yakfishing

Budget: around $200 Requirements: - to be used with a Shimano Symetre 1500 loaded with 4Lb braid - long accurate casting of very light jigheads - As light as possible for the price - 6'4" - 7'0" - shorter butt (under 15cm) - perfect balance not crucial, I'd prefer to keep the weight down. - enough grunt to pull bream out of nasty looking snags! Whatdyareckon?

Just the main system. I'm sure we'll be exploring many more places when we head up there next. I'd love to get a flatty on a popper. If I can get away from the placcies next time I'll have to give that a crack.

Thanks guys I do now! That was my first time up there, and I cant wait to go back. I can't wait to go to Forster again too, and maybe catch something other than pike. I know there's bream there too, I could see them ignoring me the whole time You know what, I'm an idiot. I never once the whole time thought about taking photos of the area. I get so obsessed about catching fish, I forget these things.

Just got back from a good weekend up in the Nambucca River. Me and Luderick Luke drove up on friday arvo for an early morning start at sunup. We didn’t get out as early as we wanted, but we launched his boat in decent time. We first fished a nice sandy dropoff and were onto a flatty each within the first 10 mins on squidgy fish. We then moved further down to some oyster racks to stir up some bream. We struggled with the breambos for a bit but then they came on good. We drifted past one rack on which we both failed to hookup. The current was quite fast so we only had maybe 4 casts per rack, but this one was worth turning around with the electric and hitting it again. Another drift past and second cast I was onto a nice fish almost as soon as the lure hit the water. It gave a good solid fight trying to dash back into the racks, but to no avail and got him – a nice 30cm breambo, just into the satisfying size range. Towards the end of the rack, Luke hooks onto another nice one of the same size. Luke was on a gulp 2 inch shrimp and I opted for some old moldy Storm Twitching Nippers that I’ve (obviously) had sitting around for too long without using them. Luke got some really good action on some racks further down, but the bream were being very difficult to hook. I was busy tying a new leader due to a bloody wind knot that wouldn’t come good so I didn’t get a chance to try. By the time I got back in the water, the action slowed and came to a complete stop when the sun got higher. We could see loads of bream hanging around the racks, but they were too shy to tempt. We ended up at the end of morning sesh with 2 flattys and 4 bream. Day 2, we got out at the right time with Luke’s local friend Lindo in his boat. Those two have a long history of competitiveness on this river and a friendly competition was organized - first fish; most fish; biggest fish; and most species was up for grabs. All I was thinking is jeez I hope I get 1 fish with these two on board. I don’t have nearly as much experience on the plastics as Luke and Lindo, so I was looking forward to learning a thing or two anyway. Lindo took out first fish with a bream and both fellas got a couple more before I managed my first. None were big, all around legal so they went back. So I got my fish, and as I suspected that was it from me. I missed a few good hits as the bream were still being difficult to hook, but Luke and Lindo got a few more before it went quiet. We all struggled on the bream for a bit until Lindo decided to fish a bit deeper with a wriggle tail plastic. He started picking up bream again, and nice sized flattys including a 65cm croc! She was an impressive piece of work and I’m always surprised that such huge flathead will take such small lures - the wriggle tail was only an inch long model. Luke got some eating sized flattys on squidgy fish. I started targeting flattys but could not manage a touch, I suspect I was fishing just a bit too heavy. So Lindo ended up blowing the comp out of the water. He had to get home by 10am so we dropped him off and me and Luke headed out for a bit longer before lunch. Luke then took me to a very deep hole (12 – 15m ) at the edge of the river bank with the chance for a jew, which got my heart pumping and my hands shaking. Great opportunity to try out my new heavy outfit – 6-8Kg Nitro Viper and Shimano Symetre 4000 loaded with 20Lb braid. I stuck on a big-arse paddle tail and luke opted for a 4 inch powerbait minnow on a heavy jighead. We used the leccy to sneak up on the area. The water was quiet and the current was slowly creeping. Huge trees around us darkened the surrounds, adding to the intimidation and awe of the place. It was eerily serene above the water, but conjured up images of true monsters swimming deep underneath that could easily break that serenity, and break the hardest fisherman in a snap. Luke’s onto a couple of fish straight away but they’re only small flathead. But before you had a chance to start doubting the place, he’s on again and this time he’s got some weight, it’s a good fish. It’s heavy and sluggish. Luke calls it for another croc, but before we get a chance to see, she spits. Luke’s gutted and I sympathise for him while I’m quickly changing over to what he’s using. I cast out and get a few small hits, but don’t connect and Luke soon yells he’s got another ripper on. This one feels different. She’s coming up with weight, but a bit too easily and Luke knows in a couple of seconds, she’s gonna realize there’s a hook in her and do the bolt. Sure enough, I watch the bend in his rod grow and the line start peeling down into the murk. I can hear, the excitement in his voice, this is something very good.............. *WHIP* ~ s l a c k. Now Luke’s really gutted, and I’m feeling the pinch too. I try to console him, but there’s nothing you can say. What can you do? Keep fishing, that’s what. Finally I get a bump on my plastic. And strike to feel some weight. It feels ok, and I figure it for maybe a 40-45cm flatty. As it gets closer, it starts feeling a bit better, but still felt like comparatively nothing on the viper. Out of the murk comes a nice flatty – a new PB flatty on plastic, but was 3cm shy of my bait record coming in at 52cm. Man that rod has some grunt. I was happy to break it in finally, but I cant wait to feel something on it that takes it to the limit.

