CarlRak

Great report mate. And congrats on your first one. Ridiculous jealous.

Sounds like a great day out. Heaps of fish and time with your son. Is Husky creek where it runs into JB near that little bridge and fishing is not allowed? Are there just lots of fish hanging out there? Or is it a facility/attraction of some kind? Sounds really interesting.

She makes me laugh too. Though I think a tray of Krispy Kreme would've been slightly funnier. Thanks mate. Agreed, definitely can't give up, but might have to try somewhere else before going back to Pejar. 3am in Goulburn, 4am we started flicking. Regardless it was stupid cold. Lee is a regular at the big tackle shop and is on their weekly mailing list so we were going on the reports from there..... It is a slog, it's tough stuff this dam fishing. Not physically, but there's not much to keep you focused (like a tide change, or current, etc) feel like it's a bit of a mental game to keep your lure in the water and keep focused on proper retrieves. No rising fish at all. Lee thinks he saw a swirl of water behind his lure on the second day. I think he was hallucinating. They are definitely there. I just don't know how to find them. We were thinking of dragging a kayak down there next time and trolling some lures? Any other suggestions or tips on how to fish these dams? Cheers Carl

Raiders, I’ve got a friend who’s got a friend named Lee. And Lee loves fishing, so much so that he’s put a dam in at his property. And stocked the thing with trout fingerlings. But they’re not so big yet. And everyone loves catching big fish (or the idea of catching big fish). Discussing big fish one night, Lee looks at me, all bleary-eyed and dreamy, and says “mate, I know where the trout are, big trout, 6lb trout”. Now I may have caught a fish or two but I’m yet to catch a trout, or a 6lb fish. Well, maybe a couple of salmon that would have gone close. But we don’t talk about salmon in pounds and we don’t talk about salmon like we talk about trout. Australian salmon, that is. Suddenly I was talking trout, I was reading trout and in the depths of those cold June and July nights I was whispering little bits of trout-this and trout-that to a girlfriend who much preferred the pictures of the coral trout. She’d ask “is this what you want to catch?”. I’d shake my head, saying “one day”. She was confused. I was confused, but life’s confusing. A trout might fix it all, well, temporarily. So one Saturday morning in July the alarm started beeping at 2.30am. I was off to Goulburn. To meet Lee, and go for a walk and hopefully catch a trout. We drove to the back of the dam, it was dark, it was -6 degrees but as the sun poked over the hills the tackle prep got quicker and we got on our way. The thick grass was frosted over and the lake dead still. We started casting, creeping, casting. My guides iced up every retrieve. But we talked and meandered and pointed out little beds of semi-submerged weed and trees and little bays and kept casting and casting. And talking about lures and changing lures and creeping and casting and creeping. We ended the day without a follow, a hit, or any sign of trout-like life. We’d been casting and creeping and sometimes eating for 10 hours. I drove home, smiled at the girlfriend, muttered “no trout” and proceeded to pass out. ………… Then last week Lee calls. Some theory about blue moons and early starts and improved fishing. But Lee knows more than me, so I agree. Goulburn 3am, sharp. Alarm beeps, I grunt, heave myself out of bed. Girlfriend mumbles something about bringing home trout, I reply something about yes, brown trout, rainbow trout. I’m in Goulburn at 3.05am. Lee’s waiting. He’s brought an uncle, who seems to be encouraging coffee from a flask. It’s -4 degrees. Things are looking positive. Drive to the same place, add five layers of clothing, marvel at moon. Start walking. Other direction to last time. Then creeping, and casting and creeping. Same result. 2pm we’re back at the car, tired, sunburnt. No fish. Talking future strategy. I got home later, had a shower and then walked to the fridge where I found a couple of smoked trout. Girlfriend just smiled at me and asked if I was hungry. Carl

Hey Sam, congrats. If you search youtube for "iki jime squid" i'm sure you'll find a few instructional videos on how to quickly and humanely kill your catch. The bonus of doing it correctly is that it stops the squid from producing further ink. In the videos you find you might see them using a specialised little stabbing tool to iki jime the squid. You can get these for approx $10, but otherwise a sharpened screwdriver or a knife (that you're not too fond of) will do the job fine. Carl

Sent to your PM box.

Awesome, better than anything I've used in that class. I've got a 1000 size reel with 2 spools. 6lb Sunline Super PE on one, 6lb OH Dragon on the other. I did a little test when I got the OH Dragon, put same length 4lb fluoro leader on both braids, tied a 1/24th size jig head and 80mm wriggler onto both and spent a while casting at bridge pylons. The OH Dragon definately casts further. You can get it in lower breaking strains (which I intended to do) but it's so thin I just went for 6lb again for some insurance. Only downside is it's a little pricey, and the orange dye on the line has deteriorated quicker than on other braids I've used.

