wttmrwolf

Just got back from a late night working to read all these hilarious posts. Too funny. I can't get the picture out of my head of this School Jew swimming past a bait with his buddies going "ITS MINE, ITS MINE, WATCH ME EAT THIS FIRST" and then getting hauled off into the darkness as his mates snigger at him. The funny comment about no decent Jew's in the hacking - only 1 Jew in the hacking

Much to my amusement I caught the same Jew last night in the hacking. Slightly modified rig. Same location around the same period of the falling tide. This time I had 2 hooks pinned in a huge yellowtail fillet. 4/0 Light circle at the tip and 6/0 circle down at the fat end. It goes to show they aren't too fussy about food when they are on the chew. Last time it was frozen self caught squid. This time frozen self caught yellow tail. It was also good to see the circle hook do its job and only hook the corner of the mouth. This poor fellow didn't need any more damage after being caught on Saturday night. You can see its the same fish by the damaged scales up near the dorsal fins. Quick question - can you get something to tag small fish for research? (The first photo is sat night and the second photo is from last night)

Sylvania, no more squid. I tried for another 3 hours to catch squid so I could put some fresh bait on the hook but nothing. By the end of the session I was putting on squid heads from a previous catch. Might head down there this Wednesday night for another go.

He/she definitely went straight back in after some photos with the paparazzi. Didn't put up much of a fight. I called it as a bream when it hooked up.

I caught a small 40cm Jew tonight off the wharf. First cast around 11pm and I was on in 10mins. Bait: Frozen self caught squid strip. Hook: 1xOctopus 4/0 Leader: 20lbs fluoro MainLine: 14lbs braid Rod: 12' beach Barometer:1024 and steady Had one bigger hit about midnight but no hookup. Also caught a blue swimmer crab around 3am. This is my second Jew so pretty happy the system works. Happy fishing. Ben

1x 40cm Jew. Released to fight another day. Thanks to Sylvania (fellow raider) for the company and the squid

Off to hit the hacking tonight. Looks really nice outside at 10:30pm. Not much wind and no rain. I'll be down at Wally Wharf targeting Jew if anyone wants to join me. Ben

Hi folks, I totally understand the point of just getting out on the water and fishing, busy lives etc. It's for the exact same reason that I plan trips. I look at it this way. If I can only fish one night until 3am because I have work the next day which night is going to give me the most fun. I have hours to kill while I am at work or waiting for the wife/kids to go to bed. I can handle 1 night a week with 3 hours sleep The funny thing is I got impatient last night and went fishing until 2am targetting Jews. That was fun with 30knt winds! The squid were active at least.

The barometer seems to be holding steady as the storms hit Sydney. Would love to test the theory that fish binge feed on a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure. The barometer has been in the 1020-25 range for over 4 days now. Obviously its a hassle to measure changes in barometer when out fishing (except if you have one of those watch gauges). Maybe everyone could post the time that they catch fish in the next few days and we'll see if there is an increase in catch rates that corresponds with a sharp barometer change. Since the atmospheric pressure is pretty consistent across Sydney we might be able to get enough reports to pickup a change in catch rates. Here is a link to see current hPa in areas around NSW Observatory Hill - http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60901/IDN60901.94768.shtml Airport - http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60901/IDN60901.94767.shtml Lake Mac - http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60901/IDN60901.95767.shtml Norah Head - http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60901/IDN60901.95770.shtml Happy fishing

No fishing for me tonight, its pouring rain. I might be keen but not that keen. You can bet I'll be out the moment this rain stops.

Jewgaffer is the one to listen to if you are going to take one persons advice. I'm watching that barometer closely. I'm off to wallys wharf tonight if it looks like a move outside the 1021-1023 band we have been in for days now. I've noticed different parts of the hacking fish better at certain tides but weather seems to set the overall mood of fish feeding. I seem to catch most fish in a 30min period between top and bottom of tide. Direction doesn't seem to matter. Last Monday bitter cold caught 34cm bream and snapper off wharf on fresh squid strip. No Jew unfortunately. Looking outside tonight feels "fishy".

