Spanker

Another VERY fishy looking spot around there is Fishermans Beach. Again after a storm I reckon that place would go off. The photos in the fshing sop were very impressive. Some massive flaties and cobia.

Thanks knapers. Yeah I catch a lot of tailor so I am trying to find ways for getting the best out of the on the dinner plate. Crumbing was pretty good, will try some batterring next. The bream I had a few weeks ago left it for dead though, now if only I could catch some nice snapper...

G'day sk, Yep the tubes are the man-made formations that project into the chanel on the north edge of tomaree - never fail for tailor and good blackfish+drummer. Yeah I think you're right on for the jetty too, along the path next to the mental hostel place. I hear there is a track around the south side of tomaree that heads around to the ocean front where there is plenty of ledge for top class land based game fishing. I heard 2 people say you can get serious cobia, tuna, kings and even beakies. With the abundance of garies around I rekcon live bait or ganghooking them off the headland would be very intesesting... You a local sk? Spanker

Hi Fishraiders I took the family up to our favourite spote in Nelson Bay for a weeks holiday - heaven! As soon as we got there I stocked up on vital supplies - cask of red, cask of white and a carton of beer. I bought Reschs Pilsner - taste much better on tap. The place we stay at is about two minutes from Tomaree Head, every afternoon between 4.00 and 5.30 I would walk around to the Torpedo Tubes and flick spinners around. Most days I got 2 or 3 tailor, no size to them. One night there was a storm and the next day the water was murky, churned up and frothy - beauty! Hits almost every cast and kept four solid fish for the table - crumbed fillets - yum For the record I have now used 3 different types of lures/spinner from Kmart that were dirt cheap and consistenly catch fish, happy boy. One afternoon I was checking out a little jetty and couldn't believe the amount of biatfish hanging around it. Massive school of mullet, clouds of garfish hanging around the suface and even saw a squid hovering around. I had a flisk and jagging a garfish, so I throw him out on a gang-hook rig and 2 seconds letter a tailor smashed him. I find it hard fishing by myself to execute a good plan - berley, baitfish and go for something bitey - when I know I only have an hour before getting back to the fam. Much to fun to catch and play tailor on light gear. So NEXT time I really will target something bigger, next time hehe Lasty at the cleaning table there were two fellas cleaning about 40 blackfish...why would you take 40? They said they were from 1 hour inland and come twice a week...? Maybe they sell em of something? Anyway was something a bit dodgey about em. Spanker

Thanks gents. The missus got dragged around relentlessly by her father when a lot younger and so kind of views fishing as sitting around forever waiting to go. I think the weekend was good in that it showed it can be good exercise, take you to magnificent spots at beautiful times of the day (dawn and dusk) AND be heaps of fun pulling qulaity fish. Anyway I have learnt heaps from you blokes out there about having a plan, berley, trying to catch live bait and fishing structure. Heading up to Nelson Bay end of May for a week -can't wait I always catch a heap of tailor off tomaree heads and will be trying to bust my kingfish cherrie! Spanker

Hi Gents, I haven't been fishing for 6 months so was tops to get out for a bash. My missus came out fishing with me for the first time as part of a birthday weekend, with my folks minding the kids for the weekend yipee . We got up at 0430 and with much moaning drove down to the poo station carpark at North Head. We followed the path down to the cliffs, ambled down the rope and across to my favourite ledge. The morning was beautiful enough (grey and clouding but stunning area) that the missus stopped grumbling and started enjoying herself. I had picked up no frills tinned catfood - pilchars in aspice - , breadcrumbs and a loaf of bread for berley and started laying it out straight away. Actually the wife enjoyed the berleyign more than the fishing hehe. So the plan was to berley up some bream and throw some lightly waited peeled prawns into the wash and aslo to see if we could attract some yellowtail. Part A of the plan got off with bang. Missus starts striking madly and I tell her to calm down a bit. She takes this well and next thing you know she is on! Fish came in to the ledge pretty quick but went deep and the surging wash was not helping. After a couple of small runs she walks it over to a smaller ledge and washes it up - nice fat bream - you beauty!!! Wife thoroughly enjoying herself now, I am getting nervous. I flick out a few more baits trying to get away from pickers when BANG I am on - 2 seconds of zzz and then gone. Pull in the line...curses...knott had pulled. Berating myself I rerig and spend half an hour watching the missus dance around getting more bites but no hook ups while I get nothing. I remember this is MY birthday thing and suddenly I am not so exicted about her getting all the action hehe. Wash is boiling away and I have half brought in my line when I a solid bite and hook up. Kick kick kick zzzzzzzzzzz snap....? No bream, several solid kicks followed by an even run and then snapped off on the bottom? I don't know what it was, maybe a big drummer? I was feeling a bit dirty about losing two nice fish and had just through in the last of the catfood when I get that fantastic hookup and pull in a beautiful bream. I have photos and will post soon with stats but the biggest bream I have every caught, maybe 1kg. Part by was to catch yellowtail on a bait gig and throw one out on my big rod for kingy but couldn't get 'em on the line despite keeping a school arund for 15 minutes with the burley, oh well. Okay I am stoked now, we finish up, head home for a big fried breaky and back to bed. I think we had a good plan and although it didn't all come together it was still great tyo land a couple of tops bream - Perfect Spanker

Hehe yes ignorance can be bliss. So was the Tahs beating the reds at last. Thanks gents, I thought it would be okay, was just a little nervous after seeing a bit of that program on A Current Affair last week about sewage of beaches in sydney. Also the biggest bream has a yellowish hue which might be perfectly natural, I just hadn't seen it before. Been ages since I caught big bream. Cheers Spanker

Hi fshraiders, I took this missus out at first light to Blue Fish point off north head this morning. Just glorious - I wil post a report with pictures a bit later but need some advice. we cuaght a couple of ripper bream , is it safe to eat non-pelagics off north head due to proximity of poo factory? I don't want to die so any comments are much appreciated! Spanker

Great report Andrew, impressive array of species. Yeah I hate it when I fish is hurt despite your best intentions, sounds like you guys did really well getting that Bream back in the water.

Fantastic report and congrats on a fish hard won!

So what do you do with that much tuna? Would one fish that size keep you going for a year? 10 years ago I was fishing off a (private) warf next to the Spit Bridge. I was hoping for a fiesty Bream and almost dropped my rod when 2 enormous shapes cruised by. At the time I didn't know wha they were - now I know they were some kind of tuna. 10 years ago but I still remember thinking in disbelief that the bigger one was just about my arm span (1.5 - 1.8 m). What the hell are fish that big doing cruising up past the Spit? Did they used to catch beasties there in the good old days? Spanker

Love your work! Awsome to see when people make a plan and everything comes good. Right bait, right gear, right place. What are Kings like as a table fish?

So jealous, soooooooooo jealous

Hi Jocool, I have been 'targeting' jew for about 8 months now without success. I would be stocked if I caught even a soapie. Seeing as I only get out for a fish once every 3 months I am not getting depressed yet, the anticipation is getting sharper. Heading up to Port Macquarie over Christmas and will do my best to finally catch one. You landed the magic Kingy yet? Spanker

I had a look at the lake at the bridge for the first time in a few years about a month ago. I was shocked at how much it has changed. The topographics of the shoreline and bottom were really different, also the water was no where near as clear. Probably this is just cyclical. Actually I tell a lie, I fished the south east side of the bridge with my brother about 20 months ago. The edge of the water in front of woollies. The water was chockers, and I mean absolutely boiling, with small mullet, bream, tailor and drummer. We were throwing bread out and the shallows were just swarming. Great sign of lake being as you said a nursery.

When I was in high school I had a mate who lived on the lake about 6 houses on the north west from the bridge. I remember walking along the backyards along the water and some of the old wooden fences had had flathead heads (funny sentence) nailed to them in the past. Mostly there were just 3 nails in a triangle, some had wispy white strings of cartledge on them. Anyway some of the 'triangles' were truly massive. It was a long time ago but probably in the vacintity of 12 inches across the head. One night we were having a BBQ out the back there and I was ankle deep in the water looking at the bridge. I heard a little splash at my feet and looked down to see a great dirty beast of an octopus about to ensnare my foot. Scared the s*%t out of me. Lake has been so abusseed for so many years but it just keeps on giving - amazing!