DerekD

To my understanding no collecting of nippers anywhere inside the Sydney harbour waterways or upstream. To your other question: North - Pittwater sand flats (plenty near roads) or South - Dolls point beach sand flats.

Yep. I've also picked up a few in the area to the left (towards the Ripples restaurant) as I'm heading out along the walkway. People at the tip of the wharf are happy chasing fish. I'm happy fishing in all the other sections for squid. Keep fanning out your casts. Squid move around. 15 minutes could make all the difference.

Hi @anthman are we playing for the million dollar question?? Between the baths and weed beds in the area there is plenty of suitable structure for squid and you will catch them there if you put the time in. The problem is that it could be the first few casts or fifty or a hundred. I find the cuttlefish like to hang out near the netting and pylons of the baths. Just keep covering ground with your casts to find them. There are a few patches of ribbon weed in the area so you may have have to count down the jig to keep it from snagging up on the weed. Most of the people will fish off the end of the wharf for fish. I prefer to work the sides for squid.

Hey FMcFF. I can't work out if I should "like" or "unlike" your post. Regardless, I feel your pain - I have gone swimming for some of my favourite lures before. On a positive - you have a genuine excuse to head to the nearest tackle shop(s).

Yep. Do you have a fish finder with GPS? Without GPS a little trickier. There are some marks I usually use or look for the boats sitting on it.

Plenty - 9 years of kayak use in Sydney (main harbour, Middle harbour, Pittwater and some in Botany) . PM me with your number. I don't feel like getting RSI on a keyboard. The other thing is it is easier to work out what you are after with a conversation.

Try little Manly beach where the boat ramp is. One of the few places in Manly you can park for more than two hours. Road is only 50 to 100m from the water too.

Ok - Official park information: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/lane-cove-national-park At a related site I also found the fishing restrictions map (non barbed hooks, catch and release, some shore based restrictions) for the park: http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au/Images/AboutThePark/Fishing_Restrictions_LCNP_2017.pdf Opening times (9am) and entry fees ($8 per day per car): http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au/AboutThePark/About_Lane_Cove_National_Park.htm Some more park information: http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au/AboutThePark/ThingsToDo.htm

It wasn't a problem when I went up there. I have the Revolution with the ST turbo fins so that was my concern too. I just took my time and didn't rush. Water clarity was good enough to see any logs under water. Went into stealth mode (fins close to the hull) at a couple of locations like bends in the river. I got to see enough of the river that I wouldn't consider it a waste of time. Still bring a paddle for tight sections and turning.

Hi Micon01, For future reference, it is not a knife problem, it is called research.

I've fished up there (unsuccessfully) and probably wouldn't go back anytime soon. From what I remember it is lure only (no bait). I paid the reasonable fee (think it was $8) to get into the park, drove over the weir and found a parking spot really close (10 meters) to the water. It was a lovely day on the river. There were water dragons on the river bank. From a day on the water perspective it was fantastic. I had stuff showing on the fishfinder but didn't hook anything. What killed it for me apart from the lack of fish (that was likely user error) was the layer of scunge I had to clean off my kayak after I got home. Being upstream of the weir I was expecting both carp (I've caught them on lure but I wouldn't consider them to be a prolific lure taker) and bass. I'm used to bass being super aggressive but no joy on that day. The gear I took was bream gear. If I was going again I'd be bringing a few topwater lures (cicadas, poppers, sugapens), some Celta spinners and some SP grubs with a bit of in-built action I'm looking forward to hearing your fishing report if you do end up going.

Hi Mate, Welcome back. Tried calling you yesterday but no answer. Talk soon, Derek

Hi Will, Congratulations and welcome to the Kayak Krew! You should have a fantastic time out on the water and probably overdo it but you will be smiling every time you head out. I get and appreciate wanting to do as much research as possible (yes I am also one of those) but there is a point when you get out there and "Just do it". :-) Looking forward to hearing about your adventures. Regards, Derek

