Howdoweplaythis

If you are getting bites and not hooking up, unlikely to be flathead. They will normally fit an entire lure in their mouth first time when they bite. As mentioned above, make sure the hooks are sharp as their mouth is very hard. Given this fact, set the hook HARD for flathead. You mentioned you fished from a jetty. They are great places to fish but keep in mind flathead are lazy fish and you need to cover ground to find them (it's unlikely they will 'swim along' and find your lure/bait), which is the limitation of a small jetty because once you've cast from all around the jetty, that's it. Try a 'stretch' of water with the right conditions for flathead

do sambo fillets make good jewfish bait?

I used to work in a large outdoor store (I can't mention which due to forum rules). We used to have the PCV ones and they were absolute rubbish. We got so many complaints about them they got recalled. My dad bought a Wilson yabby pump before I was born. It lasted for over 20 years before it finally died. I replaced it with another Wilson one. Can't speak for Alvey pumps because I've never used one but the stuff they make is generally pretty indestructible.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/fishing-rules-and-regs/saltwater-bag-and-size-limits These are the most common species you'll find in NSW waters. None are venomous to handle WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RED ROCK COD however, many still have spines that hurt like hell and a lot have sharp teeth. None of the fish on that list are poisonous to eat. Lipgrips, pliers and a damp rag will get you a long way in keeping you safe. If you cannot ID a fish species, please don't take it home. Take a photo, release it and post it in our 'aquarium' section for an ID for next time. Nothing annoys me more than when people have a photo of a dead fish in their kitchen sink in the aquarium section and then find out it's poisonous to eat hence, died for nothing. In regards to filleting, you can wear some good quality puncture-proof gloves. And practice lots.

Avomine is an effective sea-sickness medication and I know it is used by navy personnel who get seasick however, it will make you drowsy and it is recommended that you take it before bed the night before as previously recommended by other users. I find that the drowsiness lingers into the next day, though. It is over the counter but you will have to request it from the pharmacist - it won't be sitting on the shelf

I used to work nearby and used to fish it often. Plenty of bream with flathead, tailor, eels and longtoms thrown in the mix. Have also chased jewfish at night there with tailor as bait. A few big runs but have never managed to land any and not sure what has taken my bait but certainly something large. Oh, and more mullet than you can poke a stick at but difficult to catch, as mullet often are.

Where abouts in Curly? Is it off the rocks? I have never caught yellowtail off the rocks before but willing to learn

Land based

Dee why, mona Vale, narrabeen beaches mostly

Hi everyone, I like to fish the beaches with live yakkas but was wondering where the closest location to catch yakkas was in relation to the northern beaches? I know a few people get them from Roseville boat ramp but this is technically a no fishing spot. Cheers

http://www.fishraider.com.au/article/narrabeen-lakes/ There is a kayak hire place. Should be easy to find on google. The lake is slow at the moment because the water is still cold. Minnow style lures in that size will get you flathead.

A few points: -When I first started fishing it took me many many sessions and many many hours before I caught my first legal fish - two whiting in Narra lake. Was the happiest person in the world. I was ready to throw down the rod and call it a day many times over. It's taken me years to get to a point where I am semi-consistent at catching. -It's mid winter. It's the slowest and most challenging time of year -You read fishing reports here of people having massive success. What you rarely see is when those peoples' trips end in a bust - which I guarantee you they do -Sometimes despite your best preparation, anticipation and rubbing of your lucky charms you will not succeed. It is the nature of this game, unfortunately. Frustration, excitement, disappointment, elation. Yep -that's fishing! FYI if you are fishing in saltwater ideally your bait should never have been in contact with fresh water (ice included). Try quality frozen pilchards and hawkesbury prawns.... And burley. Good luck

Someone has left their rod and reel in the car park at Davidson National Park. It was there when I arrived and still there some time later when I left. It's currently in my possession. I'm looking to return it to its rightful owner if they can describe it accurately to me in exchange for a six pack of beer

I clearly remember reading a thread on this forum years ago where lots of people opted not to put sunscreen on in fear of contaminating the bait/lure with sunscreen smell and putting off the fish. I was pretty shocked by the number of fishos who intentionally opted to avoid sunscreen for this reason. I would rather hurt my chances of fishing over getting skin cancer. Keep in mind there are also sunscreens that are advertised to be 'fish friendly' in terms of smell/taste

My poddy mullet right for flathead is - small sinker (about pea-size) down to the hook on a 12lb fluoro trace. I use a 2/0 circle hook through the nose or tail. If fishing for flathead I find they essentially always swallow the whole bait and I don't need 2 hooks. Adjust sinker size according to size of the poddy but as light as you possibly can whilst still securing the poddy down to the bottom

You'll have much less luck during the colder months. Flathead in the lake are much more active in warmer water but not to say it can't be done. I've had good success with grub-type lures. Prawn and paddle tail styles will also work. In fact flathead will eat almost anything that moves

Thanks for the responses. Will go and check out some rods this weekend

Lesson learned the hard way. We all do silly things every so often

Try a paternoster for something completely different. Or a surf popper

I am after a new beach setup because a fish ripped my old combo out of the holder and into the surf, never to be seen again The reel I plan to get is a Pflueger Salt in the 60 size (approximately equivalent to 6000 size in other brands). My old rod was an ugly stik 12' 8-12kg but I am looking at getting a Penn prevail for my new setup. A few questions: 1. Would this reel suit a 8-12kg or a 12-20kg rod more in the Penn Prevail range? I am chasing jewfish, salmon, tailor etc 2. I used to use 30lb braid on my old setup. Would 40lb be overkill? I suppose this would also depend on the above rod recommendation. 3. I have never casted a graphite rod in the surf. Will a fibreglass or graphite rod cast further for heavy baits and big sinkers? Any other recommendations or advice is appreciated Cheers

FG knot is probably a bit overkill surf fishing. I use a double uni for braid > mono and the only time it's failed in the surf is when i'm intentionally breaking my line after being snagged. What you're suggesting should work in the surf, but any reason you don't want to use a swivel? The classic running sinker rig works fine when beach fishing but I encourage experimentation to see what works for you

I used to use trackies beach fishing and when they got wet, I found it was a great way to have a cold and miserable night. I bought a pair of neoprene waders and they keep me very warm - definitely a good spend. A word of warning, if you are walking long distances on the beach carrying lots of stuff I find I actually get TOO hot in them and start sweating. The insides are a bit difficult to clean and mine have started to smell a bit inside from the sweat (a lovely thought, I know) so I might need to clean them with some detergent. Re. your idea to carry them down the beach - waders aren't light due to the gumboots and are cumbersome. I'd be concerned they'd be a pain to carry down with the rest of your beach gear. I normally just put mine on out of the car. Wet suit pants are a good idea too but may have cold feet?

It is generally recommended that high tide is best, particularly around this season. On the low tide you see little kids standing comfortably in gutters. Imagine a 30kg jewfish trying to swim around in that. During the high tide these gutters become much deeper. Smaller fish such as whiting, bream, flathead etc can be caught during the lower parts of the tide (but the general consensus is that high is still better) as they can swim in the shallower waters, but these are classically a 'summer' fish but can still be caught in smaller numbers during winter.

My technique is an unweighted pillie cube with a bail arm open drifted down the water column. This will only work on smaller swells or days with light winds otherwise your bait will be moved around too much. Burley up with pillies or bread. Alternatively you can use a running sinker rig. Pillies, prawns, bread, chicken - all work for trevs

Can't go wrong with the Shimano Raiders I'm also a fan of the Pfleuger Trions Consider upping your gear to a 8kg rod and 4000 size reel if chasing kings