Justin D

I also spoke to that guide and quizzed both his clients about the experience. I absolutely believe they saw a very, very large Tiger shark near Balmoral and another large shark also possibly a tiger but smaller a short time later. The guide is not going to lie in front of his clients and vica - versa. We lost our first kingie yesterday to a shark (got the head back) and there was another shark at Clifton Gardens today. There was a pair of hammers amongst kingies on Friday in the upper Harbour. There are heaps of sharks from January to April every year so it should come as no surprise. JD

The pros could'nt be more limited in the Sydney region than they are now. The problem is that in their desperation to make a living their working Pittwater, Broken bay and the Hawkesbury to death and some of them are bending and breaking the rules just to feed the family.............there were plenty of EP fillets for sale in the pubs this Winter as an example!! The situation in Pittwater is getting hopeless! The Caulerpa taxifolia is spreading rapidly with a bit of help from rec anchors and a lot of help from nets and trawlers. I am writing to my local member in Pittwater and trying to start a grass roots campaign locally first but we can all do our bit. A petition is the next step but we need to do this properly...............watch this space! JD

As seems the norm now the kingfish have been sporadic and few in numbers in Pittwater. There was once a time when they were everywhere in Pittwater. It angers me that we even allow meshing and commercial effort in Pittwater or any other estuary for that matter. The fishery has taken a serious nose dive in the past 3 years. Don't blame the pros though! They are only trying to feed their families. The pros from Sydney Harbour had little choice but to move there, they have nowhere left. We need to take our concerns to fisheries about buying these guys out and returning the waterway to rec only before it's too late. We got a few hits and landed 1x 70cm King today in Pittwater but I would not be rushing to fish there..........it seems very quiet still. JD

The idea of dissolved oxygen in water relating to jumping has been a good theory that's been around a while. If they were tightly packed together and feeding on the surface then they are most likely spawning (it's that time of year). Spawning mullet jump differently to standard mullet jumps, they shake themselves, most likely to loosen the milt for spawning. Spawning mullet are often very aggressive and will chase down small lures and flies imitating bait . We caught a bunch last Friday and have done every April for several years. Awesome fish on 6lb leader, JD

Thanks Pete, sorry, I did not see this thread before I posted so it appears that I am not alone with my concerns. Another consideration for the downriggers too is that if you locate a patch of fish it's often far more productive to pull up the downrigger and drift. Downrigging is a wonderful fish locating tool but as a fishing technique once fish are located it is much more cumbersome. I'd rather have 3 rods out drifting than a couple of downrigger bombs and a couple of rods. I think we all get locked into a pattern at times. It was interesting to see how many more guys caught fish on slow drifts after the heavy rain compared to guys moving their baits faster in the dirty water. JD

Hey all, I am interested in peoples opinions here who fish the Harbour. I really, really do not want this post to denegrate into a free for all but hope it will be constructive. After working on Sydney Harbour for a number of years and after consulting some very well known fellow guides and anglers we are all of the opinion that the etiquette of many anglers this year has been very poor. With the number of internet fishing reports either showing photos of exact locations or posting exact fishing locations, its getting tight in many good fishing spots. With Pittwater being very heavily hit by the pro anglers many guys are heading South to the Harbour as well which adds to the crowds. The number of boats "dropping in" on other anglers and anchoring next to them with no consultation or consideration is disappointing. Add to that the almost farcical number of boats downrigging by doing circle work around other boats and it is getting out of hand. I understand that things can get awkward if there are crowds but the place is riddled with fish, so why do we need to fish in each others pockets? There are plenty more spots to try if someone is on a marker or structure. Sure, there's room for one or two on a marker or structure if you work together to avoid interference. ie if one is anchored or one is drifting at opposite sides. If the harbour is not crowded and 20 markers are empty of boats why do people have to come and fish next to the only marker we are fishing????? Why do people anchor within a short cast of a boat drifting and casting flies and lures . If they hook a big king then the anchor rope presents a real target for the fish to bust them on. Two days ago whilst casting a soft plastic a guy rocked up and downrigged over the very top of where it landed. After asking for some consideration the guy said "but your lures on the bottom isn't it?" Sure, it was and it was about to be worked in the very area his downrigger was. He then went on to downrigg and hang up on our anchor rope not once, but twice! I have one of his hooks as a souvenir. I understand if people are new to the game and ignorant of the etiquette but maybe its time for us all to consider some etiquette guidelines such as those adopted in other countries for river fishing etc I have had the pleasure of fishing a lot of this country and I know that the type of behaviour exhibited of late would be met by "shotguns" in many parts of the country. I understand its a populated city but it's a massive waterway. Shouldn't we start by trying to anchor no closer than 50 metres from others or at least asking the first anglers at a spot if they mind if you join them/fish beside them. What do you guys think? Any similar experiences? Not interested in sledging individual boats/people, just generic info and suggestions so maybe we can help compile some guidelines to make the waterway a really friendly environment to fish. JD

Great catch Andrew, well done. I virtually never post on these sites but enjoy reading them. There is always heaps to learn. Whilst it is great to share captures etc I cannot for the life of me work out why people need to report every last facet of their capture or why people MUST know. In a city of 4 million plus I reckon giving away locations, exact techniques and tackle/ bait is a great way to see good fisheries become ordinary ones............all for 15 seconds of fame. Great catch Andrew, made all the better by the fact you did not turn the post into a step by step guide on catching 12kg plus Harbour Kings. You put in the time enough (I see you out there often). Considering these fish can be landed on 10kg or 40kg gear and they eat live squid and live fish the chances are that the gear and bait are irrelevant for the most part, we generally all know what kings like for bait. Again, a lovely Harbour King

Well done Kings Rule, thats a nice fish from the land. They are sporadic through the Harbour and will be in Clifton off and on. They do congregate around the exclusion zone of the fuel wharf and no doubt do sorties from there. Just a small piece of advice too if I may, if the fish are undersized or intended for release it is best to keep your fingers out of the gills, this will very greatly increase the survival rate. Hope you catch some bigger ones next trip, Cheers, JD

Thanks mate............will drop by soon. mmmmm, Jew hunter, time for Jew on fly I reckon!! JD

Hi guys, the 2 best methods for attaching leader to flyline is either a 7 turn nail knot (use 40 or 60pound soft and supple nylon like Berkley big game or jinkai) or a braided loop. For lines of 7 weight and above i think most pre bought loops are not good enough. The flyline should extend a minimum of 6 inches into the braided loop for security so you need to make your own out of 50 pound gudebrod or cortland braided mono. The uni knot will not flow through the guides and may lead to a broken tip. As far as joining 2 lines together the 4 turn surgeons knot is 100% and better than double uni knots, bloods or double nails. Cheers, Justin Duggan

Hi all, this is my first post on this site. My advice to any beginner with flycasting is to "absolutely" get lessons. Videos and articles are great re-inforcement but are no substitute for proper face to face instruction. It is not hard to flycast properly, just harder if not shown. There is not really much difference to a golf swing in that regard. I have yet to meet a self taught caster that has not been detrimented by bad technique. That's not to say it cannot be done, but nothing beats having a trained eye watch your casting stroke. Even Tiger Woods has a golf coach. With regard to people having problems with the wind when casting, I suggest learning the water haul. A proper water haul will see a long cast executed on the forward or back cast with a strong wind blowing across your casting arm............it's actually a very simple cast and quite effortless. Happy swoffing, Justin Duggan