Decided to head out on Sunday night despite the risk of getting drenched and was rewarded with a blustery Middle Harbour. Magnificent.
i wandered near The Spit in the tender targeting bream to try out something I thought might work: Throwing a prawn-baited hook with the tiniest sinker within inches of pylons and other structures, taking risks exactly as you would with soft plastics.
It worked! Kept these 25cm and 34cm beauties and released a few more undersized models in a couple of hours. Letting the bait drift away naturally from the targeted structures extra longer also got tailor interested.
I am really pleased with my progress. It took me a year to catch a decent fish there but it starts to feel like I am more in control, with 5 successful sessions out of 5. There's basic technique, but I think taking time to decipher fish behaviours and habitats is extremely rewarding. And learning not to panic and get busted
On a different note, I was curious about the reactions to my last report so also went out one night last week looking for horse mackerel. I know many people don't consider it good eating here but I really wanted to try a recipe as it's pretty standard fare in many places e.g. for tapas in Spain.
I ended up with 4 totalling 1.2kg, gave 2 to some Japanese friends (they call it saba and love it) and oven cooked the rest sealed in foil with sake for sweet, lemon slice stuffing for sour, and a big dollop of butter for good health! Eat with salt flakes and a cold beer.
It was yummy as! A bit like sardines or unsalted anchovies. The kids had seconds. Give it a go if you catch them!