Keflapod
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Posts posted by Keflapod
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trawlers have and do come across school of jackets during there day to day operation and belive me no twarler would want to take part of this ask the jackets make a compleat mess of the nets
only real comercail way to fish jackets is with fish traps and this is hard labour intensive work but seeing a fish trap full of jackets is a sight to be seen
normaly run around the traps 3-4 times for a full day so the traps having a 2-3hr soke
most of the time a few jackets are stripped down to the bones by the time the traps come up as they often eat each other
time between traps is used to cut the heads and guts out of the jackets size and box them into the fish boxes and down into the cold storage rady to be unloaded once back to the co-op
when they are one it is not uncommon to pull 1000kg of cleaned fish for the day and times that for the amount of boats doing it (no every pro boat does it)
they are one of the best marketable fish just bloody hard work
Hey Gummybusta,
Yeah you're spot on about the commercial way to target them. I had a first hand look on a pro boat (for fun only) and got to see how fish are trapped. We got some jackets but we were targetting snapper, bream, pinkies, etc. The jackets need to be cleaned with gloves so you don't wear your hands out - and it ain't easy doing it with gloves. The co-op would not accept jackets uncleaned...I had no idea that they would destroy nets though - but I can imagine... I just gotta get my act together to get to the 12 mile and put down the wire rigs - all this talk of jackets has whet my appetite.....I'm a bit tired of constant bream'n'whiting - time to change the species for a bit...
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We humans always like to think that we can:
1. Declare the existence of a problem simply by making a relatively small number of observations
2. Decide that we have the knowledge and ability to fix this perceived problem.
The answer is that it's an enourmous ecosystem out there, governed by forces that we can't quantify, such that our observations can never be accurate, nor can our solutions ever be relevant or effective.
We see what we believe to be a plague in an area that we believe to be massive.
We see that the leatheries are capable of such destruction due to their abilities and their competitive nature to survive.
Perhaps our observations are indeed accurate and that this really IS a serious problem to us humans and the environment, but maybe it isn't... It's impossible to guage.
Do we have any photos of reefs that have been ravaged by leatheries? Is there any photos of such reefs that now show little sealife there after the razor gang has been through? If so, I'm more inclined to believe there is a problem and we can show the effects to the world. Have any swimmers been attacked by leatheries ? If so, then there would definately be a big push to catch them or somehow separate humans from leatheries, but do we seriously think we can make a dent in the population? We would have to trawl nets for them but that would cause damage as well. We can't win.
Personally, I would rather catch a kingie than a jacket, but I would rather eat a jacket than a kingie. I would also be in favour of removing bag limits on jackets - I love eating them...
I think we need to gather more evidence before we make any conclusions... It's a tough call...
Tony
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Yiasoo Kosta,
Mate if your fishing skills matched your cooking skills, you would be bagging out every weekend !
That spread looks a million bucks. You should open a restaurant.
I also absolutely love cooking seafood - the majority of which I catch myself.
The only suggestion I would make is that I would be tempted to fillet and debone those fish, then cook them exactly the way you have done. This makes it easier to eat without having to wrestle with the bones.
As well as that, the leftover fish frames - well - a man of your cooking calibre could turn them into an entree of fishframe laksa to die for - or maybe a "fishframe and veggie soup" - whatever you like. No wasteage.
I've just finished my lunch and I'm hungry again - damn - I'm gonna call the missus and ask her to take out some fish from the freezer for dinner. Thanks for that wonderful post Kostaki...
Tony
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Hi Kinggame,
OK now you have whetted my appetite for jewies.
The fish are real beauties and the photos are real nice too.
So can I ask if you caught them upstream from Como bridge or downstream ?
Bait or lures?
At least this way I can waste my time on a smaller section of the river with the right baits...
Tony
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Hey guys,
I read the rules and they state that you can only enter one fish - that entered fish must be released.
It says nothing of any other fish not entered in the comp - ie those you can keep.
Does anyone have a more accurate interpretation of the rules ?
Tony
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Hey DGF,
It looks like a monster has created a monster !
You'll get groper fever, now that the weather is turning cooler, the westerlies will flatten the sea out for the first 3 or 4 Km, allowing you to access the best / lowest rock ledges for bait and fishing.
Just have your wits about you as even a small wave can bowl you over on these new calm low rock ledges.
These waves are often nothing more than a knee-high surge but the power they pack is phenomenal.
