DerekD

Hi FakeWindows? Where are you based (suburb)? Might need to have a chat to work out where you are at (fishing wise in this case - gear, experience, etc.) Regards, Derek

I've heard of some stupidly amazing captures as a result such as a 200kg (not actual figures as this is from memory) on 8lb line. The fish took the bait and the boat backed up quick enough that they got to touch the leader before the fish realised it and I suspect gaffed it. This was second hand from someone else so don't take this as written in stone. Had a quick look and found this article. In particular look at catches number #53 (5 minutes) and #45 (two minutes) on 2lb tippet: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/top-100-world-record-fish/

I have some friendly social fishing comps with mates and our call is the fish is counted when it is in genuine and easy netting distance. Ideally it is landed which takes it beyond all doubt but we came up with that guideline so we wouldn't get penalised by a bad job at netting the fish. If you'd had a net with you could you have genuinely netted the fish? It sounds like the only reason for losing the fish was to try and get the hooks out. In my eyes that counts as a catch. The problem will be you don't have a definitive length so it makes the actual PB size a little fuzzy.

Queensland also had no release laws on carp. About a decade ago there was even a $220,000 fine if you were caught releasing carp into the wild. Not sure if it is still applicable. Found the original reference: https://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/noxious-fish-net-big-fines

My collection from top to bottom: Cross fire lure 230 (bent minnow on steroids on steroids) Ocea Pencil 150S 150mm 60g Rapido F190 Chug Norris 150 and 180 River2Sea Dumbbell pop 200 Ebb tide Heru skipjack 90 (wood) Ebb tide Heru skipjack 120 (wood) Blue fish 100 (Handcrafted replicas) in white and what my friend caught the 1.20m king on. Blue fish 100

Hi KingBonito, I've got some suggestions for lures to look at but I come a bit unstuck on the working part of your question. I'm in a position where I used to be able to fish off a rockshelf after work (pre-covid). One of my co-workers chases nothing but big fish most of the time and what most people would consider a good catch he would consider bait. He is the only person I know who has landed several marlin off the rocks live baiting so that is not really an understatement. One of his goals was to catch a metre plus king off the rocks and I was there when he did so. He was using a white wooden stickbait in the wash and I saw the kingfish come up take it and then turn back down. The fight was in one word - "brutal". Winner take all. The kingfish ended up being 1.20m long and 15.6kg. Since then I've picked up several stickbaits and poppers from the same source. These are beautifully made and around the $70 mark. The problem is that I haven't been able to use these very often. I think the stickbait he was using was the Heru Ulua and this was matched with size #8 heavy duty split rings and BKK hooks. Look for the Heru skipjack as a starting point. Cast well and behaves really nicely when punched back across the surface. I'll grab a photo of my collection and edit this post later. It includes the Chug Norris and the cheaper river2sea poppers as well as the more expensive ones I mentioned above. Another beautiful lure I've picked up which has a lot of potential is the Jackfin Stylo 210 - it is a really good garfish imitation. Skips over the surface when worked back. Regards, Derek

Any budget restrictions?

Hi Peter, I second that on the small leatherjackets. In the summer when I head out on the kayak, on the fishfinder, I often see a swarm of fish around the section of water adjacent to the lighthouse. They will destroy any squid baits I've got down without a bump on the rod. My theory is that people often burley up around there and you have a school of resident leather jackets. The good thing is that it usually only seems to be the water within say 10 to 15 meters from the lighthouse. If you can get your baits/ures into deeper water the problem should go away (mostly). Regards, Derek

For those looking for inspiration on how to set up your kayak, I ran into a fellow Fishraider at the Tunk's park boat ramp with his seriously decked out Hobie Outback and he was kind enough to let me take the following photos. Some of the equipment he has includes: Electric motor Side scan sonar Go Pro Extra rod holders Built in wheels for easy launch and retrieval at the boat ramp A small sail to help keep the boat pointed into the wind Safety flag. It makes mine feel like the baseline model.

Excellent?? Typical English background - understating again. I think those photos from @thatdan1000 are superb. That photo from @Rebelof the bush fire blew me away too. I can almost feel the heat shimmering off the photo.

