sails

Hi Slicendice, well done on some good fish and also good to see you taking the little fellow out with you. Hopefully the little one will grow to like fishing and you will have a life long fishing companion to share the tight lines with. cheers Sails

Hi Stewy, well done on the bass, good to see the fresh water getting a pounding. Hope you show us the lures that are doing all the damage. cheers Sails

Hi Glenn, that sounded like a really enjoyable session, especially with the productive bread bait session to while away the time betwen runs. I often have lunch down at the river, in the first car park after going under the Roseville bridge. The river always looks for fish. well done. Sails

Hi Pete, well done on getting up and out early!! I have been wondering if the rocks to the nth have been producing.? nice bream like that will go down a treat. cheers Cam P.S. here is an excerpt from my post from last w/e; sharing the knowledge:- I had great pleasure in helping one guy by rigging him up with my small square sinker made from a piece of lead flashing that I had been introduced to by (Pete) Luderick59, back in Mona Vale. This guy had been watching us pull in fish while he had been standing next to us on the sand using prawns. Well, with in a couple of casts he pulled in a fish that would have gone 40cm, and said it was the biggest fish he had ever caught, so he was stoked.

hey "Hun", well done on the fish, and you're a sporting man for returning them due to not catching enough!! Seems like the fish won that round.!! Where abouts were you fishing? cheers Sails

Hi Roberta, Keith does look great in rubber doesnt he!, and well done to him for a champion effort once again. Shame about the lack of good blackfish for you at that venue, but the flatties are always a good catch. I wonder how many cute little ferrals there are living in the rocks there. it is a shame to see, as they will be killing the lizards and other small reptiles and birds in their quest to survive. Nice pics though!! cheers Cam

Hi Pete, well done once again on showing us how healthy that river is. Must be a bit of a disapointment to be in the kindy and not the high school though!! I look forward to reading about the big one you catch next time. Cheers Cam

Hi Roberta, yes you are right, we were just about 40 m past that little boat ramp towards the ocean. The pic on Google shows an awful lot of sand in the entrance ,and I think in its current form it is a bit wider where we were. It was certainly running well on both incoming and outgoing tides, and that was clearing the channel of sand. Last year when we were up there we tried and caught blackies on the same side of the river, but upstream of the bridge, where there are a couple of jetties and landing steps. I think that place would fish well pretty much all the time!! We should try for a session there some time as Jewgaffer suggested!! Cam Hi there "The Hun" thanks for the read, and well done on proving the old fishermen wrong!! I find it is always a good lesson to remember; to treat others the way that you would like to be treated. I know that I need to be reminded about my attitude towards other fishermen sometimes, and it is easy to become possessive of your favourite spot. cheers Cam

Hi Chopper 75, I just checked it out on Google Earth. On the south eastern side of the bridge the road runs along side the entrance. Where the road is divided with single traffic flow, you can see the sand bar where we were standing , which was probably only 50m to the east of the boat launching ramp at the end of the car parking area. I tried to capture the Google image, but couldnt figure out how to do it. If I was a travelling man for my fishing, I would be heading up there regularly, as the fish should still be there with the numbers that were being pulled last w/e. Hi Justin, well done on the worms. Which beach did you attack? The worms at Collaroy are not the easiest to catch, but there are some big ones to challenge you if you are there on a good low tide, and that time is coming up around about now. It would have been great to have that number of quality fish at Narrabeen. Maybe it was like that earlier in the season! Hey Nanook, what's the saying; dont get even, get better!! Outfish them, after all it is a competitive sport. Sails

Hey Pustayo, sounds as if the guys must have had a great time. Shame you missed the session; hope you are up for it next time!! looking forward to seeing the pics. Sails

