Dougz77

Hey Raiders, My son Jayden and I went out at gentlemans hours yesterday. I showed Jayden the 34cm Bream i caught in the rain last weekend and he was filthy that i had one up on him. We headed down to our spot and we found that just like last weekend the fish seemed to be more sparce when the full force of the rain hit. Anyway about 1/2 hour after the last rain shower Jaydens Ugly Stik bows down hard and the drag starts screaming. It certainly took us both by surprise. After some specialist angling and tightning of the drag, Jayden had the fish on the surface. A nice 26cm Bream. Well done Jayden. He was happy about it but wanted it to be larger than the one i caught last weekend. We stayed till 7pm up to the turn of the tide as we had only yakkas caught (next weeks bait) and we both got hungry. All in all it was good fun Take care all Dougs77

Thanks Roberta, Yep PB bream for me each bream i catch gets a little bigger i'm finding. The bite was so hot and really took my breath away just how active it got. Also its one up on my son who scored a 31cn bream a few weeks ago. He just knows the spots at my local area sp well!! He turned 8 years old last Saturday 14th Feb. Which means that soon i can take him out for an overnight fishing session!! (Dependant on what my ex agress to of course) I tread carefully on this subjuect with her as we both got mega sun burnt on a session a few weeks ago and it was not good. Slip slop slap wrap yeah i know now i really really know. Dougz77

Hey Raiders, Its has been a month since my last post. I've been too busy fishing to get on the computer of late. Many hours of time spent researching and trying for mulloway but to date nothing. I managed to get permission to do an all nighter or Saturday and so grab my gear and got down to the harbour spot just on midnight, Spend three long hours trying to fill my bucket with jakkas. It was right on high tide but it seemed that there was not a fish anywhere. This was weird as normally i get bites as soon as i chuck in the line, and at least 4-5 yakkas landed within an hour. This really got me cranky but rather than storming off in a huff i persisted and to my luck the rain eased up for a period. Wham!!! Out of nowhere a big fat old bream smashes it and adter a nervous min or two i had the hungry beast landed!!!! (See pic) He measured 34cm to the fork and weighed in at an even 1kg. Not long after this i i had fish all over the joint. I think that the commotion of the bream and the calming of the rain woke up the fish because in no time i had another bream (25cm just legal), two 20cm tailor and 6 yakkas. Not to mention numerous bust offs!! There was not enough room in mu bucket for all of them so i had the tailors hooked and casted out on the bigger heavier gear bridle rigged in the hope for a hunting jew or king. No luck but i was very happy anyway. All my fishing mates reckon i was crazy to fish in the rain. Next time it wet like this i will be out there again!!! Take care all Dougx77 Sorry everyone i have posted up twice Admin, Can you please remove one of the posts? Thanks Dougz77

Hey Raiders, Its has been a month since my last post. I've been too busy fishing to get on the computer of late. Many hours of time spent researching and trying for mulloway but to date nothing. I managed to get permission to do an all nighter or Saturday and so grab my gear and got down to the harbour spot just on midnight, Spend three long hours trying to fill my bucket with yakkas. It was right on high tide but it seemed that there was not a fish anywhere. This was weird as normally i get bites as soon as i chuck in the line, and at least 4-5 yakkas landed within an hour. This really got me cranky but rather than storming off in a huff i persisted and to my luck the rain eased up for a period. Wham!!! Out of nowhere a big fat old bream smashes it and adter a nervous min or two i had the hungry beast landed!!!! (See pic) He measured 34cm to the fork and weighed in at an even 1kg. Not long after this i i had fish all over the joint. I think that the commotion of the bream and the calming of the rain woke up the fish because in no time i had another bream (25cm just legal), two 20cm tailor and 6 yakkas. Not to mention numerous bust offs!! There was not enough room in mu bucket for all of them so i had the tailors hooked and casted out on the bigger heavier gear bridle rigged in the hope for a hunting jew or king. No luck but i was very happy anyway. All my fishing mates reckon i was crazy to fish in the rain. Next time it wet like this i will be out there again!!! Take care all Dougx77

Thank you Chewy Mate it was great reading your post, after both your mobile and lucky hat went in the drink and that you kept your cool and fished on. All the times that i have had a mishap trying to get some decent fish seem so silly and a waste of energy now. Hope you get a chunky hoodlum next time your on the water. Dougs77

Hey Sydfisher, I gave it a good go but no mulloway yet. Yes the conditions were excellent and i an hopeful for a similar type of night this weekend. Was surprised how easy getting a bucket full of yakkas was. Had 6 in half an hour. I have been trying for a mulloway on a consistent basis for the last 12 months. I reckon i'm due for one soon. All the best Dougs77

