bombora

Mate pretty sure they aren't big eyes. I've got southern latitude big eyes in Queenscliffe lagoon in Sydney and yours look different. Big eyes have distinctive white tips on their anal fins, different head shape, slightly longer bodies and, hence the name, very big eyes in proportion to their noggins. Yours. at least the second one, I'm pretty sure is a different type of tropical-sub tropical trev. Maybe even small GTs, brassy or tea leaf trevs. Awesome catches!

Strange logic you present. The banning of squid fishing has only recently been enforced. If squid fishing was so devastating to North Harbour why, over the time no one policed this strange ban (and which was never sign posted), was the squid fishing so good? Those "fishing celebrities" and charter operators you mention are advocating on behalf of all fishos. How do you know just a few rec fishos are pissed off by the ban? Banning squid fishing in North Harbour merely puts more fishing pressure on squid in other parts of the harbour. And the concerns about more No Take zones throughout the harbour for fin fish and other targets are justified, as the government has commissioned an investigation into the issue. If they can see votes in it, they would do it, scientifically justified or not. There's little science behind the squid fishing ban in North Harbour. Squid are very fecund, live short frantic lives and move about heaps. Why ban fishing for them just there? There was no scientific investigation into a ban, Some of those same "fishing celebrities" and charter operators you seem to be accusing of advocating out of pure selfishness are constantly fighting the good fight on unscientific restrictions and bans on rec fishing. I know one very well and he's spent many many many hours in government meetings when he'd rather be out wetting a line, fighting the good fight, and calling rubbish on extreme green propaganda or stupid legislation. He's battled many times to aid styles of fishing or locations he rarely, or never, indulges in. Selfish, hey? What have you done?

Yep, watched them "clean up" the "human waste" while on surf charters while at anchor. Caught several each time and they all went back

PS six inch paddle tailed soft plastics on a lead jig head (say half once) are great trolled too.

Maybe pick up a couple of Pakula Uzi mini trolling head skirted lures, in the Lumo colour. They'll compliment your Rapala minnows (presuming your Rapalas are meant to handle a bit of speed and aren't, say, lures meant to be retrieved slowly, say for bass etc). The Uzis catch anything from big salmon, bonito, stripeys, tailor etc to yellowfin, dolphin fish and marlin. They can be bought pre-rigged with hook and trace. This means you have surface and deeper depths covered. You could do a lot worse than add a couple of Halco Laser Pro minnows (They can handle a decent troll speed, and King Brown is an awesome colour) to your trolling spread too. Maybe a standard depth one and a deep diving model. They, like the Rapalas, should work at the same troll speed as the Uzis. No good having a mix of lures which work at different trolling speeds. Put the minnows closer in to the transom, the Uzis, or other skirted lures, further back, to prevent tangles. There's some good graphics on the web for "lure spreads" showing how to stagger your lures' position behind the boat. Keep going for fifty metres or so if you get a hookup as you might get another strike. If you have a sounder watch for deep bait schools, and temperature changes. Look for current lines, birds working bait schools (birds in general!) floating debris. If you are confident reading the water and wave movement, trolling past headland washes and turning the boat so the lures go through the wash zone can be deadly on inshore pelagics, but be careful!) Like a lot of fishing, "matching the hatch" can be important so, if the budget afford it, it's worth having a few different sized lures in your mix. Cheers and good trolling!

Actually remember now her likes em raw, or grilled with a dipping sauce.

Yeah Tetsuya, who's a pretty keen fisho, loves em. He uses some type of marinade and flash fries em. He said they are much better, to his palete, caught in winter when they have a higher fat content.

Why not use circle hooks? Pretty rare to gut hook one then. Or use lures. As far as the size limit being too high, it's that size to try to allow jewies to breed at least once before they can be kept for the table. Female jewies sexually mature at approx 70cm. Males about 50cm. Queensland's 75cm limit has created a growing fishery. In NSW they are classed as severely under pressure, though the biggest threat is estuary prawn trawling, which has a huge byctach of baby jew.

Bonito run in cycles _ boom or bust. Some years there's heaps, then the next they can be scarce. The beginning of this year was a good one, Will be interesting to see if we have a bust cycle this warm water season.

Veteran fisheries scientist who's an expert on bream once told me there are far more hybrid black-yellowfin bream than pure black bream even on the NSW south coast. He said most rec fishers would be catching hybrids when they believe they've taken a black bream on those south coast coastal lakes and small rivers, so maybe a hybrid, just a bit further north than usual?

Stay with the heavier leader mate. Busting sambos aren't particularly leader shy, especially if you cast into the centre of the bust up where competition is at its greatest _ you'll leave less lures in fishes mouths and have a better chance at a king. 10-12 pound flouro is a good compromise in clear water. Get the fish in quicker too for a more healthy release. Nice fish, they are fat and fit this year.