Hi Raiders, I travelled to the Entrance last Friday with my wife Christine for a weekend camping get-to-gether with the 1030 congregation from St Faiths Anglican church Narrabeen, where we were booked into the camping grounds at Toowoon Bay. We arrived early afternoon, so checked out the Entrance to see where the fish might be. There was one old local who was cleaning an estuary perch upstream from the bridge, and he was good enough to explain how the bass come down to the lake system during the winter for breeding, and it was not unusual for 60cm fish to be taken there. We also saw one fisherman blackfishing on the southern side of the outlet downstream from the bridge, and I could see from his bag that he had some fish. Booked into the campground around 1330, and Christine needed a rest, so around 1500 I took my chance to say that I would just go back and see if there were any fish to be caught. Tide was coming in, and there was a sand flat with a bit of a back eddy, which was around 30m up from the area the previous mentioned blackie fisherman was fishing from, so I took up position there. The other guy left to clean his catch after about 15 minutes, so I had the area to my self!! Water was absolutely clean, with a little bit of ribbon weed coming in, and with my polaroids I could see the fish holding around the rocks in front of me, so it looked good. Also with the incoming tide the water was spreading out over the rocks down stream to the entrance and was washing back into the channel where I was standing, carrying lots of cabbage with it, and it was acting as the natural burly machine. Well, I took 7 fish home that afternoon and dropped about 4 others, so I was stoked. A couple of the locals arrived around 5pm, and while friendly enough, just made it a bit uncomfortable for me by taking up a position about 15 ft upstream from where I was fishing, which made it a bit awkward for the drift, so I took the opportunity to head back to the camp; and the bite was slowing down a bit as well. I set the alarm for 5pm the next morning to have a surf with a couple of the other guys, but the waves had died, so while they went back to their cabins, I grabbed the chance and headed back to the Entrance. The bite was slower this time, and I only gave it an hour and returned to camp with no catch, but one of the locals was there and he caught a couple of fish. He also explained that the bite was always better in the afternoon. That afternoon I returned to the area with Christrine and another mate Garry, who had bought up his fishing rig, and we got there around 1330, so nice and early for the tide. I rigged a blackie set up for Christine on my whiting/bream rod, and we set to it. A big problem with the ribbon weed coming back into the system on the early in tide, but as the flow got stronger it got flushed away and stopped being of concern. As always happens, She who has never caught a black fish before was the first to hook up and we got the obligatory line tangle as I closed with her to give her moral assistance. After a few sharp words, I bit my leader through and cleared her line and presented the net for her to guide the fish into. I ended up chasing it around the sand flat we were fishing on, but it was netted and into the keeper bag. Garry was the next to hook up, and he managed to land a nice sized fish with the dignity of someone who has done it before, but was handicapped with a fly reel that was trying to run off its spindle due to the loss of a little keeper lever. The competitive fishing theme developed quickly and quietly, and I was lucky to be the next to hook and land a good sized fish! Well, for the next two hours we three fished, and Christine landed three good sized fish before having to run another camper back to camp. Garry and I kept it up, until around 1730, when we thought we'd better start cleaning the catch, as the bag was looking quite full. During the session we had lots of visits from other Sydney tourists asking what we were catching and what bait we were using, etc. I had great pleasure in helping one guy by rigging him up with my small square sinker made from a piece of lead flashing that I had been introduced to by (Pete) Luderick59, back in Mona Vale. This guy had been watching us pull in fish while he had been standing next to us on the sand using prawns. Well, with in a couple of casts he pulled in a fish that would have gone 40cm, and said it was the biggest fish he had ever caught, so he was stoked. By the time we had finished cleaning the catch we counted 18 fish, with the biggest going 41cm, and a host of 38 - 40 cm, so we were also stoked. It was the best session I had had for good sized fish on float, and we lost quite a few as well, so a good fisherman would have cleaned up. There was another guy who had rigged himself up and joined the session, but I could see that he was totally bemused as fish came in on both sides of him, but he remained fish-less. Before we left I checked out his rig which was all tied up tight at around one metre. With his consent I cut it away and reset it as we had been rigged, at around 8 ft with a sliding float. I gave it one cast to check the weight , which was fine and handed the rod back to him and headed back to our gear. Before I had walked back to the rocks I heard from my wife "he's on" and turned to see him muscling in another 40cm fish, which he managed to land while it was trying to go between his legs and run back to the depths. We had BBQ'd blackies that night cooked by Garry and it was the best tasting fish I have had in a long time. Oce again set the alarm for 0500 Sunday morning and headed back to "my spot". I was the first to show up, but was joined soon after arrival by one of the locals and we took up positions at either end of the sand flat. I was soon joined by an older father and son act who were just starting for blackies but usually fly fish for salmon and tailor in the area. We worked the area well together by rotating the cast area and allowing the float to drift upstream with the incoming tide. I was fortunate enough to catch 4 fish, but not as big as the previous afternoon. Funny thing happened after I had caught my second fish, as the "local" , who at this stage had not caught a fish decided that he would "join"us and took up a position in the spot where we three had been casting. Well, when I came back for my next cast and I moved to go around him I heard the swearing . I offered for him to join us with the rotation system we had been using , but he refused and then gave us a mouth full about tourists and drug addicts and that we should respect the locals etc!! The father, who had been a local since 1973 reminded him that he had been fishing at the other end of the sand, so what did he think he was doing moving in on us in such a hostile manner , and with that he chose to move further up towards the entrance, muttering and swearing as he went. Funny thing was that he started catching good fish just after that, so his rediculous attitude was so un-necessary, and re-enforces that negative view of old local blackie fishermen. Dont know if it always fishes as well throughout the year as the fish were ripe with eggs and sperm, but it is a great spot for easy fishing on either tide, and usually we were no deeper than ankle deep. Didnt have the camera with me on the Saturday afternoon, but took a couple of pics of the other catches. tight lines Sails

