fragmeister

That is one tricked up Hobie! Give us a quick rundown of what gear you have on board. Cheers Jim

I have not fished the beach itself but the dilapidated wharf still fishes ok for blackfish as it is on the edge of a weed patch. I caught my best ever blackfish there albeit a long time ago and although I didn't measure it was an absolute monster. The wharf is a lot less fishable now as it is mostly gone but the deeper water put from the wharf and in amongst the moorings holds bream and whiting. Cheers Jim

That's the spirit How about Puffer Fish -- Inflaticus Maximus Calamari - Squidicus Deliciousa

Yep..can't agree more. ...must get a new smoker. Can you recommend one?

Thanks Waza, brave or stupid, one of the two!

LOL. well done Neil!

THis is how I remember Bobby...

Unbelievable... what a small world! Bobby worked as a contract mechanic for me in the 80's Such a unique character. I remember him talking about a 3-month stint camping on the rocks in WA helium ( or was it hydrogen) balloon fishing. They were on a property running small and accountable herd of goats and as far as I can tell the farmer wandered into their camp one day looking for a missing goat that might have ended up on the boy's menu that night. BTW Donna ... how did you get past the W@G filter? Cheers Jim

Bad luck outside Bill.. How much lead did you have on? My experience is unless you are bouncing across the bottom you don't get fish. Size 6 or 8 snapper lead is usually what required depending on the run. I thought that was a no anchor area but anyway.? Cheers Jim

Ah ha, I can now see that Bob the W@G has been automatically edited in the post above because of political correctness. Loses a lot in the translation I have to say! I am willing to accept this but I have to say that Bob was the best of mates and the term was about as affectionate as you could get. He was a lovely bloke who has my utmost respect.

Hi Raiders, I thought it might be fun to suggest some alternative scientific names for your favourite fish based on your experience with the species. Heres a few of mine... Kingfish - Legalsizicus Justshorticus Flathead - Barbae Inyourhandus Leatherjackets - Bitus Throughlineicus Any takers for your favourite species? Cheers Jim

Obviously you are a "glass half full" kinda guy

LOL! Ain't it the truth. Tell you what though, you have raised the bar on the drawing skills Your boat has rocket launchers !

I would be surprised if we hadn't met up at some stage. I fished there often with Bobby Russo an LGB legend who also frequented The Murk around that time. "Bob the W@G " they called him in those days when he was a fishing newbie. He soon learnt the trade and ended up a very respected fisherman and certainly a real character. My most memorable day at "The Stake" was when a young Asian character without cleats went in the drink after being bowled over by a wave. Clearly, he could not swim so I jumped in after him. In those days I carried the uninflated bladder from a "goon bag" ( a 5-litre cast of wine for those unfamiliar with the term) in my shirt pocket so after grabbing the guy ( who was panicking and nearly drowning both of us) Inflated the bag and gave it to him to hang on to. I swam him out to deeper water away from the suck zone ( thank Christ for the bronze medallion certificate) and swam him around to the beach. The guy was most appreciative but I have to say the adrenaline was so high and the shock of the whole nearly dying person in my care thing really freaked me out at the time. I hooked into him in a big way ... "You Fu$#%$ idiot.. what the F^%K do you think you were doing... I should have let you F%^&*ing die there ...you nearly killed both of us... you stupid F@#$en etc etc" Never saw the guy again... I hope he learned his lesson. Anyway... I look forward to more of your fishing posts. Cheers Jim

Granted Yowie... but I bet you would rather eat one of those many flatties you pull out of the Hacking!

Correct me if I am wrong boys but I think they mean more like this. This is all dependent on current flow... last week at Long Reef I was fishing from on top of the reef because the current flow and wind was in that direction. But it was sort of at an angle across the reef into the deeper water. This meant that when I hooked up my bait was in the deeper water but across the reef so I got reefed on a few good fish that I had painstakingly burleyed up over a few hours.

Here is a good photo comparison Australian Salmon above ( always swim to the left) Tailor above( Always swim to the right) Only joking of course but interestingly, an old fishing book I have describes the Tailor as having a "Pugnacious" look about it which means "eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight." I must admit I can see that in the Tailor's head!... what a cranky looking b@$t@rd! Compare the two attitudes in the pictures.. This is what they are saying... Salmon: " What? I'm just swimmin' mate... chill out! Tailor: " You talkin' to me..."YOU TALKIN' TO ME! .. I'll 'ave ya!.. C'Mon! I joke too earlier in the post about the eating quality of the Salmon in my fake scientific name and certainly both the Salmon and the Tailor are not what I would call the best quality table fish but they do vastly improve if you apply the very best practices with the fish. "Kill em , bleed 'em and ice 'em" and then eat them that day. A lot of people like to smoke them or make fish cakes out of them. There are some great recipes on the Fishraider site. Cheers Jim

.... the second image, 2 is the best wash for luderick with 1 marking the stake in the rock (if it is still there at all). Also bream, drummer and other wash-based goodies await you here. Maroubra was one of my stomping grounds around that time too ... and wasn't The Stake the best possie when the swell was high enough that you probably shouldn't have been fishing in the first place! Jim

Looking forward to the report! Cheers Jim

Thanks... the tempura battered flathead was the stand out dish. Cheers Jim

Thanks Scratchie, Nothing like the reds on your posts but a red all the same.

Well Bill? Did you get out there?

Yep - Australian Salmon ( Eaticus Horribillus)

Nice, There are some tasty specimens there. Cheers Jim

Yes.... that ones a big disappointment.!