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XD351

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Posts posted by XD351

    Not much doing in broken bay

    in Saltwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    47 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

    Well done Ian, you always put in a solid effort and great report. Pity about the hairy ... but that's fishing.

     

    Reminds me a bit of when you threw away the gemfish at the boat 🤭🤭🤭

    Cheers Zoran

     

    Thank Zoran! 
    I had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to be tough going as my mate fished there a week or two earlier and caught bugger all . I fished half tide rocks a few weeks back and caught bugger all , the fish had moved from their usual holding spot to a place where we never used to get them - maybe the result of the recent dredging? Also my mate decided to fish a whole pilly and got two flatties while I fished a half pilly and got zip - not even a bite ! Work that one out ! 
    Very strange times up there ! 

    Not much doing in broken bay

    in Saltwater Fishing Reports

    Posted · Edited by XD351

    G’day Raiders,

    I lobbed up to broken bay for a quick fish and to do a bit of recon  - arriving on first light. I fished my usual haunts using half pilly ( drifting from either patonga to lion island or flint and steel to lion island ) then ran a few drifts from flint and steel towards patonga  after the tide change (11:19am low)but only managed one measly 38cm flattie .  I lost a decent hairtail while trying to land it - with a run out tide , SE swell and NW it made the spot very lumpy and I couldn’t stand up in my little boat and that cost me time trying to get close enough to get a grab on the hairtail and the hook pulled 🤬 this was on a green cyclops rig and a whole pilly.

    I did have a drift across the mouth of Cowan but didn’t get a bite so I decided to do some set up work on my sounder until around 2pm then  and went home.

    A word of warning in regards to sounder set up - I made the mistake of using some settings I got off some American YouTube channel and it rendered my unit unusable- I had to do a factory reset, update the firmware and start again from scratch using some guidance from a sounder tuition course I payed for ( Australian guy and a recognised expert with sounders)  As it turned out the course was spot on when it said I won’t need to wander far from factory settings - mainly contrast and brightness or sensitivity. 

    All the fish came from the area circled and on the run out tide .

    I at least got to try out my new brag mat , this is the one sold for use in a kayak and it forms a V shape when opened so you can lay it across your legs and sit the fish in it to measure , I use one side flat against the floor and the other side forms a backstop stopping the fish sliding off . I found this made photographing much easier and faster - just got to work out a way of training the fish not to move right when I take a photo 🤣🤣🤣

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    IMG_0557.thumb.jpeg.ea042c246b91fda45d3cc4019762d8ee.jpeg

    • Like 13

    replacement axle / hubs / wheels

    in Boating

    Posted

    Ok , first you need to establish what bearings you have - either Holden or ford and the numbers on the bearings will tell you that- my bet is Holden   . So first step is to get those numbers and search online , then you can buy hubs with bearings  but there is a catch - you can have hubs with Holden bearings and ford pattern wheel studs and visa versa - this was done to give trailer manufacturers a choice depending on what wheels they could source - they used to us second hand rims to keep costs down . You will want 13 or 14 inch rims , 13s are old Holden pattern HG back  and everything else is HQ onward thru commodore, ford is different stud size  . 13 inch tyres are available but be careful  to get either light truck or there is a dedicated trailer tyre available - doesn’t have the drive tyre rating so you can’t use it on a car  - I got caught and ended up with tyres that were not rated for the weight I was carrying and had to change them , that being said 14inch are more common now and more available at all tyre shops . You are more than likely going to have to change the guards so you might need someone to do some welding. I can’t name suppliers on here but one starts with super , the other with road  or you could look on that popular bay site . 
    so in summary: get hubs with bearings that fit your axle and with a stud pattern that fits your rims , watch out what tyres you buy as some are not suitable - I got mine from a tyre mob called Bob something and make sure everything is galvanised- alloy rims look nice but will cause you grief in the long run . 
    If searching for bearing numbers will cause you grief I will do it for you just let me know the numbers 

     

     

    • Like 1

    Beach worming Sydney's Northern beaches

    in Plan a Fishing Trip

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, noelm said:

    Bait collecting (for me) is entirely free (unless I am boating) but worming, pippis, nippers, mullet and everything else just involves some time, minimal effort and a bit of fun. I rarely buy bait, unless I am going crabbing, and then it’s a packet of servo prawns because fishing is not the main objective, it’s just a short “fill in time” waiting to pull the lift nets.