Hi Roberta, sounds as if you and Wendy are really doing well up there, even with the big ones you are loosing.Sure makes me envious!! keep it up; I love reading of your success. cheers Sails

Hi Kingiemaster, great to read your post and well done on the kingie. It must give you a great rush to boat one of those fish. Looks like a nice purpose built canoe, any chance of posting a pic of it? Might get to see you out there in the next couple of weeks. cheers Sails

Hi Pete, well done once again on the jewies; it certainly makes the trip down to Wisemans worthwhile. That must have been fun. Were you alone? cheers Cam

Hi Roberta, well done on the prawns, and especially so with the night yakking. It sounds as if you girls had a great time. I'm sitting here thinking I should go and give Narrabeen lake a try; its now 11.20pm, and bed is also calling. Which will win? I hit the beach this afternoon and pulled some good worms. lots of weed in the water here at present. The southerly came through while I was there and it was a remarkable change in temp. and to the sea surface. Some surfers were getting tubed just out from the pipe and they had a photographer in the water with them shooting the action. great to watch. cheers Sails

Hi All, Roberta and I were at Wisemans Ferry for a family gathering on Saturday, and so the two of us decided to make it a fishing exploration trip as well, as neither of us had ever fished that area before. I joined Roberta at the NSW Ski Gardens camping grounds and pitched the tent for Sat night. In the afternoon after the family do, Bert and I got the kayaks out and crossed the river and drifted up the Webb Creek with the incoming tide for about a k or so; she flicking soft plastics and me on hard bodied. Had a fun drift with somef fish showing on the fishfinders. Spooked some fish in the mud, (flatties?) and saw some risings, but no takes on the lures. Chatted with a local on the bank near where we turned back and he informed us that he sees platypus' in the area, which was a surprise to me. Also good sized bass. Lamb chops, a couple of beers and a bottle of red for dinner shared with the mossies reminded me of how good it is when you are out camping. Very theraputic for the soul. Went to sleep with the sound of outboards on the river and yahoos when a fish was caught. "Tide 'n knots", (Pete) had offered to show Roberta some of his favorite spots on the river and so we were up early next morning in preparation for the session. Pete picked us up at the camping ground, and we headed off for a look at the river from his tinny. Pete was offering to put us onto his favorite fish, the jewie! Things were looking pretty good when the first catch of the day on Petes' rod was a beautiful little jew, just under legal, which was released after pics, with the expectation of bigger things to come. well, we caught jew after jew, all up about 14 I think, but not a keeper amongst them. In the afternoon Pete hooked a good flattie to 55cm and a keeper bream and I got a flounder, all of which we put in the keeper bag, before I needed to be dropped off at the camping ground to be collected by me wife. Pete and Roberta had a break and then headed back out to see if they could crack a keeper, and I will leave that part of the story for them to tell. Through fishraider you meet some of the nicest people fishing, and Pete is one of them. He looked after us really well, shared some of his secrets spots and showed us a part of the Hawkesbury River we would not have seen otherwise. Thanks Pete, I really enjoyed the fishing and the company. It is beautiful spot and I look forward to getting out there again. tight lines Sails