Hello, Can you please mark my name and my son also. (My name is Dougal & my son's name is Jayden) Does this event exclude that i am restricted to being land based? Sure i may not have access to the most likely kingie spots or deep channels but i'm not fussed about it i would just like to be a part of this event. Cheers Thanks Dougs77

Awesome going mate!! To date i have had a brand new orange squid jig in my tackle box for 8 months and have never bothered using it. Little wonder i don't get much in way of jewie or kingie enquiries, It's time for me to try something new and try for squid. Thanks for your post squidboy as i have a week off work next week with my son and have been undecided how i will plan my fishing sessions. Take care Dougs77

Hey Raiders, I'm itchin to try my new Penn 12ft Surf rod and in the past have only fished beaches on the Central coast. I need to know if there are any beaches that are restricted no fishing surf beaches in Sydney (Northern Beaches or Southern beaches). Any info on this would be great as i have not been able to find info on this in my searching so far. Thanks All, Stay safe Dougz77

Hey Hawksburydave, I looked in all the fish species guides i have and could not find this species at all. Looks like it has quite leathery skin like a leather jacket mixed with a luderick!!! I'm glad to see not very well known species being hooked for a photo cuz its great to see they are still around somewhere. Hope you hook some good eating fish soon mate, Dougs77

Awesome fish mate well done!! Hope you get more this season Dougs77

Hey Raiders, Got the urge to throw a line in last night and headed to my usual harbour spot at 2am. Arrived to no wind and perfect glassy water just on low tide, except that there was a lot of that photosynthesis light aglae thingo around which i had not seen much of around my local spot until last night. Anyway proceeded to get yakkas and had 5 yakkas in the bucket by 3am. Chucked two of the yaks out back on paternoster rigs and waited and waited and waited. Checked then every 40-50 mins and replaced them with fresh yakka when it was required. No takers on the yakkas By 5.30am the wharf was light up enough to spot 3 very large masses of boiling bait fish being chopped up by tailor. Soon the local birds were on to it also and the frenzied masses started getting closer and closer to my position. Made a quick decision to dump the other lines out back and to have a go at flinging a metal slug (SureCatch Knight 20 gram) at the bait school. I have never used a metal lure before and all i knew was what i had been told which was to crank the lure back as fast as possible and to try a twitch or two maybe. Well anyway the metal worked and the tailor just seemed to got nuts over it!!!! I cant begin to explain how much fun it was getting striked on the retrieve like this. Visual strikes and hookups!! Adrenalin pumping at 5.30am!! Whoa!! hoo!!! Managed two chopper tailor 28cm approx in three casts (not keepers but still great for a first time go at metal slugs) Not long after the bait school took off outside of casting distance. I reckon if i had a kayak i could have kept up with the school and get some bigger chopper. A birthday pressie for me in February i reckon!!!! Take care all Dougs77

I cooked him amd ate him last night. Found when i gutted him that he had two semi digested crabs in his guts. I never thought bream to be such a garbage guts until now. Dougs77

Hey Raiders, I got up early this morning to get down to my fav spot as the conditions looked very fishy. Wind was peaking at 10-15 knots but was fairly calm. I was targeting Jewies on this outing so i decided to use heavier gear, larger mustard 5/0 bait holder hooks, 20lb line etc.. By 4am i had a bucket full of livies (yakkas) ready to drop in front of any jewies that may have been around looking for an easy meal. After about an hour of having two yakkas out in the water and a tide change i had a decent hit! As i grabbed the rod quickly a fair amount of line was being torn from the spool in a frantic pace. After this first run i gave some back to the fish and slowly retrieved him in, which i thorght was a little too easy. No jewie but instead a very hungry bream of 28ish cm's (pretending to be a jewie!!!) See photo He must have been starving before i came along because he demolished the live yakka head first. He was well hooked to my 5/0 hook which really surprised me that it would fit in his mouth!!! Anyway from this point on all went dead and i had only pickers till i finished at 8am. Even though no jewie this time it was still great fun and worth getting up early. It seems that even when i use small hooks and light gear as well as heavy gear i seem to find bream at my local spot in Sydney Harbour. Take care all Dougs77

Mate Good Work! I'm sorta from around that area in Ashfield and have thrown in a line around Rodd point Five Dock area back in winter. I didn't have any luck back then and i just wrote the place off as being to shallow. (Boy was i ever wrong) If you do get some free time on a weekend and want some company then IM me if you like. (I don't normally ask other fishos to drop a line with me but lately when i don't have my son i go by myself and well you know it gets a little dull when the fish are not on the bite) Bad luck about the your rod too. Mate hope you have enough to get another and get a line in the water soon. Take care. Dougs77

