wrasseman

Bit of a drive for me I'm afraid as I live in Tassie...

Hi all, After snapping my little trout rod the other day, I'm now in the market for a replacement. Before ordering a new one of the same (international order and I'd rather buy locally) I thought I'd see if anyone could recomend an alternative. I'm after an ultralight spinning rod of 5'6" or less (ideally under 5') line strength should be around 1-4lb and casting wieghts up to 7g ideally. Any sugguestions??? Cheers Col.

I'm a big fan of the crystal fireline in 2lb which I use for trout spinning and light estuary work. Still need a leader though I'm afraid, but being so fine it casts beautifully and is still strong enough and hard wearing enough. I haven't tried the 1lb yet , but I reckon it would be the goods if fishing in a relatively non-abraisive environment though as I do a lot of small stream work where the line gets dragged over rocks etc, I like a bit of extra thickness. As far as the siglon goes, the sinking flurocarbon stuff is great line but is let down by the crappy spools it comes on as the little line clip comes off and the line then goes everywhere. Its also relatively expensive compared to some other brands such as nitlon. Cheers Col.

I've been hitting one of the local rivers a bit lately, actually headed out to a very similar spot 3 days in a row. On Wednesday, I went out with the yak after work and had a bit of a drift spin downstream before working back upstream. Though still pretty, the river was quite low with places like this root system which would normally be under several feet of water exposed. Nonetheless there where a few fish around though it was certainly a day of small fish. I scored a few trout, as well as plenty of these. And I even scored a tiny rainbow, a first for me from this river. On thursday I met up with a mate for what was intended to be a more extensive sesh, this time on foot as the river was really borderline as a kayak proposition. Unfortunately, unco here managed to somehow bugger up his first cast putting a lure into the back of my head with the hook going through my hat and into my head past the barb and somehow also snapping my rod in the process. (I'm really not sure what happened though I suspect I clipped a branch on the backcast and that rediected the lure into my head instead of over it). Thankfully Will was there to pull the hook out as I couldn't get at it in the back of my head (the trick with the string does work) however I then just sat and watched as he went for a quick fish (scoring a heap of small reddies and another tiny rainbow) while I cursed myself for snapping my favourite rod. After this failure on thursday, I was keen to redeem myself so on Friday I managed to sneak out for an hour before work.The river was even lower than previously, starting to show exposed gravel bars in mid stream that should be well underwater. The fish were still about, with several spotted lying in the shallows, though most were spooked. A couple came to hand though, this one was first cast with a new lure. As usual at this time of year, the little reddies were again out in force. And I added to my south esk rainbow tally with another 2 babies (there must have been a recent farm escape or release nearby I reckon, could be good next year once they've grown). So a couple of nice sessions and a shocker, and now in the market for a replacement ultralight spinning rod before the flyrod I was planning on. Cheers Col.

Typical that its firing now when I'm down here but unfortunately my travels are timed around work and not fishing, thems the breaks. Get into em while they're about, great fun. Col.

I headed down to the east coast this week for a few days camping. I didn't get a chance to sample the many estuary systems in the area and my only attempt at a yak fish saw me blown off the water but I did a bit of rock and beach spinning and picked up a few salmon, wrasse and flatties. Though I didn't get piccies of most as I didn't take the camera until the last morning when I only scored a small salmon and this flattie. Nice spot. I also managed to squeeze in a trout sesh upon returning home and in a short sesh scored two fish the second of which I think is my best so far for this season. This fish was hooked on my last cast after I'd worked my way back upstream to the car. I hooked up in the fast water and this combined with a strong wind had me heading downstream with little control (I was in my kayak) much to the amusement of two onlookers who'd just retrieved their boat. As I had no net and a light leader I decided my best chance to land the fish was on the bank and so proceeded to work my way over to it. Upon arrival, the bank was steeper than it looked and the bottom was slippery and deep mud, leading me to treat my audience to the further show of me falling out of the kayak into the knee deep mud and slipping and sliding around as I tried to avoid losing my fish and retrieve the kayak and paddle that tried to make an escape while I was concentrating on the fish. All ended well with a lovely brownie of 56cm. Cheers Col.

Great stuff on the firsts. Sounds like a great day out. Cheers Col.

Thats a monster, wish I could get one that big down here. Well done. Cheers Col.

