SgtBundy

Being hopeful based on all the reports of kings and tailor in the harbour at the moment I wanted to hit the morning high tide at dawn but had no plan in mind other than getting to somewhere before sun up. Managed the 4:30am wake up and drive in realising cliftons would have its gate shut for another hour so went to Balmoral to try picking up some yakkas with the idea to head over to Cliftons at 6. As it was I stayed put at Balmoral. The yakkas and sweep were plentiful, and the yakkas seemed jumbo sized - any bread brought in heaps of them but they were annoyingly hard to get to take a hook. I was using a single small size 10 and the guy next to me a sabiki rig but they just would not take a hook up. In the end I only managed two and that was well into sun up. I put the first out on a simple live bait hook only rig while I continued trying for others. As the sun came up it put them down deeper but they were still around. By the time the first yakka tired out I had the second and swapped them over, putting away the first yakka to fillet later. With some baitfish moving around to the surface I hoped something was chasing them so started throwing some metals around but no hits. Around 7 with the sun really up and biting already I switched to bouncing some soft plastics around the bottom with a few hits that I suspect were just toad fish. Another guy next to me got a decent 50ish flathead but it bit him off as it got to the wharf, that was about it for the morning. Nothing on the livies. At 8 I packed up and decided to try again at cobblers ledge as I figured cliftons was going to be packed and I wanted to try some fishing off the rocks somewhere not as busy. I had wanted to try here before with its deeper water access but could not find the way to the ledge, just cliff edges. This time I found the right path to it and put out various forms of yakka fillets and pilchards off paternoster rigs and unweighted but nothing other than pickers touched them. Around 10:30 with the sun really hitting, nothing to call any fishing action other than redoing rigs and a plan to meet with the wife and kids at castle hill at lunch time I decided to call it quits. As it was pretty warm by then I decided to take a quick swim to cool off before I headed back - and when in rome... did it the cobblers way. Only live once right.

Good job - I am still getting used to dealing with carpet shaks, not to sure I would handle a hammer head for a release yet Good job landing and getting photos with it, certainly would be memorable for the lads.

They are some awesome flatties - good work

Can beachworms be found at any beach or do they have specific conditions? Are there any beaches around sydney that produce them?

My reference to the nipper holes was more that I thought it would indicate a food source for fish to come in for - not so much for pumping them. Good to know its restricted anyway.

I had a go yesterday at low tide but the wind made it hard to spot anything and I could only just figure some weedbeds to cast around. Looked to be a lot of what I think were nipper holes though. If I had got there earlier in the day it looked like there was plenty of ground to prospect around.

I have one of the larger $5 plastic burley buckets on a rope. I load it up with pillie pieces and tuna oil soaked bread and shake it up occasionally to put out a slick.

I think my issue was I had accidentally pulled the wraps past the end of the leader so under load it worked its way out. I noticed it did that when I was retieing one and I pulled it up too far.

Was given pass to go fishing yesterday and decided to explore somewhere new and headed south to check out the Hacking. I was hoping to try and find somewhere to have a go for squid and also throw some SPs. Hit Lilli Pilli baths first up around 2pm and prospected with some SPs for no touches but the current was really ripping and I could only throw into the channel. I was eyeing off thr sandflats on the other side with envy. Eventually found some chopper tailor that were only interested in destroying gulp nuclear chickens and squidgy bloodworms. Would not touch metals, vibes or hardbodies. Moved on to wally's wharf where the wind was not friendly. The only direction to cast was into the wind so I had to up my jig to 1/4 which the extra weight proved the undoing of a poor albright leader knot. I then found that was my last 1/4 head and with not much on offer I decided to move on to Gunnamatta park. There was able to cast upwind but previous wind attempts had caused some poor lay on my reel and I got a massive windknot that involved three lines coming off the spool. After a futile 30 minutes trying to undo it the braid snapped somewhere deep in the knot. When all cleaned up I lost about 20m of braid. A few casts later another albright came apart along with a stream of curses. Rerigged with back to back uni knots and continued prospecting for flathead but no takes other than toadfish destroying more plastics. In the end of all this I went through all my gulps and bloodworms plus was in need for heavier jigheads. By now it was 8:30, dark and I was hungry. Found a maccas for a quick bite and figured out my next move as I wanted to hit the beach for the high tide at 11. Picked up some servo pilchards and squid to hit the beach in front of wanda surf club. Fairly quiet night. Before the top of the tide a small flathead and blind shark took interest in the small squids I had out. At the top of the tide the weed came in and made a mess of both rods and the smaller rig got busted off while the heavier one took an effort to land the weed and detangle it again with a loss of braid. All quiet after that with another small flathead on my last pilchard at 12:30. A long day fishing which again confirmed I really want a kayak.

