dory_boy Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Hi all Fishraiders, well after checking out everyones posts on this great website for a few months here is my first post. After sleeping through my alarm I finally launched from Tunks park around 6am and made my way to the Spit to get try to get some squid. I'm only a beginner at gathering my live bait so I was keen to see how things would turn out. After an hour an having moved around quite a bit looking for the little buggers I decided to give up and try West head. I would be interested in finding out from other raiders any tips to squidding the Spit. Was I too late? From reading the articles on this site, I should have been there in the dark. One question I would love to ask all you raiders is about the live bait ground in the harbour. I love the idea of gathering my own live bait, and would love to know any tips or suggestions for locations. West head was just as quiet with nothing after another hour. There were a few boats (including a few of the prominent charter tours) there and they didnt seem to be having any luck either. I decided to run back to the Spit marina and buy some pillies and get out there. After a muffin and a coffee I finally got out to the yellow marker at North head and joined the ten or so boats there. All was quiet again with most of the boats pulling up anchor and moving on within 30 minutes of me getting there. One guy pulled in a rat but moved on shortly after too. I decided to try my luck at the cakes but after another hour or so that was given the flick. I have just bought a new Dory WB millenium and was keen on taking her out the heads so I headed off to south head and went around to the Gap. Was very choppy on Monday but I was happy with the way the new boat went. I dont have a sounder yet (would love some suggestions on a good cheap sounder around the $300 mark) so I pulled up near a few other boats and started drifting. The guy near me pulled in 4 kingies (all keepers) within 20 minutes so I was pretty excited that maybe, just maybe I could land my first kingie. 10 minutes later I had a great bite and the line started reeling off. It was a heavy fish and I was on for a few minutes then pop...busted off. I was getting really excited now so I rigged up again and then within 5 minutes was on again. This one was a bit smaller but was still a great fight. Up came my first kingie, only a rat that went about 60cm but I was cheering. After a quick photo on the mobile she went back in the water to get a bit bigger. I persisted for another few hours but was very quiet again. By this time it was starting to get dark and I had been on the water for nearly 13 hours. Headed back to the ramp with no fish but very content after getting my first kingie! Cant wait to get out again on the weekend. The only other downer of the day was losing another anchor. Does anyone else have this problem in the harbour? I have lost 3 now. Anyway, great site guys. I love logging on and checking out whats going on in the harbour and Pittwater. The articles are also a great help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiro Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 to fishraider mate and an awesome report to open your account with! Well done.. Congrats on your new boat and christening her with a kingy is a bonus! Looking forward to reading more of your posts soon.. Kiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehau Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Congrats, A King is a King, what ever the size. As for bust offs, well that the fun part of it all. I got busted on many occasions, and only managed to land 2. Then again, I'm bound to land base locations. As for live baits, you really must spend time locating them, and I find they baits are easiest just before 1st light. Squid tend to be around the boat ramps/wharfs where there's a light over it. And again, congrats on your kingie. Stingerz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergo Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 awesome report mate and welcome to fishraider. mate speak to huey@huettmarine. about the sounder he will definatly look after you. also the humminbird matrix is an excellent little unit. cheers Bergo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameldownunder Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 The only other downer of the day was losing another anchor. Does anyone else have this problem in the harbour? I have lost 3 now. WOW, so I am not the only one loosing an anchor. I dropped my (sand) anchor 10m west of the quarantine/north head buoy. I saw we were drifting, and I thought the anchor would not have caught on the ground. When I pulled the rope I realised something was wrong: either i became much much stronger in just 20 minutes, or I lost something. Well the chain was still there, but the anchor was gone. Can anyone tell me why? I would understand if the rope would have been cut through, but at the chain ?? Are there Greenpeace scuba divers making our life hard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moro Mou Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Well done on your first kingy and may it be the first of many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaws Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 WOW, so I am not the only one loosing an anchor. I dropped my (sand) anchor 10m west of the quarantine/north head buoy. I saw we were drifting, and I thought the anchor would not have caught on the ground. When I pulled the rope I realised something was wrong: either i became much much stronger in just 20 minutes, or I lost something. Well the chain was still there, but the anchor was gone. Can anyone tell me why? I would understand if the rope would have been cut through, but at the chain ?? Are there Greenpeace scuba divers making our life hard? Probably a D shackle coming undone this has