roosterman Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) hi guys, well after pulling a few strings to get the day off i decided to have a quick blacky bash at one of my local haunts.. had the float in the water by 7am and burley bombs deployed.... then deployed... tried numerous things to get a down and by about 815 or so had only had 2 half downs,not looking good and was contemplating a change of venues when while on the phone to i get a half reasonable down and im on.. this fish was giving me plenty of curry and had to put phone down to subdue this beast.. woohoo confidence restored but unfortunately it wasnt repeated with next few drifts.. mmmmm try abit more over here and way out into the deep as water was pretty clear..finally i was ably to find them and it took alot to get them feeding but i had it at deploy bomb/float/down,then hookup.. they were pretty fussy mostly again and was a great challenge to get hookups.. i nearly had a great double with both fish around 40cm but leader broke on one near the net,bloody near impossible to do one out thats for sure.. i also lost one of my fav float to gear failure on a good fish .. best fish i got was way in deep and was a tentative down but i lifted rod set hook and he went like a bat outa hell and i gave him line as he went wide,bugger then hung a left heading for structure,put the brakes on him turn his head then he runs straight for me.around structure and much rod work then i guide him away,ok time to start breathing again.. this was repeated 2 more times but not as bad. eventually i get him flapping on his side and guide him to the net,, this fish was 42cm very thick and fit and was highlight of this blacky season for me so far.. i ended up taking 7 home for the table and dropped a few lifting(was sick of using net) so was very happy with the session as i was out of there just after 10... funny thing was i was getting downs while trying to put fish in keeper net and one of the times i looked over to see my alvey spinning quiet fast with no float in sight,bugger by time i got it he was gone... all fish cleaned once again not showing signs of spawning but i could see then at times playing together... seems like it will be a prolonged late season this year... was tempting to stay as it was hard leaving them on the chew but had other things that were reason for day off to get to.. cheers...steve.... Edited August 29, 2009 by roosterman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeside Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) Hey, Sounds like you had a great sesh with the darkies. I've been chasing them up and down the Parramatta River with similar success this winter - some places which otherwise look promising are completely barren, whilst others with the same characteristics have held large schools of very big fish for months now. There's nothing like the pull of a 40cm+ monster to get the blood racing. I've got a question for you about these burley bombs please. Would you be able to explain your formula/method for deploying "chum" in this way? Cheers, Tony Edited August 29, 2009 by Homeside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roosterman Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 Hey, Sounds like you had a great sesh with the darkies. I've been chasing them up and down the Parramatta River with similar success this winter - some places which otherwise look promising are completely barren, whilst others with the same characteristics have held large schools of very big fish for months now. There's nothing like the pull of a 40cm+ monster to get the blood racing. I've got a question for you about these burley bombs please. Would you be able to explain your formula/method for deploying "chum" in this way? Cheers, Tony hi tony, as you would prob be aware the blackies should be schoolin in the harbour by now but there may be some late schools still travelling down from upstream... i would be targeting the spots around the harbour now then as you notice them thin out follow them back upriver in the next few weeks or so.. it does seem to be a late season from my observations though.. as for the burly bombs, cut yr weed very fine (you want to entice not feed) mix with fine sand,some ocean beaches are too shelly and is crap(i did this other week again ) have enough water in it to just hold a ball together(this is where fine sands the best) i use a cheap $2 kitchen scoop to save getting hands dirty but in old days just got small handful and lobbed it in the spot you want to fish... remember weed is light and even though you can see the sand sinking the weed maybe downcurrent from it a little sometimes... hope this helps... cheers...steve.... ps:if i can get the bloody pic of my new iphone ill put a pic of the fish up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roosterman Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 only pic i got due to being in big hurry.. these ranged from low 30's to just over 40cm. cheers...steve.