[Off to Lake Macquarie]

Hello gang,

Traveling to Lake Macquarie this weekend and keen to find some land based spots for the usual suspects and we are staying in Mannering Park.

Much appreciated fisho gang.

Dingo

[Maroubra/Coogee/Bronte - Fish on holiday?]

Happy new year first and foremost my fellow Raiders,

I live in the Sydney Eastern Suburbs of and so tend to fish the beaches after work for the usual suspects (bream, trevally, whitting, flatties etc) but not having any luck at the moment and certainly a lot less luck than this time last year (when I was a complete novice)

Still trying as before to follow the tides and to read the beach etc

Just wondered if any of you beach fisho's are having a better time of it than I am?

Cheers, Dingo

[Mono - which brand and where to buy?]

Hello Raiders,

I bought a 6144 rod a few months ago and a larger carbon egg beater for it which had 20lb mono put on it (no idea of the brand). I only use this rod for fishing off the rocks and off cliffs really (balckfish, drummer etc)

Need some new mono for it. I know this is quite a personal choice but what brands do you guys prefer and if you shop online, which sites do you use?

Cheers, D

[Bondi]

All good Craig, I will send you a private message with my contacts. Cheers, David

Hi mate,

Im keen to let you know next time i head out on the beaches.

What are your digits?

Craig

[Bondi]

Hello gang,

I live in Coogee and regularly fish coogee and Maroubra with varying degrees of success. I have struck out my last four outings with barely a nibble in places where I was regularly catching at the beginning of the year. Anyways, fairly new to australia and always keen to hook up with raiders who fiah the eastern beaches, gets a bit dull sometimes fishing solo. Anyway, if youre up for it, PM me your email or numbers.

Cheers, D

[Off the beach]

G'day fishin' folk,

Had another 2 trips on the beach with a couple of little nibbles being the highlight. Anyone else having any luck on any of the Northern or Eastern beaches as yet??

Cheers, Dingo

[Off the beach]

Royce my man,

Hope you're well. Just let me know when you boys are going out next then, Cheers, d

Dingostema,

come chase a few blackies wit hme and Paul!!!! They are on! Blackfish were going hard off North Maroubra beach yes beach 3 to 4 weeks ago fishing a standard running sinker rig long trace and cabbage baits!

Cheers

Royce

[Off the beach]

I've only been trying Maroubra and Coogee really, how about you?

[Off the beach]

Hiya agin Bennoz,

Is there any rhyme or reason for this or do you think or is it just one of those things?

Cheers, D

beaches have shut right down over the last few weeks. they'l pick up again...

[Off the beach]

spent 2.5 hours again last night on Coogee on the run to high tide and didnt get so much as a nibble . . . . . . . . .

Dingo

[Off the beach]

Hello Raiders,

Just wondered if anyone is having much luck at the mo off any of the Eastern subs beaches? I havent had much luck at all over the last few months (roll on warmer waters I guess)

Cheers, Dingo

[What is this fish?]

And don't worry about it. It is one rock cale.

When you see something you are not sure about cut it loose for your own safety. A lot of fish can sting you very badly. Better to be safe. Cut the line.

hehe, yes, I should have learned that lesson from the Catfish sting on the Hawksbury at Easter!

[What is this fish?]

Fish have a high acid content in their stomachs that can literally dissolve hooks in a matter of days.. Cut the line as short as possible to the eye of the hook and release... Hooks aren't that expensive to replace...

Thanks, I dont care about loosing hooks or anything else mate, As youll see from earlier posts I am pretty new to fishing and I didnt realise this was the case.

[What is this fish?]

Anyone else comment on this please? I honestly only killed the fish because I thought it was the right thing to do and didnt want the fish to suffer????

Thanks, Dingo

[What is this fish?]

You can always cut the line and let it go, that way the fish has a chance to live and you protect yourself from any fines should your catch be inspected.

the Rock Cale seemed to have a pretty small mouth, the hook was lodged pretty deeply in its troat and while I couldnt get the hook out I think leaving it in would have obstructed its ability to eat. I felt bad killing it but I thought it unfair to throw the fish back to let it starve to death.

[What is this fish?]

Yep its a Rock Cale.

Shame to see it killed when you dont know if its edible, protected or of a legal size.

Rich

Hi, sadly the hook was so deep I couldnt get it out with seriously damaging the fish. It seemed like the only option that I had. D

[What is this fish?]

