Middle Harbour Fishing Report For Friday 21/09/07

[jewgaffer]

EDIT: THE LETTERS "ASD" IN THE EARLIER POST FOUND IT'S WAY INTO THE UNFINISHED POST WHILE LITTLE JEWGAFFER AND I WERE ATTEMPTING TO RESIZE THE PHOTOS

MIDDLE HARBOUR REPORT FRIDAY 21/09/O7 FROM BALMORAL WHARF (PHOTOS POSTED BELOW)

SPECIES TARGETTED:- LUDERICK59 BLACKFISH & LITTLE JEWGAFFER - BLACKFISH & BAITFISH

SPECIES TARGETTED:- JEWGAFFER - TARGETTING JEWFISH WITH SQUID & LIVE BAIT AND FILLETS PLUS BY CATCH USING 6/0 HOOKS

BALMORAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD INDICATION OF WHAT RESULTS CAN BE EXPECTED IN MIDDLE HARBOUR, THE HARBOUR PROPER, PARRAMATTA AND LANE COVE RIVERS ON ON THE DAY AND FOR THAT MATTER AREAS WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 200 KILOMETRES OF SYDNEY.

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE, TEMPERATURE AND WIND DIRECTION AT SUTHERLAND WHERE I GET MY WIND DIRECTIONS FROM, CAN BE GENERALLY APPLIED AS BEING THE SAME CONDITIONS AS FAR NORTH AS NORAH HEAD AND AS FAR SOUTH AS ULLADULLA.

BALMORAL IS AN EXCELLENT GUIDE DUE TO THE VARIETY OF SPECIES FOUND IN THIS PRESTINE LOCATION. I.E. KINGFISH, BONITO, TREVALLY, JEWFISH, BREAM, FLATHEAD, SNAPPER, FLOUNDER, LEATHER JACKET, WHITING AND BAITFISH INCLUDING, TAILOR, SLIMY MACKERAL AND YELLOWTAIL.

I thought I would take this opportunity to provide details of a day's fishing at Balmoral wharf in an ongoing southerly influence in respect of cold air, cold currents and surface temperature and the affect on certain species in what I call a fish mini hibernation, or a shutdown period.

I arranged a session with Peter luderick59, who lives at Warriewood and had fished Mona Vale the day before for a good blackfish result in the same conditions.

We met up at Balmoral wharf at 7.30 am with my 10 year grandson, little jewgaffer, coming down from the Campbelltown area.

For those who may not know, blackfish are the one of the hardiest fish and handle adverse conditions exceptionally well.

When we arrived Peter who targets a variety of fish in harmony with the conditions, the time and tide already had two good sized blackfish in his keeper about one and half hours before low tide.

Peter rigged up Little Jewgaffer's bream rod for him and after a while and by waiting in stealth behind the poles, so as not to spook the fish due to the clarity of the water, Peter was able to get Little Jewgaffer onto his first blackfish.

In the meantime I proceeded to launch four jewfish rods out towards the moored boats loaded with whole squid and what ever other live bait I could build on. Peter had a phone call which required him to attend to a client over in Frenches Forest, so he left around midday and by then quite a few fisherman had taken up spots on the wharf.

Nobody else caught a single fish of any variety including myself right thru till the top of the tide at 3.30 pm when I got a very big octopus which was quickly snavelled up by a Greek fisherman fishing alongside of me who promised to give me a few of the long tentacles for bait but that never happened.

Little Jewgaffer fishing in the "V'' a sort of "trap area" between the Wharf and the walkway surrounding the pool began catching slimy mackeral and one big yakka and many bream just undersize but nothing much all day until near sundown.I put this little bit of action down only to the increase in water temperature caused by the outgoing water that warmed quite a bit, having come in and settling in the middle of the day, whereas the incoming tide in the early morning was only bringing in the product of a cold night which means more cold water as the tide comes in.

Little Jewgaffer was broken off on a 6lb line by a very good size trevally, and with no signs of a school of trevally seemed to be a loner, on his bait jig due to Little Jewgaffer getting over excited and winding the reel against the fish instead of using the rod and the drag as he usually does.

In the end I had about 15 baitfish and a few fillets left and only had one good run in 10 hours of jetty mute style fishing.

Little Jewgaffer had made a new friend, a young 18 year old raider member and they caught quite a few small bream on berkley gulp alive plastics, but all came at once about two and a half hours down the top from of the tide.

I sent them over with the gulp alive soft plastics to the little sandy beach to have a go right in front of a large stormwater drain opening. Little Jewgaffer was pleased with that and just before dark came back with a good flathead about 2lbs caught on a live gulp soft plastic so at least Shirley and I got hold of a nice fish dinner out of that and Little Jewgaffer wanted spagetti instead.

The barometer was very good and rising above 1016 milibars (the reading for "normal fishing") and it goes to shows once again that fishing in ongoing southerlies is always very poor for most table species and it's interesting to know that by 2pm it was quite cold and by 7.00 pm it was getting colder.

Being a Friday the wharf had built up to about fifteen fishermen over the day and nobody else had caught a single fish despite using the ever so reliable prawns as bait.

Peter luderick59 is very experienced at targetting blackfish and knows the best spots and the best times in which to target fish and just goes in and does what he has to. He is very profesional in his approach to fishing and Peter is a good style of a man and pretty good company.

