josamill

I keep reading they 'switch' on and off. Caught a 40 and 48 cm fish in two casts at Morning Bay Pittwater yesterday, then nothing for the next two hours. Jerk shads work a treat when they're on.

Great to get a feed yesterday in Broken Bay........not too far from Flint & Steel, out of the main current, and in 30-40 feet of water. My son caught 2 on pillie tails, and I caught 4 on plastics.........Berkley 5" Jerk Shads on 3/4 ounce nitro jig heads. All fish 38cm - 44cm. No photos sorry but you know what they look like! Boneless, skinless fillets lightly crumbed.......

Planning on a straight rig.......lead, swivel, 30cm leader, snell hooks holding whole butterflied tailor

Ta scratchie!

With no great expectations, we are heading to the Hawkesbury tomorrow morning ...........will try the usual haunts (Juno/Bridges etc) around high tide with whole butterflied tailor or snap frozen squid, so both dead but fresh baits. Question.......do we fish these right on the bottom, or suspended say a metre or 2 off the bottom? Cheers

Hi Raiders.......does anyone know if there is a ramp in Mosman or Sirius Bay?? Minor emergency and need to get to a moored yacht......because of the exclusion zones this weekend that would be my only bet. Maritime says there is a sand ramp but I can't see it on google maps. Any local advice appreciated because I am in Avalon and don't want to waste the drive. Cheers

Great work! So worth the effort with squid.......been taking me an hour per 2 x squid during the winter, but every one is gold.

Somebody told me once months without an 'R' ....May - August.......are a no go for blue swimmers. They were wrong. Have caught more in the last 4 weeks than the entire Summer. I only worked it out when I saw a guy at the boat ramp in late June with 6 beauties. I've wasted 40 Winters!

Thank guys. We'll hit it tomorrow.

Hi........I've caught my fair share of salmon from the boat over the years, but only when I've seen birds working, and the surface breaking up. Any suggestions on how to locate them without these signs? My friend got a few right up at McCarrs creek last week, so I assume they are lurking everywhere from offshore to up the river. Very keen to have some catch and release fun with my 7 year old son this weekend, but without seeing the birds, I don't like my chances. Comments or advice welcome!

Nice catch!.........boneless/skinless crumbed fillets.......yum! we're still getting around 2 flatties per hour on plastics from Pittwater up to Cowan Creek. I used to think November - April were the best 6 months for flatties, but I'm revising to Jan-June....we've had a much better May/June than we did Nov/Dec. The party might be over soon with the cooler weather and water here, but what the heck, one more go this weekend!

Drifting around Stokes Point!

26cm-35cm......all caught after a solid berley up. Live nippers in 30 feet..........probably could have tried a blade in hindsight. Beautiful eating.

We caught 5 keepers on SPs 3 weeks ago.......first beach west of Flint & Steel in 20ft.

Could've kept going but only had 45 mins. Palm Beach mid afternoon a few days ago. Blood worms. Here's the little guy with the catch - the bigger one went 41cm

My little mate and I hit Palm Beach for an hour before dark for 4 nice whiting including a 40cm version. All on blood worms. Next day 5 lizards on plastics in the shallows around Patonga. What an amazing year.........will this Summer ever end?

Been launching 5m-6m boats at Iluka Rd for many years without a drama, but........always with a decent 4WD! Seen many a bogged commodore there.

Iluka Rd Palm Beach if you have 4WD

I agree with the comment 'don't expect to do much fishing yourself'. When you take a young (under 10) kid fishing the first few times, the most rewarding trips involve one rod, and focussing totally on them. Once you slip into your own fishing zone, that's when the kids get bored and you get frustrated. Light gear, fresh bait (nippers ideal), no wind, twisties, lemonade, a few funny stories. good luck!

