bean

I was also told once that there is no such thing as too slow of a retrieve. Obviously the point of plastics is not to just set and forget like you would with bait, but if you're worried you are retrieving too fast just slow it down a bit often it can't hurt and it may just be what will get you a fish!

Sand flats are great for the shore based angler as you can usually just wade in to try different places. Usually when I'm fishing flats i'll spend a bit of time moving around trying to find gutters and drop offs. Once I've found a few ill start fishing, that way I always have a couple of options. Drop offs and gutters are great - fish will hold tight to the face of the drop off as it acts as a structure/shelter for them.

For what its worth, make sure you are fishing light. You want to make your plastic look as realistic as possible, so when it comes to jigheads I try to use a 1/12oz normally. If I find that I'm getting a few hits after it first drops but when it sinks a tad further I get nothing ill switch to a 1/20oz to try to suspend it in the strike zone for longer. As with bait, you still fish the structure but I think plastics work best (for flatties and bream) in water between 1m and 4-8m. From the shore this may reduce your casting distance but with a decent setup and a bit of practice you should still be able to cast these lures a fair distance. Just work out where they are holding on the structure and adjust your weights accordingly. If you're trying to mimic a prawn remember that prawns suspend themselves in water so the longer you can keep that lure in the stroke zone the more success you will have.

There's a heap of carp in the Nepean. I've only caught them in the Nepean as a bycatch when chasing mullet but it's certainly not disappointing. When I have caught them it has been whilst floating bread. I've heard that corn kernels are also successful. When I recently visited relatives in Dunedoo I spent a few hours at the local river (creek) partaking in a carp fishing comp. We dug up some worms and broke them up and used them as bait. My girlfriend, myself and my 10yo cousin managed 17 in a few hours all ranging between 25 and 65cms. We were just using a running sinker rig with a very light weight. Hook choice I've found doesn't make too much difference. My girlfriend and cousin fished with a bream-sized suicide hook whereas having caught a 6.5kg carp on one before I stuck to my tiny mullet hooks. I used 5lb braid with an 8lb fluorocarbon leader and it was good fun. I was only bringing in smallish carp so it was fine on such light gear however I brought my PB carp in on 8lb mono and that was awesome fun. I don't know if the council would take kindly to you digging up the banks of the Nepean looking for worms so unless you can get them elsewhere it may be wise to stick with bread or carp for now. I've heard that Parramatta lake has plenty of carp also and you wouldnt have to deal with any boats so that might be a good spot to try. Effectively any freshwater creek/river/dam will hold carp but wherever you choose to go just look for the edge of a weedbed and cast nearby. You don't have to move around too much, eventually the fish will come to you. I haven't specifically targeted carp in the Nepean but if it clears up next week I'm sure we could organise an afternoon session during the week and I can show you what little I do know and the spots I've caught and seen carp caught along the river. Cheers, B.

Gday all, I'm Bean. I'm a (mostly) shore based angler. Excluding a few trips with Dad when I was a tyke, I have been fishing for the best part of only 1 year now and I am massively hooked on it. I work at the Penrith quarry which sits right on the Nepean river. As a result, I've spent a great deal of time on the fresh water. When the weather is right (and sometimes when its not) I fish the fresh about 4-5 times during the week. This being said, I very much prefer the salt, spending as much time every weekend fishing it as I can - sometimes travelling ridiculous distances to do so. Being shore based, I have had most of my success fishing for bass, mullet, carp, bream and flathead. I like to think of flathead as my specialty, as it is the only fish I've caught that I enjoy eating. I've dedicated a lot of time researching and practicing the best methods for catching them and over the past few months it has really paid dividends. As with my other hobbies, if it interests me I really get into it in a big way. I'm also a tattoo and performance car enthusiast. These get slightly less attention now that a lot of my time and funds go towards fishing, research and gear, but I still have a passion for them nonetheless. I joined fishraider to explore the sport of fishing a bit more and broaden my knowledge and skillbase. I'm also keen to meet up with a few likeminded raiders for a fish or a beer. There are so many learning opportunities that this site has to offer and I can't wait to get involved! I'm looking to head out on the boat a bit more now that I'm consistently catching my targeted species, so ill be looking to these forums for some boating tips and advice as well. Cheers, B