wazatherfisherman

Hi bessell1955 was about 1980-81

Good instructional video! If you're a rock fisher, especially a climber, it's important to learn how to tie a bowline one handed (each hand) If you go in or get injured on a narrow ledge, at least you can tie a thrown rope to yourself quickly and securely. Gives a non slip loop for being "hauled" on. Rolling hitch for guy ropes

Thanks Rebel! Originally, was just going to post the question "what are the biggest schools you've ever seen?" -it turned into a story, so will address the question in near future!

Hi PaddyT great explanation, can't remember seeing those schools of Stripey's for years now either, used to be easy to get them for bait whenever you wanted them

Hi Dieter just makes you realise how many fish are there when you're in "right place right time" Have seen Salmon full of those micro purple oceanic crabs a couple of times

Hi Pete wonder what they're doing when they do that- none of the ones we caught that day had anything in their gut. Those close swimming schools get rock hoppers pulses racing! Nice memories

Hi JimC witnessed the beach haulers netting Blackfish at Yamba, there were thousands of fish sitting off the beach and they filled up several ute's with boxes of them. The haulers just had a small boat and ran the net out from the beach around a mass of fish and pulled it in by hand. Filled up every box they had

Hi Frank can't remember if it was the chimney over the jail or hospital or the big tree and the block of flats- something like that, but same, needed new marks. The huge boils of Tailor always excited me when I was younger- you just knew you were going to get some on anything silver

Hi Noelm spending time on the water you do see awesome sights, I reckon they might have been spawning but will never know. You never hear much about Cowanyoung these days

Hi Yowie I remember seeing Ned Kelly fishermen catching what I thought were giant Yakka's off the end of the Cooks River breakwall and have often wondered if they were Cowanyoung

Hi Masterfisho7 it really was a sight to see

Hi Neil before knowing what Cowanyoung were, we just thought they were monster Yellowtail when sighted in fish shop windows, but they are an important food for large game-fish.