Often the barnacles there are out of horror movies so take extra care, don't let the excitement of old bluey tempt you to throw caution to the wind. Always have several mates around who know the area and can recognise a problem wave coming...
Good luck - and don't give them an inch !!!
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Hey DGF,
Mate those gropers can get dangerously big for rockhoppers to deal with.
When I used to fish the stones regularly years ago, my mates would spend both Sauturday AND Sunday fishing around La Perouse.
They spooled up with heavy line (one guy got some 200lb braid) and when a big hookup was made, a mate would have to drop his rod and grab the hooked up fisho around the waist.
It was weird to watch if you didn't know what was happening but many times guys nealy went in...
One time a guy got a 14kg blue groper out and it was like a big blue-eye cod.
It was really thick around the shoulders and the scales were like 50c pieces.
He kept it in a rock pool until home-time when it would be despatched to the BBQ.
Well a diver saw it and recognised it as a fish he often feeds during his dives.
The ensuing argument and threats were scary to watch.
The fisho has been fishing there all his life and had a healthy disrespect for divers due to the constant passing of divers around his fishing spot.
The diver had a healthy disrespect for fishos because of the fact they take the fish that he likes to see during his dives as the fish are like mates to him.
These issues fuelled a horrible exchange. If it were not for the fact the fisho was in his 60's, it may have ended a lot worse.
Moral of the story - if you catch a big groper and wish to take it home to eat, just be aware that divers will likely have something to say...
Hide the fish in a backpack or something - or if you're just up to the fight of the fish and a photo prior to release, then that would also work...
...but isn't it an adrenalid rush? You would not think that you could get dragged around like that while standing on terra firma fishing the bottom 20m in front of you...
Tony
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G'day Footballfisher,
You were near trevally alley but didn't get any trevally.
Were you berlying or were you too far from the wharf to attract the trevally around the structure?
The tide was falling in the morning - so I guess you were on the western side of the oil wharf.
Can I ask what depth you were in?
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That's a great bag of fish you got there.
Fishing 4 people on the boat - does that mean you were using 16 rods?
That would be funny to watch !
The boat would have looked like an echidna !
Well done Dazza.
By the way, what depth and temperature did you have?
..and what bait?
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Hey Jimmy,
You did OK in the end.
I've been scratching my head a bit these last few weeks as I have not been able to find fish on any of my marks from Quibray bay to kurnell, from 1.0m to 4.8m.
The only thing I could do was to go prospecting at different spots.
I was out on Sunday and I fished the runout tide in the mouth of the river, a drop that is 3.8m to 6m.
This spot is new to me. There was some fish there (mainly 28's) but the only fish of any quality there was a 47cm whiting.
A friend of mine showed me a spot on Sunday where he anchors in 6m, burleys and fishes his burley trail.
The spot is new to me, the technique is also one that I have not practiced in years.
He asked me to not divulge his spot as it's important to him to provide regular fish for hims retired self and his ageing mum.
I watched him catch about 25 fish (20 bream plus 5 odd trevally)while I only got 7 bream.
I was trying to work out what I was doing wrong but I couldn't see it.
After about an hour, I realised what it was....
He had directed me to what he believed was the better spot to anchor in.
The boat was swinging around a bit so it was not obvious from which direction the current was running.
I nearly fell over when I realised that I was directly upcurrent from my mate.
My burley was going directly to his boat !
He was getting his fish courtesy of two burley trails....
Good on him - he's a gentleman and a lovely person and I thank him for showing me his spot and technique.
Without it I would have gone home with a very modest catch.
I guess me burleying for him to give him a torrid 2 hours fishing can be seen as a thankyou from me.
I had to alter my technique a fair bit - I had to perform a bit of visual analysis from 20m away as to what he was doing. It had me changing rigs, changing my approach and thinking.
It's very refreshing to see someone else's technique in action catching fish when yours is not so crash hot - it keeps the fun and interest in the fishing..
I'm now trying to work out if there is any migration pattern for this time of year, from the shallower sections to the deeper ones.
This needs to happen so I can work out which spots to hit in the winter and what approach / baits to use.
Last winter I fished right through and still managed to catch some fish but I stumbled on a spot or two via pure luck.
I'm trying to work out the rules so I can find other spots as well in case these ones fail or they get crowded out.
Jimmy, do you still fish in the winter for bream in Botany Bay ?
If so, PM me so we can swap some notes...
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Hi tony just added a picture for every one a every close mate caught these fish in the same spot you were fishing.