He is the right man to have to get the job done, naturally talented in most forms of fishing, being an ex commercial fishing boat deck hand for several years.

Peter is a real asset to have with you for target fishing, and having fished with Peter, Roberta says he is real pleasure to fish with and Little Jewgaffer and myself couldn't agree more and I am looking forward to our marathon jewfish session on the Hawkesbury with Royce (luderick_ angler), Roberta and Peter.

Cheers and Peter and I and Litlle Jewgaffer would like to thank a local named Tony Mastop for taking the photos and emailing them over.

jewgaffer

Edited September 22, 2007 by jewgaffer

[bobfish]

asd

And the award for the shortest post goes to Jewgaffer! (surprisingly)

[tomahawk1999]

WTF?

[bobfish]

Nice blackies there lttle jewgaffer

[drkcld]

hahah thats kool but u could of just edited your first post =)

you wanted attention xD

[jewgaffer]

hahah thats kool but u could of just edited your first post =)

you wanted attention xD

drkcld, We had trouble resizing the photos and pasting the report into the post you repled to which only contained the letters "asd" . When it went to post there was no report in it and no photos and I had to type a new report and it took me hours to resize the photos.

I fish with a variety of fresh natural baits often in key fishing spots and I am always willing to get a report in for other members to go on whether the results are good or bad.

jewgaffer

PS. drkcld I was very tired and weary by 1.00am this morning when I read your reply to the unfished post. I do not know what "xD" means but is "drkcld" short for Dracula called?

[mark84]

nice pics looks like little jewgaffer had some fun

[arpie]

Great report, Jewgaffer!! Glad to hear the young fella got into some fish too! That flattie would have put a smile on his dial! Yum! Blackfish & flatties - 2 of my favourite meals!

Balmoral is an easy place to fish - no charge (at this point in time) for parking & only restricted parking time on weekends. That is why I fish there mid week when I am down!

WIth all those rods out, I'm surprised you didn't get into something! It always looks sooo fishy!!! Did you wander around the pool & have a look at the pylons on the other side, behind the cafe? There are huge blackies there but you need a yak or tinny to get to!

Look forward to chatting with you shortly

Cheers

Roberta

PS had a fish with Greendog today - nice morning for it!

[luderick -angler]

Nice little catch there, they are very healthy looking fish (were they nice and clean in the stomach being that close to the heads or had they been inside some time?) great to see your grandson got onto to one as well, they are one fish underated by a lot of people and should be more highly regarde in sports fishiing as they can be every bit as aggressive as a bream (i've had them slam a cabbage bait freelined on the surface out at Tabbigai like an angry trout slams a fly) and then they can be just as wary as a big brown trout in gin clear streams) Now lets see if gets hooked on blackies in a couple years hey! Unfortunate you never really got a hit on your jew rigs. It was interesting to read your comments on the weather paterns and the fact that you like i think that the blackfish is one type of fish that seems to thrive in all conditions and i think its the fact that they can be around in such frigid water that makes everyone think they are a winter only prospect! Yet this year i caught my boggest fish in March well up past the Gladesville Bridge when thewater was 22 -23 degrees and the mack tuna and kings were venturing up to Kissing Point and Cabarita of all places!

Jewgaffer i like your style, catch up with you soon, by the way there has been some good Jew action near one of my Parra River blackie haunts if you want some marks let me know and i will PM you the spots.

Cheers

Royce.

[VA911]

nice report once again jewgaffer.

looks like it was some fun for all involved. Cant wait till it warms up a bit to get out there and fire up on the big stuff.

[damariboyz]

Another entertaining report Jewgaffer. Little Jewgaffer is lucky to have you as a mentor and a pop of course.

Little jewgaffer done you proud mate.

Russ

[drkcld]

I fish with a variety of fresh natural baits often in key fishing spots and I am always willing to get a report in for other members to go on whether the results are good or bad.

jewgaffer

PS. drkcld I was very tired and weary by 1.00am this morning when I read your reply to the unfished post. I do not know what "xD" means but is "drkcld" short for Dracula called?

hahah it was an excellent report nice photos also

i just visited balmoral today *sunday 23rd* and it was quite crowded with at least 8+ fishers on the spot

couldn't quite fish with all these people casting so only stayed an hour

ps. drkcld stands for darkcloud wouldnt mind it being dracula

xD is a big smily face =)

cheers hoping to see your next report

[dazzassj6]

best report i've read in a while. Thankyou for writing this jewgaffer. I went to balmoral today and all i caught was a yakka on handline with pilchard.

The other crowd there caught trevallies and breams. Seems like the trevallies are in. balmoral gets so packed at that tiny wharf its not fun.

I'll head over there on the weekday, anyone wanna come join me? gonna try lure some sambos.

[gretsch]

Good looking Blackies there Jewgaffer..

Good to see Little Jewgaffer learning the craft!!

[Andy Loops]

Hey there Jewgaffer,

Nice report - good to see little Jewgaffer getting onto some fish - no doubt he had a blast.

Also, thanks for all the info and advice looking forward to putting it into action in coming months.

Andrew

[Capt Hook]

I too hit Balmoral with my daghter and have only in the last month started targetting Blackfish there...looks like the wharf will be surrounded by floats soon with everyone switching to targetting Blackfish if they keep seeing the raiders being succesful there...