smole82

G'day Raiders! I had planned to submit these closer to as they happened but things have been so chaotic lately! So, I figured I'd start from July and try and catch up! One of the few upshots of covid has been working from home...stressful in no shortage of ways I can assure you, but no commute means plenty more time to jump in the yak and get to know the creek better. I've been living near the creek for over a year now but have only recently been able to make the time to have a serious go at landing a feed. Until moving up here, I'd spent most of my fishing time (very sporadically) over the last 10 years chasing bass in creeks out west on poppers. It had been an age since I had a serious crack with a soft plastic. I blew the dust off my old gear and managed to scrounge some 10+ year old SPs that still looked like they might be good for a flick. My first success was on an RDO Monday towards the end of July. I was exploring up and down the creek hoping to pick up a flattie (or anything to be honest). I set out around 8am and paddled around for hours trying to find a fishy looking spot. It was a beautiful sunny day so and barely a breath of wind I figured worst case, it was a good chance to survey the bottom for future trips. I came across a nice sandy flat tailing off into a bit of a channel and figured I'd give it a drift on the way back. I was flicking ancient pink jerkshad probably about 3" or so on an equally old 1/8oz jig head. By this point I'd been in the kayak for at least 5 hours and I was starting to need to stretch the legs. I did get a couple of hits which was honestly good enough for me! But I figured I'd paddle up wind one more time for another pass. I'm glad I did because I landed my first little flatty in years! I was so stoked...and decided one more drift wouldn't hurt... I was on one of my "last" retrieves after not getting any hits on that pass. It wasn't until the lure was in sight- less than 2m from the yak- that I saw a beautiful flattie following closely. I resisted the urge to do anything sporadic and let the lure drop to the bottom. With just a tiny flick, the ravenous flathead engulfed the hook and started taking some 8lb braid off my old 2500 Stradic Ci4. It put up more of a fight than I expected from what I glimpsed following the SP! I reserved my celebrations (especially considering I had only just noticed the hole in my net) until I manged to net and yak the stunning 53cm flatty- my PB! Needless to say, I was chuffed to have landed enough for dinner and very glad that I hadn't given up sooner only to return empty handed- I was determined! I had just made some torilla the day before so I turned these 2 into delicious fish tacos! This went over very well with my partner- she has since been much more encouraging of my fishing endeavours! haha Since then, I've been re kitting myself for my target species of Bream, Flathead, EPs and Mulloway (I can dream...). I managed to get my hands on a bunch or new Zman SPs (slimswimz, grubz etc.) ,a new net and an array of lighter jigheads as well as re spool my old 1500 Cardinal 800t with some 6lb braid. I've been out on the water whenever I can since with some promising results...I'll be sure to detail those sessions in the next report!

G'day Raiders! It has been a decade (maybe even 11 years? 😕 ) since I was last posting/lurking around these parts and I'm SO stoked to see the community has survived! The nostalgia of revisiting my old (and mostly extremely cringey) posts is almost too much and I can't wait to swap tips and reports with everyone again. I recently found myself living on Dora creek and I'm finally able to get out in the yak on a regular basis again. Hopefully I'll have some good stuff to report soon!

G'Day Dusky_Chaser, Haven't been up there for years and from what I've heard the islands changed alot but I dare say the fishing is still fantastic! I only took pretty basic gear due to luggage constraints but still managed to have a pretty good time catchin a few off the jetty. Definately worth packing a few less clothes to make room for the important stuff. I'd recommend askin around up there for some spots and what to expect to catch- never goes astray! Best of luck and enjoy the island my friend.

Cheers buddy! Had a wonderful day!

Lucky man! You should be proud mate

Well done buddy! A big whiting on a lure is my summer goal haha Gotta agree with ya too, absolutely love my Stradic Ci4! I paired mine up with a Shimano Jewel and it's an awesome combo.

Awesome report and some fantastic fish! You should definately submit the numbfish for the FR record!

Well done! Sounds like they're doin better than me haha.

Yeah it's been closed the last few times I've been up there. Heading up tomorrow morning to try my luck.

Fair enough! I'll keep tryin haha

Nice fish mate, well done Good to see a young lady gettin into it!

G'day Raiders! Been fishing soft plastics in rivers and lakes for a while now and im startin to get some good results. I've had a few goes off the beach but never had any luck. Just wondering if anyone's got any pointers? Cheers!

i play the guitar too and i thought it would b the same but it has 4'n'a half stings the last won starts on the 5th fret! god its confusin but u sorta get used to it Cheers! smole

Gday looks like everyone plays the guitar which is understandable. i play guitar meself but i dable in the banjo too AM I THE ONLY ONE!!!!!!! cheers Smole

g'day mate! im sure u will love this place. i do and im pretty new 2!

damn i thought the one i found was big but thats huge! stuff usin it as bait, im sure that would feed a few! smole

gday i was wondering if anyones ever had much luck fishin round the beaches up at pacific plams/forster area. i go up there every Jan and never have much luck off sandbar beach so if anyones got any suggestions id realy apreciate it. Cheers, smole

yeah sure i spose i want a reel for alot of land based bottom fishing and the occasionaly the odd sp. im used to using bait but i would love to move on to sps and lures. ive done alot of ya standard calm water estuary fishin for things like lizards and bream and sometimes off the back of a dingy but thats about it. i guess id want to spend no more than 200? thanks mate, cheers.

yep thats a leatherjaket 4 sure good eatin and easy to clean! theve got no scales just a skin that comes right off

G'day im thinkin of upgrading my reel. i don't wanna spend too much but i want a good reliable reel. plus im lookin for a good all round reel for a bit of evcerything. any suggestions? thanks, catchya l8er.

g'day! im new here so hi everyone!