Koalaboi

Hi, Great fish! I don't know the difference between a blue spot and dusky flathead. What are the points of difference in the photo of the blue spot you've posted? Thanks

Hi Pickles, Some great advice here on catching poddies. You ask about attaching a float to the trap. I think it shouldn't be necessary as you place the traps in shallow water so that there is only about an inch or two of water above the trap. I have found that they are easiest to trap when the sun is well up and there is not too much wind...so look for sheltered spots in the lee of any wind on those windy days like today!. A little ruffle on the surface is OK but not too much. Some days the rectangular traps work a treat and other days they are no good at all and the cylindrical traps are the go. I think the rectangular containers that have the blue snap on clips would be easier to use than the ones you have to push on all the way around the perimeter of the lid. I use the cylindrical traps with a couple of bits of styrofoam or cuttlefish bone or pumice in them (so they don't sink) along with white bread and breadcrumbs. I have about 5 to 6m of builders string on a small plastice handline spool so I can throw them out and then pull them in without wading. I leave them out for 15 minutes and then check and rebait. The cylindrical traps need careful handling so that you don't break the clip on points that secure the ends of the trap. I have found that if you can't see any poddies around then it's usually not worth setting the traps. The only other problem is fighting off the ducks! Good luck, they make great bait and I use them every summer for flathead and usually pick up some good bycatch including salmon, tailor and big bream. Every now and again a long tom will take one and those fish are wild! KB

Great report which has me determined to get some fly fishing time down that way this summer. Thanks for the motivation! KB

Hi, I live on the Central Coast of NSW. It may be a bit of a mission, but up here we have a street called Mullbong Road, (true). You'd have to think that somewhere along the shoreline thereabouts you could score some weed that would satisfy your needs. It's very close to the Rip Bridge and here's the Google Map: KB

I have frozen cabbage weed from the rocks and it has worked well when thawed. KB

I think you need to find a source of weed. It seems that burley is a good option when fishing enclosed waters so i would make some up with the weed you intend to use., throw a couple of handfuls into the water at the start and then a bit more every 10 to 15 minutes or so. Try varying the depth of your rig and also a longer lighter leader can help with shy fish. KB

Hi, The old saying, "it's the journey not the destination." is so true here. Your journey as a fisherman/woman, is about learning to connect with where you live: the weather, the tides, the seasons etc. The only way you can really get this is just to get out there and fish..but, it must be mindful fishing. I get really annoyed by people giving away fishing spots that took others years of research, trial and error and constant effort to get wired. The trend for some to set up a youtube channel to establish themselves as great fishers is particularly annoying. One such person has started up here on the Central Coast with a channel where he publishes spots away from near where he lives but, keeps his local spots quiet! The fact that he has shamelessly copied a couple of NZ Youtubers (including wearing their colourful tights and pseudo pith helmet hat) speaks volumes about his motivation for this. Needless to say, the locals at the spots he's broadcast on the internet are not impressed. Again, the personal journey to get your fishing wired is a great deal of fun and, when you get there, the sense of achievement is something special. Go for it and treat it as the journey of a lifetime because in the end, that's what it is. KB

Well done!

Hi everyone, Thanks for the interest in this topic. A good friend of mine is an Aboriginal elder, knowledge holder, professional fisherman and oyster farmer up at Karuah. He believes that the fish migrations and even more localised movements, are governed by the winds. An obvious one is the movement of adult mullet to spawn in April when the westerly winds start to blow. I've seen dances at Corroboree that are based on this knowledge. I wondered if the poddies on my side of Tuggerah Lakes (near Long Jetty) stayed here during the warmer months to escape the predominantly onshore winds from the east which leaves Long Jetty in the lee. In winter, when the winds are mostly from the west, I theorised the poddies may move to the other side of the lake to escape the choppy and muddy water but, when I went over there to look, I didn't find any; although I have to admit, my looking was a "boys look". Maybe they are further up the estuaries, maybe they aestivate in the cooler temperatures...? There has to be an answer! KB

Hi, Funnily enough, a day after posting the question, the poddies have showed up in the shallows of the Lake. Apart from the silly response from Fab 1, I would like to thank people who have responded. However, I am not sure about the theories aired. I don’t think the growth rate of mullet is sufficient to see them mature enough to spawn by growing from a tiny poddy to adult in a couple of months…or even less. I have done some research on this and according to fisheries, mullet don’t leave the estuaries to spawn until they are two years old. Whilst they are quick growers it takes 4 years for them to get to a length of 35 cm: "Spawning occurs at sea, from autumn to early winter. The larvae enter estuaries and the small juveniles subsequently live in sheltered shallow water habitats. Many sea mullet travel into freshwaters, where they may reside for long periods, particularly if denied passage back to the estuary. Sea mullet grow quite quickly, taking about 4 years to reach 35 cm in length. Maximum length is approximately 60 cm but few fish greater than 50 cm are caught. Between late summer and early winter, adult sea mullet (two or more years of age) leave estuaries in large schools that then travel northward along the open coastline on their way to spawning grounds. This behaviour appears to be triggered by strong westerly winds and falling water temperatures. Shorter migrations by so-called ‘hard-gut’ (sub-adult) mullet also occur periodically, possibly in response to heavy flooding." (https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/375937/Sea-Mullet.pdf) So the question remains. KB

Living at The Entrance, my go to fish over summer are flathead. Live poddies are my preferred tactic which are quite plentiful in the shallows of Tuggerah Lake during the warmer months. They disappear during the cooler months and I have often wondered where they go. I thought that with the prevailing westerly winds during winter that they may head to the western side of the lake which is more sheltered but on looking there no luck. Some people suggested they go upstream to the tributaries that flow into the lake but no luck there either. I’ve looked at some articles on the life cycle of mullet and cannot remember finding an answer to the question. Do any FRs know (and I mean really know not have theories etc) where they go? KB

Hi Rebel, I find the only time to get a relatively uncrowded fish at The Entrance during holiday periods/weekends is a dawn patrol. Holiday makers tend to enjoy a sleep in, and after a hard slog working, good on 'em I say! Their sleep in rejuvenates their spirit and gives me a bit of me time alone fishing. KB

Many years ago I caught a nice bream off the rocks at Maitland Bay before it was a reserve. On cleaning it I found a freshly devoured Christmas beetle so I reckon crickets would be fine. KB

Glad it worked out for you. $15 is a great price. Look after ot and you will be delighted with it. As you gain experience you may want to upgrade but for the moment, a great centrepin to learn with. I have around 7 centrepin reels but the Steelite is my go to now. I do use an Alvey centrepin for fishing for flathead but the asteelite is my luderick reel. Tight lines, KB

I see them come up in the weekend markets near where I live at The Entrance and also at Toukley. FB marketplace, gumtree and eBay also. Getting one in good condition is not that hard but takes time. You just have to check them regularly. I just checked Gumtree and there’s one for $15 pick up from Maroubra…there are others too. KB

Hi, The Steelite is very light and easy to use.They are fragile and will shatter if dropped on a hard surface. If picking one up from the markets, make sure that the handles and spool turn freely without much lateral play or wobble when the spool turns. You should also check that the ratchet operates well. I have loved going back to my first centrepin reel and am not likely buy any other blackfishing reels, in fact I probably won't even bother getting my other really expensive reels repaired. I have picked up a couple of other Steelites for spares and replacements if needed. One of my oldest fishing mates is still using the same Steelite reel he had back in the 1970's and like me he fishes two or three times a week. Tight lines, KB

Hi, I’ve used lots of reels for blackfish in over 50 years of fishing for them: Avon Royals, A few different Alvey reels, threadlines, Shakespeare Eagle and others and have gone back to my very first centrepin: the humble Steelite and it is sensational. $20 at the local markets. Threadlines don’t give you that direct feel for the fish, Alveys, if using the sidecast option, put too much twist in the line and are expensive. Avon Royals corrode and the Shakespeare has issues with the ratchet and corrosion. Get yourself a Steelite and keep your eyes out for any others in the markets and you can have a spare for parts. But really, any centrepin for blackfishing is a good option. KB

I’m seconding Rebel above: the Central Coast. Plenty of options as far as fishing is concerned: lake, rocks and beach. There’s lots of other activities also and you won’t spend lots of time and money travelling there from Sydney. Wherever you end up going I hope you have good fishing. KB

Hi, Based at Bateau you have rock, beach and estuary fishing options to consider. The rock platform at Bateau offers the usual suspects including spinning/live baiting for kingies and pelagics along with your bread and butter drummer, luderick, bream, tailor, groper etc. The Tuggerah Lakes system offers good fishing despite the very heavy toll of around 40 professionals who take many tons of fish, prawns and crabs. Flathead, luderick, bream, estuary perch, whiting and crabs are your go to fish but there are good tailor and jewfish in the system near The Entrance. The beaches are famous for tailor, salmon, jewfish, whiting though the huge catches of yesteryear are no longer around. From Bateau it’s not too far to other spots like Terrigal and Avoca as well as Norah Head, Wybung etc to the north. So a huge range of options…years and years of exploring and learning ahead. KB

Hi, Seems to me that your trip up will be to stay at a place with jetty. I used to have a boat but got rid of it as it was too much trouble launching, cleaning, storing it etc when I could get as many fish as I wanted land based here on Tuggerah Lakes. I’m close by (a few minutes) and so it’s easy for me to dart down and have a quick fish and if no good head back home to try later. So how to catch good fish land based. In the situation you are looking at I reckon you could not do better than using some form of live bait…poddies, nippers, bloodworms etc. I suggest live poddies as your best option. Good luck and let us know how you go! KB

This has been a problem for me over some time now. I have tried a number of pumps from $25 to $75 and all have failed at some stage. I have two atm: a white Japanese pump that can be recharged by usb port and a cheaper 2D battery model. I now place the pumps in a glad resealable lunch bag and poke a hole through the plastic for the air outlet and the clip to attach the pump to my bait bucket. I put oil or vaseline on all the external metal parts including the screws and the brackets and on getting home make sure that I thoroughly dry out the pump and if storing away for any time, remove the batteries. So far so good! KB

The fishing world has some wonderful people and this site encourages those people to share and support one another in their fishing journeys. That there is no tolerance for negative, discriminatory posts on Fishraider is one of the reasons it is such a popular and good site. I'd just like to acknowledge their work and thank the moderators for making this such a safe and welcoming place. KB

Sometimes poddies can be trap shy. Using breadcrumbs and some bread is my preferred bait. I’ve tried lots of traps but now use the cylindrical plastic traps only. You have to be careful as the little catches can break easily. I also put a couple of pieces of styrofoam in the trap to stop it sinking. If I can’t see any poddies in the location then I’ve found it’s not worth placing a trap there. Im up on the Central Coast and have noticed that the poddies disappear from the eastern shores of Tuggerah Lakes during the cooler months. Not sure what they do but suspect that they move to the western shores to escape the westerly winds. KB

Ta for the tip.