Keflapod

Hi Noodles, Yes I agree. People somehow develop an affinity towards a certain species and encourage their release. Some of these people are influential and are succesful in creating a "socially accepted norm". Others are sheep and just join the bandwagon. The people that start these ideas may do so because of previous mass killings of fish in days gone by so their sense of guilt drives them towards saying these things, while others are financially motivated (eg a charter flattie fisherman wants you to release the fish so their next client can catch it). The reasons are many and varied. The marlin is certainly in the glamour species list. If I caught a 50kg fish I would eat it too. Take that marlin back to the ramp and people will bag you but hey I will still take it. I'm allowed. Pity my back can't handle a short stroker anymore - too many yellowfin in my younger days... My rules are as simple as yours mate. If I'm allowed to take it, I will because my family will eat it and enjoy it. I may not keep a 1m flattie purely because it may be high in toxins, and I don't fish in spots where I know the bream start at 40cm because I won't eat them for the same reason, but if I get one incidental fish each month, then OK I will eat it... Now let me check the weather for this weekend... By the way, shame about that jewie - I would be crying, while I'm ordering Pizza Hut instead.... Tony

Hi Noodles, This thread is actually quite calm and composed compared to some. I think people cross the line when they begin to question the captor about their decision or they make negative remarks about their decision. I didn't think there were any instances of the above (unless I missed something), so I thought it was OK (and that's coming from a big fish eater, let me tell you). The following can be applied to any poster and is not just directed to noodles. People will always have a different opinion to eachother and are entitled to it..... but.... people will seldom consider the impact that the of voicing of that opinion will have on the captor and on rest of the reader base. People will only want to 'vent' their anger right then and there. Anger is the strongest emotion and will cloud your judgement at that moment when it is strongest. That's when we lash out in posts, the proverbial hits the fan and the thread gets closed and people get banned. In a general sense, each person does not appreciate or understand the fact that people are all very different to eachother. They expect others to think like they do, and so get annoyed when someone does something or says something that goes against their personal thinking. So what should we do about voicing opinions ? Stop and think about what you want to say. Write your comments into the text window and sit and think about them. Relax and calm down and re-read your remarks. Your anger will have diffused and you will be able to think straight again. Then make your changes to your remarks, before you click that 'Add Reply" button at the bottom of the posting page. Argue calmly. It will save you many headaches in your life. Trust me on this. Tony

Hey Gilbey, Good on you for showing some newbies the ropes. Isn't it always the curse of murphy's law when you show someone your spot and the fishing is lousy ? That's why I don't show anyone my areas . Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it..... Mate I bet that leatherjacket is 60cm long and that you just have enormous hands ! Perhaps that's why those other 'gentlemen' at your camp cove spot showed so much interest in your 'angling techniques' when you last were there.... Well done on a good feed of fish. Tony

Hey Trung, You know how they have student exchange programs in schools ? Well maybe you can start a hoodlum exchange program with NZ ? Next time you go, bring them some bream or flathead or something and in exchange, they can give us some XOS kingies. ...and put them in Botany Bay.... Mate those fish are ridiculous. It looks like someone made a huge plastic blow-up version of a fish and got you guys to pick them up. They are so big that you can just about hide behind them. Lucky boys. The sea also looks calm in the photos. So did any of you guys snare a hapuka ? Those things can top 100kg and would feed the four of you for the year... I bet next time you hoist a good Sydney king for the camera, you'll have the 'Ho-hum" look on your face.... ...but we will all still be very jealous. Tony

Hi Manhands, Jeez it must be nice to have friends like yours ! Getting blue-eye in big numbers at this time of year is no easy task so to score 20kg of fillets would send me over the moon ! I don't suppose you know where he fishes ? It wouldn't be the mountain - it gets fished to death. Yes the alphonsino is a beautiful fish, both to look at as well as to eat. I have seen a few caught but never caught one. The commercial dropliners do get them but then again not many as the hooks are geared towards the blue-eye, bar cod, bass broper, hapuka, gemfish, mirror dory and anything BIG. Bonne appetite mate... Tony

