Koalaboi

I used to put talcum powder in m y tackle box with hooks etc but sooner or later some moisture gets in. Now give it the occasional spray of WD40 into my tackle and there doesn't seem to be any problems with fish not biting. KB

Just had a look this morning (Saturday 15th at 9.00am)and it is still flooding out. Locals have been picking up the odd flathead. Last big flood (Pasha Bulka 2007) saw great fishing once the lake settled down but that may take some time. The outflow removed a lot of the sand between the bridge and the sea but when i looked this morning there is still a lot of sand here. That being said, the fishing has been very good the last couple of years in the drought so we'll just have to wait and see what effect the flood has. Saw a couple of fishers this morning, one with poddies and the other with SPs not getting any action. @Chokpa The flood has been a controversial issue with lots of political posturing, breakwall talk and blaming. Realistically, with well over a metre of water in the 80 sq km of lake entering the system over a few days, flooding was inevitable. Big rivers like the Hunter have a deep outflow protected by a breakwall (recently identified as a significant cause of the alarming erosion of Stockton beach) yet the Hunter still has serious floods when there's lots of rain. I think that flooding is a necessary part of an estuary's life cycle and we need to adapt to that. KB

Like Green Hornet above, I made some rods working in a tackle shop whilst I was at uni. I have made and repaired quite a few in the 50 years since then and made nearly all my own rods. Like GH said above, it's sometimes cheaper to buy a rod off the rack but I still use the techniques I learned to restore and repair my gear and that of my mates. It's a good skill to have as repairing rods is expensive and time consuming. I find lots of damaged and discarded rods at the beach/lake or on council throw out days. I grab them to get spare runners etc so that I have a stockpile of parts at home so repairs can be done immediately. KB

Hi Wiskas, I've tried quite a few and most are pretty good. You get what you pay for so, for a really good knife, be prepared to spend a bit of money. That being said, I reckon the best thing you could do with whatever knife you get, is to invest in a good oilstone and learn how to use it. As long as your knife is razor sharp it'll do the job. A blunt knife is a recipe for frustration and is a pain in the backside. There's plenty of youtube clips on sharpening knives and, if you spend a bit of time and effort learning how to do it properly, you'll be really well served by your fishing knives. KB

Hi, Many years ago while at uni I worked in a tackle shop and built a number of rods. In the nearly 50 years I've been fishing since then I've made and repaired nearly all my own rods plus rods for mates. Hold the rod tip against a ceiling and flex the rod. Turn the rod in your hands while flexing it and it will will usually feel most comfortable or "right" in a certain position and this will guide you to the axis along which you place your runners. On sidecast reels: reel mount down low on the rod. The winch or reel mount should be close in its interior diameter to the external diameter of the rod blank. Just the same, a few spaces along the section of the blank where you intend to fix the mount may need to be built up with a few turns of masking tape to get a snug fit before you glue it on. For a sidecast rod, the first runner is a stripper and should be a reasonable way up the rod. It needs a large ring to avoid too much resistance as the line comes off your reel in big loops when casting. I reference a book below by Frank Marshall with shows a "scientific" method of figuring out where to place the runners. Not sure that it matters that much as long as they are spaced well, in evenly decreasing increments as you go up the rod towards the tip. Underbinding looks good but is only worth it if you have plenty of time and are looking to create a flash rod (I do it to some of my rods cause I like the look of it.) Colours of the bindings are up to you. I've got quite a few spools of different colour threads and most look pretty ordinary. A black blank with yellow underbindings and red binding over the feet of the runners looks really good IMO. When purchasing binding threads, try to find ones with a wide diameter as they require far fewer turns to wind onto your rod that the really fine threads need. As you turn the rod to wind on the thread to bind the runnners, reverse wind a couple of turns every now and again with a bit of pressure pulling back on the thread and this will ensure the thread you have wound on, is nice and tight and evenly wound with no gaps. I'm assuming that you have an idea of how to finish the thread and tie it off. Hard to explain but I'll have a go. About a half to one cm before you intend to finish the binding, place a loop of thread along the rod with the loop extending a little past your desired end point, and at least 3 to 4 cm of the tag ends of the loop left outside the binding at the other end. Use a small bit of masking tape to hold it in place. Continue binding over it. When you get to the end of the bind, cut the winding thread leaving about 2 to 3 cm of thread, (use one finger to press down on the binding to stop it unravelling) thread it through the loop you have bound on, and grab the two loose ends of the loop. Pull it all through and cut the excess thread with a very sharp blade. I recently bought an expensive line filler that's water soluble. It is not worth getting in my opinion. It does not dry hard and goes cloudy when wet and rubs off too easily. I recommend superflex filler, rub in with your fingertip at least 5 coats allowing time for each application to dry before adding another. Add a coat or two of superflex rod varnish to the bindings, again allowing time to dry well between applications. A handy tip: you often find rods discarded by fishermen, at least I do up here at The Entrance. Often there's a broken tip or whatever. I grab them and remove the runners/tips and reel mounts to use as replacements when I need to do a repair. Runners and other hardware are expensive to buy and having a range of parts lying around at home means I can do a repair quickly without having to charge off and buy stuff. I have a book that I won as a school prize: Let's Go Surf Fishing by Frank Marshall and he had a chapter on rod building that I found helpful. However, some of the rod building references provided in the posts above may be more up to date and easier to find. Hope this helps, KB