Hi @Restyle Worth getting into. I started early 2000s and it opened my fishing world up with a vengeance. The gear is really responsive and a pleasure to use. I can feel bites from 50m away. I can't remember the last time I used store bought bait and it is really easy to go out for a fish if you suddenly find yourself with a bit of spare time and close to some water. I catch squid with jigs and with the same gear I can use plastics, slices, blades and hard bodies. The light gear means most fights involve playing the fish rather than winching it in. The best part is that the quality of fish is usually better when I am fishing side by side with someone using small baits. On the odd occasion I will also outfish the bait user. If you are interested and able to get to the lower north shore in the future we can go through an introduction to this sort of fishing. Regards, Derek

Hi Richard, We've talked on and off over the years and it was a pleasure to put a face to the name. We were very lucky to have overlapping 5km zones. I try and mentor several people each year and I think you were the fastest to pick up that sub surface walk the dog. The nice thing is that is scales up to the larger rods and it is very effective on the pelagics when the schools move in in numbers. That retrieve is also useful under other circumstances such as squid jigs. The walk the dog with the sugapen will take a bit more work and at this stage it will take you a bit more trial and error to get competent with it. When the weather warms up I am really keen to head out to those bays again with you and see if we can actually catch some topwater fish. Regards, Derek

Hi again, We used to get the squid outside the shark net. Usually from boat covering the ground between the Bennett's wharf and Bonnie Doon wharf. Inside the basin itself as the tide drops walk along that spit of land along the channel to the shark net casting in towards the basin. Cover ground. I've been told it is rather deep through there. One day I'd like to bring in the kayak with the fish finder and check out how deep and if there is any structure. I'll sometimes use the yabbies in the channel from the shark net towards pittwater. Usually a few whiting through there.

Are you fishing inside the basin at the camping ground or outside in the bay from a boat? Do you have a yabby pump - if so then there are yabby beds on the flats inside the basin. A light rig with a running sinker is a nice way to fish it. I also bring soft plastics as there are plenty of flathead and an ecogear or two for better casting distance. Last time I was there I saw a long tom. Some friends of mine got owned by something big in there years ago and they were not complete novices. We've caught squid there on squid jigs and then dropped them as baits between the moorings. We've also found yellowtail in the area.

772 or 762 (2 to 4kg and 3-12gm lure rating) - I don't know about a 772 (7 foot 7 inches 2 piece) but if it is the latter I highly rate them. In fact it is a series one of the raider bream 762 which is with the 70cm kingfish in my profile photo I've been fishing that rod (in the series 1) for over a decade. The shorter butt than some of the trendy ultralights suits me and my downward flicking style (doesn't hit on the meaty part of the forearm). I'm mostly using something else (a touch lighter) these days but will recommend them to most people starting out. I still keep two of them in the car which I use when teaching people soft plastics and other light lures. I'd match it up with a Shimano 2500 reel or the Daiwa sized equivalent. I personally use them with Shimano PowerPro 4lb or Berkley X5 4lb as they come in white which helps me for visibility when watching the line. I also suggest the Shimano Kairiki in 6lb or J braid 6lb as they are a skinny 6lb. For $80 you won't go wrong. Just check all the eyes line up and there is no handling damage before accepting it. If it is the cork version then don't go heavy handed when tightening down the reel seat. PM me if you have any more questions. What reel were you thinking of?

Clouds. Took this one at Balmoral beach in Mosman several months ago. Sent it to the Bureau of Meteorology Calendar competition: http://www.bom.gov.au/calendar/ Just found out I made it to the final 200 (but not 12) of 1200 entries for next year's calendar. If this is as close as I got with the following, I would love to see the other photos that were submitted. Too nice to sit collecting electronic dust in the drives of my computer so I thought I'd share it here. Not often that you catch spectacular clouds, a storm, a rainbow and the moon in one photo. This is straight from the camera without post processing. Enjoy.

That is a clever idea.

