werris

Mmmmmm....Flounder!

If there was a lifestyle award in the forum Roberta would take it hands down. I love reading your stories after a hard days work at the computer Roberta. It almost feels like I'm fishing those beautiful spots with you. Great stuff. Cheers

I used to surf a lot and there are a lot of places I wouldn't surf any more. One thing that always surprises me is how cool some punters think it is to go for a swim in the harbour. I used to go out with a Canadian girl and we went for a swim at Fairlight. I stuck in close to shore, and shat myself as I watched her swim further and further out. She ended up about 100 metres out, and I was just sitting there thinking "what if?". When she swam back in I told her she was nuts and she brushed it off. A few days later I read in the local paper how there was a few bronze whalers around Fairlight recently...handed the paper to her and watched her read the article as she slowly internally shat herself, went pale and obviously started thinking "what if?" No chance I'd swim in the harbour any more...Fairlight pool is great at high tide!

I fish land based from North Harbour (opposite Fairlight) occasionally. It's very hit and miss...it's either on or off. I only fish the lagoon to keep my eye in or get mullet for bait...I used to fish it as a kid (30 years ago) and the deterioration is just to sad to keep going back and seeing. High tide usually gives it some life, but it was pretty dirty 30 years ago...let alone now.

I don't want to sound negative or refute your claims, but Tailor up to 100lbs used to be caught from North Head around the 1900's. The figure was confirmed 3 times by the person doing the article for Fishing World more than a few years back. The harbour still got a long way to go before it is anything like it used to be, if ever again. It's not in most humans interests to clean up polluted waterways, the evidence for me being how many people look at you like an idiot for say fishing in Manly Lagoon, rather than looking at the roots of the problem and trying to address them. When I hear people say "ooh it looks really dirty" I ask them how they think it got that way? It's not the fish or lagoon/rivers/oceans that are the problem. Unfortunately for man, he will not realise till to late and until all the rivers, lands and oceans are polluted, and all fish and animals are to dirty to eat...that you cannot eat money, shares or property.

I've got to get some little poppers and give them a go for bream and whiting...looks like awesome fun Roberta!

This is in the Articles link mate at the top of the page: http://www.fishraider.com.au/fishing-artic...abeen-lakes.php

The smile on the young blokes face in the third photo says it all. Hooked for life. Great stuff. Onya Dad.

Gday mate, I was at North Harbour again this morning and same thing there was a pretty big school of baitfish being hit, but beyond casting distance. Glad you got a couple to keep your eye in all the best next time.

Got another 2 whiting off the beach just before dark tonight at Manly. Funny thing was I caught two whiting last time I went fishing elsewhere. http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=36672 I was using servo beach worms and 2/0 hook as I didn't want to hook up any small ones, and had a fair few bites/failed hook ups. Was thinking of changing the hook but couldn't be bothered. These were same size more or less same size as last time too. One was 29cm, one was 30cm. Didn't bother taking a photo, could have used the same one I did last time. Going back to North Harbour for the high tide tomorrow morning. A few more whiting would be nice for dinner.

Good work mate. I used to get live poddy mullet smashed by Bream. They don't mind a decent sized feed sometimes. I guess they get bored with prawns.

Thanks mate. I forgot to mention it's a first also. I've only caught flathead on SP's before. Now just have to catch a bream.

I was reading the fisheries site and it says you measure fish right to the end of the tail? If so mine are a bit longer than I thought. Didn't it used to be to the fork of the tail years back? Anyone remember? That's how I measured them. To late to re-measure them they're in my belly!

Gday mate, Just in around Forty Baskets, which you can access via North Harbour road. It wasn't protected today but it's usually protected from strong north easters. Southerly or Westerly kills it.

Went around for the high tide this morning at North Harbour. Didn't get around there till about 9:30am to find the westerly tearing into it. Feeling very negative about my chances I rigged up a 3 inch gulp minnow (smelt) and started up. First cast I got a bump but thought I was over reacting as I haven't been fishing much recently and have lost the "feel". But next cast I got bumped again and knew it was a fish. 3rd cast I hooked up and got a keeper whiting. A few casts later I got another one and started thinking "what was all the growling and negative thoughts for when you first got here!?!" Unfortunately that's where it ends. It would seem that as soon as the tide peaked, they stopped striking. Which was a real let down as the first two got me in the mood! I thought I'd end up with a few for dinner. Got them home and one was 27cm and one was 29cm. Just over phew! Looks like I'll have to knock up a couple of roast potatoes and some rice to fill myself right up with my two whiting tonight.

Dig it open like the surfers do! Or get them to do it for you.

Years back I was fishing North Harbour from the shores around Davis Marina, when out of the blue small frog mouth pilchard started going crazy in the water, beaching themselves etc. So I re-rigged and started picking up the pilchards from around my feet and started using them for bait. About 2 hours later I had a good bucketful of keeper Tailor, Bream and Flathead. It was crazy, so much fun. I didn't catch any Bream or Flathead till the sun went down...the Tailor went off around sunset, and that's when I started nailing the Bream and Flathead. Very lucky day. I've never repeated it.

Great catch! But I can't stop thinking how tasty that Flounder would have been...mmmm! Cheers

Gday mate, Not sure what the gutters and rips look like over at "Da Fresh" at the moment, but Manly beach (one beach south if you haven't been for a wonder over yet) is a much longer beach, and usually has good gutters/rips etc. I've not fished the beach much in the last few years, but I used to do pretty well with Bream, Whiting, Flathead, Tailor, and the occasional Jewfish. Plenty of small Mako's around too depending on season.

There was a school of I'm not sure what type of fish off Fairy Bower (Manly/North Head) this morning. I could see the surface hits from the beach at Manly...they looked like some decent size fish smashing it up out there. Probably Salmon or Taylor eh?

Live soldier crabs are one of the best bream baits I've ever used!

Yeah is this Bluefish Point, or is it the old Murk? Isn't Bluefish Point North Head proper?

God still haven't had the chance to go for another fish yet. Work is bloody crazy. I've been going mildly insane reading all the great reports though. Keep it up people. To compensate for not being able to fish at the moment I think I'm going to have to go shopping and get a 12 foot beach combo and something new to toss the soft plastics around. At least with the beach rod I can just walk down to the beach...it's only two minutes away!

Hi Roberta and Ian, As a kid I was fishing mad. I used to make my own hard bodied lures etc and test them out at the lagoon. Being a kid it was my best option for fishing. As I got older study and lots of other stuff got in the way of fishing. But my Dad was European and taught me to fish really young, so I've always had a good feel and knowledge for fishing, but I've only been fishing about 10 times in the last 10 years. Growing up surfing also gave me a really good knowledge of winds/tides and weather patterns. Thanks for all the tips. I feel like Dr Evil plotting the death of all these poor fish. But I'm also a firm believer in not killing anything that you are not going to eat and I'm very conservation minded etc. I'm the guy always taking home discarded fishing line I find hanging around the local spots...taking it home and chopping it up into little pieces so it doesn't end up killing some poor bird. Thanks again for the tips! I'll have a photo of a monster flatty in no time I'm sure!

--> QUOTE(Dave B @ Nov 19 2007, 08:19 AM) 207054[/snapback] Are mangrove jacks still turning up in the lagoon? Wow I used to fish it as a kid probably from the late 70's/early 80's and I've never seen one caught. I'd say I hooked up to one...but never saw it or came close to landing it. A mate of mine caught one that went 2.25kg about 15 years ago but I wasn't there for it...only saw the cast of the fish. That was on 1kg line to! There are/were definitly good jacks in there but I don't know what survived the poisoning a few years ago. One bloke apparently got a small jack last week.