Jeff

I was asked to identify this fish by a friend. I think its a Spotted Bigeye, Priacanthus macracanthus but not 100% certain. Anyone else care to share their opinion? It was caught in the Clyde River, NSW a short while ago. Apparently it was a little bigger than it appears in the photo.

Good to see there's a few around. I've been chasing them up there for a couple of years now from the yak on blades. Only seems to work over winter when they are schooled up. Will have to give the wall a go one day and see if blades work there.

Through the summer you can catch them anywhere from Wiseman's Ferry up. If you check the results of acoustic tagging you can see they move around quite a bit. Not all the fish push right up and fish movement varies from year to year. The only active bass club I know of in Sydney is Western Sydney Bream & Bass as HNBA closed down. They hold socials for both boats and kayaks.

I used to live at Randwick and dived and snorkelled Clovelly quite often. I didn't fish it, there are far better spots nearby. From the comments made in the newspaper article I think the main problem is people fishing in the swimming pool at Clovelly. The pool is a narrow rocky bay about 150m long that has had the edges concreted and stairs put in. There really isn't enough room for both fishermen and swimmers and there are few large fish in there anyway. I'm surprised people are still allowed to fish in it. I don't think there is a big agenda from the greenies here, just locals trying to stop overfishing of a small bay. Amkr - Bluey was one very large, quite recognisable groper. But you are right, there are plenty of groper in the area and if you didn't dive there regularly, they all look the same. Pretty much like everyone's Labrador dog looks the same unless its one you know well.

You can fish there (but you're over 16 you need a fishing license to fish in NSW). Try directly under the bridge and target the pylons, there's a set of old sandstone steps leading to the water. I used to fish there often and would get bream and flathead on plastics and HBs (but mostly in summer). You can walk for kilometers downstream along the bush tracks and fish gaps in the trees but the area is snaggy so you will lose some jigheads. You cannot fish too close to the weir in the park. There are signs on the bank indicating the limit of fishing. I was told this is to help protect the remnant population of bass which may be queuing up for the fish ladder. I think its more to protect the tourists from fishooks. Jeff

Hi Keira, Sorry to hear about the rod. The best thing to do with toad fish is just let them go. Richard is right, they are extremely poisonous, but only to eat. They have no spiky bits at all and are completely safe to handle as long as you don't stick your finger into their mouth as they can bite. They also have the interesting habit of sometimes swallowing air and inflating like a small balloon when you try to unhook them. My kids still enjoy trying to catch a couple while they wait for something a bit more serious to come along. If you're not that familiar with the fish we commonly catch it could be worth doing some research on the net while waiting for pay day. I also suggest you take along a piece of rag to help hold any fish you catch so you don't get spiked (although getting spiked by flathead is a rite of passage) and a small pair of long nose pliers to make unhooking easier. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Langa, I've been getting quite a few bream and whiting over summer on the pencils and poppers although the action is fading now its getting cooler. I don't live too far from you. If you want to get together for a wading session let me know. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Keira, The best place to fish is the other end of the park. From the carpark take the path toward the right hand end of the park. There is a stand of she-oak trees and fish anywhere along the wall at this point. The bottom at this end is mostly sand with a couple of light weed beds and virtually no rocks. It fishes best on a high tide as it can get quite shallow when the tide is low. You get all the usual fish, bream, whiting, flathead and tailor. I used to take the kids there regularly. I use lures and set the kids up with bait. Mostly for bait I use fresh bread squeezed into a doughy lump about the size of a small marble around a No 4 - No 2 suicide hook. Line is 2 - 4kg mono or braid on a light rod and I don't use a sinker. With mono I just tie the hook straight to the end, with braid I use a small leader. I cast this out about 15 - 20m and let it sit there on a slack line. The bream will come up, grab the bread and just swim off with it, hooking themselves. Largest fish we caught using this method went about 45cm. Huge fight and released to thrill someone else. If you use prawns you will get other types of fish (only bream eat bread) but be prepared for lots of small ones. This is a good place to learn how to use plastic lures as there is usually a flathead or two lurking about. Set one rod up with bait as above (take some PVC tube to use as a rod holder) and throw a small plastic on the second rod while you are waiting. Work your way along the wall fanning the casts out so you cover all the water in front of you, then take a few steps sideways and repeat. A good starting point is an 80mm Squidgie Pro Wriggler in wasabi or bloodworm colour on a 2gram (1/16oz) jighead. Rub a bit of the scent that comes with the plastics on the lure before using. You will also get bream, whiting and tailor on the plastics but flathead are the most likely catch if you are just starting. Mostly I used to fish late afternoon, but providing the tide is high, you will catch fish there any time of day. Good luck, let us know how you go. Cheers, Jeff

