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Well done guys, great result, your efforts paid off. Your experience shone through to pick a spot in unknown territory. Best of luck with the little one Netic, hope all goes well for the mother and baby.

Thanks for that Southerly, I will have to give this deep water squidding a go one day.

Bad luck buddy, at least you were out there having a go. What time of day were you catching the squid?

You speaking English Steve ?? I understood your explanation above the diagram, nice diagram BTW, but you lost me when you started talking about the boom boom Boris Becker stuff. I get the jist though

Some great advice Steve. I find getting the depth right very important. Generally they bite near the bottom (as this is where the weed and burley tend to be) so I always let out my float stopper to find how deep it is (you hit the bottom when your float become horizontal). I then start by fishing a metre and a half above it. Sometimes the floor is uneven, and your float will get snagged along the drift, so keep changing the depth of the float until your drift does not get snagged. BTW - you need to have a running float, ie a stopper knot on the line to engage the float, if you do not use a running float (ie fixed float) it makes it very difficult to cast - also the strike is not very good, as you strike the float first in this instance - Arrgghhhh, there are so many little things to luderick fishing, it does take a while to get used to, but is worth it. This used to be the only type of fishing I did, until I start chasing pelagics. Best you read a book about it, or even better take Steve up on his offer to show you the ropes, it will save you months of trial and error. Hell, I have not fished blackfish for so long I may need to get some lessons from Stve Hey Steve, I am a mad Roosters supporter too, thank god they finally won their 1000th game on Wednesday. We will get through this rough patch, a lot of good youngsters coming up, we will be up there again very soon.

Mate, I would personally go 8lb main, and 6lb mono. There is no need for fluoro for blackfish, they do not have sharp teeth, and rarely do they brick you - unless fishing from the rocks and you tangle with drummer. Size 10 is good, as well as size 8. Depends on the weed you use and the size of dish. I would try to find weed near where you are fishing. Normally scrape off weed from the rocks you are fishing for berley (berley is key when niggering)/ When fishing from a boat, you need to have a bucket of sand and mix in the weed for berley. I hear Narrabeen lake is good for weed, although I have never gotten any from there. Haven't niggered for over ten years, so have no idea where to get the weed. Another important thing is to get the weight of the float correct, try to weight it so the tip of the float is just above the water, the blackfish are sensitive to heavy floats - again depends on where you are fishing. Good luck, they are great fun to catch on light gear and flexible rod.

Comprendo my friend. Snap frozen, as in 'quick' frozen. Although technically, it really is not snap frozen, more like snap chilling. Cheers.

Good stuff guys, I do recall seeing Big Steve's post before. I now have a better understanding of how to freeze these prized little possessions. Whenever I hear about people snap freezing the squid, I thought there was a special tool or freezing component to it, ie liquid ice or some advanced technical devices or ingredients. So I assume the "snap" refers to the snap lock bags. Thanks to all for your responses

Well done Nathan, $8k of prizes is not bad at all. Some hairy moments with the water in the boat, all's well that ends well.

Massive Jack, Awesome !!! Those things hit and fight hard too, so I can imagine that one gave you one hell of a fight.

Awesome Heath !!! I was up there a couple of weeks ago and went out on a charter, I would have been happy with one of those fish. Amazing how you can catch such quality fish within close proximity of the city.

Hi all, I read of people catching squid and snap freezing it. Can someone explain what this is, the advantages of this over normal freezing (I assume stopping freezer burn), how it works and what tools you need to do it. Cheers.

Well done on all fronts... Some thumper Sydney Harbour Kings !!!!!

Yep, I believe the first fish is an Amberjack. Looks exactly like a King, but squashed and stumpy. Samsons have a lot more colour on them and are distinctly different to the Kings and Amberjacks, but of course they all come from the same Seriola family.

I agree with the little ones having little meat on them. Probably best for fish cakes. I don't think I will keep any dollies that are less then 50cm, they are just way too thin. This will allow them to grow a little more, preserve our stocks some more, and keep everyone happy

I agree with you too Keepin_TABS, but what I think Netic is trying to say is that it is up to the person to decide whether they want to keep the fish or not. Who are we to judge? I love catching fish and giving them away, to family, friends and neighbours. I get joy out of seeing them enjoy freshly caught premium table fish, something not everyone gets a chance to experience.

G'day mate, I have heard they are great eating (I think I read it somewhere). I know a guy caught one on a jigging charter I went on, and he told me later it was very nice to eat. It does look like hard work to fillet and cook, not much return for effort, but if the fish tastes great it may be worth it. You may as well give it a go, and let us know how you go.

Nice Flatties Whitecaps, good luck outside.

Nice one KingsRule, you certainly get consistent results from the land.

Great haul of fish, sounds like you had a ball. Well done.

Nice King, but have to agree with CFD, would prefer to use a net where possible. Welcome to the site.

Nice one Ross, makes up for the lost one last week. Reading your report certainly gets the blood pumping. Sounds like you may get a few visitors on the weekend.

Nice haul of dollies and great pics. Well done guys.

Nice bag of fish buddy, good going with the King.

Nice one guys, good haul of stripies. A nice reward for the trip out to Browns. Better luck next time on the YFT.