Getting Desperate. Newy Help

[youngy555]

Hey everyone, love my fishing and after moving down from inland to the newcastle area about 4 years ago have honestly given it all i've got with minimal success, bought a decent sized boat about 12months ago and have rarely missed a weekend where i'd wet a line. I got home at 2 this morning after a 8hour live and dead bait session in the lake (macquarie) catching only a handful of tiny squire and to be honest a f(&*^$g starfish and a female blue swimmer with one nipper, what a proud catch i thought as i angrily winched the boat onto the trailer haha , i was frustrated. I hada live bait tank full of squid and yellowtail and was running a live y.tail on a baitrunner rod and got a fair wolloping at about 9pm, jewy i'd imagine, if its one fish i've had decent luck with its those, not however in the lake, after that, nil action. I do not write this in anger or frustration as i completely understand that its all part in parcel of fishing, and i have on the odd occasion been lucky with my fishing but more often then not come home with an esky full of ice, and a few beers, no fish.

My lcoal knowledge extends to the "drop off" (where i seem to always end up because its all i know and the size of that lake without knowledge of where a.reefs or hotspots are can be daunting, and i got a handful of rat kingies one afternoon, on prawns...) and various spots around moon island where i've worked plastics and landed the odd snapper. Its hard to walk up to someone cleaning a brilliant catch of fish at the boatramp and try and rack his/her brains for some help without giving the wrong inpression, it is impossible and surely enough each time i have i've been told 'drop off'. I'm not asking for people to spill the beans of all their hot spots, just some serious local knowledge, is the drop off any good, is it even where i think it is (to the right of the last bouys before entering lake), does the bridge hold good fish? Run in tide the go? Pulbah Is, thinkin of tryin over there this weekend I'd much appreciate any help, i have a passion for this sport and wont give up, this aint a sob story its just the next step in tryin to get onto some fish. Cheers fellas. Im still 45mins from the lake but its the closest spot to me before nelsons, which to has given me much fustration, thanks.

[Guest]

Welcome to Fishraider .

The members will assist you 100 %

Cheers Stewy

[Shark Bait]

Hi youngy.

I don't know your area, but if I were in your shoes I'd buy a map of your area & go to every local tackle shop & have them scribble things all over it. Having each shop scribble on your map, they'll try & out do each other with better spots & advice.

Bugger. I should have thought of this years ago.

[gretsch]

If you were Sydney based, you would get a lot more response. I would definitley help you.

My only suggestion is to infiltrate the local fisho community and try to lever some info out of them. You could always offer to take a few of them out as a trade for some knowledge.

If there are any charter operators up there, maybe invest in a trip so you can learn the tricks!!

Good luck son!!

[andrew399]

Do you have a sounder mate?? If you do think about spending a trip just sounding around the lake looking for various structure etc. I dont know the area but im assuming that the drop off you are talking about is a big one? that would be a top spot to soak livies and throw sp'd around, but dont ignore smaller drop offs around the lake (even just a few feet, esp in shallow water) should hold flatties. Another thing is berley. half an hour fishing with berley is equivalent to about 5 hours with out if fish are not in the immediate area. Fish really light, by that i mean line, sinker and hook size. I have read in a mag of some great jewies caught around the bridge you mention.

Another thing, what type of plastics are you using because flathead are very simple to catch to maybe we could give you some advice on that? The idea of taking a map to a tackle shop is ingenious!! Also, dont feel embarresed or put off to go talk to someone cleaning a top catch, i no I wouldnt mind if someone came and talked to me saying they were new to the area and having trouble, would you?

good luck anyways its a great waterway!

[youngy555]

Dicko, yeah mate i've got a sounder and will definitely try that, i'm reasonably new to using plastics and my success rate has somewhat tested my patience at times so i give up and resort to baits, perhaps to soon. I use mainly squidgie fish 70-100mm and most recently been trying out slick rigs in the same size, any info on how big/small the head weight (and plastic for that matter) should be in various conditions would help, a work mate showed me the retreive that he uses (let it sink and slowly work it back whilst jigging) is there any secret to it? I'm yet to catch a flathead on sp's yet see fellas nailing them all the time with soft plstics their only attack. Any tips in getting this style of fishing down pat will be sweet. I was chatting to a bloke in BCF the other day who is seriously into using berkley power bait, so many sizes, so many jig heads, i've got a pretty serious s.p rod and am running 6pd braid with 8pd fluro leaded, lighter for sp's?