Go down to Jaycar and buy one of their low cost digital multimeters for $9.95, then you can probe along the wiring and switches until you find the break. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Spanker, I've only been using poppers this summer, but usually manage a couple of bream a session and sometimes a whiting. Try the 35mm River to Sea Bubble Pops. I've had much more success in Sydney with those than anything else. Fish early morning or evening until dark. If you are fishing flats you need ripple on the water or the fish are very spooky. I usually wade out and cast with the wind, retrieving against the ripple helps keep the line tight and makes it much easier to get the right popping action. I use a very short sharp flick to kick the splash up about 10-20cm and just repeat this in a bit of a rhythm with pauses every now and then. A long dragging bloop just doesn't seem to work where I fish. If you are in Sydney and want to get together for a landbased surface session send me a PM. Cheers, Jeff

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My parents own a part share of a jetty at Woy Woy. The jetty has a gate on it near the end to deter people other than the owners using it. The law as it applies to this jetty states that boats must be able to use the jetty in an emergency. This means the gate must be able to be opened without a key from the water side. Because the public can access the jetty (despite the no trespassing sign and gate) the other must have item is public liability insurance. Cheers, Jeff

The Lagunas don't have a waterproof drag. If you just let the water sit there until it evaporates, its likely to start corroding things. I suggest you undo the drag knob after washing and soak up any water with a piece of soft rag or chux. You can then inspect things and replace any lubricant. If you lift the spool off the shaft you will probably find water under the spool as well. You should also spray the line roller bearing with Inox. Cheers, Jeff

I don't think one exists. Remember many of the braided lines are not exactly round eg Fireline (some are like a ribbon eg Climax) so diameters stated on the container may be different to those you measure. As for breaking strain, in a steady pull braid usually breaks way above figures stated on the packet. The knots you tie will determine the actual braid strength. See thread below for links to actual tests. http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/inde...showtopic=20047 Cheers, Jeff

One of the fishing stores in Port Mac (think it was Fisherman's Corner) had them on sale at Christmas for $7 a packet. Bought a couple of packets and converted them into a heap of bream, flatties and whiting on the flat at Blackman's Point. The're now my 'go to' SP on the flats. Cheers, Jeff

Jeff, Me and Pete both live in Port, actually a small coastal town just south of it - Lake Cathie. If your ever up here again let me know and we will hook up for a fish. Hi Loomy, Thanks for the offer. I holiday up in Port for a couple of weeks each year in early Jan. Have been to Lake Cathie a couple of times but only got small flatties on the plastics. Usually I throw plastics and HBs around the flats on the Hastings and do OK but this year the red weed made things impossible, even as far up as Blackman's Point. Hopefully next year will be better. Will send a PM before I come up and maybe we can get together for a session. Anyone know where the red weed comes from?

Hi loomylover, Great fish on the plastics. Just got back from 2 weeks holiday at Port Mac. Got a few on the plastics, but nothing to match your fish. Do you live up that way or just on holidays? Cheers, Jeff

Try Putney Park. Very large play area with climbing ropes, sandpit, water feature and slide for the kids to play in. Has some electric BBQs as well. Has a sandstone wall that runs around a bay. Need to go there at high tide for best results. This time of year would expect to get a bream or two and a couple of flatties on SPs. Start off at the right hand side near the trees (there are no snags there) and work your way around to the left. Also throw out an unweighted line for the Grandparents/kids with lump of squashed bread on the hook. Gets lots of bream.