happened to me before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehau Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Congrats, A King is a King, what ever the size. As for bust offs, well that the fun part of it all. I got busted on many occasions, and only managed to land 2. Then again, I'm bound to land base locations. As for live baits, you really must spend time locating them, and I find they baits are easiest just before 1st light. Squid tend to be around the boat ramps/wharfs where there's a light over it. And again, congrats on your kingie. Stingerz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooker435 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Welcome To Fishraider!!!! and well done on the Kingy that's a great way to start out on this site and I am sure that the bigger models will come your way!!!! A great report and cant wait to see some more!!!!! Regards, Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim77 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Congrats on your first Kingy Dory Boy. You are in trouble now as all you will want is to catch bigger and bigger ones! The only other downer of the day was losing another anchor. Does anyone else have this problem in the harbour? I have lost 3 now. Let me guess you have been using sand anchors?? You need to get yourself a reef anchor as well as a sand anchor. A lot of places in the harbour where you anchor (Balmoral, Middle Head, Quarantine etc) if you use a sand anchor eventually you will lose it, particularly when there is a bit of wind and the boat drags it into a crack or gully in the rocks. I have retrieved 2 anchors at Quarantine marker on my last 2 trips where people have cut their ropes and abandoned them. If you have a reef pick you should always be able to drive it off and bend the prongs so that it comes free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltrix Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Use a shifting spanner and tighten the shackle very firmly with the spanner. Another alternative is to tie the shackle pin with a piece of copper wire. Your loss is someones gain, as as a diver I pick up lots of anchors. If you pass by Pennant Hills email me and you are welcome to one. The best advice I can give you is to use a heavy enough anchor and sufficient chain so that it grabs without dragging as if it drags it will be a major snag it finally grabs on and that might be hard to get free. Regards Saltrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Knot Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 to Fishraider dory_boy Congrats on your 1st Kingy. Agree with jaws you probably dropped the screw out of your "D" shackle. Put some stainless or other non corrosive wire through the hole in the shackle screw and tighten the shackle screw with a shifter & then tie it off so the screw cant come out . You may also want to think about buying a reef pick if you have lost the other anchors due to them being stuck to the bottom (rather than the possible "D" shackle problem). Cheers Blood Knot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlvbw Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Well done mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle18 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Great story you write interesting verse. I agree there are gremlins out there that like to borrow your anchor. I have had the same problem. where are the bubbles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuartf Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Hi welcome The Furuno LS4100 is a good cheap fishing sounder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dory_boy Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hi welcome The Furuno LS4100 is a good cheap fishing sounder. Hi mate, took your advice and checked out the LS4100 on the web. Looked like a good one so I went down to Bias and bought myself one. Have not got it hooked up yet but will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plankton Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Good report and well done re the King. There are heaps of spots closer to The Spit than West Head to gather live bait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wantingaboat Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hey and well done on your first king. I thought i would share a few of my spots as the sea is there to share. Firstly for squid near the spit. I always go just before first light and can usually raise a couple at least. My most reliable spot is to the left of the restaurant if you are facing land. There is sandy area where people hire yaks from. Bright lights shine off this wharf and all around there seem to hold squid. They are small but good bait size used whole. People drift between the pillons but i find this less productive. Yakkers i have had trouble getting at Balmoral as the sweep are everywhere. I launch from Drummoyne and go past Clark Island. There is a little wharf on Clark Is, on the side nearest the bridge and this has bucket loads of them. I use a tiny hand line with a tiny sinker with one size 12, i think, hook. Jigs are good but i find one hook is so much easier to deal with. You get one or at least drop on on every drop. Mix some bread in a bucket with water and throw some of that in and they will swarm. Hope your bait collecting improves. Cheers mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Frost Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 (edited) Escape of the Anchors . You could try an anchor wanker , they basically consit of a foam ball and a key hole shaped bit of stainless which is attched to your anchor and the stainless has an opening clip which allows you to slip it on your anchour rope , then you just drop it over the side tie the rope to your bollard and at a fairly slow speed you drive back up and around where you have anchoured , the water pressure