Fisheries have some useful maps which clearly outline what you can and cannot do. In the case I mentioned above of the drag net pinned across the mouth of the entrance to Tuggerah Lakes it was not legal. here is the Fisheries map showing the area shaded in red where only line fishing and hand held nets may be used. No crab traps, drag nets etc. You can access the maps here: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/closures/location-closures KB

No flatties either! KB

I went last night and it was pretty much a waste of time. The mouth is almost completely closed with hardly any flow at all. Between two of us over a few hours, we only scored about 15 prawns. Might be able to convert them into some flatties hopefully. A few guys had actually strung up a drag net right across the opening. Not legal and probably no more productive than my mate and I with our dip nets. KB

Hi Admis, The real satisfaction and joy of fishing comes from the hard work you put in over time to understand which spots and species to try according to whatever combination of the following factors you are presented with when you want to go for a fish: aspect of your different locations, tides, winds, swell, time of year and day, moon phases etc. Working away at these things is a real challenge and, when you achieve success consistently, it's incredibly satisfying. Get out there and have a dig, watch what other people are doing, be always thinking, be friendly and respectful (especially: don't be a space invader) and experienced fishers will, after a while, give you some tips to help you on your way. Have fun: it's the journey not the destination. KB

SPs for flatties in the creek go OK too. KB

Hi, Tidal flows in Tuggerah Lakes depend a lot on the flood level of the lake and the size of the tide. There is always a lag of at least an hour or two behind published tides. With the mouth all but filled with sand, tidal flows are reduced, especially west of the bridge. Keep this in mind when planning a fish in the lake. KB

Great report and photos Toby. Still getting blackfish but looking forward to the flatties! KB

Hi, Anyone know if I can trap poddies somewhere close to Point Clare? If so, some locations be very gratefully received. KB

As the wave comes in, use your rod to bring the fish up onto the platform with the momentum of the moving water. Be ready to give line quickly if you aren't able to strand the fish on the platform. The power of the receding wave plus a solid kick from the fish can easily see it escape. If you need to lift the fish, not just wash it ashore, you again use the approaching wave to give the fish some upward momentum which you capitalise on to help lift the fish clear and swing it ashore. Try to do this in one smooth motion. KB

Like rickmarlin62 said. Give yourself time. His advice re tucking rod butt under your left arm with the palm of your left hand under the reel is spot on. I also use my left middle finger, slightly bent at the top joint, to support the line just above the reel and guide it evenly on the spool when retrieving; this helps stop the line going behind the reel and around the mount. After a a while you will be doing all these things automatically. Keep at it. See if you can go with an experienced blackfish fisher who uses a centre pin. I just taught a mate and after a few months of frustration, now loves the centrepin for the feel and control it provides. KB

Hi, There's plenty of second hand kayaks for fishing on Facebook, Gumtree etc. KB

Hi, I have tried sheet lead and split shot. My dad was a piano tuner and the old player pianos used lead pipe. When he replaced them with plastic tubing i got the lead and melted it into sinkers, sheets etc. Lead sheet works OK but can come off easily when fishing. I take the time to balance my float when rigging a new one up. I use a ball or bean sinker first to get close the the right level of buoyancy then add split shot to get it right. I use wooden floats and, as they soak up water when fishing they lose a little buoyancy so need to take that into consideration. If I need to remove shot I generally snip the knot below and slide the shot off the line and then retie any knots. I save the shot and when I get home, hold each one with a pair of pliers and use a knife to reopen the shot for further use. KB