Jimmy - send me a PM - I have some info for you.
By the way, you didn't answer my previous PM...
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You would have to fight the
for it. I am likely to not see a cent anyway so work out the split with her I like the logic Pete.
I love playing these little mind games with my wife and other wives.
Tell her that she is so pretty that you are going to submit her entry into the local beauty pageant.
When she asks "Why?" whilst fluttering her eyelids, tell her so that you can claim HER prize money !
When she gets upset and says "NO!" - then tell her that it's HER rule, as she is claiming your prizemoney.... Sounds fair, right?
By the way, looks like Funnierthanu has to wear this one - he'll have to learn to leave his good humanitarian side at home when fishing competitions - right ?
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YES PETE , its hard to catch fish when YOUR offsider kept tangling his lines with mine ( good plan ) but next time anchor on the fun sherriff"s side of the boat . Any way the fingers are crossed for you and my boys , good luck
Ohhhh.....
I see.
There's some RIVALRY between you guys...
Hah - just what I like to see.
Maybe the name should be changed from 'funnierthanu' to 'payingoutonu'...
Keep it up guys - sounds like a lot of fun - so what does it take to enter the Pirtek challenge?
Not that I'd try hard to catch a winning fish - I just want the free bragmat !
Tony
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Huge effort, you defintely outnumbered us but I go for quality, not quantity
Cheers
Pete
There's plenty of quality in there - it's just that someone had some slightly better quality. That would be the comp winner(s).
Photos also don't do the fish justice - you need to be able to see the fish face to face to appreciate them.
It's good to see the bay is fishing so well for bread'n'butter species like these.
The buyout of the pros some years ago has made the bay a beautiful place to enjoy a day on the water with a good feed of fresh fish.
As I write, I'm having a couple of lightly fried whiting fillets - jeez they're good...
As funnierthanu says - keep smiling...
Tony
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Hi Raiders
Not much fishing of late, but a close friend from Melbourne wanted me to take him out. Originally a Sydney boy, but never really liked fishing in botany bay and i told him botany bay is the place for bream. After reading a few posts with some fish still out there I said to him we will go early Saturday morning because i had other commitments during the day. We started the usual spots, the water was a lot warmer at the bottom of the bay, but it wasn't a big difference 1-1.5 degrees difference in water temperature. We worked hard to get 30 keepers which was 17 bream 13 whiting. About 8 tarwine which we threw back, and a lot of bream just under 25 cm and just on which we threw back. To my surprise there was a lot of whiting about, but after hitting the usual spots, the spot that produced the most fish was at the front of the novatel 500m out of the beach, which resulted in a mixture of bream and whiting. A very good day and still plenty of fish about.
Cheers
Jim Bream
Yiassoo Jimmy,
Long time no hear from you.
It seems you're pretty busy, but as soon as someone twists your arm to go for a fish, you cave in to the pressure!
I would do just the same - in fact I have to twist my own arm usually, bcos I have no friends to go fishing with who can twist my arm...
That's a nice catch of bream and a big catch of whiting there too. Well done - your experience and ability certainly shows, when you're getting regular good catches...
I was out on Saturday as well and being alone, I can't match your numbers. Jeez I wish I could fish 6 rods !
I might have to consider cloning myself like Michael Keaton did in the movie "Multiplicity" - only problem is that my clone would be as dumb as Michael Keaton's last clone!
Then I really could talk to myself...
Anyway, I got 14 bream and only 3 whiting - but I spent my time trying to catch a really big bream on my shallow grounds.
I did manage one at 46cm and I left that spot after getting one - but rather than going into the details here, I might try and put up a post with some piccies....
It's been a while for me too.
Did you find the nippers did most of the damage or was it the worms or did both baits catch similar fish?
By the way, how deep is the water you're fishing in ?
Do you ever get any crabs there as well?
Tony
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Gday all,
Went out monday afternoon in search for some botany bay bream. It ended up being a hot bite with 18 bream in total being caught, the biggest one was 42 cm. We also landed 2 whiting, 4 trevors and a 3.2kg flathead which we let go to fight another day. Sorry about the photo quality as it was taken by a mobile phone.
Yiasoo Steve !
That's a nice catch of bream there.
Was the afternoon quieter for boat traffic than the morning?
I bet it was. This has a dramatic effect on the fishing.
Boats buzzing by means buggerall bream. How's that for a mouthfull ?
That flattie was a big one - well done.
Did you get it while drifting? I rarely catch flatties on my bream spots at anchor.
