3 Nice Blackies, 3 Released & Heaps Lost

[arpie]

Hi guys

Went out this morning at 9am after dropping Keith at art. Tried Spot X at Tuncurry, but had missed the last of the out tide & you don't often catch there on an in tide! Shame - the water looked great, so I tried anyway!! After an hour, I tossed it in & moved over to the Forster Breakwall - down the end of the path towards the sea.

My buddies were all there, pulling in fish after fish!! Some were huge! I took my place next to one of them & started fishing. Not long & I am into a nice fish .... but it gets off. THen I am into another one, but was only just the 'new' legal so put him back. A couple of minutes later, Whack! Onto a big one! He didn't even wag his tail much - just headed to the depths! Could have been a drummer - I was on cabbage. A fellow fisher had borrowed my net to retrieve a float that had come adrift & I yelled out for my net back .... but didn't need it as this big fish skunked me on the rocks! Got a couple of other smaller ones that I put back as well. Interestingly, one had a circular injury on it's side - didn't look like a jewie bite or normal fish bite. It was circular, very fleshy (proud of the skin line) & had blood veins in it. I thought it looked more fungal than anything - but it was definitlely flesh! Put him back too.

Had a period where everything I caught got off! They were only just sucking the bait & it was more intuition than a definite 'down' that made you strike! On 2 occassions, I just reeled in to check the bait & the fish was already on! A 'sleeper' we call them!

Then I had to leave to pick up Keith at Midday! Bummer! I left my gear there, intending to come back & did so 1/2hr later! Got back into the fishing & landed my 3 best fat fish of the day!

The biggest one was 40cm, the others 37cm

They were all females & absolutely chokka full of ripe roe. None had big fat lips ..... so much for my theory on telling male from female!! Oh well, Back to the drawing board ....

The action was hot & fast on the rising tide - the water was still murky from the bottom of the out tide for a while. I was catching on a mixture of cabbage & weed (gathered in the leases, so I must go & get some more!) Also had a new 'wire weed' called 'berry weed' as it has small 'flowerettes' on it as well! SMells like that stuff you put in salads that is quite strong (type of lettuce.) One bloke bagged out & was only using that weed!

Near the top of the tide, the fish seemed to go off the bite a bit - which was when I went home anyway!

Nice to have some fish to give to my buddies - and an excuse to go back again!

Tight lines

Cheerio

Roberta

[Jess]

First time i have ever seen a Blackie!

A bummer the big one got off.

Jess

[southerly]

Hey Roberta,

You are becoming the Blackfish expert.

Well Done.

Southerly

[Blackfish]

Got a good Blackie today, it had big lips and was full of Roe.

Good work on the ones you got today.

Edited September 3, 2007 by Blackfish

[Capt Hook]

Great stuff Roberta...lovely blackies there...

[Dan A]

Great stuff Roberta...lovely blackies there...

Hi Roberta, nice catch.

I would love to learn how to catch blackies one day

Edited September 3, 2007 by Dan A

[luderick59]

[hi roberta

wish i was there cant raise a scale down here

tried mona for blackies and drummer

nothing

iv'e been staring at my float for 3 days and it just won't go under give it one more go tomorrow

glad to see you getting into them nice size too

peter

[arpie]

Woooow!! Overwhelmed with replies!!

Hi guys

It was fun, but boy! Was I P....d off with the bust offs & get offs! I forgot to say that I had probably 25 'get offs' as well, because they were being sooooo shy!

Jess - talk to Stewy - he'll get you into blackies! They are sooo much fun!

Hmmmm Blackfish - maybe our 'biglips' have moved down south!!! Amazing how consistent it was up till today!

Hey Dan - there are some fantastic blackies hanging around the wharf at the Pt Macq Fishing Co-op .... if you can fish it sometime on Mon-Fri (before or after work) it would be better than Sat/Sun when the Rug-rats turn up & fish with bait!! I have been busted off by some beauties on an out tide! Just go to the bottom floating jetty (the metal one) & cast towards the first pole (on the outside) & let it drift back towards you. Just be ready for the float to dip & then, lift your rod up & hand on!!! They are monsters!!!! I had almost given up on blackies when I tried there last year & got really excited about them again!

Pete - mate!! I feel for you!~ I know exactly how you feel! I even felt it a bit today!! The air was a bit blue there at one time, when I dropped about 5 in a row!!! Couldn't catch a cold! THen I got the 3 nice ones!! made me feel much better! A couple of guys (actually) bagged out today & I bet every other day, too! I had been too busy kayaking over the last 10 days to fish the breakwall! I hope to get down before the end of the month to do my Mum's tax ..... will put in my short waders!

Cheerio

Roberta

I know where that 'berry weed' is too!

Edited September 3, 2007 by Roberta

[sneddo]

Woooow!! Overwhelmed with replies!!

Hi guys

It was fun, but boy! Was I P....d off with the bust offs & get offs! I forgot to say that I had probably 25 'get offs' as well, because they were being sooooo shy!

Jess - talk to Stewy - he'll get you into blackies! They are sooo much fun!

Hmmmm Blackfish - maybe our 'biglips' have moved down south!!! Amazing how consistent it was up till today!

Hey Dan - there are some fantastic blackies hanging around the wharf at the Pt Macq Fishing Co-op .... if you can fish it sometime on Mon-Fri (before or after work) it would be better than Sat/Sun when the Rug-rats turn up & fish with bait!! I have been busted off by some beauties on an out tide! Just go to the bottom floating jetty (the metal one) & cast towards the first pole (on the outside) & let it drift back towards you. Just be ready for the float to dip & then, lift your rod up & hand on!!! They are monsters!!!! I had almost given up on blackies when I tried there last year & got really excited about them again!

Pete - mate!! I feel for you!~ I know exactly how you feel! I even felt it a bit today!! The air was a bit blue there at one time, when I dropped about 5 in a row!!! Couldn't catch a cold! THen I got the 3 nice ones!! made me feel much better! A couple of guys (actually) bagged out today & I bet every other day, too! I had been too busy kayaking over the last 10 days to fish the breakwall! I hope to get down before the end of the month to do my Mum's tax ..... will put in my short waders!

Cheerio

Roberta

I know where that 'berry weed' is too!

Nice fish Roberta...in fact, top fish.

I watched a few fellas last Wednesday get a few ( good ones as well ) on the Forster side of the breakwall.

My Dad will be down from Nambucca Heads next week. He has been getting a few up there of late. He says it's the best run in 4-5 years. I had read similar for SWR and Port as well.

I am sure he will head down the wall or up the lake a bit. .. but I am not sure his Nambucca Golf Course weed will be the weed of choice.

Sneddo

[Kiwi Dan]

killed it on the blackies again Roberta, well done.

cheers

Kiw Dan

[mark84]

great report roberta and some nice fish there i have the same problem as pete at the moment but time will help mend...... pity about the lips i thought you were on a winner there im sure you will find a way soon....