Thanks guys, yeah I actually don't mind winter so much now i can target blackies. Good fighters and beautiful on the plate, they get a tick in every box. Bring on the 50's!, tho one I lost a couple of weeks back felt like one Craig, yeah you know you want to mate, don't kid yourself

The last time I had a good blackfish on, I was gutted when I couldnt land the thing on the stones. Things were made a bit easier this morning as all I had to do was wash it up on the beach, even then I still think I came close to loosing it. Fished spot X, a sheltered bay, but the swell even here was too much for an inexperienced rock fisho to be game to venture out, so I opted for the beach which has a good dropoff. The first half hour I was convinced it was impossible to fish here as the wind was blowing hard towards me putting a big belly in the line and the swell was hiding the float 50% of the time. The swell would bring the float it and I'd wind the slack but then when it wanted to suck back out again I'd give it some line only for the wind to rip out a huge belly, which I'd wind back in but be affecting the natural drift of the float. Trying hard to keep the natural drift, I missed a couple of downs. Somehow by some flukish chance (just the once), I got it right, the float went under and I struck to feel some thumping headshakes. I was paranoid about the underwater structure in front of me so I didn't take as much time playing the fish as I probably should have, but managed to wash the fish onto the shore with a big woohoo! The fish was hooked right inside the mouth (lucky!) and the hook was slightly bent. I'm sure I'd have lost him had he been hooked in the soft part of his mouth or if some big swell decided to wash in an suck out at a critical time in the landing phase. I'm sure these skills will come with experience, but the only way I'm going to learn is by loosing fish. I'm certainly not opposed to a bit of luck every now and then though! MODS. I'm not sure of your policy of showing non-site sponsors logos, websites etc on brag mats, so I've cropped and blurred the appropriate parts of the photo. Let me know if I dont need to bother next time, but no wuckers either way. Cheers

I'm almost with you. Not so much from the leaking or the smell. I put them in a jar and use chopsticks to take them out, so I dont have a real problem. What I hate is the dodgy manufacturing of the patterns. sometimes I buy packs of the gulp shrimp and 50% of them are bent out of shape. Some people I talk to insist they still work fine. I've only really just started chasing bream on them so I can't confirm or deny, but I am never confident using them. I have caught some nice bream on the good ones though

Yeah that's the thing, I reckon Im gonna find it's too bulky for flicking lures around and then I'm just going to use it for trolling and baitfishing. If I'm only gonna use it for that then I dont see the point in spending the money on braid.

