DerekD

Now that is thinking outside the box. Very quick on the uptake Frank.

I've known the signs were there for years and now I have to look for them as one or two have disappeared. The last time I was there the only one I could easily see was near the Balmoral boatshed. I have also been there when people are fishing right next to the sign. I'm usually unobservant but that is taking it to the next level.

What Nuts said about the no fishing. The circular area you were fishing off is part of the swimming area and as a result has a lot of foot traffic in bare feet so that is probably the reason that council does not want people fishing. Over the years I have had to point out to a number of fishing people the no fishing signs around that section and that they can get fined for fishing there. Most take the advice nicely in the spirit it was meant and shift around to the section where they are allowed to fish. For some reason some of the no fishing signs in that section has disappeared. Nice report and thank you for sharing.

Hi King Chaser, Actually with the depth of the water (which has an impact on the the scaling on the screen) and the limited strength of the transducer I think we were lucky to see the structure itself. We couldn't see a lot of detail (in fact it it was just a flat solid line) and so we just fished on the basis that the kings were there. Be interesting to send a camera down there to see the shape of the structure and the amount of tackle hung up on it and the size of the schools down there. Regards, Derek

Hi Fishraiders, This is a topic which I hope will put a smile on your face during these winter's days when fishing is just that little bit harder. Years ago I was in New Zealand in a Hunting and Fishing shop when I saw a fly fishing lure in the shape of a mouse and had a WTF moment. Later on I found out that sometimes mice have to swim across a body of water and become fair game to the fish below. Later on I came across a lure in the shape of a swimming duck complete with stinger hooks (which I have also seen recently in one of the fishing chains). Turns out this one was designed for pike which have been known to take the odd duckling or three. The duck lures promotional page from the manufacturer: http://savage-gear.com/product/3d-suicide-duck/ A few years ago I came across some articles for the worst lures ever and it still makes me laugh. Follow this link: https://www.outdoorlife.com/10-worst-fishing-lures-all-time#page-5 My personal favourite in their list is the "hover lure" which is a dragonfly lure complete with lily pad. Researching further I even found a promotional video: I've heard the line between genius and insanity is a thin one and I wonder which side of the line the designers were and I'd love to know what other weird and funny lures there are out there which others have come across. I'd also be interested in ones which have been made as a one off by fellow recreational fishers as an attempt to try something new. Hope this made you smile. Derek

