whiskey299

Tried to catch some live bait today but was struggling so decided to skip that part and chase the target fish. Had the 150g jig ready and it didn't take long to locate the school. Managed to boat 4 kingfish in 20mins and then the school disappeared and I suspect it was startled by a passing boat. I finally managed to catch a few yakkas on the sabiki and hooked one up to my poor man's downrigger (8oz sinker). The yakka got taken but the hook pulled! I suspect the kingfish was small and greedy and couldn't fit the entire yakka in it's mouth which is why the circle hook couldn't connect properly. After a few hours I managed to locate another school, dropped a butterflied yakka down and they wouldn't touch it. Dropped my the knife jig and instantly hooked up. Screen shot of my downscan showing the kings snubbing the butterflied yakka. All fish were released

Well done Chris!

Kato Oracle 150g bought from BCF 4 years ago, they don't sell them anymore. Any sort of knife jig or slowjig will work if they're in the mood.

I'm no expert at catching squid, but I've caught a few on slowjigs over the years especially on the lighter jigs as the slow falling action gives them time to attack. I've even caught a huge arrow on sabiki lol.

If you haven't already seen from social media recently there's plenty of kingfish around in the harbour.The kingfish were very hungry in the morning and were taking the 150, 80 and 40g jigs. 6 were boated, 4 were released. Kept a 75cm and 68cm. Lost 2 good sizes near the kayak. Not much squid around but I did manage a couple. Water temp 17.3

Thanks Chris. Pearlie was caught on small piece of slimy on 2/0 j hook.

We dropped into Artificial Reef and quickly stocked up on slimy and yakkas on the sabiki. Using a 1oz sinker I found that all I could catch were tiny yakkas while my mate was loaded up with slimys. Quickly changed to a 2oz sinker and that fixed that issue. Swell was as predicted 1.2-1.3m with a really short 6sec period, not great conditions but still fishable. A 3oz sinker would struggle to reach the bottom so I switched to 4oz and only used a single piece of small bait on my double paternoster rig to reduce the drag. This made it fishable but not ideal as the line was no where near vertical. First spot was unproductive so we moved and that's when the action started. I landed my PB Pearl Perch 41cm and was over the moon. IMO one of the best eating fish Sydney has to offer. Not long after hooking more mowies, pigfish and the odd snapper a school of Trags swam past and we had lots of fun. While winding up a small mowie something grabbed it and started peeling drag and then let go. At first I thought it was a shark but when I got the mowie to the surface it was still intact with a big grab mark around it's body. Obviously not a shark as it would have been easily cut in half. A few minutes later my heavier setup buckles over and it's a good fish, even with a decent amount of drag line is pulling away and before I know it I'm cut! I'm devastated but that's fishing. Not long after that Captain Isaac was hooked onto something big, taking his time the fish surfaces and it's a stonker Jewfish! After a brief tense moment of them trying to bring the fish in closer to net, I reassure them it's suffering barotrauma and it's going no where. We measured the fish and it's a 1m specimen and his new PB caught on a Nomad Squidtrex 130mm lure he had just bought yesterday. I ended up switching to various slowjigs and settled on a 150g as the current was just too strong to keep the line vertical. After 15mins I'm tired, put the slow jigging rod in the holder, back off the drag and let the swell do the hard work, this technique is called lazy jigging and is possible on lumpy day like this. 15mins later the slow jiggin rod bends over, success! Taking my time and enjoying the moment a 60cm snapper surfaces. Things start to slow down by midday and the whales are happily breaching near by, nothing beats some free entertainment. I spot what I thought was a massive kingfish on the surface, but then call out tuna. I cast my slow jig at it and work the lure, it's interested, very interested as it gets closer we realise it's a mako about 1.2m or larger. It takes the jig and I feel the rod load up, it darts around the motor and then swims back out and leaps into the air and spits the hook. I'm devasted again, but that's fishing! Other fish that were caught: Maori Wrasse Scorpion fish Pike Trevally Flathead Sergeant Baker Lots of velvet jackets on jigs and bait On the way back to the boat ramp we released 20 slimy/yakkas in the harbour. Hopefully they stay around and help restock bait in the local area.