G'day mate. Others have mentioned locations, I'll chuck in my two cents on tackle and technique for the small rivers/streams of the area. Grab a couple of packs of Berkley one inch powerbait nymphs in natural colours, plus some 1/32nd no6 hook and maybe 1/16th no6 hook jig heads if windy, or strong flow. 1/32nd better mostly. Cast upstream or "up and across" and let the plastic wash down with the flow, adding little twitches and hops. Keep in contact with the jig as it washes down. Deadly. And less tears if you snag up as the jig and plastic combo is cheap. The jigs single hooks give better hook ups than small trebles, and don't damage small fishes faces as badly. Maybe add a couple of Strike Pro Smelta bibbed minnows, or any shallow running small (5cm) and slender minnows to the tackle box if the trout are really on the go. I like natural/translucent colours. The Strike Pros are good value. Two kilo flouro leader, at least a rod length. I use 3 pound Crystal Fireline main line. Casts the little jigs plenty long enough, Look for ambush points where trout can sit out of current but where water flow will deliver food. Don't think anywhere is too shallow. In deeper and slower flowing pools let the jig sink to bottom and twitch hop slowly as retrieving. With the minnows retrieve with the current just fast enough to get the lure wobbling. Vary retrieve rates if that's not working as sometimes a reaction strike on a faster retrieve is the go. Fish right to your feet, as many hits happen just as lure looks like it's gonna escape. Tread lightly along the banks but watch for snakes. Try not to get in the water unless you really have to. Be careful not to cast your shadow over water, or create an obvious silhouette if walking more open banks without trees etc behind you.

PS water temp down to 18.5 to 18.8.

Agree with Bobfly. Out yesterday and the North Head sambos seemed supercharged. Fat fit fish, some pretty decent sized ones among em and all in prime condition plus maybe ideal water temps for salmon and windy oxygenated water gave em extras ooomph. They took FOREVER to get in. Also thought on one or two occasions we'd hooked a stray rat king among the salmon.....until they jumped or finally came boatside. Lotta fun on a day Longy and the reefs were dead as door nails.

The "you" was generic, not directed at any individual. And Aussie lure makers of the past refined and "Aussie-fied" lures, often over decades. I'm talking direct intellectual property theft, No effort or passion for fishing involved, just dollars.

One reason the name lures cost a lot is the makers start from scratch; refining the shapes, colours, swimming actions, materials etc etc. Add the cost of quality hooks and rings. Then there's marketing and advertising costs etc etc. The copycat scum of this world don't. Yep I've bough the odd el cheapo but get the guilts. Support the lure makers who actually create not copy. How would you feel if you created a new lure after many years effort, only to see a knock off factory in China rip off your idea?

You can't spearfish estuaries/enclosed waters, so I wonder if doing the above is illegal? Can't see an issue in open waters where spearfishing is allowed.

Been wondering the same thing. Hey L-A also heard of some extreme heat kills. Hope there are survivors, as on last trip before Christmas got my PB bow of 53cms on the T (woops forgot to do a report, better do one when I get home!). Water was already very low back then but hope that last flush of a few weeks ago has helped. At least no sign of cormorants back then.

Wasn't a rock fisho. Was a young bloke jumping into the blow hole there and hit his head on a rock. And despite what the SMH wrote, the North Curly death was also not a rock fisho.

Ah. This is NSW state govt legislation. NSW state govt is coalition.

Actually Jewhunter I think you heard an incorrect report. Tthey are only going to open up beaches and headlands which are within marine park sanctuary zones. It's a six month trial. So you can from today fish from a beach, or the rocks, which are in a marine park sanctuary zone. Rules for boat fishing headland and beach sanctuary zones (ie you can't bombie bash in your boat a headland within a sanctuary zone), estuary sanctuary zones etc stay the same. Also beaches and headlands within big bays which have marine parks, like Jervis Bay, will still have sanctuary zones which prevent all fishing.

Lefty's Loop knot so simple even i can tie it! I, and many others, though, don't bother with a loop knot below about 6 pound leader. Certainly don't bother with loop knots and four pound leader on leadhead jigs.

G'day Samo; jaw hinge is on each side of the fish's face where the top jaw meets the bottom jaw. Single upward pointing hooks on leadhead jigs often find their hookup in the jaw hinge or very near, so your leader isn'r rubbing over teeth. Blowies or leatherjackets destroy lures like in your pic. Hang in there, you'll crack it soon enough!

Hi Grant yeah worth remembering not to put trace in mouth when wetting down knots when re-tying there!

Golf course behind a notorious massive fish kill some years ago when an absolute idiot of an employee let weed killer drain into it. But main problem is years of nasty toxins, heavy metals etc washed into the goon from nearby industries. Now locked firmly into the mud/sand bottom, just like the upper harbour but on a smaller scale. Terrible, but if you can see any bright side, no one meat fishes the goon, so for a triny waterway its got quite a lot of interesting life! Massive mud crabs too. Interesting about the aquaurium antics Stevefish; totally believe they'd be aggro and fight above their weight class!