frankS

I'll be there Friday Afternoon Trying to get accommodation close to the tavern but they haven't got back to me yet. So far staying Friday night sat night and probably drive home Sunday, but will have to see what happens, IF we fish Sunday I may stay over Sun night as well and drive home Monday. Looking forward to this. Frank

This thread should be made a sticky so that it doesn't get lost in amongst all the other great topics. Took me a while to find it . I'm pretty sure I will be a starter but not sure as yet IF I will be bringing my 4.3m tinnie up or hitch a ride with someone ?. Frank

Peter. I'm pretty sure there will be a general meeting somewhere at a designated place and time so we can all get to meet one another and have a general tongue wag some time during the week end. We can't fish 24 hours a day!! Or can we?. Frank

You done well and that's a great fish nice photo and thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Frank

Thanks guys for the encouragements, I will trying for a mixed bag this time around, last time I went fishing ( Hacking ) I done nothing but squiding with little success but still managed a feed. Will be hitting a few spots and won't be spending much time in any one area for very long, unless of course I find a hole that keeps me busy. Frank

Has there been a date set in concrete as yet ? Time is marching on and it would be good to know when it is happening so members can book accommodation . I know from personal experience that these things take a lot of organising but IF left till the last moment many members won't be able to organise time off or some other aspect that would stop them from turning up. Cheers Frank

Going to try my luck in Botany Bay on Thursday, will hit the water on daybreak and head out to Watts and Yarra Bay , I know the conditions are not the best but I have to go when a mate has the time. Will let you know how I go with hopefully some photos to show you all. Frank

Yowie. I take my hat off to you mate, getting Reds like that in the river I thought couldn't be done, local knowledge and a touch of luck I guess ?. Well done as always and thanks for sharing. Frank

Well I have so many favorite memories it would take a fortnight to write them all up. I grew up in the 50's and none of my family were into fishing so was on my own. My earliest memory's was riding my push bike over to Menai ( from Enfield ) where my sister had a house up in the bush, I would go down to the ferry and wait till the ferry came in and would run onto it with a bucket and collect the Garfish that would be trapped on the gangplank of the ferry. I would fish on the Lagarno side for Briem using cheese for bait ( yes even back then ). Then as I grew up a bit more another sister lived in Lurnea and I would visit here and go down to the Liverpool weir and fish for Mullet, this was the early 60's I met a guy who I became friends with who also liked fishing, we would go down to Tom Uglys and hire a wooden boat with a single cylinder inboard motor, you would start it by turning the huge flywheel, we learnt lots together, we are still best mates. I bought my first boat before I had a drivers licence and my brother in law would drive it down to the river and me and my mate would go fishing and arrange a time for him to come back and collect us. Once I got a licence I started going all over the place and fished all different conditions. I bought a 15 foot half cab and started going outside and getting bigger fish and more species, I traded that for a 17'2" pongrass waverider in 1972 with 120hp Johnson on the back, this was the boat that I caught most fish in. ( still parked on my front lawn, different motor now and haven't used it foe several years but it is centimental to me ) Caught my first Marlin in it was a 244lb Black at the banks off Jervis Bay. I have had many different boats over the years from 12' tinnies to a 28' Bertram and at one stage had 5 boats, got 3 now. But my favorite story and memory that I like to tell people is. I was over holidaying in Britain 1992 and a friend owned and operated the Killin Hotel in the highlands of Scotland and I dropped in to see him, had lunch and he had the rights to a section of the river that ran beside the hotel, he offered me a chance to have a fish and I took him up on the offer. First time in my life I have touched a fly rod, first cast I done OK and he gave me encouragement, second cast I could not believe the result the line came tight and I was onto something, first felt like I snagged up but as the rod began to buckle and jerk all over the place I realised I had actually jagged a fish, well after I don't know how long up come this huge Salmon , didn't measure or weigh it but it would have gone easily 85 cm. Mate kept it for his restaurant and it gave me a memory I will never forget. I haven't touched a fly rod since. Just that once in a lifetime experience will do me for my fly fishing . Well hope I haven't bored you to death and if anyone actually reads all my ravings I thank you for doing so. I have heaps more I could tell. Like Waza a lifetime of fishing and learning and we still learn something each time we venture onto the water, you never know it all. Frank

