Help Pls, Im Not Catching Anything!

[dani!o]

Hey fishos, this is my first post!

just wanted to ask if anyone knows any good spots close to the maroubra area??? i generally prefer some beach or wharf fishing, because i dont have any rock shoes and its dangerously slippery so yeah....but if its a good spot ill still go though....

ive been to i think what they call the 'merc', which is a rock ledge near the bondi golf course, ive also been to watsons bay quite a few times, and to my complete dismay i havnt caught bloody anything... well nothing nice anyway...

any advice would be appreciated eh... i have a 3.6m rod, okuma 10000fs reel, as well as a 1.95m rod and just a tiny crappy reel... i use yozuri 8 pound hybrid for the smaler rod and 20 pound for the bigger one... have got gamakatsu hooks on the lines, and have been giving the fishies pillies, squid, chicken gut and prawns as charity for quite a while now....

anyone know how i can actually catch something??? thanks heaps!

[Geoff]

danilo

Do you have transport , if so have a look around Malabar , La Perouse area. There are a few bays & rock spots along the northern headland.

Tackle store Fishfinder are sponsors on Fishraider. Worth a visit as they are in your area. Check out this web site

http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=14765

Geoff

Edited August 18, 2007 by Geoff

[wildfish]

have you been fishing the beach!

as far as i have heard its a great fishing beach!

maybe just need to focus on how to fish it!

eg. times, setup, gutters!

[jewgaffer]

Hey fishos, this is my first post!

just wanted to ask if anyone knows any good spots close to the maroubra area??? i generally prefer some beach or wharf fishing, because i dont have any rock shoes and its dangerously slippery so yeah....but if its a good spot ill still go though....

ive been to i think what they call the 'merc', which is a rock ledge near the bondi golf course, ive also been to watsons bay quite a few times, and to my complete dismay i havnt caught bloody anything... well nothing nice anyway...

any advice would be appreciated eh... i have a 3.6m rod, okuma 10000fs reel, as well as a 1.95m rod and just a tiny crappy reel... i use yozuri 8 pound hybrid for the smaler rod and 20 pound for the bigger one... have got gamakatsu hooks on the lines, and have been giving the fishies pillies, squid, chicken gut and prawns as charity for quite a while now....

anyone know how i can actually catch something??? thanks heaps!

Hi Danilo Any relation to Danny Lowe from Maroubra way of the 70's and 80' who was an old mate of Jack Collins?

I'll tell you a pretty good spot over that way , a real fishing haven. I trained my little grandson at Yarra Bay when he was about 5 years of age. Little jewgaffer is now 10.

Yarra Bay is a great flathead area and you can put on a pair of gum boots or wade out a bit if you want to and fish livies, lures or ganged pilchards all day long and get plenty of flathead.

It's a very easy place to fish and have a good day or night session and you get a chance to meet a lot of expert spinners and fly blokes in action down there as well.

In the evening you can change tactics and park your car at the little long rocky outcrop corner just a little way from there and that rocky section pokes well out into the bay and has good water all around it and is very comfortable to fish.

You could throw out a couple of rock rods with one right off the point in that section and the other one around the cnr towards the inside of the water fanning off the point to be determined .

You'd be surprised what you will catch there and overall it's one of the best landbased spots around those parts.

I'd chose Yarra Bay over a lot of other spots over that way any time for easier and better fishing.

Hope this helps.

jewgaffer .

Edited August 18, 2007 by jewgaffer

[dani!o]

Hi Danilo Any relation to Danny Lowe from Maroubra way of the 70's and 80' who was an old mate of Jack Collins?

I'll tell you a pretty good spot over that way , a real fishing haven. I trained my little grandson at Yarra Bay when he was about 5 years of age. Little jewgaffer is now 10.

Yarra Bay is a great flathead area and you can put on a pair of gum boots or wade out a bit if you want to and fish livies, lures or ganged pilchards all day long and get plenty of flathead.

