tastes better with chips

hi there Roberta and all when i was learning to fish with my dad about 40 years ago i always used a l/h reel . that was not through desire etc , but just he was a lefty and we used what we had . even though i am also sooo right handed i can't wind with a r/h reel at all . it just feels so wrong even though i cast r/h . to each their own i guess . all the best . cheers scott

Hi there Roberta , Yep , a great day was had . What is more Australian than catching flathead off the beach on Australia day . Does it get any better ? I think not !! Cheers Scott time for

didn't feel like launching the boat today given the past experiences of public holidays , congestion , ramp rage and the predicted number of boats expected to be on the water. headed down to Umina/Ettalong beach for a quick session off the sand. got there around mid-day . lots of people out and about and equal numbers in all kinds of boats . a real festive atmosphere prevailed along the foreshore with bbq's and picnic's everywhere . there was no shortage of Aussie flags hanging from houses , trees , cars in fact everywhere !! great to see . lobster beach looked like a supermarket carpark , dozens and dozens of boats . Aussie patriotism at its best . anyway , the fishing . very quiet for the first half hour or so , then suddenly on came the flatties . in the space of 45 mins landed around a dozen or so just legal guy's on manky old pillies . then just as fast as they came on , off they went . was great fun while it lasted . as they were all just legal ( and due to my daughters love of all things wild ) they were sent on their merry way to be caught another day . feel better doing that as they were only just keepers . no pics i'm sorry . my trustry old mobile phone without a camera just won't die and i won't kill it . hope you all had a great Australia day . i know i did . cheers scott

hi again Roberta and all my mum used to make a dish that is very , very similar. i still make it for the family and it's my son's favourite for birthday dinners etc. smoked cod simmered to get the skin off . doesn't take long and don't boil the daylights out of it. use the larger pieces of the cod as it gives bigger flakes of flesh. when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any bones then flake into good sized chunks. here's the difference - hard boil 6 eggs , or as many as you like. again when cool enough to handle , shell and chop into 6 pieces . make up a good quantity of white sauce ( homemade is always best ) and add some cheese and about 2 teaspoons of dry mustard powder. give it a good mix around. put the cod and egg mixture into an oven proof dish - spoon over the white sauce ( there should be enough to almost completely cover the food ) then cover with grated cheese and a sprinkle of sweet paprika. into a moderate oven for a while. the top of the dish will go all golden brown when ready. serve with peas and crusty bread rolls. a real winner in this house !! give it a try , you won't be disapointed . enjoy. cheers scott

Good morning Roberta. thanks heaps , can't wait to give it a go . all the best regards and cheers scott

g'day one and all. have searched through the ' kitchen' , but can't see the recipe for Roberta's internationally famous smoked fish pie. any pointers would be great. thanks and cheers. scott

I was asked a few quick questions by one of the volunteer's at Terrigal ramp this morning. Only took a few moments and he was very friendly etc. Didn't catch a thing , but thats another story . Nice couple of hours on the water. Cheers

g'day there nice fish there , well done . shame there not a couple of Wamby Whoppers !! isn't the water great on the Central Coast . might see you on the beach one day , or pm for a catch up for the beach or boat . regards scott

hey there woy woy has a great boat ramp. easy to get in the water with heaps of sand to each side to park the boat on while you park the car and get organized ready to head off. there's also ample parking for cars and the like. enjoy the waters up here !!! regards scott

g'day all has anyone ever tried these sauces as a bait enhancer for smell etc ? they both have a very , very strong odour to them. just a thought regards scott

g'day all did the same thing a few mornings ago with very little luck. tried for 3 hours going from avoca back up to terrigal for only one flathead about 45cms. hardly a bite in that time. water temp was 21 degrees and the sea slight. could call it a waste of time , yet it was nice to be out on the water. will be trying again in the next few days. cheers

hi there gary , thanks !! good to know . cheers scott

hi ray , did you receive the pm ??

