big Neil

I had a visit from fishing mad grandchild and his Mum...also a keen angler who had never caught a Murray Cod. We headed off to the 'Bidgee at Narrandera with the boat... armed with cheese, worms, cocktail franks, chicken breast, and a few shrimps. Daughter Debbie had (apparently) never caught a Murray Cod, James had caught a few small ones in the Macquarie River. I tackled everybody up and we set about seeing which of the baits would work. James caught a very small Cod on worms and I followed by getting an almost legal Cod on the cocktail franks. Debbie was next to score and after 4 hrs of fishing she got 2 nice Cod on the cocktail franks. That put her in the lead and she was rubbing it in that the boys couldn't catch as many fish as she did. Alas, that was true UNTIL James's rod doubled over. He confidently brought the Cod to the boat where I had the waiting net. 62cms of very healthy Murray Cod hit the deck. Debbie managed to capture the excitement on her phone...see video below The score card for the day read James 2, Debbie 2, bn 1. I'm not going to live this one down for a while. So that was today's outing. Tomorrow James and I will head off for another episode...report to follow. Thanks for reading this report. bn James catching Cod.mp4

A pleasing "mixed bag" of stories there Mike. Always great to catch up with other Raiders for a fish together. The story of the guy hooking the Kingie is a fairly common occurrence in the harbour region. They are a bit like the street hoodlums just cruising round looking for an opportunity. I guess most anglers that encounter them are not prepared for the fight as they are targeting other species. A good report. Cheers, bn

Try Manly Dam with earthworms or bread. You may be pleasantly surprised and catch any number of species, including Carp. Good luck, bn

You don't hear of them being caught from the beach so I think it's a rare occurrence indeed. Well done and good to see the new reel handling the job well. Cheers, bn

Great report that reminded me of the capture of my massive Flathead at Port Welshpool in Gippsland, Victoria. My Father in law and I got onto this spot where a huge number of Flathead were actively swarming around this larger fish. With the aid of good visibility we could make out the movement of the fish as they took our bait. We pulled up heaps of Flathead to about 50cms before I hooked the big girl. We got plenty for a feed and she went back to produce more little Flatties. A great day on the water. bn

Great advice in the post from corro. How we use soft plastics is the secret. As corro says, the longer in the water the more likely to hook up. Think about what's happening under the water. If you can get your sp to represent a sick or wounded food source, fish will readily take it (an easy meal). Even stopping the retrieve altogether and letting the sp sit on the bottom works. Explore, experiment, and do things differently. Soft plastics are great so keep at it and you will have success. bn

What a heartwarming tale...brilliant. You really have grown in confidence when you can ask your partner to accompany you on a fishing trip and confidently boast that YOU will catch a fish. Moreover, you have become so capable that you showed your partner how to do it, and it worked. Nice to have friends who will go fishing with you, and even better to have your partner go with you. Your posts are really interesting to me as they reflect the journey that you have travelled learning to fish. It's a long time since I learned to fish as a beginner, still learning today, though not the basics. Keep up the good work and posting your results. I didn't know you would catch Whiting on bread...we live and learn. bn

Many thanks for your very comprehensive reply linewetter. I shall take all you have cited onboard and give it a go. Be nice to hook into a few Bream similar to the ones you scored. Will add the Action 4 to my research list to look into. Cheers, bn

I haven't got a proper "Men's shed" Frank and you know what my shed is. My pottery studio with the great sign that you made me adorning the door. "BIG NEIL'S POTTERY". Like other people's sheds, mine provides me with a wonderful range of experiences as I transform the pieces of clay into functional pottery items. But it's more than that, too. We all look forward to finishing our routine 50+ years of regular working. But you can't just stop working and do nothing. Apart from the commonality of us all going fishing, we still need to keep busy. I love my hobby and am lucky to have a "men's shed" where I can relax, dream, listen to music, and lose myself in the ambiance of the pottery making process. Never being one to miss an opportunity to show my creations off, here are a few recent pieces. Cheers, bn

Good report Ryder. That table would know some stories if it were animated. Great that it should end up at the Powerhouse, hopefully they will be able to provide some ongoing interest to their public. Cheers, bn

Great report Zoran, plus fantastically clear photos. What are the Blue Eyes like to eat and how do you cook them? Glad you were successful with the launch and retrieve in low water. Cheers, bn