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeside Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) hi tony, as you would prob be aware the blackies should be schoolin in the harbour by now but there may be some late schools still travelling down from upstream... i would be targeting the spots around the harbour now then as you notice them thin out follow them back upriver in the next few weeks or so.. it does seem to be a late season from my observations though.. as for the burly bombs, cut yr weed very fine (you want to entice not feed) mix with fine sand,some ocean beaches are too shelly and is crap(i did this other week again ) have enough water in it to just hold a ball together(this is where fine sands the best) i use a cheap $2 kitchen scoop to save getting hands dirty but in old days just got small handful and lobbed it in the spot you want to fish... remember weed is light and even though you can see the sand sinking the weed maybe downcurrent from it a little sometimes... hope this helps... cheers...steve.... ps:if i can get the bloody pic of my new iphone ill put a pic of the fish up... Hi Steve, Thanks for the follow up on the berleying technique. Regarding their movements, I've been sort of thinking along the same lines - that they should be way upstream spawning - and so have tried for them recently as far up as Rydalmere, but without any success. So your saying that, because the lateness of the season, they have yet to reach that far? Only it seems once you pass the area east of Kissing Point (both sides of the River) do they "suddenly" appear, but their enthusiasm does run hot and cold though. However it's worth the occasional dissapointment of a fishless day, because some of the fish caught have been huge, including a personal best of 45cm, and many at or slightly over 40cm regardless, a size of fish I've never encountered before, not even off the rocks. The best haul so far has run 11 fish caught in 3 and half hours, but usually about 3 or 4 landed per session, with many bust-offs (surgeons?) before the bite dies away. Still haven't got the handle on which tides work best - run in, or run out. (Does it even matter in this estuary?). Another thing, most fish have been snared using green weed flies which they seem to be absolutely mad for (not much luck finding the fabled Parramatta River weed having tried the usual haunts, and some that aren't). I would love to post some pics of the monsters caught but having also taken all photos on a camera phone I think the mini-USB connection has been corroded, as I cannot seem to get the camera to uplink to the laptop anymore. Might just have to take the SIM to Harvey Norman or something and get them transferred to disk. Cheers. only pic i got due to being in big hurry.. these ranged from low 30's to just over 40cm. cheers...steve.... Yeah, great specimens Steve! Thanks for posting this pic. Edited August 29, 2009 by Homeside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roosterman Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 Regarding their movements, I've been sort of thinking along the same lines - that they should be way upstream spawning - and so have tried for them recently as far up as Rydalmere, but without any success. So your saying that, because the lateness of the season, they have yet to reach that far? they move down into the mouths/harbours of estuaries to school up and spawn. also get them coming from outside for same reason. some spots do fire better on certain tides and the school does sometimes move around so burly is the key to hold them in the area,this was critical factor for me friday as without burley i think i woulda struggled to get a down.. i never fish without burly its that important most times... sometimes theres good structure to hold the school and burly used to bring the bite on.. if you looked under most harbour wharves with a torch amongst the pylons at night right now there will be masses of em sitting there hiding from the predators.. at first light fish close to this to get good success and then move around to find where they are holding.. theres some spots in harbour with the long walls of kelp and the school moves along with the tide so if ya dont hold them you have to wait till the tide changes as they come back.. cheers...steve..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeside Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) they move down into the mouths/harbours of estuaries to school up and spawn. also get them coming from outside for same reason. some spots do fire better on certain tides and the school does sometimes move around so burly is the key to hold them in the area,this was critical factor for me friday as without burley i think i woulda struggled to get a down.. i never fish without burly its that important most times... sometimes theres good structure to hold the school and burly used to bring the bite on.. if you looked under most harbour wharves with a torch amongst the pylons at night right now there will be masses of em sitting there hiding from the predators.. at first light fish close to this to get good success and then move around to find where they are holding.. theres some spots in harbour with the long walls of kelp and the school moves along with the tide so if ya dont hold them you have to wait till the tide changes as they come back.. cheers...steve..... Cheers Steve, OK, so they travel down to spawn. How far down would you think? As far down as Manly/Watson's Bay for example? I guess its the novice estuary fisherman in me talking as I am really picking up river fishing on the run so to speak (previously I have only ever really caught darkies from off the rocks). Same with burley, I do use it (is half a bucket of sand and a handful of shredded weed/sea lettuce enough for a 3 hour sesh?), but can't say conclusively what effect it's had on my success, or otherwise, so far this season. (Sometimes I fear I am actually driving them away from my bait because of a poor technique here.) They either seem to be there, or they're not. Thanks again, Tony Edited August 29, 2009 by Homeside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 only pic i got due to being in big hurry.. these ranged from low 30's to just over 40cm. cheers...steve.... Good effort Steve ....There's some nice fat blackfish and quite a few nice diners in that lot! Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marley Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Ge Whiz Steve You are on fire at the moment Congrats on the catch Looks like this weekend I will have to be another harbour bash to track down these elusive fish gav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarCitySlic Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Well done Steve. I picked one up accidentally at Cremorne Pt. Was chasing Surgeon using 30lb flouro leader,they are tough. Hooked a good one 50+ cm managed to get him off the structure worked him to the surface.......on go the afterburners and he bites (or cuts with his tail scutes) clean through the "Rock" FC Sunline trace. I rerigged we saw a massive +40cm Bream come up and this Big Blackie shoulders him out the way and grabs my bread bait! Can you believe it ....;30lb trace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roosterman Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 (edited) tony manly and surroumds have some massive schools i saw 3 - 4 weeks ago.. estuary bf are alot different in the way they feed than the rock ones.. in saying this once found at the moment they should be feeding pretty strong for a little while yet.. my burly ratio is usually 30% fine chopped weed to sand with occasionaly bread added if its a known drummer haunt like the zoo etc... thx byron and marly for the nice comments cheers...steve..... Well done Steve. I picked one up accidentally at Cremorne Pt. Was chasing Surgeon using 30lb flouro leader,they are tough. Hooked a good one 50+ cm managed to get him off the structure worked him to the surface.......on go the afterburners and he bites (or cuts with his tail scutes) clean through the "Rock" FC Sunline trace. I rerigged we saw a massive +40cm Bream come up and this Big Blackie shoulders him out the way and grabs my bread bait! Can you believe it ....;30lb trace mate those big sawtails certainly give ya a workout even on the heavy gear.. lost a few floats over the years to em...particularily at the zoo wall.. the way that float rockets outa site is amazing... with the spawn feeding atm bf will hit anything when switched on.. there is alot of big bream that school up with the bf and ive accounted for some real brutes on weed over the yrs as bycatch..... havnt fished cremorne for yonks but have fond memories of that spot.. cheers...steve..... Edited September 1, 2009 by roosterman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeside Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 estuary bf are alot different in the way they feed than the rock ones.. Hi Steve, Thanks again for the great info. Could you please explain further what is the difference between estuary and sea-running blackfish when it comes to feeding habits? Also can you sketch out an annual timeline of general estuary blackfish behaviour? Cheers, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Will be out and about tomorrow and hoping to get a feed of the blackfish. Great to see you lads enjoying your fishing. Will be my first chance for a while to get out and amongst them. Cheers BART. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 (edited) G'day Fishraiders, Below are some pics from a great day of fishing for the Blackfish on the Georges September 4 -9-2009 am. It has been a long time since I have uploaded photo's on Fishraider.However this is a start. Had a great day out on the Georges today and no bloody rain. Ended up with a good feed and can't wait till I get out there again. Cheers BART Edited September 5, 2009 by bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Well done Bart good to see you getting into some good fish again..Keep up the good work mate... Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickel Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Top story that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marley Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 That's looks like a classic reel there Bart. What type is it? I am getting out in the harbour in Saturday - high tides in the arvo, so I will collect my bait early in the morning Last time I didn't even get a down. Lets hope this weekend is a little better gav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) ---Quote Gav---- That's looks like a classic reel there Bart. What type is it? I am getting out in the harbour in Saturday - high tides in the arvo, so I will collect my bait early in the morning Last time I didn't even get a down. Lets hope this weekend is a little better gav -- ----------- Hi Gav, It was manufactured on the mid-north coast of NSW by a retired engineer. I have had it for around 8 years.I am not sure if he is still making them. It goes well. A lot of fun. Cheers BART Edited September 7, 2009 by bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeside Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) ---Quote Gav---- That's looks like a classic reel there Bart. What type is it? I am getting out in the harbour in Saturday - high tides in the arvo, so I will collect my bait early in the morning Last time I didn't even get a down. Lets hope this weekend is a little better gav -- ----------- Hi Gav, It was manufactured on the mid-north coast of NSW by a retired engineer. I have had it for around 8 years.I am not sure if he is still making them. It goes well. A lot of fun. Cheers BART Yeah, he's still making them. Got one myself recently, in gold. Had to replace the central locking nut though with an ordinary wingnut to make it more free spinning as tightening the original just acts like a drag on the spool. Edited September 7, 2009 by Homeside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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