Sitting at home talking to mates of fishy times past and often the topic comes up- "remember when we saw that huge school of such and such?"' Over the years I have seen some amazingly huge schools of fish. Biggest ever was when we were going to the famous "Peak" out off Maroubra on a midweek trip, 3 boats from the club. Long before GPS, and sounders were the old paper type, you needed to be at least close to the area you were going to fish right on dawn, as when using "visual" marks offshore from Sydney, the brown pollution "haze" (from cars I think) would sometimes block you seeing what ever marks you had. This was one of those days, we putted around the general area slowly- you couldn't go real fast or you wouldn't get a decent reading on the sounder- but we just couldn't find the Peak. It was a really flat ocean and we were keen to fish for Kings, but due to not being able to see the shore marks, we never located it and eventually decided on a plan "B"- troll for Striped Tuna and hope the haze lifted enough to see the marks on shore. We trolled for about 15 minutes all within sight of each other and all of a sudden the motor started coughing, so club President John who owned the boat, gave it a few revs then decided to turn the motor off and have a look at it. Don't know what it was, but that was it, couldn't get started again, so we radioed the other two boats to let them know and they came over for a chat. As it was early morning, it was decided that we should drop anchor where we were and the other two would have a troll for a while before towing us back in. So off they went and we decided to drop a jig over, regardless there was nothing on the sounder and we were not over anything structure wise. Better to do something than just watch the others through the binoculars. After sitting there in the early morning sun for a while, not getting any action, in the distance the water looked like it was rippling. Wasn't long before the rippling was close enough to distinguish it was fish and heaps of them. As they got closer, they appeared to be giant Yellowtail, swimming slowly along the surface, the "rippling" was them "mouthing" the surface. If they were feeding, whatever the food was, it wasn't visible to us. We only had Kingfish jigging gear with us, but John had some Yellowtail hand-lines on board and we used a bit of sandwich for bait and caught one pretty quickly. Wasn't a Yellowtail after all, they were Cowanyoung, which are like an oceanic version of Yellowtail except larger- these were around the pound, pound and a half mark and were easy to catch, first on the sandwich, then on bits of themselves after we cut one up for bait. This first school was bigger than a football field and just kept swimming past for about five minutes, leaving the ocean smooth again after they'd gone past. Then, in the distance, more rippling coming our way. This time, the school was much larger, doing the same "mouthing" at the surface as they swam past. After catching a couple of dozen between us, one of the other boats came back to check on us and show us some big Stripey's they'd trolled up. They said there were heaps more fish coming and after seeing we were at least catching something, headed off on another trolling run. Then the next lot started getting closer, this time, as far as the eye could see, there were these Cowanyoung rippling and mouthing the surface. We now had enough for bait, so just sat and watched them swim by as we ate some breakfast. They were heading north and the sound of the "mouthing" was like the sound of rain on the water. Pretty soon, the other boat came to see how we were and show us some of their fish. They were trolling up heaps of nice fish, all around us, but there we were with no motor. They then went off on another run, promising to be back in half an hour or so- it was going to be a long tow back, even in oily smooth seas. As they moved off, a huge explosion of fish not far from the boat, showed something big was attacking the Cowanyoung, so we threw the jigs over, let them sink for about 10 seconds and ripped them in quickly. To everyone's surprise, we got strikes on the jigs (they were large 8 oz jigs) and Slimy Mackerel were quickly dragged in. These were large Slimy's a bit bigger than the Cowanyoung, but a relatively small fish to attack a large lure and we caught quite a few while watching for more big stuff. The Slimy's were under the Cowanyoung and we probably should have thrown a live Slimy over that day, or a Cowanyoung, but we didn't, it just didn't occur to us until we saw the big fish attack the surface school close to the boat. After a while, we were completely surrounded by this enormous bio-mass of fish, all heading north. By the time the other guys finally came back, they had a boat load of fish each and threw us the tow rope. That mass of fish swam past us for more than 2 hours and although they weren't big fish, there were genuinely millions of them. Still remains the most fish I've ever seen and the only time I've ever seen Cowanyoung on the surface. All this and we were only about 4-5 miles out off Sydney. The sight and sound of them was truly amazing. Have since seen huge schools of Striped Tuna, Kingfish and more recently Bonito, also Tailor and the big schools of migrating Mullet, but nothing has ever compared to that day.

Very interesting thanks for posting Derek!

Great fish Rick

Have said it for years, you want to get a fisherman out of bed in the morning, just invent the clock with the alarm that sounds like a ratchet screaming- that'd work for me

Hi Pete I have been known firstly as "fisherman" then as waza-the-fisherman for over 40 years, named by others and it has just stuck, hence when my ex signed me up (good on her for doing it too!) that was what she put up

Hi bessell1955 yes but all in the name of a good time. Fun times every trip regardless of what was biting

Hi Pete yes, boys will be boys! Hell fun though to break the boredom!