Ahhhh. thanks. couldnt find it anywhere in the standard charts. Taste like old boots?

[What is this fish?]

Hello all,

Can anybody help me to identify this fish please. Could find anything in the cahrt to help identify it. It looked a bit like a rock cod but not exactly like one . . . . . .

Thanks, Dingo

[On the beaches - East side]

Hello my fishy friends,

I've been having pretty limited luck on the Eastern Subs beaches since it started getting cold . . . . .The closest beaches to me are Coogee and Maroubra which is where I have reasonable success in warmer times targeting bream, trevally, tarhwhine, whitting, flathead etc.

Just wondered if anyone is having any better luck at any fthe other eastern beaches, Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, clovelly etc

Thanks gang,

David

(Had a few decent Aussie Salmon of recent weeks but I ideally hope to catch fish to eat so threw em back . . . .)

[Catfish are evil]

I know what you mean Stan, Its not the catfish's fault and it was me, after all, that caught it, not the other way round! Blame evolution I guess!

Hey David,

That pic you got there of the eel tail catfish is under the brooklyn rail; bridge in hawkesbusy where have caught thousands of these things!! when i catch these i can forget jew fishing becuase i know i will only get these. I also got stung by one by its dorsal spike which sits under the skin and looks like a bone. It got me on the thumb and i had a small sweeling from where it stung me but appart from the initial pain of it jabbing me i had no pain only severe ITCHING!! i could not stop scratching it until the skin came off and it was there for weeks until it went down. I must of had an allergic reaction to it?

There gross looking fish for sure, i witnessed a couple of guys catching some off a wharf in the hacking a few weeks back, they decapitated it and threw it back in the water without any hesitation - i think thats discusintg though, they have a right to live just as any other animal.

[Catfish are evil]

Thats exactly what the A&E Doc told me. Hot water will neutralise the venom but you need to keep your hand emersed for an hour or so and the water needs to be as hot as you can take it (without damaging your hand any further). When you take your hand out of the hot water the venom may be re activated. They cant really give you any decent pain relief as the pain is so localised.

The difference the hot water made was increadible.

Cheers, Dingo

[Catfish are evil]

Oh yes, I forgot about that. My whole thumb was sweating while the rest of my hand was just swollen which was a pretty weird experience!

Cheers, David

[Catfish are evil]

Hello all,

Went up to the Hawksbury river with my girlfriend for a couple of days over easter. We spent a couple of hours fishing of thye bank and really we only caught a handfull of these fugly looking catfish, they looked halfway between a catfish and an eel. I didnt think twice about unhooking them and throwing em back. The last one of the day was just as it was getting dark at about 5.30pm and as I tried to unhook it I got jabbed in the thumb by its spine which I now know is venomous!

That really hurt. pain went up my arm and my whole hand swelled up to the point that I had little feeling or movement in it. The pain was pretty heavy and after a couple of hours of waiting for it to tail off it got so bad that we had to go to A&E. They gave me a jab of painkillers as the 4 neurofen I had taken hadnt even touched the sides. The only thing that calmed it down was having my hand in hot water but the pain came back immediately after taking it out again. Even at midnight I still had my hand in hot water as the pain just wouldnt go away!

I'll take this as a valuable lesson learned. Catfish are evil!

Cheers, D

p.s I didnt take this pic but found it on the web snd its the same catfish

[Surf fishermen, advice needed please . . . .]

hehe, like your style Pete, I have the same problem but because I fish in the evenings I dont get a chance to inspect the beach from a vantage point in daylight to try to spot the gutters. I have had no luck at all in the dark seeing any difference in whee the waves break etc. Do you fish the eastern beaches?

Cheers, David

Interesting info re: the gutters and where the waves break as i have tried to read the ocean by getting to the beach a bit before the sun goes down and fairdinkum, apart from a shitload of water and waves crashing on top of each other i could not tell, i can't tell where rips are and i guess i have untrained eyes which is why i don't swim at bondi - couldn't handle getting dragged up on the beach by one of the life savers gasping for air then being filmed for the show bondi rescue.

I can spot a nice ass a mile off.

I need to spend less time looking at bums and more time watcing waves !!

Cheers

Pete.

[Surf fishermen, advice needed please . . . .]

Hi all, been trying all these tips and techniques (thanks to everyone) but my last 3 beach visits have been completely unsucccessful and I have returned home each time empty handed, not even a bite to speak of!!!

My beginners luck seems to have evaporated! Cheers, David