svsolaris

Beautiful!

What kind of bait were you using? SPs? Very slow rod action to account for the low viz? Do you reckon blades might also work in zero viz? Very curious as I also fish mostly at night.

Oh btw FishBase also records cowanyoung as Aussie nickname for both yellowtail and greenback horse mackerels. Bit tricky!

Found it on FishBase: Yellowtail Horse Mackerel, indigenous to ANZ, grows to 50 cm, and they do record the Aussie nickname as Yakka. Next up, I've got to learn to tell a tarwhine from a bream! Any tips?

Thanks for the advice guys. I'd call it whitebait too except the bags say "white pilchards". Will do more research on fish identification lol. Also I confess I love the fishy taste... Spicy food you see... It's not my fault, I was born like that! :-P

Decided to head out for a night session with a friend a few days ago. Got the tender and the 2HP (oh the Power!) to near the Spit Bridge (where the current spills out and slows down) around 10:30PM, mid-tide but in perfectly still weather with no moon. We berleyed lightly but regularly and started streaming unweighted white servo pillies (the really tiny type). Soon we could clearly see shadows but they were literally just playing with the bait, rushing it but not eating. This went on for more than an hour and a half as we tried various hook sizes, presentations and also lures and blades across 3 different spots, all for just one tailor. All of a sudden, still mid-tide, the current changed as a big eddy came our way, the water became not so clear and I think warmer and the fish went ballistic! We landed 5 legal fish in an hour, with a few more under and also both got smoked by some mafia hoodlums with bad attitudes (but we learned tons, should be able to land them in future!) I got a tarwhine (or bream? 25cm), a tailor (38cm) and a 37cm mackerel (I think? Pic below) and my friend got a similar tailor and mackerel (sorry no pic). Then the current changed again and the fish stopped feeding. Still learning so correct me if I called the wrong species! First mixed bag report, loving life

Funny that - I would have expected fishing to get worse as today's full moon approached, but obviously you reversed the trend! Well done mate.

Nice! Thanks for the advice.

Awesome stuff. What do you reckon might cause fish to suddenly stop biting like that ? Other than learning to fear you that is

Thanks Linc, I will stop using frozen peeled prawns as i'm pretty sure they don't come in Aussie varieties. But the fresh ones do, so the right thing to do might be to buy these and pop them in them freezer? Kingfisher you misunderstand mate, I was just concerned about the fact I eat a lot of these prawns and never expected they might carry parasites!

Haha do you mean there is parasite contamination risk even with food-grade prawns? Brrr...

Thanks Krispy, several had baitfish in their stomachs so I'm thinking of trying that next...

Hi Raiders, I've been targeting tailor near The Spit last week and a half. That's where I caught my first fish (a tailor purely by chance) exactly a year ago. Looks like I've improved a bit though and am totally stoked! 3 sessions, all the same routine: Leave at 10pm, take the sailboat's tender (bought an el cheapo Parsuns 2HP at the boat show) and find a good spot or 2 until 1am. Next day at work, yawn like a zombie and grin like a fool. Colleagues must think I'm getting laid or something. All were caught on 6 pound line with unweighted frozen peeled supermarket prawns cut in half, threaded around a hook to match and then trimmed. Throw and pay out so the bait slowly sinks and follows the current naturally, always holding about 1m of slack in the left hand very loosely. With only ambient light the trick is to feel and let the slack run with no resistance then set just as the line goes taut. I use slightly large hooks because I find re-baiting is quicker than unhooking little ones. Prawn trimmings go in the water for berley. One pic per session (sizes 30 to 42 cm, and yes I eat the pikes too!):

Keep going like that and you'll need a bigger car boot :-)

Hi mate Davidson Park boat ramp (under Roseville bridge) often produces yakkas for me, as well as squid, but I only fish at night

And a Visio diagram - Legend!

Different area but was in the Spit Bridge area last night chasing squid and the water was still very dirty, caught naught.

So does that mean the place is basically over-fished i.e. most sedentary fish are gone so the predators don't bother coming as much anymore?

Well done mate, what kind of depth if i might ask?

Not from the baths but it is from the little beach next door, and you have easy land access to the shallows at the bottom of the bay at mid to low tide.

Howdo, at the bottom of Sailors' Bay near the rock baths.

Awesome! Where? How?

Hi all, I've finally cracked the night fishing squid code, managing 7 and 5 in 2 1-hour sessions at Northbridge and Balmoral wharf. There does not seem to be much catch size difference between the 2 places though, even though the first is shallow and the other much deeper. So where would you look if you wanted to target big squid? :-)

Well done mate! What kind of depth were you in?

Hang in there mate, you'll be richly rewarded for persisting. I fish in MH land based and am a newbie but have caught bream, pike, tailor, salmon and squid. For squid, i think you'll have more success at the shallow end of the bays. For larger fish, a good bucket of burley and a fish finder will make a big difference. But mostly I find either targeting a single species (and moving around) or varying the techniques (if staying put) works best. Also I'm not sur what others here think but I find The Spit overrated... Next time try Northbridge for squid on a luminescent prawn lure, it's been good to me.