Hi all, I've seen a link somewhere in the past that showed different flathead tail markings to allow species ID but I can't find it. Does anyone have a link to this page? Cheers Col.

Great report on a top little session. Good to see that the laws are being enforced to. I'm yet to see a fisheries inspector when fishing. The closest was a police officer who asked to see our crayfish/abalone catch when we were diving but as we were just having a sight -see and weren't taking anything it was a bit of a fizzer. Cheers Col.

Yeah, they grow pretty quick in nature but I found feeding a problem with very high mortalities overcthe first few days post hatch. I fed them mysids and small palaemonas shrimp but small finfish would probably be better after feeding has commenced. Growth for my calamari was appalling though, with the longest lived animal only reaching 62mm DML likely to do with malnutrition and small tank size (4000L recirc. sysytem). By catching small squid that are already feeding you may have more success but tank size and food will still be major issues and water quality could be problematic. Let me know how you go. Col.

Southern calamari are certainly not the easiest animals in an aquarium as they are fairly delicate and have fairly high water quality requirements and a need fairly large live food. Nonetheless it can be done but not really a home excercise and mortality rates are very high. My best was two animals that lived for 157 and 162 days respectively (maximum life span is about 8 months in nature). If you want to keep a cephalopod, occys are pretty cool but you need a good tight lid on the tank. Alternately, my favourite is this little tacker, Euprymna tasmanica the southern dumpling squid, they occur from north of sydney south to WA including Tasmania and are pretty cool in an aquarium (prob. good bait to). They grow to about golf ball size, are very hardy, live for about 6 months max., feed easily on small live shrimp but will also take crabs, fish and even artemia and are easily collected by wading sandflats at night with a torch. They are a bioluminescent species though so may cause probs in community tanks. Apologies for the dodgy photo...

Great stuff, would have been awesome fun. Col.

Hi all, I hadn't been out for a sesh for quite some time until a week or so ago due to excess work. But over the last week I've squeezed a few sessions in. I've been spinning from the yak and/or wading on the macquarie and south esk rivers, as my normal haunts are to low to be fishable due to drought. Managed a few trout and reddies, enough to bring me back. Now I want a river blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) on a lure after having what I think was one follow to my feet, has anyone done this? I figure slow fishing pretty much any lure through heavy cover on dark and into the night should be the way to go. Any advice? Nice little river trout wet wading on a hot afternoon, great way to cool off. Sometimes they just sit there waiting to be cast at (missed the hooks on this one). One for the rapala. The macquarie was higher than expected yesterday after a little some xmas rain. I found a few fish poking about though. Off he goes. Underwater. Trout food. Couple more, one showing some jaw damage likely from a previous human encounter.

hi all, I haven't been able to get out for some time recently due to other commitments however earlier this week I finally managed to squeeze in an evening sesh. For a change I was after squid. Only managed the one but it was only a short sesh and it was big enough to feed the two of us. Cheers Col.

Great stuff, what an awesome catch. col.

Hi all, I headed out for a bit of a trout sesh yesterday. I started off in shorts but upon reaching the first long grass, the snake paranoia sent me back for the waders. Due to the dodgy weather (I assume) for once this starting point (a dog "off-leash" area) was empty so I fished back to the car, jumping off a nice fish and landing a 30ish brownie. A little further up (directly below the car) I scored a redfin. As I brought him in I noticed the whole school following and they stuck around even after the hooked fish had released itself. Although I scared them off trying to take piccies, my next cast scored another reddie and again, they follwed it in. After this little episode I got the waders on and headed off for a fish again. Coming to a spot where a pipe drains into the river causing a large colour change I flicked out my little lure and had it clobbered by a nice river brownie. Shortly after this I managed another slightly smaller fish before I had to head off for work. All in all a nice little sesh. Cheers Col. PS. Here is the spot where the first (pictured) trout came from, not exactly pristine but the fish didn't seem to mind.

Wow waht a session. would have been fantastic fun. Great stuff. Col.

great stuff, what a sesh.

I was fishing the north bank (from the wall) of the entrance from the beach back towards the road. Great to meet you and yep I had a great time in Syd. Hope I can fulfill your wish for trout pics too. Cheers Col.

