Is there a Blackfish Season

[stormy]

Not for the past 12 months, there isn't.

Had an early start this morning for a fish off the ocean rocks. Missed the sunrise, but arrived at the spot around 7am. Saw a 'ship' aground on Cronulla beach, and it apparently has a few Indonesian folk on it, who are helping Police with enquiries as to how the managed to get there. Hmmmm.

Anyway, walking along the road, saw a Manfrotto camera tripod in a council cleanup heap outside someones house. It looked near new, and was, so I scored it. Found it is worth $455 new, so a good pickup. Walking along the beach, I found a nice bobby cork with cyalume stick attached, took that as well. Got out the front and tossed in a bait, for an immediate take and first fish within 30 seconds of wetting a line. Can it get any better? The ocean was glorious, flat and warm. There were baitfish on the surface, as far as I could see, in a narrow strip north and south, about 50m out from the rocks. No predators feeding though.

Dropped a bunch of blackfish fish on the edge of the platform, when the surge only just failed to wash them over the lip and got smashed by a few pigs but had a great morning. We called it quits around 10am, as there were a few fish to fillet and skin. I ended up with 15, John had 9 and Rick with 3. Released a few but a couple of friends wanted some fillets so had a bit to do. The season will start soon, so fish should be coming on the bite. What a year - last season hasn't ended and appears that it will not.
Couple of funny incidents today. John took off his backpack and put it on the rock. He commented that there was a lens off someone's glasses near his pack and that they would be missing it. He fished for about an hour and complained that the salt spray was making his vision blurry, so went to wipe the lenses. Nearly poked his eye out, as the lens he 'found' had dropped out of his bi-focals. One lens was very dark and the other wasn't there so he looked like a pirate. Rick arrived about 8am and John had lost his float to a fish, so he offered him a float he had found on the beach a week before. It was another one of Johns distinctive floats which he had lost a few weeks back. It had washed up after having been to who knows where. Only downside for today, was when I bent down to pick up the keeper net and now have a severe pain in the lower back. Pinched a nerve, I guess. Fished with the old Avon, which was spooled up with 12lb Dango Wax and 8lb Schneider flourocarbon leader. Bites were a bit different today, but I worked them out pretty quickly and you had to keep an eye on the float to 'visualise' what the fish were doing with the bait. They were full of brown stringy weed today, but wouldn't bite on green weed. Cabbage was the go, as it almost always is at this location.

[shak4g63]

Hahaha nearly poked his eye out, that would have been funny, nice haul

Tight lines,

Shakeel

[Yowie]

As I reported in my post today, I motored along the main channel near the Ballast Heap after I had been out for a fish, and saw hundreds of blackfish swimming about, mostly undersize ones, so would imagine there would be plenty more in the deeper bays.

[Guest hawkesbass]

Good effort again stormy some very nice fish landed

[Jewhunter]

Great stuff Stormy & a top report.

I've got to agree with you. There seems to be blackies

everywhere atm & it's still summer.

Maybe because the pros are out of the Harbour their numbers have increased

all around Sydney?

I dunno, but it's great to see.

Got to love a council clean up. I remember finding a brand new printer in the

box whilst working in a flash Sydney suburb. I sold it online for a couple hundred bucks.

Cheers,

Grant.

[jkm1667]

REMINDS ME OF MYSELF,CANT WALK PAST A COUNCIL PICKUP WITHOUT SCABBING SOMETHING UP. MAYBE ITS THE MT.DRUITT COMING OUT OF ME.

AS FOR THE SEASON WELL ITS BEEN GOING NONE STOP,SOMEONE AS GREEN AS MYSELF I THOUGHT IT WAS FOR THE COOLER MONTHS BUT THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS HAVE BEEN FIRING IN THE HARBOUR.

WELL DONE ON THE FISH,BETTER DONE ON THE TRIPOD

CHEERS.

[bharris]

Gotta love were blakie fishing takes you.Ever since i was a kid i have got them all year same with my pop

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

[arpie]

.......Nearly poked his eye out, as the lens he 'found' had dropped out of his bi-focals......

HILARIOUS!!

Good find with the Tripod! I am sure I had one somewhere - was looking for it last week & it is "GORN"! I know not where! Grrr Maybe Keith tossed it on my behalf??

I love council cleanups!

We are lucky - Blackies are 'on' in Forster all year round, specially near the leases! They only get better in winter (usually) tho the last couple of years has been a bit quiet in winter for some reason!

Nice haul!

cheers

Roberta

[luderick -angler]

There used to be a season as my dad told me don't fish August September but I now see that as mere myth they have their days like any other dish and some years are better than others! The majority of fish may bypas one area in favour of another and you will always manage a couple all year round no matter what in the last two years I have had five blanks out of over 150 sessions not bad odds!!!?

[ginko]

Is there a section in fishraider for council cleanup catch of the month? I'm still waiting to spot that beautiful Alvey poking out of odds and sods.

Manfrotto is top-class in tripods, you'd win the comp hands down on that one.

A few years back I was walking up a beach having a cast out here and there, and spotted the bottom of an eski washed up on the beach. The day had really started to heat up, and I needed a carrier for my bait. So picked it up, washed it out, and carried on. No lid, so not the most effective eski ever - that is until, about an hour up the beach, when I spot an eski lid washed up.... It served me well for a couple years until the lid flew out of my boat in some pretty rough weather. Some things are just meant to be at sea, I guess.

Nice work on the blackies too.

[jenno64]

Great read Stormy! Glad you scored we'll on the council pick up and more importantly...the ocean pick up!

[whispering jack]

In defence of my lens falling out near my bag, I popped my glasses onto go and fish. (i was waiting for my new glasses to arrive at the optometrist.) My vision was blurry walking back to the Tackle box & commented. "can't wait to get my new prescription glasses" to Stormy. Hence when I took them off to clean the salt spray off, I noticed the lens missing, & realised that was mine on the rock shelf near my bag. Quite humorous at the time.

[dadwithnoidea]

why do all the blackfish fisherman seem to have the best laughs out there?? seems great...where do i apply?

speaking of which...for a complete noob, where in this torrential weather could i try inside sydney harbour for a fish tomorrow morning? would even love to give your dark art a try.

hopefully 100's of you will answer tonight because it is so miserable to go out fishing.....

thanks in advance

Mat

[stormy]

I noticed the lens missing, & realised that was mine on the rock shelf near my bag.

My version was more accurate.