noelm

Something that comes after years of fishing, the most fish is not necessarily what it’s all about, keeping enough for a feed or to give to someone who doesn’t fish is perfectly fine, but, keeping everything you catch, then tossing a lot away because you caught something better, is not (to me) why I go fishing. Sunrise on a beach, a perfect cast, a laugh with mates, showing a kid how to fish, seeing “things” others don’t is what fishing is to me now, sometimes the simplest thing can make a life long memory, sure a trophy fish is the goal, but to me, fishing is a “long game” a single fish along the way tops it off.

Just another “add on” being garden type people, we will be getting my mate in with his excavator to remove everything (almost) to start again in our style, there’s lots of plants that are a pest long term, Yuccas, Golden Cane Palms and a Gum tree right on the fence line, and a Hibiscus where I want to reverse the boat. Even thought about a battery mower, anyone know much about them?

Yep, the lawns were a downsize, when we add a pool it will be even less,( mind you, we don’t have a huge lawn now) then a big undercover entertaining area, a couple of bathroom modifications, change the colour scheme and it’s all our style. The bathroom will be tricky, the ensuite bathroom has the vanity removed for wheel chair access, and it has hand rails, so when they are removed, 3 tiles will need to be replaced (there is spares) but when regrouted it might stand out? and the plumbing for the vanity is tiled over, so that will be “interesting” at least it backs on to the walk in robe, so cutting a hole will not be a disaster as such, but I will look into that before we contact the Plumber.

Hey, any time, for a Raider social, plenty of room to launch “yaks” easy fly fishing, decent rock fishing and good beach fishing, all within walking distance, and boat launching in Lake Illawarra 10 minutes, Shellharbour 5 minutes, plus a park with BBQ and so on, one house away.. For us, it’s a “downsize” in many ways, it’s not perfect, but pretty close to it for us right now. We know the owners well, the husband has unfortunately got MS and they are moving to a ground floor “assisted” living unit fairly close by. Most houses on Barrack Point rarely go on the market, most go to the kids and they build units to live in, or know someone who wants to buy. It’s kind of funny, but when the grandkids were in primary school, I would take them to the park before school for a swim and cook breakfast on the BBQ or take cereal and milk, they loved it.

Just to add for the fly fishers here, that little bridge over the water is where I fly fish, at low tide it’s dry and there is green weed covered small rocks scattered around, with crabs and small prawn things under them, at high tide is waist deep and provides great fishing (at times) all the way past the bridge to the ocean is sand flat and a channel to “prospect” When a high tide coincides with daylight or dark, Nippers (pumped behind my house) fished there are deadly for Whiting and Blackfish. During summer (now) it gets packed with families swimming and picnickers in the park you can see. From the overhead shot, if you follow the street up towards the ocean, you will see a left fork with some Pine trees, (hate those trees) my house is just beyond those Pines, if you zoom in you can see my boat on the foot path. So as you can see, fishing and swimming is really no different, the view is nothing compared to what I have now, but…….its time

It’s a done deal, moving late March. Our house is ready to go now, officially for sale Monday, hoping it sells quick. Then adding personal touches to the new place, a bit of a change in colour scheme and so on. Here is a link to the new place. https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-barrack+point-143811212

Squid in Kiama Harbour, Flathead in Minnamurra.

35HP is way too small, something like a 60 would be way better, a 35 is only ever going to be ploughing along, not up on a clean plane.

Scaled, filleted, rolled in flour, cooked until skin crispy, a few chips and salad, all done. Nothing beats Whiting, Blackfish and Bream, fresh and cooked simply.

While the above it true, sometimes a “soft” approach will get fish where attempted brute force will fail, caught literally thousands of Kingfish over the years, including shallow water and off the rocks, in shallow water a low drag will almost certainly beat a “pliers tight” every time, people need to stop watching fishing movies.

I kind of agree, there’s heaps around there, just small-ish 1.5m or so, see one almost every time I dive there, especially on the Ocean side away from the Blowhole.

Lots of Kingfish there, but it’s rough bottom and shallow-ish water, landing them is difficult (as you found out), lots of Sharks there too, so the possibilities are a Shark as well, dived there hundreds of times.

Probably the only time I am aiming for “whatever is there” is when I an drifting waiting for my crab traps, I just drift anywhere near the traps, a bean sinker running to a swivel, 8-10lb line, a long shank hook and a packet of frozen Prawns. Most times we end up with a Flathead or two, maybe a Whiting or legal Bream, but fishing is not the goal, crabbing is, drifting just fills in time.

Yes, I agree fully….up to a point, these days if I am going spinning for (say) Flathead, the method, location and gear is opposite to if I am after Whiting, of course there’s times when you catch a variety of fish on all sorts of gear, but (to me) to be consistently successful you need to “specialise” and fish accordingly. Beach fishing to me is a Whiting only affair (with maybe a Tailor session now and then) so all I take is long shank hooks, Beach Worms and a light rod, if I was to (say) use Squid or Pilchards on ganged hooks for bait, my Whiting chances are at best minimal, if you see where I’m coming from? If Flathead spinning, I am fishing to totally different location to where Whiting will be, not saying they are not swimming around, but the lure size and “zone” I target is polar opposite.

