You're doing it wrong

[joel.pringle]

I headed down to my favourite spot near La Perouse on Saturday, incoming tide and geez it was great weather for autumn. Another notch in the rod handle, I managed my first luderick!

How did I catch him? Size 10 hook, cabbage under a float? Nuh. This fella was by-catch chasing drummer, I pulled him in on a size 1 circle hook and half a peeled prawn weighted with a small splitshot, fishing the wash near the ledge. Came in at a touch over 34cm.

I'm planning to have a go targeting luderick over winter, so this was a pleasant head start.

I was after drummer though. Luckily, as I neared the end of my prawns, got onto one. After the luderick, this fish dove much harder and at one stage seemed to be under my feet, half a metre in from the edge, gunning for the crevasses. I dragged him out. Gonna be HUGE I thought. Of course, being a drummer he had more bicep than the luderick, touching in just over 30cm. I didn't get a picture of this one on the rocks because the swell was getting a bit dangerous by this stage so I was keen to move on.

I smoked the drummer this afternoon, he's about to go into a salad. I'll put more details in the kitchen forum.

Hrgh

[Spooooled]

great fish mate

[arpie]

Well done on your first blackfish, Hugh, caught unexpectedly whilst targetting Drummer!! It is a good sized blackie!

Contrary to popular opinion, blackfish are NOT soley vegetarians ie eating only cabbage & weed!! They do eat prawns, also nippers & other marine critters, and have also been caught on both SPs and HB lures when folk are targetting bream! They take man made 'weed flies'. They also eat Cunjevoi - particularly when fishing from the rocks whilst the seas are still reasonably rough.

They ARE dirty fighters (similar to Drummer) and once you catch a blackie that is over 40cm - the fight really escalates accordingly! It will surely bust you off at the first opportunity, if are allowed to get back into the rocks! It makes for very exciting fishing - and long handled nets are a bonus when fishing washy ledges or breakwalls.

They are terrific eating too! I hope you enjoyed your first blackie! Good luck on catching more, soon

cheers

Roberta

[J Hooked]

Great catch mate!

Got to love those suprises!

[Jew Stalker]

I still to this day havn't caught one, but I haven't really tried either. Normally when off the rocks I am targeting kings and other pelagics. I really must try flicking a small squidgy around the wash sometime.

[Twinfisher 4.9]

They certainly are not strictly vegans, up at at Hat Head beach I have caught a number on beach worms and other times off the rocks on bread when fishing for drummer. But still think that cabbage or weed is the better way to go, though they will still surprise you. Gotta love fishing!

[fishkiller]

on my way home from sydney(12/5/12) i stopped in at illuka for a sleep and fished the rockwall at dawn with prawns,after 15 small dart and 3 small bream and a 4cm tailor in nearly as many casts i decided to throw a top and tailed prawn into the back wash of sand coming out of the rocks on the river side of the wall,as i took up the slack i felt a touch and struck,i'm into something heavy,so i get as low to the water as i can,surprise,surprise,it is a boomer luddy,a PB, on a no.4 baitholder,at 40cm it had no trouble fitting it in its mouth,my 3rd one,25 years apart from the same river,made up for no PBs during the comp with adjustedpete.one side each with a mate at the gold coast for lunch,tasted beautiful with a salad.