It's a very easy place to fish and have a good day or night session and you get a chance to meet a lot of expert spinners and fly blokes in action down there as well.

In the evening you can change tactics and park your car at the little long rocky outcrop corner just a little way from there and that rocky section pokes well out into the bay and has good water all around it and is very comfortable to fish.

You could throw out a couple of rock rods with one right off the point in that section and the other one around the cnr towards the inside of the water fanning off the point to be determined .

You'd be surprised what you will catch there and overall it's one of the best landbased spots around those parts.

I'd chose Yarra Bay over a lot of other spots over that way any time for easier and better fishing.

Hope this helps.

jewgaffer .

hey all!!!

well first of all thanks for the replies, i really appreciate it!! and will certainly visit fishfinder soon enough, hopefully get some comments on my gear to make sure its all correct

whats going on jewgaffer?? thanks heaps for the tip eh!! well, first things first, sorry i dont know a Danny Lowe, the reason i chose my nick is because my name is daniel, and i thought danilo sounds sweeet (it's the serbian version of daniel).... i wasnt around since the 70's, and i actually come from kiwiland... oh what joy.

jewgaffer, i cant really pinpoint where yarra bay is.... or at least the exact spots you are recommending.... would you mind pinpointing them for me??

thanks heaps ya im planning on going tonight, high tide is 11 30 which is sweeet for a saturday night cant wait!!

btw i really would like some flathead!!!! they look like such interesting things and ive never caught any in kiwiland!!

could i ask for some recommendations on my gear as well??? should i use a 8lb or 20lb?? what kind of rig?? what kinda bait?? should i reel in or just cast it and leave it???

thanks heaps!!!

[jewgaffer]

hey all!!!

well first of all thanks for the replies, i really appreciate it!! and will certainly visit fishfinder soon enough, hopefully get some comments on my gear to make sure its all correct

whats going on jewgaffer?? thanks heaps for the tip eh!! well, first things first, sorry i dont know a Danny Lowe, the reason i chose my nick is because my name is daniel, and i thought danilo sounds sweeet (it's the serbian version of daniel).... i wasnt around since the 70's, and i actually come from kiwiland... oh what joy.

jewgaffer, i cant really pinpoint where yarra bay is.... or at least the exact spots you are recommending.... would you mind pinpointing them for me??

thanks heaps ya im planning on going tonight, high tide is 11 30 which is sweeet for a saturday night cant wait!!

btw i really would like some flathead!!!! they look like such interesting things and ive never caught any in kiwiland!!

could i ask for some recommendations on my gear as well??? should i use a 8lb or 20lb?? what kind of rig?? what kinda bait?? should i reel in or just cast it and leave it???

thanks heaps!!!

Hi just make your way down to the Yarra Bay sailing club. The sandy beach across the centre of the base of Yarra Bay is the spot I am talking about .

8 lbs is ideal for your lightweight rod, the 20lbs would be a good start to your night fishing at the rocky outcrop I mentioned.

Good luck tonight and be sure to keep us all informed as I'm sure a lot of members particularly our landbased members and guests would like to be able to keep track of everything that's happening in bays and estuaries this particular winter, I can assure you.

So fishing reports from this area of Botany Bay would be always appreciated and the catching of the various species in Yarra Bay was always considered to be a pretty good "barometer" for all types of fishing in Botany bay

cheers

jewgaffer

[dani!o]

Hi just make your way down to the Yarra Bay sailing club. The sandy beach across the centre of the base of Yarra Bay is the spot I am talking about .

8 lbs is ideal for your lightweight rod, the 20lbs would be a good start to your night fishing at the rocky outcrop I mentioned.

Good luck tonight and be sure to keep us all informed as I'm sure a lot of members particularly our landbased members and guests would like to be able to keep track of everything that's happening in bays and estuaries this particular winter, I can assure you.