Hi all, Recently returned from 10 days in sydney. Despite a pretty full itinery, I did manage to fit a bit of fishing in. On the 1st monday I'd arranged to meet fishraider "koons" for a bit of a sesh down at clifton gardens in the hope of finding some trevs. Almost as soon as I arrived I scored my first hit with a little flattie taking a liking to my gulp craw. Sadly, this was the only fish landed by either of us despite some failed attempts on a squid that was keen to eat my gulp prawn but wouldn't touch a jig and a big hookup to koons (most likely a trev.) that sadly found a weakness in his leader. A nice little sesh nontheless and good to meet a fello fishraider. After this, my next couple of fishing sessions were brief, early morning affairs throwing lures off the rocks at Palm Beach (my favoured spot at whaley was either too dangerous or crowded each time I had a look). This was not very productive though with only a couple of pike to show for it (no piccies I'm afraid). Later in the week I hooked up with Grant (jewhunter) and his son for a session at hen and chicken bay. I started with a few small tailor and Grant with a few small flatties. After a lure change I picked up my first flattie (and second...) and they began to get bigger for us both, though never reaching monster size. We both also managed to miss a couple of presumed bream before Grant managed to get one on the bank (with a bit of help from mini jewhunter) just before full time. A real pleasure to meet you Grant, thanks again for taking me out. On another day, I had a little sesh at Clontarf where I managed several tailor and a small snapper whilst dodging the many stingrays. I would have liked a pic of a lure eating snapper but after going back to the car to retrieve the camera I didn't score another. One morning I had an early sesh at one of the creeks that flow into narrabeen lakes and on this occasion I picked up a 26cm whiting and a just legal flathead (37cm) sadly the whiting dehooked itself as I got the camera out but here is the flattie. On Friday morning I hooked up with a mate for a sesh flicking plastic around the boats and wharves at the spit. Matt managed a nice bream, which he was able to sight cast to under a wharf whilst all I managed was 2 snottings amongst the pylons (2lb fireline and 4lb leader was probably a bit undergunned). I also managed to give myself a hell of a shock when I trod on a numbfish (electric ray) - not recomended. On saturday afternoon Tracey and I headed down to the entrance to narrabeen lakes and while she sat in the sun, I worked my way along flicking a tango around hoping for a flattie. It didn't take long to score my first fish with a nice tailor climbing on, quite a surprise in the 20cm deep water where he struck. My next fish was a nice flattie of about 50cm which drew a bit of an audience as I released it. I notived some discarded net as I did this and a large live mullet was caught in it, so I removed my shoes and went in and cut it out. After this I continued on picking up another tailor and then as I stopped to put my shoes on, tracey had 2 casts and scored a 32cm bream on my little tango allowing her to hassle me about my inferior fishing abilities. I followed this up by dropping another nice flattie at my feet before we called it a day. My final fish was on monday morning when I went down to the nearest water to where we stayed (pittwater) and managed a nice flattie and another whiting (again it escaped as I readied the camera). All in all it was a great trip, I could have happily spent more time fishing but with family commitments and friends to catch up with, there's only so much time so almost all trips were less than 90min. As I realised when I got home that all my fish photos were of flatties, here is something different, a spoonbill in the wetlands behind warriewood. Cheers col.

Top sesh, looks like you caned them. Cheers col.

Great pics, looks like a great spot. Col.

great stuff mate, thats a thumper. col.

Hi all. I headed out for an early sesh this morning on the north esk. Pretty dirty but fishable, however nobody wanted to play and I was back at the car after 2hrs with only one small fish seen following. At this point I had less than 2hrs before I had to be home to prepare for my flight. I was keen to try elsewhere but not sure where, fearing that dirty water and inactive fish might be the days theme. I decided to head where I had success last week. With a 20min drive and a 25min walk each way it would only give me 30min fishing - a bit of a gamble but hopefully that would be enough. I arrived at the meander to find water much dirtier than at the north esk and about 1.5ft more water in the river than last week. Nevertheless as I was there nothing ventured... It was a hot and bothered fisher who arrived at my spot some 25min later (5mm neoprenes are not ideal for walking in on nice warm days) and I was unrealistically disappointed when I didn't hook up on first cast despite the conditions. Still it wasn't long before I saw a flash near my lure from my first missed hit and a few casts later I got my first solid strike, landing a nice little brownie of about 30cm. I still had 15min of fishing time left so I continued on and a few minutes later I had a solid bump that didn't connect. The old flick-pause did the trick though and he came back for seconds this time coming up solid. turned out to be a lovely 45cm brownie, no monster but certainly enough to make me happy. Cheers col.