SgtBundy

My suggestion would be look at a kayak - my father is usually out there somewhere on lake tuggerah and loves to tease me with the flathead he keeps catching - when the tailor are on he usually has a pretty good go at them too. Advantage of the kayak is you can get out and around the weed beds and shallower areas that the boats can't get to. Dad has told me about people seeing his catches and trying to bring their boats in, only to have to get them off the sand or untangle them from the weed.

Hi FR. I have started getting back into fishing having enjoyed it as a kid up north on the Richmond river - spurred on by the stream of flathead photos my dad keeps sending while me out on his Hobie. I have started with some light kit intended for bream and flathead but I am keen to have a go at other species that inhabit the sydney area. So far I have succeeded in fattening some baby snapper but thats about it I have tried a few spots on the hawkesbury around Broklyn, Blues Point and Bradleys Head and breifly checked out Balmoral wharf which looks promising and by the threads on it sounds like there is some good fishing to be had there, if you can find a spot. I intend having a go around spit bridge as well, and around Manly. My main problem is I am an hour plus drive from any of those spots in good traffic, and available time is limited so I can't really pick my times around tides or anything, just when I have a few hours free and have the opportunity to get away. I am just wondering if this forum can provide a few points for a novice like me to get started into picking up something more challenging than a 15cm snapper. Just some broad tips along the lines of: What sort of baits to be using at what times of year? At the moment I am using the garlic/parmesan chicken (easy to have on hand), but just wondering if I need to use something more specific for better results. From some of the posts it sounds like pilchards might be a better go around Balmoral. I have a few lures to play with as well (squidgies) and I am looking to pad those out with a few more varients. How can I adjust my methods depending on what tide/time I have available - for example on the weekend I was able to have a go during the rising tide in the afternoon/evening. Is there anything I can target at those times or do I really need to be trying for other times if possible? Any other tips you can suggest for someone who is not an overly technical fisherman, but willing to learn? Thanks.