DerekD

And he bought me a replacement which shows to me @lhan has had an excellent upbringing and moral fiber. He is also a lot of fun to fish with too.

We've done pretty well suspending squid so it is about 4 above the bottom. I pick areas where the kings are likely to cruise past - for example along a point where they can follow the shoreline but with water depths of about 10m give or take. I try and put the squid in their line of sight. You are trying to find that one king that wants to give the bait a try. I try and keep 10 to 15m away (or 20m maximum) from the shoreline. Essentially you want terrain or structure which directs the kings past as they are cruising around the harbour.

I really don't like fishing the northern side of the dam. Difficult access, structure, so on. Most of my fishing is done between the dam wall and the ski ramp. Just watch it around the ski ramp as there is one person in particular that treats it like personal property and tells people off for fishing there as it not allowed according to the signage. Me being me and wanting not to do the wrong thing read the signage from top to bottom three times and I couldn't see it. Went back to person and asked for them to point it out and then they said they would have to get the sign changed. I just wanted a fish and do my best to work around and in with other people using the area.

Also several people have been doing well on carp with bread in Manly dam the last time I went there. Probably because the fish have been conditioned to bread from all the visitors. You will also probably get a few bass too.

Congratulations @linewetter, Looks like you don't need my lessons anymore and are in the process of getting your own students. They grow up so fast... Well done on the effort and you will only get better over time. I look forward to each of your reports as you have a engaging way of taking someone along with your stories. Regards, Derek

Hi @Steve0, That was an awesome and informative response. I'd love to see that extended with additional information (gear, reading the beach) and photos and added to the articles section on this site as I suspect it would help a lot of people. Regards, Derek

Hi @telescopic_rodd What is your outfit and of particular interest to me is the braid you are using. I noticed you commented on my "first light outfit" article so I know you have read it. It sounds like it comes down to the way and where you are working the lure. Are you always in contact with the lure. Are you winding or flicking the lure? Have you worked out how to work the lure in a subtle way with small flicks as well as larger ones. Are you letting it hit the bottom (watch for the sag in the line). Are you teasing the fish - remember it is not bait or actual food so we are usually pushing for the reactive strike. Easy meal or the lure is getting away (in little darts). Certainly worth persisting but it does take a while to crack the code if you are self-taught. It is more satisfying to work it out yourself but if you continue to struggle reach out to me or some of the people I've helped mentor (it is good for their growth to teach someone else as it helps crystalize what they have learned by having to explain it). BTW - if I absolutely have to catch fish I'm using bait but lure fishing is way more satisfying to me and generally I found the quality of fish went up. Regards, Derek

Hi @The Asian Squid BTW did you read this one yet?

Depends where you are fishing too. We use them when we head out on a charter and they are very effective. We find the bait schools and have a slightly heavier sinker than you would expect on them and we send them whistling down into the depths. We can control the descent with our fingers till we find a speed that seems to work. They would look like a school of fleeing mini baitfish which seems to trigger the attack response in the predators (yellowtail scad and slimies). If they get hit you feel it and then you wind it up and put the fish in the bait tank. If you don't then wind it up above the bait school and send it again and again till you hook up again.

Hi @The Asian Squid, I agree with @Restyle that squid are a visual predator so movement is probably a far more effective way to get a squid's attention. By the time the squid smells the scent the lure is probably meters away and again it comes to sight hunting. There are probably a lot of other scents in the water so why would they zero in on yours. Early in my squidding career I tried using scent but then decided I didn't like the way it stains my jigs so stopped using it. How well a scent works is a difficult question to respond to as you have insufficient information to make an good decision. Considering the only data points you have are you and maybe a fishing mate, how do you test the effectiveness of a scent? If you cast it out without scent and don't get a squid then is it the lack of scent or are they not there or not playing. You would have to head out multiple times with multiple jigs with a mixture of scented and unscented and then cast to the same location and work the lures back in the same way to start to build up some data. Personally I couldn't be bothered so this will likely remain an academic question for me. The biggest impact of the scent is probably on you. Maybe it gives you that extra bit of confidence so you work that lure a little better. Maybe the scent convinces the squid to hold on that bit longer but if they are close enough to grab the jig then they usually will at some stage. Good luck and I'm interested in how your data collecting goes. Regards, Derek

Maybe but while @Mike Sydney has the story I didn't see a brag mat so it makes it difficult to claim. How do you measure an octopus anyway?

Hi @Fobbie Here is the current record. Just write to the moderators to ask. Suggest starting with @mrsswordfisherman and @Little_Flatty though they are usually on top of that sort of thing. Maybe go back and add the rod details to your report with the edit function. The one other thing, please go back to your photo and look closely and zoom in. While I might be wrong, based on that photo I make it out that while the head is dead on the 48cm the tail is on the 1cm marking making your bream 47cm and not the 48cm you originally thought but it still puts you in equal first. If you agree with me then make some slight corrections to your report and then request. I would hate to see a cloud put over what I think is a great story, a beautiful fish and well deserved record. Regards, Derek

Hi @Fobbie, I'm both envious (huge bream) of you and feel sorry for you (will probably take the rest of your life to do better). Awesome result. Suggest you put in a request in the records as you should take number one or two spot for this species. You've done the story and included a photograph with a measurement so the hard part is done. Congratulations, Derek

I'll ask around. The guy was a rock climber in a past life so was pretty good at reading routes.