    In my case I have to factor in a journey from the Penrith area to somewhere to collect bait, with the exception of catching poddies , squid , yakkas or collecting weed ( if you can find any )  Sydney harbour is out of the question ( intertidal zone is protected ) so I have to go further a field for nippers and blood/ squirt worms . Pipis on Sydney beaches are hit and miss at best and usually small size , I dare say beach worms will be likewise- anlso very timid  and any nipper beds that can be reached by foot cop a flogging . Sometimes it is cheaper to buy it and definitely less hassle . I’m currently sorting out a worm farm and a blackfish weed growing tank so I can go out the back and dig up a few worms to use to catch freshwater mullet ( good bait for flathead and bream ) and carp( for fun )  in the Nepean , I’m hoping the blackfish weed thing works because a 2 hour round trip to the ocean rocks to collect it doesn’t please me !

    • Like 3

    Beach worming Sydney's Northern beaches

    in Plan a Fishing Trip

    Posted · Edited by XD351

    On 2/14/2024 at 3:27 PM, DerekD said:

    Hi @mrsswordfisherman

    I've known the theory of this for decades and if the world was coming to the end and I had to do it I'm pretty confident I could. I spend a lot of time teaching others what I have learned from others or worked out myself but this is one of the few times I want to go out with someone who has experience at this because I enjoy the company and there are always little tricks that don't come over in videos. I also don't want the hassle of the bait bags, finger baits, pliers, etc for what I feel will be a once only experience. I don't eat fish so don't have fish frames lying around for the bait bag and I don't need to chase worms for whiting as I have bait sorted much faster and with less hassle by heading out with my trusty yabbie pump and sieve.

    I had a blast going out with @FishingFables and @Little_Flatty for mullet on fly rod. Something I could have worked out for myself based on previous knowledge I had, but it was learning from Jason and the laughs which made it special for me. His sub-surface bread flies were also a game changer. I was hoping to repeat the joy of the learning experience by asking to head out with someone on the northern beaches who is good at this.

    Regards,

    Derek

    You Don’t need much Derek !

    An old stocking foot with some pillies in it and tie that closed with a bit of cord that is a few feet long - this serves as both the stinky and hand bait - that’s it ! 
    If you had to buy all that it would only set you back $10-$15 at the most but you could scrounge around and get that down to a couple of bucks if you have a local fish market that sells sardines - usually around $12 a kilo and you only want 250g at most .
    Forget the pliers - better off not starting out learning bad habits . 
    Probably the two best tutorials I have seen were by Alex Bellissimo and Roger Osborne ( he made multi part tutorial but you had to buy it ) when I get home I will have a look for it . 
    Probably the biggest expense is paying for the parking at the beach - it’s highway robbery!
     

    Thank you for unlocking this thread Donna ! I think there is still a lot that can be added to it . 

    • Like 4

    Trout closer to home

    in Freshwater Fishing Chat

    Posted

    I noticed on a FB page I look at there was a brown caught in the Nepean last week , I also heard they were going to release water from the dam early last week ( you may be able to confirm this on Sydney water site? ) .

    Plenty of streams out west - cox, fish , duckmaloi and Turon rivers and I think there was a dam at wallarawang ( possibly thompsons creek dam that was fly or fly and lure only . Also Oberon dam and wyangla dam for trout . Can’t vouch for the fishing at any of these as it has been years since I fished them , I have seen a few decent trout come out of the upper Turon near Turon gates but it was a while ago and I can’t remember who posted it on Fishraider . 