I struggled to catch any bait on the weekend and could only manage a decent arrow squid which I was undecided if I would keep to eat or use as live bait. Go big or go home as my mate would say, so I rigged it up to a 6/0 circle with a treble stinger. Dropped it down about 10m and while I wait I make myself a cup of hot laksa noodles. Nothing beats a warm meal on a cold morning! While munching on the noodles I see some solid marks under the livie. Before I know it, the line it twitching and rod buckles over. After a short tussle I get it to the surface and it’s a kingfish and the treble is barely hooked on the gill. I back off the drag and carefully net the fish. A quick measure and it’s undersized 64cm and sent back home. Desperate to find more live bait I moved to various wrecks. On the way to the last wreck I spot some solid marks, drop my light rod setup with a 20g slow jig and it’s gets smashed as the 12lb leader pops. I loose contact with the school so I continue to the last wreck and come up empty. On the way back I spot the school again but this time I had my slow jigging rod setup with a 150g knife jig (I bought this jig 4 years ago and have been carrying it for a day like this 😂). Drop the jig straight to the bottom jig it once, twice and I’m on straight away. It’s a good fish, the drag is screaming but there’s no structure around so I take my time playing the kingfish and enjoy the moment. Quick measure and it’s a keeper 70cm, couldn’t be happier, I ikejime and bleed it straight away. There’s no point in catching anymore as I’m more than happy with the one keeper so I pack up and head back to ramp. I did catch a few spotted bigeye and flathead while wreck hopping all caught on a 30g slow jig and released.

We decided to explore new areas around the Sydney Eastern Suburbs and we had a great day hopping all over the place discovering new structure. We fished in depths from 60-70m range trying to target pigfish and trags (thanks to @Larkin for pointing this out). We caught slimy mackerel at Artificial for bait and caught a wide variety of species using a simple paternoster rig using 1/0 and 2/0 hooks.The captain also managed to crack his pb snapper measuring in at 63cm.All fish were brain spiked, bled in a bucket and then bathed in an ice slurry. A practice I have converted my fishing friends to follow as they can see the benefits.On the way back to the boat ramp, we released the remaining live yakkas and slimies on a wreck inside the harbour.Kingfish (undersized)Snapper (some good sizes 38 - 63cm)Pigfish (awesome eating largest 39cm)Trag (awesome eating)Trevally (great for sashimi)Grey mowie (no surprises here at this depth)Maori Wrasse (surprised to see them at this depth)Sargent baker (kept a few for soup! WTF)Nannygai (awesome eating)Goat fish (awesome eating)Ocean perch (awesome eating but too small released)Longfin perch (awesome eating but too small released)Bluespot Flathead (dropped at surface!)Sweep (surprised to see them at this depth)Pike (they are everywhere)

Get a cushion for your kayak seat, it's the best thing I have done. You can buy premade ones or do it yourself. I chose the later as I wanted a custom fit. Measure up the size you want, goto clark rubber website and choose the High Density Packaging and Seating Foam (50mm). To cover the foam you can make your own or just buy a premade outdoor cushion cover.

Well done on catching a few drummer. Using a type 1 ISO rod to target drummer is certainly going light in my books but hey if it works why stop!

Did some more searching, I think this is a southern herring https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2054

Here’s another photo which might show the black tips better

Yea I think you’re correct looks like this https://getfishing.com.au/speciesid/australian-herring/

Caught in the Hawkesbury River on sabiki. doesn’t look like a silver biddy.

Been using Charisma floating line for the past 5 years without any issues. like with any other line everyone should check for scuffs and nicks after a good tussle! Just some of the fish I’ve cause using a iso setup and this line

Nice work! What lures are you using to troll with and how fast do you normally go?

I am heading there in mid to late September. I hope the conditions improve by then. Any recommendations will be appreciated.

Crikey 20km! Well done! When the conditions are good I may give Longreef a crack one day, although I'm not sure about doing this in winter, just the thought of a wet launch in the kayak makes me want to stay home lol!

Trevally sashimi is really nice, the larger the fish, the more fat content it has and you notice it when cutting the fish as you can see an oily residue on the knife. I catch, fillet and slice. My wife makes the sauce and plates it.

Ignore the dead sardine in the bucket, they die very quickly and are impossible to keep alive. But I've had atleast 8 yakkas in there no issues with the water pump. IMG_0217.MP4

I am using this 12l bucket from bunnings on my kayak. It's not too big and low profile and the width is perfect for my kayak. I also bought a chopping board from kmart as a lid. Even with a lid the odd yakka will jump out when opening, lol. https://www.bunnings.com.au/oates-12l-translucent-rectangular-window-clean-bucket_p4483745 I tried using aerators and just hated them due to the noise. So I installed a 12v 5w water pump at the bottom of the kayak, this has been working well so far and on the plus side the water pump can be used like a deck hose.

I don’t know what the survival rates are but I do the following to ensure they have the best possible chance: 1. I immediately pierce the bladder to relieve the pressure. Using a hyperdermic needle or even a bridle rig needle works. When piercing the bladder I poke the needle behind the pectoral fin and you can usually hear it deflating. 2. I use a home made release sinker consisting of a 500g sinker and a blunt gaff hook. This is used to send the fish back to the bottom 3. I try and release the fish back as quickly as possible to minimise the damage from barotrauma BTW the thing protruding from its mouth is the stomach, not the bladder so it’s important to not pierce this organ. I have a video of the release sinker in use

thanks all, mystery solved!