will push the foam ball down onto your anchor and it can help disloge the anchour and it should float up to the sueface and is then very easy to pull in , at worst your anchor rope breaks and the foam ball will float back up . . Congrats on the King , keep putting in hours like that , and more will follow , Cheers Bubba Edited January 18, 2010 by Dan BUBBA Frost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aries44 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Congrats Dory Boy on your first kingy. Agree witrh Jim77. If you know you're going to anchor on reef, use a reef pick. Or you may wish to look at the Sarca design anchors which you can use on both sand and reef. They have a long slit in the shank of the anchor and if you get stuck you can manouver your boat so as to pull from the opposite (prong) direction and the D shackle will ride along the slotted shank and (hopefully!) free the anchor up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh191 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Congrats on your first Kingy Dory Boy. You are in trouble now as all you will want is to catch bigger and bigger ones! Let me guess you have been using sand anchors?? You need to get yourself a reef anchor as well as a sand anchor. A lot of places in the harbour where you anchor (Balmoral, Middle Head, Quarantine etc) if you use a sand anchor eventually you will lose it, particularly when there is a bit of wind and the boat drags it into a crack or gully in the rocks. I have retrieved 2 anchors at Quarantine marker on my last 2 trips where people have cut their ropes and abandoned them. If you have a reef pick you should always be able to drive it off and bend the prongs so that it comes free. Totally agree with Jim, he hit the nail on the head. I was with jim about a week and a half ago when he retrieved 1 sand anchor at the quarantine marker.The only other thing to help you retrieve a well stuck anchor is a down buoy, they are amazing Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piss'n'Broke Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Nice work on your first kingy buddy . As for losing anchors, thats part of life, in the last 5 yrs of fishing the harbour we have lost over 9 anchors . Amounts to a ALOT of money and to rub further salt into the wounds, 2 anchors, a sand and reef pick at the same, spot in the same session . Next time try driving off on ur anchor. secure it tight and start motoring backwards and forwards, might take a bit of time, but 99% of the time you will pull it free. Otherwise bouy your anchor, a trick taught by alot of more experienced fishos than ourselves, great for retrieving large anchors for boats bigger than 6METRES. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dory_boy Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share Posted January 21, 2010 Hey and well done on your first king. I thought i would share a few of my spots as the sea is there to share. Firstly for squid near the spit. I always go just before first light and can usually raise a couple at least. My most reliable spot is to the left of the restaurant if you are facing land. There is sandy area where people hire yaks from. Bright lights shine off this wharf and all around there seem to hold squid. They are small but good bait size used whole. People drift between the pillons but i find this less productive. Yakkers i have had trouble getting at Balmoral as the sweep are everywhere. I launch from Drummoyne and go past Clark Island. There is a little wharf on Clark Is, on the side nearest the bridge and this has bucket loads of them. I use a tiny hand line with a tiny sinker with one size 12, i think, hook. Jigs are good but i find one hook is so much easier to deal with. You get one or at least drop on on every drop. Mix some bread in a bucket with water and throw some of that in and they will swarm. Hope your bait collecting improves. Cheers mike. Hi Mike, thanks for the advice. I went out before daybreak on Tuesday to try to get some squid at the Spit but had no luck. The place you mean for the squid at the spit, is it around the corner after you have gone through the bridge (ocean bound)? I only saw the yaks for hire when I was heading back to Tunks around midday. Do you just caset around the boats or is there a kelp bed there? When I got back to the boat ramp there was little fish everywhere at the pontoon. Not sure what they were, most of them had black tails. Any idea what they where and whether they would be good for live bait? I chucked a bit of bread in and they swarmed. I hadnt heard of tunks park being a good place to get live bait??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antr Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Hi mate well done on the Kingy, still waiting for mine, the best trick I have for the anchor is to fix the chain to the bottom hole with a g shackle then run the chain up to the top hole, (where you normally fix the chain, ) then use some bio, string, a few loops, to tie the chain to top hole. then when stuck drive up the anchor and the string snaps and up she comes bum, first. not lost one in years since doing it, good luck, oh my first post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Hi mate well done on the Kingy, still waiting for mine, the best trick I have for the anchor is to fix the chain to the bottom hole with a g shackle then run the chain up to the top hole, (where you normally fix the chain, ) then use some bio, string, a few loops, to tie the chain to top hole. then when stuck drive up the anchor and the string snaps and up she comes bum, first. not lost one in years since doing it, good luck, oh my first post Yep. That technique was shown to me by an old Scottish jewie man on the Georges when I was a nipper. It has always worked for me too. Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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