sails

Hi raiders, Last week I had the good fortune to be invited to join Tide'n knots at Wisemans for a go at some of the jewies that hang out in that part of the river. I took Friday as a flex, and headed up there mid afternoon Thursday, and joined Pete and my sister Roberta who had already been out on the river. That first session,while we caught plenty of small jewfish, eels and catfish, getting a keeper was a problem. Pete got a good flattie that afternoon session, but that was it. Friday early morning was another quiet session with no keepers so it was looking a bit bleak there for a while. Back at camp and after saying goodbye to Roberta who had to return to Forster for another adventure, Pete and I headed out again to the same spot. This time the luck was with me and I got my first good sized jewie, measuring about 64cm and weighing in at 6lb; a new PB. Another smaller but legal jewie plus a flattie to each of us saw the tally looking reasonable. Did I mention the temperature? It was cold out on the water and each evening there was a mist that decended on the river and it was still there next morning. It was an interesting time as Pete sorted out his marks in the mist, epecially as visibility was not all that good. He proved to be a master at it as when the mist lifted, we were pretty much spot on where he wanted us to be. Saturday morning, and on the water by 4am I think, but once again, no real action. This pic was taken about 8AM We found there was a problem with fresh water weed coming down with the out going tide, and once it began to foul the hooks and sinkers, the fish went off the bite, so that was when we headed in for a rest and rethink. After a bit of lunch and a rest, we tidied up the camp and I packed my things into the car for my return to the coast. This time Pete took the boat down the river and I drove down and he picked me up. Once again the luck was with me and I boated two more legal jewies and Pete got another flattie. Pete dropped me off at 5pm, and after cleaning the fish, I headed home. It had rained on the Thursday on my way out to the river, but it was dry all the time I was there. As I headed east I could see some lightning , and when I hit Terrey Hills I came into some light rain. Down in Narrabeen there was chaos, as there were numerous flooded sections of road, stalled cars, flooded buildings, etc. I gave Pete a call to let him know of the weather, but apart from seeing the lightning, the rain did not get that far inland. all in all a very good time with a couple of other fishing nuts, and I do look forward to spending more time on that section of the river with Pete, if the invite comes!! Pete if I didnt say it before, you are a real champion; one who is happy to share his knowledge, boat and secrets to get others into the action thanks for the time up there. tight lines Sails

Hi Pete, that is one nice sized fish, well done and definitely worth the wait. Looking forward to next week on the river, one of those could be mine!! Sails

Hi Pete, it is nice to find another productive spot to catch your favorite blackies, isnt it!! Must have been very frustrating to have done all those hooks in the initial learning curve. Good to know that they are still around. cheers Cam

Hi all you happy well wishers, thankyou all for the birthday well wishes; that took me totally by surprise. I never have been one for celebrating the passing of the years, and as more go by, I am less inclined to want to celebrate!! It is great to be a part of the Fishraider family, where it doesnt matter if you aren't active all the time, but you can still be connected to what is going on in our wider fishing world. That is probably just one of the reasons that the site is so popular. Thanks guys and gals, I look forward to sharing more fishing time with you all when that time is available. tight lines Sails Cam - 59!!!!!

Hi Pete, well done once again on getting amongst the blackies . Mona Vale is consistent with its fish. It must have been fun with that high tide and the swell . I tried at Washaway on Sunday afternoon with Ladslad but we got blown off the water by the northerly that was pumping through. cheers Cam

Hi stickfacewrangler, how good is life when you can share your passion for fishing with your wife! You are a lucky man. And a good fish also. as Slinky said, get her to sign up and you wont have to worry about it again. cheers Sails

Hi Pete, good report and a good read; and glad to see that Long Reef isnt the only place that has the odd bit of trouble with noahs. What ever happened to those fishermen that used to target big sharks? surely there is someone around that wants a set of jaws to adorn the garage walls.!! cheers Cam

Hi guys, thanks for the comments. Small fry, Jenno64, Scrubworm, Lala, Tricks, Fenwickinho: what can I say, some times you get lucky. I finally got up early enough for me to be the only one on the beach, and I think the fish must have been just stirring also. Right time, right place, with the right bait for once. luderick59, Hi Pete, I am always partial to beach worms as a bait. Doesnt matter if I am dropping them over the side in the deep off LongReef, or using them inside the lake, they always get a response, and I love the test of catching them. hi Roberta, the worms here are as shy as ever, but they are well built!! I hope they are available on 7 mile when we come up to Forster next week; but it could also be a good time to practise with the soft plastics. Hey Byron, one of the guys that came to the beach this morning was assuring me that the salmon are great when they are smoked, so I will be putting that to the test. Also Jamie Oliver has a good recipe for fish cakes my tells me!! Big tides and good gutters all along the beach at present, so hopefully there will be more to come. cheers Cam