So fishing reports from this area of Botany Bay would be always appreciated and the catching of the various species in Yarra Bay was always considered to be a pretty good "barometer" for all types of fishing in Botany bay

cheers

jewgaffer

jewgaffer thank you very much for the tip on that spot... went tonight, and although it wasnt firing, we still bagged a 35cm sand whiting, and a 40cm flathead!!! well, actually both were caught by my bro, and none were caught by me, as i was too trying to pull my car out of the sand... i actually drove it on to flood some lights over where we were, cause we couldnt see anything... the flathead was off the beach, and the whiting was off the rock jetty

can i ask though, how far should i be casting?? i went in the night so didnt wade out... plus my crap skills, probably cast 25m with my 3.6m rod, and about 0m with my 1.95m rod... i think if i cast out a bit further would be better?? and what tide times would you recommend?

also, is 20lb line too heavy?? i think maybe thats why im missing the bites!!

anyway thanks again for the tip... haha, ill be there again tomorrow night!!!

[jewgaffer]

jewgaffer thank you very much for the tip on that spot... went tonight, and although it wasnt firing, we still bagged a 35cm sand whiting, and a 40cm flathead!!! well, actually both were caught by my bro, and none were caught by me, as i was too trying to pull my car out of the sand... i actually drove it on to flood some lights over where we were, cause we couldnt see anything... the flathead was off the beach, and the whiting was off the rock jetty

can i ask though, how far should i be casting?? i went in the night so didnt wade out... plus my crap skills, probably cast 25m with my 3.6m rod, and about 0m with my 1.95m rod... i think if i cast out a bit further would be better?? and what tide times would you recommend?

also, is 20lb line too heavy?? i think maybe thats why im missing the bites!!

anyway thanks again for the tip... haha, ill be there again tomorrow night!!!

Glad you at least got a feed in the reliable Yarra Bay, it's a damn good spot ay ?

Not many people are getting good numbers around Botany Bay at the moment, so you've done very well for a first session, I tell ya

You'll get to like Yarra Bay. Go down there at different tides and have a good look around at the water for when you come back at night.

Stagger your rod distances and be sure to take plenty of lighting with you for over night sessions off the rock jettty there.

Have one rod well anchored to a rod holder with a livie on but don't leave too many holes in the sand after youse cook all those big ones in your kiwi style and I hope you enjoy your big trevally, your mulloway and your lemon sole, Sir

cheers and any tide's a good tide in Yarra Bay and if you use some quiteness, meaning silence, no lights on and stealth on poddy mullet on the run in, you can fish real close in on the beach section coz you'll find that the big flathead of Yarra Bay will soon come in to greet you.

cheers

jewgaffer

[dani!o]

hmmmm been to yarra bay twice now over the last 3 days, and didnt get anything today!!!

downed the whiting and flathead caught the other day, have to say flathead is A grade delicious, more so than the whiting!!!

which leads me to my question!! Could i get some suggestions for targeting flathead? I see a lot of talk about catching flatheads off lures, but I usually go fishing in the night, so does that mean squidgies dont work because the cant be seen? If so anythign specific about using mullet or pilchards? I still think im casting too close to the beach... also what weight for the line?? should i retrieve???

arghhhh getting hungry want more flathead!!!!

[jewgaffer]

hmmmm been to yarra bay twice now over the last 3 days, and didnt get anything today!!!

downed the whiting and flathead caught the other day, have to say flathead is A grade delicious, more so than the whiting!!!

which leads me to my question!! Could i get some suggestions for targeting flathead? I see a lot of talk about catching flatheads off lures, but I usually go fishing in the night, so does that mean squidgies dont work because the cant be seen? If so anythign specific about using mullet or pilchards? I still think im casting too close to the beach... also what weight for the line?? should i retrieve???

arghhhh getting hungry want more flathead!!!!

Hi Danilo It's great you enjoyed eating the first Australian flathead you caught

I started you and your brother off on Yarra Bay so I guess I should get it all right as best I can in this post.

You would not find a better flathead spot on the south side of Sydney than Yarra Bay for landbased fisherman to work soft plastics and flies. To be successful with artificial baits such as soft plastics or hardbodies the fish have gotta be "at home" in an area and they have to be revved up in the first place.