    Advice on Fishing Stiff water

    in The Bar

    Posted · Edited by XD351

    🤔 I wonder if I can convert my yammie to air cooled and use my polycraft for that 🤣🤣🤣

    🤔 maybe a dragon boat would be more fun 🤣🤣 

    If that was in Sydney you can guarantee there would be a pack of clowns on jet skis going down there.🤣🤣🤣

    • Haha 3

    Proposed Port Hacking Aquatic Reserve

    in Fisheries News and Regulations

    Posted

    This sounds eerily like the council meeting they had to try and get Mona vale basin turned into a marine sanctuary zone - in the end it was decided that the council didn’t have the power to implement anything because it is a DPI controlled region . Best they can do is ask for a case study in which case they will probably have to pay for it, these studies can take years and cost a lot of money . There are other issues at play here as well like people catching undersized fish and cutting these up to hand feed these groper- if it is illegal for me to cut up an undersized tailor for bait how can it be legal for them to do it ? I think an overhaul of the spear fishing / skin diving regulations and a way better education program are in urgent order . Now I’m obviously not a spear fisher so not certain on this but if I have to pay a fishing fee to line fish why shouldn’t the spear fishers also be made to pay the same fee? Do they pay an fee?Also do you have to register a spear gun ? Do you need a licence for one ? I don’t want to debate the last two as I don’t think this forum is the place to argue the intricacies of spear guns / weapons or their ownership- just a simple yes or no answer is all I want .

    • Like 1

    Beach worming Sydney's Northern beaches

    in Plan a Fishing Trip

    Posted

    My beach worming exploits are pretty simple - I swipe a card over a machine and they magically appear in my bucket - I might walk out of that shop looking happy but I’m dying inside with disgust at myself for not being able to get my own - couldn’t catch a worm if you threw the bludger at me! 🤣🤣🤣

    • Like 2
    • Haha 5

    Another Rydalmere quickie session.

    in Saltwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    G’day Raiders,

    I lobbed down to Rydalmere for a quick after work flick , nothing specific in mind as to species to target - more a suck it and see approach. The water is filthy - even worse than last week but I thought nothing ventured nothing gained, the first 20 min yielded nothing - not even a touch on my lure - a Zman grubz 2.5 in black and a pink uv glow sinker 5g - Texas rig as usual . 
    I got to the end of where I wanted to fish - a high sandstone wall ( visible under the bridge in the photo below) the channel cuts right in here and I have it a few casts . On the third cast the grub got smashed and knew immediately what it was - a flattie. I now had a problem though - I was standing on a high wall with a retaining wall in front of it ( it was underwater because of the 2m high tide) so I had to hoist this fish over the lot of this and then over a railing-all in one motion and I’m running 6lb trace ! 
    Anyhow this fish decided it wanted to help me and launched itself out of the water straight at me and I managed to keep its momentum up enough to land it . I originally thought it was 47cm but when reviewing the photo I noticed the zero on the tape is a few cm short of the end of the tape which is what I used to align the tape so it was closer to 50cm - bonus ! I changed lure styles (critters , clone prawn and paddle tail shad in various colours)but only got them chomped by tiny tailor . Heaps of poddy and bully mullet down there atm but for some reason I can’t  hook a bream to save my life down there ! Oh well , nice couple of hours out of the house ! One down side of this place is the imbecile’s that think the cycleway is a race track ! I had one fool go past me on an electric contraption and I reckon  he was travelling faster than a postie bike would do ! 
    IMG_0534.thumb.jpeg.0f5677cc81ca8aec80c0adc3181150d9.jpegIMG_0532.thumb.jpeg.5924e8dab7fa9889ab7ef85f8a90906e.jpegIMG_0533.thumb.jpeg.167a071dfececd1c565ca660326603fa.jpeg

    • Like 13

    More Tarban Topwater Bream

    in Saltwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    I wonder how many people look at a solunar chart and see the time that they are able to fish is the low period and don’t bother going ? I don’t need a book to tell me when to fish - if my eyes are open and my heart still beating I’m going fishing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    Just got to somehow find a way of getting the BOM to get the weather prediction right - at least maybe 10%of the time and I will be digging it !

    Great report Mike ! Keep chipping away at it- each trip is another part of the puzzle solved !

    • Like 3
    • Haha 3

    Skinny water bass session

    in Freshwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    19 hours ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

    The water quality of the Nepean (anywhere it is actually called the Nepean, upstream of Yarramundi) is as good as any eastern flowing river.

    Unfortunately Aaron's videos of late have become so negative and depressing I no longer watch them. I get what he is trying to show but there needs to be some balance.

    Each to their own .

    • Like 2
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