GoingFishing

So you finally found the reds ! well done mate, persistence pays off. Would have been a nervous time dropping baits among the pillies getting hammered by whales

Sounds like an awesome experience mate. your very lucky ! Some nice fish there too

Awesome bag of fish there Yowie. You certainly have the hacking figured out. Great work

i have to ask - you mentioned 250 of line out - how far out were you trying to get your bait? When i used to fish off the rocks the kings would come in pretty close

Great effort by you and the boys, very rewarding when you finally find the target species after a long wait, makes it all more rewarding. Keep up the good work

Shes a good looking rig that striper ! Them yanks might be tossers but they sure know how to make good fibreglass boats. PS - if your chewing through 300L of fuel on a 177km trip then i would be looking to repower ASAP. You would pay off the cost of the engine in fuel savings in a few years at best and if you can sell the motor second hand for a few $$K even better. As KC suggested - @zmk1962 is the man to talk to.

Gday Raiders I find myself with a few spare minutes and thought it would be good to post up my thoughts on how best fish a reef. Some of us are lucky to get out every weekend but i am also aware that some of us are quite limited in time and dont have the luxury of trialing and testing out on the water - so hopefully these tips will help narrow down your target area and increase your chance of finding a few fish. A while ago i had previously posted a report on bottom bashing tactics, that article was more inclined as to "how" to fish. This article however is more related to "where" to fish. Whether your bottom bashing, flicking plastics or at anchor, the topic of this article is really about where to look for fish. For those who are interested, you can have a read of the bottom bashing tactics on the link below. This post comes with the usual big fat disclaimer that this is what works for me. I am sure others will have different ideas and methods which also work. I do not claim nor believe that the ideas represented below are the only way to fish ! So now, to get on with it. I have selected a nondescript reef south east of long reef in about 40m, a reef i visit often for its terrain and attributes. So what should a keen fisho with his heart set on finding a few fish look for ? There are some obvious no brainer answers - reef - pinnacles - ledges and the like. But there are a few other considerations that are equally as important. An important acquired skill is trying to visualize what the seabed underneath your boat actually looks like. In this image there is a pinnacle denoted as A. With a second pinnacle denoted B . I have drawn a section through both pinnacles which would give a better understanding of the rise and fall of the seabed. Immediately - there are three target zones clear to me, the gradual soft sloping edge to the right hand side of pinnacle B - the space inbetween pinnacle A & B, as well as the bottom of the ledge and gradual slope on the left hand side of pinnacle A. Unless i am fishing for kings, i tend not to fish directly over the top of reef and pinnacles as generally this is where i find the jackets, the sweep and other garbage. It is also where you will snag your line and lose lots of gear. I also feel that in a general sense, fish do not like to hang out at the top of pinnacles as they are very exposed and susceptible to attack from all sides. So now we have highlighted the target zones it gives us a much better idea of where to position our boat for anchoring or for drifting. Area C - a gradual upward slope met by a sudden and steep reef wall - predatory fish will be hanging out here waiting for small bait to mistakenly venture too far from the reef. A good spot to look for bait schools and pelagics to be chasing them. Area D - sandwiched between two pinnacles but this area is important as it also functions as a highway between the northern and southern flatter sections adjacent to the pinnacles without the fish having to venture over the top of the reef and become exposed to attack. The steeper sloped left side of pinnacle B is also a great area to find predators who are waiting for fish to wander off the top of the pinnacle without much visibility over the other side. Area E - Flatter gradual slope falling away from the pinnacle, similar to D and depending on current/tide direction here you will find predators hanging out for any fish that mistakenly make their way over the top of the ledge - i would fish this as a prime location for snapper and flathead. In my experience the three target zones are likely to produce different species, but that being said i have found fish where i least expected them to be ! Sometimes they are simply chasing bait and will be in an area they otherwise wouldnt be. So there you have it guys - it pays to review the mark your fishing as well as the general vicinity to visualize what is happening underneath, as that often helps narrow down your search area. Thanks for reading

Awesome write up Scratchie. Your a champion for making the time to get out with the guys and sharing your spots and knowledge. Fishing is just as much about the company as it is the catching. I have heard a few times that when the shallows are too clear that its worth giving the deeper water a try. Or......the more likely explanation which i hinted at in a separate report.....you have caught them all Jeff...theres simply none left !!! 🤣🤣

Thanks Pickles Cheers Crusher, dad was stoked. I usually do burley when fishing for snapper but didnt on this trip. Once you get to 60M in depth i get skeptical about its effectiveness. Unless its a very slow drift of 1km/hr or less i dont usually burley in deep water

You got out, had a day on the water wetting a line with good company. The fish sometimes just a bonus !! Well done, and hopefully next time you will find a few.

