pmak

Wow! Great fish there again guys. Exotic sounding soft plastics I can understand but a tranny? Ha Ha

Late-ish report from our family trip to Burrill Lake last week. Left on the day of the social, disappointed it had to be cancelled but glad that we could head down the coast in the morning. Weather was pretty ordinary and was windy as predicted with some scattered showers thrown in. Unpacked at the holiday house we had rented in Dolphin Point and went out to the fishing platforms near the base of the lake to let the boys do some bait fishing like the good old days when we just started fishing. A few years ago when the lake was closed there were heaps of leatherjackets near the platforms but they were noticeably absent this time around. I prospected the area with soft plastics and hard bodies and came up tight with this trevally just as the sun was setting. Good way to start the holidays I thought. The next two days seemed clear and not too windy so those were the days I planned to take the boat out into the lake. Monday morning, I had my two boys with me and we spent most of the morning in the south west arm of the lake and fished the shoreline with wrigglers/grubs, flickbaits and shallow hardbodies. There were heaps of little flathead close to the shore which provided entertainment for the boys. I managed a lone bream and my youngest also got a tailor while working a 70mm squidgy flickbait. Not long after, he managed this 44cm flattie which we kept for dinner. My youngest son also lost what we suspected was a good flattie. He had hooked up a fish that had considerable weight and was giving him a good fight and as he managed to get it closer to the boat, the fight stopped and he easily reeled in a small flathead of about 30cm. We were remarking how this little fish had put up a great fight until I noticed it's body had lost scales for about a third of its length! Something had the flathead in its mouth and had let go as it got close to the boat! After that bit of excitement, we headed back for lunch where the tailor was immediately cleaned and cooked for us. Yum. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and planning for the next day's outing. I decided to bring my father-in-law out on the boat for next trip out. I had established some sort of a pattern I thought that would at least allow him to have some fun using soft plastics. My FIL is a long time bait fisho and the times where I've taken him out on the boat I've tried to cater to his normal fishing style with little success. He's had a recent run of health issues and has not been able to go out fishing with his mates of late plus one of his best fishing buddies passed away recently as well. I could see that he was itching to go out on the boat too. So, I told him to leave his bait rod behind and set him up with a robust Pflueger Trion 2-4kg rod with a Daiwa Revros 2506 reel loaded with 10lb Sunline PE braid and switched the reel handle over to the right for him. I put myself into 'tour guide' mode and took the boat out to the lake and stopped just outside where the main channel meets the lake. There is a distinct drop-off there that we had not fished the day before but I thought might hold some fish. I gave him a quick lesson on casting single handed, line management and retrieve technique (basic lift and drop) using a pink squidgy fish. His first cast and he was on already! We had the Minn Kota on spot lock and that drop-off produced numerous flathead for him and the kids. His catches were getting bigger until he hooked one that had him fighting the fish for over five minutes. We were so used to catching flatties at that stage that I called it for a tailor or trevally as the fight was different. I was proved wrong when the fish finally came to the surface. It was a massive flattie! After a botched netting that saw the fish swim away and we thought we had lost it, the hook miraculously stuck and it was pulled in a second time where it did not escape the net. The flattie measured 84cm. The old man was so happy and remarked that he was being given a big reward after not having caught anything substantial in a long while. My wife remarked later that afternoon when we were back at the house that her dad was a changed person after that and that the fishing session had really lifted his spirits. I was mighty happy to hear that. The remaining days were too windy to take the boat out so we relaxed and hung out at the fishing platforms for a bit. I managed the odd flattie and even a blackfish on the same hardbodied lure I had caught the earlier trevally on. The local tackle shop owner advised Luderick were around in good numbers so I decided to give it a go. Being a novice in this game, I had realistic expectations but was happy enough to get a couple from the side of the bridge. The blackies were very finicky and were only grazing at my offering. The float would go down and stay down but when I struck, I got nothing. I resorted to adding more split shot to the rig until only the tiniest tip of the float was visible and struck only when the float got taken deep. My wife really likes fresh blackfish now ... My eldest son had a go as well and had a few missed strikes but could not get any. All in all it was a great holiday on the fishing front even though we only had the boat out for a couple of days. We were not sure what to expect in this trip but have left with great memories and I'm looking forward to another trip there some time in the future.

Awesome report Bassboy! You and your dad sure fish hard! Those bass look like small barra (or do the small barra look like big bass??) So, after all those long hours fishing for barra, were those quick bass sessions at the end the highlight of the trip?

Great first report and welcome to the site. Thanks for sharing and showing that there's still some fun to be had in the hidden corners of suburbia! Gee in that sort of country you would'nt want to lose too many expensive lures!

Wow! Those are great looking Saratoga. Well done on your eldest daughter for getting the first fish. Pity your wife did not manage to land one. We had a Saratoga in a tank when I was younger (and overseas) and my fishing career started when I was tasked with catching bait fish to feed it! Occasionally, it would get fed a cockroach unlucky enough to be caught by me or for a special treat, it would get a house gecko! The thing I remember is how it would react to a struggling insect / gecko on the surface, arch its body and strike the hapless target in seconds! Gee it would be good to catch one someday ...

That's a top 3 hour session BB. Bet your mate thinks you're a fishing guru now. Trevally are in good numbers in the area at the moment. If any bream are around they're not letting them get to the lure first!