Hi Jamo Damo, Could you post a picture of the reel you are looking at? Sidecast reels are not that good for float fishing because of the twist they put in the line and having to have a swivel above the float is a a problem if you are fishing any deeper than a metre or so. KB

I cut the throat and break the neck when i kill them. KB

Good fishing Toby and some great pictures. KB

Hi JamoDamo, I reckon spend a bit of money and get the right gear right from the start. My father used to tell me that only a rich man can afford cheap tools and I have found that the same applies to fishing gear. Get yourself a centrepin, they are the best IMO for blackfishing as they give you so much control when playing a fish. They do take a while to learn how to use but the effort is worth it. Here's a bit of a rundown on reels: http://www.macman.id.au/index.php/luderick-fishing/66-centrepins-for-luderick New ones can be dear and seem to be hard to find in tackle stores. Alvey seemed to have stopped making them though i know some store still have them on their shelves. You can find them second hand on the net, garage sales and markets. Try searching FB marketplace and some of our sponsor tackle stores. Rods are much easier to pick up second hand. I got a sportex the other day at a market for $20. I prefer 2 piece rods as they are easier to pack up and transport. My go to rod i bought a few years ago for about $65 but is now over $150 new. For gear; I use nylon mono for my mainline around 12 to 15lb breaking strain. I grease it with vaseline each time I go fishing. I tie a stopper knot using a bit of 30lb mono: I find it better than the rubber stoppers which perish in my tackle box and are a bit slippery on the mainline. Floats come in all types and sizes. It's easy enough to make your own but you don't lose that many anyway so buying a few is ok. You'll need ones that are medium at least in terms of the lead they need to cast with a centrepin. I mostly use a running float setup though fixed is OK too as long as you are not fishing too deep. A few ball sinkers plus a range of split shot to get the buoyancy of the float nicely balanced. A ring or swivel then 6 to 8lb fluorocarbon on nr 8 hook. and you are good to go. A very small tackle box is all you need, scissors and pliers, bait bucket (easy to make from, a plastic container), keeper net, knife and scaler. KB

Hi, Don't know your part of the world at all so, not really able to give specific locations. Just the same, I have caught a lot of drummer over the last 40 years and I can tell you that if you have a spot that holds luderick, there's probably drummer there too. Look for those rock platforms where the waves at high tide wash over patches of lettuce. If you target the spot where the wash returns to the ocean you'll find drummer, and blackfish and bream etc. Keep trying different locations according to swell, wind, season and tide conditions and, after a while you'll know where to go to get a feed with some level of confidence at any particular time. KB

Hi Col, Honestly, I reckon just stick with the centrepin reels for blackfish. The control they give you is unbeatable. KB

Hi Wellster, The article you linked is hidden behind a paywall...I don't read the Australian and was wondering if you could give us a quick outline of the issue. KB

Hi, Been an interesting conversation and thanks everyone for your perceptive and thoughtful input. Not sure about the demonising of greens in kingie chaser's post above. We need an appropriate balance between the environment and human needs for our own survival not to mention well being. Development and conservation are not mutually exclusive but there does need to be some long term views taken into account when decisions are made rather than just considering the short term profit motive. I consider myself a green but I don't have a problem killing fish and other animals for food or conservation purposes. Anyway, to answer kingie chaser's question "What is worth??" (I'm assuming a chat). My post, which started the thread was, not so much about saving sharks or humans, but about whether shark meshing was that effective in protecting people, is it cost effective, is the by-catch of non target species an issue and should we really be looking at alternative methods of safeguarding swimmers? Should we just accept that the possibility of shark attack when swimming/surfing etc (unlikely though it may be) is just a risk we should be prepared to take, like getting into a car, which is far more dangerous? I don't know how politicised the issue is but, like I wrote above, the "fear of the beast" is a primal fear that all humans have. Here it plays out as fear of shark attack, snake bite, crocodile attack etc. If we lived in other places it may be lion, tiger or bear attack. Maybe that primal fear sees us making poor long term decisions. KB