Hi Raiders, I hit the beach this morning around 545 with some worms that I had pulled yesterday on low tide. First cast in the southern corner bought in a nice big whiting, at around 37cm. I then moved up to the gutter at the northern end of the beach as there was some action with the birds diving. I had a great hit on the whiting gear with the brag getting a good work out. Ended up pulling 3 salmon out of that area, plus another whiting and a bream. all up caught 3 salmon, 2 whiting and a bream. Home by 0700. A great way to start the day!! Sails

that looks like a good catch for the days fishing Majed, and it was good to read of the rescue you and the jet skier were involved in. We all need to be aware of others when we are on the water, conditions and situations can change so quickly. I can imagine the couple involved were extremely grateful. well done. Sails

Hi Roberta, once again well done on the yak fishing, and thanks for the good news about whiting and lures. Pity about the hook!! That must have hurt. Do you carry a set of pliers that can be used to cut the hook once you push it all the way through. It hurts a lot less than trying to work the hook back out ; I know from experience!! talk with you soon, Cam

Hi ASJ, thanks for a great read and what a good result for a nights' fishing!! Well done. That could be the fish of a life time.!! I will have to try the pre dawn beach fishing some time, just not necessarily the through the night part of it, as you did. cheers Sails

Hi black CC, thanks for the report and pics, and the reminder of what is possible once you get way from the population centres. Sure would love to hook into those fish on a regular basis. Well done. Sails

voted, but I think the wording of the first question is wrong. If there is a sanctuary in a marine park that excludes fishing, then I would obey that request and I would expect other fishers to do so, including the commercial sector. I have visited the sanctuaries at Coral Bay in WA, Shelley Beach at Manly, and Hammer Head Point and Warrain Beach down at Jervis bay and while I would love to fish those areas, I recognise the value of them as conservation areas. The size, number and diversity of fish in those areas shows their value to the system. My concern is when groups decide that they want to exclude me from the area I fish - Long Reef - with erroneous arguements and faulty data. If there is an arguement that needs to be carried forward, it should be about the commercial trawling of the esturies and rivers where many of the species that we fish for breed and grow. I have done my time on trawlers out of Mooloolaba for prawns, and Hervey Bay for scollops, back when there was a viable industry in Hervey Bay, and I have first hand knowledge of the damage to the by-catch and the sea bed and it is not good. My opinion is that for a Marine Park to be of any real value it needs to be in an area where there is real control over the industrial polution / commercial harvesting that does untold damage to the ecosystem, which is how most land based national parks appear to be placed. Sails

Hi Olitay, great report and pics and well done on a miserable day; but what a way to make it better. We can only wonder what the big one was - well done with a couple of keepers. cheers Sails

Hi Pete, that was lucky you werre able to retrieve the lot. Would have been a very sad drive home otherwise!! well done again on getting out there so consistently, and managing to bring home a good feed. cheers Sails

Hi Damo, its a good spot to kayak in, easy launching, big enough to test out your fitness and to satisfy your needs of draging a lure around, or to throw a few soft plastics around. Especially good if you are new to the yak and need to test out your systems. I have heard it said that there are fish in there also!! Good luck if you do venture out, let us know the results. Cheers Sails (Cam)

Hi Raiders, I dropped down to the entrance of the lake this afternoon at 1700 to see how bad the sand buildup was , as reported by Nanook earlier this week. the pics should tell the story. , It was one hour past low tide on the beach, but the lake was holding a lot of water as it cant get out easily. I could see mullet , small blackies, bream and whiting hanging around the rocks near the outlet, but all were small. Pray for a big dump to open it up again, so the fish can come in from the sea again. cheers Sails

Hi Mulletmug, well done on getting out that day as it was not too inviting. Were you getting Luderick or pigs? I tried in Narrabeen lake Sat afternoon, but the biggest I got was about 18 cm!!. I will have to give that area a try. cheers Sails

depending on the choosen date, count me in. I'd like to learn a lot more about soft plastics. cheers Sails

Hi Roberta, that sounds like it was a very productive trip, and a good read also!! Well done on both fronts. cheers Cam

Hi Pete, you are keen arent you!!Well done on getting down there and putting in the effort. That place must be the real jew nursery for the river system, and the big ones you catch are the drop-in parents!! I had a try last night for squid from the Collaroy pool, but not a touch, plus I lost 2 lures to the rocks. Had a go tonight around 6 - 7 pm at Narrabeen lake for blackies, and had plenty of downs, but not a single hook up. Saturday afternoon was better with the 8 fish caught, but all undersize. I'm wondering if the big ones have all headed back out to the sea. Will have to give the rocks a try next. cheers Cam

Hey Pete, once again, well done on showing us how productive the river is up that way. And aren't you the lucky one going fishing during the week!! I hope this w/e session is as productive!! chers Cam

Hey Nanook, well done on catching some good fish at Mona Vale in difficult weather. It is a hard school, and Eric and Pete have been studying there for a long time, so to match it with them is good going. cheers Sails

Hi King Slayer, that sounds like a good morning session, back in the house by 6am and the wife still sleeping.!! Well done; any hint of where you go for your sessions on the river?? cheers Sails