Brian

Hey Yarraone, Saw your reply to my post. I think it was just a sudden change in the water temp and the conditions were not that good with a falling barometre, although I think i would have taken the southerly over last thurs/fri noreaster. It's a bit of a drag to come from the bush to hit the coast and luckout but, hey that's fishing. Bathurst is close compared to my 1100 k round trip. Only us mad fishos would be that keen I will be making my trip next year closer to Christmas. Just a hint too much winter water left with trevally and sweep about at the moment. Good luck next time. Shame you didn't get to land the two you hooked. I'd say they were kings as there were a lot of fish about that area all week but they just wouldn't play fair. Cheers, BP.

G'day Raiders, I've just got back to the bush after a week in Sydney Town. I fished the Harbour pretty solidly for 4 & 1/2 days and was a little bit suprised at how difficult it was to get the fish on the fang. I had a heads up and didn't take their information into account. Monday, after a nice round of golf at Mona Vale, was a recon run up and down the harbour looking for surface action. The heads were not happening and headed right down to Goat Island. Only saw surface action in one spot. And where was that? Right under the Harbour Bridge. I was tempted but resisted. Landed some nice bream around the Sow and headed in. Tuesday. Same deal. Very little surface action. Headed back to my fav spot, Sow and Pigs. Turned up some more bream. Back into MH. Bantry Bay produced some great poddy mullet. Went back to Balmoral and did a drift over the sand for zip. Then soaked the livies around a deep hole near Seaforth. Still noting of any noteable size. Wednesday teamed up with my mate Chappo. Started off the same with little surface action about the heads that would take anything. Again a quiet day. I was getting worried by now. Good old faithful spots abcdefghijk, oh and X were struggling but, got a great run of nice bream again. 8 in total so Chappo got a feed for his family and neighbours. Thursday, out again. Got to South Head and yes, surface action. Onto a nice school of salmon mixed up with tailor and trevally of all things. Anyway our spirits were up as this was what we'd come down for. Problem was WIND a big howling noreaster that would blow a dog off a chain. We fished as best we could but, it just wasn't happening and the water temp dopped down to 18 and looked green. Friday we teamed up with RayR and Hutcho in his boat. They came all the way from the Central Coast and what a shame. The wind came up even before we reached the spit. We moved all over the Harbour and MH to try and turn a reel but to no avail, except for sweep and more trevally. Not a bream to be seen, except for two keepers. One for Chappo and RayR. Hutch and Ray peeled off as condition were just horrible. Chappo and I managed a couple of yakkas and two nice squid so we came back into MH and hid in amongst the moorings. pick pick pick, up come the squid, tattered and ripped apart. Moved over to my deep hole at Seafortha and used the wind to drift along but, still zip. Later I found out that the kings had been working right up around Mrs Macs Chair but they too were not playing the game. All up it was a great week just to be in good company and be out on the water. We did manage some fish and found a few spots that produced some surprises. They are now in the memory bank for the next trip. That's fishing though and any day fishing beats a good day working. Here a couple of pics. See you out there in 12 months. BP. PS: Did anyone else have problems with sweep and trevally getting in the way?

Yeah, Thanks for reminding me of that MATE, you've still never REALLY said anything about that. I'm so keen I can sense the bite from here!!!!!!! See you next week. BP

G'day Raiders, It's been a while since I last posted or actually even caught a fish. After a number of zero results in the last few months I finally decided to drag the boat to the dam one more time. I had heard of a lot of good catches in the last few weeks so, I took my 4yo fishing buddy and a mate and we weren't dissapointed. All up we landed 9 very nice sized yellow belly and one silver perch. Other blokes were boasting about big cod and one reckoned he'd caught and released 14, with one 30lb'er. Closed season so all were released and they bagged out on their yellow's. Baits and lures working well. Split Rock Dam and and Lake Keepit both going off at the moment. It has been a long cold lull but worth the wait. BTW. I can't stand all this kingy action so I'm dragging my boat the 500ks to Sydney Harbour to visit my old haunts. Will be on the water from 08/11 >> 15/11. Lookout for the "Hood'lum". Here is a pic of a good one my daughter got. I had to hang onto her pants so she didn't go over the side. One of the few fish we've caught in the fresh that actually put up a good fight. Guess about 4-5lb. Just came off the bbq. Yummo!! Fed 5. She loves handling worms, yabbies or other yuck stuff but.......... slimy fish See You out there. BP.

What a cracka of a day, how smooth is that water and good fish to boot. The LT is something out of a mini jaws movie. If my kids saw that when they were swimming they'd never go in again. We catch a few a Forster each year. Hutch I hope your still go for a few Sydney Hot Spots in Nov. If you keep cathing them like that you'll be on fire. I haven't wet a line in the salt since March. Great report gents. Brian P. PS: Ray, Go the Fords!!!!!!

Mate, well done on a great session. It does get the heart up a beat when you see fish on the boil and Kings to boot. I am sooooooooo excited because in Nov I'm dragging my boat the 500ks to Sydney to fish 24hrs a day for about a week and get me some kings . I haven't had kings on the boil like that for years. Well done again. BP.

Hey Pacemode, Great effort on the slippery little suckers and a loveley silver Jew. I'm intertested how you work outside the square and get good results, well done. Just out of interested, how do you rig up with your float 60 ft above your rig so you can wind it in, without fowling it in the runners. I often want to set a bait at different depths but want it away from the boat or shore but not touching the bottom. Cheers, BP.