Dad got his new Outback on Friday and I spent 5 hours saturday morning using his 2010 outback on tuggerah lake. Lots of fun, seemingly far better access to find fish (even though I didnt get any keepers) and managed to teach myself a few early lessons about keeping rods on leashes at all times and remounting a kayak in water. Both those two lessons came from testing out standing up on the kayak just to see what it was like as the sales guy the other day told me it was easy - clearly I need more practice. I didnt go in but I was not confidently steady - it was sitting back down that I knocked the rod in and had to go after it. It was a lot less effort than I was expecting but it was quite calm. Even when the wind picked up it wasn't hard to do what I wanted with it. Encountered some minor boat wakes but of course nothing like the swell and wakes in the harbour. Pretty much set on getting one but still thinking the PA14 is more in line with what I want - outback was fine but for my size I would prefer wider PA. Some further ponderings on the boat side the equation I think its not practical with my current house storage wise, plus the costs are just not workable right now.

Not sure of the accuracy - but I have an android phone and there is a barometer app that says it works off the phones barometer.

At least its not as bad as the idiot I saw catch an octopus at Bateau bay the other day. He caught it, was showing it off to his and and other kids on the beach and then when he took the hook out it must have tried to grab him or something because next thing he pegged it into the rocks at his feet. Completely cruel and unnecessary as he could have just as easy flung it into the water 1m away. Seemed more like he was trying to punish it - the idiot. I think it might even be the same octopus I took some video of earlier in the year while snorkling with Dad's gopro at the same spot.

Lol - I used to have someone at work that would scream "ADRIANNNNNNNN" every time I answered the phone. I was tempted to use the tailor but I had fresh squid and mullet on hand and only the day before Dad and I were discussing the right way to cook tailor - I thought I would have something to bring home for once I feel like I am dialing it in - still need to work on spotting beach structure I think.

Tailor went great crumbed and shallow fried for lunch today. Still working on that jewie though.

Grabbed some fresh squid and mullet to have a crack on the high tide on dark at Newport. I hoped the storms moving through would also help stir things up. Arrived around 7 and setup keeping an eye on the storms. They seemed to stay out west but it got fairly dark early. Before dark I got a hit on a full squid that got chopped in half and bit off a hook. Around 9 the storms felt like they were pushing in with some lightening and I packed up some gear in order to be able to make a quick exit but it proved to be not necessary. Shortly after top of the tide I got some quick hits and struck on one which hooked up and pulled in a 40cm tailor, oddly it was hooked through the back. Not sure if it happened on the strike or in the fight but happy to have a take home. After that the southerly kicked in hard which made it unpleasant but I stuck it out as the cloud cover was keeping it dark and the tailor to me suggested predators around so maybe a jewie was still a chance. About 10ish I lifted the rod and it took off even though I had not felt a bite. It took a run but was pulled in with some more drag but put up a few minutes of fight with dashes back out as it came to shore. I had suspected a ray and was proven right with I think a banjo ray being the result. Unfortunately I didnt have pliers handy so had to cut the hooks and send it back with a new mouth piercing. Packed up around 11.

Dad got himself a 2015 outback on Friday to upgrade his 2010, and also have the 2010 one available to take others out with him fishing. Keen to break it in the plan was to go as early as we could get up and hit the lake at the Entrance. Got on the water a little after 7 into a thick sea fog (bridge was not visible from picnic point). I followed Dad out to his usual spots. We were using only lures - for the majority of the session I used bloodworm wrigglers. Fairly quickly we were onto some undersize flatties amongst the weedbeds. We kept prospecting and after a few location changes Dad was onto a good one, but as I had the net he called me over but before I could get there it spat the hook. Same continued in more spots - heaps of 25cm flatheads, lots of big tail boils around us but nothing decent. Later on I got game enough to try standing up as I want to get a hobie myself and I wanted to see how that aspect worked. To do so required tsking my new samaki combo off the kayak leash. Clearly I was not steady enough to perform this feat so after a few wobbly casts I went to sit down again. Put the rod in the holder but before I could situate myself I managed to knock the rod out into a weedbed in 2ft of water. With no other option I had to jump out, and discovered the sand was extremely soft and I nearly lost my shoes in it. With the rod recovered, my shoes removed and in the kayak I the had to figure out remounting by myself. It wasnt pretty but I managed it and continued on. Dad was a out 300m away and manged to not see any of this spectacle. Eventually Dad got onto a good 40ish flathead and we worked that area a while hoping for more but just found more small ones. Around 10am with the fog burnt off the lake started to fill up with hire boat holiday fishos, the odd yahoo in fast boats and other traffic, but fortunately we could stay clear of it in the shallows. We started to make our way back and prospected some areas we did earlier that morning. I continued to regulalrly pull more undersize flatties as well as a lot of spat or shaken hooks. I wanted to change jigheads but my tackle box had slipped out of reach in the hull so I had to make do. We were planning to head back but of course a few more casts turned into many more. About that time I realised the life jacket had pulled open my shirt exposing my obscenly white gut. I now have a tender shark fin shaped sunburn on my belly button area. Lesson for next time, tuck in shirts. On the way back to the launch spot Dad hooked unto a solid flathead. As I still had the net Dad called me over to net it, exactly as I hooked yet another 25cm flathead. Rather that risk losing Dads fish I kept mine in the water while I paddled over - causing my fish to water ski at one point. I netted his fish and it was hefty - he did a quick measure with the fish in disagreement and called it for at least 55cm but probably more, and it was quite fat. We kept prospecting a while longer with no more than more small catches. With the sun biting more and lunch calling we called it quits around 1pm. Taking home some very good fillets which became beer battered for dinner. So a bit of sunburn, a lot of fun on dozens of small flatties and lessons learned whenever I pick up my own hobie.

