musty

Just be careful mate dont under estimate the bay. It is very large and can chop up pretty bad very fast. My tip is to head out very early (1st light) and check the conditions beforehand, keep your eye on the weather as it can be a long, wet and bumpy ride if the winds pick up. In good conditions this time of year there should be bream, whiting and trevally in most areas if you burley up. Sometimes its a matter of picking up a fish or 2 then moving to a new spot and starting over. You can get a decent bag of fish over a 3-4 hour session if the weather behaves its self. At the moment the weathers playing silly buggers so be carefull. All the best. Musty

I look at it this way... If i INVITE somebody out with me i do not expect and offer nor will i accept one, They are out with me because i thought about it, wanted them along as as such they are my GUEST. The same way some one will come over for dinner at my house and i do not expect a bottle of wine, a desert or any sort of payment, If i invite them to dinner then i want them to come and enjoy a dinner with me. However if its one of those "when are you going to take me out!" mates, and i dont particularly have the urge to take them out then yes, i Would like an offer of bait, food, fuel, case of piss afterwoods- WHATEVER... even at the very least hang around and help clean the boat- if not it will be their 1st and only time out. Then again some mates will bend over backwards to help me out, those guys might even be non fishers, as far as im concerned whats mine is there's and i never think of costs they are more than welcome for a social fish anytime rather than a serious fishing session. I guess at the end of the day it matter who the person is and all I really want is the correct level of courtesy from a person at that level of friendship. In any case, $10 is a CHEAP day on the water its the least they could offer if nothing else. Cheers Musty

The last time i "camped" in Canberra i was blind as a bat and slept in the back of a wagon in a carpark at Woden! Ahhh crazy times! Seriously though, just prior to the closed season on streams my best mate was getting plenty of large browns up to 6lb in the Eucembene River on fly, not sure of how the lake is fishing but I would assume the whole general area would be firing this time of year! Good luck Jermz Musty

nah mate I spoke to you in the shop once Musty

awesome pics mate! I recognised that face/arm in a sling straight away! Thats not a permanent fixture is it? Well done BJ Musty

Used to catch dozens of those using servo prawns and handlines when i was a kid off the jetty behind maccas. My mate always told me they were Gudgeons. Not sure but i remember they looked like a cross between a flathead, a whiting and a grinner. http://www2.mdbc.gov.au/subs/fish-info/native_info/flatheadedGudgeon.html Musty

Eeeyyy!.... Musty

Dude, seriously, i used to be a hardcore holden man, you may aswell play the pokies mate, the amount of stuff that went wrong with my brand new VY in the 1st 3-4 years was unbelievable! i contemplated going over to ford but my best mate who happens to be a ford lover was honest enough to tell me that they are just as bad if not worse. Nowadays its Toyota all the way. Im sorry Aussie manufacturers i so want to support you guys but its like chalk and cheese. Besides that the resale value is almost negligable. They do look good though. One thing i have noticed in regards to Holdens is go for a series 2 or above. They seem to have less issues as they are ironed out by then. If you buy the 1st batch like I have always done its issue central. Musty

How did i forget that?? Dont let Julia Foolia! Musty

Well done mate nice catch! Ive been pulled up twice by fisheries, on both occassions it went like this "have u got any fish on board sir?", to which i replied "yes i have".. "can we take a look?".. "ofcourse you can"... "want to see my fishing license too?"... "Nah your right mate! have a good one"... I dont mind the fisheries officers would be nice to see a bit more of them! Musty

Dont worry about it mate, at the end of the day its all in good fun and everyone likes to talk about the one that got away or show their proudest catch. Yes sometimes people might get carried away but I think Admins issue is clowns point blank lying, making crap up, digging up old archives and claiming them as their own. Most of us didnt just join a forum a few months ago, and fishing has been a life long experience. For the new comers its their chance to learn and be part of that, but for the few who want to play silly buggers- they get weeded out. We have all had a s#!t talking mate who we end up breaking off from- Its a little bit like that isnt it Its just not nesseccary is it. I wouldnt go as far as your first sentence though. Car salesman give any fisherman a run for their money I'd say Musty

As far as im concerned there are run out spots upstream, run out spots downstream- AND vice versa. Certain spots fire for certain reasons. A peak in the bottom topography for example may cause an upwelling in one direction but nothing whatsoever in the other. The key is to understand the area you fish. Combine with that the habits of the target species and your cooking with gas! I wouldnt totally write off the fact that its a run out tide and your fishing upstream. Definetly not! Good luck mate Musty

I use 6-8-10 size green sneck hooks by mustad in most situations but i also like the gamakatsu panfish hooks in a size 10 or 8, They are alot stronger gauge and their shape seems to hook up well. Especially if im fishing the lower harbour where im likely to encounter BIG blackfish or surgeons albeit in lesser numbers. Give them a go Musty

Ur not far off the truth there. If there was anything untoward in that waterway im sure the nightly professional trawlers would have found it by now. Musty

Parking shouldnt be an issue at this time of year particularly before 9am. I often launch at Tom uglies out of a 14ft tinnie and find it very easy and having taps and amenities and a great hamburger shop nearby is an added bonus. Cheers Musty

Eating jew every day! I wouldnt eat chocolate mud cake every day and thats better than stinky jew fillets anyday! Was that bloke for real? Hope he was ok. Cheers Musty

WELL DONE JEZZA! Musty

Very informartive, enjoy! Musty

My golden rule is to work my lure WITH the current, no matter what direction the wind. Botany bay is a washing machine at best in a southerly but i fish the entire waterway from liverpool wier to the heads, and over the years i have found enough good spots to gaurantee a comfy little fishing sesh regardless of whether it be 10 knots or 40 knot winds forecasts. The area between Lugarno and Milperra Bridge will always provide a good degree of cover. I've headed out thinking "Im mad, this is gail force sh!t" only to get there and fish within relative comfort. Hawakesbury should be similar if not better. Look for deep valleys and high surrounding topography mate, where there's a will there's a relations! Musty

Back in my "high speed spinning off the rocks" days I ALWAYS used Fireline XDS. Dont even know if its available anymore however back then i did find an El cheapo braid that was almost as good, Jarvis Walker Hercules at 1/3 of the price i wasnt complaining. Nowadays i hardly fish those styles and mainly flick lures in the estuaries. Power pro and Spiderwire are my chosen lines. Ive always heard good things about Fins line aswell but at the end of the day i conclude it like this... ALL BRAIDS SH!T ME TO TEARS UNTIL I HAVE WORN THEM IN! maybe i have a tendency to overstock i dunno, but the fist few weeks of a new braid aint fun! TD sensor is another good braid if you can afford it. Musty

ALWAYS WORTH IT MATE. ALWAYS WORTH IT. Remember that. Good luck! Musty

mmmmmmmm.. Australian Salmon! Nice catch fellas Musty

You can fish there but its alot shallower than it looks and I havnt noticed any decent land based spots there. If your land based try around burns bay road area cunninghams reach, or by boat pretty much anywhere. There can be good bream, whiting and estuary perch caught there sometimes. That said, i have found it to be a little hit nd miss- Then again i guess i dont fish it as often as i do my local waterways. Good luck! Musty