seasponge

To be skeptical, I'm not convinced that it is sorted! The advice Rebel got refers to a DPI update from 15th August 2017. The bottom of the DPI fishing closures page also refers you to the following page for more detailed local information https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/614708/Recreational-Fishing-Guide-Central-Coast.pdf This link is a DPI local guide for Hawkesbury and Central Coast, issued on August 2017, possibly correlating to the update refer to by DPI. This updated local guide mentions nothing about Berowra.

Firstly, my apologies to Rebel for saying you were wrong. Secondly, and more importantly, that is absolutely ridiculous that the dpi website does not hold the latest information!! This is 2019. If we can't go the website of the governing authority and get the latest up to date information, how are we meant to know what is allowed or not. I live and fish in the area and set crab traps. I have on previous occasions corrected people with what i thought was the latest information based on the dpi website. Ive held my fiahing licemse for the last 5 yrs, recieve updates from dpi and i had no idea of this restriction.

The page that is linked is for all fishing restrictions. The fact that Berowra Creek is not mentioned means there are no restrictions there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how I interpret it. I'd comfortably put traps in Berowra Creek and not be concernsled about fisheries.

According to the DPI you are wrong. Weekend restrictions are only in Patonga Creek and Mooney Mooney Creek (upstream of Old Pacific Highway). There are no restrictions on the use of crab traps in Berowra Creek at all. Refer to the link by kingie chaser

I'll give the bait elastic a go. I wasn't sure whether to just use small cubes of chicken for bream, or stick with the strips. I tried thighs for that reason, but found it hard to get a good strip out of them

Can someone give me tips on presentation of; chicken gut chicken breast Chicken gut - I can't seem to get it to present as anything other than a big congealed ball of mush that looks terrible once it's in the water. Chicken breast - I've used strips 20mm x 50mm but find that it is not very hardy on the hook, and ends up bunched up on the hook, or stripped right off the hook. Do people use strips like I tried, or smaller cube pieces? Pics of either presentation would be good.

definitely a good lure for flathead. I've had success with the 2 perch colours

I set the traps on the Hawkesbury on Saturday hoping for a haul. Had 4 WHs and 2 CTs out. Checked them regularly and relocated them 3 times and only got the 3 crabs all day (2 x blue swimmers and 1 coral crab). I had them set just out of Parsely Bay and around Dangar Island. The amount of traps out on Saturday was phenomenal!

Great catch. Seems to be a lot of Jewies around there at the moment

wouldn't it depends on the action of the rod? A fast tip 1-3kg vs a slow tip 2-4kg?

Sounds delicious. Will give it a go

I had never fished with lures much previously. I bought a kayak about 12 months ago and have a self imposed rule that all my fishing out of the kayak is lure only (1. to keep my kayak clean of bait, but 2. to force me to improve my lure fishing). I'm still struggling to crack the secret of lures. It looks so easy, but i'm not finding consistency. I end up falling back to SPs - can't beat a curly tail grub in motor oil! The only lure I get consistent results with is the Daiwa Double Clutch. Flatties just love them, and this is my first choice lure. Only drawback on them is the cost, but they work. Have had zero luck on metal vibes - no idea what I'm doing wrong there.

Awesome squid there! 👏👏👏

I've used Ryder's recipe a few times and can vouch for it

Always happy to hear suggestions. If I'm not adding the chili, I'll use mayo and lemon juice and pepper for a nice flavour. But i find if I'm going for the chili version, i prefer white vinegar over lemon juice for that acidic zing without altering the flavour of the chili too much (which the lemon can do).

Yeah a typo, i realised after i hit send and edited the post

Having spent most of my infrastructure construction career in the water industry, I can say that Sydney Water would have to be within the top 5% socially, environmentally and community responsible organisations within the country. They spend billions of dollars each year on capital expenditure to maintain quality of life, improving wastewater treatment, securing water sources, preventing stormwater runoff and securing failing/aging infrastructure. The spill into Parramatta River was unfortunate, but due to old infrastructure. Sounds terrible, but in the long term, the effects of this spill will pale into insignificance when compared to the long term good they achieve for the waterways within this modern, urban city with a population of +5M people.

I used to do my flathead fillets in beer batter, but lately have moved to panko bread crumbs. I think they give a better result for smaller fillets. The key to a crispy batter is to cook it long enough to get all the moisture out of it (the batter, not the fish), so if the fillets are small, either the fish will be overcooked, or the batter will be soggy by the time you eat it. Ideally, you want to be able to cook them until the bubbles coming off them (that's the water cooking out of the batter) have died down. Not easy on smaller fillets. So for smaller fillets, I dust em in flour, dip them in beaten egg, then roll in panko breadcrumbs. They don't take as long in the fryer to crisp up so you get a good result without overcooking the fish. Panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese style, available in any supermarket, but give a better result than standard breadcrumbs. For larger fillets, a good beer batter made out of flour, salt, and Cooper's Pale Ale (nothing but the best ?). I've tried self raising flour, which can give a good crunch, but it balloons up and give a smooth coating, not a nice rough coating. The 50/50 flour/cornflour is a good option. I'll fry 2 pieces at a time in rice bran oil, then at the end, I toss them all back in for a second fry for about 30 sec to really crisp up the batter. And I'll always drain my fried fish on a wire rack, not on paper towel. I find draining on a paper towel only makes the batter soggy on the bottom. If you're looking for a quick sauce to go with it, here's my recipe - https://www.fishraider.com.au/topic/88014-easy-make-sauce-for-your-flathead-fillets/

For a quick, easy sauce to accompany your beer battered or crumbed flathead fillets (or any fried fish), just mix; 2T mayonnaise (real egg mayonnaise, not the dodgy stuff we grew up on in the 70s) 1T sriracha chili sauce (rooster sauce) 1T white vinegar Quantities are a guide, play around with the proportions to suit. The mayonnaise gives a creamy base texture, the sriracha chili sauce adds a nice flavor without being too hot, and the white vinegar give the acidity to cut through the fish batter. So quick and easy, knock it up in 1 min while your fish is frying. + +

Nice catch!

Makes sense, thanks

Just curious, why the difference between the two scenarios?

Yep, panko crumbed boneless flathead fillets -delicious

With a 6 week old baby at home, I need to make the most of any opportunity to get out for a fish. I'm normally out the door for work by 6am, but take my 3yr old to daycare each Wednesday. So that leaves me with a solid hour between sunrise and when I need to get the boy out of bed to get ready for school - plenty of time to pop down the street for a quick fish! Last Wednesday, I was treated to a beauty of a morning, bottom of the tide, and a couple of nice flatties 40cm and 50cm, both falling victim to a Gulp Prawn soft plastic. This Wednesday, I repeated the effort, and was able to upgrade ? this time landing a 43cm and 53cm flattie. The smaller one on the same SP. The larger one caught on my maiden fish using a Berkley Shimma Shad soft vibe. The larger one was enjoyable. A good long cast of the soft vibe, worked in all the way in, got to the end of retrieve, lure in sight at my feet, about to lift it out of the water and I see this flattie come out of the depths, rise to the surface and attack the lure right at my feet. pretty awesome sight to see. Not a bad way to start the working day.

Listening to the guys on the Outdoor & Fishing show, they are always saying that a higher pressure will be better for fishing. The theory being that when the pressure is low, the fish's swim bladder expands and the fish feel bloated and shut down. On higher pressure, the opposite and fish feel hungry. Yet all the talk here seems to be about low pressures turning the fish on. I have a barometer on my wall and when I see big spikes in the pressure, I'm dying to get out and test the theory, but with a 3yr old and a 5 week old baby at home, I can't always drop everything and get out there on a whim. When the 5 wk old was born, there was a huge spike in pressure that lasted for about 5 days. On day 6 I was about to get the kayak out, but on that day, the pressure had dropped back down to normal, and I didn't get a single nibble all day. I really don't know what to think. Fishing seems to be a pastime with so many variables - no wonder I haven't cracked the bloody code yet!! The original post by Derek makes more sense to me (ie, what minute difference is is going to make to saltwater fish swimming in the ocean).