I have caught a fair few bream drifting but I pretty much anchor every time now, unless the fish are very disbursed.
So you would have fished the falling - tide - warmer water coming out of the river (heated up during the course of the day), some fresh water mixed in (rain), little boat traffic - a good recipe for good fishing as the fish exit the river.
I haven't been out in a while - I've forgotten which end of the hook to bait !
Tony
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KEFLAPOD, gee you must be a solicitor or someone in politics. Choice of words for a fishing shit is second to none haha
Anyhow, i think the majority would keep a big fish caught of that species.
There are NOT if ANY amateur fishermen, fishing on the weeks off their boat that costs them money to use, plus bait, plus fuel, plus rods/reels, that would catch a 12kg king, 8kg flatty or 12kg jewfish, and would drop the fish back into the drink. I know most would get the camera and esky ready.
Anyhow, each to their own.
Hi Stacerboy,
I had a good laugh about the politician bit. Yes my problem is that in my line of work (Information technology) - if I'm not so bluddy precise in what I say and write, people will twist my words and use them against me to belittle me...unfortunately it has rubbed off on my written and verbal communications. I must sound like a complete geek.
I understand your point - yes - most people would keep their capture for those very reasons. Good on them. If they're smart enough to work out the secret and capture big fish fairly regularly, then I guess they would be smart enough to understand the species well enough to know what they're taking and it's impact on the fishery. If I caught a 20kg jewie - yes I would eat it - well not all of it but I would take it and brag like hell about it too ! Then future fish beyond 10kg might not get targetted with large slabs of tailor and 24kg braid - instead I would target fish 3kg - 10kg with squid strips and 6kg line.
I think the old saying is "It's the difference of opinion that makes a horse race" applies - perhaps we can change it to "It's the difference of opinion that makes a fishing forum". It was nice having a chat.
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keflapod, fair point but each to their own.
Its the same case for marlin, most if not all catch and release so the next fisho can enjoy, but the odd time someone lands a a huge PB and wants to keep it, or gets a small one perfect for the bbq.
No law on catching a fish TOO big. I wish i had that problem hahaha
Absolutely Stacerboy, each to their own.
I try to justify my actions based on my understanding of the facts available at the time and of course my personal experience. I can understand the need to increase one's PB - fair point. The only question I ask is that once a PB has been attained with a capture - the next action is the critical one. Release or keep? Again - each to their own. I never complain if someone chooses to keep a big fish, whether it's a marlin or a flattie. All I do is pass on my knowledge of the pros and cons of that capture in a balanced and unbiased way, but I let the captor absorb the information I have imparted. Then the angler may alter their decision or angling views when future captures are made. It's all about learning the facts in a nice friendly way. You celebrate their great capture with them, let them enjoy the moment. Then you impart the knowledge and hope the angler is mature enough to see the long term impacts of their current decisions. They will appreciate their previous captures more (because the captures will virtually cease) and I believe they will also see the good side of a release and slowly adopt the practice. They will change of their own accord without feeling they have been pressured to conform else they're a rebel...
You know, us humans are more complicated to work out than any fish species on this planet....
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Hi all,
Just a quick tale about my trip to the bay yesterday.
Very pleasant conditions all morning, and a few fish as well !. I finished up taking home a nice feed of Flatties, Bream, Flounder and Trevs.
2 of each, 3 flounder. Nice sized flounder, too.
Got them drifting around near the sticks.
At the end of a great day on the water, I got the best surprise of the day at the ramp.
A quick chat to a fellow boatie saw him proudly show his catch to me.
3 of the bream he had must have been 1.5 - 1.7kg each. He didn't measure them in front of me, but I reckon they would have ranged from 45cm - 48cm. Big, bronze, fat, thick bream. Horses. The biggest one had number plates. They were huge, I tells ya. Didn't even think of taking a photo . . his fish, not mine . . ..
Funnily, he didn't get around to telling me were he got them . . . . but they are in the bay.
I felt good knowing there are bream of that size in the bay, and it is now my quest to find 'em.
Hey Roscoe,
I know where to get fish this big but I have purposefully avoided fishing for them for three good reasons:
1. These fish would be 20+ years old and would have a high probability of containing the biggest concentrations of toxins.
2. They are the best breeders in the ecosystem given their advanced years so to take these fish would be shooting oneself in the foot.