Hi Kingie Chaser, I agree with you about not posing a danger from a spreading of the virus perspective but my take on it is slightly different. By having a blanket rule it is easy to check and ensures that we are all in the same boat (pun intended). More importantly it ensure a fairness in the application across the population and at least makes the rules palatable. What about the Sydney judge going skiing a few days ago? Technically that was done under the rules but what about the rest of us that would like a holiday away and don't happen to have a holiday residence that we need to check (and while I'm at it I may as well bring my partner/family along)? Easier for me to say than some others as I still have a job but I have no problem following the current restrictions in protection of the greater community. What peeves me off and I suspect many others is the minority that are either using loopholes (oh I went to Byron bay to look at some property) or deliberately breaking rules and claiming ignorance. The nature of most people is to push boundaries at some stage. Under the current situation this has bigger consequences beyond the personal one. For these boats heading out at what point can you stop them or guarantee they won't keep going South or North to say Port Macquarie? The marine authorities don't have the time to debate with every boat heading out. One of the more surreal moments I have had in my working life is having to wear a hard hat while watching several people digging a ditch in a field with a few cows happily chewing their cud. The client at that time was one of the power stations who by stipulating hard hats across the whole site avoided minor loopholes or confusion. Regards, Derek

Circular polarising filters. I got into digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras about 15 years ago. It was a Canon EOS 350D which I still have. At the time these came with a course from the photography shop. It meant people could start to get more out of their cameras and gave the shop the chance for more sales. At the course they introduced us to circular polarising filters and it blew me away. There are many things that can be done post-processing but at the time what this filter can do could not be replicated with software (and probably still can't to my knowledge). Essentially it is like a set of adjustable sunglasses for your camera. With a turn of the filter I can change the impact of the photo dramatically. I can take out the glare and make the image warmer and sky blues richer or deliberately leave the glare in for a harsher look. One photo is not necessarily better over the other depending on what I want to convey to the viewer. The filter also lets you look into water. The following pairs of photos were taken seconds apart but with a quarter twist of the filter for dramatic impact. If you have a digital SLR and haven't used one of these filters then I highly recommend getting one. A farmers field in Holland: The beach at Ijmuiden at the entrance to the sea in Northern Holland. Look at the reflection of the water on the right around the rocks.

Hi Wes, Firstly, welcome to Fishraider. We are almost neighbours as I am a suburb or two along from you. When things settle down a bit I'm happy to meet up with you and see if we can accelerate your learning curve. The proviso I do put in to all the people I mentor is that I'm not to be held responsible for any gear you decide to buy after fishing with me. 😃 As you are new to fishing it is a bit hard to open with "what are you specifically interested in" but if you have some ideas then we can work along from there. Regards, Derek

Hi G. G., Not quite as impressive as it sounds. While I have been able to tie the FG knot for years I didn't like using it partially because of the line wastage and then several of the methods of keeping tension were a pain and (in my opinion) not always practical. One of the Fishraiders posted a link where a gentleman stopped and really thought about how the FG knot worked and then turned it on its head so he could tie it in his fingers without special tension. This one: A couple of small refinements to suit me and then matched it up with Rizzuto finish. I have been able to tie it very easily since (even on moving boats). There are a few more videos out about this different method out there now: Here is one including the Rizzuto finish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RkqPKeYmNo

Not the full set-up but that is an excellent suggestion so I'll try and put something together over the next week. Anything in particular you are interested in?

Hi Frank, This thread was never intended as a competition. It was intended for people to get inspired and take out their cameras and try and create beautiful or touching images to share with the rest of us. It was also an opportunity for people to get out their old images which would currently be collecting the equivalent of electronic dust. The list of topics was added to provide some motivation. Really appreciate you sharing this with us. Derek

Fireworks on NYE at Sydney harbour years ago... The colours came out pretty nicely. What was a surprise was how well the black and white one came out.