hello all , just walked in the door from an hour or so wetting the line at the Haven at Terrigal . nothing fantastic to report fish wise . caught several sgt baker's ( are these table quality or just fun to catch ?? ) that were sent on their merry way . best thing was just standing on the rocks watching the sun go down and admiring what is actualy in the ocean . looked down at one stage to see a turtle only a few feet away doing it's own thing and then moments later a small pod of dolphins sailed past . does it get better than that ? i doubt it . what a great evening . in summary - pure magic . regards to all scott

thanks mate ! not very good with links and the like . cheers scott

hello all just noticed this report on the NSW Fisheries web page . use the Fishraider link at the top of the page . on their home page look under NEWS RELEASES on the right . hope its of use . regards scott

hello all this post / question might be in the wrong spot but please don't throttle me if it is . a great catch you had and well done - a great day out for you . can one of the ' wise men of the sea ' please explain as to why they may be on in one area yet totally off in another that is but a few miles away . fished Terrigal this AM with not a touch at all ( see my post Off Terrigal Today ) . just wondering , thats all . again sorry if it's in the wrong forum . cheers scott

g'day Ray R no - didn't see any schools of salmon . not much in the way of bird activity at all except for this massive sea bird of some kind that plowed into the water about 10 feet behind the boat and scared the living shyt out of two grown men !! a quiet day fish wise , but very pleasant otherwise . regards and cheers scott

hit the water this morning around 9-00 with high hopes . tried drifting in close with no luck at all . headed north to Spoon Bay with the same result , not a thing . a few other boats were out as well with most of them heading east to the deeper water . off we went as well to around the 50m mark . again , not a touch . finished up off Avoca then made our way slowly back to Terrigal on the drift close in . nearly 3 hours of fishing produced not one bite , not a nibble a big fat zilch !! anyway , a great morning to be had on such a beautiful day . mostly we catch at least a half dozen good sized flatties etc , but with the water temp just on 16 a few weeks wait should see an improvement . regards and better luck than we had to all .

good on ya , well done . small thought though . why use stainless hooks in the first place ?? those things will last forever ! regards to all scott

hello ray and all a pleasure , as the weekend is coming up i would hate to see anyone fall ' foul ' if they ate the diseased fish or through it back to increase the spread of it . hope it doesn't last too long or gather momentum . regards to all scott

hello all a warning has been issued for RED SPOT disease in the Wisemans Ferry area . this has been issued by the NSW Primary Industries Dept as reported in the Central Coast Express Advocate , page 5 today . DO NOT eat the fish and do not return it to the water in any way . this disease is a fungus and appears as an ulcer or red sores . they ask for reports of fish with the disease to be sent to ph 1300550474 . hope this is of interest and help to all regards scott

oh , one last major catch of the day ( out of the water ) . the poor old postie , minding his own business going over the bridge at Port Macquarie . ' dad how far do i need too cast ? ' . as far as you can is the advise . out and up it goes to catch the biggest non water based creature to date . i was only 10 then . a million moons ago . all the best scott

a great post !!! committed a few of the offences as listed and added a few along the way * had the steering wheel come apart in a hefty swell - that impressed the wife and kids ...... not ! * ' what's that noise dad ? ' . nothing except the engine temp alarm going off due to the muff's being left on the engine . * ' what's that stink ( from all in the family ) ? . nothing except the bait still in the bait containers in the garage a few days after being out . * being told by my good mate and long term fishing buddy that my trailer rego sticker appears to be out of date by 12 months - he's a highway patrol cop - big bugger . * thrown the anchor over the side then remembering that i had just re-greased the shackles - another bugger . still here and still enjoying it all . like NASA , each launch can be a whole new adventure . have fun scott

hi there wendy and all i use it all the time . works very well . its great for attracting bait fish . off terrigal there are fish traps . i just pull up next to them , throw the kitty cat can over the side ( attached by a rope of course ) and look out - millions of yellow tail !!! fresh bait on tap . just one point . remember to pull it back in before you motor off . once or twice i've been left with a cut rope that could have been bad news for the engine . all the best scott