Hi Fishraiders, Saturday evening, while sitting in a bar, I got a call from a good fishing buddy Mat asking if I was free the next day for a chance at a 1m kingfish. While very short notice (found out later someone had pulled out of the planned trip) the plans I had for Sunday could be changed pretty easily. Said I was in and we made some initial plans. Went home and sorted out some food and gear for the trip and set the alarm for 4am. Mat rocked up at mine and we put the gear in my car, left his new car in my garage then drove West to Mark’s place where the boat was stored. Bit chilly when we arrived with frost on the grass. Loaded up the gear, topped up the fuel tanks and then drove North. If you have ever seen one of those posts “Tag a mate who falls asleep when fishing” then I’m usually the one that gets tagged. True to form I fell asleep on the back seat. Woke up as we were in the Gosford area. At one stage we were discussing trailer handling and I told the lads about the time I was at Tunk’s park boat ramp and an older couple with what looked to be a recently acquired boat show special were struggling with the ramp. She was directing and after about six attempts I realised they were going to be there for a while so I lined my trailer with the other half of the ramp and put it in first go. The lady pointed at her husband to get his attention then pointed at me and very helpfully told her husband “that is how you do it”. The boys laughed. When we got to the ramp I could see why three people were needed. There was enough water surging around the ramp that you or your boat could quickly get into trouble. With Mat on the boat at the controls and Mark and myself in the water we managed to launch the boat safely. Mark asked if I could park up the trailer as the parking area was getting a little crowded and as per my earlier anecdote I reckoned I was pretty good handling a car and trailer. I got the chance to put the money where the mouth was or more accurately the trailer in the spot. To be fair I think Mark was very capable of doing it himself but as the boat and trailer was a relatively new acquisition he needed just a little more confidence that comes with experience. My usual technique is looking over the shoulder rather than using the mirrors. I’d had a cyst removed from my neck on Friday evening and due to the stitches and plaster feeling a bit tight I had to turn the whole body to look over the shoulder – uncomfortable but workable. While I could have driven it straight in that meant the challenge would have been at the end of the day. With a couple of adjustments to work around the parked cars it went smoothly in trailer first. We then boarded the boat from the beach and made the long trip to the bait grounds 200 metres later we’d arrived at the bait grounds. We would have been there quicker but there was a group of swimmers that seemed to think swimming in front of a boat ramp wasn’t a potential safety hazard. 11m deep and plenty of fish showing on the sounder. In went the burley and down went the lines and shortly afterwards we started pulling up some yellowtail. There were even some 30cm plus ones which I looked at with a 1m king gleam in my eyes. Too many for the live well so we put some of the larger ones in my salt water filled esky (after removing the food). Heading out of the bay to the fishing ground we were fortunate enough to see a few whales moving North. Trip out took about an hour and when we pulled up we were over structure in about 160m of water. Local advice is that kings hang around this as it is only structure in the area (no I don't know what it is called or have the GPS marks). There was apparently a fishing competition on that day so we were surprised to find we were the only boat out there. First pass with live yellowtails Mat hooked up and then snagged up on the structure. Neither fish nor working end of the tackle came back. We were using stupidly heavy leads to get down before we drifted over the structure. I was using my 80lb outfit with 100lb leader through the sinker to a swivel then dropped down to 80lb line to the hook. The intention with this rig was that if I snagged up I was likely to lose just the hook and the line below the swivel. It worked as I retained the sinker for the whole day. Counting down I worked out it was taking over a minute for the livies to reach the bottom. Next pass my hook didn’t come back and it looked like the line had been bitten and we thought it was likely to be leatherjackets (bugger). A re-rig, another bridle rigged livie down and this time there was a hook-up and I was on. Some weight but it didn’t feel like a 1m king would. After a hundred plus meters of pumping and winding and got colour and what a beautiful colour it was complete with a yellow tail and I even got my livie back (should that count as 2 yellowtails albeit of 2 different species). Netted and my king count for 2018 was up to 7 with still a few hours of fishing on the cards. It was legal but not by a huge amount. Mark then sent down a livie and upgraded it for a legal king. Mat was struggling a little and losing gear. We’d also get hook ups but then have the hook pull. At one stage we heard a blast of venting air and turned around to see a whale much smaller than any I have seen out there before. It was about 5m long and certainly not a dolphin and Mark called it as a pilot whale. We weren’t getting a king every pass but often enough that it kept things interesting. All the kings were legal but not hugely so although they were pretty broad across the shoulder. They also looked a bit more silver than I had seen before. The winds eased up and the swells flattened out and we had a beautiful albatross bobbing about nearby and keeping us company. Mat then scored his king and Mark changed to jigging and started getting a few more kings. Mat and Mark had double hook-up but I let the team down by not making it a triple. On the next pass I caught my second king. Two livies left for the last few passes as time was running out with 7 kings in the esky. No joy and time up so we let the last livies go. The run back in was pretty good and we were fortunate enough to see a pod of dolphins. The sun was dropping down and glaring through the windscreen by the time we were close to the boat ramp. I changed back into my shorts so I could jump into the water and hold the boat against the surging swell. Mark hopped out with me and before we went up to get the car we watched one of the locals struggling to get his boat back on his trailer so I stepped in to give him a hand (which is sometimes all you need to make a difference). Since we took the time to park the trailer in the first place we had no trouble getting it out of the parking area and down the ramp. With Mark on the winch, me in the water and Mat driving the boat in, putting the boat on the trailer went as smooth as you could ask for. We set the safety chain, ratchet straps, indicator check and Mark asked if I minded driving back to Sydney. Considering that he’d done pretty well all the driving till then I was happy to drive back. On the way back he had the usual manly discussions. Cars, recipes for kingfish, best domestic cleaning products, how our significant others don’t quite get us and multi-layered roles we are having to cope with in today’s complicated political correct society (alright not the last two). Back at Mark’s I got the opportunity to back the boat into the driveway on a cul-de-sac with poor lighting, limited view out the passenger window because of the baby window shade. Even with the two of them acting as spotters it was a challenge. I had to hop out of the car twice to check the alignment. Maybe I’m not quite as good as I thought I was but got it lined up and into the driveway without any scrapes. Mark’s lovely wife Amanda was there to greet us and watch us unload the boat. Mat laid out the 7 kings on a towel and it was such a nice sight I took the picture below. I don’t actually eat fish but I had some recipients in mind for the two I was keeping. My long term fishing mate Todd and the mate that stood on the stingray, Anton “First Cast” M. Mat was going to keep one and then give the other to another couple in our fishing group that often shared their catches with him. Todd was pleasantly surprised to get a king as he loves eating them and he called me up with a thank you today. Anton filleted his and enjoyed the taste of fresh sushi. He has family in town so I suspect they will be eating a meal of fresh kingfish. All in all a fantastic day and I was grateful for the opportunity to get out there and I hope I get to join them again. My kingfish count is at 8 with 10 more to go to achieve my fishing goal of 18 kingfish in 2018. Still working on my other goal of a 1m plus king and more importantly I'm still enjoying the journey. Regards, Derek

PM sent.

