bombora

Hiya youngone, good stuff! We got eight kings all round the metre at a spot which I think is nearby to your Spot X a few weeks ago. Tagged five of em, and I wonder if one of your kings is one we tagged? Can't imagine too many people have been tagging metre kings in that part of the world recently. Was fishing with Al McGlashan. Have you checked your bilge, scuppers etc for the tag??? Would love if you found that little yellow spaghetti tag! Do you remember if the tag had any growth on it or did it look fresh? Cheers and congrats on a great session. One of our tagged kings, pic taken by Al:

Yep talked to Tetsuya once about yakkas and he loves em. A tip from him: best yakkas are during winter. Better fat content of flesh, he said. Though this may be a Japanese sensibility: they love the fattiest belly bits of sashimi tuna. There's certainly been enough jumbo sized yakkas around in past few months, and always when trying to find smaller ones or slimeys for livies. Oh and a bit of facinating (to me anyway!) Sydney yakka trivia. Did you know the harbour/inshore and offshore yakkas are two different and seperate populations which don't mix. Interesting.

There's actually a weird, only in Japan, style of fishing where the aim is to catch, with hook and line, the smallest fish possible! Apparently the holy grail is a fish which can be framed by your thumb nail. They fish in rice paddy canals. Your jacket would give you guru status!! I've got some size 20 hooks, might have to challenge your title!!!!

Probably a bit late and just my opinion too, but that 8ft rod would have been fine. Actually for the fishing you described, I think it would have been a better choice. Been advocating them for years and there is really no manipulation of a lure you can't do on a longer rod. The undoubted longer casts can also be a huge advantage. Your heritage of longer light rods would have been a nice advantage. Oz is about the only place light luring land based fishos use very short rods (not counting fishing tight river banks covered in bushes and trees). A 7'6" is a good length too. By the way flouro has a good advantage when flattie spinning; it handles their teeth better.

3 pound braid would be far better for that very small sized popper and no whiting on earth is gonna break it (though a 4000 size reel is too big for that line). That or a longer/heavier whiting popper (plenty guys take em on 65mm-75mm poppers/sliders). Or a longer rod. To be honest the whole outfit seems a bit heavy for whiting popping.

What a stunning looking fish! And great tale of its capture. Stream fishing is rather fun. Good stuff.

Yep I have, several times and quite an enlightening experience it has been. Both federal and state. To put it bluntly, rec fishing, and its economic contibution and sustainability when managed correctly, is simply not a consideration in their policies. Just one Federal example: asked one of Bob Brown's media handlers for a reaction to the Greens being loathed by many, if not most fishers, despite having many common causes, and the reaction: "Really. We don't know anything about that. Couldn't possibly be true. Fishermen love us.'' You are not on their radar, except as a threat to the environment. You kill a wild animal, or at least "torturing" one. Don't get me started on the outright BS being spruiked by NSW Greens on marine conservation issues. Give em a chance and they will still use "cuddly" fish like the blue groper to demand more anti-fishing restrictions, knowing full well _ they've been told enough times - that blue groper are thriving, and thriving through sensible fishing restrictions rather than location lock-outs. Add the anti fishing bigotry of Pew Australia, and their access to millions and millions of bucks in the US, and rec fishing is seriously being defamed and few (any?) effective voices are in reply.

Two kays of shallow water big eye would be a blast too!

That's a great effort with sand between the toes!Good stuff. What size were the big eyes?

The hair! The clothes! Mitchell spin reels! ANd sydney sea level trout. Loved the video/Super8 MrsD. And not wrong about Penrith back then, was country.

Great choice FFJ; 2000's with a deep/normal spool's a perfect all rounder light tackle size. Bet you'll grin when you first hear the drag sing.

Damn you got me excited L-A; some wild river heights last day or two; Turon at Sofala up to 7.5m overnight, now 5m. Coxs at Kelpie Pt 3m this arvo; Wollondilly at 5m this arvo. Fish at Tarana 2m.

Agree on the guides! I gotta learn a slim beauty or something. I'm a knot gumby and rely too much on double uni, as good and simple as it is.

Hey abeceedarian I use the same rod. It's handled the Turon's turbo charged rainbows to 46cm in tight/snag filled small pools without drama! And it's one of the few rods which can actually cast 1/32nd with poise. Was worried it was too fragile and not enough grunt at first but love it. Probably condemned myself now to getting smashed on it (or me snapping it) next trip

Man that first fish is such a handsome specimen! Perfect proportions. Good stuff Dwag! SHould check out some of the nearby river heights. Turon going wild, up three metres in a few hours, down a bit then up again. And more rain for the area today and tomorrow! TCD experts will the dam go up??? Oops forgot to add second fish rather handsome too!!!!!

Great advice Abecedarian though I'd argue there are now quite a few spin rods designed specifically to shock absorb for light leaders and braid. My 7'6" does exactly that, and is still a crisp caster and has strength at the butt. Combined with that magic shallow spool finese drag haven't had any dramas ever with 4 pound leader. Though as you say that shallow spool does limit them: A 3kg stripey can spool you:biggrin2: FFJ maybe get a shallow spool model and a spare deeper spool?????

(Daiwa) 1500 size reel perfect size for trout. Don't need 2500 IMO. 1500 has wide enough spool. 1500 also generally better weight match to rod. And double thumbs up for shallow spool models. not cause you save money on line but their finesse drags really are special for light lines. Not hype. Faster gear ratios also good for retrieving line quickly to keep in contact with lure in fast flowing water. Daiwa Presso fit your budget?? Argument for 2500 size may be they are more versatile. 3 pound crystal Fireline just made for trout spinning (and the salty flats. Anywhere but a really tight small stream, a 7'6" rod is awesome. longer casts, better line control in current, better lure manipulation.

Despite the water looking very average after weekends downpours, we scored kings of 1m, 1.12m and 1.14m at a little tiny hump near Longy on Monday. Fat, fit fish. Would only take slimeys, not yakkas. Fun trying to stop em in 6 fathoms!!! Temp was 22.4C. Current going uphill. Mate was out same day and went to check FAD. Lots of baby dollies. He also found a full sized floating tree (pretty rare off Sydney)absolutely packed with baby dollies. Heavy rain has some benefits.

Big beat up by Nine. No "cover up" Tagging of bull sharks happening everywhere as part of big study. Personally told by one of the Fisheries boffins involved: "So we should put out a press release every time we tag a bull shark? _ there would be a lot of press releases." And is anyone surprised a NSW waterway has bull sharks in it? D'oh.

BEautiful fish and fine effort. Hard yakka pays off!!!!

Great report, nice pics and what fat fish!

Heaps far enough on 3 pound Crystal Fireline and a 7'6" ultralight for a trout stream, in my limited experience. Wet fur and chenille helps with casting weight and casting profile. What's a pain for fly fishos is a a friend to a spin fisher!

Hiya Iceman yep have done some on hidden weights but they are somewhere deep in my garbage dump of a garage. Here's some 1/16ths based on a mudeye, with spinnerbait skirt rubber legs: Jighead woolly buggers and woolly worms are lethal. But so far the trout have been just as happy to scoff the slightly more simple jigs without the palmered feathers.

Iceman I've tried that. I think I am just a very crappie bream lurer!

Iceman for some reason I've never been able to do any good on bream with tiny hair or feather jigs. They go good on most everything else but on bream........??? Actually I'd like to see what a gun bream fisho could do with em. Iron, I fight the call of the dark side constantly Some of the best trout jigs are just trout flies tied on a jighead. Then again, to me, any tungsten beadhead nymph fly is a little jig. Only the method of delivery is different.