Cobba12

Hi Raiders, Quick update from the southern rocks and beaches. A little swell about with water conditions clearing after a horrible month and some fish coming back to the rocks. Slowly picking up. Now for a question to the jew hunters. I am heading out on the hawkesbury over the weekend on a house boat with mates and I plan to fish every bloody hour. Swag out the back will ensure I am able to fish 24/7. Can anyone help me out as to where is good? I was just going to look for big bends in the rivers and then sound them for deep holes as the boat has a sounder but if there is anyone who would care to point me in a direction that would be great. Thanks in advance and tight lines! ps. I forgot to mention massive shoals of salmon sitting off the headland last Saturday off North Bondi golf course.

Best amateur clip ever. Seriously well done mate

I used to fish 2kg line all the time but it drove me nuts just how many fish I would lose if I didn't keep spooling my reel with new line and checking it all the time. One little bit of frey on the line or even a few sessions with it baking in the sun or touching the boat and it would snap. I once looked at with an angry face while hooked up to a solid fish and the line got all emotional and snapped. I now fish 10lb, 20lb or 50lb. A great feeling to have confidence when hooked up to a big fish. So even more credit to you even if you are a "hippy" fisherman hahah

That's him. Very knowledgeable guy on more than just the blackfish. Knows the eastern spots!

It's the long tailed blackfish. A very hard one to get!!!

Meiji, You cook it any which way. I like to cook them in either a light flour, herbs and spices coating with eg into coconut oil or just a bit of salt and pepper in coco oil. They taste great, I love them! Cheers

Hi Raiders, It's been a while since I have had something worthy to report and I am happy to say that this is! So I pooped down to my local ledge on Sunday morning for a bit of a crack on the dropping tide, swell was great, a little wash and a great morning watching the storms crack on out to sea. I decided first to have a spin for some tailor and maybe a squid or 2 while I waited for the blackfish to warm up. I had a great indicator for that, a big islander bloke who is a dam good blackfish fisherman. He had landed just 1 before I got there and so I thought I will try out the new spinning rod while I watch him . By the time I had set up the other rod he had 3 fish so that was it I had to go blackfish fishing, the squid and tailor would have to wait. A great session followed with 12 fish, most of them very solid. I fished from 7 - 10 then went to fillet the catch. I noticed one fish was a big one, I knew it was big when I caught it but because the other fish were pretty decent I didn't think too much of it because he didn't look huge along side the others. When I came to filleting them I decided to leave him whole and take him home to measure and weight just in case he was a new PB. Well as you can see from the pictures he was around the 46cm mark and 1.62kg's. I was pretty happy because my biggest to date was 46.5cm's and 1.4kg so this was an upgrade. I also had no idea what the fish raider COTM thing was so I wrote the date on the paper. As it turns out it was a piece of paper hahah nailed it. So there you have it, I will submit this for an upgrade to my current blacky record and for COTM. Happy fishing team! Cobb

I was up at 7 at my favorite ledge on Sunday. Watched it for 30 minutes while keeping an eye on the crazy asian guys fishing further up. Seriously thought they were going for a swim. My mate had been there since 4:30am and have a couple of tailor. he saw some birds as he was walking home and decided to put his gear on a mid height ledge about 30 meters back from the water. I was standing a good 3 meters up on a high ledge 30 meters back from the water when a big wave came. I yelled out to everyone to get the F*&^ back. My mates gear was all taken for a swim, he lost his fish and all his gear bar his 2 rods and his life. I have no idea how he and the korean guy didn't end up in the drink. The water was so powerful it crashed on the rock below me 3 meters down and still managed to wet me. Straight back to the car, back home to swap rods for my board and went for a surf instead. To those Asian guys if you are on this site please pull your heads in and save us all the stress when we watch you fish in conditions you should not be out in. I was reluctant to leave because you idiots were covered top to toe in thick gear with big boots on fishing in a dangerous swell and high tide. I thought if I left your life line would leave with me. PEOPLE DIE ROCK FISHING THAT COULD BE YOU!!! That goes for every race by the way

Well done boys. Me and My mate went to Cremorne and struggled. Got 3 fish in 3 hours. Might have to get some "education" off you boys or join you next time. Thanks for the texts Royce. Craig

WOW what a fish!!! When I fish 50lb braid and hook something like that my motto is if I am going to lose it then let it break the line. What this means is lock the drag up, hit sunrise and then grab the spool if you can. Some fish need to be stopped and that is often the only way. If you still cant stop it then it's game over. Does your reel have drag strength to load up 60lb? I have seen some guys use heavy duty line but not have the tackle to actually use that weight line which is really quiet pointless. Anyway better luck next time mate.

