wazatherfisherman

Careful with those big puffers Steve, they can bite hooks clean in half! We spotted one at Cremorne wharf on our recent fishraider trip with Big Neil

You don't need rock plates if you fish off the top ledge but if you are going down below or in the semi-circular bay you'll need them. When the seas are calm, if you're feeling energetic and want to see some huge kingfish, the "Gulf" at South Curracurrang is worth having a look at also. There are always bait fish present and usually squid and pike in the gulf, in turn attracting some un-landable sized kingfish(well over 30 kg)-you often see them cruising around, going right up in the gulf itself. I've caught heaps of kings off the rocks on live bait and a lot of smaller ones on lures and I got "destroyed" there heaps of times without ever landing a decent one at the gulf. It is a low swell spot only and the most kings there from late October. Also good spinning for Bonito and smaller pelagics. Rock plates needed and it's another 20 min walk around the rocks from reddie spot. It's easily visible on google maps just look for the big gutter going well into the cliff face

The National Park spot is fairly well known amongst rock fisho's but not often fished as it fishes best in bad weather. The best time(the only time we used to go there) is after a BIG southerly has blown for at least 2 days. The bigger the sea and swell the better- you just need the wind to ease off, or have it coming from the Southwest as then it's behind you. The spot is easily found- go through the Park and take the Wattamolla turn off, park in the top(most southerly) car park. There is a large fire-trail with a barricade to prevent vehicular access, follow it as it goes S/East. It becomes the walking trail to Curracurrang and is part of the coast walk that stretches from Otford/Bulgo to Bundeena. It's a really well defined track, which for the most-part is in sight of the ocean and leads to Curracurrang Bay. It will take you roughly 20-25 minutes walk. When you get to the Bay, the track goes down and crosses the creek, immediately across the creek a couple of smaller tracks branch to the left towards the sea. They are fairly well used as they lead to a few other fishing spots including "The Gulf"- a well known haunt of large Kingfish(bugger of a spot to land a big one from though). You basically take the one closest to the edge and follow it along the top, you will be up about 10-12 metres above where the creek empties into the bay. If you look on google maps at Curracurrang Gully south of Wattamolla you'll see where the creek becomes a distinct "V" shaped bay, as the bay widens, if you follow the southern side, it curves even further south forming a smaller semi-circular bay. Looking at the map, the spot you're after is the point of the V and the start of the semi circle. There is a nice safe high spot about 12 metres above the water, right at the mouth of the V. You can fish below here, but it's easier to fish off the top as you can easily cast to the visible sand patch- this is the spot to cast at. If you go there in daylight and have a look first you'll see the spot to aim at, however if you want to catch a red it is best fished after dark, as they seem to come into the bay in darkness and go off the bite when dawn breaks. The rig is basic- you need about 10-12 kg line and a decent rod capable of winching a decent sized fish up- we all use Alvey reels and 11 kg line. A 60-90 gm ball sinker above a swivel and about 40 cm of 9-10 kg leader down to a 5/0 suicide(Mustad "Big Red pattern are o.k)- bait is Bonito, Striped Tuna or Garfish. You cast out and sit down holding your rod- they absolutely "slam" the bait at this spot and are easily hooked. If you get a big one and have a cliff gaff they work well here, if not you can walk the fish either way and wash them up, but my advice is if they are under 3 kg to winch them up. Other fish caught off the top are large Bream, Tarwhine and occasional Tailor and Salmon. When the sea has been(or is) rough, heaps of cunje gets washed into the semi-circular bay and this attracts large numbers of Rock Blackfish,Silver Drummer and Luderick, which can be caught by using a booby cork and prawn, crab or cunje bait. The spot isn't wave-washed and is safe in big southerly seas. As I stated earlier, it's the place to go when the weather is really bad and there are usually reds there in foul weather. Most of the fish are in the 1 to 2.5 kg range, but I know of quite a few caught there much larger than that. Don't bother going there in calm conditions as the fish simply aren't there. Once you've been there in daylight to get a feel for the spot, we've found that getting there and starting fishing a couple of hours before light is the most productive, no matter what the tide. Good luck if you decide to give it a go, if you go and fish there a couple of times you'll break your reddie drought. Cheers Waza