Hi Kayakers, This topic is a little more subjective as what works for me may not suit your fishing style. While I’ll do fishing excursions to other Sydney waterways, in general my favourites are Sydney Harbour (East of the bridge), Pittwater and Middle Harbour. My preference is targeting the pelagics and especially the kings. I own a Hobie Revolution 13 with Fishfinder and that has had an impact on how I fish. For example if I see a school of fish feeding on the surface in the vicinity the use of the mirage drive keeps my hands free as I power towards the school. I can grab my rod and be ready to throw a lure when in range. When fighting a fish I can use the drive to move me away from structure to give me a better chance of landing the fish. I have mates with paddle kayaks and some of them have done way better than I have in the last year so don’t let the lack of peddle drive be a concern. As with most things in life, effort and fishing smarter yields better results – they were out on the water far more often than I was and they used our network to work out where the fish were biting and what was working. The following are a collection of notes based on what has worked for me during over 10 years of fishing from a kayak. It is open to improvement as I have an aha moment or learn something new from others. I am a person who probably brings too much on the water but I’d rather have it and not need it than need something and not have it with me. You will likely be far from your back up vehicle so you have to be clever in what you bring and you need to be adaptable enough to deal with changing conditions. Unless you have a pro angler (which is a small battleship) space is at a premium on a kayak. My kayak has several storage locations (middle hatch and large front hatch) so I use them to my advantage. Everything I am likely to need quickly is stored in small Plano boxes and dry bags in the middle hatch between my legs. I have a larger garbage bag with additional things I might need in a pinch in the front hatch. My pliers, fishing knife, lip grips, some cord, wet rag and a plastic bag are kept in the mesh side pockets. First piece of advice on a kayak – lose the trebles wherever possible. You do not want to get a treble caught up in your skin while trying to unhook a madly jumping fish. Suitable large eye replacement hooks are strong enough and far more easy to remove safely from a fish. They are less likely to get tangled up in a landing net if you choose to use one. Second piece of advice is to have things set up so it requires the minimum of effort to change out your set up depending on what circumstances dictate. For example, swivels with duolock clips allow me to quickly change from a metal slice to a hard body lure to a squid jig to a hook and sinker arrangement without a lot of re-tying. Another example, I keep a small collection of plastics, slices and squid jigs in the cup holder pocket so I can very quickly grab a spare or change out lure if required. I have 4 go to outfits to choose from when heading out on the water. These are: A light outfit (2-4kg or 2-5kg). In my case this is usually the Daiwa Wicked Weasel (actually 2-6kg) with Sedona 2500 reel and 8lb braid. With the long butt this rod annoys me SP fishing shore based but is perfect for the kayak. A medium snapper type outfit (5-8kg). In my case it is either the Raider Snapper 762 or the ArrowZ AAS-270H (14-30lb) matched with a Shimano (Stradic or Sedona) 4000 reel and 15lb braid. A heavy outfit (50 or 80lb). In my case it is the Shakespeare Ugly Stik 5’6” blue water rated to 37kg line. It is matched with an older Spheros 14,000 reel for which I have a 50lb and an 80lb spool. A 9 weight 9 foot fly rod with intermediate (partially sinking) line. I usually run a 20lb or 30lb leader on this rod. Disclaimer: I've heard some pretty strong opinions about taking a 37kg outfit on a kayak. You shouldn't do it. You'll flip the kayak if you hook into a big fish. Etc. I have a slightly different view point to what the others are saying and I've been doing it that way for a long time. First thing is just because it is a 37kg outfit with a drag to suit it doesn't mean you have to fight a fish like that. I do not fight the fish on a locked drag - not even close. I barely wind it up. In fact I use just enough drag to do the job I need it too. Why do I take it out on the kayak then you may ask. First answer is I already owned it. Second answer is that it is a short rod so the lever is not huge when fighting the fish. I can leave it in the rod holder with the drag backed right off for the strike and then put my other gear away before grabbing it. I can use a very heavy sinker on it without damaging the rod as part of my poor man's down rigger. If you snag up you will probably have to cut the line but I haven't had that problem yet. Unfortunately I only have 3 rod holders so I’ll make a decision between the heavy outfit or fly rod depending on what part of the fishing season it is. The fly rod comes out when the schools of pelagics are around and are primarily focussed on the very small bait fish which an eye fly can replicate. I have a Plano box