tide'n'knots

I wish ALL women would learn to love fishing as much as me - then us guys would never have to argue with them to let us wet a line!........... AH HEAVEN!!! just imagine going fishing when ever you felt like it and not ever having to explain WHY??? when you have already been once this year!!! People who dont fish -dont get it!

I am more worried about the size of the cat thats going to eat it!!!!

what an adrenalin rush that must have been! thats probably as close as we come down here to GTs pack hunting. AWESOME.

Thats not as bad as the night I went fishing with an ex flat mate of mine, drove from north richmond to spencer and when we got there he hadnt packed the bait!! so we drove home again f#2$%$K!!!

Hi josh just remembered I had this photo on my mobile of the jew.

hi numbnuts, the winning fish was a 19kg jew caught by a big guy whose name escapes me but apparently he won last year! his mate got 2nd with a 15kg jew. As I was about to go home I heard someone ask what he caught it on and he said a live whiting! Pete.

Hi guys, Fished the classic last night with a mate and decided to fish a few spots around brooklyn instead of the usual haunt around wisemans. Arrived around 7pm at parsley bay ramp went straight to spot A and by 7.20 I was into a nice jew of 60cm and thought this is good!! but after that, nothing but eels and catties! so at 9pm moved to another spot where I have caught huge bream in the past. After an hour and a half and 1 flattie of 52cm later, decided to try spot C. Anchored up and started to catch a couple of bream around 26 to 28cm (4 in total) then at around 1am I hooked a solid fish and called it for a big lizard as it was lying on the bait, and a minute or so later a flattie of around 65 to 70cm came to the side of the boat. It was then that problems began! we were fishing from my mates boat and he had forgotten the landing net! so after 1 attempt at gaffing the fish and the gaff not sinking in ( probably because the fish wasnt quite heavy enough ) I decided to try and land it on the platform near the motor at the back of the boat as I only had to lift it about 3 inches. Every time I attempted this the bloody fish kept darting to the side of the boat at the last second and going around the wrong side of the stabliser bar at the back so I would have to drop it back in again. After the 3rd attempt the hook pulled and we sat there watching it swim away! the air was BLUE for several minutes after that, but I eventually calmed down and forgave my mate for being a goose and forgetting the net - He kept reminding me about the time I went to put a jew of HIS in the esky of around 9lb and when it hit the ice slurry it jumped like a mullet and ended up in the drink! I guess we are even now! Anyway our megre catch looked like sardines compared to the fish that won the comp - 19kg jew 1st, 15kg jew 2nd, even the flathead was significantly larger than the one that got away! We only fished last night due to my work commitments but we are already loking at some different tactics next year and maybe fish the whole comp. Just as an interesting footnote the fish that took out the "other species" catagory was a 2kg kingie! one of the guys at the weigh-in told me that there are some being caught in cowan. VEEERRY INNTEERRESSTIING!! tight lines. Pete.

hey squidhunter, Ive caught them at forster and brooklyn this way - find a relativly shallow sandy section of your estaury, 4-6ft deep and fish the last 1 1/2 hours of the top of the tide and the first 1 1/2 hours of the run out where mullet can be seen swimming around, if there is an oyster lease close by even better, mix a loaf of bread in a bucket with just enough water until it is mushy mix in a good squirt of tuna oil and simply flick (try not to drop it in one chunk, flick it so it spreads) about a table spoonful into the water about every minute or so and let the tide slowly move it over your fishing area ( somewhere in a backwater where ther is just a slight current is needed). then just drop a light line with a quill float and a small hook about size 1 with a piece of peeled prawn about 12 to 18 inches under the float into the burley trail and let it drift back with the tide like you would if you were fishing for blackfish and bingo! be patient because sometimes it can take a bit of time for the mullet to find the burley and at times they can be a bit hesitant but once they do decide to bite its nothing to catch a dozen or so. As a good by product you will also catch gar fish this way and i have even caught bream blackfish and even the odd flathead this way. good luck t'n'k.

Hey dicko, I mainly fish the hawkesbury but have fished the harbour on occassions when the jew arent really firing. Normally target kings for a couple of hours and then go after jackets,bream ,flatties etc - next time I am heading that way by myself it would be great to have you along and maybe show me some of your spots as I have really only fished the harbour in the last 18 months or so and I havent got it completely worked out yet - some local knowledge would be great. I have written your number down and i will call you before I am going. tight lines. Pete.

I caught heaps of tailor at the step many years ago- they were so thick I was frighted of putting my hand in the water incase I lost a finger! - not really but we caught heaps.

thanks for the tip ross but w/ends are for fish'n!!!! oh yeah plus I cant operate a vcr or dvd machine thingy!!! lol. thats my excuse for not mowin lawns too - I can never get that bloody mower goin, oh well I will just have to go fishing agaaaiinn!

good on ya chef, congratulations on winng catch of the month! I thought I was a good chance until I saw your Jew, If I didnt have a fish in the C.O.M your fish would have definately got my vote - top effort and well deserved!! tight lines T'n'K

good on ya flatty hunter!! there are a few nice schoolies starting to be caught in the system, things are looking good for the classic this w/end. hopefully there will be some bigguns around. tight lines t'n'k.

congats choad on your first fly caught trout! what a beautiful place, catching a fish is a bonus in a place like that! Top photos by the way. t'n'k

Yep - I did take on float setup ..... for mullet & blackies & hooked the one mullet but lost him. hey roberta next time i am up your way I will show you a spot where many years ago when i was just a lad, my mum and dad and myself caught 157 mullet in 1 hour!!