I picked up something called OH Dragon a few months ago in 6lb, it's the 4th spool of 6lb i've bought and by far the best. The diameter of it makes Sunline Super PE look like rope, it outcasts everything else I've got in the same breaking strain and ties a fine knot.

Very interested, would love to attend one of these.

Similar situation as above. Got one last night. Anyone know how to quickly and humanely kill an octopus? Seem heaps harder to deal with than a squid.

You're doing the right thing, just slow it down and leave pauses. I got a few last night in the area you mention, all of them on the pause after twitching/jigging or pausing during a slow roll back.

Like bream111, I was told when boning and filleting my catch never to rinse the fillets in fresh water. I never really freeze fish (usually because I don’t catch so much) but if I’m not going to eat the fish immediately I put them in the fridge for a day or two in a Ziploc bag. To this point, I’ve been making a saltwater solution in the kitchen with tap water and table salt to rinse the fish. Is this OK? Or would it be better to use seawater? Considering the fish is always eaten within a couple of days and is not frozen. Thanks

I'm sure egimax will work fine at night, maybe just use the jigs that you have with a bit of glow to them. I've found glowmax works reasonably well in the daytime, so i'm confident egimax would help at night, the scent may be the real attractant.

Hey Joe, Definitely works. Apply a light coat every 15-20 mins or each time you swap jigs. The number of times of I've re-coated, cast out again and immediately hooked-up is freaky. I'm a big believer.

Hey, that was you, hehehe. I was the guy who came and asked you for a couple of tips when I first walked to the ledge. The whales were an awesome sight, and definitely the highlight of the day. The fishing only got worse after you left, no one getting a fish, or for that matter a down. Lovely day anyway.

Petzl, they're pretty pricey but almost indestructible. I had one that lasted more than 10 years with absolutely no care and a bunch of abuse. Rain, snow, salt, mud, sweat, dropped hundreds of times. I lost it somewhere, cursed myself repeatedly and then replaced it. I’m sure you can find one at a reasonable price online.

If you're fishing from the wharves into water that isn't very rocky/kelpy you can go as light as 4lb main/4lb leader (if using small jigs). If you're doing the above but using bigger jigs maybe use 6lb main/6-8lb leader (as the weight of the jig when casting will stress your line and knots). If you're fishing landbased in the harbour casting into rocky/weedy areas I'd go a minimum of 6lb main/8-10lb leader and keep your jig moving. I'm no guru but the above has been working for me fine. Hope that helps.

Showing my rookie status here, but I haven't eaten a bream since I was a kid so can't really compare or comment. But good tucker, certainly. Sweet and soft.

Nicely put together Matt. Have to give a huge thanks to Nanook for taking me out on Saturday afternoon. As well as showing me the basics, with patience, enthusiasm and a great eye for detail he’s great company and it was a pleasure to spend a few hours talking outdoor experiences, Fishraider politics, Fishraider personalities and the make-up of a great report (even at the cost of a few missed “downs”). It was also very generous of Matt to offer the whole catch to me, though this proved a bit more work than the usual 2-3 flathead I pick-up in a session. Two and a half hours of filleting practice early Sunday morning left me with way too many fillets to eat fresh so I rallied the troops and fed them a simple meal. Next time I’ll only be taking a couple of fish home. Looking forward more Blackfish sessions in the future. Visual, exciting and delicious.

Would love to. Will PM you.

Sounds like an amazing session. Big congrats.

Agreed, but, are we then our own worst enemies for not forming a peak body early enough to affect these decisions? I presume the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation was formed to advocate for recreational fisherpeople and convey our collective concerns. But from a relatively new fisho's point of view it just seems too little too late. The organisation only coming together a few months ago.

There's a big chain in the US with the initials BP, or another beggining Cab....., prices 1/3 - 1/2 of those here, even online. I just got a family member who was visiting the US to pick me up a big bundle. Even with shipping it's still way cheaper. Rods and reels not so much saving, but lures, crazy cheap.

Great pics, sea looks so powerful.

Just had a read of the following two pieces by Jim Harnwell on the Fishing World website in relation to Tony Burke’s announcements today. http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/mixed-outcome-for-fishos-in-burke-s-final-marine-parks-plan http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/analysis-burke-s-oceanic-compromise Was curious as to how everyone interprets, without too much hyperbole, the new marine park plans? Only asking because most of us are Illawarra-Sydney-Hunter based. Does it have any real effect on us? Assuming most do 95-99% of their fishing in home waters. Or is it just a matter of principle?