Hey Charmo, I do a lot of fishing in Botany Bay. We also get a type of mossy weed that is essentially brown but often has some green in it. It affects the fishing in the same way you're experiencing. It gets on the line, the sinker, swivel and bait. Often it weighs so heavy on the mainline that it breaks the line. The fish probably can't see the bait or are reluctant to eat the bait with the weed on it. I don't believe it affects the fish's appetite nor gets into its gills. This phenomenon occurs when spring high tides inundate higher areas upstream in rivers and dislodge the weed. It gets transported downriver and into the bay. Most of the bay is affected but there are some areas that doesn't get much of it. You need to try deeper sections, shallower sections, areas in the main current and areas outside of main current influence. Find out where its unaffected or least affected. I believe the weed is mainly freshwater based weed and will die and decompose after a couple of weeks. So what do you do in those two weeks ? Use the time to explore areas and take notes where its affected and where not so much. Next spring, you will be glad you did.... Tony

Hey Secho, You must have been virtually on Billy Heaton's hill.... That's a heck of a long way out. Did you see the storm coming ? Did you feel an urgent need to get the far kurnell outta there ? How big was the boat you were in? I too would have been doing a pope impression and kissed the earth at 10:00pm as well... Glad to see you got back in OK... You know, I wonder if the blackouts experienced on land affected the coastguard's ability to receive any radio distress calls ? Did you radio in and report on your progress ? Tony

Hi Daniel, If you're fishing alone at night or very early morning, alone in the boat, silhouettes can certainly look like sea fairies. But being kissed by one, and on the "only-you-seem-to-know-what" sounds like a good reason on it's own to go out out fishing ! Do you get home at midday with lipstick marks on you ? You could always explain it away as pilchard smears.... The end of the runways (if you prefer the northern side of the bay) is good for bream and jew at night. Try to burley pillies and chook pellets and fish a light sinker with a pillie fillet in the trail. Also throw out whole pillies on heavier gear. If you have livies, they go out on a heavier sinker to the side of the boat and wait for a jew. Daniel my experience is on the southern side of the bay during the day so the ball game is different. Regarding the full moon, tailor are on at night but my experience on jew is they are slow in the bay but active around the headlands. Keep a strict diary with all your data gathered for the trip and consult it over the years. It will help you to learn and plan your fishing strategies in future..... Tony

Hey Daniel, Can you give us some more details on what you believe is a reasonable catch, and the species you target. Also, what part of the bay, depth and seabed characteristics are prevalent in your spots ? Having a full moon can mean different things. For example, if its a clear night and the full moon is very bright, it's a diffferent ball game to those nights when the moon is full but obscured by cloud. The fishing results would also differ depending on whether you're fishing 0.5m or 5m. I do a lot of fishing in the bay for bream and whiting and I can give you some hints if these are your target species. There are also at least half a dozen other fishos on this site who can give similar pointers... Let us know... Tony

I just love it when people anchor on my head and I get fish after fish and they get none. The people that do that also take it very badly when you get fish and they don't. But what are you going to do ? Cut your lines off until they leave ? Not likely. Releasing all the fish you catch in front of them only makes it worse.... They feel you are doing it on purpose to mock them. One person on this site once stated that he released a decent flattie near another fisho. The other fisho got really upset and accused the releasing angler of letting fish go back to tell their mates to stop feeding ! How do you respond to that ? You could tell him to stop mixing his medication... ...or...you could catch more flatties just to further piss off the angry angler ! Well we certainly ain't gonna go home are we.... It's a screwed up world when we have to deal with other fishos who have bananas for brains..... But we are kept happy by the fact we got our fish and now we are in it for the fun.... Nice brace of reddies - you make most of us Sydney anglers very envious.... ...and wanna anchor 10 meters from your boat..... Tony

