Razzell

Check it out - could be amusing/helpful https://www.anglr.tech/tracker

They're there, but I don't know exactly where I'm afraid. I've heard whispers of hidey-holes around Seaforth, but not sure. Middle Harbour is so deep and full of holes that the hard yards have to be put in to find them, or so I've heard.

Good on you for putting up this report - there's a tendency on forums to only hear about success, which gives bias to the available info. Cheers

I know in the summer whiting can be taken on the fly, and I imagine bream would also. I've also heard it said that salmon are great on the fly and will readily take (particularly when they're on the micro baitfish). If memory serves, the 'how to fish pittwater' article from this site also talks about catching kingies on the fly in summer...

Thank you for the help, everyone. Popped to Dee Why and got stuck in to a few good size Tailor. There were a few other fishos around who were getting in to Sambo, also. Bite only lasted an hour before sundown. Once dark, everything shut down. I stuck around for a while with a tailor slab out in hope of something else, but it wasn't long before the cold got the better of me!

Hi folks, Seen a couple of other posts over the last couple of weeks but not much in terms of response, so raising the question again... I'm taking a mate beach fishing on Sunday evening and the northern beaches is a go (he lives in Manly). Looking to get in to some Sambo mostly, as well as the Tailor that follow. My usual go-to's are Narrabeen, Mona Vale, and Bilgola. Also fish Curl curl and Dee Why if I hear they're going alright. Anyone know if these have recovered and/or fishing OK? Any insight would be greatly appreciated - not keen on driving up for disappointment. If not keen on broadcasting, PM would be grand Cheers, Razz

Read about some guys up at Coffs who are claiming the snapper are in close at the moment, in about 20m of water... Not sure if there's any truth or consistency in it, but they had evidence of their claims and it's food for thought.

Hi all, I've been fishing on the yak for about 2 years now, and about a year and a half ago I fluked a Jewfish. Frankly, I was in awe of it - such a beautiful fish. So I started reading up on them and getting more and more interested in this elusive fish. I mostly fish for bream, but I always secretly hoped for a Jewie. Sometimes I would make half-hearted efforts to target them, but I didn't really know what I was doing. A few months ago, I made a concerted effort to go after them properly and, well, yesterday I got my first targeted Jew. I've been fishing on the yak at night recently. I find yak fishing so much more enjoyable than LB, so I got lights and high vis etc. Also make sure I fish in areas where there will be little-no boat traffic. The cooks is the perfect place for that and I know it quite well, so it's become one of my favourite evening jaunts. Was on the water at 7, at my spot for 7:30, and high tide was around 10:30. Temp was about 17.5 and the current was running hard. Got up to my spot and first cast produced a bream around 30cm - good sign. Then, nothing for 2 hours except for tentative bumps. The current was pumping and making my life difficult (light jigheads are not conducive for current!), and I suspected it was switching the fish off. Once the tide started to switch, I moved to a spot that I suspected might be good, and I could see a bait ball with things underneath it. However, it was now getting late and I had to be up early for work. Just a few casts, thinks I... 10 minutes and I've had a few nibbles, but nothing taking. I go for one last cast, using a slow roll rather than a lift to accentuate the paddle tail action, and then I get a big bump, but no take. Bream often do this, and in my experience the best thing to do is let it sit and they usually come back to inhale. Sure enough, the rod bends, and I strike. I see what everyone means about the head shakes - much more pronounced than you get with a flattie. It came up to the yak fairly easily, and I suspected it might have been a flattie, but when it saw the boat it powered down and I was pretty confident. A few minutes later and I have him in the net. I was very, very happy. Everyone talks about breaking the curse, and I feel happy now that I learned things by catching one. The next will be easier, and there will be a next! I've had so much fun learning about these fish and it was so satisfying for it to pay off. It went just shy of 60 - not a monster, but a good start for me Thanks for reading.

I was there on Sunday on the kayak and didn't see it (unfortunately). Also didn't see as much mullet activity as usual - wondered whether they'd started their run. The shark sightings, though... Had I know about that I might have changed my plans!

Ah, man! I missed the drama! Good on you guys, though - always good moderation on this site. Hope the guys get caught.