What I did learn from Wally was that those really big Reds come right into the edge of the rocks all the time and the way to fish for them is with large baits and no lead. He only used Blackfish gut or Garfish that he trolled for out of his canoe in Batemans Bay. He never used pilly's for them, saying they didn't hold up for long enough in the turbulent wash area and also attracted too many pickers. The 'corner' where he hand-lined them was a spot that 99% of people would have walked straight past, in fact we used to fish one spot only 15 metres north and another about the same to the south and in years fishing that close to "the" spot only caught about 8 or 9 big ones(that I can think of) between 7 of us. I got 1 on gut and 1 on a Garfish in "the" spot, but caught a heap of port jacksons and other vermin species while trying. We used to get a fair few smaller ones- 1 to 3 kg using fresh caught Bonito strips about 100 metres further along the platform, throwing wide with a sinker, but I never saw even 1 big one get caught from this less reefy location. I can give you a spot in the National Park where you'll have a good chance of a decent(1 kg +) one if you're interested.

Yes he's a legend, climbing 450 foot cliffs at his age was something most people can't even imagine. After having a hernia, his Dr insisted he only carry 7kg in his pack so he used to fillet and skin all his fish, when he got a big Snapper or had whole fish to weigh in comps, we'd carry them for him(he didn't like us doing it but agreed to follow his Dr's orders). The interesting thing re the gut as Snapper bait was that he only ever got really big fish- nothing under about 10lb on the old scale. The biggest one I saw him get weighed 8.5kg cleaned(in a club comp you had to gut and scale and leave head on), but he caught a few he said were bigger than that, making them well over 20lb on the old scale. He won one Syd Metro title with 3 caught from a ledge known as "Magpie" that was roughly 50-60 feet above the water, the 2 largest 5.5kg and 8.5kg(these were weighed with guts in) were caught on gut and the "small one"(his words not mine!) 4kg was caught on a garfish he caught himself at his Batemans Bay holiday house specially for Snapper bait. By-catch on Wal's Snapper line included Bream and Tarwhine well over 4lb and Tailor over that size (he considered the Tailor pests!) I used the gut successfully for huge Bream but it took me years to finally catch a Snapper on it(5.5kg)- There was something Wal never let on I reckon!

I used to go to Yamba every year for a couple of weeks fishing the legendary middle-wall for Blackies by day and Bream at night. This was before the days of bag limits and there were hundreds of Blackfish caught by fisho's staying in the caravan park(Blue Dolphin) every day, so many in fact, that the caravan park had a 'raft' next to the cleaning tables which you put all the frames, heads etc on and a couple of times a day a park worker would tow the raft out and push them off into the river. First day I was there I saw blokes going through the Blackfish frames on the raft scrounging any gut that was left. Went out the next day and caught a heap (like everybody there)and while carrying the keep-nets to the cleaning tables had blokes run towards me shouting "do you want the gut?- can I have it if you don't want it?" All the non-blackfishing fishermen would race to the cleaning tables every day as someone arrived with Blackfish, hoping to get the gut as it was so highly prized as Bream bait. The more weed in the gut the better. Back in Sydney, Wally McLuckie who fished the base of the Mattens cliffs in the eastern suburbs until well into his eighties, used to insist we all threw our Blackfish waste into the same corner every time we cleaned our fish, out of respect for Wally we all did. He would spend about half an hour at the end of each trip with his trusty 40lb handline and a single 6/0 suicide loaded up with Blackfish gut fishing in this particular corner. Lost count of the times he'd get a Snapper OVER 5kg on the gut and skillfully play it out until floating and then wash it up- (no mean feat with a handline either!) Wally won the Sydney Metro Rock Champion Titles(Veterans) many,many times with huge Snapper, about half of them caught on Blackfish gut

Thanks mate! Neil can put a photo of it hanging off a cod's jaw! Regards Waza

Hi Neil yes the Aeroplane was for you- you're the only cod fisherman I know so I thought it was appropriate you should have one, I've got another couple in the collection. Glad you enjoyed your time in Sydney and happy fishing

P.S I hope you guys catch some fish on my 'odd' shaped lures!