3. I have eaten a few bream of 40cm - 46cm and realised they don't taste anywhere near as good as the 28cm - 38cm fish.
The big fish like very shallow water (0.5m - 1.2m max) and prefer bigger baits (eg half-pilchards).
When they take a bait, I give them 5 minutes to get the bait down - yes 5 minutes !
They travel alone and don't compete with other big fish for food so they take their sweet time to eat it.
The rig I use is also a little different to the traditional rig.
I don't like to say too much because I'm trying to protect an important resource as best I can.
The better eating sized fish are spread all over the bay and can easily be targeted so no need to hit the monsters.
PM me if you want to have a chat
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G'day CC,
nice bag of fish - not everyone can get a bag limit of 3 species in one night.
And two other people beat you ?
What a fishery that must be...
You gotta come over to Botany Bay and show me how to fish the nocturnal hours.
The daylight hours, while producing plenty of fish, has it's fair share of heroes who like to drive past me at 25 knots and 10 metres distance - cutting my lines and ruining my day.
I think the night would be more relaxed and tranquil....
Mmmm - whiting fillets fried in egg'n'breadcrumb....
Now we're talking...
Tony
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Nice stuff JJ
jewhunter please make sure JJ starts his own gallery. He can look at this as he grows older
Good onya JJ - you have the makings of a top fisherman.
Here's the plan :
1. Do your schoolwork and get good grades
2. Grow up and get a high-paying job.
3. Buy yourself a HUGE boat and catch all the fish.
4. Get your dad to do all the de-hooking for you - that's what deckies are for !
Well done mate - keep those reports coming !
Tony
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Got a call from my cousin if I wanted to go for a hit in the bay after finishing night shift this morning at 6, said no worries,he was at my place at 6.30 and off we went. In the water at 7 and set lures as we passed the 3rd runway for a bonnie straight away , must have hit him in the head, went round and round the whole bay and not another bonnie to be seen. Stopped for a while at the oil wharf to pick up 4 bream to 30cm, went quiet and moved down to Towra, on arrival baits out and picked up 2 bream to 35cm straight away and then nothing. Moved again and went up to the 3rd runway and picked up 12 bream and 1 snapper to 35cm, Packed it up at 12 o'clock to get home and get some shut eye and get ready for work tonite. All up a great day on the water.
Cheers Silvo - Bentstik
Hey Bentstik,
Were the bream caught on bait or lures?
Did you get lots of little reddies as well, annoying you to death?
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Hey Snag,
I know one guy who is a fanatical anti-banana person.
If you even say the word, he gives you a look. He has a radio playing in his boat, and if banana-rama sings any of their songs, he turns it off. Even if you have banana boat sunscreen with you, it goes overboard. I'm gonna plant a banana tree in his boat one day.....
I take bananas with me regularly - you could threaten to throw them at boats that pass too close ! Just kidding, I wouldn't do anything to increase their chances of catching fish.....
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G'day Byron,
It seems you're getting out a bit more these days - good for you.
It's a shame no bigger jew hit your baits - I would like to see a decent fish put a smile on your dial.
But with big baits in the water, you were in with the best chance....
I haven't pestered you for that Botany Jew/King/anyfin trip we are gonna do because I strained the back of my neck a couple of weeks ago, pushing my boat off the trailer.
It's easy to push off and I have done it so many times but last time I grimaced in pain.
I must be falling apart or something...
Anyway, give me another week and I'll hassle you again - bring that barometer with you...
for it. I am likely to not see a cent anyway so work out the split with her 
Saturday On The Harbour
in Fishing Reports
Posted · Edited by Keflapod
Hey Reg,
You know, we bend to the whims of our other halves quite regularly but usually with very little enthusiasm.
Why? Because it usually involves us doing chores, but in this case, taking her fishing would have had me acting like I had just drank 20 cups of coffee !
You guys obviously had a great day on the harbour and those fan-bellied leatherjackets are real good to eat and a very respectable size at that. Even that bream (not a morwong) is a decent size too, so well done to both of you.
Those fan-bellied jackets are not easy to catch - they are amongst the sneakiest fish in the harbour to catch. As kids, we used to go to rushcutters bay and around the yacht moorings there to catch those jackets. They were the measure of a good kid fisho. We used to compare how many we got. Ah, those were the days back in the early 70's when we were anklebiters and every waterway was teeming with fish...
Remember, don't let the cold of winter put you off. That spot in the harbour is home to good numbers of john dory in the winter - you'll just need some small live yellowtail fished on the bottom...
Enjoy the fish guys.
Tony