When you get a group of guys together and go houseboat fishing for a 5 day trip, sometimes there are "personality" clashes. Close quarter living, especially after a couple of nights of little or no sleep, can take it's toll of those on board. Alcohol had previously been the cause of a few drama's, so we have our own rules as to what is allowed to come on board. It's OK to have a few drinks, expected really, but getting drunk on these trips is out of the question and thankfully all agree to strictly adhere to this condition at the pre-trip meeting. We started doing the 5 day trips instead of the 2 night 'weekend' outings, for several reasons. Firstly, the cost for 5 days midweek was the same as for the Friday to Sunday "weekend"- why not have the extra two nights? Secondly, during the week you were far more likely to get an anchorage or mooring that you desired. Add to this, with the river much, much quieter, more often than not, you'd find some fish without having a heap of other boats come and sit on top of you, after all, in an area as big as Cowan Creek, there is room for any amount of people. Thirdly, for the amount of tackle and gear you would take, to simply put in a few more meals was pretty easy as you already had everything else you needed on board. So for the sake of a few extra meals, it was well worthwhile doing the extra nights. Handy too, to return on a Friday, as that left the weekend to give some "recovery time" and try and realign your sleep pattern, before having to go back to work the next week. Besides, you needed time to clean and dry your gear after a full-on week of fishing. The real focus Is on fishing for Hairtail and mostly centred on the dusk until dawn hours, they are around during the day some years, but generally it's the nights that are the productive times. Other species like Bream, Snapper and Mulloway are also more likely to be around in any numbers once the sun has disappeared behind the hills that surround the river valley, so of a night, the whole crew "fishes hard". By morning, those who've lasted the entire night are both hungry and tired, so the BBQ is fired up for the bacon and sausages, someone does the eggs and baked beans inside and someone else does the toast or rolls. Amazing how the smell of bacon, sausages and onions can stir the crew back to life! After a good feed, the days plans are made. Based on the previous nights action- or lack of- the location for the next night is decided on pretty early, in order to move and then re-moor, taking into consideration that you have to run the motors for at least an hour or so as a minimum, in order to recharge the houseboat's batteries, which run everything including the lights. Anchor up, live bait baskets put into boxes full of water and aerator's powered up to keep bait oxygenated, burley dispenser in, dingy moved to the stern and away you go. Once the location change has been made and the boat moored again to our satisfaction, the live bait baskets are redeployed from their temporary aerated boxes on the back deck (we always take a couple of plastic laundry baskets to house the bait fish we catch), burley dispenser refilled and lowered over. We normally do a general clean-up of the outside decks while underway. Finally all jobs done and a few hours sleep for some, the non sleepers often get in the dingy and head for the sand banks- which are at the end of all the bays- to pump a few pink nippers or just stretch the legs properly. The sleepers get a few hours in and the boat is generally "awake" again by mid afternoon. These trips, there is always a competition of sorts, in regards to biggest fish, most fish and most species. There is also the "blubber award" for biggest whinge and a few other not so wanted "trophy's" for various misdemeanours- the competition is hotly contested, with everyone trying to win a category. Several rules are drawn up at the pre-fish meeting, mainly to enable comfortable fishing more than actually trying to make stringent fishing rules. A couple of the basic rules were NO live bait to be out without lead- the Yellowtail don't take long to find each other and swim around and around, creating giant, impossible tangles. So live bait had a "minimum size" sinker agreed on. NO rods to be left "unattended" for more than fifteen minutes, see above for the reason! If you wanted a breather from fishing, in with the live bait. Dead bait of any sort exempt from unattended rule. NO "sabotage" of Hairtail set-ups, other rods exempt. "Sabotage"?? Yep, sabotage! When Hairtailing, sometimes you have to wait long periods for action and unless you have another line out to fish for other species, it can get a bit boring, particularly during the "resting" daylight hours. So to while away the time, the "lesser" species are targeted in between the bursts of Hairtail action. Lesser rigs were open for sabotage. Not fish losing sabotage, prank sabotage. Sabotage actually stemmed from one particular trip, where a dead Bonito complete with a fillet taken off one side, was sneakily hooked onto one of the first-time fishers light outfits and slipped quietly back over the side. Drag loosened a bit and the unsuspecting fisher, on returning to his rod after using the toilet, picked up the rod, felt the weight and commenced to "play" the dead Bonito, which had been lowered to just off the bottom, straight under the boat. With cries of "get the net, no get the gaff, it's a beauty", all