HawkesburyParadise

Bream, Flathead - smaller fish at the moment. It came prespooled with 10lb mono. Bloke at the shop mentioned 4k is more balanced.

So I went to a shop today to swap my broken rod and got a Shimano Fishquest rod 7ft with a 4000 reel. I wanted the 2500 reel but the rod with it was 6ft. Holding the 7ft with 4k reel seemed a tad heavy to me while my previous 6ft 6inch 2500 reel was nice and light. I couldn't decide at the time so just got the heavier one. Is there a significant advantage to a 4k reel to a 2500 reel? Is the heavier a disadvantage or like a cricket bat which you get used to? Would lighter be better as its more comfortable? I could still swap it as I haven't used it yet and won't be til the weekend probably.

Where are you based? That's awesome.

Hi Guys I am wanting to understand the effects of line poundage specifically for mono. What's the difference between 4lb and 10lb other than strength? Is it to target heavier fish or can you use 10lb for other purposes. Is it the difference between using bait and lures? If I want to target small to medium fish with bait and lures, what lb line should I look at? Cheers HP

I was imagining more from the rock wall.

I was chatting to @maccapacca about Bradley's head and Luderick but I don't have the skills etc for cabbage Weed. Hardboiled egg doesn't sound too difficult.

This was tweed bait prawns from petrol station. Is that just as bad?

As it happened, I had some work in Chatswood and combine that with the Friday afternoon off from work, I thought I'd try my hand at the harbour. Bit of backstory: This was my 3rd time and so far I've had bites from fish at Bobbin Head but nothing else. It was a windy and ruffled look to the harbour so no calm waters any where. I got some frozen prawn bait and had some left over Banh Mi from lunch. I started fishing to the right(east side) of the ferry wharf around 2pm. I got bites from the fish, they bit off prawn, bread and even Tofu. However, perhaps I lack the experience I fighting the fish but as the line would bend and I would push the rod up, there would be a release from the fish. A few times they bit again but no hook. Once I lost a hook. Around 3.30pm the wind really picked up and the water became extremely choppy. After that I got very few bites. I changed hooks as well tried j hook and suicide size 2. I visited my local tackle shop for the first time. The teenager working there had enough info about Bobbin head but there wasn't much he could help me with tips to avoid snagging. I bought a top water lure there. I tried the top water lure just to get used to it. It wasn't a good day for it and I didn't really have any technique but I found lure to be a simpler process. Just add a lure to the line and keep trying repeatedly. Positives Great day out, great view No snagging despite the weather Experience gained Negatives No fish My cheapo $30 rod had a part break and fall into the water. Its the nut which holds the reeling shaft in. Perhaps, I can check BCFs refund policy. Traffic on the way back as terrible. We're back to normal hey.

Yes, land based at the moment.

Hi there, What are your best tips to avoid snagging or losing hook/swivel/sinkers in the rocks? Cheers HP

Do you generally graduate from bait to lures or can I get into lures straightaway? I've heard all about soft plastics and watching videos it seems you throw out the lure and reel it in slowly for a bite? Bobbin head and Berowra waters are the quickest to get to. However, I can also get to parts of the harbour within 30mins as well, especially the northern side of the harbour. I've read about Blacktwattle bay here for Brim. I want to fish at Milsons point someday, brings back memories of drinking with the mates watching the fishermen going about their business years ago. Thanks for the book. Will def get it.

How long should the leader be? I assume the sinker sits on the bottom and the bait and leader just float?

Land based, was under the kuringai chase road bridge.

Hi Guys, I went fishing last Friday afternoon and this was was my 2nd time out. Results were nil but you live and learn. I went to bobbin head and was targeting fish(brim, flathead, anything really) near structures. The tide was outgoing, high tide at 11.16 and I was fishing from 12.30. There's a couple of short bridges in Bobbin Head where I was throwing the line near. My diced chicken kept being taken and I would feel slight bites but no hooks at all. I wanted to ask a few questions. - Are small J hooks enough to catch fish? Biggers hooks for bigger fish? - Sinkers - I was using a small ball sinker, are they needed in this situation? My line seemed to be pushing towards the shore and I was always worried about snagging so pulled it out early many times. - Is it as simple as waiting til the fish takes the hook or should I be setting the hook? It was still a great time out. The only concerning this being shooing the seagulls away from my bait. Cheers HP

So I ended up buying a Pryml beginners rod 6ft 6inchs, a tool box and a tackle box for bream. Total $89 from a shop. However, I quoted your post because I felt the the line was really crap. Let me explain: When I saw the videos of loading a reel, they started from empty. This one was full and I messed up putting the line in the right way so I was actually trying to reel in when the lever was up. Newbie mistake 1 Getting the swivel, sinker and hook on was OK. However, When I did cast correctly and I reeled the line back in, it kept getting jumbled up. I had to cut line 3 times. I thought I was bloody stupid(I blame the line 50%). Finally, So in a 3 hr session I spent 2 hours putting the line on and messing up the casting or retrieval. Moreover, Since I was fishing near the rocks at Brooklyn and the tide was coming in, I lost a number of hooks and sinkers. That's my first attempt where I taught myself the basics, no fish ever came close I reckon.

Land Based initially.

Hi all, I want to buy entry level rod, reel, tackle box kit, etc. I can see they are available in Kmart and a shop. What would be the difference for a newbie? Is it better to buy an entry level Shimano combo rod? Cheers HP

Hi all, Great website for information. I am new to fishing will need all the help I can get. I want to get into land-based fishing in the creeks in and around Hawkesbury or the Hawkesbury itself. Berowra Waters, Bobbin Head and Brooklyn are the places I can think of. If there's more spots, please let me know. I would like to understand how tides work for fish like Bream and any special gear involved. I might eventually hire boats in these locations but for now land-bases it is. Cheers HP