Hi Spic, well done on getting out onto the water with your Dad , and congrats on a good fishing session. The colour and markings of the jew when it comes up in the sunlight is beautiful. I was on the water at Wisemans Ferry yesterday with Roberta and Tide 'n Knots, and we caught lots of jewies, but not a keeper to be had!! Wasn't it was a great day to be on the river!! cheers Sails

[Hi Justin, that was a good read, and reminded me of when I was learning to cast with the overheads. as Pete and Mariner 31 said, get onto the oval or better still, an empty beach and cast along the sand, just with the sinker. Remember the importance of the swivel to minimise the effect of line twist, which you will get with the Alvey, and as Roberta said, it is important to guide the line onto the reel with your index finger, to give an even distribution across the reel. Have had some good times of late at the lake; still got the young gun Jackson outfishing me, but I am catching up!! Its great to see so many children learning to float fish. tight lines Sails

Hi Pete, well done and thanks for the "heads up"!! That is the kind of fishing that we all like. I might give it a go this w/e. It has been a bit quiet here of late and the cold weather has shut me down !! I tried for squid a couple of times during the last late afternoon high, but no action for me. A few years ago the squid used to be very regular at my local; I'm wondering if the increasing numbers of kingfish since fisheries stopped the use of traps has resulted in the squid getting pounded more by the kingies. cheers Cam

Hi guys, I tried Narra lake yesterday morning on the low high for some blackies on cabbage; had a few downs but no hookups. Pulled some reluctant worms from the middle of Long reef/Dee Why beach during the afternoon low, and revisited Narra lake for some whiting that I had seen that morning. Only had a couple of bites around 4.30 before the bite shut down, but came home with a 1.22kg Blackie measuring almost 45cm, from a fresh worm. Ate it tonight, tasted great! tight lines Sails

Hi Stewy, I hit the tackle shop today and ended up with a TR2000LD, Charter special, based mainly on price . As I am fishing from a yak size was also a considertion, and it is a bit smaller than the TLD25, about the same price, but still has the levelwind. Would love the Calcutta 700, but couldn't justify the cost. At least it will give me a greater chance for victory!! cheers Sails.

[Hi Ceph, DAM are the initials of the company in Germany that manufactured the reel. It is almost identical to the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6000 overhead that I have, and the gears are interchangable, so who came first is up to the historians. It is a good reel, but at least 20 years old, probably undergunned for the big fis h,and the plastic gear could have become brittle. Sails quote name=Ceph' date='May 29 2008, 08:34 AM' post='241040] What is a Dam Quick 800 Champion overhead? Sounds as though it may not have the gear box you need for large speedsters!