One of the worst bars on the east coast. I have used it when it was pumping and I tell you it's white knuckle boating. One time the bar was too rough ( even for me ) so I decided to use the creek instead, got out no trouble but coming back I missed the left hand turn just after the surf and ended up beached on a sand bank. My mate being 5 foot 1 inch said I will jump out and push us off the sand. Bloody idiot jumped out the wrong side into the deeper water and went under. Very funny at the time. We managed to get the boat free with a crowd standing up on the hilltop cheering us on, ( no helpers though ) . Next day used the bar again. Great catch and thanks for sharing with us. Frank

Could be a hybred of a Pony fish ( common ponyfish ) .not the best of photos to ID from. Frank

Klaus. Wish I had your knowledge of the waterway, but then it may not be the challenge it is for me now ?. Frank

Sam. I have been fishing the Hacking on and off for well over 50 years and have never quiet mastered it. I have had very good days and have had no show days but never had a day on Port hacking where I have not enjoyed my time there. It's a bit like the Hawkesbury unless you live on OR near the waterway it's hard to master. I will keep going back there and trying, one of my favorite waterways and easy to access. Frank

Jim. That looks nasty, sure would be uncomfortable climbing in and out of a boat, only good thing about it is after 6 months the wife will be well and truly sick of you hanging around the house and may even encourage you to GET OUT and go fishing!!!. It will go by quickly. Frank

I would say the way it is in the photo is, as the camera is the front of the boat. This would alloy the rope to lay in a slightly downward position as it goes through your bow roller and into the water and the bulk of the rope would be toward the rear of the bollard. Will explain it better when you get here. Frank

Mate I,m sure we can get around the rib on the underside of the bow some how. Sorry my phone was in the house and I was down the shed all day. I am home pretty well all the time so whenever you have a few hours let me know and I will get ready for you. Frank

Scratchie. Put my name down, would love to meet a couple of legends of the site, I will only be fishing enclosed waters IF any. I'm sure we will be having a on land get together at a club or something so that would do me. Frank

Ollie. I have an extra heavy duty plastic bollard here that would be better than the cast alloy ones, we can make base plate for added strength ( under deck ) and bolt it on. I guarantee you would be happy with it. Come see me. Frank

Ollie. give me a couple of days to see if I can make a suitable ( but stronger ) one for you. You know where I live and you would need to bring the boat to me. I can either weld it where your existing one is or we could make one with a base plate and you could bolt it on . Have plate under bow for strength. If welded the paint around the weld would need to be re-done. Frank

Sam Great catch and good report. How did you go with the riggers, have you tried them out yet ?. Frank

Neil. I do love getting on the water and catching my targeted species is always a bonus. I would have liked a few more though. I didn't soak a bait or put on a soft plastic all day, just squid jigs which is very unusual for me. I was tempted to throw a hand line baited with something over the side and just drift it along with the flow of the boat , but resisted the temptation as this was just a squid session and I didn't want to get distracted by catching finned fish. Boy how quickly does time go by when you are out enjoying the scenery and the serenity of a great waterway. I do love the Hacking and it doesn't really matter if I catch or not. Just being on the water, I am at peace with the world. There was a couple of fools at the ramp that got my blood pressure up a bit but managed to stay calm and just bide my time. Frank

At one stage I did add 3x tiny split shot to the nose of the jig to try a quicker decent, but nothing seemed to work, just 1 catch in each spot which seemed to be strange to me. Don't know what the colour is called but the TIGER orange and black seemed to attract the ones I caught, I tried several other colours but may be just coincidence but the one jig caught all 4 . Frank

Sorry I been calling it XT when in fact it's XD that's how long since I took any notice of it. Been using Valvolene in my old hat 2 strokes. Frank

Mate the ultimate time to target Squid is during the prawn runs, but these days I can't pick and choose my times or tides it's go fishing when a mate can come with me and as he is a workaholic he doesn't get much free time, so when he says lets go , we go. Frank

Welster. Not these days, there was a place down the south coast I used to target them out about a mile from shore but don't go out through the heads these days. Frank