yakfishing

I've caught flathead on them using 1/8th # 2 jigheads doing the standard sharp double flick in 1-2 m of water, which I can assure you looks nothing like what a prawn looks like naturally. Luderick Luke catches them regularly doing a long slow pull with 1/40th HWS jigs when using them for bream is slow. I've done this myself and observed the things twisting in the water because of their dodgy bent tails (obviously an unnatural movement too). He got smoked by something once doing this that was called for a sopie. For flattys it's all colour and movement. Though in very quiet shallow estuary waters or when fishing is slow, I finesse the tactics up a bit.

Good read Roberta. I wish I had the time to hit the water as often you do. Not that it makes much difference sometimes, I spent 9 hrs fishing Narrabeen lake on tuesday for only 4 undersized fish and 1 legal flatty (albeit a nice one at 53cm) and 3 hours on the troll at balmoral this morning for one missed hit and a snaged (expensive) lure. I need a confidence booster bad I'm taking next weekend off I may just head up to warmer waters in your direction.

Gday payatz I had a back injury for a while back and had to restrict myself to estuaries for no longer than 3 hr sessions . I'd be a bit sore afterwards but not too bad unless I pushed myself too hard. I would never take it outside unless I had complete confidence in my back and fitness levels. I'm still working my way up to it.

Jeez mate, how much bigger do they get than get than that?! What a monster!

Onya Roberta! You should have tried jigging the blade past those big blackies they might have had a snap. They are funny buggers tho, I've thrown some at blackies I've spotted in the harbour and they've blatantly ignored them. The only thing I've found so far with working the blades is keep 'em buzzing. If you look at them in the water when they're not being worked, they drop to the bottom as unaturaly as.... a chunk of metal (funnily enough). It just doesn't look appetising to me sinking or unmoving. I'll stop, only to let them hit the bottom and then jig it again getting as much vibration as I can (my drag knob starts to buzz too!). I've been doing a half second buzz and somewhere around a half to 2 second pause depending on whether I'm jigging them with an upwards or sideways rod stroke, and the depth of the water. I should experiement some more with them, but with a 44cm breambo already under the belt, it's hard to change!

Yeah, I've heared it mentioned that they are the only lure that consitently catches blackfish. They have been known to be caught on other things, but not very often.

They were probably smashing a huge ball of small baitfish. They would be getting demolished from below too, I would have loved to have a lure in there.

A mutated piece of psychotic weed Just tie the kids to a rope around the hills hoist and LETS GO!!! (just make sure you leave them a bowl of water )

I was gonna say you're a brave man going out in an inflatable facing choppers and trebble hooks

I promised myself that after 9 straight days of work - rain, hail or shine on my one day off I would get a fish in. Well of course it's pissing down and the winds blowing a gail so I left the yak at home and cracked out the waders for a quick dip in Narra Lake on the runout. Hoping for a flatty for tea, 2 hours and hundreds of casts later the most unlikely of fish has a go at my blade. Just on 27cm, he looked too small for a feed so I let him swim. I heard it said, but only now do I believe it!

The one I was using was a light pumpkinseedy colour. I've fished with them only 3 other times (short sessions) with the green and gold TTs and this horrible looking purple one (that I only got because I confused the name when I ordered it online) and haven't gotten a touch on them yet. Too early to tell whether that's suggestive of anything, but I'm sure I'll find out over summer Thanks for the comments everyone!

Haha first five casts, I love it! Onya mate. Hope Haynes good to go for the final

Great report mate, what a haul!! There's not much better than fresh flatty fillets.

Myself and Luderick luke headed out for an early morning harbour sesh on sunday. Target species: breambos on plastics and blades. This would be my 2nd time using blades. Luke went solo a few days previous and smashed his PB (for the 2nd time in 2 weeks!) at this same location on a blade with a whopping 45cm bream, so we were hoping for some more good action. (report here: http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=43434) We were so organised we actually had to kill some time before getting on the water because the sun wasn't up yet. In hindsight, we could have thrown the blades around as (I was about to find out) it's not entirely necessary to be able to see the line. We embarked from the ramp at first light. On goes the trustworthy gulp shrimp (that I can't get away from no matter how hard I try) and we hit everything that floated in the area around the boat ramp. The first 20 or so casts I was blind striking after 5 seconds because I still couldn't see the line, to no avail. Once we could see what we were doing things became a bit easier and Luke was quickly onto the first bream of the day around 26cm, and a couple of flattys. One was a very nice 50cm. Typical Luke - 3 fish before I've even gotten a touch! I finally get my touch (or should I say smack) as my line twitches a mighty twitch and I quickly strike to feel some good weight. After a brief but spirited battle in comes a nice 33cm breambo, and I belt out a big Woohoo! Just 1cm under my PB on lures. Things were slow for a bit untill Luke get's busted up instantaneously on the moring line of one of the boats. Interestingly his gulp landed a few seconds after mine, 2ft to the side along the boat, and he got the strike - illustrating the importance of getting that lure as close to the fish as possible. After that we moved from the boats and hit more open water. Time to give those fandangled blades a go. Oh, crap... I forgot mine. Luckily Luke has one more and he kindly entrusts it to me for the day. As I'm tying mine on, Luke flicks his under a jetty and his reel starts screaming. Calling it for a big flatty, he soon finds out it's ANOTHER stonker bream! An oppurtunity for a photo, that was not possible for the last one, was keenly taken. This one measured 44cm. I get mine on and have a few flicks, and Luke says "So when are you gonna get one of these 40+ bream"?. I told him "When you're not around mate"! Luckily he was a good 20 metres away from where I was flicking and I got my chance. Smack, Bang and I'm on to a big bucking horse of a fish. After some big runs, I get her in close and see that big broad silver shape emerge from the murky water. The first attempt at netting was doomed to failure and she darts away leaving my heart in my mouth. The 2nd attempt was awkward too and she almost got away again with a few final bucks on the edge of my net, but I adjust accordingly and she flops in with me belting out a much bigger and louder WOOOOHOOOO!!!! I obliterated my old record by a full 10cm as she measures up the same as Lukes at 44. It was great seeing such a beautiful fish happily swim away. We continued fishing with blades for a bit. Luke turned up a couple of whiting and I stirred up some pint sized flattys. We both went home thoroughly satisfied.

What a crackup. I too recently caught a good sambo on my blackfish rod, except I swapped the float for a spinner when we noticed bonnies chasing our floats in. Hard work I'll tell you what!

Those look more like FATheads to me! If that biggest one wasn't on a brag mat I'd have sworn it was a 65cm model. Good work mate.

I don't know how the mechanics of it works, but the speedo might well calculate it's reading from the odometer - ie distance/time. So if one's off, so is the other

Case and point: Full moon is today. Yesterday I caught a 40cm EP out of the harbour at dusk. Early this morning Luderick Luke caught a 41cm bream. PBs all round! Stuff the moon..

Thanks captain buzzkill Cheers guys. Slinky mate I couldn't give you much advice, I was fishing for bream so she was a bit of a fluke.

This arvo I was prepping myself for an early morning yak. Having not even picked up a rod for about 2.5 weeks, just handling my gear got me all pumped up and I couldnt wait until tomorrow. With only about 15 minutes before it's too dark to fish with placcies, I wandered down to my local spot in the harbour. All I had was my rod, 1 atomic prawn on a 1/40th jighead and my pliers. Flicked around some rocky snags and I hookup to one thinking oh well back home then, but thankfully she pulls loose. Decide to try over the other side where there's a big catamaran just within casting distance. Already now, I can hardly see my line and it's becoming difficult to fish. Just a few casts at this boat and I'll go home. Got a good cast right in close on the starboard side...... wait...... few jiggles....... wait....... line movement looked suspicious *strike*bang I'm on! This thing feels weird. Solid, but like nothing I've ever felt before (because I haven't). I kept saying, this cant be a bream.... but what the hell is it then?! Get her in close, and I see that huge gob and gold skin glistening in the park lights. Could it be?!! In closer and I see the unmistakable shape of a beautiful Estuary Perch. I know because I've been staring at the fisheries flyer stuck on my wall for bloody ages thinking about how I'd love to catch one. I swam her over to a little sandy patch and landed her with the biggest smile my face has felt for too long. Absolutely beautiful fish, I measured her on my rod and came up 40cm. I wish I had the camera, but that image is gonna stay in my head till the day I die. She happily swam off into the dark, never to be seen again.

Nice croc mate. How'd she fight? I've only caught 2 (smaller) this winter. One felt like a small patch of weed and the other felt alright for a winter flatty (both same size). The good one came from the bay, and it seems that is what everyone has been saying this winter.

Who needs good fishing when you've got hot coffee and banana bread to eat by the water with good company...

You definitely wont catch anything at home saying the moons not right so I'm not going. I go fishing at any opportunity, because Ive gotta work the rest of them time. I will only time it with the tides if possible and I think that is the bigger issue. I always hear plenty of stories of PBs being caught on less than ideal conditions (moon, pressure, tides, temp etc) and if that's all you catch, we'll thats a bloody good reason to be out there. What it all comes down to in the end is time on the water.

Cheers guys The old goto gulp shrimp on a 1/40th HWS jighead did the trick Get out there Roberta, strengthen those leg muscles for summer!

Had a quick yak sesh in the harbour on the runup casting plastics under boats. The wind blew up a bit at one stage making the water choppy and with the light at some angles it was impossible to see my line. I ended up opting to cast, wait a couple of seconds and then strike and try pot luck. 5th cast doing this, whatdya know, I pull up solid on a nice fish. He gave me a bit of grief, but I gave him more and netted a 31cm bream. Got a couple of pics and sent him packing. Only one for the day, but it's all I needed to scratch the itch Funny that all the time I could see the line I never got one bump.