One of my christmas presents was a hat called a frillneck - normal cap with a cloth that acts like a kepi hat but can also be wrapped around the face or velcoed up into a variety of positions to cover the face, neck etc. Works brilliantly, nice and cool (thermally - dunno about looks department). http://www.frillneck.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25_37&products_id=135 Other than that I have a shimano vented shirt that covers the arms but has a lot of ventilation so it stays fairly cool. I probably should find something better than boardies for my legs though. Also the kids swimming school did a xmas party that included some free samples from Banana boat - one of them was a spray on sunscreen that I have found quite good, at least as effective as the sloppy rub in ones and a lot cleaner and quicker to apply.

Cheers Antony - the kayaks I am looking at are pedal powered - I know people can manage to wield a paddle and fish at the same time but I just can't see myself being that coordinated Dad is chomping at the bit to get his new 2015 outback and is talking about doing it friday, so I might be getting his old outback as a loaner so I can give that a go before I make any decisions.

Went out to a dealer today to check out the various options in person, as well as have a sit in one and go over some of the new 2015 features. Leaning more towards a PA14 if I am going to go for a kayak, its big but I feel its got more room for me to operate on it than the outback, especially if I want to use the live tank option, plus I like the idea of the skeg for use in the harbour when covering distances. Still weighing up options though - also checked out some boats to get an idea of options there but finances for that might have to wait a few years.

Wish I could get a haul like that on a normal day - let alone christening a new combo - good job

Storage would be an issue for me too - I have some front yard space but a boat would have to go on the lawn which isn't ideal, mind you the previous owner used to park his ute there so it serves the purpose I guess. For a yak I probably need to do a reorg of the garage but its probably workable. Dad was talking about replacing his outback with a revo but I think he has now changed his mind and wants a 2015 outback as well. The new seat certainly looks better and its good to see they designed it with a fairly high weight limit. Any word on the accessories for Hobies such as the alternative fins and rod holder options?

Thanks all. The weight thing was what made me think the PAs would be better as even with my ample mass on it there is still plenty of reserve buoyancy, where as the revo I think I am over the limit on that anyway. The outback is fine but not as much margin as the PA. The side swell was what I saw was the issue with the PA in one of the videos that was linked on here about it being less stable - hence my concern with larger boat wakes in the harbour. The harbour is probably mainly where I would be wanting to use it, and the consensus seems to be a boat is more suitable for that. I might see if I can get a loan of Dad's outback on the harbour, give it a go there and so how it works out for what I intend before committing to either.

I am weighing up getting a kayak vs a boat for getting myself out into the harbour and away from the restrictions of being land based in Sydney. The main reason I would be thinking of a boat is simply to be able to move about new locations more easily, but the extra cost and difficulty of finding launching locations has put me off. My dad has a Outback and uses it on tuggerah lake - I have tried it and like the concept. The outback is fine for him but I am a bit heaftier (currently 130kg) so I was thinking one of the higher capacity models like a PA12 or even a 14 might be better for me with their higher weight limits, but I have read the various posts about stability of the PA series in non-flat conditions. I have seen the sorts of boat wakes that occur in the harbour, and would like to be able to try going around the heads (but not outside). Is the PA going to be stable enough in those conditions or would the outback be better? Where are some good areas for parking and launching around the inner harbour? Next to Clontarf reserve looks fairly common - any others? The Spit reserve or forty baskets? I used to cycle a lot so I with a little more conditioning I should be fine for powering a hobie, but how much of a stretch is it to move around the harbour say launching at clontarf and moving around balmoral or around to sow and pigs? I imagine its more than just distance with the swell and other craft to dodge. Is it workable to move around like that or is it better to work an area closer to where you launch? I was also looking to get the live bait tank accessory but its seems pretty steep at the prices I have seen. Is it worth getting or am I better off knocking up my own? Thanks for any advice.

Sounds like a reasonable setup to get going. I would say stick with that until you know what you want to go for. I have a 12ft graphite (Shimano Aerowave) setup with a Fin Nor LT60 reel that I am really happy with, but in learning to target jewfish I think a more solid rod with a higher casting weight would be better for slugging out fillet baits. But the graphite setup has been more than enough so far. That setup is with 50lb braid - it works fine for me. I know a lot of people prefer mono and I can see the reasons for that, but I like the better capacity and feel I get from braid, even though you probably get a lot more wave interaction with the braid line. I was testing a 20lb braid on an 8ft rod yesterday I plan to use for throwing lures and off the beach it was windknot hell. Not sure if it was the rod, the reel or the braid as they were all new, but it was a lot more hassle than I have had before with braid. I am considering replacing it with 15lb mono instead as for that sort of lighter repetitive spinning the windknots are just not worth it.

Ouch - heres hoping for a swift recovery. And I thought my day of frustration just trying to find a fishing spot from the holiday crowds was a bad enough session...