Double bay

Ha isn't that funny, the same bloke. Yes you're right about the garfish on the left. Yes it was a great spot, it's much the same down there.except for the steamroller: the war memorial, the rotunda are still there. A great spot to grow up, lots of good memories.

Ha interesting I was taught to fish by an old Italian bloke too down there who also fished with mince meat. I wonder if it's the same guy? He taught me to put a tiny amount of bait on "just enough to cover the tip of the hook" he used to say, and to use a smaller hook. I also remember really clearly being taught how to tie my hook on with a blood knot. I think I remember he was a thin bloke used to wear a flat cap and he'd fished with a light hand line and small hook with a distinctive style: He'd be really focused on what he was doing staring into the water, and the hand holding the line would be extended out ready to fire with a huge pull . The line would be running over one long extended finger for maximum sensitivity to detect the slightest nibble. He was really successful, bagged lots of fish. One of the old guys (not sure if its the same one) went overseas back to Italy for a holiday, I used to live across the road and he sent me a postcard from Rome talking about all the great fish he saw in the markets there, I still have the postcard. Ah yes the corner store guy was Anthony, he got lots of my coin from me too for bags of prawns from the freezer and footy cards. The prized fish down at the wharf in my time was a John Dory, a slightly older kid used to fish with live bait and get them now and then. He'd spend ages fishing for yellow tail then rig it up as live bait. I always used prawns and Tailor was my favorite as they gave a great fight. Different guys were into different fish, I think I remember some of the old guys liked to go for garfish with a tiny ball of bread doe on a tiny hook and light line with no sinker. I think I also remember the first time one of the old guys caught a little striped trumpeter and held it up to my ear to hear that sound they make, you'd never be going for trumpeters but after that whenever I got one I'd put it to my ear. Wonder if kids still do that?

Ha hey crusher. What years were you down there. Nah steamroller is long gone. I guess that big rusty beast would be considered too dangerous these days, but was a lot of fun.

Cheers Green Hornet yeah that's about the right time period.

Ha that's crazy Kingie. I remember at the time bringing a mate to the wharf we were 6 or so I think, I guess he was expecting the typical experience where you get a couple of nibbles and maybe a fish or two. Well the run was on and he hooked his first one and pulled it in and it was slapping all over the place I remember how scared he was Ha

Everyone called them Spanish mackerel at the time. But looking at a pick of a Slimey M they were definetley Slimey's. Yeah I think that's it blackfish just the mystery of what you'd pull up. Taylor, John dory, leather jackets, bream, yellowtale, crabs, stingrays. And when you got something big that just snapped the line youd dream about what it might be. I used to dangle the line near the pilons to try to snare a leather jacket, one time I slowly pulled the hand line up and something small was on the hook way down below. When I got it up it was a little seahorse just balancing on the hook. Perfectky alive looking back at me with the dorsal fin flickering away rapidly. Just a magical time. Hoping my little son who's 2 now will get the same enjoyment.

HI All, My first post just introducing myself firstly, howdy all. As a kid I used to fish on Double Bay wharf in Sydney harbor in the early to mid 80's. I used to go to the wharf with a hand line and a bag of prawns from the corner shop. I'd be down there before my parents would wake up as a 6 year old or so. It was a fun place with lots of regulars down there and made friends of all ages. I was just obsessed with fishing, perhaps many of you can relate. One season there was this crazy run on Spanish Mackerel, you'd cast your hand line in and a few seconds later you'd be fighting to pull in a 40cm fish. You'd cast again and immediately hook up another, it seemed to go on like that every morning for weeks. A really exhilarating experience for a little kid, will never forget it. Anyway just wondering if anyone else remembers this particular run and what year it was? I'm not sure if this thing happens all the time with Mackerel, but for the 4 or 5 years I was fishing down there that season was a real anomaly. Cheers.