I also had a great time meeting everyone and look forward to seeing you all again. Pity we couldn't find a John Dory just to show everyone, but that's fishing sometimes. Hope you get a nice big cod on the aeroplane spinner Neil, your knowledge of the big green fish is impressive and Frank I really enjoyed reminiscing about kings, tuna, hairies etc, you also have much knowledge to share and I look forward to another fish with you also. Derek, Michael and Andrew we will have to also catch up for a fish as you guys are top blokes as well, and have developed great harbour skills. It was also nice to meet Jim, Ojay and Nat at Franks and thanks also to Frank and his lovely wife Val for inviting us all to their place for the bbq. It's great fun being a Raider.

You must have just missed us, hopefully there may be another trip shortly, was nice to meet all those who came along and there were plenty of laughs even though fishing was very quiet. Big Neil caught the only fish- (leatherjacket) Derek got a cuttlefish and promptly had it out under a balloon, I only caught a few baitfish that we put down for John Dory and Andrew had the same pesky cormorant take our precious live mado 3 times before he got the better of it. It was a fun morning with great company

Hi Mick I still use wooden Alvey's that are in 'collectable condition' and when transporting them (and other reels) I use the neoprene reel bags just for scratch protection. At least 2 companies sell purpose-made reel cases that hold about half a dozen reels in the "egg-shell" type foam that are probably more suited for your purpose. Site sponsor Dinga sells both the neoprene style and the hard-case types, they are both found in 'tackle storage' section. Cheers Waza

I've got Blackfish gear for Neil also- rod reel floats etc. See you at chin wag. Waza

Hi Derek at this point I'm thinking about Cremorne Wharf as there are normally Blackfish on the western side this time of year, it is comfortable and if we 'secure' that side will be out of commuters/ferries way and I take a milk crate to sit on(at the moment I need to as am recovering from serious leg and lung injuries) I don't know if JDory will have 'penetrated' that far up yet as it simply hasn't been cold and the 'trigger' to migrate them into the harbour (I believe) is usually a reasonably strong south to north flowing offshore current combined with predominantly SW-Westerly Winds and cooler water temperature. Having said this, as we all know, it is both the right time of season and a good location if they are around. There are often a few squid(although I haven't found it a reliable squid spot for numbers) and Kingfish often 'patrol' the location. Last time I fished there a large kingfish ruined my Blackfish session. A more reliable Dory spot is Balmoral but the tides that week are low in the morning, which doesn't really enthuse and that's why I'm leaning towards Cremorne. As the 'general air flow' has now swung towards westerlies I guess we'll just have to monitor the forecast as to wind strength. My 'basic' plan is to go somewhere in that area and hope JD's are around by then(if not already). Other options are Musgrave St, Kuraba and for weekdays(far too crowded on weekends) Balmoral or Clifton Gardens. I'd like your thoughts as the area is your usual haunt. John Dory were the original primary target and lowering some Dory lines down while Blackfishing and tossing a squid jig out seemed the favoured idea

Hi Derek look forward to meeting you also. My motto is "you can never have too much fishing gear" and I have an 'obscene' amount, mostly in storage at Kennards but will go and retrieve whatever is necessary beforehand- will be in touch re trip/s within the next week. So far, as far as I know, FrankS, Ryder, Big Neil, Yourself and I are the 'posse' with JDory, Squid, Luderick and now possibly kingies on the fishing menu over the course of the time Neil is here but am open to any suggestion/s as I was just trying to accommodate his fishing wish list, due to him living in the country(MIA I believe) Regards Waza

Wonder what the ANSA rating is for a gannet on 6kg? Well done on the release, my mate got one on a popper and it went nuts in the boat

Hi Ryder look forward to meeting you also. Will be in touch via here and Big Neil

G'day BN I would be happy to go fishing with you, we could do a combined Luderick(if I can organise some weed) and John Dory trip if you like? I have a 'vast' amount of fishing tackle including several Luderick outfits and anything else needed to fish for whatever you'd like to have a go at. As previously stated, I don't have transport and will be home for the next few months recovering from injury, but am getting more mobile each day and sitting on a wharf is best medicine I can think of. My number is 0412 847352 Cheers Waza