Hi Will, You have asked some questions which were going to be covered in my Kayak fishing 102 article - practical fishing from a kayak. Still working on that one. The fishfinder does allow me to check out structure. It allows me to see the schools of baitfish. It allows me to hold to a specific depth when using my poor man's downrigger. It also has a GPS so lets me find marks again - even if I know the general area. It gives me something to watch when not much is happening and I'm heading from A to B. I've had a few times when I've seen something interesting on the fishfinder and then I hook up. Would I say I could do without it - YES! Most of the time I like to chase the pelagics so I'm looking at the surface activity. I still take it out most times because I keep learning by using it. The head unit is waterproof to a meter or two - I wash the salt off under the kitchen sink when I get home. The batteries I use are not waterproof - hence I have mine in a hollowed out Hobie tub. As per my article the wires on the system have heatshrink on them at the joins as I expect them to get wet. As soon as I get home the small battery I use gets hooked up to the JayCar Smart charger which drops down to a trickle charge when the battery is charged. I expect an anchor to be a waste of time for the majority of situations. I have a Hobie Mirage drive so I can hold position relatively easily. In the areas I might want to anchor up I can usually find a loose mooring (or another vessel to tie off to on the odd occasion - but generally not done). It is another thing to carry. I use the drift to my advantage. Line up with the wind and it allows me to cast ahead and cover an area pretty thoroughly. Don't buy one until you actually start to come across situations where you realise you actually do want an anchor. What is your logic in getting a trolling motor? From past posts you are young enough not to need it. Getting out there on the kayak is one way of combining exercise and fishing. A trolling motor and battery is another thing to manage (space for example). Another two items to carry. Is that specific kayak set up for the electric motor or will you have to make brackets. Get out there first before putting on all the bells and whistles. If you want a powered kayak then look at an old hobie or similar with pedal power. By the time you buy the kayak, the trolling motor, the battery, the charger, the mounting system the cost will be similar. Storage solutions depends on your kayak. I have easily accessible hatches. I have a drink bottle holder pocket in which I drop odds and ends. Mine comes with rod holders to which I added a third. I bring a handy pail (squat Bunnings 11.1L bucket complete with lid) for dropping freshly caught squid into so I don't get squid ink onto my kayak - hard to clean off. For the simple kayaks the milk crate is the classic solution. You can fasten your rod holders to it. Occy strap it to the kayak and store stuff in it. Esky won't be overly compact - saw a guy with a Pro Angler out on Middle Harbour on the weekend with an esky but those things feel like they are large enough to land a small plane on. I asked if he'd passed up on the bbq option for the back of his kayak. Get the starting package. Get out there. Get experience. If you work out a need then fill it. This is coming from a guy that does take a lot out there as I'd rather have something and not need it than not have it with me and then need it. Regards, Derek

PM sent.

Don't forget the roof. I had a mate that built a rod rack over his bed. Much better view than the mirror shown in some of those B-grade movies. In answer to the original posters question - not sick just keen. Each of those rods should elicit some great memories. Most were bought for a specific purpose (you don't play golf with just one club) and if you have the space why throw a properly functioning rod and reel out just because you use them less often.

Baitcasters have been topic which have come up recently. It could be a good excuse for a Fishraider get together and a chance to learn basic and advanced baitcaster techniques. A bit like the Soft Plastics lessons organised a few years back. I'm self taught (plus YouTube and talking to people) several years ago but would love to see how others use them.

Hi RHE, Just to confirm with the VBS - if they are in the outward position the drag (inertial resistance - like being on a spinning swing and putting your arms out to slow the spinning down) will be on and they will slow the line going out. Pushing them closer to the axle will result in less resistance when the line is going out and will allow you to cast further. I find on my Curado if I try and drop below 2 of the 6 in the outward position then I start to see overruns. Get into the habit of stopping the drum with your thumb as the lure just hits or is just about to hit the water. Alternatively stop the drum with your thumb when you have reached the point you want it to land. Getting good with this will give you the pin point accuracy that is the selling point of baitcasters. The other advantage of this is that you can back off the second drag (for the landing) located next to the star drag which will give you some more casting distance. This gentleman talks about the VBS in the open (outward position) which gives more control but less distance: As per what @big Neil said if you want further casting distance then go to an equivalent spinning reel. Getting off topic they use multipliers (baitcaster type overhead) for super long distance casting. Seems once the drum starts spinning it can be more energy efficient than a spinning reel. Have a look at this article - over 1000 feet (300m) casts. https://www.outdoorlife.com/record-casts/ Regards, Derek

Hi RHE, From past research the term bait in US speak is actually a lure. So a baitcaster is designed to be relatively lightweight for frequent and precision casting of lures. Not that you can't fish them with a real bait such as a livie or some sort of other edible stuff but it might be a little more challenging flinging your livie into snags. If you fish them with a lure you can set them so they are unlikely to backlash. As you get better with your thumb control then you can start to do more with them. The link I mentioned previously is: Regards, Derek