Sorry to hear that mate, always a risk when fishing on the yak. I've been fortunate enough to not go in yet, but it's a bit of a right of passage among the kayak fishos!

Mate, bad luck. I will say that getting a sounder for my yak has made fishing 20x better. Get it installed asap! I was in that area on Saturday for a couple of hours. There were kings and bonito around but they were sparse. Wouldn't have found them without the sounder...

So, this is happening: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-01/herpes-to-eradicate-carp-in-murray-river-pyne-says/7373736 Should be interesting.

Nice. Cooks is such a fun system and those little snapper always punch above their weight. Makes me chuckle when I pull one in on a plastic that's bigger than they are.

Hi all, A short while back there was a post, 'why do you fish?' I didn't post in it because I wasn't entirely sure beyond the obvious reasons. While many explained their reasons eloquently and in a manner with which I agreed, this video captured my thoughts perfectly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef7-gA0GS_s Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

My general rule is: if I need an anchor, I'm not fishing! Can't stand the faffing that comes with an anchor... However, after losing a couple of sand anchors, I switched to grapnels. Have never had any bother with them and they work well enough on sandy bottoms, also.

Hi Stunami, EPs are estuary perch. Can't eat from there... It's filthy. However, that's what makes the fishing good. I almost exclusively catch and release anyway, so I tend to target 'polluted' areas.

Haha, thanks guys. Was a good night. Lucky that the girlfriend understand the need to get out to fish. I generally get two passes a week, on of which is always a weekend morning

Hi all, GF had her friends over last night, so I was given the clear for an evening of fishing. Had an itch to get on the kayak, so decided I'd take it out at night. Checked the tides and low was around 7:30, so I hatched a plan to hit the cooks. I've been doing a lot of reading about the efficacy of SPs and lures at night. I've tried before but had limited success. However, lots of people were adamant they work just as well at night. I had bait, but left it at home to remove temptation. Got to Kyeemagh at 6:15 and was on the water by 6:45. On the way, there was lots on the sounder, but it wasn't fish. Geez, that system is mucky! Anyway, after flicking around the first bridge, I reasoned that the bridge further up would be a better bet as it has the streetlights (just to clarify - I have lights for my yak, headtorches, and high-vis, plus I choose the cooks because it's quiet for traffic). 1km later, I'm at my spot and the sounder lights up like a christmas tree. There is bait everywhere throughout the water column, and there were some ominous blobs hanging around underneath. I was giddy with excitement, because I'd expected it to be an awful session! I had my 1-3kg and 1000, and a 2-4 2500, with appropriate sized SPs. Thought I'd stick to my target species (Mulloway) and start with the big rod. Lots of knocks and bumps on the 5" paddle tail, but they weren't hooking up. Oh well, at least I know there's interest. Changed my retrieve to a slow roll and that did the trick. Get a solid hook up and a nice bit of fight. Get it near yak side and see a flash of silver - I am so happy at this point, thinking I'm finally breaking my Jewie drought - Grab the net, bring it closer, and.... Trevally? WTF? I was perplexed, to be honest. Didn't expect them to be in the estuary systems yet, but there it was. Measured her up to ~40cm, then put her on her way. For the next half hour, all I got was failed hook ups. Bite, strike, take, drop. There were a couple that had some serious meat to them, but I'll never know. Figured that I'd switch to the lighter rod and see if a smaller SP would fair better. I had a small shad on, but switched to a tiny paddle tail as that seemed to be getting attention on the bigger rod. First cast - tap tap tap - on. A good fight on the lighter gear, and yet another Trev. Cool, even if I'm not getting my target, I can have fun with these guys all night! Casting closer to the pylons landed me a few average sized bream, but the story predominantly continued with the trevs. Caught 6 trevs (~40cm) and 3 bream (25 - 30cm) in total. Once the current really started to push, the bite slowed, so I was back in the car at 10:15. A great night, and looking forward to another night session. Was very peaceful on the water at that time, even if the planes flying so low over my head sometimes give me the heeby-jeebies! Cheers, Mark

I love Pittwater, but it's been pretty slow this year compared to last and all reports are pretty average. That said, the guys in the tackle shop told me on Saturday that the salmon have moved in early this year. As of Friday, they were hanging around right up the top on the north eastern side. Basically around Barrenjoey. They said there were still some bonito etc. around, but interestingly they were getting reports of good Sampson fish hanging around with the sambo. Inside, a guy on here a short while ago gave the heads up that the pinkies have moved in. So, yeah, hit the heads or up near the open unless you want your bait harassed by tiny reds. (Just what I've heard of late - don't take it as gospel!)