which contains everything I might need for the light rod (swivels with clips, halco twistys, soft plastics, small poppers, jig heads, small hooks, sinkers, blades, squid jigs) and some things I might need for the medium rod (larger hooks and sinkers). I have a second Plano box for the medium outfit (larger swivels with clips, hooks, sinkers, squid jigs and several types of hard body lures and some plastics such as Slapstix). In the dry bag I ensure I have everything I need to replace/re-tie leaders or tippets while on the water. In my case, 8lb, 10lb, 20lb, 30lb, 60lb and 80lb leader, braid scissors and a cigarette lighter to finish off my FG knots. I also keep spare packets of soft plastics in the dry bag. I bring a bucket. In particular I like the older Handy Pail in 11 litres which used to be found at Bunnings. It is a short squat bucket made of food grade plastic which has a lid. The larger diameter makes it easier to put slightly longer squid or fish (e.g., live yellowtail) in it. Being squat it is a bit more stable than taller buckets. The older ones had an all plastic handle. Filling it with water and changing out through the day allows me to keep my live bait alive (obviously) but it also stops my fresh caught squid strips from being cooked under the sun. Often the squid strips are in such good condition at the end of the day that I can ziplock and freeze them for a later session. When I first head out I have a swivel and duolock clip and 10gram silver halco twisty sitting on the light rod. This gives me an excellent casting range and is very effective on the surface feeding pelagics when the bait fish are around. If I don’t see feeding schools then my first stop is usually one of my bait grounds for squid. The clip means I can easily switch from twisty to squid jig. When squidding from the kayak I am trying to cover ground. I’ll pick a line parallel to the shore but just outside the weed beds and cast as far as possible forwards. If outside weed beds I can let it hit the bottom. If I’m worried about snagging up then I work with a mental countdown to keep the jig above the weed beds. Short sharp aggressive flicks with pauses is usually very effective. When I hook up I am paranoid about getting inked so I have developed a technique on the Hobbie where I peddle forward and drag the squid parallel and alongside the kayak. I tap it several times for it to spurt out ink in a safe direction then carefully lift it into my bucket. The problem with this is that it often takes a bit of time and there are usually another 1 or 2 squid where you hooked up. Sometimes I will have a second squid jig hanging from the snapper rod which is in the holder and then pick up a second squid that way. Once I have all the bait I need the squid jig gets changed out for the Twisty. During the day I might switch to a soft plastic of 3 inches as it allows me to work the water column. Small surface lures such as poppers or sugapens (one of the few lures I will leave the trebles on) can also be very effective on surface fish. Don’t be afraid to use a light rod on a kayak. In Sydney harbour, unless you are in the moorings or very close to the shore, there are very few snags on the bottom for the fish to bust you off on. As long as you keep your head and don’t rush you should be able to get most fish to the kayak. Note that when they see the kayak they will often startle and run – let them. Each run will get shorter and shorter. Time is usually on your side. For catching live bait I have a smaller version of the snapper swivel, sinker and hook rig shown further down below. On my medium outfit I run 15lb with 30lb nylon leader and a heavier swivel and duolock clip suited for that line rating. When I head out I have the medium outfit in the rod holder and then usually run a shiny, deep diving skinny profile minnow type lure. For example, the Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow with the trebles changed to singles. If I’ve got to paddle to a destination anyway I may as well tow a lure. It doesn’t account for the majority of my fish but I have hooked up sufficient tailor, kings, bonito, etc to make it a money for nothing proposition. Have the drag set tight enough to set the hook but not too tight so as to result in problems at that first aggressive strike. You will have time to put down whatever you have in your hands and reach back to grab the rod. If I don’t hook anything on the way out then I might throw a bigger squid jig on this outfit when I get to my bait grounds. I get some good casting distance and am more likely to get my jig back if I snag up on weed. I have some pre-prepared rigs (see pictures below) consisting of a swivel 50lb line passed several times through a pretty heavy ball sinker to friction lock it into place and then there is another 80cm of line to a 5/0 or usually 6/0 Gamakatsu Octopus circle hook. Once I have sufficient squid I strip it into the bucket and then use a strip on this outfit. I hold this outfit forwards and outwards in my hands as I slowly cover ground. The heavy outfit is set up with a poor man's downrigger (see pictures below) and nothing else. The leader on the heavy