mitchie18092

Yum. Nice catch there Krispy! Consistent as ever... M.

Sounds like an eventful day nonetheless mate! Always a bit of fun on the light gear at least. Had a go out long reef way on a mates boat last week which was quiet too. Did have a black marlin strike an xrap right in close, which was a first sighting for me. Sure you'll get onto 'em soon. M.

Apparently not!... thanks mate. Also caught this guy around midday on a samaki soft vibe. Plus a few other undersized and some squire. Went down a treat in a tempura batter and some hand cut fries. 54cm. M.

Had another crack tonight, though conditions were far from ideal with a howling sou-westerly... Managed a few squid straight away and sent out a fresh head still squirming on the hook. 2 minutes in the water and this fella decided to have a go. Went 94cm, and gave a good tussle on the 20lb gear. Yakkas were being a little finicky, though the ones we did catch resulted in a fat salmon which went back, and another couple of runs which were undoubtedly jews, but didn't manage a hook up. All in all a nice quick sesh, and a weeks worth of dinner! They're certainly on the chew so get out there if you can. 4 in 4 sessions this week. A mate also caught a 90cm king on Friday night while i was with him in the dark - first i'd seen. M.

thanks for the kind words everyone! really does mean a lot. managed to snag another out of the same spot last night (just under legal so he went back), along side dropping a salmon after some moonlit acrobatics, and a few other big takes on live yakkas and slimies. my best mate hooked into an unstoppable (and he was using my heavier stick - 50lb braid / 60lb leader, biomaster 6000) with locked up drag - stripped it like fairy floss, could barely get the rod out of the holder and pinged him in 20 seconds. one can only wonder... M. edit: photo, of course.

holy smokes look at that thing! certainly a few reports going 'round of some monsters off the beach - but that one has gotta be up there with the best of them. congrats.

Well what an interesting night that was... Plan was originally to fish the high tide change off a mates boat, in hole that's been producing a lot lately. Was picked up around 6, had a quick crack of the tide change at 6:30pm for one pretty solid salmon which ended up back in the drink. Though i already had a couple of squid i'd caught earlier, we decided to go try for a few more just around the corner, and hang a bait out the back while we drifted. Things were a little slow, and we only got one up between us so the decision was made to head back and settle in for the night except... the battery had died. Thankfully after a phone call here, and a play around there, we got the engine running - and i was able to get dropped off back to my car. It was around 10pm at this point, and armed with some fresh squid and yakkas i thought it'd still be worth having a crack just off the jetty and wait for the tide change. Only problem was the jetty access was tricky to say the least... So off come the jeans, socks and shoes... and i wade out, hoist all my gear up onto the ledge and make my way down the pier. First bait in the water was a squid head, which lasted all of 2 minutes in the water - and boy did this thing take some line... I tussled with it for a good 7-8 minutes or so when the unfathomable happens... he just drops it. Brought it in, squid head still on... I could have cried. (maybe i did shed a little tear...) In disbelief, i call my mates who had just dropped my off and they were a little sceptical to say the least. Still sitting there like a stunned mullet, i facetime my cousin to tell him what had just happened and then - zzzzzzZZZzzzzZZzzZZZZzZzzzzzzzzzzz. BACK ON! Not sure if it was the same fish, or just a school of similar sized ones but i knew this felt solid. Such was my carry on, i had people watching from their houses, giving me advice; "take it to the stairs! no, take it up the beach!". I was a little flustered to say the least, and having no net, being on my lonesome, with lightning strikes getting imminently closer - i really thought i wouldn't be able to pull this one off. Alas, after a good 20 minute struggle, and carefully working him around the pylons of the wharf and up the stairs (thank god i didn't try and lift him up...), i had landed my PB jewie - land based to boot - and in my undies if it makes it any better... As i lifted him into the light, cheers echoed from the street - a very proud moment indeed. 101cm, and i don't like to estimate weight, because too often it sounds hyperbolic, but 10kgs would be a conservative estimate... he was a horse!

solid fishing man, bummer 'bout the hood, but that's what'll keep you coming back for more...

compared to this time last year, yes, the fishing on the kingy front i've found abnormally slow as well. only managed 3 plus a few bust offs over countless sessions. an abundance of tailor and jewfish are somewhat of a consolation, but it certainly is a little disheartening putting in all the hours to see unjust reward. I have a feeling that once the bonnies/frigates/mac tunas (which also seem late this year) start firing, the kings will be a little easier to entice. fingers crossed eh? just have to keep on keeping on, and i'm sure the stars will eventually align. M.

As mentioned, sounds like a top day out regardless of catching or not. Might have been worth throwing small stickbaits (sammy 65/sugapens etc.) to see if you could entice a bite? Anyways, always next time! M.

That's a top session there mate! Might have to give the poddies a crack myself.