Yarraone, Best wishes for your surgery and for a speedy recovery. You will be missed and your support in the past events is well known. I hope the weather turns in our favour. My kids and I look forward to the event each year. It's my youngest son's birthday today but he's more excited about the social than his birthday!! pmak

bassboy888, If you're chucking ultralight lures, a 1-3kg rod may be better suited. I have no experience with those braided lines to give you an opinion but would suggest the lightest line you can get in a gelspun (2-3lb) or 6-8lb in a PE braid (TD Sensor, Linesystem or Sunline). pmak

bassboy888, Before we start looking at the reel, what sort of fishing are you going to be doing? Popping, soft plastics, shallow hardbodies? I'd probably go with a longish rod (7 to 7 and a half foot) to get maximum casting distance though you can also get better casting distance by getting a slick and thin braid. I personally prefer a shorter rod say between 6 and a half to 7 feet for popping work as I can drop the rod close to the water line in front of me rather than to the side to get the desired action (if it makes any sense). If you're popping, I'd go with a good gelspun line like Stren microfuse that has a bit of stiffness to avoid line wrapping around the top guide with the flicking motion that comes with popping or working a surface walker. Your reel must be able to line lay well if you're going to be using braid. I don't have any experience with the two reels you're looking at but can suggest that you try them on the rod that you're getting to see which feels better and is well balanced. I would look for a reel that is light and smooth with a smooth drag. I think the Quantum reel may be a tad heavy. There's the Shimano Stradic Ci4 to consider or the Daiwa Tierra or Sol as well. There are a few new Daiwa reels coming soon that look interesting too. I realise I've not answered your question! Have fun looking and researching anyway ...

PBs on your Plan B - awesome man. That fish you're holding is a monster!!

Another great report from spectacular wild country. Big fish caught too. Like the new underwater shots. Was all the damage to the campsite done by birds?

Great feed of Flatties there JET01. You're one of the lucky ones that has the choice of a yak fish or going out on a boat. Which do you do more of nowadays? I've considered a yak too at times (getting fit while doing some fishing while bringing home a feed) but won't be able to face up to my kids if I ditch them when I go fishing ...

Thanks for the comments guys. Breambucket - I actually enjoy targetting trevally over bream though bream are a welcome by-catch! Cruisecraft - you're correct with the sashimi. I have tried it before but am terrible at the preparation and getting good clean fillets. Basscatcher - I have not been fishing the bay for very long but this last winter has been awful . After a few donut sessions in late June/early July, I decided to hibernate over the winter period and shift my attention to my house and garden instead. Oh - my wife has been happy to see more of me on the weekends too ... pmak

Pete, I'll be at the social for sure. See you there. Would be great to chat. pmak

Spring is here!! After a winter hiatus, what better way to celebrate Father’s Day and the start of the spring fishing season than – er.... going fishing! We (my sons and I) launched from Kurnell and did not have to go far before we got some bites – first fish to come on board was a snook, followed soon after by a just legal trevally which were released for good karma. We drifted over the weed and sand patches for the next few hours catching the same species. My eldest son was the star of the day with the biggest trevally at 39cm. No. 2 son was very disappointed to have lost another good trevally which dived into the weed and snagged him and escaped despite our best efforts to coax it out of the snag. Most things we threw at them worked – gulp grubs, squidgy wrigglers and flick baits. Fellow Fishraider Mottyman came over to say hi. I forgot that I had my Minn Kota on so I drifted away rather quickly! Hope you had some luck at the same area. The winds picked up around mid-day which meant the end of our session. We ended the day with a yummy chilli capsicum trevally dish later that night. Hope fellow Raiders had a great Father’s Day pmak

Was wondering when WB would be firing when I was out today at Kurnell. Was nice and warm. Spring is here!! Great to see you braining the WB bream again.

Pete, that's a very interesting big fish you've sounded out. I've never fished the upper Woronora before but drains and outlets were one of my favourite areas to fish when I was fishing land based. Will wait for your jewfish report to come one day eh?

That's a Botany Bay GT you've got there! Must have been an awesome fight on your light gear. Well done.

Whoa, some nice reds there Greg. You sure do fish hard!

Pete, You must be pumped doing the comp - especially since you managed to do better than some of the seasoned pros. Doing it with your own hand made lures must also be doubly rewarding. I like the look of your blades - especially since they work so well! pmak

Enjoyed reading your report in between responding to my many e-mails at work! I admire the hard core close to nature stuff. Interesting choice of the highlight meal and can see how a spicy rich coconut milk broth with freshly caught fish on a cold night can be very nice indeed ...

Congratulations Stewy, Donna, the admin team, gold members, sponsors and all the members who make this a great community. Checking and posting on the site is a regular part of my life! Here's to many more years ahead of sharing and looking out for each other! pmak

Count me in with my two kids. We always have a great time at the social. Hope the weather gods are kind to us this year.

Greg & Rich P - respect and admire what you guys can do in all conditions and all locations man. True anglers. I guess the blackfish are taking a back seat this winter with all the jewfish you're pulling up eh?

Great report Basscatcher - sorry about the results during the comp. I can't imagine the hard yards and endless casting put in for a full day's fishing! Must have been exciting during the beginning of the comp but disheartening towards the end with no fish to weigh in. I'm sure you've learnt heaps in the process and will make amends at the next comp.