Northern beaches & Pittwater fishies

[hadrianfry]

Hi guys, like the title says, I need a little/lot of advice.

Was out today around northern beaches area, nothin(5 hours solid for 4 tiny bream). The weather was horrid. I come out here every now and then to wet a line. Never have any luck(granted could be my lack of skill )

I don't get to fish a lot (would like more but live in blue mountains). Mostly because I seem to suck at it. So, what I would like from you gentlemen, if you would be so kind; is to help me out a little bit. Sob story aside; bait I been using, all frozen (i know,i know) but have had luck before with the old prawn/squid/pilchard. I don't have the best knowledge of hooks and what-not but I know what google is so I won't be asking seriously stupid questions (well maybe one). I have also tried quite a few spinners, and fake baits, no love.

What are my chances off land around northern beaches? How can I improve them? (and can I?) Is it worth hiring a boat and heading out to Lion Island?(just a little tinny or something) I have seen that there are a lot of fishies atm on the bite out there. My best mate has recently taken an interest in the fish too (he is about to get married...nuff said? ) and he has yet to land his first decent fishie. I know we could 'cheat' and head out on a charter boat, but I'd prefer to do it the honest way.

We are gonna have another crack next Wednesday (31/10/12). Not necessarily northern beaches, basically anywhere you guys can recommend between Woollongong and Central Coast.

I want my mate to pull in a couple of nice fish cause the bloke is HILARIOUS when it comes to unhooking them...I will get footage of it so you can all laugh and congrat him. I honestly think he would be doing these ones . Me too in fact, poor bugger.

[helliconia]

Welcome to the site and to the frustratingly simple sport of fishing! You'd think it would be easy wouldn't you? Tie on a hook, stab some bait on it and make sure it lands in water...

There's a lot of places to source info, and your well honed google-ing skills will help immensely in getting the basics down.

To give you a starting point, I'll suggest a few things you should look up.

Running sinker rig - good for sandy/muddy spots from the shore. When you get started this rig and the next one are all you'll need. This rig WILL snag on rocks or submerged structure like trees though.

Paternoster rig - this one has the sinker fixed at the bottom, and the hook attached to a leader from above it. Helps to keep the bait off the bottom or when your getting snagged with a running rig.

If you're going to be fishing landbased I'd dodge Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River. Even with boats the fishing is a struggle up there. Theres a few spots around Botany Bay that see you get some success. Le Perouse or Yarra Bay, or the west side near Brighton Le-Sands to Dolls point, or the Captain Cook and Taren Point Bridges are popular too.

What fish you chase will depend a little on your gear, but popular starters species are Bream, Flathead and Whiting. Do some searchers for info on how these species feed and hunt and you'll start to see some patterns you can use when you're picking a spot.

Keep in mind the fishing has been hard for everyone the last couple of months, but everyone is SURE it will pick up soon. I'm not sure if that is based on fishing experience or a desperate hope the better halves won't ban them form their sport if they keep coming back with nothing

If you could give us some idea what gear you are using and what you want to chase I'm sure we can be a bit more specific.

[hadrianfry]

Welcome to the site and to the frustratingly simple sport of fishing! You'd think it would be easy wouldn't you? Tie on a hook, stab some bait on it and make sure it lands in water...

Thank you emptyhooks! I've had some luck on the simple principle...but that was up in Maclean. Couple decent bream and a 40cm flattie...they were fun! I'm not so much new to fishing but still consider myself a noob.

If you could give us some idea what gear you are using and what you want to chase I'm sure we can be a bit more specific.

I was running around botany a couple weeks ago and Jack squat as well. Glad it aint just me.

Gear at the moment is fairly light spinning reels(open face), I use a 7" 4-6 kg fibreglass rod, my mate has got something a little chunkier(7"6' 12kg rod). Am considering buying a beach rod just to get the edge when conditions suit, mainly cause my reel cannot take big enough sinkers to cast it over the breakers (I get a few out but the line gets tired and eventually...well you know that flying feeling?)

As far as my targets go, they would include the usual bream/flattie/whiting. But would definitely include bonito, salmon, tailor....something I can write home about I am aware that the fishies like bonito and yellowtail school and so it's a matter of either getting them to you (burley) or getting lucky. Leather-jackets too but far as I know they are a hard fish to target and feel like a wet sock on the line (have had a couple nice ones off maroubra couple years ago).