Some great fish there Ricardo! We landed this brute off Sydney yesterday - true monster of the deep!

I'd stick to around 50lb main line, and 50-60lb fluro carbon trace on a locked drag. Use big livies to try and deter the smaller fish they might be hanging around with. (even just legal trevs, tailor, bonnies etc.)

plenty of flatties in there mate. that hole BrassRoots pointed out can fish well, however you are better off focusing your efforts on the last hour of the run out, wading out along the drop off opposite the rowing shed. can walk a suprisingly long way out - just cover as much ground as possible, and keep your plastic on the bottom. bloodworm wrigglers are generally my go to, but they aren't too fussy. pelagics will often bust up in amongst the moorings, so always have a little metal slice at the ready if they do. have even had whitebait swimming up my shorts and kings following them up there! and as others have mentioned, careful of the rays. i've been nabbed by both stingrays and numbrays down there. not nuch fun, especially 100m out with the sun just about down! good luck, interested to see how you fare.

Got an invite on a mates boat to try for Jews in the harbour. Plan was to spend a few hours gathering bait and to fish the 9pm tide change. Unfortunately things didn't really go our way. The squid were non existent, even in what looked to be perfect conditions for them. Only managed an Arrow and a green eye over about 4 hours. We grabbed a few yakkas as well for back up and headed over to our spot. Slightly apprehensive in the afternoon due to the cloud cover and wind, the sunset brought with it a beautiful glassed out harbour and ideal conditions to wait out for some Jew. As it was, the fishing didn't quite match the conditions, and the going was pretty tough. Over about 2-3 hours of fishing our spot all we managed were a million eels, a solid bream and this monster. Didn't measure him due to it being a protected species, and just wanted to get him back in the water. Was nearly as big as I was though!! He took a live yakka for those who were wondering... Did have another nice run on a big juicy squid head, but it dropped as I went to set the hook. We did mark what looked to be some nice fish on the bottom, but it just wasn't happening. Looking forward to another crack over the weekend - hopefully the high tide change will prove more productive than the low. Tight lines everyone. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tend to catch them fairly often at my spot. Sometimes you will see them swim under the jetty in massive schools, almost 'on a mission' so to speak. Basically no chance when they are like that, however every now and then they will come and take my bread burley off the surface. When they're feeding like that, a small piece of bread lightly pressed around the hook, and then dipped in water so it sinks very slightly, you're in with a shot (unweighted of course). Just make sure to watch your bait very closely, and as soon as you see it disappear, strike. They'll steal it all day long otherwise. Can be frustrating at times for sure though, even more so when you think you have a school of pelagics breaking the water! In saying all that, and as others have said, I certainly wouldn't be out targeting them. A pleasant by catch is all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

kings were there again this morning. chased whitebait almost up on to the beach - wouldn't touch my stickbaits mind you. did manage a whiting and a few small flatties though at least. Jim, I'm assuming you were speaking to Joe? In the waders? He is down there very often, generally fishes with fly. Good guy - very knowledgable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How's the size of that flounder!! Nice going mate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice work Krispy! Think I know those steps... have had a few sessions down there when the blackfish would take peeled prawns on the surface they were that ravenous! Am sure the family will be stoked with that coming home. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great stuff on the whiting. What sort of retrieval were you using? Just a constant wind in? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking to fill up the spare spool on my Biomaster 6000 w/ 50lb after getting dusted a few too many times lately. Will be predominantly used land based live baiting in the harbour. Doesn't have to have the depth change colour markings. Can anyone suggest some brands to steer clear of? Or any personal recommendations? thanks guys. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nice photos man. those top water whiting are good fun!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yeah sounds like the clicker is gone. cheap easy fix - and shouldn't affect performance in the mean time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure did mate. Few better sights in fishing than watching a little surface lure getting followed by a school of stud whiting! Did have a few more hits and momentary hook ups, unfortunately he was the only one that stuck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not quite. Literally pick it up by head, and slam it into the ground/rock/letterbox/hard place over and over. (Keep in mind, my letterbox is attached to the front fence so it's essentially beating it over bricks). For reference: Then prepare it - cut out the eyes, ink sack, beak and 'guts' inside the head, and then I like to cut it up into individual tentacles plus the head. Then I whack it into a simmering pot of water with aromatics (whatever you like really - celery, carrot, onion, garlic, ginger, spice and seasoning etc.) and let it braise for an hour to an hour and a half over minimal heat. Just before you take it out, have a marinade ready. A basic one of olive oil, lemon and lime juice, zest, garlic, chilli and salt will do. Take it straight out of the water and into the marinade while it's still hot, then let it cool and soak it all up - preferably over night but an hour will do. Finish it off over some hot coals or on the BBQ for a bit of char and colour. Well worth the effort I can assure you!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk