Koalaboi

Are these the roaches you are talking about? KB

Hi, Used to fish that way quite a lot mostly from Long Reef to Palm Beach. That stretch offers lots of variety of fishing both beaches, rocks and enclosed estuaries etc. Mona Vale is pretty central to that stretch of coast so possibly a good base for venturing out. Mona vale also has good fishing opportunities too. KB

Hi Burtos Fishing, Your question is very open ended and as you can see from the response from kingie chaser, is one that will not be taken too seriously. I must admit, i share kingie chaser's views. There's no real shortcuts to becoming a good fisher EXCEPT for having someone who knows what they're doing take you under their wing and show you. Even then, it's really a matter of getting out there, having a go and thinking about what worked and what didn't: tides, winds, time of year, bait, technique etc etc. Work out what style of fishing you want to do: boat/land based; what fish you want to target; do your research on techniques, baits etc and over time, with continued experimentation you'll work it out. One bit of advice I think is crucial is to settle on fishing locations that are close to home. Really, there are no short cuts, you just have to put in the time and effort. When you do, experienced fishers will see your work, see that you are fair dinkum and start to help. KB

Hi, I've had the same thing happen over the years but not too often. ATM we're in between seasons and estuary fish numbers have been affected by firstly the drought which saw salinity of usually brackish waters rise which affected a number of aspects of the food chain. Then the floods which in my area cleared out a lot of the usual blackfish haunts of weed etc. We're also between seasons and here in Tuggerah Lakes, the blackfish have been very patchy from what I can gather. Things will get better. Sometimes fishing is just like that. KB

I agree strongly with noelm. Started fishing for luderick off the rocks in the late 1960s so lots of trial and error with lots of different footwear options: On relatively flat and slippery sandstone ledges, cleats and the other options written about here are fine. If not using cleats, scraping off some cabbage to burley the fish is easily done with your fish scaler...I find the neoprene shoes are sort of OK for this. On the Central Coast near The Entrance, I have a range of surfaces: 1. flat sandstone: cleats are fine as are all the others 2. uneven pebbly conglomerates: cleats are just OK depending on the size and hardness of the pebbles, spikes are much better 3. honeycombed surfaces: cleats = rolled ankles, spikes much safer 4. boulders: cleats not so good manouvreing from rock to rock with different slopes etc spikes better. 5. sand anything goes! 6. barnacle covered rock: most styles work ok but as barnacles are found in the impact zone I tend not to fish in such exposed spots anymore (I'm 67) as they are low tide options and anyway, I have found the top half of the tide the go for blackfish off the rocks Fishing away from home on hard rock platforms of basalt, granite and dolerite etc, I found cleats difficult as they don't bite into the rock as they do on softer sandstone surfaces...I suspect that would be true of other styles of footwear too. We ended up solving the problem of bolts biting into the sole of your foot by using coathanger wire, which did rust after a while and though ok, they did rust needing replacement now and again, (always took some in the gear if the wire needed replacing while fishing)and the cleats were a bit loose. One style of footwear on the rocks should never be used: thongs. It was and still is surprising the number of fishers you see wearing them. So, as noelm said, you need to choose the right footwear for the spot you are fishing. When you think about it, we have to choose the right tackle, techniques etc for our fishing possies and footwear is just another thing to consider. Tight lines. KB

I used to use cleats but tired of them especially over rough or honeycombed rock where they are dangerous with it very easy to roll an ankle. The bolts used to secure them to my shoes would eventually press uncomfortably into the soles of my feet and I frequently managed to swing the heel cleat too close to my ankles resulting in cuts and bruises which were very painful. Tried the wetsuit boots with steel spikes embedded in the sole but got sick of their weight and broken zippers. I now use low cut wetsuit style shoes which are secured by a velcro tab across the top of the shoe and find them easily the best non slip footwear I have ever used. They are light and flexible and very comfortable. They are safe on uneven surfaces and provide a secure grip on slippery rock. There's a couple of brands available and though I have only used one, they look very similar. I purchased my last pair online a month or two ago and they arrived within a couple of days. I get a year or two out of each pair which is cheap given the number of hours I spend in them. Highly recommended. KB

Well done. Nice fish and hopefully plenty more on the way for all of us! KB

Had so many over 45 years of fishing it's hard to pick just one. Dry fly fishing the Moonbah in summer around 40 years ago. Nothing doing with my usual flies so stopped and watched for a while. It was a hot sunny day with a breeze and I noticed grasshoppers I'd disturbed walking alongside the water, falling onto the stream and then twitching their way across the surface back to the shore. Changed fly to a Hopper Hackle; dropped it about 2 metres from the bank then twitched the fly back across the surface and ended up with 5 lovely brown trout. There's others just as good and better really but, that was the first one that came to mind. KB

You're right there, prices have risen~ though I wasn't around in 1931! I bought my first Steelite in the early 1970s for $2.50. Have seen them at markets up this way for around $10 to $15. KB

Use them for blackfish and flathead etc. that being said, sidecast reels are a type of centrepin and have been used for bigger fish. I have added some pictures of the most popular centrepin reels. The first, an Avon Royal the deluxe centrpin from the past, second a Steelite and 3rd the Alvey sidecast with a star drag system and used for bigger fish like jewfish off the beach. KB

Centrepin reels 4 me. Have cheap ($2.50) Steelites through to more expensive hand made models but the touch/connection you have when playing a fish is 100% reeltime touch. Priceless. KB

My dream fishing experience? Nothing spectacular, just out to a local spot on a nice day and getting amongst a few fish: beach, rock estuary doesn't matter. I live in a beautiful bit of coast (The Entrance & Tuggerah Lakes) and enjoy just getting out with a mate or two, having fun, talking rubbish and coming home with a bit of a feed. When I think about it, I'm living the dream and lucky to do so. KB

Black drummer are excellent eating, though like most fish, the big ones are not as good as the smaller to medium size fish. The silver drummer is not as good IMO. Like most talk about eating qualities of different fish, there will be a range of opinions. For fish like blackfish and pigs (black drummer) the key is in using a keeper net to keep them alive till killing and cleaning them. I slit the throat and break the neck immediately to bleed them before scaling and gutting the fish. I remove the head and the ventral fins. Once home the fish are filleted and skinned. Then cook to your favourite recipe. KB

Definitely blackfish for me. Luderick are plentiful but still very challenging to catch. Your technique has to be good in terms of baiting up, balancing your float and especially managing the slack line between rod tip and float. Then there's tuning in to different bites in different conditions. Pussyfooting for them is also challenging, especially presenting your bait to the fish and picking up on the bite. The gear is relatively cheap and simple, the bait is free and you can fish for them in a variety of ways though float fishing is my preferred option as it is never boring. The humble luderick is a dogged fighter and is a very good table fish if cleaned and cooked properly. That's my call! KB

Like Rebel said: great report (nice and concise) and wonderful pictures from catch to cook. Well done. KB

Fishing the stones at this time of year means blackfish a good option. In our chat form there is a sticky for best ever tips for blackfishing which will give you lots of ideas about how to target and fish for them. Look for rock platforms that have plenty of cabbage growing. As the tide rises, look for how the waves wash over the cabbage and where the water drains back into the ocean. The blackfish will be waiting there for a feed, as will other fish like bream, drummer, jewfish, snapper and groper. Surface fish like tailor and salmon etc also like to hunt in the milky water that washes out from these sorts of spots too. All the best. KB

It used to be the conventional wisdom that you fish for trevors coming up to ANZAC Day.