Chris, You always seem to say "ah what the heck, I think I'll just go to the water and have a fish, even though we're gonna get drenched".... This time, your mum had a birthday and after the festivities, you just 'felt' like a fishin trip. And your mate is called "eveready' because whenever you say the word 'fishing', he is ready... A very carefree and spontaneous attitude, not a lot of prep, chuck out the silly string for bream and get a jew ! You're just lucky I guess - or maybe it's your mate that brings you the good luck. Either way, you brought home the goods. You could probably fish in a bathtub and catch jewies. Speaking of bathtubs, all that rain in the tinny would have turned it into a bathtub. Rub-a-dub-dub, two men in a tub.... and one without pants.... So your mate left his pants in your driveway. What did he wear on the boat then? Speedos ? Do your mates often leave their pants in your driveway? And you two walk around the driveway at midnight calling out "Where's my pants Chris " ? What do your neighbours think about this practice ? Interesting night. Can I come fishing with you in your bathtub - er, I mean your boat Mr Clooney ?

Hey Stormy, You remind me of when I was a 22 year old know-it-all, with no understanding of the power of water rolling in over rock ledges. I was taken under the wing by someone like yourself and educated in many ways. The sea, her power and how to show your respect - watch her for 20 minutes before collecting your bait. Learn her subsufrace terrain, so that when the prevailing weather is from certain directions, you will know what waves she will unleash on you. I was shown how to rig up, bait, strike, fight, care for the fishing both during the day and at the end. I was even shown how to cook the fish. While I was learning, I was often given fish. These were the golden years when the rocks were uncrowded and free of litter. Days when getting to Bare Island involved a climb down a steel ladder that was not family friendly. Since then the crowds thickened, the skulls thickened (of other fishos, visitors and divers) and things got out of control. I have since left mate mates to fish the rocks and they still do, even in their 70's, they're pulling fish and taking new guys under their wings. They are a lost generation of wonderful people who go out of their way to help others and to teach the art that is blackfishing. Well done.... Tony PS - A lesson for those people who have never been on the rocks... "The sea has no conscience. She will take you and shed no tears. Only the silence remains."

Hey Trung, So you had an all-day trip? Squid gear, kingie gear, flattie gear, jewie gear - mate you had it all. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the boat ? What about the toilet? Are you sure you don't have a 50ft mother ship anchored nearby ? It has been a long time since I can afford to do all-dayers like that. My mind can do it but the body says "you're gonna have a sore back and sunburnt face tonight"... But isn't it amazing the diversity of species we can catch in the bay. To rig up your boat and gear in such a way as to make it easy to convert from one target species to another is quite a challenge. The boat, gear and strategy you use needs to be clearly thought out beforehand and carefully prepared such that it works on the water. The results are clearly there - a decent catch of squid - able to downrig them and catch kingies (albeit undersized ones), then successfully catch flatties on sp's, to be followed up by using the squid from the morning to catch jewies that night. Well done Trung - you set the benchmark amongst bay fishermen for species, techniques and logistics. I take my hat off to you - but I won't take anything else off. By the way - plenty of big whiting around last weekend if you want to add that to your repetoire. Tony

Hey Kit, Yes I also use my morning to think about fishing. The daydream goes from morning, through lunchtime and finishes at 5:00pm. For most of us this IS a daydream, but what a nice dream it is and we can have it over and over again. It must be nice to drop the yak into the water at the end of your yard, quietly paddle in the spleandour of a calm, quiet and tranquil hacking. Then feel the adrenalin of anticipation as the bait splashes down tantalizingly close to the pontoon. In the shadows beneath the the structure, the bream would turn their heads up to the morsel slowly floating down. The fastest fish would out-compete the others to grab the bait and slam that rodtip to the floor. Your powerhouse legs go into overdrive as you create a ski-boat wake behind you in an effort to muscle the fish out of it's domain. After a few solid runs and headshakes, the fish's broad flanks appear just underthe surface as you hoist your prize into the boat. A kilo of glistening chrome sits at your feet. Mission accomplished. See - I'm dreaming again... Gotta get out there this weekend just gotta... Tony

Guys I once fished in Botany Bay some years ago and had a trawler's nets pick up my whole rig, anchor, rods, everything ! I was told they had priority of use over me during weekdays. They probably did have priority - legally. I need not worry about them anymore though but you blokes would have been less than happy. That's why when you fish weekends and all seems to be OK but there are no fish - we often find out trawlers have been in the area. One day, the trawlers will fish themselves out of existence and the greens will ban ALL fishing. Tony

