RexSenior

Hi Raiders I had an awesome day / night yesterday, much needed after a rubbish week at work. Set off on a 40min drive to the Central Coast to collect my worms on low tide (Birdie Beach), then spent some time with the kids before heading out to Blacksmiths Beach around 5pm with a mate. Fishing was slow to begin with but it was a cracker of a day so enjoyed the odd fish between relaxing. I tried a different tactic than usual in fishing the shallow water away from the gutters (difficult to do on this beach normally due to wind & sweep but yesterday was calm). Got a couple before high tide (7pm) then things picked up from about 8:30 after dark. It was a fish a cast there for a while however the stingrays moved in and made things difficult, must have caught about 20 of them. Ended up with a dozen odd for myself, smallest of either species was 30cm. Cheers, James

Hi Mate I guess it depends on what you want to catch and what time of day/night you are heading out. If fishing on the beach local live beach worms are the go. Some tackle stores stock them but if your're keen for a challenge they can be caught on the northern side of Magenta and along Birdie Beach. Beach rigs are pretty simple for me, a ball sinker matched to how far you need to cast and how strong the current/sweep/rip is, (the smaller the weight needed the better) followed by a 2-3ft leader of flourocarbon or clear mono (very important for the clear water on the beach) then a hook matched so that a small portion is exposed from the bait. You can use ganged hooks (1/0 to 6/0) with the same rig (heavier leader) and pilchards of a night however this will reduce the strike rate - berleying of a night will help stir up some action and won't be picked at by birds or smaller fish. The Central Coast Beaches are very unpredictable for me. If you can find a decent gutter which exits towards the horizon on both sides you're in with a shot. Good luck. Cheers, James

Great feed there! Can't wait until the whiting come on the chew for Summer in Newcastle. Been getting a few here and there but nothing like last Summer yet.

Well done guys! Such an under-rated table fish, plenty of thickness in those larger ones. Regarding the hooks, I use a size 16 suicide hook, same as for the poddies. A lot of tackle stores only go down to the 12 or 14, I'm sure you could get even smaller than the 16 on the internet if need be - I usually try and support the local stores though. Cheers, James

Not bad at all for an hour out, haven't seen a tailor for a couple of months here in Newcastle. Great effort. Cheers, James.

Well done mate that's a thumper! Thanks for sharing, it's good to see what's happening out there. More importantly, great job on the release . I find that many talk about it being a good idea but not many do it - hats off to you! Cheers, James

Great report mate and a top session surely pleasing your neighbors! I have had some good sessions as a kid climbing all over Swansea Bridge for luderick with local weed. Recently I was in Crescent Head and there were a few guys catching plenty of luderick with artificial weed.... I know you must have heard of it already just making the point that it is out there and possibly getting your thoughts? My opinion is I find it very hard to believe it's as good as fresh weed however not having to re-bait every second cast is a bonus? Cheers, James

48cm plus is a rare fish, not to exist but to both hook and land. You have some thumpers in the bag already especially 46cm, that's a big fish. Well done on your efforts so far and good luck on reaching your goal Cheers, James

Hi Raiders, Just a quick report from Blacksmiths Beach (yet again). I posted a week or so with a few bream and was surprised there were no whiting about. Last time I had 20 decent live worms for bait, this time just 5 small ones unfortunately. Threw out most of my baits from 6 to 7pm in terrible onshore winds, caught a few dart....but just as I ran out of worms it was on! Lost a couple of good whiting in the shore break, ran out of worms however came home with two, one 30cm and one 42cm (weighed in at 527g cleaned). Would have loved to have enough worms to fish the high tide (about an hour from when I packed up). Good signs for the beach though Cheers, James

Great first report mate thanks for sharing. There's some really deep water for land based anglers there! Should be some nice squid making an appearance soon which will liven things up even more.

Cheers Mate. You can get them all year around, I find Summer and Autumn to be more productive. Things like the tides, big swells, wind & changing shape of the sandbars have a much bigger affect. There is a great article from Roberta on here that details everything and has been very accurate for me. If you can't find it just google "Beachworms Forster" and it'll come straight up.

Hi Raiders Been a while between posts as I haven't caught too much (with the exception of Crescent Head last week). Headed out yesterday in search of beach worms - they have been very scarce since the April storms. Finally found a small patch at Birdie Beach after a few hours of searching 4 beaches, some thumpers in the bunch too.... Went to Blacksmiths beach today in search of Whiting & I guess a Jew or 2 would have been OK. Ended up with a few Dart, a salmon and half a dozen bream. Just kept the bream for a feed - all between 30 & 41cm - threw the rest in to fight another day. Cheers, James

Well done Tag. A great trip with a stonker bream but more importantly congrats on advocating the release of such a prized fish (even though it didn't work out this time). Cheers, James.