Thanks Donna, Thanks for posting. I've been fishing for mostly blackfish now for nearly 50 years so this doco brought back lots of great memories of gear, spots, trips away and of course the people I've fished with. The link between dry fly fishing in a mountain stream and fishing for blackfish led to a mate and I trying out what we later came to call pussyfooting for blackfish on the rock platform at Long Reef back in the 1970's. I recently gave it a go in the lake here and I caught more than my mates using a float Thanks again, very keen to go for a fish! KB

Over 40 plus years I've caught lots of fish that gave me a lot of fun as well as a sense of achievement. Like most of us i don't have pictures of them. I caught this rock blackfish a bit over a year or so ago. It was off the rocks on blackfish gear. A big fish which took a long time to play out and then wash up onto the platform which was about 5 feet above the average water level. Great day with a good mate and a big fish. KB

Hi jecaseka, Spool it up and start practising. I find that you need a reasonable weight at first to help you learn how to cast. Later, as you are familiar with the things you need to do, you can use a lighter weight. If using a float, a running float is better than a fixed float when learning as the float stays near the lead when you cast. When I first started using a centrepin (Steelite bakelite reel...and they are pretty good) I would hold the rod back over my shoulder and let the spool just start to freespool and then swing the cast over my shoulder. Later, you can swing the rod back and then forward in a smooth continuous motion and really work out just when to take your finger off the spool to get in a good cast and when to to stop the reel to avoid a line overrun. Advice above re vaseline is crucial to your hookup rate. I grease my mainline every time I go fishing, retie knots, put on a new trace and hook every time. You'll save a lot of fish and gear this way. I'd suggest a 10 or 12lb mainline with a 6 or 8lb trace below a swivel or ring. Lead on the mainline above the swivel. I find that the commercial rubber stoppers perish very quickly and on a line that's been greased do not hold their position well, the line is just too slippery. Much better to use a stopper knot tied with 20 to 30lb line above the float. I use the knot in the image attached and have found it an excellent knot. All the best, I'll use a centrepin whenever I can as the control and direct feel they give is a great way to fish. KB

Top fish Toby!

Hi, Did you have a look on Google Maps? carpark in the top left of the picture surrounded by blue. Access to platform in red AND platform in blue. KB

Some great fishing off the rocks of North Head. Access at the south end car park overlooking Fairy Bower. The platform below has good blackfish, drummer and tailor etc KB

Ghost crabs off the beach are great bait for bream. KB

Hi Everyone, The recent flooding has seen a lot of people angry and upset over the damage to homes and property etc. Blaming and scapegoating in times of stress is unfortunate if understandable. But just the same, the continual complaints about how unhealthy the Lakes are and how little councils have done to put in place a long term strategy for the lakes are hard to justify. Council has a lot of documentation on long term strategies for looking after the lake: https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/environment/coastlines/estuaries-lagoons-and-wetlands/tuggerah-lakes-estuary Floods are inevitable, not a matter of if but when. With a changing climate seeing more extreme weather events happening more frequently, and this summer showed that forecast to be true, living in fire and flood risk areas is just that: risky. For the Lake we also have to include sea levels rising. Again not if, but when. Council has planned for flooding: http://www.friendsoftuggerahlakes-cen.org.au/FLOOD STUDIES/2014 11 21 tuggerahlakesfloodplainriskmanagementstudyplan-final-all-lr.pdf But when dealing with nature, even the best laid plans may not be enough. This recent summer of catastrophic fires caught fire scientists and fighters short in that the conditions were of an unprecedented severity. We can only expect more of this. Back in the 90's Wyong Shire Council commissioned a scientific investigation of the Lake by the CSIRO to inform it about management of the system. Attached below. For fishers, the CSIRO also compiled an oral history of fishing the lakes also attached. For lots of up to date as well as historical reliable information on the lakes it's worth looking at: http://www.friendsoftuggerahlakes-cen.org.au/ For myself, the lake has been fishing the best I can remember in my 30 years of fishing here. During the last two years in particular, the fishing has been excellent (I usually only fish for flathead and blackfish). Last Tuesday, I spent a couple of hours flicking for flathead and landed 9 fish from 40 to 60 cm. It was a similar story the Tuesday before the floods. KB Tuggerah Lakes.pdf History of Fishing Tuggerah Lakes.pdf