Berleyguts

I'm a maybe and probably landbased. Baz

Like the others have said, the breakwall at the marina is a good spot to start. The co-op wharf for bream and yakkas etc. You can flick a lure along Shoal Bay beach and the old game fishing club jetty at Shoal Bay is worth a go. I have caught some good bream up near the mental hospital too. If you drive out to Fingal Bay the beach and spit out to the island is worth fishing. You can walk out to the island if the tide is right but watch the tides and don't get caught. I sometimes fish the rocks south of Fingal, heading through Barry Park (named after me - not!) with reasonable success on bream and pigs. I usually fish on my own so I don't take chances and consider the rocks here quite safe in the right conditions but not sure if that suits you. Tight lines! Baz

Great stuff! Makes me want to hit a beach soon! Well done! Baz

Correct. But it's just amazing watching flathead, whiting, bream, luderick etc. up close in their natural environment. Baz

I haven't fished Wanda for quite some time but I used to have considerable success with whiting and tailor. and the odd bream and flathead. Baz

Yep, I agree with Jewdreamer. Around the co-op wharf and breakwall. Also, maybe up along the beach at Shoal Bay or the shoreline up around Corlette/Salamander Bay. Watch fish sanctuary zones around the place, e.g. Little Bay near Halifax. One thing I always recommend to anybody visiting Port Stephens. Grab some bread and a snorkel and go to Fly Point around the top of the tide and feed the fish. Amazing! If it's too cold to snorkel, just walk in to knee depth and feed the fish. Baz

And maybe look further up around Wanda to Green Hills... less crowded and a lot more room to move around from gutter to gutter. Nothing wrong with Cronulla itself, of course, but the Wanda stretch always draws me. Good luck. Baz

Other options, not really a long drive but good picnic spots with a chance at a fish: * Roseville (the national park near the bridge) * Narrabeen Lake Baz

and I thought I was just hearing crickets! Baz

Thanks Jewgaffer, I'll give the Hawkesbury squid a go, too, then. I do like to catch them myself if I can, though. The old 6hp motor on my little punt is playing up a bit and I've stuck to the shore but I might be looking for a new (old) boat soon. Hope to see you around up that way some day. I'm at Carinya - my friends all ski and while I have a go at it, I'd rather be fishing. Baz

How far up the river? I'm spending a lot of time up at Wisemans, more Webbs Creek to Dad's Corner area and I haven't seen any squid up that far. I've always thought here was too much fresh. Be good if they were there cos I'm just using frozen Hawkesbury prawns. Baz

That's certainly a stud blackfish. Well done! Baz

I also have an MT8120, which I built up from a blank as a teenager many (many) years ago. This was a threadline outfit and it got an amazing amount of use. I'm only small framed, 75kg (about 20kg heavier than I was as a teenager and into my twenties) and I definitely found the 8120 with the threadline lighter and easier to use than the 8144 with the Alvey. I later extended the 8120 with a longer sand spike to raise the winch mount to suit an overhead reel and didn't plenty of high-speed spinning. At nearly 13ft with the sand spike, the 8144 is a long rod and as a one piece is a bugger to fit on the car, which is probably the real reason why I don't use it much these days. In fact, off the beach and rocks, I mostly use my 2-piece 5-wrap 5120 with 5 inch Alvey. I love this outfit! Baz

Yes, I've seen them. Engraved with size of the fish and date of capture, on the mantelpiece alongside the jewie jewels. Baz

I've also heard of people who collect the bones from the bumps on old man snapper. Baz

Fisrt of all, have you just received the letter to say you're on call for jury duty for the next 12 months or have you received the letter that says you are required at court on a certain day? If the latter, you have to ring up the day before to see if you are still required. If so, you must attend. You will spend many hours at the courthouse before you even get to any interview process to decide if you will be on the jury itself. You have to register, then a bailliff (or something) will brief the group. You have to watch a video. There are very few acceptable reasons to be excluded but they send you that information beforehand so you should read it. If you have one of the acceptable reasons you can apply beforehand to be excused. On the day, you can have a laugh at some of the excuses some people come up with! They will split you into groups or panels (e.g. A, B, C etc.), then you sit and wait for your panel to be called. Take an iPod, book, pack of cards etc. because the waiting part will bore you to tears. If things are going slow in the court room, the bailliff might say you can go outside and get something to eat or drink but be back by a certain time. They provide a light lunch, eg. sandwiches, soft drinks plus tea & coffee etc. I have been called twice to Penrith court. The first time, we sat there from 9 until about 2, then we were told we could go and our duty was done. Either the offender pleaded guilty or some key witnesses didn't show or something. The second time, we were there until about 12. Another panel was called in. My cousin happened to be on that panel and he came back out after 30 mins - he wasn't picked. My employer still pays me if I attend for jury duty so income loss is not a concern and I can't take the payment but I do get the small travel allowance they pay. I do understand the concerens of the self-employed or those with less friendly employers. My last call-up was last year, so I can't be called up again for 3 years. My duty has been done. As inconvenient as it may be, I personally feel it is important to do jury duty otherwise what faith can we have in our justice system? Cheers, Baz

In the case of my punt and my 6hp, I looked at raising the transom, which was straight across the back. I decided that the new height of the motor and tiller would make it uncomfortable to sit on the thwart and steer. I experimented with timber extensions clamped on - the motor ran a lot better as the prop was now at the right depth but it was uncomfortable to control the tiller. In the right position, the left hand falls naturally to the tiller. Something to think about perhaps. I went with converting the motor because the guy I bought it off had had it converted from short shaft and found the original s/s rod for me. So parts cost was zero. Good luck. Baz

