Blackie Fishing Sat, Sun, Mon

[arpie]

Hi guys

Went out fishing the breakwall on Sat, Sun & Monday for a grand total of 2 keepers!!! Nice keepers, tho - 37 & 39cm! Gave them both away Got one on Sat & one this morning. There are more people fishing the wall every day now, so just hope the fish start coming in in numbers!

They've been getting into some drummers down the end of the wall too, on cabbage. Been broken off by a few as well.

Went with a buddy to Manning Point last weekend for one keeper fish each - mine was a nice fat 39cm. A bit disappointing, but I must have tossed back about 40! Spoke to an older couple who go there every year (for 25 years so far ...) and they'd been there 6 weeks for a total of 8 fish. They were very disappointed!

Coming to Sydney this weekend, so hope to give Narrabeen Lake a try & maybe the rocks at Mona Vale!

Cheerio for now

Roberta

[jewgaffer]

Hi guys

Went out fishing the breakwall on Sat, Sun & Monday for a grand total of 2 keepers!!! Nice keepers, tho - 37 & 39cm! Gave them both away Got one on Sat & one this morning. There are more people fishing the wall every day now, so just hope the fish start coming in in numbers!

They've been getting into some drummers down the end of the wall too, on cabbage. Been broken off by a few as well.

Went with a buddy to Manning Point last weekend for one keeper fish each - mine was a nice fat 39cm. A bit disappointing, but I must have tossed back about 40! Spoke to an older couple who go there every year (for 25 years so far ...) and they'd been there 6 weeks for a total of 8 fish. They were very disappointed!

Coming to Sydney this weekend, so hope to give Narrabeen Lake a try & maybe the rocks at Mona Vale!

Cheerio for now

Roberta

hi roberta

re your mention of manning point . have you ever fished for blackfish to the left of the gantry at harrington looking back over the manning towards the harrington hotel ?

i was just wondering because a lot of of gun blackfishermen and women travel from hundeds of miles inland just to catch the big blackfish at harrington gantry.

cheers

jewgaffer

fish on

[arpie]

Hi Jewgaffer

Haven't tried to the Gantry yet, but will put it on my list!!! The other half will be away next week, so I'll be able to 'play' wherever I want to!!

I have heard that the blackies are 'on' at Camden Haven/Laurieton & the big bream are on at Harrington!

We'll see what we can do! Thanks for that

Cheers

Roberta

[arpie]

Hi guys

Robert - ...... when i cook my hairtail i cook them in olive oil with lemon pepper or garlic butter and to spice it up some sweet chillie sauce.... How yum does that sound?? DO they have bones all the way down or just at the top end? Any scales? Never seen one in the flesh, yet! Hope to rectify that before next years social!

Gohardorgohome .....What weight line do you use Roberta and how much line under your float..... (I am assuming you mean trace length here, as the length of line from your float to the hook depends on where you are fishing & how deep the fish are feeding!)

I use 20lb braid as the main line, then 20lb mono for the main sinker/weight (30cm) to a swivel & 6lb fluoro for the trace. I prefer shorter traces (30cm or even shorter) when you are around lots of snags (eg the breakwall) but if you are from a boat, you can go up to 1m!

Cheers

Roberta

Edited July 23, 2007 by Roberta

[gretsch]

I use 20lb braid as the main line, then 20lb mono for the main sinker/weight (30cm) to a swivel & 6lb fluoro for the trace. I prefer shorter traces (30cm or even shorter) when you are around lots of snags (eg the breakwall) but if you are from a boat, you can go up to 1m!

Cheers

Roberta

Roberta,

That is a bloody good idea.. I was using braid down to the float and then mono for the rest and had terrible problems casting due to the different characteristics for the braid and mono. So a 30cm trace is all that is needed eh? Do you use a couple of big split shots or many small ones?

Cheers

Ceph.