I think its called a throw back

You forgot the mention the magnificent Neil the eel I nailed first cast! How dare you!

How does it look like north head? Are you a geologist? haha

I don't know about the comments above that say "relaxing" I d recall you saying 21 days without and time off. That does not sound relaxing to me. Great shots and great fish mate.

Grinner. They like it when you cut their head off and use them for flesh bait. Kind of like a carp..........KILL IT! Well up in QLD anyway

Im up in Noosa at the moment so not sure if its still on but its not often that you don'e get a few around the eastern suburb ledges.

Just had a session with my dad and grandfather. 3 generations fishing together in a family blackfish comp. We got 9 and dad won. I will post about it with photos

Hi Raiders, I went down to my local ledge yesterday arvo to give the blackies a shot for the first time in a while. A bit rough with a fair bit of running to safety but safe enough if you kept your eyes open and brain on caution mode. Anyway so it gets flat and out I go, 15 seconds later im under and im on, thump thump thump, im thinking this is a dam good fish. Funny how all the big blackfish start the fight with full body head shakes and when you feel that snapper like thud thud thud you know you're onto a good fish. So im fighting away thinking "YOU BEAUTY", a while passes and I see the beast. Instantly I can feel the adrenalin shoot into my viens like harry to a junky and im pumped, I have never seen a blackfish this big in my life and the heart is pounding through my chest. I am now close to the ledge to land the fish but I think hang on take your time, wait for the right moment. Right at that stage when I say to myself slow slow slow a lump pops up in front of me and closes in fast, a swell that I need to run away from. SH%TBALLS I HAVE TO RUN. I get the fish up onto the flat off the ledge, the fish is now landed but the fight goes on! 6lb leader and I have no ramp to slide the fish up as I bail to avoid a wet bum and a few nasty scratches from being dragged along the rocks. One last ditched panic slide to control the fish and the leader snaps, I have one chance here, one chance to get the blackfish of a lifetime so I dive my hand down as the water pours over the ledge and washes around my feet I hit the beast with my hand but the only thing that happens is a rod of pain through my hand, I had shot my hand down so fast to try and get the fish that a spine went BANG up into my hand, at that moment the water is mid shin deep and flowing fast, the fish is gone. I do a quick scour of the area to see if I can chase him down before freedom but then I realised he was gone. Defeated, shaking, adrenalin on high I do all I can, I call my dad and share with him my pain. He laughs, I hang up and calm myself. Tie on another hook and back out, 2 drifts 2 fish but with the hum of the Sinead O'Connor song "nothing compares, nothing compares to you" well and truly stuck in my head. ps. I know 50cm sounds like a big call but I have got one 46.5cm and this fish was much much bigger than that. Would have been pushing 2kg's #stillcrying

The best sweetlip bait you can get. Anyone up in QLD should try it the lipper love em and they hold on the hook very well. I got 5 fish on one chunk one day. Cobba

It could be a lot worse........ You could be like me and not have that boat to drop on the road.

Fair answer. Man they have done well to be able to stand on it. My hat goes off to them. May I suggest a bilge pump built into the yak seat so that they don't get that wet bum annoyance hahah "because they can" Yep I get that

Nice report. One thing I truly don't understand is why those guys put so much work into the kayak/boat setup. I mean wow what a great job it looks great and I am sure the reasons are all valid but to me it seems strange to not just buy a boat that will be more comfortable and let you fish longer? I know yaking allows you to be super stealth and I love that but when you slap an outboard on it doesn't that defeat the point? If the whole thing pulls apart to be 2 normal yaks again then it all makes perfect sense haha. Anyway im not bagging just confused. Good Fishing!

Thanks guys all great info I will let you know when I get one Cobba

Hi Raiders this is a report of sorts....... I am here to report that I have never caught a King. I have got the black kings but never the yellow tail type and im dieing to nail one. I understand the water is going to be cooling down and the kings will be off so is there anyone who knows how or where or can take me or something to get my first king. I am land based and live in Bondi. I have a 6500 baitrunner with 50lb braid and a 4500 baitrunner with 14lb braid oh and a TLD 25 on a short stroker with 8kg but i know that will be about as useful as a wet sock. HELP!!! Cobba

Well done mate. Thought I would add my tussle with a 13kg thredy many years back in the noosa river. Enjoy http://www.fishingnoosa.com.au/Page15.htm Cobba