For that reason alone the best baits for flathead have always been other fish. For example in some classics you would have an unfair advantage over others if you had a twenty gallon drum full of different types of live baits when others only were allowed to fish with multi coloured rubber worms and painted up toy aeroplanes with fish hooks hanging out of them

You should stop in by Yarra Bay when you see other fishos wading way out and really study the place. Just go there without a rod and reel and walk around eating a bag full of apples or something and look real hard at the water habit and watch the flathead regulars and what they do.

Now you mention you prefer to fish at night so this raises a peroquial problem because this particular species tend to congregate together in some particular areas of a system just loafing around in very big social groups.

It's as though they are attracted to school together either in shutdown mode or active over a short span only at night. It most definitely depends on tide and particularly the conditions as to whether they are going to binge feed on a particular night or not.

Danilo it is an absolute fact that flathead do have a short burst of ferocious community feasting at a very narrow frenzy time window at some time or other during the night. But to catch flathead at night in big numbers it takes a messiah of an angler to know where and when they group up in these very large community numbers and just be able to blow a flathead whistle to tell them its feed time on your poddy mullet livies with nicely set up treble hooks hanging off of them

I'll back up what I have said by giving you an excellent example of that situation based on my own experience in Ballina which is a great fishing town on the far north cost of New South Wales only about an hours and a bit drive and you're on the Gold Coast of beautuful tropical Quennsland.

My wife Shirley and I and our grandson little Byron, proud Fishraider member LittleJewgaffer aged 9 at the time were holidaying at Ballina a couple of doors away from our best friend, the great Australian fishing icon Jimmy Bowers who incidently is a life long fishing partner and former brother in law of our own Stewy Swordfisherman, the owner of the Fishraider site.

When we had settled in Jimmy walked around to greet us and we all had a coffee and we had a catch up of fishing events of course and then my wife Shirley said we needed to hurry out to ge hold of some bread and milk and we had to find garage as it was around 10 o'clock at night in a cold winter in July.

As I started to get ready to go Jimmy and Shirley began talking about the great taste of flathead and Shirley just happened to mention that she would just love to cook a couple of nice big flathead up right now.

With that Jimmy ran off to his house and come back with two spin rods a little bag of berkley minnows and a couple of beanies for the cold and he drove off in the car with little jewgaffer and myself.

We grabbed the bread and milk from a garage in Ballina and jimmy paid $15 for a real big drum big enough to put about 20 flathead in. He done all that so methodicallly and matter of factly that littlejewfgaffer's eyes started to actually bulge wide open in wonder

Jimmy took us down to a little backwater bridge where we all had to creep along the grass on our stomachs just leaving the doors ajar. I had to put my freshly rolled durry out and little jewgaffer was very quitely shown in advance where he had to walk down a little dark grassy slope with a landing net in case a flathead was too big too haul up the bridge on the 2lb lines.

There were posts and peers everywhere and Jimmy quitely pointed out where they had to walk fighting school jew around to land them to any avoid break offs.

We both launched the soft plastics into the breeze in just one little corner Jimmy opointed too which he described in these words " see just over there where the waters pooling around the poles that's the flathead nest right there". The old jewgaffer said blinky eyed with a four eyed smile with a learned facial expression of phony acknowedgement "yeah Jimmy let's bump a few off for shirl" The only other thing Jimmy said and, with a long serious look at the water was "I hope mum's got enough spuds".

The result on the night after swapping identical rods twice was Jimmy Bowers 15 flathead all just undersize, little jewgaffer two netted and caught by Jimmy at 40cms and 60cms, and the old jewgafer here with boxing glove hands score = Zero !

Danny I hope you get right into this story and you just have to put it all into practice and when you score flathead big time in the "flatheads nests' of Yarra Bay at night just put it all in a pm for me .

Hope this helps coz they're darn good eating for kiwis, the old Australian flathead!

cheers

jewgaffer