G'day Tysh my advice would be to get a Snyder glas "Crusoe Island" in the 11'4" low mount. The number is RSNC 14136L1 and is made by Wilson Rods. Don't get a rod shorter than 11' if you are going to use it for Luderick off the rocks as you'll sometimes be fishing 12-13 foot deep with fixed float- makes it hard to wash fish out. The best rod if you can find one anywhere is a Snyder glas GP 3145 but I couldn't find one when I had a search, maybe they don't make them any more. Also couldn't find a price on the Crusoe Island, but it is a 'purpose- built' Luderick rod and also comes in 2 piece configuration if you prefer Number is RSNC 14136L2

Hi Baz, wouldn't you love a dollar for every Tailor caught on one! Back in the day, you knew a lure was a 'good-un' when another company copied it, as "Alpha Wobblers" came out next with a tiny red plastic "enticer" on the split ring

Hi Blackfish mine was in 1974 and I was told it was a "fluke" as Flathead didn't take lures! I caught a second, almost identical sized one a week later off the same rock and again was told it must have "landed in it's mouth"- this time I saw the flattie come flying in from the side and grab the lure in front of me and was convinced you could fish for them with lures.

Hi BN the Wonder Wobblers initially came in either chrome or gold in 1/4 oz and 1 oz and as Baz said were the 'go to' lures in their day. Like Baz, I also have a couple of coloured ones, which were 'declared' Trout lures. The cod lure is more than likely the "Aeroplane Spinner" which was a series of 3 or 4 propellor blades, decreasing from large to small in size and was an all time favourite with Cod fisho's. Red on the outside and either green or brass on the inside, they have probably caught more really large cod than any other Aus made lure. To look at one you'd probably shake your head as they resemble nothing 'natural'. I've got a couple in the collection. A 'new' version of them was brought out by Hawk(almost identical to the original) and I've got one in the original packaging, however it isn't as highly regarded by collectors as the "Aeroplane"

The old "Wonder Wobbler" lure is an interesting part of our fishing history. I was wondering what was 1) your most memorable catch on one and 2) most unusual? My most memorable was my first lure caught Flathead, it was about 15 inches long (38 cm) caught in Taylor Bay I was told it was a "fluke" as Flathead didn't take lures, ha! Most unusual was a giant cuttlefish off Nielsen Park Wharf

Hi BN I love eating them! I cut them into about 8 inch sections and then fillet them, they're one of the easiest fish to fillet and you get every bit of edible meat without bones (great way to cook for kids also). I see that FrankS scrapes the silver off, and his cooking method sounds pretty tasty. I scraped the silver off the first couple of times but don't bother any more as I quite like it and you can just lift it off when cooked if you don't fancy it. Deep or shallow fried with either egg and breadcrumbs or simply flour they are delicious. More than once I've seen people argue over the last piece/s on the bbq also!

G'day Greg like FrankS says burley is important part of fishing for them, using same burley as bait best idea. My own preference is live yellowtail caught on site and burley with chunks of them. Importantly, when you get a couple of bites from hairtail, have a container of ready-cut chunks and make sure you throw small handfuls out every couple of minutes which seems to keep them round. From my experience, unless there's masses of them(there sometimes are) they seem to move around the bay a bit when actively hunting. It's also a good idea to have a constant trail of finer burley going to keep the baitfish around the boat the whole time. Also by setting your baits at roughly 3 levels 1) where you can easily see your lightstick 2) Where you can barely see it and 3) About 3 metres off the bottom seems to work best for me. I always use 2 ganged 4/0's in my hairtail rig and countless times have lost one only to have it come straight back to the bait-even after fighting it- provided you drop it back a few feet and give your lightstick a bit of movement. I love fishing for them as they're like no other fish. Like FrankS, Waratah and Pinta Bay(in Jerusalem Bay) are my(and many folks!) favourite spots, but they can turn up anywhere in Cowan. Years ago Akuna Bay at the end of Coal and Candle Creek was THE place to go and the Korean fisho's have been catching them off the shore at Illawong Bay Feb, March and April for many years, fishing with completely different rigs to mine. Good luck when you go. Cheers Wazza