Mate i felt the same when i ventured out with my son yesterday. Good going on the SP's I didn't get a hook up all day but my son was able to pull in a few harbour tailor on bait in no time at all. What general location in North Harbour were you fishing? I'm keen to go for a search for new spots nearer to my Sydney inner west abode and have been thinking of trying around the upper reaches of the harbour (somewhere sheltered away from pesty winds) Dougs77

Hey Raiders, My son "Jayden" advised me this morning that he did not want to go fishin today. So i took him anyway!!!! I could not have him playing anymore video games at home this weekend despite his begging for me not to turn off the playstation. Anyway we did the hard yards on public transport with all our gear and got down to our fav Sydney Harbour spot @ midday. No more than 5 mins of having lines in the water Jayden drags a 28cm Tailor onto the jetty. Instantly he was much happier that he was fishin!!! He chucks the fiesty chopper back in the drink and next cast he is on again to another tailor this one a slightly smaller version approx 25cm. Now he is stoked and dancing around the jetty like a maniac. Up you go Jayden! Not long after this the wind changed direction and intensity and the tide had dropped completely so i decided we should go home and play video games for the rest of the day!!! Next round of fishin i need to put some runs on the board but if i don't then its still all good because getting a line wet with the lil fella is always awesome. Catch ya later raiders. Dougs77

I have a huge collection of fisho mates who i will advise of this so they can make sure they put a voice forward against this proposal. They will have to barracade the foreshores all the way along to coast to stop me fishin. This kind of press makes me sick to the stomach. If they want to ensure the marine animals keep in healthy stocks they need to look at the general population who chuck they ciggy butts and rubbish in the gutters and roads. How do we voice our argument against this propsal? Dougz77

1 more vote no by me. Down to 76% c'mon people get your votes in please Dougs77

Hey Raiders, Today i took a finesse approach and a very light outfit for a change. Targeting Bream & Flathead. I did managed this stonker 30cm bream which was heaps of fun as he gave me a really great fight. However the rest of the day i kept gettin baby pinkie snapper. All about 5-10cm's. I was getting one every 5mins. After landing and releasing 12 of them i decided to call it quits and head home to cook the bream for dinner. I am confused as to how come there are so many at my local spot (Pyrmont) this time of year. I am interested to know what there growth rate is from infant to adult Snapper. Any ideas folks? Do Snapper spawn in spring in the estuaries and then migrate out to the ocean to become big reds? Cheers all, Dougs77

Even though they can be pesky when you are fishin for other species and dont have a whole lot of fillet they are still a tasty fish non the less. Stay safe Dougs77

He wants to go fishin for blackies next time. oh no i'm a goner. Any tips Nanook?

Hey Raiders, Took my son down to local spot yesterday evening. Decided to move around a bit from our usual spot in Pyrmont both sick of the party boats cutting through our lines etc.. I sent two fat livies (yakkas) out for a swim at one of the deeper holes that we located whilst Jayden went with a finesse approach of a very lightly weighted rig close in to the wharf. No takers on the livies but Jayden managed a 27cm bream. It was fun watching him steer the fish away from the snaggy pylons with clever use of a tight drag and rod work. Next time i go drop a line i think i will take a leaf out of his book and use a lighter setup. Anyway heres a pic Stay safe all Dougs77

Hi jamesds, If your on the water and having a go then you don't suck. I often go fishing and come back with no fish but that does not make me a bad fisherman because each time i go i learn something new about the art that i did not know before. My most recent learning experience was to not try and lift a big flattie out of the water onto the jetty using just the line. Even though the hook was secure the lizard still managed to come off with wild head shakes as i was lifting her up. I now have a self made extendable gaff for these occasions!! I have certainly learnt heaps from fellow fishos on fishraider. My usual haunts are not far from your local area (pyrmont area) so i know what you mean regarding eels. Mate they have a habit of making a productive session into a time wasting effort trying to stop them wrapping themselves in metres of line. Lost a well made and expensive rig with a dirty smelly brown eel. As i am a shore based fisho from Sydney Inner west if you would like some company on a session or to swap ideas on landing bigger fish then i am happy to offer. All the best keep on fishin. Dougs77

Mate Top Fish. Excellent to see such an awesome king. The first king that dusted you was bigger then i must have been massive!! Glad that you were able to get a variety from the Bay. Dougs77