nbdshroom

Haha, better luck next time Stewy!

Sweet sambos. That might get your mate's mind off carp for a while.

Yes they shut down in their native habitat around winter but the climate in Sydney is temperate. Thus they can still be caught all year round. The past week has been pretty warm and sunny too. What kind of bait are you using? If you are floating bread, try a sinking bread bait instead. They will be closer to the bottom. Keep persisting and good luck!

LOL the eels got spanked!!!!!

Haha yeah. Good day to be out today though. Cracker of a day! Sounds like your motor needs a coffee to start it up and a consistent supply of jim bean to keep the revs in the sweet spot lol Cheers Pete

Thanks for the report. Good on you for getting out there, it's a nice and sunny day even though its August. Better luck next time, hope you nail a few.

Your gear sounds okay, maybe a bit overkill with the stradic 5000fj but don't worry its an excellent reel and you will put it through it's paces one day. The 2500 is fine for the general purpose estuary, jetty, sheltered bay, bank etc., kind of fishing. 8lb mono is a good start, that way you don't have to worry about leaders and line joining knots which is required when using braid or gel-spun polyethylene lines. However, the choice is there to use fluorocarbon leaders if you want to take the next step . Generally, lighter line will produce more bites because it allows the bait to waft more naturally through the water (in addition to it's lower visibility). Bait-wise, well, when you say you are fishing for mcnuggets, does that mean you can catch fish but only small ones or none at all? In any event, I'd steer clear of bloody kangaroo steaks LOL. I haven't heard of anyone using that before which doesn't necessarily mean it is not effective.

It might be easier to describe what and how you have been fishing so far. Can you describe what fish you have been targeting and with what rig, baits etc. Btw welcome to the site, a lot of helpful people inhabit these cyber waters.

Mate that is fantastic Jeff! Good way to christen the new cooked tiger prawn-coloured yak. All the better for you to sneak up on unsuspecting fish! Looking forward to more of your future exploits on bait and lures. Cheers Pete

Big pigs and good work Extremeterror for getting your PB. Well done fellas!

Good work

Great setup. I always wanted one of those rods.

Great report Stan. Nice soapie, looked like you had a great time. I'm sure you'll Fishingnoob onto a decent fish soon.

Tough luck, but the upside is that you lasted much longer than would be expected on 2lb. Would have been the sweetest victory but at least you got to see the fish. When you say the line parted, what do you mean exactly? Did the lure knot pop?

Great video and fishing. Can never get enough of fishing vids on youtube.

Might be worth a try but I've used the Gulp sandworm nereis and caught fish without a jighead simply by threading the worm straight onto a small long shanked hook. I don't believe it is important where the hook comes out on the worm since they are mostly circular so long as the worm sits straight and not kinked where the hook emerges. If the worm is too long, then trimming it down is usually a better prospect e.g., from 6" to 3-4". Regarding the earlier posts, Stan has caught many a fish on all types of lures and one can't go wrong following some of his tips. Yellowfin bream record holder

Good on you for getting out there and wetting a line. Many people would have turned around and gone home. Use to fish Wanda a bit in the summer but never caught anything notable.

If fishing at a beach during the day, bring lots of water, protection from the elements and do your best to keep sand from getting into your reel. Make sure your reel never touches the ground when baiting up or dunked in the salt lol

Good feed and nice detective work. I don't keep fish so I don't often know what ends up in a fish's stomach. Wacky diets those flatties!

Good stuff, that second hairtail looks like a beast.

Thanks Dave! See you soon. Snickers, really satisfies =) Thanks Ben, about that, gosh I gotta tell you something... *head down, hands in pockets* Cheers. Nice and fat they must have been. Sounds like they would probably take worm lures too. I guess they thought the grubz was a worm possibly. First blackie I got on a lure was on a prawn imitation. Thanks Ian, it was a sweet day and too bad not all days could be like that. Gotta capitalise on them when the come around. No problem Pierre haha. Nah but next time I go up I'll let you know. Yeah those tailor don't like my offerings :/ It wasn't near any structure. Same story with the first one I caught, it was simply roaming the shallows. Thanks Jenno64, I did think I had a higher chance of losing it when I starting lifting it. Always good on lure! Cheers T.C. It's got a snapper-esque noggin. Thanks also for your post with the stinger hook. Will have to try that soon. Thanks Jeff 'hairtail king' scratchie! Fingers crossed but achieving personal goals in fishing whether big or small is what it is all about. If you are still putting in the hours, I hope to a get a jew before you though Haha so true! It is like the time I got a salmon upriver.

If targeting flathead, something like a 3 inch lure with a relatively heavy jighead (1/8 - 3/8th) will do. Any lure and jighead will do so long as the lure can keep in contact with the bottom. A heavier and larger jig will make it easier to work. Next simply choose a style of jigging that you prefer i.e. one big whip, two hops etc, and stick with it. Just look on youtube for several examples and copy that one. Then just put it in practice - get a long cast out and wait till the lure hits the bottom. Once that slack in the line appears you know your lure is stationary on the bottom. Simply employ your favoured jigging technique and let the lure hit the bottom again and repeat this until the lure gets all the way back to you. If you are unsure whether the lure has hit the bottom or not, just wait a bit longer than you think is required. Something like a 1/4oz may take about a 5 count after a double hop to hit the bottom. Eventually you'll detect a bite. If it's a flathead, take your time - fix your hair, make small chat with the guy next to u etc., and then proceed to strike hard to set that hook into its bony mouth. Actually it would be good practice to strike hard immediately to get your eye in for other species which aren't so forgiving. If no bite is detected, not to worry, you will simply hook into her as you begin to jig the lure off the bottom again. If you are already doing all this, then maybe the flathead simply aren't around nor on the bite. Good luck.

Haha, we did release a zillion of them though, and so did Stuey and Stephen. But just quietly, I hear the hairtail might be back for the next social

Such a heart warming story. You sir showed tremendous selflessness and I hope you get rewarded for it.

Worth a try but maybe try putting that finger in some hot water. A lot of venoms from fish and water dwelling species are unstable in warmer temperatures.