Great info there cheers mate. I've seen guys catching monster jew along a particular sea wall in Newcastle on whole legal Blackfish. Apparently the blackfish get trapped when a large swell combines with a king tide. It's great to watch! I agree with the short bite period, it seems every Jew I catch off the beach is in the deepest gutter and right at the top of high tide......it's like they wait for the high water then go in for a few swoops then call it a day. I've tried the whiting on good advice but no luck as yet. Apparently slabs of fresh salmon are also good but haven't tried that yet. Cheers, James

Hi Howe I can't give you the correct protocol on fish handling, however any fish that I've caught that has been placed in salt water then either iced, refrigerated or cooked within 12 hours has not caused me any grief. I often fish & camp of a night and leave the fish in a bucket of water overnight. Removing the guts, gills, bleeding the fish & keeping it as cool as possible can also prolong the shelf life. Once again this is my own experience, you would probably get a different answer from "best practice" orginisations. Best of luck on your next trip!

Hey Mate Is that a baby Port Jackson shark? Great job on the squid. It may be worth a thought heading back there on similar tides with a few squid jigs.... I usually buy some fresh green prawns (or net a few) and rub them all over the jig, seems to improve their chances of having a crack at it. Also gives you something to do whilst waiting for the set rods to go off. Cheers, James

That's news to me Rick, very welcome news! I've stuck to Belmont Beach for many years now but I'm keen to have a go at Stocko, just don't have a 4wd so I'd be taking a walk from the soccer fields. Cheers for the reply. Thanks Jewhunter. I use to pin them between the dorsal fin & tail, just above where the colour starts on their back (above backbone) however I'm with you that they stay alive longer when pinned through the nose. It's a fine line though, too close to the mouth and it rips out when casting and too high in the nose it kills them. Cheers Peter Bit of a variation on the butterfly but I can see how that would work, taking the backbone out would make the hookup easier for sure. Great info, hopefully I can post soon with some success!

Cheers for the info. This is what I'm talking about - for someone to make that effort there must be a great gain or some issues with the individual. For me it's taken 20+ years to finally start catching jews and I think upping the effort and doing things the best way (not the easiest) can only improve your chances. I just wish they were easier to catch - then again I probably wouldn't be as exited about them if they were. Cheers again.

Hopefully it was a jew and not a shark, worthwhile going back to find out while conditions are good! Best of luck. Cheers, James

Cheers Guys. I'm keen to try them now, at least a couple of times when the deep gutters are there. Just thought I'd ask the question as I've found bait sourced close to the fishing spot works best and in some cases not at all in other areas. Thanks again, much appreciated - I will let you know of any success. Cheers, James

Hi Raiders After a long period of sourcing live yakkas (land based) in Newcastle/ lake Macquarie, I have finally stumbled upon a consistent spot and am turning my focus to where to use them. Having caught a few Jews off the local beaches using other baits, I'm wondering if the live Yakkas are any good on the beach given that there are no yakkas in the area? The reason I am asking is usually I need to cover a huge amount of ground to get to the deepest gutters, which is a mission in itself without taking a live bait tank into the equation. I'm more than happy to cart a live bait tank any distance required if it means increasing my chances of a decent Jew, just wondering what experiences our fishraiders have had given that the logistics of beach livies can be difficult. Cheers, James.

Thanks for the report Krispy. I had no idea we have pillies in NSW! Based on how well they fish as a frozen bait vs other common species I'd imagine they would be an awesome live / fresh bait? Cheers, James

Yes, once you see them popping up and down. They're easier to catch when they stay up longer and come further out of the sand. Some days the only just create a ripple and others they can be 2cm out of the sand waiting for your bait. Best off finding a spot with no shells or rocks that way you only have the pippis & hermit crabs to compete with.

Barberonhigh is on the ball. Most flat beaches in Newcastle & the Central Coast hold worms, the difficult part is finding them if you don't have anyone telling you. I've walked most beaches in the area literally end to end, they are there you just need to find them. Without giving you too much info about where they are now, start out the front of the Caves Beachside Hotel and try walking up either side, Magenta also holds some smaller worms. Another point to mention is that they are not always coming to the surface in the same place, it depends on the conditions and even then they can be shy. Any specific questions please inbox me. Cheers, James

Well done mate. That's a nice result for a quiet picnic! Great sized bream too considering the smallest was 33cm. Do you freeze the garfish for bait? and if so, do you salt them or prepare them in any way before freezing? I've heard they are a great frozen bait yet never had any luck myself so I may be doing it wrong! Cheers, James