Off Lilli Pilli

[Yowie]

Fished off Lilli Pilli early Thursday morning. A tailor hit as soon as the first pilchard hit the water. They only stayed for a short while then disappeared by first light. Ended up with 6, from 33 to 43 cm and dropped a couple at the boat. A short time later, some salmon turned up and ended up with 3 from about 40 to 45cm plus a kingie a bit under 60cm, those were released. The salmon and kingie took salted bonito pieces on a handline, gave my fingers a bit of line burn. After that all went quiet.

Pumped a few nippers and drifted the various flats for 2 whiting and 1 bream. Rather quiet except for many bait stealing little toads. The bream and whiting have dropped off since summer, though they could have moved to other locations that I don't fish. Still, enough for a feed with the tailor fillets oven baked last night.

As a side issue, I have trouble logging on to the Fishraider web site. Can only manage to log on once or twice a week, as all other times my computer tells me the site does not exist. This is the only site I have trouble with, and after today I will not be able to log in for a few more days. A couple of weeks ago, I was typing a report and the computer logged me out from the site while I was typing.

Yowie.

[nick.beverley@macquarie.com]

Gday Yowie,

with your website access issue this happened to me a little while ago, I have since put this forum section into my favourites list and have not had an issue. it gets me straight into the fishing reports and then i can surf around the website from there.

hope this helps!

also - nice work on the handline king.

Regards,

Bottle Squid

[GCC]

I fished Mainbar Thursday of last week. I fished the evening after pumping nippers. All I managed to catch was a large trevally (39cm at the fork and 45cm at the end of the tail) while fishing the water over the sand flats. I caught the trevally on a 4lb handline, which took ages and was lots of fun. But, no decent bream or whiting; just those eager little toadies as you describe. Nothing worse than wasting good nippers on toadies!

[Yowie]

Gday Yowie,

with your website access issue this happened to me a little while ago, I have since put this forum section into my favourites list and have not had an issue. it gets me straight into the fishing reports and then i can surf around the website from there.

hope this helps!

also - nice work on the handline king.

Regards,

Bottle Squid

Have this added to my favourites list since joining, still does not allow me access most of the time. Only started doing this from late last year.

Yowie.

[Yowie]

I fished Mainbar Thursday of last week. I fished the evening after pumping nippers. All I managed to catch was a large trevally (39cm at the fork and 45cm at the end of the tail) while fishing the water over the sand flats. I caught the trevally on a 4lb handline, which took ages and was lots of fun. But, no decent bream or whiting; just those eager little toadies as you describe. Nothing worse than wasting good nippers on toadies!

That's a good fish for a light handline.

[GCC]

Yes, it was good for 4lb (but it's 4lb snyder mono and so would likely be stronger - maybe up to 6lb?), especially given that I gaffed it and managed not to lose it while trying to gaff it. Actually, it took quite a while to bring it in as it was doing massive circles around my kayak and a couple of times I thought I was going to lose it as it headed near the channel markers. It's frozen now, but I'm looking forward to baking it.

If you don't mind me asking (pm if you like), I'm trying to find spots in Port Hacking to catch legal size whiting. I only seem to catch the 20cm sized ones.

Also, I've read about a spot called the Ballast Heap. Is it still there? All I see is sand flats where it is supposed to be...

[Yowie]

Yes, it was good for 4lb (but it's 4lb snyder mono and so would likely be stronger - maybe up to 6lb?), especially given that I gaffed it and managed not to lose it while trying to gaff it. Actually, it took quite a while to bring it in as it was doing massive circles around my kayak and a couple of times I thought I was going to lose it as it headed near the channel markers. It's frozen now, but I'm looking forward to baking it.

If you don't mind me asking (pm if you like), I'm trying to find spots in Port Hacking to catch legal size whiting. I only seem to catch the 20cm sized ones.

Also, I've read about a spot called the Ballast Heap. Is it still there? All I see is sand flats where it is supposed to be...

The ballast heap is still there, exposed at low tide opposite Little Turriell Bay (be careful not to motor over it at high tide because it will be under water and the rocks will damage your kayak or boat). The whiting move around a bit, any where there are shallow sand banks on a rising tide you will find whiting. Gunnamatta Bay, Mainbar, around the ballast heap, Lilli Pilli flats, upper end of South West Arm, Grays Point and further up from there. I have caught sand whiting in water as deep as 30 feet, not many though, though usually you will catch trumpeter whiting in the deeper water. I have also sighted whiting swimming on the rising tide at Mainbar flats in the early morning, with their backs out of the water. A couple of times I have cast a nipper next to these fish for an immediate strike.

Sometimes the whiting will be mainly undersize, and they will get to the baits or lures before the legal size fish have a chance. At this time of year, the whiting can become a bit quiet in the Port. You will then need to move about to find them.

Yowie.