Scratchie

Thanks DB. How many??? Lol 😝 Probably about 50. And yes multiple of same colours in different sizes as well. As a rule, I will always start out throwing what I caught my last fish on and adjust from there!

You can get as technical as you want and have all the data in the world. But if the fish don’t want to bite that day then there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. I don’t believe in the almanacs. The best chance you have is to be on the water. Yes there are some crucial factors in targeting certain species but there is just soooooo many variables that no app, data can compare to time on the water! Just my opinion cheers scratchie!!!

Good report Bob! We all have those days. But I wouldn’t say catching a few soapies is unsuccessful. Some people chase them for ages and haven’t caught one. Being on a boat, wetting a line and seeing some of the beautiful nature surrounding us, sometimes leaves me in ore! Good luck next trip! cheers scratchie!!!

Thanks KC. Nah mate, yakka snack 7 inch. It was they only one they’d take. Tried a few but it was the only one that gained interest! Cheers BN. Needed to restock. Never know when we might shut down again 😢 Thanks yowie! Thanks Sam. Get out there mate. Seen some good fish coming from down your way!

G’day raiders, Today headed out with a mate with conditions looking really good for snapper fishing. A bit of chop, little bit of swell and a consistent wind. Perfect in my books. Well our first drift was full of anticipation and after a few casts, I come up tight and after a solid fight up comes a nice snapper in the 70’s. We work the area for a few more drifts but the bait started to thin out so it was time to move on. Tried a new area for something different and found what we were looking for. My mate boats a nice pannie and shortly after I manage a good one too! Next drift didn’t produce so we moved on. Next spot was a bit rougher with the swell bouncing off the island but we dug in and made a few casts. My mate calls out he’s on to a good one and shortly later it’s in the net. Next drift produced nothing and seems the theme for the day! Hit once Move on! Next spot, same story. A good one just as the drift ended and nothing next drift. By now the sun was getting high in the sky and bait was thinning out. Between that and the dolphins smashing any remaining bait, we knew it was all over and time to pack up and head for home! A free whale show on the way home with a dolphin escort is a pretty amazing sight! Thanks for reading, cheers scratchie!!!

Sure do mate! I’ll check the colours and get back to you!

Great topic! As the memory bank dwindles I use mainly two forms of social media to record my trips. One is Instagram where I put fish I only catch on that day, that way it’s time stamped. Then I write a detailed report on Fishraider which gives me the memory recall I need of where I fished etc. Works for me! cheers scratchie!!!

I fished Fingal the other day. Caught plenty of tailor and there were salmon on the mix. The run of the mullet is pretty much over, so the jew aren’t running as hard but your still a chance! cheers scratchie!!!

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/fishing-rules-and-regs/saltwater-bag-and-size-limits

Just as an advisory. If you are not sure what the said species is, it is wise not to keep and dispatch them. For one, you then do not know if they are of legal size limit under DPI rules or a protected species. Then, you don’t know if they are poisonous to eat! For future reference try checking DPI SALTWATER SIZE AND BAG LIMITS. Regards scratchie mod team

Good work mate! Stick at it. It’s very rewarding tricking an old man snapper on soft plastics! Losing the big boys is all just part of the game! You can’t stop them all. I lost a PB snapper last week that I had on for ten minutes. ( magic meter I reckon) But that’s fishing! Well done 👍 cheers scratchie!!!

Always a great day out Mick! Yes we were confused that’s for sure 🤣

That’s a cracking haul from the Hawkesbury Bob. Well done to you both! cheers scratchie!!!

Hopefully the info given above will help you out. The key points albeit from a boat or land based when fishing soft plastics: Match the jig head to the depth and current Match the plastic to the bait that is present in that area. (This will change with seasons) Allow the lure to work the entire water column and work it back towards you. Make sure you are in constant contact with your lure and there is not a spaghetti effect in your line. When you do get a bite, strike hard! Hope that helps, Cheers scratchie!!!

As I said, a very bizarre sight! Just glad we found out what it was. Couldn’t imagine the thoughts of someone in a war torn country!

The lights were bizarre! It looked liked stars all lined up! For the record, Mick did boat a pannie. I just seemed to get a few runs! Haha! Thanks 🙏 Cheers mate! Beautiful day on the water Thanks Thanks Zoran! Yes that was a pretty ordinary day. Our expectations were a bit higher than that. For the amount of casts between us, it was very slow. As for the lights, it’s quite an interesting read. I hope they don’t launch 40,000 of them. Could be catastrophic 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ But the sights you see on the water sometimes are truly amazing!

Yowie, I’ve been seeing heaps the last week. Today we had them pop up probably only 30m from the boat. Was fishing at first light the other morning and I thought I heard someone coming around the corner with a souped up car! They make funny noises at times! 🤣 cheers scratchie!!!

So, these lights had me baffled all day but after a bit of research from Mick and my curiosity, this explains it! https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2020/04/21/what-are-those-strange-moving-lights-in-the-night-sky-elon-musks-starlink-satellites-explained/amp/

G’day raiders, Managed a leave pass today and headed out with @back cruncherand my tackle sponsor Al. Left early and plan was to head north and see what we could find. Conditions were very mild so it was a nice easy trip! On the way in the dark we were half way between the heads and Broughton when my mate Al says look at these weird lights! They looked liked stars all in a line but when we stopped the boat they were moving in a northern direction and perfectly spaced apart. Confused the shit out of me and the other lads. Anyway, they disappeared so we moved on. Got to our spot at first light and did a quick test drift before we moved into position. It didn’t take long and I was on to a nice pannie, then another! Then when I was winding in fast a bonito took a liking to my lure and on it came aboard. Another cast saw the line screaming and here comes the next level snaps just short of 70 but very healthy. The lads changed plastics to my colour of pearl white as we reset the drift. Unfortunately there were no more takers and things went very quiet. We moved on and tried a few other locations but the bait wasn’t present and neither the fish. Went to a new location that none of us had been before and as we were ending the drift, I came up tight to a good fish that played hard. After a good 5 minutes or so a nice sized king in the 70’s is onboard! Yewwww We reset again and this time I’m on to a screamer. A much bigger king than last time. I played with it for a while until I felt the weight under the boat and it was well over a meter. As soon as it saw the boat it headed for the near by rocks and my chances of landing it on a snapper stick went with it on that 50m run! Pop!!! 🥲 We tried a few other spots but was flogging a dead horse so headed for home in benign conditions. Great day out on the water with Mick and Al. Sorry all the fish were on my side of the boat! I just got lucky 🤙 cheers scratchie!!!

Haha! Thanks Baz. Mate I’ll get you out there as soon as can! Glad to hear you’ve got permission 🤙

Cheers mate! We’ll get out soon for sure! Don’t be silly! Legends are usually dead! 🤣🤣🤣 But thanks Zoran!

Cheers Sam 🤙 Thanks Yowie. Yeah the struggle was real for the first part of the morning. But once we found the bait, the fish were there! Thanks rebel. It sure doesn’t 🤙 Cheers mate! Oh, I’m still not over it. Yes I do wish I had 30lb but would I have got the bite? 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ The whales are awesome too watch. Heaps of them atm just cruising and enjoying Port Stephens 🤙

G’day raiders, Sorry I’ve been a bit absent from the forum and fishing scene lately but my kids have had me driving all over the country side. Im finally back on home turf for a week or two before I’m off again chasing kids in representative sport. So yesterday, I hatched a plan with @back cruncherto get out for the day but unfortunately Mick had a few issues with the boat. So I gave @Rodeoa buzz and the conditions were too good not to head out. We left shoal bay at 5:15 and had a quick look for livies. Wasn’t much showing on the sounder so we didn’t bother and headed straight up to the island. First drift was perfect but there was a lack of bait present although I managed a ghost bite and landed a nice snaps in the mid 50’s. Moved on from there and with another nice drift, same thing no bait and no bite. Tried two other locations and it was dead as a door nail. Things were looking pretty glum until we reached our next spot. Wasn’t the drift we were looking for but there was bait present and the fish started coming onto the deck thick and fast. We managed a few in the mid 50’s and then I came up tight to a decent model in the 70’s that stuck and into the net. Reset the drift and I got schooled by a decent king and my leader came back looking like party string. My mate was into the action with a few kings and pannies for the box. Then I loaded up big time and had the rod screaming. As I managed to stop its run, I could tell this was a massive snapper and quite possibly a PB. I fought it for some 5-6 minutes and just when I thought I had it under control, POP!!! It took me a while to gain composure after that with a few choice words but I retied a new leader and just kept casting. We managed a few more decent fish and called it a day! I was happy we at least found some decent ones considering the start we had. Plenty of whales about to sooth the soul on the way home! Gotta love Port Stephens ❤️ Cheers scratchie!!!

Good stuff Bob. Sounds like a great two days. Don’t know about the banana though 😉 cheers scratchie!!!

Great day out on the Nambucca. And congrats to Any on the PB! 👏 cheers scratchie!!!