One other point I wanted to have validated...those 'Gulp' soft plastics...do they work??? I have pulled in flatties and bream on prawns whilst playing the soft plastic gulp thingies but I have never even felt a bite.

[josamill]

There's a lot of guessing....that's half the fun. Coming up with a strategy, giving it a go, and realisisng even if you fail to catch a fish you are busy doing and thinking, and hanging out with a mate.

I'll chuck in my suggestion, what has consistently worked for me .......I would head to sand/mud flats at high tide with a soft plastic on a light jig head, or a small blade, or a small hard body that dives to 3-4 feet. Try to avoid weedy areas at first, til you get used to fishing these things.

I recommend Pittwater.....Bayview or Careel Bay, where there are large expanses of nipper and worm holes in snag free terrain. You are going to get wet.......wear a pair of shorts and old sand shoes, wade out into 3 - 4 feet of water and start flicking, and moving slowly across the flats to cover territory. Light rod, egg beater reel, ideally 4lb braid and a slightly heavier fluro leader about 2 rod lengths long. Cast out, slow retrieve, keep the lure/blade/plastic bumping along the bottom. Try to avoid really windy days (like today!). High tide 6am-9am or 4pm - 7pm works best. Occasionally I catch nothing in 90 mins, sometimes I catch up to 5 fish, usual catch is 2-3 fish.....flathead, bream, whiting.

Hope this helps!

[hadrianfry]

Thanks josa! I will give that a go.

Also, soft plastics...what should I go for? and yeah, that wind SUCKED!!!

Edited October 23, 2012 by casualfryfisher

[hadrianfry]

swivels....is there a point?

they seem to be something else that can come unstuck.

i mention swivels cause i was wondering about the fluoro leader...is that just tied onto the end of the line braid? last time i was serious about fishing it was all about the different coloured nylon..stuff has moved on huh?

[Twinfisher 4.9]

Yes time has moved on.....and we need to keep up with it. No swivels, absolutely not - with a straight, properly rigged soft plastic they will swim straight without any line twist - unless you are using a side-cast and then you shouldn't be using soft-pastics. Yes tie the leader to the braid mainline and with light line, a double Uni knot is fine.

[reubs]

Hi mate I have previously fished the beach at narrabeen and have taken home a few salmon biggest probably going about 65ish cm, my rig was very simple...7ft rod with 6500 reel got it as a combo purchased online spooled with 10-15lb cheap stuff nylon, tied to the Neptune tackle snelled 3 hook pre tied rigs with either 3/0 or 5/0 hooks...sometimes with a running sinker before the swivel on the rig....lob it out into the ocean keep the face open on your reel and hold onto your line and let it get sucked out by the ocean...if its pulling to one side move along the beach until you find a spot where it's pulling your line straight out...let out a bit slowly and sometimes when it starts to move faster than the current that's usually because a salmon has it in its mouth and all you need to to is close the face and apply some pressure to set your hooks...if you're on you'll feel some weight and you can start reeling it in...you've probably either got a salmon on the end of it or a nice piece of seaweed

Reubs

[hadrianfry]

Thanks twinfisher! Makes sense in the end I guess and I doubt I will ever use a side cast but who knows, might need to fish around a corner one day

Nice reubs! Will prob end up trying something similar. I did manage to catch some seaweed though!

[hadrianfry]

Hey guys! Dunno if anyone will ever look at this again but it worked! we got some nice flatties, and my mate finally broke his fishing cherry!!! huzzah!

Nothing huge, I did have quite a nice one on the line (would almost have been 60cm or so) but my mate tried to pull it in the boat, instead of using the net...still, we had a fun day

Thanks for all the advice, know-how and what nots. I have been re-bitten...I wanna go fishing now...right now! Lol.

Cheers fellas.

(EDIT) I just wanna add that my friend and I keep our fishing very tidy. We don't dump line, and we don't dump our rubbish overboard...it honestly makes me feel sick when I see the amount of ess aitch I tee when I am fishing. Also, my rule of thumb when fishing is; unless it swallows the freakin bait to the point where it is almost impossible to retrieve, the fish goes back. It's an honourable death, with lemon, chives, and a white sauce.

Edited November 1, 2012 by casualfryfisher