Edited July 23, 2007 by Ceph

[arpie]

Hi Ceph

Depending on the size of your float - for the breakwall, we use bigger ones, so the main sinker is fairly big torpedo shaped one. Then, I use the removeable split-shot to 'finesse' the float. At any time during the tide, you may need to add or remove 1 or 2 of the small split shots, to have the float sitting correctly. The increased flow or swell, makes the float sink or sit at an angle, making it difficult to see.

The separate 30cm for the sinker usually prevents the line from wrapping around the rod tip when you cast. This is because the weight is further down from the float, & you will actually see that the float shoots up the line, whilst the sinker & trace fly out beautifully as you cast!

There is nothing more annoying than losing a float & sinkers on a hot bite & taking about 20mins to re-rig from scratch!

This is what I do to set up my floats - I have a plastic garbage bin permanently filled with water & before I go out, I kit a few of them up, already weighted! Get 30cm 20lb mono & whack a swivel on one end. Add a bead (to prevent chafing from the sinker hitting the knot.) Put the torpedo sinker on that you think will suit your float. At this stage, just Tie it to the bottom of your float & check how it sits in the bin of water. Try & get this initial weight to be the only one on the line - you don't want a snake of clip-on weights running up the line. You may need to cut a bit off one end of the sinker if it is too heavy or go up to the next sized sinker if too light (and still may need to cut some off.) Keep checking it in the bin till you only have about 5cm tip of the float showing. This will allow you to finesse the float later with split shot when on the water. Then tie on another swivel. Put a lid on your water bin! Use a safety pin to attach the swivel to the float (so you know which weight belongs to which float.) Pop them into a secure float holder. When you lose your float in action, just pull out an already weighted float & you'll be back in action as soon as! I suggest you use a bead above & below each float as well.

I also take a number of pre-rigged traces with me. Hook on one end & a loop on the other. I either put them on a piece of foam or a bit of insulating tube, that I slide up the rod handle, to just below the reel.

This way, when I lose a hook (which can be up to 5 times an outing..... very annoying!) I have plenty there, ready to go & am back fishing in 30 secs.

Cheerio for now

Roberta

[gretsch]

Thanks Roberta... good tips.

[jewgaffer]

Hi Ceph

Depending on the size of your float - for the breakwall, we use bigger ones, so the main sinker is fairly big torpedo shaped one. Then, I use the removeable split-shot to 'finesse' the float. At any time during the tide, you may need to add or remove 1 or 2 of the small split shots, to have the float sitting correctly. The increased flow or swell, makes the float sink or sit at an angle, making it difficult to see.

The separate 30cm for the sinker usually prevents the line from wrapping around the rod tip when you cast. This is because the weight is further down from the float, & you will actually see that the float shoots up the line, whilst the sinker & trace fly out beautifully as you cast!

There is nothing more annoying than losing a float & sinkers on a hot bite & taking about 20mins to re-rig from scratch!

This is what I do to set up my floats - I have a plastic garbage bin permanently filled with water & before I go out, I kit a few of them up, already weighted! Get 30cm 20lb mono & whack a swivel on one end. Add a bead (to prevent chafing from the sinker hitting the knot.) Put the torpedo sinker on that you think will suit your float. At this stage, just Tie it to the bottom of your float & check how it sits in the bin of water. Try & get this initial weight to be the only one on the line - you don't want a snake of clip-on weights running up the line. You may need to cut a bit off one end of the sinker if it is too heavy or go up to the next sized sinker if too light (and still may need to cut some off.) Keep checking it in the bin till you only have about 5cm tip of the float showing. This will allow you to finesse the float later with split shot when on the water. Then tie on another swivel. Put a lid on your water bin! Use a safety pin to attach the swivel to the float (so you know which weight belongs to which float.) Pop them into a secure float holder. When you lose your float in action, just pull out an already weighted float & you'll be back in action as soon as! I suggest you use a bead above & below each float as well.

I also take a number of pre-rigged traces with me. Hook on one end & a loop on the other. I either put them on a piece of foam or a bit of insulating tube, that I slide up the rod handle, to just below the reel.