Picked up this old punt for $200 including 5HP outboard. I've already been stripping paint from the interior for a few nights but there is so far to go it doesn't really matter that I didn't get photos from day one. I'll add more photos as I go. This is the plan.... Strip as much paint off as possible with the remaining 2L of stripper Soda Blasting Epoxy Putty Fill holes Etch Prime Undercoat spray Topcoat spray Install false floor Bait tanks Anchor well and storage hatch Rod holders Lighting Then go fishin' Ben over 12ft long, really happy with the shape the inside started with 60% orange enamel paint ontop of 2 undercoats tonight I finished stripping the front section found this nice hole under some putty, mmmmmmm

LOL - I was driving along the beach at Cronulla and I saw that bait school about 2-3km off the coast late in the afternoon. The gulls were going crazy. Was half thinking about running home to launch the boat. I'm glad someone got out there in the action. There was no boats nearby when I saw the gulls. Was this late Saturday?

Was that you that posted those 2 Jew pics. Very impressive. The tide and moon seemed right for Jew but the fish just weren't near Wally's. Might be easier with a boat but I just settled in for a few hours and couldn't be bothered moving. Do you remember what time the action started in the Georges? I'd be interested to hear what time they were active on your fishing trip.

Headed down to wally's wharf armed with a cordless drill and some new rod holders. Not going to give up a Jew because the reel isn't in gear It was dead, sat from 11pm to 2:30am with only 1 tiny squid which I used for livebait. Yakka's had departed and no Jew action out wide. Not surprised there were no Jew around with the absence of live bait. I know if I was a big predator fish I wouldn't be hanging about. In my opinion the barometer has been too stable for days. Any fish that was hungry has had its feed by now. The guys next to me caught 1 numb ray, 1 crab and 1 octopus. The critters were definitely about. Just thought I'd give you all an update on the Hacking.

Thanks Jon, That restoration you did on your boat gives me hope. I'm at the early stages where I'm still full of energy and scraping away paint using stipper. I was up until 2am last night. The neighbour popped his head out the window to see what all the racket was, woops. Now I've just spent all morning at work reading all your posts. I'm using up the last tin of stripper then taking it for a soda blasting quote. I figure if I remove all the stubborn paint when they quote it will be a bit cheaper. I've removed 90% of the paint from the inside. Yay! I loved the idea you had to wrap in plastic after blasting. Would be a shame to get any grime or corrosion before painting. Luckily I have a spray gun. Need to build a spray booth in my garage with plastic sheeting. I don't think the kids will like the smell of 2 pac paint wofting up into their bedrooms (or the ) Wait until people see how old this punt is. They will think I've gone completely insane. It fills time while I wait for the right conditions for Jew fishing. Later this week should be good. thursday or friday I'm taking a break from boat repairs to catch some fish. Ben

Hi jon, I'm interested in the process you went through on your boat. Did you use a car repair style bog to "fill" small dents? Not sure if I should try my hand at panel beating or filling. Did you find a good bog? Found a soda blasting shop nearby. Got a quote over the phone of about $400-$500. I think I'll use up the last 4L of stripper I have on the stubborn paint so when he quotes properly I can get it down below $300. Its going to be a few late nights this week with the gas mask on. Fun fun fun. Ben

Thanks for all the advice peoples I agree the stripping is turning into a royal pain in the backside. I'm calling around to see if I can get it sandblasted and save some $$$ on stripper. Used over 1 L to strip a tiny section. I'll be starting a thread soon with some photos so you can all follow along for the ride. Thanks again for all the tips. This is more a pet project because I have an empty double garage and I don't sleep that much.

