corro

What a tale! Thanks for sharing.

We've all done dumb things! One time I was really struggling to push the boat into be the water. I couldn't work it out, didn't matter how hard I pushed I couldn't shift it. Got the guy next in line to help, he's putting his back into it, still nothing happening. Then he asked "You don't have the safety straps still on do you?". Embarrassing.

Wonder if anyone squid fishing in the area is going to hit the jackpot and nail a squid with a spare jig already attached.

Stopped through on a family holiday, walked out to the channel from the car park, right where the flats were emptying at the bottom of the run out. Managed a couple of flathead and a bream amongst us in an hour or so. I was using a slightly too large SP (managed to leave the box with all jig heads at home), family bait (whitebait did the damage nothing was interested in prawns). I managed to drop a couple fish at my feet and missed a few hookups so potentially too big a lure for the fish, hooks weren't sharp or I'm no good - or a combo of all three.

I've hooked one of these off Cronulla, assumed it was a bronze whaler.

Where about mate? Cracking effort

Amazing report, would love to have a session half as good as that! I'll have to up my squid game before I can attack the kings.

Top quality photos! What camera is that?

Awesome photos!

Great effort in such a short time! Solid session.

I've found cormorants in the hacking the most annoying. One repeatedly went for my sp even after being hooked and released.

Sounds like an awesome session! I've never actually caught a pilchard before but they are hardly cheap either!

I saw a video of your shark hanging out the back of the boat on Facebook today. How's life as a quasi-celebrity?

Report is from a couple of days ago. We went to Botany in search of kings, unfortunately the majority of Sydney's boating population seems to have the same idea at the moment. Firstly, we tried to find a few livies as our "bait" must have been refrozen between two to four times, some of the pillies were closer in consistency to mashed potates than fish. They were only supposed to be used as berley but we forgot to pick up some fresh bait and clearly over-estimated our bait gathering abilities as nothing was interested in the sabiki. Having given up on that endeavour, we motored over to the carpark that is Mollineux Pt. We waited patiently with our indicators on for someone to finish up and took their spot once they'd loaded their shopping in the boot. There were plenty of people with rods bent and we saw a few rat kings netted but we didn't get a touch ourselves. I don't really enjoy fishing in the crowds and as last week we managed to find a few fish by moving well away, we attempted to do the same this time which paid off. I was casting soft plastics at whatever structure we came across on our way back to the ramp and under a channel marker we found a school of kings. The first two dusted me off (they shouldn't have but I was playing them way too easy and my drag was too loose). Lessons learnt and leader upgraded from 20 to 40lb I netted the next one which was thankfully just legal with a younger brother following shortly after that was returned to grow. That made it five hookups in six casts, one of the hookups being the channel marker itself. Still getting to grips with the new combo (Samaki 4-8kg Zing, Stradic 4000) but at least it was blooded on its first outing. I used three different plastics (z man shad, z man minnow, sluggo) and all three went down the hatch. Guess they'll eat whatever if they're in the mood. Drifted very quickly around Towra for flatties for no success but did have another rat kingy following my prawn imitation SP in 2m of water. So they certainly are everywhere in the bay at the moment. Hopefully they add another 10-15cm or so and stick around.

I ended up buying a Samaki Zing 702sm (4-8kg) and a Stradic 4000. Spooled it with 15lb of Daiwa J-Braid. Great little combo for casting lures, still feels like there's more than enough power there for any fish I am likely to encounter in Botany/Port Hacking which is where I fish.

Great report, keep them coming!

Not sure how you managed to paddle through the gale that was blowing today.

Nice feed there, tough to be squid! If you don't mind sharing, any particular size/colour jigs you found worked best?

Thanks rebel, the length of rod is probably slightly above what I'd like from the boat but gives me some confidence the models I'm looking at are okay! Thanks a lot Jon D. I've only ever landed just legal Kings so a 90cm fish is beyond my wildest dreams at the moment. Given I'm trying to get more into lure fishing and will be casting constantly I might downsize and go the 4-8kg with the stradic 4000. I'm not quite game to go all the way down! My gf caught a decent salmon on a 1000 Sienna, 2kg rod with a pilly on a long shank when the rest of us on the boat weren't getting a bite. So I can potentially see that the lighter line encourages more bites!

Awesome video, thanks for sharing.

All I'm currently in the market for a rod/reel fishing primarily from a boat in Port hacking (or just outside) and Botany Bay. I would like a set up solely for lure fishing and a bit of micro jigging as I have an ugly stick and shimano Sedona 5000 for live / dead baits, it's just impossible to throw a lure comfortably on it. I'm targeting any pelagics that are foolish enough to stumble to this novice fisher but ideally kingfish. For a reel I'll either be buying at stradic 4000 or 5000 but I'm undecided yet on a rod. Currently deciding between 7ft Samaki Zing or 7ft Abu Garcia Veritas 3.0 (both probably in the 10kg variants), likely to be equipped with 20/30lb braid. Are there any other options I've missed that should be considered? Considering the areas I'm fishing, do I really need 10kg or should I be dropping to 8kg rods with 15lb braid? Appreciate any advice you can give! Budget for the rod is around $150 and reel $200. Thanks

Have been out twice in the last couple of weeks, there's a stack of bait (yakkas and big slimeys around) but couldn't raise a king at either Molineux, the drums, near the oil refinery or the airport. Tried live baiting on the top, the bottom, butterflied yakkas with and without weights, fillets. Nothing. We didn't have fresh squid which might have helped. Picked up a couple tailor trolling around towra.

Amazing report, echo the call for some photos!

Sounds like a a great session. Trolled up a king in Gymea Bay Area yesterday with a diving minnow type lure red head / white body not sure the size / brand but I'd guess it's around 10cm. Literally nothing else for the rest of the day other than small snapper when we were using bait (pillys, fish and squid). I've never seen the water so brown before and I imagine this has to affect the fishing (not for you though apparently!) Any other lures you can recommend using in the hacking specifically for trolling?

Are you going more for the fast or slow style jigs? I've picked myself up a slimy mackerel blue 30g in the fast jig which I'm keen to check out as I know there's plenty of slimys in the bay at the moment. Not sure which brand I went for, probably not the most expensive one! Might go for a yakka coloured slow jig, hedge my bets and see if I can tempt a kingy.