HI Reggie, well done on the first blackfish. I was introduced to it last year by Roberta and it is a great way to fish. Looks like you had dead calm conditions from the photos, and that adds to the degree of difficulty I believe. cheers Sails

hi guys and gals, thanks for the replies; Stewey, what do you recommend as a good overhead for yak fishing. I dont want to be over gunned, but it does need to be able to handle the strain of a big fish. Currently (apart from the Dam 800 which I have repaired today with a drive gear for an ambassadeur 6500), I have an Ambassadeur 6000 and an Ambassadeur 6500C3. All 3 reels are basically the same. Hi jewgaffer, it is a thrill being off shore on the yak. I used to go out on my Byron Bay wave ski with a sholder bag and hand line, but not as far as I go now. There is a certain amount of optimism one needs to have for this , as the down side is not to be contemplated for too long, especially with the wife!! Cheers Slinky, it was a relief to find the damage to the reel. could have been a shark, but I prefer the thought of a big snapper!! Any comments on a suitable reel? Everyone has a favorite, overhead or spinner, . the Abu have been great for the Barra in the territory, and they are not too expensive. Hi Roberta, I pulled in an eagle ray last week from the pipe, and it was a bit like a sack of wet sand. There are some big black rays around here at present; there were two around the pipe two weeks ago Sunday and they would have been 2 m across. I like the thought of a giant squid, they have been pretty scarse here for the past few weeks, only coming in in one and two per night. cheers Cam

Hi guys, this is my first post for a while,been a bit quiet, but I hit the water last Sunday afternoon. I Put my Kayak in at Collaroy 2pm for a bash at anything that would take a hook. Headed nth along the beach to Sth Narra, with two rods with spinners for nothing, so headed straight out and then veered across towards Long Reef. On the way I spied three boats that were to the north of Longy , so thinking they were fishing I headed over to see what depth and action they were getting. As I approached they split and headed nth and S, and then I realized they were whale watching. Saw 2 humpbacks do some amazing breeching, full body out of the water kind of thing. I tried to catch them up, but could not close the gap quick enough , so by the time I was off Sth Narra again, I gave up and headed back to Long reef. Found the shallow area to the north of Long reef, (is that the Wall?) about 23 ft, and began dropping cubed pieces of yellow tail. Lots of bites , but no hook ups, so changed hooks to a smaller bream hook and that was the trick .Caught what I think was a silver drummer, and by the time I had pulled him in and re baited, I was East of the point and heading to NZ. Quite a strong current flowing there. Got back to the shallow area and as there were fish showing on the fishfinder at half depth I dropped a cube down just passed half way . Had a couple of small taps then a solid take, which took a little line then began towing me NW in towards Collaroy, which was fine by me as that was where I needed to go and it was 4.20pm. Ten minutes passed ,Rod and reel (Abu Muscle tip and Dam Quick 800 Champion over head) were doing fine, but I was a bit concerned about the fact that what ever I had on was showing no sign of tiring. It is beginning to get dark around 5pm, and I didn’t want to be out there after dark with no lights etc, so I added a bit more pressure with both thumbs on the line with max drag and tried to get a lift on to see if I could spot what ever it was .All of a sudden the spool free wheels and gives me a birdsnest, and I thought I must have hit my chest with the spool release. At first the fish didn’t react, and I thought “maybe I can retrieve the situation” , but as soon as I thought it, the fish ran and all I could do was hold on, and of course the line broke.F***** . The line had thrown a loop around the spool release mechanism, which I had not seen. I rerigged and tried again but had to give it away as I had a half hour paddle in and I was out passed the end of Long Reef again.. Had two hits on the silver spinner on the way in and landed one pike, which will become bait next time. Last night I was testing the drag on the reel to try to understand what had happened out there, and the same thing happened while testing. On opening the side cover of the reel, I found the geared wheel that drives the worm gear had stripped. It is made of some kind of plastic and was obviously not upto the load I was putting on it. It made me feel a bit better as I was sure I had caused the problem by hitting the spool release botton. I am now busy stripping and servicing my other reels and testing the drags and putting together new rigs so I am ready for the next chance at a big fish. Hopefully the weather will be as kind as it has been as it was very comfortable out there Sunday afternoon. Tight lines Sails --------------------------------------------------------------------------------