative! The tracking function will surely save lives. Thanks for sharing

then you should go to Newport Beach.. there's one waiting to be caught in the ocean pool right now http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/humpback-whale-washes-up-in-sydney-ocean-pool-20120801-23dy8.html

Could be a sunfish- they like to sit on the surface and sun to get rid of skin parasites... but I thought they usually show up in our waters around summertime. You never know what you'll see around BB. Last year a scuba boat came across a whale shark in the bay! As for turtles- I have seen them at several spots in the East including Maroubra, Malabar, and most recently La Pa... so they're more common than people think! Gotta love living in a big city like this and being able to see such amazing wildlife- not many places in the world you can do that! Mike

1) Hawkfish of some type- never eaten 2-4) agree on ID's. "Eatability" of 2,3 no good but 4 is not too bad

I know them as bullseyes too. Find one and you'll find a million. Any of the raiders out there who scuba dive or snorkel will tell you that they live in massive clouds of hundreds to even thousands sometimes. You'll find them in areas of boulders that has kelp nearby and the school will generally be in the same area all the time (territorial...?). If you get a few, you can burley them up and put a piece on with some weight, or even send one down as a livey as there are sometimes predators that hang out below the schools. I've got no personal experience, but I've heard that jewies chase them from below. Hope it helps. Good luck! Mike

was good, thanks. Got into a couple of suggested spots up there and everyone got some keepers. Auntie even caught an octopus, so she was quite stoked! Thanks for the great suggestions guys! Happy New Year!! Mike

Hi KTS Any of the beaches in Botany Bay will be safe and productive spots for all of your usual suspects. The area around La Perouse and Bumborah Point has nice little beaches where the whole family can relax, have a BBQ, some beers (for the adults) , and a swim to wind down after a hard day's fishing! Good luck! Mike

Thanks for the great suggestions guys... got a bit of ground to cover there- so hopefully we'll be in luck! Merry Christmas Enjoy the fishing, and stay safe! Mike

Hi Raiders, Taking my uncle down to the Gong during the x-mas break. Unfortunately he gets desperately seasick, so charter is not an option. Can anyone recommend any landbased options that are easy(ish) access as he's not the youngest fella. Thanks in advance. Tight lines and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Mike

Thanks Mui Mui I'll give it a crack one of these days - and if successful, I'll let you know! Mike

awesome pics! well done it really adds a nice dimension to a day out when some whales show up

Hi Mui Mui, How did you catch those tasty morsels? I know a spot in Sydney that has got heaps of scallop shells on the beach, but I've got no clue how to find the patch, and once I do, how to grab the suckers - other than going for a dive! Care to share? Thanks Mike

Hi Secho These days you can't go wrong with a GoPro. They're pretty high quality footage and they're quite small! You can get them with underwater housings, different lens ports for above/below water use, and they have a million different mounting systems- with simple screw mounts for tightening. Otherwise, you can get an underwater housing for most point and shoot cameras and they have a screw mount on the bottom which you can use for the same purpose. You can run one on a fixed pole out the back of the boat, but I would attach a lanyard just in case. The problem you'll have, is that you need pretty clean water to get any decent fotage. You probably won't be able to film a strike if it happens more than a few meters from the boat, but you can get some great hand-held pole-cam action when landing/tagging your fish. Just make sure you have a wide angle lens attachment. I suppose you can also do a fishing-show style setup with the pole cam acting as a backward facing downrigger which will drag a lure or livey- this will make for some dramatic strike footage, but you'll really need to make sure that your mount is rock solid so you don't lose your camera. Good luck, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of your vids! Mike

Whilst I don't trap them, I do snorkel and hand catch lobster a lot. These guys like the cooler water and you'll find that most have moved off by now. They start to show up end of May and I've found that the peak of the season is later in Aug and Sep both for numbers and for size. All but gone now- with only a very few real stragglers still around. That said, I know some guys that seem to find them all through the year. 10m is more than adequate for fishing them. At the height of the season, you can find them in knee-high water. The deepest I've ever found one is about 6m... so you've got plenty of scope there. In terms of habitat, Jack is spot on... kelp and the dark brown weeds on or near rocks are great! Up in your neck of the woods, the headlands and corners of all the northern beaches will produce. You'll find best results on moonlss nights (either new moon or heavily overcast) - but they do come out to feed on all but full moon. And during new moon periods, even during the day (but unusual). A tip for you... crays are all programmed the same. If you find a hole that produces for you, take a mark and drop your traps in the same spot a few days/weeks later and you're in with a chance! Good luck with it, and let us know how you go! PM with any other questions. I'd be happy to help. Mike

as mentioned, keep the hooks very small. You can even put 2 or 3 on the line for a bit more excitement. I also find that if you put a red bead just above the hook, you'll get a bit more attention... especially when you get a good frenzy going in the berley trail good luck!

is it also worth dropping some crab traps out that way or is too far up?

hi guys, Yes they do exist. I know a couple of guys that caught some last summer off the eastern beaches with "the other kind of fishing." I have personally photographed a clown triggerfish in botany bay on a winter scuba dive a few years ago- so anything is possible. Gotta love that EAC... bring on the tropical species!

Long Bay is a great place to fish! If you're going out by boat with no depthfinder, try to navigate near the middle of the bay before turning north or south. There are some BIG kings out there on the shelf from the headlands and heaps of baitfish. Just be careful of the rocks. The shelf extends about 50m out into the bay and gets a rolling break during anything easterly. Inside the bay you can catch all of your usual suspects including bonito, good flatties, snapper, jewies, and kings - and there's heaps of bait around including yakkas and squid. Usual suggestions apply - find and work the sandline inside or work the shelf near the mouth of the bay and out. There's also a good platform on the S side of the bay. Park your car at the golf course/ocean pool parking lot and walk east along the fairway for about 8 mins. Then you'll see the platform. You'll have to follow the goattrail down the gully but the rocks are relatively safe except for the largest NE swells. Balloon/float fishing with live baits can pproduce anything and there are lots of bream, sawtail, and blackies right off the front too. Good luck! Mike

Aside from the sensible advice on the bar, keep in mind that there is a seal colony on the island itself. I've fished there for all your usual bottom bashing suspects, but you may lose a few to "the locals". Great place at this time of year though as you will probably come across dolphins on the way out, and possibly some whales too. Enjoy, and be safe! Mike

Hi Gilbey You can expect a bunch of nude men to be sunbathing Below the water's surface though you can count on bream, flatties, and the rest of the usual estuary suspects. Good luck.

Hi Raiders I'm looking to organise a charter for about 20 people out of Sydney Harbour for 3rd Sept... just some easy bottom bashing not too far out of the heads- conditions permitting. If anyone knows a good operator (or is one), please feel free to send me a PM. Thanks! Mike

For what its worth, growing up in North America, we used to fish trout out of the lakes on treble hooks with small marshmallows for bait. A trip to Europe last year also re-proved that bread is a gun bait for most fish. The trout in the stream went crazy for it.