the crew came to see the landing. Of course to my co-conspirator Doug and I, who'd done the sabotage, trying to keep a straight face was pretty hard, with all the excitement happening. As the dead fish was pumped to the surface, along with plenty of excitement and encouragement, the camera was readied as well. When the Bonito was finally "played" to the surface, the unsuspecting fisher (we're still mates!) said "Wow, it's a Tuna!" then as it rolled over next to the boat, exposing the side with the fillet missing he said the funniest thing- "IT IS A TUNA and LOOK A SHARK'S BITTEN IT!!" I nearly fell over the side with laughter, so did Doug, who said "Yep, a shark with a fillet knife"- took a minute or so for the rest of the boys to understand what had happened, but it was really funny. So it began, from then on, ALL first time crew members copped a similar fate every trip. The old hands knew, but nobody ever mentioned it for fear of ruining the fun. If there were no new crew, it didn't stop the sabotage and each trip, the "committee" would secretly elect a "victim" for a prank or two. It's handy to ALWAYS be on the committee. Just NEVER the Hairtail rods, wouldn't be fair "competition-wise" Some of the tricks were as simple as using a clear piece of sellotape around the rod and line, between the 1st and 2nd guides down from the tip, makes it hard to reel in, even harder to cast- this one was obviously only good for after dark. Over the years, these pranks got a little better organised and would usually need "props" to be sought out and "smuggled" on board. One particular year, we had a new crewman, who although well liked by us all, was one of those guys who genuinely talks way too much. Every time there was a lull in conversation, Jonno would start yakking about something, which is OK usually, but not when the "serious" fishing was at hand. He'd been like it when out with us in the Harbour a fortnight before the houseboat trip and nearly driven us mad, running one subject into the next, with hardly a breath between topics. As he was both the "newbie" and the constant talker, he was the perfect next victim for houseboat pranks. Prank "shopping" starts at the $2 shops and usually there's enough things there to "catch", but this year, we wanted to go all out and ordered a special item from the butcher a week earlier than we were leaving. A full pig's head. Once the ears were cut off, when in the water, it looked remarkably like a human head! So the stage was set, once again only two of us knew what was going on and the pig's head was secreted aboard still 3/4's frozen. Due to everybody being on their toes the first night, we waited until the next afternoon before hooking the head onto Jonno's Bream rod and lowering it back over the side. To set this prank up, a story about a fisherman lost in the bay after being pulled over by a big Jewie was talked about and different scenario's concocted on his demise, then we'd constantly been on about "fish with a light drag" when Breaming and after "checking" Jonno's drag a couple of times, convinced him it was too tight and a "good" Bream would "do him" easily up in Cowan, better off playing them gently when out in the deeper water. Sure enough, when returning to his rod after fishing the other end of the houseboat (yes he had a line out each end- also annoying!) he felt the weight and lifting and winding gently as instructed, started to play the pigs's head in. Bravado quickly took over, and as nothing very big had been landed since the night before, Jonno started to carry on about "showing you guys how it's done" etc etc. The gaff was called for and the "beast" played to the surface. Craig, who'd bought the head, asked Jonno what it was as it reached the surface, and after looking at it for a few seconds, said "I'm not sure, but it's alive, whatever it is, put up a pretty good fight". As only the two of us knew what it was, Craig and I were laughing so much we couldn't help with the gaffing and landing of the head. Wasn't until it was on the deck, that it started to dawn on the others what it actually was. Not Jonno, poor bugger still had no idea and just stood there looking at it in wonder. Finally, with the entire crew virtually rolling around on the deck, the penny dropped, Jonno realising he'd been "got". When normality returned a few minutes later, the pig's head was "released" to the river and activities resumed. Later that same afternoon, Jonno also landed a rubber Chicken, followed by a plastic Elephant, a plastic train and finally 2 of the furry mouse cat toys, one on each rod. He received the trophy for "most unusual capture" at the presentation ceremony after the trip. It was a miniature plastic Turkey on a wooden block. And that's how to land a pig from a boat.

Great documentary thanks for posting it

High wizza there used to be 2 different guys who landed their tinny's in the "lake" at the Mattens, had to time it right as there is a constant wave break at the entrance. Once inside it was easy enough to "beach" the boats up the shallow end. Best rock spot in Sydney and legendary for Blackfish

Thanks wizza! Glad you enjoyed it

The next size down, the 2499 is my all time favourite reel

Lets hope these giant aggregations return to both the Harbour and Cowan systems, don't know about Botany Bay though, the place has changed a bit. On a side note, they also regularly catch them in Cairns Harbour up north as well.