Wellzy94

It looks like a Shimano Sonic Pro, I got a similar bundle deal a while back but opted for the Sienna 2500.

All in an hours work! Nice catch, but I reckon the snapper would've been a much nicer take home than that cat food! Cheers, Wellzy

Awesome! I'll definitely give those rigs a go.

Sent you an email Chantelle!

Hi Raiders! Aiming to catch some Garfish to use as bait this weekend, but I've never targeted them before. A couple questions: 1) With the float, whats the debate with a stem float set to lie flat, and stand as a bite indicator vs using splitshots to make the float stem hover above the water? Is it just preference, or is one way better? 2) berley and bait combinations. Bread for bait, bread with tuna oil for berley? Are there any better options? 3) location. Does it matter where you are? Do they favour structure? Edit: 4) What size hooks, if I'm aiming to catch and use as bait? Thanks in advance! Cheers, Wellzy

Not at the social this weekend, but after them again the following weekend! Looking forward to seeing more updates of the hairys! Cheers, Wellzy

@sambros im also new to chasing hairys, I had two rods weightless and two with a small sinker.

My rig was knottable wire trace (about 1/2 metre) with a red glowstick attached just above a single hook, with half pilchards as bait.

I caught two a couple weeks ago, just got lucky enough for them to hook themselves! Still a lot for me to learn

@Fisho.sid We were getting bites all through the night that showed the typical hairtail characteristic. Bites started and first fish was caught not too long after it got completely dark (~7pm from memory), and they dropped in frequency around 2:30am. Hope it helps!

There are most definitely hairtail there! Just a much steeper learning curve to work out how to hook them than a lot of other species. The 9th/10th will be my third night out chasing hairies, maybe third time lucky! Fingers crossed.

First fishing report, please be gentle! 6 of us went out in 2 boats overnight in Cowan Creek, chasing hairtail. Boats in at Apple Tree Bay boat ramp at around 5pm, setup and ready to go in waratah bay by 6. The hairtail were definitely there! All 6 of us lost a bunch, mainly due to lack of experience trying to keep them on the hook. In the end, one person on my boat landed 2, both around the 1m mark. Skipper landed a good size tailor, measuring 32cm, and I caught my first ever Jewfish, measuring 66cm. The other boat was less action with only one fish caught, but it was a whopper 1.65m hairtail. We all plan on making a full weekend trip on the Hawks on the 9/10th July and getting a day chasing flathead and bream before settling up Cowan for more hairtail. Sorry for the lack of pics, my hands were too cold to come out of my pockets! Ill make sure to get some on our next trip (if we catch any). Cheers, Wellzy

Exactly what I was looking for, cheers Scratchie!

I was using pretty much bream gear, maybe a touch heavier. Thanks for the advice!

Hi raiders! Tried my luck at hairtail fishing last weekend, with a little bit of luck. Hooked a few but lost a LOT more. Any pointers to getting them to stay on the hook? Should I be striking at all, or will they hook themselves with a bit of patience?

Hi all, My name's Luke, and I'm from Penrith. I'm 22, and I've always loved fishing but only really started to hit the waters in the last 6-12 months. Previously I'd just drop a line in on holidays and never catch anything. I joined a fishing club near me a few months ago, and found FR while doing some research on target species (club hairtail night!). I joined the forum so I can get involved with discussions and hopefully learn a few things from the more experienced anglers here! My hobbies include fishing (obviously), soccer (indoor and outdoor), and on the odd occasion I dust off my old guitar and bass guitar. Due to not owning a boat, I'm restricted to land based fishing, but I'm finding some good spots in the fresh and salt! If anyone from the west is looking for a fishing partner for a day, feel free to hit me up via PM! Cheers, Luke

As topic states, I'm looking for someone to teach me the ways of freshwater fishing. Im in Penrith so Nepean River is a local spot for me, but on occasion I'd be happy to travel to learn. Im free most saturdays! I have all my own gear, and I'm happy to splash a bit of money for extra bits (lures etc)

Any suggestions on recommended oils to use for oiling reels? Rain this weekend, might service my gear.

I want legal size mullet though, my understanding is poddy can only be used for live bait, and on the day

Hey there! Long time reader, first time poster. Im going out for an overnight at the end of June for hairtail, but during the day I'll be chasing bream + flathead. Before then I'm hoping to get a hold of some mullet to fillet and freeze as bait, and I was hoping to try and get some pointers for rigs and landbased spots. Anyone able to help a newbie out? Edit: Forgot to add, I'm in the Penrith area. Was planning to drive to somewhere on the Hawkesbury for the mullet! Edit 2: would I be better off just going freshwater for them?