[Yakkin in drought]

Gee, crap water flow. Where i am its no better. Been crook for the last couple of months and just got about to check out the waters where I am. No flows, low dam levels. Pretty sad in my district too. Wow how times have changed from fishing through all 4 seasons with success compared to now! Gotta get used to it I guess, though not liking it.

[Back in action]

3 hours ago, JonD said:

Was good to get back in the boat for a short session. Plenty of rats and once again the lightest outfit on the boat takes the biggest king. Only the one keeper out of 30-40 fish but that's all we ever need anyway. It's funny that even though we are catching fish speed jigging and using surface lures it's the slow lazy old dad jigging style that is producing the most and biggest fish.

Even managed to insurance on the house, which is a relief with things the way they are at the moment.

 

 

 

People like you, catching fish like that!

Well, great stuff.

[Flattie trolling again]

2 hours ago, PaddyT said:

hit the HAwkes again with a non fishing mate ended up with an even dozen mainly just legals which all went back, took home a fish each as my kids have dissapeared for the summer holidays and im headed for the Goldie to chase macks and marlin next week so didnt want to freeze any fish. Lost a stonker which rubbed me off on an oyster lease pole (bricked by a lizard-go figure!) but interesting part of the day was this-ive been playing round with brain spiking and iki jime of late- I spiked, cored(ran  wire down the spine) and cut the gills, washed the blood out with the deck wash and chucked into ice slurry. I didnt eat the flattie for 2 days and actually didnt gut it (just left it whole in the fridge)- man -it was -good-! just battered and fried-step up from the norm, will keep the experiment going.

I love flatheads. Is there any way you can Cook em that's bad? Mmm, maybe in cow dung but never tried that.😁

[What really happens to gut hooked hooks?]

On 12/10/2019 at 1:52 PM, Green Hornet said:

Another point to consider when handling fish intended for release, especially after a long, drawn out fight, like a big flathead on light leader or a jew on bream gear is, if possible net or hold them beside the boat leaving them in the water for a few minutes before pulling them into the boat.

Lifting them straight into the boat for a few pics is like asking a marathon runner to hold his breath for five minutes as soon as he crosses the finish line. Obviously it isn't going to end good.

Totally agree. Everything, creature, stretched to the limit has a limit. Well put mate.

[No luck]

On 12/4/2019 at 12:31 PM, rickmarlin62 said:

Lizards  same looking as bearded dragons  but known as water dragons     usually sittin on logs  sunnin themselves     very bony mouth  hard to hook but fun to play with

Unreal, (old fashioned exclamation) never heard of that happening fishing. Thank goodness King Brown's and Taipan's dont do that! 😁 

 

[Few days at Jindy]

On 12/4/2019 at 5:10 PM, Mullatt said:

Finally get to post a report, albeit not fantastic but nevertheless a report. Haven't been able to get out in the boat too much for quite a few years now. Firstly because both my hips have been riddled with arthritis for years and then been recovering and gaining use of everything again after I had both of them totally replaced last year (right one unfortunately dislocated 4 days after replacement, so 3 ops in 10 days slowed me down for some time).

Wife and I took the boat to Jindabyne for a few days midweek. Weather was up and down, but mostly quite windy every day. There were only 1 - 2 other boats on the water so plenty of clear water available. Have been fishing Jindy for over 50 years and its certainly a place in recent years that you have to put the hours in on the water. Sometimes you can come across a patch of fish, other times hours for a doughnut.

The sounder was showing a few fish hanging on the rocky points and around submerged timber around the 12 - 15 ft mark. Water temp is still quite cool at around 15 degrees.

First day spent about 4 hours out for not one touch. Had a lead core line out and a couple of flat lines. Oh well, thats fishing hey.....and the food and the beers at the pub are always very inviting so it wasn't a complete loss.

Next day,  back on the water for another go. Very windy again, so had to hug the shorelines away from the prevailing winds. Scored a couple of small rainbows on the flat lines on Tassie devils, all were released. 

Decided we would have one last troll around one of the bays before calling it a day (as you do), then just as we were saying that's enough, my wife's flat line went off like a train.

It was obvious it was a good fish, and after a decent fight she boated a lovely fat brown. Was just under 60 cms and I guessed 3 - 4 pounds. She was stoked. Kept this one for the table.

A nice end to a few days away.

Thanks for reading.

 

Dave (Mullatt)

 

 

 

Great smokers there! 

[Bass and Jewie by catch?!]

On 12/8/2019 at 7:43 PM, LuckyFil said:

Just had a weekend away with my son Pat chasing bass in the upper Hunter. It's hot and dry up there and the river was full of weed and algae so not ideal but we managed ten bass over the weekend, one yesterday arvo and the rest this morning. Casting at snags was proving unproductive so we turned to trolling which while not as much fun it got results. The fish were all fairly small averaging around 25-28cm with a couple of 30cm and a few tiddlers. They seemed to be in small groups and the very old and basic sounder on my punt proved invaluable locating the fish and we had hits and usually got fish whenever it showed a few around an area while many similar looking areas were devoid of fish.

