Ryder

Sounds like a pretty good trip. Glad you got amongst the fish.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I'm passing them on. It wasn't a slip fall, just stretching out and leaning over the rail. The break is on the side, below the armpit. She is a trooper, won't fish with me again for a while, but working tomorrow for the kittens and pups.

I have a Pacific Composites "Cobra" 7 wrap MT144, it was matched with an Alvey 600bc spooled with 30lb mono. I pulled a couple or good Jewies, heaps of tailor and salmon etc. Started having a few twist and bird nest issues, which are hard to deal with at night. I switched the reel to a shimano big baitrunner, 30lb braid. Still get the tailor, salmon and the odd shark, but the bust offs are more common due to no stretch. I will be changing it to mono. My backup rod is a Snyderglas Mag Surf 13 ft, it's a bit softer than the Cobra. I think the 4000 is a bit small and the drag be a bit lacking for a 1m Jew or shark Ryder

My wife and I have been off work, like most people over the Christmas break. Catching up with friends and family, and enjoying the time together. She is due back at work tomorrow, and we planned to go fishing on her last day of freedom. I sourced the weed, mixed the berley, and setup my light blackfish rod for her. We set up on one corner of the wharf, I showed her how to bait up, watch the drift etc etc.... She was sorted and fishing, the berley kicked in, and just while I'm baiting up "Got One". Re baited for her, turned around "Got Another One". A nice 40cm specimen. One her next down, she wound in too much slack, moved the float and the fish dropped the bait. Then I'm on to one, Jacqui grabbed the net, and leaned awkwardly over the handrail to reach the fish. Then a SNAP was clearly heared. It wasn't the line or the rod, She netted the fish, then told me she thought shed broken a rib. I packed up, took a quick photo of her fish, and headed off to RNS for X-rays. Well, confirmed broken rib, no risk of a punctured lung, and a few weeks of pain to come. She was enjoying the fishing, and getting her first Blackfish, but the injury suddenly turned her off. Sorry Jac Ryder

Nice work. That's a great feed you got.

I do need some tips. I will definitely take the offer.

Nice work as usual Gianni.

Merry Christmas all. Have a great day. Ryder

The second one could be a Batfish The first too. Silver batfish Aka diamond fish

I was tod August is the worst for blackfish in the harbour. I proved it with a 6 week drought.

Mate I can't agree more. My favourite. The flavour and the fine texture is amazing. I caught and ate them same day, leftovers spread on toast with butter for breakfast. Excellent eating.

I'm back home. Saturday we fished the harbour not the stones, had 11 in the bag which disappeared when the rope snapped. This morning went solo, got 10 blackfish, kept 4 for Jewie bait. Hit narrabeen for the evening high, strong wind, but managed to get bitten of twice.

It looks like an old prawner. No prawning no money no maintenance. I've seen boats sink on moorings just from heavy rain. Today its a boat, tomorrow a Ute, not to mention the shopping trolleys. Just what we roll with, fishing the inner west bayous.

I' haven't been there, but I have word the mouth of the canal in Exile Bay is a great training ground.

Sorry to disappoint you with the donuts Trevor. But I forgot to say to you and Royce, have a Merry Christmas, and sincere thanks for all the help and support.

Well done mate. It is a great spot to fish. I remember my first bream on fly down there, I had a Kmart jobby and a guy fishing gave me a fly he tied for the spot. It worked. I stopped in a couple of weeks ago to wash weed, and spooked a couple of flatties right up in the shallows.

Hi Raiders, Today Royce, Trevor and I had planned at trip off the stones, but with the swell reports we decided to stick to the harbour . It's been 6 weeks without fishing for Trevor, he got the first blackfish on his first drift. Then another, and another down, which turned out to be his first flathead on weed. Royce chimed in with a fish, and I was buying the donuts. Fortunately I started getting into them too. Almost half the fish we caught had signs of old injuries, like a bit of dorsal fin missing or a chunk out of the body. All well healed. As things slowed Royce and I moved onto a pontoon and stared getting into them again. Just then a big cruiser passed by sending a huge wash over part of the wharf. When Trevor went to check the fish in the keeper net, it was gone, the rope had snapped. So somewhere on the harbour is a black keeper net, with faded orange stopper containing 10 blackfish and 1 flathead. If you find it you can have the fish, but can I have my net back. Ryder

It is something like that, to around 30 for rhe day. What gets me is machines require your vehicle rego number. So if you pay for the day, and leave early you cant pass the ticket on to someone else.

Another nice report. Clontarf is a great spot. This time of year it can be a madhouse, and I won't start on the parking. From the pictures it looks like you were a bit late, low tide. Flatties are best on the high and runout on flats like that. FYI on 12 March 1868, a fellow Englishman, Prince Alfred, Duke Of Edinburgh was shot down there. The public out pouring of donations went towards building the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Hi all, I'll be heading out for an early session off the stones Saturday. Sunday morning locally, to get some fresh bait for an evening session with Sarge off the beach. Ryder

Good one Seamus that big one is a cracker. Giannis went for the pylons over and over. We didnt have the long net either. I had to lie flat on the deck to reach him. One arm is longer than the other now

It's also great for sealing emergency rebinds for rods.

Got them hooked for life. Many more to come ,I'm sure. Ryder

A bit surprised to see you down there. I've had heaps of pressure to get things done before Christmas, hoping to finish work on Monday. Had an absolute shocker today, a weekly regular let their dog dig up my newly laid turf. Ahhhhhg. I have to go back on Christmas Eve to fix it. Now I'm working next week, I thought stuff this, go fishing.... breathe. It was a good surprise to see you, no surprise I got a donut.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/regulations/sw/sw-bag-and-size