Woolooware Bay 8/11/09

[mako1]

I was planning to head down to Port Kembla with the kayak but I didn’t like the predicted weather so I headed to Woolooware bay again to see if I could get some more bream and flatties.

I arrived at about 5:30am and headed straight for the moored boats.

As soon as I arrived I was straight into the fish. They were all small bream, tailor and snapper.

I kept working the moored boats and after about an hour I finally got a good hit. This bream hit the lure out in the open and put up a really good fight but I soon had him in the net.

It was a nice bream just over 30cm.

I continued to troll around the boats and I could see a lot of bream feeding on the boat hulls but most of them were small fish.

Since it was low tide I made my way over to a boat that has a hole behind it and it usually produces some fish during a low tide.

As the lures passed the boat the one closest to the boat took off and went straight for the boat. I put the brakes on and turned the fish and worked it back to the yak. It was another nice bream just over the 30cm mark.

I trolled back over the spot and picked up a nice flattie of about 45cm but as I went to put it in the livewell , I hit the release on the lip grippers a bit early and he went back into the water instead of the livewell.

I made another pass over the hole and had a nice hit but the hooks pulled.

With the tide coming in I trolled over to the flats and picked up two 27cm bream on the way over.

I reached the flats and started trolling around the leases. There were plenty of small bream, whiting and flathead but I couldn’t get a keeper. The tide was still coming in and I kept at it and I finally had a decent hit. It was a good flattie and it took off for the shallow water. I chased it up into the shallows and I made sure to keep its head in the water as I only had light trace and I didn’t want it to thrash on the surface. I soon had it in the net and it was a nice fish at just under 60cm.

I worked the same troll line as it was right along a drop-off behind an oyster lease.

The next pass I had another good hit and this flattie was much bigger. The flattie took off and I followed as it was on a small lure and I only had light trace. I finally got close enough to see the flattie and it was a really good fish, definitely over 80cm, but I also saw that it had swallowed the little Halco scorpion lure. Another head shake and it was all over.

I made a few more passes but I didn’t get another hit so I made my way back to the moored boats.

I trolled along the drop-off on my way back and I soon had a hit from a flattie. It was a nice fish of about 50cm but the hooks pulled next to the yak. I kept trolling and had another hit and pulled in a 52cm flattie. Not long after I had another hit and pulled in a 48cm flattie.

I had another quick troll around the boats for a few missed hits. By this stage the wind had picked up and the rain started so I made my way back to the beach.

[jahajo]

Great report and a nice bag of fish

[jenno64]

Mako,

That is a superb seafood platter! Bad luck on the big croc...it isn't a good feling when the lure has been inhaled is it? I headed out this arvo further the river in between showers and it looked like sensational conditions...the water was showing up as 21 degrees....3 up on last week and the back end of the run out was flowing nicely. I scored a 40cm flatty early and thought it was going to be on but could't raise another decent fish. Had one very interesting bump on abig HB but it didn't stick. Great arvo out on the water but they did't want to play!

[mako1]

Mako,

That is a superb seafood platter! Bad luck on the big croc...it isn't a good feling when the lure has been inhaled is it? I headed out this arvo further the river in between showers and it looked like sensational conditions...the water was showing up as 21 degrees....3 up on last week and the back end of the run out was flowing nicely. I scored a 40cm flatty early and thought it was going to be on but could't raise another decent fish. Had one very interesting bump on abig HB but it didn't stick. Great arvo out on the water but they did't want to play!

It's definitely not a good feeling when flatties swallow the lure especially when you have a light leader as it can't end well when the flattie comes to the surface. This flattie had quite a few head shakes under the water before it even came up to the surface so I had no chance.

The conditions were great and I thought the bigger fish would be out and hitting the lures but there were too many small fish to work through for each of the better fish.

I also saw 21 degrees on the sounder so the water has warmed up. I also noticed some whiting on the flats on my way back so I might throw some surface lures around next time I'm out.