Jethro Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 We headed off to the Lake Macquarie Pro Bream in the early hours of Saturday morning for a 6.30am start. We were not holding high hopes as I can count on both hands the amout of bream we have caught on lures up there. We headed out in the first session armed with a bit of local info courtesy of Lighweight (Warwick). Thanks mate. We pulled up at some likely looking jetties just around from the start point and after defrosting our fingers started casting. The lake was very clear and you could easily see the bottom in 3m of water, so 4lb leaders were teh order of the day. After about half an hour I landed a just legal bream of 26cm (330g). Things were looking up............ Well to cut a long story short that was the only legal bream we landed for the session. In the second session we decided to head south and try around Pullbah, Point Wolstencrofty (sp?) and even went for a look down Dora Creek for no result. With about 1hr to go and frustration setting in we set ourselves up off a deep rock shore and sat down and had a beer. We dropped our plastics over the side and just waited no retreive just drifted with the wind (trolling is allowed) and enjoyed a refreshing ale. In the end my deckie boated a small fish (330g) with about 15mins to go. We ended up missing the Sunday session due to some unexpected family commitments. We need to spend more time on the lake before next years comp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantm Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Tough day Jethro, Its a hard joint to fish unless you've got your spots already lined up me thinks. I reckon you need to spend a week up there just feeling the place out to find some likely spots. I think you can spend a lot of time just getting to places and going round in circles getting nowhere. This is however some big bream in there. A mate of mine's old man lives on the lake and in the past two weeks has taken 4 or 5 bream over the 45cm mark Just hangs an old prawn off his jetty and never misses. The interesting part is that the locals say there is a channel that runs right past these jetties lined with weed banks and these bream are in the channel hugging the edges. I think that is the trick here. To sound out some likely looking weed banks in the deeper water as opposed to the normal warf and jetty, and even moored boat routine, used in other places. Just what ive heard anyway, cant say ive got into them there yet either. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 It was a very tough day for us but alot of the other boats managed to find fish. I think you are right, we have to think outside the square. We concerntrated our efforts on wharves, jetties and deep rocky shore lines. I have heard that some of the guys do alright up there on the deep weed beds. We tried a few of these and couldn't raise a knock. I am sure there are some big bream in the lake its just a matter of tracking them down...... At least we no where not to target Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantm Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 At least we no where not to target 53834[/snapback] Yeah mate I got plenty of those spots I could take you to soooo many fishless spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Tough! That is all i can say for the fishing over the weekend.... I set off on Saturday morning in the sub-zero temps (actually it may have been 3 degrees, but hurtling along at 40mph, it feels like -10) to have a look at some known haunts for Lake Mac Bream, these places consistently produce fish after a good burley and some fresh nippers... but they where not interested in anything i had to offer. After throwing the usual Watermelon, and Blue 3" BM's, and then some SX-40's, then a "Red Hot" attack shrimp, nothing, not even a strike it looked like being a long weekend on the water for not much reward for my Deckie and myself... We spent some time around the structure near Fig Tree point, around the barge and under the yachts near the RMYC at Toronto for nothing. After that we pulled up just outside the marina and spent some time watching the Bream do everything but take a lure... The fish where there, but just not interested in anything we had. We moved over to the edge of the sand flats, near the channel to see if there was any action to be found in and around the sand/weed flats before the drop over. On my first throw... bang, i was on to a good fish but common sense told me it was a tailor, after a brief battle i landed my first fish, a 38cm specimen. Back he went after a weigh and measure for the fisheries. About 5 mins after that... Bang again, and this time i knew i was onto a good Bream. I let him run just enough as i only had light gear and didn't want to loose this fish, i was thinking that finally i may have something to get my name on the board, after a small battle he ran hard again, going under the boat and bang! Gone! Pissed off is a word that springs to mind. We made our way back to the weigh in and there was some nice bream landed in that session, about 75 in total. The biggest being 1.4kg. The fishing didn't get much better for me and it was home to rest for the Sunday session. I was up earlier on Sunday as i really wanted a fresh start and to head to the southern ends of the lake to fish the longer weed beds and some of the rocky drop-offs, I headed into Myuna Bay (the once haven for the Pro's) to see if i could pull a fish from the long weed... All i could manage was a few tailor and a heap of Long Toms.. ( I don't think the organisers would pass one for a Bream!). We fished there for about 2 hours and i landed the only "decent" bream in the boat for the whole weekend, it went 24cms to the fork, (not even legal)... We headed back for the final weigh in and everyone else was doing it tough as well, only 40 odd fish in the second session and not many more in the last... So this made us feel a bit better... The full results will be up tomorrow... you won't see my name anywhere on the list, but that is fishing. It was my first attempt at a Bream comp and felt beaten convincingly, by other anglers, by the Bream and by the 30kts NW, blowing on Sunday arvo on my way home. I still had a great time and looking forward to the next one. It was also good to put a name to a fellow Fishraider (Jethro) who by all accounts did it just as tough as me! LW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted June 21, 2005 Author Share Posted June 21, 2005 ....i landed the only "decent" bream in the boat for the whole weekend, it went 24cms to the fork, (not even legal)... 53844[/snapback] Remember they only needed to be 25cm to the "tip". I know if it was fork length my little one would have had to have gone back. I caught a Tarwhine up in Belmont Bay and if he was a couple on cm's bigger he would have come back to the weigh in with me It was good to meet you too Warwick and thanks again for sharing a few spots to try. We will have to have a couple of next time..... Hopefully we will do a bit better next year...... Are you going to fish any other events this year??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Hi Jethro, I had a look at the calender for the Pro Bream and i would like to go in the Port Stephens, Forster and the Lake Mac rounds, i will not be able to attend the Sydney Event as for work commitments I will keep you posted if i am going to go in the other rounds. I will check the diary and may even get a powered site at a local caravan park for the WE, just have to check with the missus... Also, how's this.... The old saying about a banana on your boat is no good... I stupidly took three bananas on board for the Sunday session. On my way back home i had three problems, one for each banana. (mind you i have never had one ounce of trouble with my boat/motor before) Firstly on the way back to the ramp, the motor became stuck in reverse... I had broken a cable mount in the motor, and could not get the bugger out of reverse, not much fun trying to land a boat when you can only go backwards... Secondly, i left my boots on the other side of the lake Thirdly, i had to leabe my boat trailer and boat at my parents as when i was washing it down, i noticed a major problem with the trailer, the front suspension arm was missing a nut and the bolt was about 5mm from coming out! What a disaster that would have been towing it home. Moral to the story, don't put bananas on your boat and double check the trailer before EACH trip... LW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted June 21, 2005 Author Share Posted June 21, 2005 Bet your glad that bolt held on......... I am thinking about fishing the same rounds, not 100% on Forster at this stage. Will let you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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