Choppers love that area... Well done for getting in to them. Fantastic area.

For the sounder cable mate, I drilled in a bung hole that I can plug when the sounder isn't in use. However, when it is in use, I've got a rubber bung that I drilled a hole in so I can run the cable through that, then plug the hole. My front hatch is a bloody nuisance in chop, also. Haven't figured a way to stop that yet.

That measurement is around the girth... Wonder how long it was? Thing's a brute!

Good on you mate, glad to hear you're still getting in to them

Hi all, Managed to pop out three times over the long weekend. Girlfriend's mother is in town, which has given me more fishing passes than I would otherwise get. Totally unexpected, but I'll take them where I can get them. The only caveat was that I needed to be back ready to drive them around in the afternoon, so they needed to be quick and local. Rose Bay - Friday Got down to the waters edge at around 5:30 am and readied the yak. No wind and a small threat of a shower, but figured I could get away with it. On the water at first light and headed over to my usual spots where I know the fish hang out. First one, as usual, produced a shed-load of small snapper. A couple of just legals, but I used them as a warm up. Swung up a bit further around Hermitage and sounded some interesting arches. Couldn't get them interested in my lures, unfortunately, but there was plenty of them around. Guessing bonito/kings/etc. Hit the boat hulls for my bread and butter - got a few bream around 25 - 30. Also got a large leather jacket. They're a bloody nuisance because they destroy my SPs, but they're so nice to look at. A few more pinkies on the way back and found a very nice looking new spot. Heaps of bait, drop offs, and arches on the sounder. When I have more time I'll be going back there. Middle Harbour - Saturday Was tasked with getting some flathead for my partners mother, so went to an area I've had luck at before. Would've gone to Narrabeen lake but had to be back for lunchtime. I launched in sugarloaf bay, at a site that Rod and Kraus will remember as a giant nuisance spot to launch from! On the water at 6 - like glass. However I'd forgotten that the area is flooded with yachts and rich folk on bank holidays, so it was busy. Damn. Anyway, made my way in to the bays and got to it. My plan of targeting flathead was soon abandoned when I saw a king next to my yak that had decided to check me out. They were hitting the surface here and there, so I started flinging about my bent minnow. No dice. Had a couple of follows, but they weren't playing ball. Paddled about and got in to some bream for fun. Then remembered the flathead. Got to my usual spots managed a feed for the visitor, although it was hard work. The area normally does OK, but I really struggled compared to normal. All the boats had multiple lines hanging out the back, so I wonder whether it's got a bit of a hammering recently. Iron Cove - Monday Decided to go for a bit of fun at one of my favourite local haunts. Got down there just before six, unloaded the yak, set up the sounder etc., went to get the paddle from the boot and... Bugger. Realised I'd lost it at Middle harbour - must've left it behind at the annoying launch spot. Packed everything back up, locked the yak to a pole and asked some nice fishos if they'd mind keeping an eye on it, then quickly motored back to the house to get my girlfriends paddle. On the water at 7. Wind reports were wrong - it was blowy, but it eased off in periods that made fishing possible, if not ideal. There were tailor everywhere. They were patrolling the bay in large shoals, and they had fun destroying my plastics. Put a metal on for a bit and had a bit of fun with them, but got tired of that pretty quickly. Fished round the island drop-offs and got a couple of small bream and flatties. Looking good so far! With all the tailor around and high tide approaching, I thought I might be in for a shot at a Jew, so I went to an area where I've been smoked by big things before. The sounder was showing a lot of interesting things happening under the water, so I pulled out the big plastic and chucked it about. So many flathead. Every cast pretty much. But then, something different. I got a little excited at the good fight I was getting, but was surprised when a very big bream popped up. He took a big Zman minnow, which is a first for me. He went 38cm - a good fish by any accounts. Wind picked up, so headed back in, picking up a few more flatties and bream along the way. Hope everyone had a good long weekend! Razz