We travelled down to the brackish water for an afternoon session and while trolling from one side of the river to the other had a good hit on the little bass lure, but this was clearly no bass as it did some long runs and had plenty of weight (at least when you're using 8lb leader on a little 2500 Daiwa Sol!). I was expecting maybe a decent flathead as we were now in semi salt water, then after a slow patient fight through the muddy water came a nice Jewie! After a few nervous moments we got the head and shoulders of it into the small net we use for bass and lifted it over the gunnel. We didn't have a measure on board but guessed it was between 65-70cm. After a few quick pics I sent him back for someone else to catch (maybe me) when he's a bit bigger. Quite a by-catch when targeting bass.

Cheers

Fil 

By catch pffft, they're a great catch! 

[Bluefin and albacore]

4 hours ago, JonD said:

 Must admit I quite like not fishing myself and letting the youngsters do all the work.

Wow, I'd have given just about anything to have been one of those kids holding those fish as a kid! What memories they will be! 

[What really happens to gut hooked hooks?]

On 12/8/2019 at 8:59 PM, big Neil said:

Ok let's get some answers guys. You catch a toothy critter and want to release it unharmed. How do YOU go about it?

I have caught Barracuda and have used lip grips on the lower jaw and supported its body when releasing it. I also try to be very aware of how long the fish is out of the water, keeping it to as little time as possible. What do you do? bn

Hi mate. Sometimes I almost forget the generation I come from and just "kapow" fire from the hip. Hey, thats us! Hope no offence by my comments.

Toothy's, mate, for me, I think of myself first,  the creature second. End of story. But I never just disregard the creature like crap and will do what I can to be sure that to me, I have done the best in the given situation to give it the best chance of survival on release. I will readily admit that it has been a learning process and in times past believe this fish I released died due to me and my ignorance, no ifs. Some may still die to this day, but hopefully less than before. Have caught numerous Sharks and yep, that think some swam off and kicked it, but hope as many survived. Same as all my freshies. I never head lift anything I dont want to eat, end of story. And, never dry handle anything I dont want to eat. Or, bother to take pictures of them either. The longer out of the water, snap snap snap away, the more likely they are to die. Some fish are so high octane they cant take more than half a minute out, like Macks, caught enough of them to see that too many went belly up in very short time. Watch some fishing shows and laugh at how quickly the camera pans away after mack releases after photos get taken. Shark food.

[What really happens to gut hooked hooks?]

Holding fish, big fish by the gills, lip grip or anything that places all the weight on the spinal area by down force is said to often result in permanent damage and the eventual death of the fish. Just common sense that one I think. Can't imagine too many creatures would fare that well being dangled around by their heads or jaw. Especially an aquatic one.

[What really happens to gut hooked hooks?]

What the hooks made out too would have to have impact as well. I was once told when i used to fish for mulloway if you want a fish to survive with a hook in it and the hook to eventually rot away don't use stainless. I used to fish for them with stainless 10 O's. 

I know virtually nothing about it personally and it's just something I was told. 

[Stockton Bridge Flathead]

Lovely fish mate.

[Walker Wobbler]

Awesome Frank, I like it. 

On 12/6/2019 at 2:37 PM, Green Hornet said:

As a kid, I remember there wasn't a petrol station or corner store without a few of these hanging on the wall.

I still have a couple of Wonder Wobblers, I think a 3/8 ounce and a 1 ounce.

How true, if there was a shop near water they were hanging there in plain view. I can still imagine them hanging on the wall at a shop, now long gone, at Laanacoorie here in Vic. 👍

[Botany Bay Saturday... Maiden voyage of my new boat]

Good stuff mate, new boat, catch fish, doesn't get much better than that. 

[new fisho to freshwater]

9 hours ago, big Neil said:

What TAZ is saying here is get the ordinary grey coloured earthworms from sandy soil areas. Don't get too hung up on this or that bait. Carp are real gutsers and feed often. Find the Carp and they will take any of the BAITS mentioned. They are not caught as regularly on soft plastics and hard bodies.

Get out there Marks1984 and post the results...we're all hanging out for it. LOL, bn

Yeah mate, they'd be the ones. 

[Why I'm over flouro]

These days after testing stuff myself im more than happy to use Berkeley Trilene clear. Im well over the hype of flouro, sinks faster blah blah blah, invisible blah blah blah, ok, unless your using ultra stand out yellow or similar. Lets see, connect a jig head with a softie, is my flouro gonna sink faster than my 1/2 ounce total rig? What's that all even mean in the grand sceme of things?

Just kachingaching for themanufacturer's. Look at all the fish caught in pictures and stuff before all this "you gotta have this, you won't catch as many" crap. There are pictures, and have done it myself with my dad as a kid, that would make these sales guys eyes water. So much sales bs these days it makes me laugh.

[Another tough day on kings]

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

Squid were tough (plenty of Yakkas). Got onto a school of solid Slimy mackerel, so plenty of salted baits and smoked fish for tea. Weather on the weekend looks good - hope the fishing picks up 

Smoked fish for tea, im happy with that.

[new fisho to freshwater]

On 12/5/2019 at 9:46 AM, marks1984 said:

thanks guys I know bread n corn catches them is one better than the other? and what about soft plastics 

Mmm, have caught them on hard bodies and softs, but in my mind I really think they were just very hungry. I have only a few times really specifically targeted them even though I have caught them on dozens of occasions. All up the most was using the humble worm. And the best worms I have ever used, whether it be reddies, trout, yellows, or mongrel carp, have been the pale type with a white whatever section, sure some here will know the worm type I mean, not the red wigglers that smell but the type you get just digging up the garden. Not a lot of smell, but a good firm worm, more than a wiggler,and they dont have the ability to stretch out as much as the red garden worms either,  that when you hook them also exude a bit of liquid. Id back them over the red wrigglers any day no ifs or buts for any fish. 

[Smoked Brown Trout.]

Managed to recover the Subi pic on a stump. Trout one gone. Would have preferred it the other way around.

 

[Gun "new" freshwater bait]

On 2/23/2017 at 9:42 AM, Mr Mullit said:

On a recent bass trip we stopped mid morning for a break and a bit of lunch and a carp fish off the bank. As I'm  getting my corn out my mate says "try these i reckon they'll work. " and handed me a container of MEALWORMS. Well what a session,  carp,bass and grayling one after another. Reckon the mullet would've  eaten them too but they were a no show. What a great bait. Hardier and easier to keep than worms (they don't sweat ) and they're cheap at the pet shop. Thought I'd share. 

Matt

I'll take that onboard, have tried many baits that I never thought of but turned out to be good. Pet shop here sells them, I'll give em a crack in the future. Cheers. 😄

[new fisho to freshwater]

I find that my very best fishing days, not all, but consistently the best, have all been fully overcast days.

[Made it]

On 12/2/2019 at 8:19 AM, big Neil said:

2019 Murray Cod opening day saw Susan (my much better half) and myself taking a trip to the Murrumbidgee River near to Narrandera. I was amazed when we arrived at the ramp to find the place completely empty. Fortunately the water gurus were letting some irrigation flows through and conditions were good to launch. 

The weather was cloudy (19c) and the wind had an icy chill to it...luckily we rugged up a bit, just in case.

We headed towards a spot where fish usually congregate and put the shrimp nets in on the way. Water temp was 20.2c and the going was tricky with the shallow water, sandbanks and hidden stumps. We tied up at spot x and baited up with cheese and chicken to see what was preferred. 5 minutes in and I got a small Cod on the chicken. We both got snagged quite a bit and lost fish that were hard up on the submerged snags. We got 8 Cod altogether in about 3 hrs with the missus catching the biggest at 53 cms. We picked up the shrimps on the way back to the ramp and gave it a brief go with them, to no avail.

Here are a few pics of the session...

 

Cheers, bn and ls

Good stuff mate 👍

[No luck]

On 11/19/2019 at 9:57 PM, rickmarlin62 said:

Water dragons black snakes  kingfishers   mullet tryin to land on me   great day out   as you said jeff  fish are a bonus

Hi mate. What are the water dragons?

[Getting frustrated... Ballistol help!]

I use Quantum grease and oil. As well as an old Abu grease I have. Even use  3 in One I got from IGA. Anything clags up it gets drowned in WD, then dosed with one of the above. Got reels that are 20 yrs old and still work great. Rollers on the bail arms that spin free as, zzzzzzz, after I pull some line through them and let em go after a clean. So many companies, just like car manufacturers, want you to think that unless you use A or B will result in catastrophic failure. Total, utter, BS. You'd think, they'd like you to, that they made them out or rare earth or other planet materials. Its all about "kaching kaching kaching".

[Red at last]

1 hour ago, JonD said:

Headed out with my daughter a few days ago now that the leather jackets have mostly headed north. I only managed one red but my daughter had no problem showing me up. I fished two rods, one with micro jigs and the other plastics while my daughter concentrated on just one micro outfit. Due to my years of experience over my daughter I showed her just how skilful I am at catching the highly prized pike 😂 I caught them at all depths, while my daughter only managed those red things!!!...even a swallowtail naniguy. I also showed her how to get stuck into a banjo ray as she pulled rubbish sand flathead between 50-55cm!!!....as you can imagine there was much banter at my expense. Kings have been on and off at Monty with the pro's pulling reasonable numbers most days.

We are now at level 3 water restrictions, so be aware anyone heading down this way that the wash down areas have had taps removed.

As for the bananas, we always take bananas onboard and love using them in fishy photos for those no banana phobia people.

 

 

 

Cool bananas mate!  You old enough to know that quote!?

If not it means very, very good! Errrgh, now I'm feeling old. 😥