outfit is usually 80lbs regardless of the braid being 50lb or 80lb. I only have about 1m of leader. I have some heavy pendulum type snapper sinkers through which I pass the line. I then tie it to a swivel with an eye too large to pass through the snapper swivel. On the other end of this swivel I tie another 1m of leader and finish with a 6/0 or even 7/0 Gamakatsu octopus circle hook. This rod sits in the rear rod holder and slightly off to the side of the kayak. I usually put a squid head on this with the hook well exposed. Back the drag off to the point that there is light resistance. Enough to set the hook but not enough for you to get into trouble. About half my kings are usually caught off this rod. I drop it down till the sinker hits the bottom then bring it up several meters. I don’t want to feed the pickers. I want the fish big enough to take a large bait in a single bite. On the fly rod I’ll use 20lb if I am fishing the eye flies or 30lb if I am fishing larger flies such as squid flies, clousers or gummy/chummy minnows. I only use about 1m of leader as I have found the pelagic when feeding don’t seem to be put off by a less than subtle presentation. I fish a very open style with the fly rod as I don’t want that fly anywhere near my body. I can strip line onto the hatch between my legs. I use roll casts to get the line back to the surface and then can start false casting. If you drag the line behind you when following schools you can inadvertently hook up. Dragging the line behind you also helps you load up the rod when you want to fire the fly line forwards. I have a rod holder for each rod so depending on what goes off I can put the other rod in the rod holder and then work with the one with the fish on the end. Think about the rod length and how you fight the fish. If you have a heavy rod with heavy drag holding it out as far as you can perpendicular to the kayak gives the fish a nice lever to tip the kayak. Fish the rod tip close to the boat. My bream, snapper and fly rods are slightly longer but as they are lighter I am unlikely to get tipped. The added length means I can swing the rod tip over the bow when fighting the fish. The use of the heavy rod in the rod holder and snapper rod in my hand has been very effective in the past. My best so far was 20 kings in a working week. I often use the Fishfinder with this two rod arrangement. I pick a depth of say 10m and set my lines so the baits are maybe 4m off the bottom. I can then follow the shoreline while maintaining this depth to ensure my baits are in the sweet spot. If I see what looks like pickers (especially leatherjackets) I can pick up the pace to get clear of them and then slow down again. So you have hooked your fish, fought your fish and it is time to land it. Depending on what the species is I might use the wet rag, comfort lift it with my hand or use the lip grips. If I plan to release it then the long nosed pliers give me a pretty good opportunity to unhook the fish safely without having to lift it out of the water. Some people use a net but I usually don’t like them on a kayak. It is another thing to carry and lose (unless you have a lanyard). When the fish is jumping around the hook can catch into the webbing making it even more of a challenge to release. There is a time and place for them. I think they would be excellent in estuaries with bream and small flathead. I find them a struggle with longer species such as kings. If you plan to keep it then you need to be sure it is legal. I don’t feel like lifting a bucking fish into the kayak. My solution has been to make several tags with a dymo label maker. Specifically, 0cm, 40cm, 65cm and 70cm. I have stuck them on with a tape measure. They are correct within a mm or two . Legal size for a bream is 25cm so hold it between the 40 and 65cm tags. Legal size for a snapper is 30cm. Hold it beteen the 40cm and 70cm tags. Flathead (usually 36cm) can be estimated between the 0cm and 40cm mark. Legal king 65cm – got that one. Mulloway 70cm – got that one too. These marks are all within easy reach on my dominant side. It is a very easy check to see legal versus undersized. I can bring out the tape measure if it is borderline. If I plan to keep it with a bit of care I can cut its throat while in water and then put it in the keeper bag or more often that handy plastic garbage bag in the side pockets. The fish then gets stowed in the larger front hatch. The place where I launch from has a point which blocks the view down the harbour. When we head out as a group we will usually send one of the faster kayaks to look around this corner to see if the schools are there while the others head towards the bait-grounds. Why spend all morning chasing bait if the fish are already feeding and you have some Halco twistys with you. We usually have mobile phones handy and often separate at times. Whoever finds fish lets the others know. Hope this has given you a few things to think about. Supporting photos below. Plano box for light rod Plano box for medium rod Swivel and duolock clip Yo-zuri crystal minnow Rig for snapper rod Rig for heavy rod If you haven't seen the first part of this topic go to: