Pickles

Very nice w work Neil, haven’t scrolled through the freshwater section for a while, that’s a cracker cod mate - well done.

In my experience - Yes it’s uncommon for bass still to be schooled up and aggregated this time of year, but it’s been a very long season, warm water, cool days (relatively), small cicada hatch after the floods, prawns still running way up in the fresh - unusual conditions indeed.

Way to go @kilp some nice Lud’s there, a few great feeds.👏👏

Took my nephew and his son out for a session on the Hawkesbury yesterday. He’d only caught a few (small) Bass and EP’s at Balina in the past, so I was keen to get them onto a 40cm fish and God was good, we scored 3 over 40 (33in total) - they were stoked and his son (Toby), hadn’t been fishing much at all and never successfully on Bass. He also dropped a 50cm flattie (over enthusiastic rod work) at the side of the boat. I tried some new water further down river towards Webb’s creek and there were plenty down there too and close to the new Wisemans ferry ramp. Caught up with Mr & Mrs Swordy who also had a cracker day.

Yep got to agree

Great to catch-up on the water today Donna, it is special country and deeply significant for Derrubbin mob. You make a very glamorous Fisherlady.

Every year after the dark moon, soon after breeding they become “pelagic”, but has never lasted this long before, so they’ve got to disperse up the creeks soon, every day I expect them to be gone, but still there.I suspect it is related to the ongoing upriver prawn abundance.

Great work - a really nice sized muddie.

Another stonker whiting Dave - Well done

Pleasure Bill, sounds like a good day😊 🍌

God is good

Thanks MD

The bass have got to disperse and head upstream into the skinny creeks and lagoons soon, so I’m taking advantage of their schooling behaviour before this happens. Usually it doesn’t last this long, but it has been a very unusual season indeed with the big flush we’ve had. Again the bass landed (52 before 8.35am) were healthy robust fish and spitting out prawns when lifted out of the water. Lachlan, Dad and Pop crewing on the boat had their first session on freshwater and had a ball, with several big fish landed and one stoker (estimated about 48-50cm) dropped before being boated.

Top effort Phil, glad you were able to get onto them and a 48 is a fish to be proud of.

Well done @Rebel, got to agree with you about b ito👍

A great day indeed.

Great report Bruce - the Kingies have been very spasmodic of late in my experience, hot to bite and good size one day, then just not there the next. As you noted the warm water should “flip the switch” very soon.

Hey Regan, yep they work a treat, but the one you have in the pic is a small freshwater herring (there are heaps and heaps of these in the Colo at present). The ones I usually use are the larger flat bodied saltwater herring - these are great on jewfish and flathead and stay alive just as long as Yakkas and readily take bait jigs.

Way to go @HadsJr - looking forward to tomorrow, hope we get into the Kingies (don’t forget your banana).

Nice report @Jo5hC, Kingies can be very frustrating to get on the bite at times - keep persevering

Not many public boat ramps. The closest is Lower Portland only good for small tinnies, and after the floods it is dodgy at low tide. Windsor ramp is best, then Wisemans Ferry, which is a magnificent new 3X ramp but 30min run up to the Colo. There is great Bass territory from Del Rio all the way to Windsor. But there is great fishing around Yarramundi at present all the way to Nth Richmond. hope this helps

Sam I don’t usually eat them (a bag limit of 2), I just like their atomic strike and hard fight, I have eaten them and delicate whit flesh- but as far as eating quality, with your wok skills, I reckon you could make anything taste good. 😌

Hey RIders, need some input on fishing around Bathurst area. My son has recently moved there (& now I’ve finished painting his house and cleaning up garden & lawns- things we do for our kids) I’ve got some time to investigate the fishing there, but don’t know the area at all. A bit of research has shown Ben Chiefly dam is closed due to blue-green algae. I don’t mind a trip to the dams (or rivers) nearby (Oberon, Wallace, Carcoar, Macquarie river, Fish River) but will have my granddaughter (9) and wife with me, so reasonable ramp access is high priority and land based a bit of an issue due to restricted mobility. Any input gratefully appreciated- be out there next week (15-17th) Pickles

Thanks for sharing Isaac, a real pity, but part of the natural cycle of things.

Sure @Amilyo, If you read my previous posts, I’ve highlighted the areas, but like all fishing, it’s not about “secret spots”, but techniques and understanding the habits of the fish you are targeting, then applying the techniques to the conditions and habits of the fish in that area. Seven years ago, One of my friends offered, quite genuinely, to give me “privileged” information on how to make a lot of money without much effort. He told me his investment advisor said the next BIg thing was going to be crypto-currency, I responded that I was interested and would do some research as I didn’t know if he was going to be correct, (but I know that the only way to improve chances of success is to do the research and seek the counsel of wise and experienced others and then keep doing the research) Fishing is the same (as are most things in life) - 10,000 hours of training / practice to become a world expert, to expect to take “advice”, without putting in the time is a sure fire path to disappointment. Needless to say, I didn’t (and won’t) “invest” in crypto-currencies. Back to catching Bass: The areas that you catch fish today - season / climatic conditions / food source of the fish / water temp / barometric pressure/ wind strength and direction etc, will change as these criteria change. As a Christian and Gundungurra man, I understand that there is no such thing as “co- incidence”, but reading the signs and understanding the connections between the land and our creator (God) and then looking for the same conditions as the last successful outing. This occurs with time and experience - We become old and wise by being young and stupid and not continuing being “young and stupid” (“a fool repeating his folly is like a dog returning to its vomit” - Proverbs 26:11). A pretty good fishing philosophy is “Don’t get envious, get inspired”, your passions (dreams, hopes, desires, company you keep) will inform, transform and determine who you become. If that is to be a successful fisherman, then it means putting in the time, sitting under the tutelage of a mentor and learning “The mens business”. In Koori culture our Aunties and Uncles are the holders of knowledge which is passed to us and from us, to our mob (those willing to spend time learning by watching following and applying) to others. I can tell you how to play the yardakki (white fellas call didgeridoo), but it takes practice and determination to keep at it and being willing to make small improvements and lots more practice (with instruction) - no quick results. This is a rather expanded response to a simple question, but like all “simple” questions, there are not “simple” answers. If you want to know a sure fire, can’t miss “spot X” to get Bass TODAY (and probably) tomorrow, it is below the ripples at Yarramundi below the Yarramundi bridge and off the sand island - cast into the moving water and let it float back into the still and retrieve slowly. BUT, the conditions, time of day, lures (or bait if you bait fish) colour of lure, whether they are surface, divers, paddlers etc are a function of what the fish are feeding on TODAY, are the cicadas active, Christmas beetles, crickets, sprat or herring etc their current food? I can be pretty sure you will catch Bass there land based and probably a trout as well. The other sure fire spot land based, is at the confluence of the Nepean river and Glenbrook creek (trout here also). Do you have a boat / kayak or only land based. Bass are not usually like Estuary Perch who school up around specific structures all year round, so having a boat, kayak etc greatly improves your chances. I’m happy to take you out and show you some spots, but you’d have to have a tow bar on your car and tow my boat as driving is an issue due to narcolepsy as a result of PTSD - will explain if you get in touch. Blessings Bob (Pickles)