Hi again, From the Shimano website: Shimano Tranx 300HG: Bearings 5+1 Max drag 8kg Gear ratio 7.6:1 Retrieve per crank 100cm Mono 9kg/160m Braid 50lb/190m weight 330g Shimano Jewel 5ft 10in: 1.78m line rating 4-8kg lure rating 7-23gm Sounds like something for bigger fish such as Mangrove jack, Barra, pelagics, big bass. Ultralight lures will be a pain. Next question where are you fishing? You mention you are in Queensland but what type of fishing areas do you have access to? Mangroves, open waterway. Do you want to do bait or lure? Most baitcasters I have used come with 3 different drag systems. A centrifugal one to ensure that the drum speed doesn't exceed the line speed (over run then birds nest) when casting out, a second one to stop the drum from turning when the lure lands and a third which is the drag to fight the fish. As you get better with the control of the reel (with your thumb) you can back the assisting drags off and get better distance out of your casts. One of the Americans (1rod1reelfishing) I follow on Youtube recently did a nice introduction to baitcasters video recently. I'll find the links later but google baitcasters on YouTube and there are plenty of videos out there. Regards, Derek

Have you bought one yet? If not what is your budget? From various sources I've heard that if you are going to buy one then it is worth spending the money on a good reel otherwise you are wasting your time. I went with a Shimano Curado and a barra rod. If you have bought one then what did you buy (reel and rod - in particular what are the specs such as line and lure rating). Braid or mono. The reason I ask this is it will have an impact on what you are likely to be casting and what you might be chasing (bream, bass or barrra).

I know this is going to sound like a fishing reports but it is a continuation of the advice started by Niall. Decided to meet up with Niall and a few others down at the water for some afternoon surface fishing. One of my mates decided to come down to but due to confusion he started off at a different section of the water. While waiting on the others I saw a guy with a red cap fishing in the distance and started calling out Niall. Wasn't him but he had picked up a bream. Using the retrieve Niall had suggested with a small sugapen I had some swirls, strikes and misses. Concept was working which is a good confidence builder. I got a text message from my mate and he'd landed this one. I joined him. Changed lures to an MMD splash prawn and when I blinked I suddenly was on this little one. I've had bream before on surface lure but this one was the first I'd caught while specifically targeting them. Decided to try again but on a sugapen. Saw a swirl and a follow and let the lure sit where it was and picked this one up (unfortunately with all the bouncing around it got a little sandy and I didn't want to dunk it and rinse it for a photo opportunity - a quick photo and back in the water): This one was legal. I can see why people get addicted to this - thank you Niall for inspiring me to put a bit more time into this. There was another strike on one of the surface lures which was either a tailor or I think a whiting. To pull out two fish in what some of the others considered pretty hard fishing based on some of their other sessions put a big smile on my face. Really pleasant learning session with some fun guys from diverse fishing backgrounds. I think there was as much talking about fishing as there was fishing. Thanks Niall and the others in the group. Derek

Hi Niall, The domino effect of this article has started. I'd forwarded your article to a few friends already. On the way to my dad's for dinner tonight I had some time to kill. With the rising tide it meant one of the bays in the lower North Shore area was going to be nicely under water. I called a fishing mate in the area to come down and suggested that he had a look at your article and related link. He came down with light rod and an 85mm Sugapen copy. To be fair with the limited time available he had only partially read your article hence why he ended up with one of these rather than the bream I was hoping for: It really wanted that lure. Went 36cm. He is very good at what he does (e.g. kings off the rocks) but this was his first whiting on surface lure. I had a swipe from what I was pretty sure was a bream on my small sugapen and we both hooked up on a small tailor. Lovely way to kill a bit of time. Regards, Derek

Hi Neil. My secret is that I don't have a wife, kids or girlfriend at the moment and a reasonable income. Apart from family stuff (usually scheduled in the evenings) my time is usually my own and I feel the well being benefits of fishing more than compensates me for any outlays I make. I've also had a great deal of fun meeting up, fishing with, teaching and learning from others on this site. Speaking of wife - I hope the current health concerns with yours get resolved in 2020 and that the two of you can get back to doing the fun stuff together. Also looking forward to your next trip to Sydney and doing some fun fishing related stuff. Best wishes, Derek

Hi Niall, It was a pleasure to meet you today and I want to thank you again for a few reasons. Firstly, for taking the time to put together such a clear "how to" thread. Each year I try to pick up at least one more fishing skill set to the point that I am at least proficient at it. I was looking for one for 2020 and with the shore based kings being such hard work at the moment your topic came along at just the right time. I've done pretty well on the sugapens in the last few years but I've never bothered specifically targeting topwater bream. Your little pointers and verification that my technique was a good was a nice confidence builder even if the bream were not really playing. You were fun to talk to. BTW if you are going to talk about a trademark red cap can you please wear it as I was a little hesitant about accosting the only other person out there with a fishing rod. That you looked to be flicking a surface lure was part of the reason I opened the conversation with "Are you a Fishraider?". Looking forward to more fishing sessions with you and to see if I can get you on to some more kings. Regards, Derek