ICE CHARIOT!!!! came from last on the turn in the mckinnon to run 5th and was running on beautifully at the finish and has won the QLD cup over 2mile!!!! it was paying - get this- $81 in the paper today. I reckon it will be right there when the whips are cracking and at that price its a great e/w bet. Good luck.

Hi jonas, welcome mate. I am not sure of the area you are fishing however there are normally plenty of leatherjacket in the harbour around the piers and jetty pilons. Use 2 small long shank hooks rigged paternoster style and some peeled prawn or small pieces of squid and drop your line close to the structure in fairly deep water. You may have to try different areas until you find them but they are normally there. You can also pick up good bream this way. good luck. t'n'k.

well done on introducing your young fellow to bass fishing! Its amazing how shallow the water can be at times as long as there is a 3or 4 feet around a snag it sometimes holds half decent bass. I once took a mate bass fishing years ago and we caught about a dozen or so in a couple of hours - this guy wasnt much of a fisherman prior to this, and within a couple of months he had more gear and a better boat than me! got him absolutely hooked! Lets hope the same thing happens with your boy! t'n'k.

top fish mate I got its twin last week at wisemans!! mine came in like an old boot and didnt perform until it got near the boat and even then it gave up quick. My son caught one about the same size at the same spot in may and it did the same thing - very strange. glad to see yours went hard! well done they pull hard in shallow water eh! T'n'K.

Hi Cam, yeah I was alone but I had the boat rigged with lights on the side that I can flick on or off when needed to land a fish, first time I have tried it and it worked a treat!!! no more trying to hold rod net and torch at the same time! Peter. pity we couldnt have caught them last week like this!!!

Ive tried without success but I am no expert on sp's.

Hi raiders, Headed down to my favorite spot at wisemans ferry last night, arrived about 7pm and a stiff breeze was making life difficult, blowing against the current and slewing the boat from side to side. Not much happening for about the first 3/4 hour then as it slowly started to get dark, the breeze started to drop, and finally by about 8.30 the water glassed off and the fish started to bite as the tide slowed and reached a dead low about 9.45. Caught maybe 5 or 6 under size sopies in the next hour and a half, then on dead low my "bloody pink coloured black queen" rod as Roberta calls it, bucked over and I was into something solid. The six pound mono peeled off at a rate of knots and im thinking, yeah this is what I came for! then after about 50 or so meters the run stopped and a bloody stingray buried on the bottom and it took what seemed forever to move it. In the end I just about locked up on it and I was amazed at how much pressure 6lb line can handle when it is combined with a vey flexible rod. I was trying to snap the line and it didnt snap until the big ray was right at the side of the boat. Anyway back to fishing! By this time the tide had turned to run in and the fishing suddenly hotted up. in the next 2 hours or so I boated about 20 jew most of which were just under leagal and on two occassions had a double hook up and was forced to leave one rod in the rod holder while I boated the other fish - good fun when your on your own! I managed to put 5 jew between 45cm and 50 cm in the esky along with a 28cm bream, not big fish but fun anyway. I took the photos at home on the sink. guess whats for dinner tonight! YUM. tight lines. t'n'k. pete.

hi spence, once apon a time i use to catch quiet a few from the rocks and the best way i found to cook them was - skin them and fillett them. sprinkle some masterfoods all purpose seasoning into some bread crumbs on a plate and mix it through and while the fillet is still damp press the fillett into the breadcrumbs on both sides and fry them in hot olive oil!!! beeeaauuutiful!!!!! I promise you wont think they are ordinary to eat anymore. simple and vey tasty. Most of the iodiney taste is in the skin so no matter which way you cook them, always skin them and they will taste much better. t'n'k. pete.

hope Keith does well in the iron man! wish him luck for me. I havent fished yet this weekend but i am hoping to wet a line tomorrow night. My boat can get in some pretty shallow water so it should be OK, as for a few scratches, it wouldnt be a real fishing boat without that would it? my boat should be good to stand and cast from with the flat floor. I might organize a fish with you early in the new year after school goes back from holidays it should be a bit quieter up there then. I'll talk to you when I can swing it to come up. pete.

I have caught quite a few in the harbour from the heads to the bridge. Use fresh squid or very fresh frozen squid either whole or pieces depending on their size, xxx 2 to 3/0 hooks and a strong invisable leader with a small bean sinker. If you have never caught one before dont underestimate thier pulling power - its mindblowing! use at least 30lb braid. even an undersize king can skunk you around the posts! drift past the channel markers and cast near them as you drift past. if they arent home simply move to the next one until you find them. Pretty much any struture is a chance of holding kings .Most times this method will get at least one fish. Dont anchor in the ferry lanes as this is illegal and you should be OK. Another method is to troll this area slowly, just let the motor tick along on idle, with full squid on a downrigger. good luck, look forward to hear your report. T'n'K.