Hi Darcy, Welcome to the site. I'm one of the guys who fishes Figtree regularly. I notice from your photo that you are using a round headed jig on the flick bait. Try using one of Squidgy finesse heads in 0.5g (or equivalent from one of the other manufacturers). Most of the area you can cast to while wading Figtree is only a metre or two deep at low tide so you don't need much weight and the flat sided head on the jig seems to give a bit more darting action. I find Figtree fishes better when there is some movement in the water so I usually get there around low tide and fish the run in until I get washed off the sandbar. At high tide you can also fish the other side, either under the bridge or at the next bay along which is at the back of Hunter's Hill High School. Jewfish are rumored to be in the area, but I have never heard of anyone catching one from the shore. Flathead, bream, whiting and tailor are the most common for me with the occasional flounder. Riggy pulled some trevally but he was fishing from a boat. Hope this helps a little, Jeff

Hi Boccman, Good to see you got the picture sizing sorted out. Lovely fish, bigger than any I've managed to pull out of there. Good to catch up with you again on the weekend. Saturday was an interesting one at Figtree. No action at first, went nearly an hour before my first hit, then finally got a 33cm bream at 7.30pm. About 8pm someone flicked the switch and I got 6 small flathead between then and 8.30pm when I left them still biting. Don't know how they managed to find the lure in the dark cause I couldn't see it until it hit the rod tip. They were all below legal, but hopefully points the way to a good flathead season. The bream have been scarce on the sandbank at Figtree of late, I thought the rain may have put them off, but with Riggy's success, maybe they just moved upstream a little to see what the fresh forced out of the mangroves. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Fishiin, Welcome to the site. Was that you trolling Lane Cove river on Saturday afternoon? I was was wading Figtree sandbank and an unpainted tinnie with two on board came up and started trolling the edge of the sandbank then continued upstream past the bridge. First time I have seen anyone troll the sandbank. Cheers, Jeff

Sorry, I might have put them off a bit I fished Figtree late Saturday for 4 flatties and a bream on SPs plus I dropped a couple of bigger flatties (only had #6 hooks). Went there hoping the rain had stirred up the bream, but it was the other way round. Almost no bream taps, but lots of flathead. The river is still incredibly clear, even at dead low. There obviously hasn't been enough rain to cause significant runoff. Also, water temp is down from past weeks. Don't know whether its due to the lack of sun the past week, or the rain, but I think this has caused the bream to shut down a little. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Adrian, Figtree would be a good place to fly fish. Lots of room for back cast on the flat. Main species are the usual flats fish, bream, flatties, whiting, chopper tailor. There are mullet and an assortment of other species like flounder, trevally and silver biddies at times. Like most flats there are LOTs of toads in summer. A couple of guys on this forum fly fish Narrabeen lake regularly. I'm sure they could give you some good info on that spot as well. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Tom, Didn't see this post before I PM'ed you. Great stuff, good to see you amongst the bream. 34cm fork length is a good fish for Figtree. That area near the bridge usually holds fish once the water starts moving. Cheers, Jeff

Hi Tom, Just wade the sandbar at low tide. Basically cast and retrieve slowly as you walk along. I find I lose too much gear in the rocky areas for very few fish. Having said that the deeper rocky holes are probably where the jew hang out. Never tried to get livebait, but there are lots of mullet about so a poddy trap should work. Also try HBs if the SPs aren't working or the toads get too hungry. Best action is usually as the current picks up with the incoming tide. Have caught fish from one end of the bar to the other, just depends on the day where they are feeding. I'll probably be there tomorrow, look for someone in a red jacket with backpack. Should be able to put you onto a fish or two (famous last words ...). cheers, Jeff