Gengar

Happy to report that we manage to pump yabbies at the flats at Ettalong (to the right of anderson boatshed). There were a ton of solder crabs but we managed to find the yabbies after venturing further out at low tide. The kids also found these semi-translucent worm like thing which we weren't sure what they were. We tried putting these worms on hooks but they fell off pretty easily. Anyone know what they are? Anyway we got the yabbies at low tide and the next day high tide (around 10am) we went out to Ettalong beach at about 8am and went for a flick. The yabbies surely dont last long on the hooks but we managed a massive whiting at 43cm along with about 4 other whitings, flounder and couple of blue swimmers by catch. We left at about 11am. We did exactly the same thing the next day (ie pump yabbies the day before) and went for a morning fishing session at exactly the same place and other than a couple of small breams we got nothing. Guess thats fishing for you! We also went for a fish off ettalong wharf and got a small whiting in the evening but it was very windy and seemed to be a bit snaggy. We also went over to booker bay wharf but that place is tiny and there was already three persons fishing there. Would have wanted to venture out to a few other places to wet a line but unfortunately didn't have time. Anyway thanks for all the advice from all which ensured it was a enjoyable and memorable trip!

Mate do you mean yabbying pumping should generally be at low tide but at Mareela I should only go after high tide?

I have half given up on beachworms.......tried a few times with my stinkbag and managed to actually find some beachworms once but they were really small and couldnt catch any either with the special worm pliers or fingers.

Hi mate, I was literally looking at that exact spot as other raiders have suggested that area and was going to work my way from the anderson's boatshed to Mareela Ave so you have saved me probably hours of wading through soldier crabs! I planned on going at low tide but read on another post that i should go just after high tide so those flats are really up high. At what time do you get the nippers in the yellow circle?

Thanks mate! Low tide at Umina beach for nippers?

Thanks for all the advice! Its been a busy easter so far but looking forward to trip next week! @DerekD you are an absolute legend for taking the time (and patience!) to show how to do yabby pumping last week and more importantly sharing your experience and learnings like pump maintenance and how to tell the male vs female so we can put all the females back! We are confident we can get some nippers up in central coast next week! PS finally landed a fish on the nipper! A good 42cm flatty from the lane cove river!

I am hoping it's that easy in which case my nipper pump won't be a wasted investment! Anyway should be a fun activity and get the kids interested as well. Thanks!

Ok will go with the 30 inch longer one then. Thanks! I have seen youtube videos of people catching the nippers so i think i know what they look like but just wasn't sure if they would be around that area. But from the sounds of it seems best to go at low tide when the holes are revealed. Also do nippers keep well overnight in case I have some left over and want to use them the next day? Just keep them with some wet sand and water?

Heading up to Ettalong beach over Easter break with the kids and wanted to try catching some yabbies and beachworms. Never tried pumping yabbies but read on an old post here that there are yabbies near andersons boatshed but wanted to see if I will still find yabbies there? If not where would I likely find them? Also would you recommend the 24 or 30 inch size of the pump? Tried beachworming elsewhere but never caught one so hope to crack it this time. If there are any beaches near there you would recommend please do let me know. Of cos if any fishing spot you would recommend happy to hear them. Thanks mate!

I googled for raider lures but it comes up with Spanyid raiders. Is that the ones you are referring to? They look like the Halco Twisties but with lots of colour. As for the Sea rocks lures they actually look very similar to the Samaki Torpedo i linked earlier so i might stick to that one cos the shop is much closer.

Got it! Will try to get the pearl white one and perhaps a blue one as well. I never thought about colouring in permanent markers thats a good idea!

Mate I appreciate the detailed response. I am still overwhelmed overwhelmed bit by the various different shapes, colours and size available in a tackle shop but matching the hatch allows me to hone in to what I want which is what u are using ie 7 to 10g in white or silver. I lost my metal lures last week so need to get a couple this week! Thinking of the samaki torpedo https://www.ottostackleworld.com.au/samaki-torpedo-v2-spinner

From my limited experience I think it's definitely worth it! Good luck!

Hey mate! Good to hear from you and thanks for sharing your experience. I also got myself a few vibes but not sure how they work yet. I might pm to learn more about spinning these metals!

I can't agree more! The thrill of casting into a bust up is exhilarating but I am surprised we got fish spinning metal even when there was no bust up. Also when u get a hit u u r likely to still get a hookup as the hooks r right at the end.

Sorry mate I forgot to limit my search to title only so got a lot of irrelevant results

Firstly hats off to @DerekD for showing me the world of soft plastics and how they work together with sharing his tips and experience! In recent weeks I have applied that together and have caught less fish (in terms of number of fish) compared to bait but the ones I catch are considerably larger! Actually i want to talk about metal lures. The reason is last couple of times my son came fishing he started using this metal lure (slim shiny profile about 10g which i bought off the net) he found in my kit that i had never used before and started flicking that around while i used plastics. By the end of that day he caught a bonito and a couple of taylors while I kept on getting my plastic's tails bitten off!! Last weekend we caught a trevally on a different metal lure! Obviously this got me interested in metal lures but I am surprised there isn't much discussion on the forum (did a quick search for metal lures). I work it much like a soft plastics (eg jig it, flick and reel, fast reel, etc). Curious on other's experience with metal landbased such as what types work and how you work them. So much to learn!

Yes i found them on umina beach but can't agree more that you should only take as much as you need for bait. They aren't too hard to find even for a novice like me but you do have to work for them. We probably got 10 and would then search for more when we were down to our last two or three. They last a while on hook. The shame we didnt get much fish but hey thats fishing! The kids had a blast as always!

Thanks BN! I am very glad I persisted and once I learn more hope to share with all the others that haven't made the dive into SPs! This is a great forum with many knowledgeable and helping fishos!

Hey Derek, actually you was the first one to show me in person how to use lures! We happen to meet at a wharf and you were teaching me how to use a squid jig! I still remember what you taught me and used that in my outing last weekend so thanks heaps! I still haven't invested in a quality graphite rod yet and still using a 6'6" graphite composite rod. If you have any good graphite rods (that won't break the bank) do let me know. But i did get a better quality 2500 sized reel. I dont have any lighter lines but can look to get some. I didnt know lighter lines mean I can cast that much more!!!! I will PM you and see when we can meet up again! Thanks for the offer mate!

Mate I am with you there! Live bait is prob best but other than yakka I haven't been able to catch paddies or squids. And recently the yakka I have been catching are prob too big for live bait which is annoying.

Does that mean u use a heavier jighead if u need to cast far or when there is strong current and u need it to sink to the bottom? When fishing land based and not much wind do u prefer using a heavier jighead so u can cast further or a lighter one so it floats down more slowly (at the expense of cast distance)?

Got it. That makes sense re the different weights for breams and flatheads. What do you mean by giving a good hook set? Do you mean strike hard to ensure the hook has gone through the mouth when you get a bite?

Good point. I will probably have a rod with bait on while I flick the SP around.

These prawns look good! Also why would you use 1/12 for bream/trevally and not just 1/4? Does bream/trevally like it when it sinks slower?