I think once you become used to fishing the same spot for the same species, it’s easy to simplify/downsize, I have been fishing for Bream off the rocks with nothing but my rod and trusty bucket, and another couple of fishermen turn up, weighed down with tackle boxes, an armful of rods, back packs and all sorts of gear. They always ask how I’m going and what am I catching, I say “Bream” they usually reply that they are going to catch anything around! That to me indicates a “cast and hope” type with no real plan or species in mind, and invariably, they will be going home empty handed or with a bag of rubbish fish (in my opinion)

I guess in a way I forget where I live and fish, for me, beach or rock fishing land based and even fly fishing is simply a short walk, so “supplies” and stuff like chairs are not needed, the bucket has a small container with suitable spare tackle, the bait and a knife, and if I really need to sit down, I just upend it to sit on. Bait gathering is also simple, bucket, Nipper pump or Worming “stink bag” I guess if I had to drive miles away then a lot of added stuff would be appropriate?

We have the perfect spot for a lift, and have already considered that as a future option, but…….it still doesn’t give us what we prefer moving forward…..long term. The deal is almost there, just a tiny bit of detail. The agent is taking photos of our place today for advertising.

I usually take a bucket with my “stuff” a rod and me, but then, I am only out for a couple of hours tops.

It seems unless you are going buy really good (read expensive) chairs, then they are all pretty much the same, most are steel now, so not exactly lightweight, I got a couple with big plastic ends on the legs so they don’t sink into the dirt/grass cheap from a camping store years ago, and they have been good, but certainly not light or small when folded. Most of them are a good source of entertainment when they collapse, sink or tip over when those of us with the “fuller figure” sit on them…….

Crab or Prawn Ravioli are the best…..my wife makes her own dough to make them, and with her “secret” sauce, they are fantastic, and a good way to make a single crab feed a few.

There used to be lots of Hostels around Wollongong, all made out of kind of half round things, like a water tank on its side, no idea why, but they were called “Nissan huts” almost every migrant that came to work in the Steelworks moved into them until they could get their life “sorted”, up until only a few years ago, they were still in use for various living quarters. Appin is certainly moving along now as the “urban sprawl” moves further and further in every direction, I was there just before Christmas and couldn’t believe how populated the entire area is.

A completely useless and almost boring account of my family at Barrack Point……way back in the 1930s my grandparents bought a block of land here for 2 pounds ($4) now remember this was during the depression, pre war and that was a decent sum of money for a block of land in “the scrub” no water, no electricity, no road and only accessible at low tide! They lived in an old canvas tent and built a “house” out of wood scrounged from the timber and dairy ships that came into Shellharbour (the house was demolished about 15 years ago and all the frames were Australian Red Cedar) As my father got older and he left the Airforce after the war, he bought a block of land down the track (literally) growing up, we were the only permanent residents with only a handful of holiday houses built along the Little Lake, my best mate, who I am still great friends with and his family moved here when he was about 5-6 years old, strangely enough, right next door to where I am buying! It was a great life for a kid, endless fishing, good Prawning, surfing and diving, wandering around in the bush, snakes, messing around in boats, where Warilla Bowling club is now was always called “the island” there was a natural water hole there and of course we built a rope swing, it was near jungle with big Banksia trees, gum Trees and She Oaks, but to us, it was “ours” Time moved on and proper roads were built, the entire Headland was marked out in blocks of land, but in a lot of ways, no one really wanted to live here, too windy, miles away from Wollongong, a single lane road from Windang, and not really Shellharbour either, the point was a “dead end” only one road in and out, and the rest as they say is history, it’s now an quite exclusive place, no more land can ever be released/developed. Buying the family home was simply good luck, it wasn’t desirable (my brothers and sister were not interested) and we were looking at a house on the highway near Kiama, gees, happy we didn’t buy that……. So as you can see, I am certainly not a mover, my wife has only lived in two places, her family home in Mount Ousley/Fairy Meadow, and here, so we are both very stable/boring types and why this is such huge step for us, might be interesting to hear anyone’s else “journey” through life.

As long as you’re aware exactly where the spikes are, then handling them is not a major issue, just be careful.

Long shank and small!

Yes, I live close to there, but a couple of ex players live very close to me, one I consider a good friend even though the age gap! Mrs Swordie, I hear exactly where you’re coming from, had very close friends work their fingers to the bone to retire, only to never see their retirement! I have lived here forever, I could never afford to buy here now, and I am not being a snob, I was just lucky how the cards fell decades ago, I could have bought elsewhere, but, the family home was an option at the time. I do indeed live in a “millionaires row” (multi millionaires) but, I am not wealthy, but comfortable. The move is triggered by the “possible” future, time marches on, and who knows how long it will be until carrying (even groceries) upstairs will become an “issuer” as it stands our current house and the new one are upside down to each other as far as living goes and it is one of the very few places I would move to! For me, moving out into the back streets is not even in my mind, we even thought of selling and renting forever, I have a great mate that has two fantastic units just down the street that he rents out.