paulthetaffy Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Got down to the wharf at 5:45am this morning, a little later than I had planned, and found the wharf packed. On a wednesday. At 5:45 in the morning. Aaaaannnnnnyyyyway...... Decided to catch some yakkas and either see if someone would kindly move up or else I'd be off to the spit or back to bed. Managed to get a few livies and "persuaded" someone to move up a bit so I could get a rod out. No hits at all for the first hour and no signs of any kings, which was my target. Eventually someone left (not much else being caught other than one morwong) so I bagged their spot and recast my livies on the shallow side of the jetty towards the beach - not ideal but it would have to do. As it turned out it was not a bad spot after all and I ended up bagging 4 flatty's, the biggest going 64cm which is a new PB for me. All were released to fight another day as I have a freezer full from my last narra session. I could see that the salmon were around too ocassionally busting up, and eventually someone else caught a couple on pillies off the front. It was only a matter of time before they came round my way and sure enough they duly swam by me all the way to the beach, and spent 10 minutes busting up in 12 inches of water a metre or two from the beach. Never seen them that close to the beach before. Unfortunately I had run out of livebait and had long given up trying to catch more as there were tiny tailor hitting everything before the yakkas could get a look in. Fortunately, one of the other fishos donated a pike to me so I promptly stuck a 4/0 through it's back and out it went, while I concentrated on using a metal on the other rod. 2 minutes later the baitrunner zings and I'm onto a good one. It decided it wanted to swim to middle head and went off around the front of the jetty before I could even move. With the tide up over the lower part of the jetty I had no choice but to get wet if I wanted to land it. Thankfully another fisho had boardies on so took my rod off me while I quickly took of my shoes, took my phone out of my pocket and waded in (only knee deep). I managed to get the fish from round the pylons and up to the surface for it to jump. Then back on another blistering run before finally calming down and coming in to the net. It went 70cm on the dot, equallying my PB for a Salmon. I donated it to the guy who helped me land it as a thank-you, as I don't eat them. So no signs of kings all morning but still a great session really, considering how much pressure Balmoral is taking at the moment. Hopefully it will get a bit quieter when Clifton Gardens re-opens! On a side note, there were a couple of guys there today that have been there a few times recently and I think might be raiders - if any of you are reading this, let me know who you are and come say hi next time! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breamhunter Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 nice report mate and great work on getting that salmon sounds like its gonna be alot worse as soon as the school holidays start on friday thinking of hitting it up maybe thursday and tempted to go at 3-4am but not sure if it will be worth it i guess if its packed ill head up to narra let us know if you wanna hit up the spit or balmoral as im stuck on the land as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam0216 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Nice report paul!!! Pity you didnt have a camera with you, would of been some mad shots! Cant believe the wharf was packed on a weekday geezzz Great fish anyway though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 (edited) congrats on the salmon and good to hear there are some nice people out there helping other fisho's out D Edited December 16, 2009 by david Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Sounds like a fun day there!! Well done on getting some good fish, it is ages since I fished there. I want to get out there on my yak one day when I am down in Sydney!! What is the story on the parking meters? Are they still going to be put in or is there a truce just now? Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulthetaffy Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Sounds like a fun day there!! Well done on getting some good fish, it is ages since I fished there. I want to get out there on my yak one day when I am down in Sydney!! What is the story on the parking meters? Are they still going to be put in or is there a truce just now? Roberta Hi Roberta, Unfortunately the meters are now in, as of a couple of months ago, much to the disgust of the locals. All parking along the forshore is now by ticket from 8am til 8pm and there is a max stay of 3 hours (stupid I know). The oval car park at the end is still max 12 hours though if you need longer. Not sure what the rates are as I have a resident permit so don't pay anything I fished there again this morning and there was a huge school of chopper tailor around the 30cm+ size busting up whitebait for a couple of hours. Mostly out in the moorings so out of reach from the jetty but I did manage a few of them as well as a nice little salmon. I think a yak would be brilliant down there early morning at the moment amongst the moorings. Especially towing a livie through there. Chance of salmon, tailor, kings, and of course there are plenty of flatty's around there too. I need a yak!! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusky Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Great report! Thanks Nice too see all the fisho's sticking together & being helpful Thanks Rex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny doi Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 top read paul,good onya mate.well done on the pb flatty & whopper sambo.you sure get out there alot mate.wish i could fish everyday.as im not workn atm & dont drive,its hard for me to get out as much as id like.i stil get out at least 2 times a week though so cant complain too much.lol. when i was workn & had a car,id go nearly everyday after work around iron cove & lane cove chasing jews during the night.those were the good days[only stopped doing that around feb. this yr]. cheers johnny. p.s.is there a train st nearby to those spots paul?wouldnt mind having a crack at a LB king with you.if you dont mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cut_loose Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 great report well done thats great with the other fishos helping thats what fishing is all about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 .......found the wharf packed. On a wednesday. At 5:45 in the morning. Aaaaannnnnnyyyyway...... .......... "persuaded" someone to move up a bit so I could get a rod out... no signs of any kings, which was my target... ....I ended up bagging 4 flatty's I could see that the salmon were around too ocassionally busting up they duly swam by me all the way to the beach, and spent 10 minutes busting up in 12 inches of water a metre or two from the beach...there were tiny tailor hitting everything before the yakkas could get a look in. ....no signs of kings all morning but still a great session really, considering how much pressure Balmoral is taking at the moment. Hopefully it will get a bit quieter when Clifton Gardens re-opens! Paul That was a nice little read Taffy. Many good fish have been caught around Balmoral Wharf and even off the woodwork at Clifton Gardens ......The key to the good little pocket around Balmoral wharf is fishing around the moored boats as anything at all is likely to come in there busting up baitfish particularly during the night or in the very early hours of the morning on weekdays when there's hardly any activity going on at all... Not too many boaties fish that area, preferring to fish the known deepwater spots whether or not they know that near the first moored boat directly opposite Balmoral wharf the water is fairly shallow and you can virtually walk up to your chest at low tide. Thus they usually give that area a big a miss despite the fact that there are still the good bite times there for the general run of the mill species as well.. Anyway I've got an idea we'll see you in a boat pretty soon Taffy perhaps something like this economical little 13' cat hull boat which has a nice little side console, bow lounge and all that a friend of mine missed out on unfortunately ... I think a boat similiar to this older gem would be a really good little platform for most types of fishing being a solid little boat that you would just about be able to use anywhere. Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulthetaffy Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 I'm interested to know now how often other fishos get out now - I fish one morning a week before work at Balmoral (wife has the car for work so I walk down) and then usually on a sunday morning somwhere further afield, back early enough so that it doesn't impact on the day too much. I've just decided to start writing a report after each session now, as much for my own benefit then for others, so expect 1 or 2 a week from me Unfortunately there are not a lot of train stations on the north shore and none that run near middle harbour. I don't think I've fished near to where a train station might be as I always drive. Jewgaffer you've hit the nail right on the head about Balmoral - there's some good fish to be had there if you know what you're doing, but 90% of people who fish there just think they can launch off the front and expect to catch. Summer is great as there are salmon and tailor to be had all around, if that's what you're after. But if I'm after summer bream or winter trevally I don't bother fishing at all unless I can get a particular spot on the wharf and cast into a specific 10sqm area of water. But it is getting extremely crowded there now and it's taking the fun out of it. Today I got there at 4:30am, set my two livie rods up 2m apart on the front, and stood in the middle of them to catch yakkas on a third rod. At about 6am two guys arrived (rest of the wharf emtpy) and came and cast out each side of me putting a rod either side of my livie rods. So now I had to walk around them to get to my rods. No "do you mind if I put my rod six inches from yours" or anything. Just plain rude. I didn't have sinkers on my livies so they were swimming around a bit which ment they were crossing their lines every 2 minutes. I think they got the message and moved onto the "no fishing" part of the jetty. (rant over now!) I think the best answer all round is to buy a boat! I would have one in a beat if I had a property where I could keep it as mooring fees are plain astronomical! Maybe one day! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Just another example of why Sydney sucks for fishing. Yeah Ok- give me heck, but let's really talk the truth. Balmoral before sunrise on a weekday and still no room to move- give me a break!. I love Sydney, however what you have written just adds conviction to my decision to live in the middle of nowhere. Having said that- I enjoyed the "competition" of Narrabeen lake over Summer, shoulder to shoulder trying for Blackies, with Luderick59 ( Pete(, and a bunch of other old sea dogs). But, I just hate the fact that even in the wee hours of the morning there is no room for fishing. If only Sydney could be like Ningaloo, Weipa, Awoonga, King Sound, remote Tassie, or Christmas Island. It is good to see that fellow raiders help each other out even though Sydney continues to be so congested. Thanks, Donna, Stewie, Pete, Greg L, Mal Pete, Josh, and Penguin, Groper, Jewgaffer, Ceph, Doi and everyone who keeps posting every other day even when the catches are ordinary. I miss the site, I miss the city, but have this love/hate relationship. But like an addiction- this site makes me feel at home despite living 17,000 km's away. On Ya!. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmorris1 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 i dont like it when everyone there has 4 rods out each and i have to cast my only rod towards the beach beacause its to crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregg.michael Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Mate I have seen the salmon feeding on a bait balls in that exact same spot - People were just crowding around on the shore watching the action - birds were dropping out of the sky into the bait fish on the surface, was quite a sight. I suspect the baths form a barrier that the bait fish don't easily cross. This would mean a jackpot for the predators as they have them cornered. Congrats on stil doing well on a crowded wharf - that enough to make me sigh and head to another spot. Thanks for the report. Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littledinghy Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Hi Paul, Great report mate, very different from the last session you have. I still remember last Sunday we are trying to get some yakkas, you and your little float, interesting. I might see you there again sometime during x-mas break. Cheers, Littledinghy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulthetaffy Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Just another example of why Sydney sucks for fishing. Yeah Ok- give me heck, but let's really talk the truth. Balmoral before sunrise on a weekday and still no room to move- give me a break!. Congrats on stil doing well on a crowded wharf - that enough to make me sigh and head to another spot. I think it's taking extra pressure at the moment because Clifton Gardens is closed. What's crazy though is how many people I talk to who travel a long way to fish Balmoral. It's not THAT good. There are plenty of spots around the harbour that offer similar fishing conditions many are too lazy to hunt them out. I fish there during the week because my wife takes the car for work and it's the only place I can walk to. I have my in-laws over for christmas and I'm taking my father-in-law down there on Wednesday (again no car). I'm nervous that by the time we get there - which will more likely be 7-8am than my usual 5 - that it will be too busy to fish. I'm tempted to just not bother. I'm booked in on a charter over christmas too but even that looks like it's not going ahead as we can't fill enough spots - go figure! i dont like it when everyone there has 4 rods out each and i have to cast my only rod towards the beach beacause its to crowded. I agree that 4 rods (and sometimes more) is excessive. You can't be effective fishing that way. I have to admit I have progressed to taking two rods for most sessions now, three if livebaiting so I can use the third for catching livies with and have two out at a time, but that's rare. But I don't know how people manage more than two rods when bait fishing - I can barely keep up with two. When the bite is on I'll often just have one in at a time so I can keep rod in hand at all times as it can be frantic - at times if I don't have a bite within 30 seconds I recast. Great report mate, very different from the last session you have. I still remember last Sunday we are trying to get some yakkas, you and your little float, interesting. I might see you there again sometime during x-mas break. Cheers, Littledinghy What's wrong with my little float? LOL! It's one of the few little techniques from freshwater fishing in the UK that I have adapted to here. It allows you to cast a bit further past the sweep but still retain the sensitivity to detect the bites. I attach the float using a little piece of rubber tubing at the top to hold it in place which allows me slide it between casts to change the depth to find where they're feeding. I also use 3-4 split shot down the bottom 18" of line to the hook to sink the bait fast but a little more naturally than if you use one bigger sinker (just as we do when river fishing back in blighty). Hey it works for me I've met a few raiders down there recently and I'm absolutely useless with names and faces, so please don't be offended but next time you see me come remind me who you are Oh and what's your real name (or else I'll just have to call you little dinghy ) Thanks for all the comments and feedback. I'm going to keep reporting on Balmoral (and anywhere else I go) even though I feel it's actually having the effect of drawing more people there. Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day's Fishin Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 You think thats bad try fishing a remote spot beryling for hours and finaly the bite starts. Rods bowing up a great time ahead for all the work you put into starting the bite. Turn around and another boat has creeped in & is anchored close enough for you to have to watch that you don't get caught on their anchor rope. I don't mind other boats but give me a break & at least anchor a couple of boat lengths away. Regards Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piss'n'Broke Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Great spot to fish very, very early morning. Just hate it when the fishos on the wharf dont pull their lines in when your picking up passengers from off the wharf. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keflapod Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I gave up fishing from land many years ago as it resulted in me getting depressed - to the point I wanted to give it up. My dad bought us a 12-foot tinny so my brother, my dad and myself could fish in, albeit quite squashed. We just drove a few hundred metres from the ramp in the georges river to the captain cook bridge and it was a breath of fresh air ! Even if we didn't catch much, we fished unhindered and it made all the difference. We DID however catch quite a few fish and my obsession grew steadily from there. Mate, is there any way you can store a 4.5m tinny with a 25hp outboard on a trailer, at the front of your house? If you're confident on fishing it by yourself, you will open up another universe of opportunities for yourself. If trailering won't work (no spare car), then maybe you can strike a deal with someone at the marina whereby you can tie your boat off to theirs or share their mooring for a small fixed fee? Where there's a will, there's a way... Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulthetaffy Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I gave up fishing from land many years ago as it resulted in me getting depressed - to the point I wanted to give it up. My dad bought us a 12-foot tinny so my brother, my dad and myself could fish in, albeit quite squashed. We just drove a few hundred metres from the ramp in the georges river to the captain cook bridge and it was a breath of fresh air ! Even if we didn't catch much, we fished unhindered and it made all the difference. We DID however catch quite a few fish and my obsession grew steadily from there. Mate, is there any way you can store a 4.5m tinny with a 25hp outboard on a trailer, at the front of your house? If you're confident on fishing it by yourself, you will open up another universe of opportunities for yourself. If trailering won't work (no spare car), then maybe you can strike a deal with someone at the marina whereby you can tie your boat off to theirs or share their mooring for a small fixed fee? Where there's a will, there's a way... Tony Hi Tony, Thanks for the response. I actually rent an apartment and only have one underground car space and there's no long-term parking on the streets around, so no chance of storing one here. I like the idea of a shared mooring though. I might have to look into it a bit more. I also just assumed the cost of running a boat (insurance, servicing, parts, fuel etc) would just not make it worth my while. There is definately a will though, so I will do some homework and see what I can do Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigtempo Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 (edited) guys i fish balmoral ALL the time . i am on a kayak the wharf alway has people trying to fish in the best position . it often gets sholder to sholder and i do not really see alot of fish come in ................................................................................................ as i said im on a kayak so i dont get that i only get bad atitude from some fishos when im setting up . i catch good fish ... i dont get haslled on the water .... i can usually fish the areas land fishos are trying to cast to . i was fishing around the wharf this mornning and i saw nothing but yellow tail landed . i on the other hand caught a salmon - a big travelly - 2 nice snapper - a bream as well as variouse throw back fish . i can chase the schools of palagics that come in as well as fish the hulls of boats for bream with ease . dont know what im trying to say . my wife says im bragging i just think this area iis so much more suited to yak fishin or boat fish than being land locked . craig Edited December 18, 2009 by craigtempo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameldownunder Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hi Tony, Thanks for the response. I actually rent an apartment and only have one underground car space and there's no long-term parking on the streets around, so no chance of storing one here. I like the idea of a shared mooring though. I might have to look into it a bit more. I also just assumed the cost of running a boat (insurance, servicing, parts, fuel etc) would just not make it worth my while. There is definately a will though, so I will do some homework and see what I can do Cheers Paul Another option is a small inflatable, with a 2HP or 4 HP. You can launch it everywhere, put it on the back-seat of your car and does not send you bankrupt (No insurance needed, no license needed, no rego needed, and about 5$ of fuel) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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