svsolaris

Was at Palm Beach on the West side a couple of days ago, the water was murky as. You might have to head out past Lion island to find clear water...

Nice one mate. Got taken to the cleaners a few times over the years by (sail) boat mechanics, if you found a competent one hang on to them!

Nice! Where do these sexy little pin-ups retail? Idon't think I've seen LED lures in my usual haunts.

Rock ledges are full of crabs, just look under any little rock that's not submerged. I've never tried but heard they're popular live bait in the UK.

I've been there a few times, the adjacent ferry wharf is definitely allowed but can be crowded at times. Fishos there usually don't venture on the U, because there are No Fishing signs and painted marks all other the place.

Haha classic. Don't they use squid ink for pasta sauce in Italy? I'm not kidding!

Fantastic. May I ask what bait and style of rig?

Thanks guys, top thread. It looks like the slurry appoach is better although I'm not sure spiking brains in front of my 5-year old is practical :-). I will try when going on my own though.

2 dorsal fins - definitely a short-finned pike a.k.a snook: http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2550 OK I'm definitely going to try the ice approach and compare. What about sharks by the way? Any fishos here make a feed of them?

Thanks guys - fishingphase, I'll try that although not sure how you lug the ice box around e.g. beach fishing or on the tiny tender rowing to the boat :-)

Mate that eel came out of Sailors' Bay near Northbridge :-) So what other controversial fish species are there down under?

Just a gummy and a tailor at Flint & Steel beach (bushwak + fish), both undersized...

As a relative newcomer to Australia, I've been surprised by the variety of opinions on what to keep and what to throw back. It started with Aussie salmon and I decided to give it a go with great eating results. It just happened again with pike on another thread. Other sites have epic threads on this stuff too. I think most of the problem is that some fish just don't keep, meaning their flesh is fragile and so must be dealt with properly, but if you do, they're actually delicious. I know this because my dad used to fish carp in lake Annecy when I was a child and it was an absolute treat. If possible, keep alive until you reach home (bucket with 10cm water), then kill. Bleed immediately - to do this, when cutting open to gut out, keep going until you've cut under the gills exposing the heart and remove it along with the rest under warm running water (cold water freezes up blood flow). Use scissors (do not tear the arteries) Some fish like salmon and short-finned pike require additional work: The gut cavity has a white lining that must be removed completely, exposing areas around the spine that contain a large amount of clotted blood. It must be removed completely (rub vigorously with fingers or better, a tooth brush) or it will foul up the taste. Do this under warm running water the whole time and clean thoroughly. Finally the most important thing: Store in fridge straight away- some fish turn to mush in the freezer- and eat within 48 hours. A few pics of the grilled pike in herbs we just had for dinner today - an absolute beauty with very white, delicate flesh and sweetish taste (my proof - the kids loved it!): A word of caution however: Keeping an open mind doesn't always work. For while the above was a triumph, this big fatty eel below was a bloody disaster! Oh well...

RichieR, I use a soft plastic bucket from Howard storage, they bend enough that you can grab both handles with one hand when walking. Drain all but 10cm of water and put a towel on top before loading in the car. Also sorry I did mean Roseville not Rozelle. Now some areas are just dodgy: Neutral Bay wharf (50 years of lead paint from the naval base in the silt), bottom of Lane Cove (industrial park), and the worst: Silverwater (ex-Agent Orange production facility!). But has there ever been any industrial activity in Middle Harbour? If not, I think it might be okay to eat fish from there once in a while (a quarter?) if it's at least 2 weeks after the last rain. Let me know if you think I'm just crazy! As for the fish, just ate it. And I'm going to make another thread on keeping fish with short shelf life, because it was bloody fantastic!

Guys are you thinking of long-finned pike aka smelly pike (has a yellow tail)? I am talking about short-finned pike, barracuda's cousin, which is supposed to be excellent eating if you follow the same rules as Aussie salmon: bleed and ice immediately, eat within 48 hours and above all keep them in the fridge, not the freezer. Generally I like to keep my fish alive in the (big) bucket, then kill at home and refrigerate straight away. It seems Fisheries NSW has no info on Middle harbour water quality, unless anyone knows where to find it?

Caught a lovely 57cm pike caught last night on a small live poddy with single servo hook through the mouth, 1.5m under a float and 40cm behind a medium-sized sinker. BUT this was at Davidson Park. Would you eat fish out of the Rozelle area?

Eight. Kilos. Legend!

Thanks a lot guys, top thread

Ah, bag limit of 50 per species on baitfish, we'll be right then

Oh... Thought yakkas, slimies and poddies had no size or bag limits but I could be wrong?

Yeah going for livvies is perfect for kids' rods, and they get a real buzz counting their catch. As for boat size, well a grand ol' timber vessel is cheaper than a Quintrex! If you don't mind becoming an occasional shipwright lol...

First report ever from a beginner. So I ended up watching over 4 kids on the weekend. We all ended up in Northbridge on Saturday evening fishing with the tiniest longshanks, lumo beads and pieces of prawn the size of peanuts. The result was 14 yakkas and slimies, some of them quite big, and a 26cm bream in just over 2 hours. The kids were stoked. Then Sunday morning we took the boat out to Sow and Pigs. First caught a 55cm kingie (our first) on a yakka's tail. After a short (but heated) discussion on legal size and whether fishes are stretchy, we released it to grow strong and fit. Then I got busted by something unstoppable on 20lb line. Something big but with a somewhat regular pull. Maybe a shark? Excitement having reached epic proportions, I pulled an enforced break and we motored out to the Heads, where we put whole bait on ganged hooks on the bottom. And caught this gorgeous shark, possibly a shovel nose? Also released after much puzzling and squealing. Then it was time for lunch so we motored back to the Spit. This may not sound very productive to the pros, but we all had a wonderful time especially as the weather was perfect. I think the kids will remember it for years. Next time we might even get a feed!

Putting them in contact with even a small quantity of ice will send them straight to sleep

I did this a while ago with some success (a flattie and oddly an octopus). Start between the N and NE poles in an outgoing tide, or between the S and SW poles in an incoming tide. Idle for a minute and check your movement (should be a slow drift away from the reef, if not change your position to match). The current is too slow to take you by surprise I think, and there are nice sand flats either side, but wind could mess up your plans and swell would be a no-no. If you are concerned, try on a calm day at slack water first?

So spent 4 hours at North Narrabeen beach last night, 2nd time fishing in the surf ever, and caught a flattie which I guess is a good start. There is a very strong current running along that beach. I set up the sinker and pillie on a paternoster.to allow the bait to move a bit around and had bought size 3 star sinkers for fear I wouldn't feel bites with anything heavier. That wasn't enough to keep the line from drifting rapidly and ending up in the beach wash 50 meters downstream every time. This is despite being a good 500 meters from the lagoon's exit. What am I doing wrong? Or should I just have moved to a less troublesome beach? Cheers