Surface action off Nth Head

[saltrix]

Started the day with perfect conditions,(yesterday Sat.) no wind and a bright sunny morning as my mate and I rounded Dobroyd point.

Trolled some minnows around Nth Head to try for some fresh bait as the plan was to anchor up off Long Reef and burley up for some reds or whatever.

We managed one nice Bonito but the huge school of Salmon working a few hundred metres out looked promising so we ran out and got a couple to back up or snapper catch (just as well).

They were feeding on very small whitebait and would look at nothing else but these small plastics went off immediately but the delivery system needs some work. They dont like any splashing around the lure and it needs some delivery system. The fly fishermen seem to do OK but I used a small lure a metre above the lure and a light leader. After putting a couple in the esky we headed for Long Reef

On the way we saw several whales blowing but none close enough to photograph.

A school of dolphins saw the boat and came over to ride the bow wave and check us out.

On the way we made a stop at DY Widen where there are usually good flathead, so we gave it a few drifts, but there was absolutely no wind and little current resulting in no flathead action (a couple of undersized went back).

On to the Long Reef and sent out a good berly trail and a couple of floaters with small sinker and dropped patternosters deep as well. Noticed the lines rising to the surface and found hooks bitten off. Also on the bottom hooks bitten off and a couple of jackets caught. I got tired of re-rigging and gave up and as a bit of breeze had come up the flathead drift looked like the go.

Unfortunately by the time we got back there it was blowing 15-20 knots and the drift was too fast even with the sea anchor and the chop made fishing uncomfortable, so we headed back to the lee under Nth Head wher we burleyed to no avail.

Then went back to the salmon and took another 1 each and trolled up a couple more bonito.

Bit late home with a dissapointing catch but with my newfound skill at cooking salmon there was at least a feed. This was my share.

Edited August 26, 2012 by saltrix

[Dazzlar]

Mate nice report you got a feed & some photos/memories that will last a life time going out tomorrow will have a go at the salmon & a bottom drift off Nth Head let you know how i go

[James Mackay]

Mate nice report you got a feed & some photos/memories that will last a life time going out tomorrow will have a go at the salmon & a bottom drift off Nth Head let you know how i go

nice one Dazzler, whats your trick to cooking salmon?

[lambo]

good one mate. we went out on thursday and found heaps of salmon close off nth head and a couple of hundred metres north. we chucked heaps of various lures/slugs/flies at them but really only took very small blue/white flies.

cheers

[saltrix]

nice one Dazzler, whats your trick to cooking salmon?

Kill and them and bleed them, then keep them on ice. Don't bother scaling them, just take the fillet off and then skin them leaving the blood layer near the skin behind.

Cut the fillet in halves leaving the bones and blood lines behind. To cook cut into large fingers and dip in flour then in a beaten egg and then breadcrumbs, Panko are good, then oven bake on oiled tray or pan fry in oil. The trick is to only lightly cook it, leave it too long and it becomes dry and stringy.

Best done fresh, but I have frozen the fillets after glazing them in a brine solution and they are still OK.

Regards Saltrix