I was so keen to get my little punt in the water on the weekend. It had been sitting idle for almost 2 years for one reason or another. So, I finally dragged it up to our recently acquired van at Wisemans Ferry and on Saturday morning loaded it up with rods, bait etc. and wife (she was keen to have a fish). The 1972 Johnson 6hp wouldn't start - damn! It worked fine 2 years ago! I pulled the boat back in, the wife went to read a book and I took the cover off the motor. Checked the plugs - they were oiled up and the gap was way too wide. Cleaned them up and set the gap correctly. Still no go. Damn! It looked like I wouldn't be boat fishing yet again. Later in the morning I wandered down to the jetty to have a chat to a guy fishing there. He had been soaking a prawn and all he'd been catching was eels but he had also caught a bass. I advised him that it was closed season but he said it was badly gut hooked and bleeding badly so he decided to keep it. What to do? Anyway, he invited me to drop a line beside him on the jetty, which I did for a little while. I was just thinking about packing it in and getting some lunch, when, "Wham!", I had a solid hit and pulled in a nice flathead - 53cm. Filleted and skinned, it went on the BBQ that night - very nice indeed! Bait was Hawkesbury prawn, peeled. The guy on the jetty was telling everybody he'd been feeding my fish! Somehow, I got the motor started in the afternoon but it just doesn't seem to have any power, so I have a few things to look at. Took the wife out on Sunday morning anyway (slow go is better than no go) and we got a small but legal bream each on the drift. I'm pleased to see there are some fish about. I don't know the Hawkesbury system well and I thought it had been a bit fresh up above Wisemans. So, looks like I will be giving it a regular bash with some confidence when I can get my motor issues sorted out. And the wife even hinted that maybe I could buy a new motor or a bigger boat! We'll see... Baz PS. Hmmm... the pic doesn't show on the PC I'm on now but it was fine on the one at home. That maybe because I went the Photobucket route. I'll have another crack tonight at home. Added as an attachment now.

If it's like my 6hp Johnson, you can remove that middle section you mentioned and shorten it but you need a shorter rod (don't know the correct part name) and you need to modify something else to do with the gear selection. A few years ago I was quoted $250 plus parts to convert my 6hp (a 1972 model) but the hard bit is finding the parts. I found the rod and had a go at it myself but had no idea how to modify the other bit. I recently had it done for a lot less by my Kombi mechanic's father, who likes tinkering with outboards. Baz

I will be at Wisemans Ferry and finally getting the punt in the water, which is good because I've only fished land-based up there. I will try around the tide changes for bream and maybe (hopefully) a jew. Baz

Great ideas, thanks! I particularly like the jump-starter pack idea. That could come in handy when my Kombi battery runs flat too! I'm heading to Wiseman's on the weekend and will just have my battery-operated nav lights, if needed (although at night, I'll probably be at the van . You're right, I don't think I'll need a GPS unit most of the time. A small Cuda sounder will probably do the trick. Cheers, Baz

Hi, I have an old 10ft punt with an even older 6hp outboard. I want to run an inexpensive fishfinder and am wondering how to power it. I assume that the motor cannot charge the battery (needs a magneto or something?). Would I need to use a gel-cell battery or similar and recharge at home? I also would like to wire up lights rather than using the current lights which are powered by D cell batteries. How to power? Also, any suggestions for a suitable fishfinder? I have been looking at Eagle, Humminbirds etc. around the $200-$250 mark. Am I better off holding off until I can afford a combo unit, with GPS? Or is GPS not so important when I'd be mainly fishing the upper Hawkesbury/Berowra Creek, Georges River/Botany Bay, Port Hacking, maybe Middle Harbour (near Roseville)? I think there are some fishfinders that you can add a GPS accessory to later, so maybe that would be the way to go? (The will only let me spend so much at a time. ) Thanks, Baz

I (respectfully ) suggest that you reconsider that and think about getting a low mount rod. You will probably find that the bottom runner will be [a] too small; and too close to the reel and you will get reduced casting distance and tangles at the bottom runner as a result. The Alvey produces big loops of line and you need a good distance to the bottom runner, which should be big enough to cope with the big loops. You will also find that the lower mount is better suited to the Alvey, ergonomically. Having said that, who says rules can't be bent?! In fact, I recall many years ago seeing an article in one of the fishing mags, which compromised on runner size and had both a low and a medium mount, so the rod could be used with either an Alvey or a threadline. Might be worth considering modifying the rods slightly if you want to save $$$. (?) Good luck and tight lines! Baz

I have fished Narrawallee a couple of times, while staying at Mollymook a fair few years back. It's a fairly shallow inlet and you should be able to wade across much of it in places when the tide's right. I recall getting the odd good whiting and a few bream and flathead. You should be able to pump some nippers and catch a few poddies. I assume the inlet is open to the sea at the moment. There's also the nearby beaches and rocks to fish. Should be some salmon about. Good luck. Baz

I know this is an old thread but I was doing a search on Wisemans Ferry and found this. Most of the tips on fishing at Wisemans Ferry I have found tend to relate to areas below the ferry, which is a fair way down from where I recently purchased a van at Carinya Ski Ranch (due to friends there), opposite Del Rio. I have been landbased lately but will soon have my 10ft punt and 6hp outboard back on the water. As this rig is not particularly fast, I am more interested in the area closer to my van, say, McDonald River and Webbs Creek to Dad's Corner. For those who wanted to know where Dad's Corner is, head upstream from Del Rio Caravan Park, go around 2 or 3 bends, you will see "Dad's Corner" painted on a rockface on your right. It does look deep up there and I'm keen to fish it. Any tips from the upper Hawkesbury experts? Thanks, Baz