Robbo from Sydney

Well done with your flattie. As they say, 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating' - so your lures are on the money!! I can't wait to see the next iteration.

@DerekD is a great mentor to so many of us!!

The love you have for her is clear to see Bob

Great questions Mike. Whilst things change and improve over time and we all are attracted to "the next big thing" it is always good to critically analyse them based on experience and decide whether it is an improvement for what you do. In the interim sometimes the technology in the "old" can play a bit of catch up.

Hi Bob Well done to you and Rosie. There is so much involved in training a good gundog and the time and energy yopu put in have well and truly paid off. Maybe with all the time off the water there might be a kingfish or two around the harbour for me to e able to catch one!! Cheers Robbo

@DerekD you are a very special type of person - one who willing gives of themselves and their time to help others. Your love of lure fishing is so contagious it is impossible not to get hooked! I have just returned from a big driving holiday in Western Qld and most of the time I was thinking of when I could get back on the topwater again and maybe a bit of vibing for flathead and bream around the Sydney lower north shore. I am looking forward to being able to catch up with you in the near future for some more sessions. Looks like @linewetter has also really appreciated your mentoring and I hope to meet up with him on the water soon too

Steve0 I completely agree with you regarding how to look after luderick for best eating. Keep them alive till you are ready to go then bleed and break the neck and wipe out all the black lining in the stomach area with a piece of hessian bag. We never used to skin the fillets - just batter and shallow fry and then YUM!!!

Seriously impressive DIY efforts going on!! I think what you are doing is brilliant

Zoran I just saw the link to this old post of yours and I am inspired. I have previously converted an old 4 draw filing cabinet into a full on smoker with its own internal fire pit which was just fabulous for smoking trout/chicken/pork/ beef brisket but had to get rid of it when we moved 4 years ago. With your method I could smoke fish outside usi ng the BBQ for heat. You ahvave just given me my next project!! Cheers Robbo

and we have worked hard to get there so we get to enjoy it!!!!

Exactly the same with my fishing buddy - I love the flathead and he and his wife prefer the flounder. Makes division of the haul easier some days!!

I have been catching and eating flathead and flounder from the east side of the Spit through to Middle Head for the last 2 1/2 years with no ill effects. I find the water there is much clearer than it is "upstream". There is also a lot more sand flats down that way. I agree that water quality after rain is problematic on the west side of the Spit - especially around Tunks

I always look forward to reading your latest report. It is great to read something that glistens with fun, enjoyment and satisfaction you are feeling with your fishing!

Bob Your bananas are obviously the secret weapon that gives you such a success rate. I can almost taste the jewfish cutlets sizzling away in the pan

Well done LineWetter!!!

There ios n o9 accounting for taste!

Yet another good feed Yowie. You must live on fish with all you catch!!

Well done Anthony - a great fish and a good story

What a great report and sounds like a full-on day fishing with @DerekD .

Chris I have only just seen this post. You are a legend on the jet ski!! Congratulations on catching such a wonderful fish AND setting it free to fight another day

A great report @Bennyg78 I love the amount of thinking and planning that you put in ahead of the actual comp.

Yet another good bream session on top and mid water

Some spots along the coast were well named - Like "Suicide". I never fished at Yellow Rock but back in the 1960's and 1970's it was well named due to all the pollution from the sewer outfall.

I grew up eating blackfish in the 1960's and 1970's. Kept alive till you finish fishing then quickly bled and cleaned with all the black lining of the stomach wiped out with some hessian and the blood taken off the backbone in the stomach cavity and they taste fantastic. I would never eat ones sold in fish shops - they are too weedy because they were not cleaned straight away.

In the 1970's I used to fish a lot for luderick around Little Bay using a 1 piece 3 wrap fiberglass rod and a 5inch Cedar spool Alvey sidecast. It was a deadly combination for them as I could use a very small light float and fish 12 foot deep without any issues. I still have both and am looking to find someone who can convert the rod to a 2 piece to make transport possible for me. I might then hit up the Harbour for a bit of fun.