This way, when I lose a hook (which can be up to 5 times an outing..... very annoying!) I have plenty there, ready to go & am back fishing in 30 secs.

Cheerio for now

Roberta

hi roberta

this is a terrific post roberta, very informative and i love your pre-rigged expertise and always having a good supply of leaders and traces.

i got hold of those kids toy pool floats called noodles and always have a good supply of various traces and leaders wound onto them to make rigging up easier and less time consuming in the boat.

doing what you do saves time and makes your own fishing safer, faster and much more comfortable

others should follow your float rigging systems and other recommendations to the letter, they'll get better fishing results particually when targetting fish at the various depths

you sure are a gun lady fisho and a very unique and distinguished one at that, i tell ya

your float rigging ideas are excellent and your systematic float balancing system would be great for floating livies around at depth particularly on heavier floats in those sudden big swells when the action can go wild

great photos, very descriptive and very educational for everyone

cheers

jewgaffer

[arpie]

Aw schucks, thanks for the compliments, Jewgaffer! Anything to help anyone get onto fish, I reckon! Just now, it is hard enough for me to get some! That should change in the next week or two!

Also Hope to change that in Sydney this weekend, when I go out fishing with my brother Sails & luderick59 & hopefully Ladslad!

Cheerio

Roberta

[Ross Hunter]

Aw schucks, thanks for the compliments, Jewgaffer! Anything to help anyone get onto fish, I reckon! Just now, it is hard enough for me to get some! That should change in the next week or two!

Also Hope to change that in Sydney this weekend, when I go out fishing with my brother Sails & luderick59 & hopefully Ladslad!

Cheerio

Roberta

Roberta,

We had a great day today on the Georges River Stewy is going to post the story soon. 25 blackfish to 37cm

Where are you staying in Sydney and when do you arrive?. I am blackfishing again to-morrow and then on charter on the tuna Thur fri, Sat and Sunday

Ross Hunter

[arpie]

Hi Ross

Just checked out the posting - well done! Great looking fish!

Will be arriving tomorrow, but the other half is flying off o/s on thurs. Then I will be staying at Wollstonecraft thurs night. May even try down Balls Head way!

I will be down Collaroy way from mid morning Fri & staying with my brother Sails (COllaroy) till Monday Morning. I hope to fish some of the rocks of the northern beaches with luderick59 & Cam & ladslad - they may be tied up on Sunday tho - so open to suggestions! I do get lost easily, tho! Haven't got a Gps Mapfinder yet! It is on my Xmas list, tho! I hate driving in Sydney now!

Good luck with the Tuna fishing!!! Hope you get into heaps! They should be going off! It has been very exciting reading all the reports of big fish!

YAYYY! Go Raiders!

Cheerio

ROberta

[mark84]

i like the idea of the pre riged trace right at the but (under the reel) very good if your in an awkward place away from your gear like wading when you only want to walk out with bear esentials (weed)

[arpie]

Absolutely, Mark - it can be downright dangerous on some of the ledges - one slip (or unseen pothole) & you are gooooone!

The other thing I do is use an old CD holder (a belt for the waist made of neoprene - runners used to use them when jogging) for my basic tackle (just in case I run out of traces!) I just leave some heavy line, 6lb fluoro & a couple of small containers with hooks, swivels & beads & the all important removeable splitshot.

Matter of fact, it works so well, I got a few more ($1 each at a junk shop at Brookvale) and now have a dedicated Tailor one and whiting/bream one - and have given a couple away to buddies to use. Most folk take way too much stuff out with them when fishing! I take my little belt & a mesh shoulder bag for the fish & bait. Very mobile.

The bonus with the little neoprene belt around your waist when you are wading is, if you are wearing waders, it also creates a waterproof barrier, should you take a tumble! Don't want water getting down into your waders!

Tight lines

Roberta

[Allen M]

Hey everyone,

Going for a short visit to Harrington and want to do some blackfishing but have never been there Any idea where I can get some cabbage or weed

Regards