Hey Adam, That's a big fish for such a small rod. The kingfish tries hard to cut the line on the ropes, the rocks and everything ! You say you're a chef. How will you cook it ? From which country are you ? I catch fish to eat and I'm always interested to see how people cook fish in other countries... Tony

Well done Paul, That's a lovely fish. If only we could pump THEM out of yabbie holes when the fishing is tough. Collecting yabbies was one of the most fun-est things a kid can do, before they actually become fully fledged fishaholics (FFF). The joys involved with throwing my back out, getting bitten on the finger between the nail and nailbed by the big male nippers and having seagulls divebomb you as you try to pickup your nippers. I'm glad the kids were there having their fun - often its more fun than the fishing. There are lots of whiting in the bay at the moment. Go forth and conquer... Tony

Crikey, this is turning out to be a fishi-wiki. The next question to be asked will be "Is a yakka a baitfish or a person paddling a kayak " ? Perhaps we should create the fishi-wiki and have a link to it on each page. Outside could be anything from "On the ocean, outside from the river, bay, lake, whatever". Some could even say "Anywhere outside their front door". So if your fishing in the middle of the headlands, you are fishing 'Nowhere"..... Tony

Hey Andrew, So all you have to do to achieve the same success each time is to get plastered on wine the night before, do an arvo session the next day and clean up again. It's a wine-ing formula....er, I mean it's a winning formula... Tony

Hey Yowie, What a lovely Jewie. So you gave it to the pelican ? Man that bird would never have gotten off the ground after gulleting that fish.... Perhaps you could have just fed it the head ? I know I know you just gave it the bits we don't eat but you didn't actually say that. I'm just in a stupid mood so I have to get it off my chest.... That fish would have given you some line burn, that's for sure. Well done - Chris (Pongrass 18ft) would be hatching his plan to assault them jewies right now ! Tony

Raiders, raiders, raiders, Most people ask me if I was wide last weekend. I say "I was and I still am". More than 97cm around the butt is pretty wide. But don't ask any women as they make take a fence...and hit you with it. I am trying to do something about it though to reduce my width. As cobba has suggested - I vote we use "almosts" because we almosts always do what we are asked, almosts got that nice fish and almosts got her phone number..... We also almosts had the fishraider social at Cook park some weeks ago.... But the weather pushed us wide of the park....(ie more than 97cm) Tony

Hey Goos, To add more info on the cookie cutter shark... Its a small shark like the size of your arm. It glows in the dark and when predatory fish get close to investigate the glow, the cookie cutter shark spins around and takes the bite. The pelagic fish then take off in fright.... The sharks have awesome teeth on their lower jaw but their upper jaw is nothing special. Weird creatures for sure... That would make normal sharks more like pizza sharks then.... Tony

Well done marlin, That's a pile of beautiful fillets there. Bass groper grow to over 100kg. You could hide behind one. The fish you got are a great eating size and would be very welcome in anyone's catch. I would love to see some pics if you had some... Tony

Hey MrJ031, Awesome kingie. They do occur in deeper water up to the shelf (on the bottom) but I didn't know they can be found under debris well out to see like that. Curious that there was just one big kingie amongst the school. Looks like he's got a cookie-cutter wound healing there - has he ? So did you make it to the mountain for an electric drop ? If so, how did you go ? Tony

Hey Basil and Chris, I just saw your post today. I don't know how I could miss it with such a lumpy snapper.... Mate that thing should be called Quasimodo ! I didn't know there was a nuclear reactor somewhere near Bate bay.... How else could that fish get like that. You should keep that head as a momento. An heirloom perhaps. Make a bike helmet out of it.... I won't make any rude jokes about the head or the hump - I don't want to have to be spoken to as well. Seriously what did you guys get up to, such that you had to be heavily edited ? Check out the sea in the photos - flat as a tack - just the way I like it. I'm amazed that Basil was able to stay awake long enough to bait a hook with his sleep deprivation and such a calm sea... I'm also glad to see that this big snapper didn't make a hole in the net like Chris's last big king did... Well done on a cracker trip. Tony