I would like some information from you linewetter. What is the complete outfit you are using... braid, leader, hook size and type, weighted, float? I assume you are using something like a 2-4kg rod and small spin reel? What movie camera do you use? I am looking into getting one so am interested in what fishos use and how easy they are to use. You got some nice fish there mate. Good post. Thanks, bn

Any attempt to go fishing is good therapy Mike so keep snatching whatever time you can. Variety is the spice of life and fishing needs to be a part of our time plans. Good report, bn

With difficulty. bn

As noel says, go fishing and find out for yourself. All the old sayings are there to be queried. I once had a skipper of a commercial charter tell me "You have picked the worst time to fish because there's a neap tide". We caught heaps of good quality fish.bn

Hi wefewfef. Try to give more information when you ask a broad-based question...it helps to pinpoint the correct answer. If you can be certain of catching Snapper of the size mentioned you should probably use 12 - 15 lb braid with the same in leader material. Your choice whether you use a running sinker or a single or double paternoster rig. Assuming here that you are fishing from land. Use the lightest sinker you can get away with to hold bottom. I would use 4/0 Octopus hooks to hold your bait. You can use circle hooks if you are used to fishing with them. Good luck, bn

Great report of your record-breaking day fishing the freshwater. Top class photos to accompany the story too. Carp certainly give a very good account of themselves when the hook is set. Bet you can't wait to get back down there for some more of the action. Good to get a very healthy looking Bass too. bn

That's a quality Bream from any water mate, very well done. Welcome to the site Fobbie. I'll look forward to reading more of your fishing escapades. Cheers, bn

Yep this discussion has been around for a long time, in a lot of different forms, and basically, it boils down to the discussion about how long is a piece of string. We humans, who think we have all the answers to ALL the questions are insufficiently well-informed to know exactly how the feeding/defence processes of every fish species works. I use lures a lot but I would be crazy to buy a truck load of the same lure because I have reasonable success with it. It happens too and I start to think that one works better than another, but it's a trap. Some well respected guru says that this lure is the best thing since sliced bread, so many people buy it. The well respected guru gets some sort of kickback. As you mention though, the fish aren't aware of the role they are supposed to play in this scheme. Their basic needs are the same as ours...food and shelter, eat but don't get eaten. Fish, like humans, need a varied diet, so it would be absurd to think that one lure that mimics one food source is going to cut it every time. My opinion is that what works, at any given time, is the best lure on the market. But don't fall for the promise that it is the only option, 'cos it's not. Here endeth the first lesson from the BIG NEIL school of fishing myths and legends... signing off, bn

I'm not going to comment on the effectiveness of the dearer lure versus the cheaper option. I have always maintained that if you want to catch fish you must be prepared to lose some tackle, including expensive lures. HOWEVER, I can't really see that large Bream should be busting you off. I know that you can't use QE2 mooring rope for leader if you hope to hook up, but I don't think that you should be getting busted off by Bream that probably weigh less than 1.2kg. What size (breaking strain) line are you using and have you tried anything that is a bit more substantial? Are you connecting the line directly to the split ring or the tow point? I never tie leader directly to a split ring as they have sharp ends that can break your line. Better to remove them altogether unless you are using a swivel clip. Maybe you can get by with a little heavier leader and still get hook ups...and not end up with breaking off. Certainly, you can't keep re-mortgaging the house to buy these expensive lures, so have a good look at every other possible consideration involved in your losing lures. There may well be a simple explanation. Good luck with overcoming your dilemma. Good report and great photos... bn

None left. Absolutely delicious. Had any chance to get out fishing yourself? I may sneak out for a fish this week and could be tempted to keep one. We'll see .bn

Gee you did well Rob, an absolute cracker of a Lizard...some other good fish too. Very well done. bn

Lesson learned mate. Check your gear before you start fishing, cos the very first bite may be the fish of a lifetime...you never know. Sounds like you guys had a good time trying to outwit the fish and had some fun. I will look forward to reading your next report. bn

No Yowie. I have taken a few at times but they are such an iconic fish that I let them go to do their thing. When I have taken one for the table, they are very good to eat. Yellowbelly are the ones I usually take for the table. bn

You did well on the Trag Yowie and will have some tasty fish for a while, not that you're often short of some fish to eat. Do you have an opinion on the whereabouts of the Flatties? Not many reports of any good catches at the usual locations at present. Cheers, bn