Hi Mate, I'd stick to the eastern foreshore because there's something of a nor easter up early morning. Suggest berley is a must, and fresh or live bait a big advantage. Spots of choice.....Stokes Pt near the first mooring outside Careel Bay. Get some live worms from the tackle store at Narrabeen for bream and whiting, and get a pillie on a gang hook down towards the bottom on a heavier rig for a salmon, flattie or kingfish. You'll catch a lot of tiny reds (15 CM pickers), but should get a few keepers too. Other spots.......there is a good drop off at Saltpan Cr Newport. Worth casting onto the flat at high tide (8am) for whiting and bream. Most of the pelagics seem to be hanging in the square between Patonga, Flint and Steel, Lion Island and West Head, not where they let you take hire boats.......the salmon are popping up in Careel Bay though so worth having a metal slice ready to rip. Let us know how you go.....i'll be out there with a bunch of 7 year olds.......god help me!

I am inconsistent at most fishing, but am pretty confident with poddy mullet. Generally can catch 4 - 10 in 20 mins. Whether you use a homemade trap or the clear plastic $10 traps from your local fishing store is probably not the issue. I had no luck until a bloke showed me how to 'bait' the trap.........as opposed to just shoving bread inside which yielded very little - well actually nothing. Looks like you are in Canberra, otherwise would have suggested a quick catch up to show you what works for me. First thing is to make sure they are around........tidal flats at high-ish tide are best........a few mangroves and yabbie/crab holes around. Polaroids and a quiet vibe.......no kids or dogs etc. Squeeze some fresh white bread in the water, then wave the cloudy, bready water around. Wait and look......do it a few times, and if no sign of them, you will need to move. Once you've located them.....get the trap down and move 4-5 metres away......it's fun to watch. I'll try to describe how I place the bread, because this is the clincher. The trap has a funnel shape where the mullet are supposed to swim in? On the outside of that hole, a cm or so up, press some fresh white bread down hard so it sticks to the plastic and is about the size of a 20c coin. It should stick really solidly. Grab another small lump, curl your finger inside the funnel and stick it to the inside edge but leave a little bit showing through the hole. Squeeze some more bread to make a cloud around the trap and back off. Hope this makes sense. Cheers

G'day Raiders What am I doing wrong? About 3 months ago I put a solitary witches hat net into 2 feet of water at Careel Bay, Pittwater, and 2 hours later I had a beautiful big blue swimmer in the fridge. I used a bait bag made of mozzie netting with 3 torn up pillies that oozed oily blood, and it did the trick. Since then, I have repeated the same approach with up to 4 nets, for many hours, in many different locations up the Hawkesbury (Mooney Mooney and Mullet Creeks) and down the South Coast, for zero result. I'm not looking at times, tides or moon or any of that (maybe I should be).....and I'm guessing locations based on a muddy flat with nipper holes and maybe a few mangroves in the area. Any help, especially specific to Pittwater is greatly appreciated!

That is a really impressive squid haul! I am a novice and was rapt when I caught 4 in an hour, but that is an almighty success! Curious as to whether you caught them in kelp areas or ribbon weed. I've only ever had success at West Head in the kelp.

A fish of legend. Congratulations!

Just back from 2 weeks in Tuross, 15 mins north of Narooma. Towed the boat down and fished 10 times. Plenty of flathead.....well over 60......with 5 going over 65cm and one, pictured, at 83cm. The weapon of choice were Berkley Gulps on 3/8 jig heads. Peppered Prawn pattern. Most fish were caught on the drop offs of nice looking, mullet, yabbie and crab infested mudflats/sandbanks. Low tide best. A 67cm fish was caught 12kms from the ocean in 18 inches of brackish water. Caught 12 whiting to 38cm on yabbies on the same tidal flats, and a further 2 on surface crawlers but they took a lot of casts! I took a guided lesson on soft plastic fishing a month ago, and I am sure now that I just wasn't doing it the right way, and have increased my catch rate significantly now........the importance of brightly coloured braid has become apparent! Great to see most raiders getting among good catches around Sydney. Will be heading up the Hawkesbury.....Mullet Creek......this week to try my luck! Cheers & Happy New Fishing Year