Thanks for all the other ideas to lads, will defnintely start hassling out a few tackle shops

[thereddragon]

Buy fishing NSW monthly issue and check out the fishing report in your area.

[andrew399]

you can have a few baits out whilst you are throwing sp's about to cover all bases. As for sp's, i mainly use squidgys as i am more confident woth myself when using them. First off id recommend you watching the squidgy secrets part 1 & 2 video. This is an absolute cracker and will show you the correct technique and how to rig them. Dont underestimate the importance of correct rigging as this will make or break you. Your line choice is perfect and the same as what i use alot of the time.

In terms of sp choice, im a huge fan of the squidgy fish in black and gold colour in size 4-5, drop bear in 4-5, or killer tomato size 4-5. The squidgy wriggler in bloodworm is an absolute killer from 70mm++. Stick to the squidgy jig heads to begin with. Jig head size will depend on how deep you are fishing and how strong the current is. In shallow water say to 14-35ft deep with very soft current a 6gm head will suffice. Can up to a 9-11gm head in deeper water or faster current. The smaller sp's (such as the wrigglers and smaller fish patterns) in <14ft of water you can get away with 3gm. Basically you want the lure to have just enough weight to get to the bottom.

Everyone raves about the gulps and I know ceph has had alot of success on them, in particular the 3-4inch minnows in chartreuse and pumpkin seed. I have never really used them.

I have mentioned alot of different lures above but dont go out and buy them all cos they will all work if you keep at it. Start with maybe a black and gold fish in size 5 on a 6 gram head and a bloodworm wriggler. Ask your tackle shop what has been working in your area.

good luck mate!

[landbased]

sorry to hear about your problems

I have just recently bought a book called

"Hooked on Paradise" NSW 8th edition from a local news agent

it has detailed satellite images of all the areas in nsw including macquarie

and also has all the hot spots detailed and clearly marked. it also tell what should be caught in an area.

please try to find this as it will help greatly

chris

p.s welcome to fishraider

Edited February 1, 2008 by landbased

[squizzytaylor]

Youngy, the lake is a funny spot and I can help you with some spots that may be worth a try, the dropover for what its worth is either producing or not and if you happen to be there when it is your lucky, Kingies and cobia have both been caught there at different times.

Personnally I have had a lot more luck with plastics and hardbody lures in the lake, but the practicality of this is possibly depending on the size and style of boat you are fishing from.

The squid and yakkas are good jew bait but the spots where jewies are caught in the lake can at best be sporadic so perhaps downsize the livies to poddies and drift them in the channel and this will all but guarantee a good feed of flathead and possibly a nice size squier.

Assuming your boat is 4m+ and has adequate HP you could also spend some time around moon island where a resident Kingy population is on the bite regularly and whilst mostly rats the odd biggun shows its head pretty regularly.

Swansea gravel is another good spot for lizards with the ocean floor being carpeted with them at certain times of the year.

Flick me your email address and ill put a mud map together for you with some marks in the lake, the tackle shop at Marks Point (I dont think its appropriate to name names) also have some printed maps for a small charge and all the guys there are locals and most are bloody good fishos too and will give you information readily.

Cheers

Geoff

[Flightmanager]

G'day Youngy ,

You might like to send Hobbit a PM , he lives up that way , and fishes the lake .

If I might make a suggestion , why not go back to basics? The good old peeled prawn on a simple rig , small hook , and fish likely looking places . Fish love structure , so look for weed beds , rocky outcrops and reefs.

When you have found your spots , try the plastics . We use the Gulp Alive range , and usually catch good table fish. 3 - 4 inch minnows in smelt or shad colour , lime tiger or even nuclear chicken ( who the hell thinks these names up? ).

6lb is a good starting point , and as mentioned , use only a large enough jighead to get the bait where you want it . Select an area , and cast out using a fan pattern , this will cover quite a bit of ground . If you get no interest on your last cast , cast out a few metres to you left or right. Almost certain to get a nibble from a flatty .

Let us know how you get on !

Ross

[youngy555]

Afternoon, just bought myself the squidgy secret DVD's so hopefully wil be an enlightened man in a few hours, went for a fish up hexham this morning, 2 50-60cm little soapies, didnt have the camera so unfourtunately no pics, got them both on prawns, usually a pretty productive outcome up there.

All this info is much appreciated fellas, cheers.