Hi Folks, Picked up an old punt for $200 with 5HP and its a bit worse for wear. No major leaks but it looks haggard. I bought all the sanding gear (rotory disks, brushes) but it taking for ever to take off the old paint. Can I use paint stripper to dissolve off the old paint. I bought some citrus paint remover which does nothing except smell nice. I'm want to use the strong paint stripper but is it going to eat through the hull? Interested to hear others thoughts. Maybe a chemist is in the house. Ben

I was casting straight out. Check out the pic I got from http://maps.google.com You can see the bottom drops off into deeper water parallel to the wharf. I don't think it matters which way you cast out. My theory is the Jews come in through the deep channel then follow the ledge around past the wharf. I just need to work out which way they are heading. Are they going back into the hole (left of the wharf) as the water level drops or heading back out to sea or going back up past lilli pilly baths? Maybe someone with more experience can hazard a guess. In theory it would be possible to catch them as they go one way then then back the other way hours later. Maybe with a bit of current the bait lifts up off the bottom and its easier to catch Jews.

No pressure of course I'll be picking my nights but it won't be long before I'm out there again trying to repeat the exercise. Especially after I realised how nice Jewfish tastes. Feed 7 hungry italians at the inlaws. They were skeptical of my asian receipe but OMG it tasted amazing. http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=43235

You said it Jewgaffer. I was watching this all weekend and when I got home on tuesday looking at the weather intuition told me it was going to be a good night for fishing. I am fully onboard your theory of barometric pressure having a large impact on fishing. I've been diving for years and I never knew what it was but some dives there was no fish life AT ALL. Ironically most diving occurs when its been sunny and windless for days on end. Go out for a dive when there is a break in the weather and its crazy down there. I'll be testing this theory over the coming weeks to see if I can repeat my Jew catch. Targeting nights where the weather has just cleared after stong wind and rain. ie rise in barometer. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again Jewgaffer. PS posted in fishing reports.

Caught my first Jewfish on Tuesday night in the hacking. I actually posted in Fishing chat asking if anyone wanted to join me (see - http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=40357) Photo of the beast attached. It was only 75cm 4kg but still lots of fun on 14lbs braid. Good to get a feel how they fight. Textbook run at the start kind of gave it away. I dropped 3 before I hooked this one. The first 3 times I had the beach rod on the ground and drag loose. Got a good 5+ meter run each time but the fish dropped the bait. The wharf was packed with people fishing for yakka so I had no choice but to lie rod down while passing the time fishing for bream. As it got late and the wharf emptied I found a rod holder and tightened drag to fighting tension. Not long after I saw the tip of the rod tapping. Before I got to the rod BANG, ziiiiip. Nearly pulled the rod out of the holder. The fish caught itself. Yakka fillet pinned once through the tip. Couple of big fast runs and then it was tired. Easy job bringing it back to land. Luckily one of the others had a net. I figured the moon was right and over the weekend we had the first strong april westerlies. On the forum some people were chatting about the mullet run starting in april when the westerlies hit. Apparently all the mullet migrate out of the esturies into open ocean. I figured the Jew might be more active if the mullet were moving. Big THANKS to jewgaffer and tide'n'knots, it was the combined theories of these 2 legends that helped me land a Jew. 4th ever Jew session so it pays to listen to those guys. Here are the technical details for all the fisho's who get into this: * 12ft beach rod * 14lbs braid with 20lbs fluro leader * 5/0 octopus hook * yakka fillet * drag set around 2kg (fishing drag) * bait cast over a ledge where bottom dropped from 6m to 12m * runout tide half way between high and low * wind WSW steady for 2 days * barameter had risen from 1014 to 1022 during the afternoon * southerly wind change around the time I hooked fish * and this is the big one - intuition was screaming that Tuesday night felt REALLY fishy Thanks to everyone on this forum for their advise. There was enough info here for me to put together enough pieces of the puzzle to catch that first jew in only 4 session. Happy fishing.

photo

Bingo!!! I caught a 75cm Jew 4kg at Wally's Wharf. 2am on the runout tide. Before everyone goes running down to the wharf a lot of theory went into tonight Apparently there were over 15 people on the wharf last week so its harder than you think to get a line in the water. Big THANKS to jewgaffer and tide'n'knots, it was the combined theories of these 2 legends that helped me land a Jew. 4th ever Jew session so it pays to listen to those guys, thats my tip anyway. Photos coming soon. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sleep time. Kids awake in 2 hours.