Hi @FlickNAnthony, It was a pleasure meeting the both of you on a day when the fish were biting (for me at least) but it was a slow day. I was impressed at how quickly the two of you picked up the theory of the topwater techniques I was showing you. Mastering them will take a while longer as the movement is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Combining that staccato wind with the shaking of the rod tip will feel awkward the first few times then muscle memory will kick in and you'll be wondering why you ever had trouble with it in the first place. I'm looking forward to more fishing sessions with you and Brendan in the future and I've a few more tricks up my sleeve which I think you will appreciate. Regards, Derek

Hi @FlickNAnthony, When I showed you how I fish the topwater lures I was really impressed at how quickly you grasped the concepts I was showing you. When I then inadvertently ran into you and Brendan a week or so later and you told me about this fish it put a huge smile on my face. You've now seen how effective a pause can be when teasing up these bream. I am kind of jealous of this fish and kind of pity you at the same time. That fish would be the fish of a lifetime for many people. The record on this site for yellowfin bream is 47cm and only 1cm more than that horse you landed. It is good to know there are bigger ones out there but I hope it doesn't take you a lifetime to better this one. Looking forward to more discussions with you on fishing theory and even more fish. Well done. Derek PS. Brendan took a cracking photo.

Hi @Alkor, Welcome back. Hope you enjoy going through all the articles and reports since you were last here. Some of our members have been very prolific in their writings. In particular @wazatherfisherman who managed to get his own section in the library due to the amount of pieces he put together. Regards, Derek

I had a friend who went down to Bluefish point recently and also mentioned that the chains had been removed. Not sure about the new fence and gates but that sounds pretty likely.

Hi @XD351 Excellent observation and thanks for taking the time to put together such an informative response. On a side note I can do the FG knot with 4lb braid and a 8lb leader easily and very consistently using the method in the video link I posted. I'll now have to try it with 4lb leader and get back to you. Regards, Derek

Ok. Submitted. This is what I went with. Maximised the use of 200 characters: My issue is that this ban appears to be an emotive response to illegal spearfishing incident(s). Bad precedent! Where is the supporting study/science validating this new law? PS: I don't chase groper.

It is not that I can't tie a leader effectively and efficiently, it is that I don't get excited enough about it to want to have to redo it frequently. I also dislike unnecessary line wastage. Sure it is only a few cm at a time you lose each time you change a lure but over long fishing sessions it all adds up. Especially with frequent lure changes. Getting good at something is about mastering the big and the little things. This article is about one of the little things - tying on lures and terminal tackle with a uni(versal) knot with minimal line wastage. Over the years I've worked out how to minimise line wastage to the point I very rarely need to trim my tag each time I tie something else on. This video is intended for people who trim off 3 - 5cm (or more) of tag end every time they tie on a new lure or terminal tackle. This is especially applicable to most people using a locked half blood knot. My tags are typically around 10mm long. Two epiphanies I had when tying the uni knot are: 1) It is a sliding knot so I can tie it with the lure (and thus any related hooks, especially trebles) away from my hands and lock it down afterwards. 2) With a bit of care I can consistently end up with a tag end of plus or minus 10mm which almost never needs trimming. The first part of the trick is to keep the loop and tag end small while tying the knot. Every time you feed the tag end through pull it forward enough so you can feed it through the loop and grab it on the other side. The second part is rather than pull the slack out by grabbing the tag end (I'm sure that pulling the loose end of any line is hardwired into the human DNA) pinch the tag end against the top part of the loop and then start pulling the slack out from the lure end. Work the bottom part of the loop with your fingers if you have to. Once it is closed up enough then slide the knot down the line and lock it into place. With practice you can get consistently small tag ends which won't need trimming (for the record this video was done in one take - that is how confident I am in getting a short tag most times I do it. Additionally, I have bugger all experience editing so I didn't want to have to redo it). Just think about this... Every time you and I change a lure you are losing 3 to 5x the amount of leader I am which means you have to tie a leader 3 to 5x more often than I do. For the record I feel the same about line wastage with the FG knot. For the method I use I typically finish up with about 5cm excess of the mono and about 10cm excess of braid. This is the video which introduced me to the technique I use and it doesn't require me to cut off the circulation in my fingers or face west on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm while hopping on one leg:

Looks like you can respond as to why you disagree to the ban but there is a 200 character limit. Drafting and re-drafting my response as to why I disagree with this ban. My biggest concern is that it appears to be an emotive based response to illegal spearfishing incident(s) without a scientific study behind it. I understood and for that matter agreed with bans for threatened species like the grey nurse shark but from the reports of others (not first hand experience) there are plenty of groper out there. Additionally, I've always liked the fair/sporting chance method of harvesting. Speargun on a lobster isn't fair but grabbing it by hand is. Groper on fishing line is a fair chance but spearfishing isn't. These rules made sense to me. I've never been interested in chasing groper personally and probably never will but if we move forward on "the feel" or "the vibe of it" rather than the science for bag limits and marine management then that is a big concern. The thin edge of the wedge so to speak. Also found this about a spearing incident back in 2002 on DPI website: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/content/archive/news-releases/fishing-and-aquaculture/2012/groper-killer-caught#:~:text=The Blue Groper became the,to this method of fishing.

Hi Anthony, Welcome aboard (in a visible sense). Thanks for sharing your backstory and I look forward to hearing more about your journey as you branch out into other fields. Considering how well you write and turn a phrase I'm really looking forward to seeing some of your fishing videos. I suspect there will be a great deal of thought and preparation in the final product. Regards, Derek

You are Australian born - should be in your DNA. It is something I do with all my overseas guests. @linewetter is from the U.S.A. and @Jakob Duus is from Denmark. Having said that... Whenever you are ready and have some time I'm happy to show you how to throw and then catch a boomerang.