Cheers mate 👍. Was a good day apart from the ramp shenanigans !

Thanks Wizza I dont drink V - but old mate Ralph does, especially when driving at 330am for 3 hours !!!

Thanks Zoran. Dad was absolutely chuffed with that fish - hes been waiting a while to break his PB which from memory might be 63cm. Thanks KC - yes he certainly won the bragging rights yesterday haha Thanks Recurve. Yep i feel for you, like you when i fish Bellambi i try to get there as early as possible to avoid the freak show but sometimes i get caught. I am usually off the trailer in 3-5 minutes flat, wait out in the harbour until dad has parked the boat then pick him up from the jetty. Yesterday some toolbag tied off on the jetty and was doing mechanical repairs on his motor and it created an absolute clusterf%$K for people who are trying to pick people up from the jetty. Like seriously, test your engine at home. If for some reason you have unexpected engine trouble, get out of the way ! Its a small jetty, think of others. Its really not hard, but some people have got no common sense or respect for others. I did give the toolbag mechanic a good spray for his dumbf@^%kery. Thanks Jeff - its taken a lot of trips but time, persistence and trial/error eventually pays off with fishing. Thanks Yowie, happy with that lot Cheers Welster - he actually did a little dance when we got it in the boat🤣

yep - the summer hoons are already out and about. Nice bag of fish there yowie, decent size to that flounder

Nice bag pickles. Some good eating fish there Youve caught them all Jeff !!! None left 🤣

Thanks Pickles, i love baked snapper and usually cook them middle eastern style with a herb and tahini dipping sauce. However lately i have been grilling them and find this keeps them juicier

Gday Raiders Managed another hall pass having fished earlier during the week and after a quick chat with Dad we decided to continue the hunt for reds down at Bellambi. Firstly, holy crap what a shit show that boat ramp has become... certainly not the ramp to visit without doing your homework beforehand and almost everytime i visit there is some dumb and dumber who has rolled their boat straight off the trailer, get bogged on the sand or tie off on the (only) 4 metres of usable jetty there for 20 minutes. I do honestly feel for the locals especially the ones who work mon-fri and cant get out other than weekends. Anyway, on the fishing front a lovely day with little wind and swell. The blue bottles have arrived early this year as i saw at least a dozen today? I thought they only come in with the blue warm water. We worked hard and moved at least a dozen times to find a few nice fish, some legals, a few around 40cm and dad breaking his PB with a 69cm humpy...... one darn cm short of 70cm. Still, a good fish that put up one hell of a fight and gave a good account of itself. Most fish caught inbetween 50 and 60M depth. Next weekend wedding anniversary and the week after that my sons birthday..... hopefully have another report for you guys in October 😔 Thanks for reading Sam

Interesting topic....my boat capacity is 5 people.....so if i have 2 adults and 4 children under the age of 12 that is ok?

Cheer Scratchie. Any time on the water is good time. Ps....330am wake up followed by 30 min trip to the ramp is very different to 330am + 3 hr drive!! Thanks Z..... agree Sydney is not the best for Reds Thanks Welster 👍👍

Thanks KC Reds are always good eating especially in the middle size

Cheers Brendan. We fished between 60 and 70m the whole day. Thanks rebel👍 Haha that was my original thought when Ralph recommended a 330am start......as it happens when i havent been out in a while i get over excited the night before and barely sleep anyway 🤪 Thanks Yowie Cheer mate

Gdayy Raiders Been a while since ive posted a report, have been doing less fishing than id like however kids are growing fast and life more consuming 😔 Took a day off work and decided to fish the south coast as a few friends have been getting good results on the reds. Fished with old mate Ralph on his Whitley as his boat hasnt tasted the water in about 3 months and he wanted to give the engine a run. Left the house at an eye watering 3:30am to arrive at the boat ramp by 6am. Finished up by 1pm and currently driving back, lots of free time to post up a report so here it is. Overall a good day, a few nice reds and a few mowies. I usually throw the mowies back however i have been told they make good fish burgers. So will be giving them a try tomorrow. Pillies and squid did the damage on traditional snapper and paternoster rigs. Thanks for reading.

Hi William Where abouts are you located? Northern NSW? Sydney? South Coast?

Thanks Welster - Champion ! Interestingly when i looked at the Botany Bay map on the RMS website - the legend item for "no towing" doesnt exist on that map all ! - seemingly.....because no part of that map is no towing