Mate, have a look at north Curly. I fished it for years and it has a few advantages. You can fish near the pool casting almost back toward the beach and can clear the rocks onto the sand. You virtually are looking back to the middle of the beach, with Harboard Diggers Club on your left shoulder. You have to lift and wind quickly as your rig gets close to you when winding in as the rock shelf jumps up quickly. If that is no good to you off the beach is pretty good, just look for gutters around the lagoon entrance. Good off the beach in a nor'eatser as the wind cuts behind you and you get an off shore affect. The Jew i'n holding came out of there. Spend some daylight hours there and familiarise yourself with the rocks. They aren't all stable but, you are not fishing the ocean face so you don't get the rouge wave coming at you. Watch it for a while and you will see. Good Luck, BP. Easy on the lead too, go as light as you can.

Hey Squidboy, great to get some winter kings. Pitty about that one that got away. Of course that's why it went quiet, he told all his mates BP.

That's not a Cod, It's a beer keg with spot and spikes!!!!!!!!!! Great Fish mate. I'll find one like that one day, I hope. Brian.

Mate, what a fantastic tale to tell. Get that photo blown up, hang it in a prominant spot and you can tell that one for years to come. Priceless!! Well done. Brian

G'day Guys The PVC ones are good for water proofing but, they are stiff and do not breath. I have an oilskin coat as well and it is pretty much the same. Good if you are not doing too much but they will eventually get water in and you will sweat. Basically spend the money and get something decent which breathes. There are lots of good jackets about at witworths etc. I think you can browse them on the net. It is really a choice of how much you want to spend and do you want to get it fishy Cheers, Brian

Hi Josh, well down on those fish, you've done well on the sp's with flatties. I just can't seem to get them to work for me. You certainly are a motivated young bloke to get up and have a go at that hour. Great to see. I grew up on the northern beaches and used to have just about every sat morning on narra lakes but, in those days it was water skiing not fishing. The NB's have got to be the best part of this big city (bias of course). Remember those mornings and appreciate them every time you get the chance. Cheers, Brian.

Hey Robbie, That's a beautiful looking dog there. Dead ringer for my old mate Bundy. Black lab X Blue heeler. Damn thing lived for 16years and went every where with me. Surf, fish, boat the whole time. I bet when you're out there on the water he really does talk back BP.

I heard of a neat little trick when the squid start killing your yakkas. Put a small dropper at the end of your main line with a very small treble. This can be either very carfully pierced into the top of the yakka or with a small rubber band to hold it in place. Anyway the idea is when the suqidy covers the yakka but misses the main hook he? ll get caught on the treble. BP

Wow mate, sounds like a relaxing day out. Love to see how you'd go if you really got stuck into em That's a great looking tank you've got set up. Home made job? Well Done. Brian P.

Which side did you come up from because I'm at Barraba and that is one of my other haunts. Brian

Hi Roberta, I haven't fished SWR for ages but I am itching to get back there. A mate has bought a house there and reckons he'll pull the pin on work in a year or two and set up home there, so SWR here I come. We got some great mullet out the creek too, went out on the very tip of the breakwall, right on the top of the high tide when the water was slack. Hooked them in the nose with no weight and out they go. Poor little things were shakeing like nothing else before they were smashed by jew. We land 5 in an hour. Your trip sounds great except for the rain but, it gives the whole thing a different perspective. I love the rain but can't do the wind. The beach shot looks like the gutter from hell. Tailer or sambos you think? Thanks for your reply about my cod. Cheers, Brian.

Cheers Geoff. It is great country. I alway call it "Yowie" counrty, others say it's goat country but the Yowies eat all the goats. It's so good to see a steady strong flow right through now. "La Nina" baby keep her comin.

Man, what a great thing it is. And some of you guys with your replies!! C'mon, brag mats, did ya use a gaff, wedding tackle the will see this. And that is a great pic. Well done to you all. Congrats. I get really chuffed about anyone becoming a father. I always say to blokes about being at the birth, nothing anyone can say to you can prepare you for what you are about to experience. You need your profile updated to "Addicted Member" Little raider of the future. Brian.

Nice little Bonnie there. They go soooo hard and never stop, like they've got energisers in'em. What happened to his tail? Is that another strike from something bigger or did he get cut about on the rock? Cheers, Brian.

Hi Hodgey Not sure which is which but, I have two, both in the same colour. One has an arm with the jig head/hook and two other arms each with a gold blade. The other has one arm with the jig head/hook and another single arm with twin baldes. I have had most success with the last one, but not really given the other a work out. Here is another fish my mate got last year. I posted this picture before, it's a gem of a fish. These one are common enough in some areas but you have to work for them. It was taken on the sigle arm same colour. Cheers. Brian

Got the hairs on my arms standing up reading that one. Doesn't then mind do terrible thing to us when we hook a big fish Well done mate!

G'day raiders, I cant bear to see all of these great reports anymore so I dragged myself 80ks into the wilderness and caught myself a couple of neat little Murray Cod. Met a bloke the other day who has a property east of Manilla, NSW on the Namoi river. Owns about 8ks of this great freshwater river. You cant put a price on country like this, just beautiful. The real shame is is that it is poached very heavily and a lot of the cod are taken. Anyway he's given me permission to fish it on a catch and release agreement and to let him know when I'm coming. That's all the people in the area really want so it's dissapointing that people have to sneek about and spoil it. Sound like the Social was a blast and what a great looking day weather wise. I got this fish on a black and purple spinner bait. He was about 60cm. I didn't lift him out. I got a second one almost exactly the same and had another big hit out of this fishy looking snag. How'd you like this running past your back door.