Be warned Kingfish are addictive. My first was 61cm when the legal size was still 60cm. Got my second one about 30 minutes later which also came in at 61cm. Been addicted ever since but there are far worse addictions. You have some great opportunities inside Sydney harbour then to chase them shore based and at very little risk to your health. Can you catch squid? I've gotten them on both lures and squid but find squid to be an easier option. Can put the squid under a float from say one of the less used ferry wharfs or similar. Floating whole or strips of squid unweighted through the water column can also pay dividends. Takes patience but results are worth it.

Hi Ragnar, Out of curiosity what are you targeting and does it specifically have to be off the ocean rocks? Plenty of opportunities inside the harbour too with far less risks. My biggest fish has been a 104cm jewfish off the shore in Middle harbour. It may also be that ocean fishing is your thing. In that case Seabreeze is a good source of information for forecast swell. Regards, Derek

Hi CJay, Was wondering where you had gotten to as you are usually pretty quick to respond. Welcome back. Thanks for the info on the Penn reel. Will have to look at that one too. I walked into a store and ended up picking up the Saltist Hyper 962XHS before you put up your comments about the Demonblood. Since it was to fill a gap in my fishing arsenal it should still do what I want it to. Regards, Derek

Hi SSIB, If I am seriously chasing squid for a weekend's fishing then I will hit up to about 5 landbased spots till I have success. You mentioned Bare island - did you also work along the nearby shores (watch out it can get a little shallow so you risk snagging up jigs). Work an area properly by fanning out your casts. Change jigs (maybe both a size and colour change) and then work the area again. Then change location and repeat the excercise. BTW I am assuming you have your own transport so location changes are not overly difficult. Over time you'll find areas which pay off slightly more consistently. My experience has been that squid move about. Any reponses you get to your question about one spot holding more squid than another won't necessarily help you. I'll keep pointing out that 15 minutes can make all the difference. It also works in your favour - I've even had squid swim past me while fishing soft plastics and then find out how well I can (or can't) switch to a squid jig under pressure and then cast in the direction they were heading - usually I do get them. General wisdom is that from 10am till 2pm they head into deeper water. I don't worry about that and work on the theory that while I have a jig in the water I have a chance. In one of my previous columns I have mentioned that I find I catch more in summer but they are bigger in winter. It is a numbers and time game. Regards, Derek

Sarcasm.... what is sarcasm?? ? Neil, I'd really like to catch up with you the next time you get to Sydney. I have a few days owing to me (actually my employer wants me to use a fair few more of the holidays I have accumulated) so will keep a few free for your trip up this way. Would like to see if we can get you both a squid and a king (ideally more than one of each). The kings usually start moving into Sydney harbour in October in numbers so that could align quite well.

A little observation here - the numbers 2.2, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 correlates more to length (suspect inches) than pure weight. Yes they are heavier too which equates to better casting distance but it does not relate to sinking rate. That depends on density. I have three 2.2 jigs in the Yamashita Range-hunter series of jigs. The one with the blue eyes has a slow sinking rate, the one with the black eyes has what I consider a normal sinking rate and the one with the pink eyes (which I rarely use) has a fast sinking rate. Get up on slightly higher ground above the water with the rod tip pointed down in front of you and spend some time watching how the squid jig darts as you try different flicks.

Hi Donna, It would - I think SlinkyMalinky did a really good write up from what I can remember. I might be able to add to it as I have done at least 10 detailed ones over the years depending on what some of the questions were at the time but I'd like to combine them into one before they could be uploaded.

Hi Steven, Pumping for yabbies in Pittwater is fine but check the maritime websites for restrictions so that you are aware of the rules. On a side note there are a few locations in the Sydney harbour system where you can find them but in this case you area not allowed to collect them. Was pumping yabbies a few weeks ago in one of the bays a little further around. Was getting them but my best results were at the holes closest to the water at the dead low tide. Just be careful - this was where my mate Anton stepped on a stingray a little while back while I was introducing him to yabby pumping for his first time. I even did a report about it on Fishraider. I don't want to see anyone go through that experience again. Good luck, Derek

Unless it is stupidly heavy and changes the sink rate I really wouldn't worry about the dynamics. Depending on the retrieve you are using you are trying to achieve short darting (even erratic) movements to get their attention. While I appreciate the tendency to understand as much of the theory as you can (I do the same) you have reached the point where you give it a go a few times and learn by trying. I'll do my best to answer any questions you have afterwards. Good luck and don't despair if you don't get any as they move around a bit. Did you find a few more of my past posts - still more details in them.

Hi Jani, Here in Sydney, Australia I work with a few Finnish people that love (major understatement) their fishing and when I see some of the fishing opportunities you are generous enough to share with us I can understand where that passion comes from. Just wanted to thank you for sharing experiences and photos from the other side of the globe. Regards, Derek

They would be a low turn over item and such wouldn't have big financial returns I suspect most companies wouldn't waste the effort putting them on their online catalogues. You can try contacting the site sponsor Dinga by email for assistance. I usually just walk into my local shops and browse the walls till I find them and pick up a few packets at a time. Generally costs me between $3 and $5 per pack of clips and about the same for the swivels depending on the country of manufacture for either. Generally about 10 in a pack. For me these are a consumable. Over time after repeated casting and use you will get metal fatigue in both clips and swivels. Just load them up by hand once in a while as a check. On a side note I used to use Yo-Zuri jigs but some of their product line had swivels already built in and I lost more jigs (actual quantity was pretty minor) to swivel fatigue than snags. It is why I look for a solid tow point on my squid jigs these days.

BINGO!! That is the arrangement I was talking about. Swivel is a bit nicer than the ones I usually get but that is definitely the duoloc clip. There are a few companies that make the components. Seahorse makes a good value set of clips. There are also some variations of these clips with a really nice pear shape so you have can get some good movement of the attached lure. I use these on both my bream (4lb) and snapper (15lb) rods but in different sizes.

I rarely tie the line straight to the jig and if I do I just use a uni-knot. To avoid retying and related line wastage I buy small swivels and duolock clips (I usually have to buy the swivels and clips separately) both with a better rating than the line I am using. I've used other clips but they have cost me more lures than I like. You can get away using just the clip without the swivel but I use the same system for halco twistys which is why I want the swivel in the set up. Allows me to very quickly change between squid jigs and other hard body lures without having to re-tie knots.

Genius!!! Please take me under your tutelage oh Great Guru Regan.

Thanks Regan, Now I'm feeling peckish and want to walk to my car to see what Soft Plastics flavours I have to snack on this afternoon. Suspect you need a beer to wash down greasy prawn but my place of work is alcohol free for safety reasons. D. ?

I can be a bit literal at times (mostly deliberately so) so when friends in Sydney talk about the temperature being freezing I look around for ice patches and snowflakes.

Hi Regan, I'm confused.... Why would you be eating Z-man grubs and flash shads??? ? Are they edible like the Berkley Gulps and for that matter what flavours do they come in? Oh wait, read post again - smokey and watermelon. Sweet. Regards, Derek

Hi Again, Regarding your query about EGI max spray or similar my suggestion is unless you have already bought some then don’t bother or at least hold off on it for now. When I started learning about squid jigging I tried some prawn scent. It seemed to stain the jigs and worst of all being a liquid it made a break for it in my fishing bag. I’m not saying that they don’t work. There are companies that spend hundreds or thousands of hours developing and testing these products or alternatively just put it out there with the philosophy “build it and they will come”. ? In one sense any advantage is worth it (why I use glow in the dark jigs) and it is also a confidence builder. Problem is as a user you would have to test scented and unscented side by side for years to see if it made a difference. The other thing is you will never know if the scent made just enough difference to catch that squid you just landed or would you have caught it anyway. I was fortunate enough that one of my local tackle stores put a squid jigging presentation on years ago with a presenter from Japan (I’d consider the Japanese the leaders on most developments in this field as from everything I have read it is an obsession over there) . They showed us a squid jig which was over 300 years old from Japan with a coin as a weight. They talked about the theory behind colour selection based on water clarity and what time of day. I believe Yamashita makes a table to assist with this. BTW the Japanese will even seed the squid grounds with materials to which the squid can fasten their eggs. The gear we get access to these days has had a lot of development behind it. What I am trying to say in my usual long winded way is get the basics right (selection of gear and more importantly retrieval techniques) first then try this other stuff. I’ve fished for squid side by side with a number of fishing mates and it is not often I get out fished so I am pretty confident in that what I do works. Are you located anywhere near the lower north shore? If you are up for it we could head out shore based one day on a weekend. Spend a bit of time working on it yourself first based on the advice you have been picking up as you might have your own “aha” moment which makes all the difference for you and I might learn something new too. It is also fun working some things out at your own pace first. Regards, Derek