I've bought a 3500 Shimano baitrunner but am scratching my head on what to load it with I plan to see if I can use it as part of my new pelagics luring/trolling outfit, and also use it for baitfishing - dead/live. For luring I want braid, for bait I want mono so I'm thinking of taking the middle ground and trying the low stretch mono. Has anyone tried using this for flicking before? Is it my best option? Is trying to use the baitrunner for flicking a waste of time? It wont cast as far as other reels, but I'm working on the premise that I can get closer to the action in the yak anyway I want 15lb line and it will be used (for flicking) with a Nitro Viper 6-8Kg. Cheers

I had work to do this evening, but I couldn't help myself looking at the last of hour the runup right on dusk, so toddled down to my local spot and had a quick flick. In 20 minutes I had 3 flattys - 1 definitely legal, 1 suspect, and 1 definitely under (I forgot the the tape measure but consider myself a pretty good estimater of length). The undersize and the suspect went back for a swim and I kept the legal. 10 minutes later I catch another - not big, but I didn't have a doubt that it was legal, tho not by much (I thought easily 36 - 37). So I killed it and kept it. I fished on for a bit more and stopped had a chat with another passing fisho. We were chatting and looking at my catch and I started second guessing myself. I thought - Crap. Is that legal?? Paranoid as always the first thing I did when I got home was whip out the tape measure: ............362mm!! Phew! I'd never have forgiven myself for taking an undersize fish. Not that I feel great for taking one that was only 2mm over, if I'd had the tape measure he'd have gone back. All fish on squidgy black & golds

my heart sank reading that mate, hard luck. Mount a harpoon and loose the gaf for next time hey

Just reminded me of this story. Your bull shark I can understand, but I dunno about this one: Shark in lake

Beauty mate! Cheers

I can find them on the net but I'd prefer to try them out first for fit. What stores preferably in the north shore sell them? PM me please

I noticed there's no Tarwhine entries in the bait fishing records, which would make Luke's fish number 1. Can we put it up there?

Thanks Arpie, I like the straw trick, great idea. I read your whole Blackfishing guide, lots of other great advise in there too. Too much fun, I'm hanging to get out there and do it again!

Myself and Luderick Luke headed out to one his spot X's yesterday morning for a quick fish off the rocks down botany way, before having to make a desperate run to get to work on time. Luke is kindly teaching me the tricks of the blackfishing trade, and yesterday was lesson 1. After completely arse-ing up the float rig, we wet the lines at "point A" in spot X, which had grown an impenetrable wall of weed between us and the shoreline. Had a few possible downs here (was hard to see the little float, and it was bobbing under from swell), but struck to yield nothing. Then it went right under, no doubt a big down and I wound the slack and struck to feel a big bucking monster of a fish thrashing around and shooting off to the left. I gave him as much as he gave me, which was probably caused my undoing in retrospect, as in one last tail beat he was gone leaving me to wind in a completely bent hook . Maybe I should have taken a bit longer to wear him out?? While we were still imagining what it could have been 10 minutes later, Luke gets smacked and by the tone in his voice not dissimilar to what mine was, it’s another goooood fish!. A chaotic and frantic battle ensues as Luke tries to get him up higher to get over the wall of weed. He gets him up and over, and despite to fishes last spirited attempts for freedom, he is finally on dry land. I immediately think, wow that is a nice bream! However as I’ve never seen one that HUGE, it never occurred to me (until Luke pointed it out) it’s actually the breambos golden cousin. 40cm of Tarwhine! Luke was grinning from ear to ear, and I was buzzed too. Great fish mate! After that we tried point B and point C. I managed a couple of bream, biggest being 30cm. Luke found 4 more all up, biggest was a nice one at around 36cm?? but nothing was gonna top that Tarwhine for the day, despite our best efforts and staying out way too long, leading to a frantic rush to get to work. Great morning out, and now I’m addicted to yet another form of fishing (like I needed that!)

Oooh yeah, I'm going all the way as soon as possible. Get some practice for the winter! I've gotta get some more suitable gear first like a 12 footer rod. And as far as reels go, I know Alveys are the status quo, but I don't really like them, I'm far more comfortable with an eggbeater. Would you suggest a Baitrunner as a good option? I've been looking for an excuse to get one (a shimano) and this is as good an excuse as any

I actually gave it my first go just this morning. Not purely blackie fishing, but fishing under a float with some bread with a chance for blackies, bream and various other critters. I've never even fished with a float before but must say it's intoxicating watching it bob around waiting for a down. I understand now why you love it so much. Report to come later, just waiting for the photos from Luderick Luke.

Been strugling lately, both yak and land based, but I finally broke the pattern of dispair. Went down to my spot on the harbour for a quick flick LB. Last half hour of the runout right on dusk, I thought surely I have a half a chance. 4th cast and I finally bag a keeper. A nice 42cm flatty. A few more and I got whacked again, but he shot straight to the surface, thrashed and spat. Got a close to legal a bit later. Got smashed by something very decent, but he didnt hookup. When I got the lure back in close there was a sizeable squid chasing it. I dont think that's what whacked it tho, it was a sharp smack and he stripped a bit of line for the 1 second he was on. Doesnt sound like a squid, but then Ive only ever caught one smaller model. While suffering from last cast syndrome I got hit again, but he dropped. Another cast to the same spot and the silly bugger grabs it again - another close to legal. Anyway, a bit more confident now (with the flattys anyway)

Hey mate, disregard my question in the PM I just sent you, I see you did get out again and faired better than we did in the morning! Beautiful blacky there, I'm gonna have to do a bit of research on the old luderick or it's gonna be another boring winter for me again.

Beauty mate! You'll have to show me how it's done one day. Seeya in 5 hours, jeez I'd better get some sleep hey!

Iceman - The SP clinic is paying off! Thanks again for your help. I got a tackleback as per your advise but the lighter hooks tend to bend when pulling them out of a snag. Will they still be strong enough for a big bream if I bend them back into place with plyers? Ive just been replacing them. Still the tacklebacks good even if it just saves you buggering around tying a new leader. Also Ive been using the TT 1/40th HWS jigheads and I noticed there's a light guage and and a heavy guage - I'd prefer the heavier ones if it means theyll pull out of the snags better but is there any difference in the action of the lure? Roberta - "I must work more on my plastics, tho! I have been using hbs more recently!" Ive gotta work more to afford some HBs! An arsenal of SX-40s would be fantastic but pricey.

This was a new penny actually (does look like nuke chook in the pic). Ive been wondering about the nuclear chook tho, Ive got some but havent had the confidence to try them on the bream. So worth a try you reckon??

Hit Sydney harbour at dawn with Luderick Luke to chase some bream this morning. After getting a messy tangle before even getting on the yak I thought it was gonna be another one of those murphys law days Got a new tub of gulp prawns the other day and first one I pull out is crooked Yep. That'd be right. 2nd one I pull out looks ok but was buggering around as always getting the thing to swim right. I finally get it right and around the 5th cast under a jetty it gets absolutely whacked then zzzzzzzzzzzz and Im getting pulled into the jetty as the wind blows the yaks bow around. Somehow I end up backwards to the jetty with the rod over my head and a big bend in it. I turn myself around and complete the 360 deg turn but he makes another run zzzzzzzz behind a pylon, my line rubbing against wood and oysters. I stretch to reach my rod around the pylon and finally get in a good position to pump and wind him outa there. Another little run and then hes in the boat, my hands shaking... WOHOOO!! Thank goodness I was using 8Lb leader! It was all frayed at the end of that. Same jetty turned up another nice breambo for Luke (32 I think) which stayed happily in his new live bait and keeper tank on a testing run before release. My 1st bream on plastic - 20cm 2nd - 31cm This one - 34cm We saw some birds working the surface at various places around the harbour, heaps out near fort denison but it can be dicey with boat traffic out there so we stayed away and chased the smaller schools near us for a bit to turn up some choppers. Around some more snags Luke managed another bream around legal. As it got brighter we couldnt temp any more bream, but the water vis was very clear so it doesnt suprise me.