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big Neil
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Posts posted by big Neil
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2 hours ago, zmk1962 said:
I guess that's fishing BN ! .... Out of curiosity, did you take the franks in one bite ... or exercise a more cautious technique ? 😁
Cheers Z
Cautious of course, I'm not uncouth LOL bn
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ROUND TWO. Over 4 hours on the river for James and I today, and not a sausage. Not even a nibble on the franks, except for the odd couple I had while James wasn't looking.
Not much of a report but a report, none the less.
Cheers people, bn
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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
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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
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5 hours ago, Breamfisher24 said:
went to manly dam caught noting on sweet corn and just wondering if there are any good spots for carp near the north shore of Sydney👍
Try Manly Dam with earthworms or bread. You may be pleasantly surprised and catch any number of species, including Carp. Good luck, bn
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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
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13 hours ago, knirps said:
Raiders.
Had a recent experience with a big flathead that has cemented my view on flathead breeding behaviour. I was an opponent to the introduction of 'slot size' limits for flathead (particularly dusky -'couple of years back') due to lack of proper science-based decision process or at the very least really good research that would also support / underpin decisions, as they ultimately create legislation and subsequently affect people such as ourselves (recreational fishers!) - for the record even as an opponent to rules I still adhere to them of course!
Recently I was fishing the Hacking in Sydney south and caught a large flattie. After some 20 minutes of what I had deemed to be a large version of my favourite fish (the dusky flathead!) I was surprised to notice when I had the fish 'near to the surface but not completely visible due to water clarity' that the fish did not appear to be a defined 'flathead shape' and almost looked at first glimpse as a large octopus 'flaying its tentacles from side to side'. Also I note; that whilst I had caught big flattie in the past I had never had such a trouble 'getting it off the 'bottom and to the boat!'
Another five minutes or so and I finally had it at the surface, it was clearly a large dusky but was 'flanked (four each side of the fish) by eight good size flatheads. each time I lifted the big girl closer to the surface the 'group' of what I later assumed to be males! moved and swayed and were obviously very reluctant to let the big girl out of their sight (this explained to me why I couldn't properly identify it at my first sighting).
A rare moment in my fishing life - I had witnessed natures account of dusky flathead breeding cycle and its importance to this species (truly a "David Attenborough moment")
All went well, back in the water! and had plenty other good ones to home.
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
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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
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4 hours ago, linewetter said:
I guess I could've called it an elbow slapper...
Today was a special day. I've had really good luck catching decent fish lately on bread and have been wanting my partner to come out with me fishing just so I could show her. Last time she came with me was when I was just a beginner with no idea what I was doing. She came with me really often for like 2 months straight while I caught nothing
So I can imagine her hesitation to want to come watch nothing happen. But I'm better now I promised!
Today was the day I finally convinced her to come out with me for just a little bit. I guaranteed I was going to catch at least one fish this session (my confidence in catching fish has grown immensely after spending much time learning with @DerekD over the past ~3 months that I've known him - major shout out to him for teaching me much of what I know). First cast, 2 mins with the bread in the water and no action...unusual. I landed my bait right where I knew the fish would be and no action! At this point I knew the bread was sunken at the bottom, so I slow rolled it towards me and let it sit some more. If the fish hadn't bitten by then, then they just weren't there I figured.After another 30 seconds of waiting, I felt a tap tap, then boom! I set the hook then line started peeling and my rod bent with tension. I could immediately tell I was onto a good fish based off the drag being pulled. I've caught enough bream now to have a good idea of when I've got one on and this definitely didn't feel like a bream. The bigger bream fight really dang hard and this one felt heavy but didn't fight that same way. I tightened my drag a bit to bring it up and I saw the silhouette. Huh that looks like a really big yakka if it's a yakka. That might be the biggest yakka I've ever caught! I brought it in even closer then saw the distinctive fish pucker and I realized it was a whiting! A good one at that! I pulled it onto shore and showed my partner my huge grin and my nice fish. I was really happy to have caught my PB whiting and also show my partner that I can catch decent fish now! I'm not no fishless chump anymore!
Photos are not the best since they're screengrabs from video I was recording and I didn't want to keep the fish out the water any longer to stop the video and snap proper pictures. It went back into the water to fight another day 🙂 I didn't properly measure it but put it against my rod and measured at home, came out to be approx 35 cm long.
As a bonus, I convinced my partner to take the rod and try fishing as well. She has tried fishing a little bit before but we spent many hours with no action in the past, but I guaranteed her she would catch a fish this time. I baited her hook for her and told her what to do and why, and let her do everything herself. She ended up catching one nice small bream and a decent sized yakka, and then requested to want to hook onto a bigger fish. So I baited the hook with an even bigger piece of bread to keep the tiny guys away. She ended up hooking onto a really big bream! It fought as hard as the ones that are in the 30cm+ range that I've fought. The big bream got the best of her though since she was using my setup of an UL rod + really light line + leader...not the easiest to control fish on as a complete beginner...and it ended up getting away. It was still really cool to show her that I've progressed enough to even be able to guarantee any fish at all, much less being able to hook into a big one even if it got away.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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1 hour ago, DerekD said:
Maybe but while @Mike Sydney has the story I didn't see a brag mat so it makes it difficult to claim. How do you measure and octopus anyway?
With difficulty. bn
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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
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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
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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
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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
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7 minutes ago, Steve0 said:
I suspect I agree with what you are not saying.
Lures are designed more by marketers to catch fishos than they are by fishos to catch fish. Fish live in a different environment to humans and need to perceive the world differently. On any day, I suspect silhouette, which translates to darkness/lightness rather than colour or maker's name may make a difference. The unknown variable is whether a fish is near enough to become interested as you retrieve. Who can be sure, if a house-mortgage lure works for someone, I am not going to advise them not to use it.
Whatever gives you confidence.
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
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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
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9 hours ago, Hoods said:
Maaate you keep releasing fish. Good Friday coning up! Do you still have some Mahi Mahi left!!?? At least your fish are not "taxed" at 100% as they are up here! 6 good runs rersulting in shark taxes!! The mahi mahi does not much help - just grill it.
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
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Gee you did well Rob, an absolute cracker of a Lizard...some other good fish too.
Very well done.
bn
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So I can imagine her hesitation to want to come watch nothing happen. But I'm better now I promised!
Port Hacking
in Saltwater Fishing Reports
Posted
Great report of a memorable trip out for you and Dad. Looks like everything fell into place for you both and especially Dad with a PB. Lovely getting out early and enjoying the experience before the city wakes up. A very clear photo of the catch, trust you enjoy the feast.
Cheers, bn