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Port Hacking - a feed of jackets


Yowie

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Headed out early this morning to the deeper water up from Lilli Pilli.

Threw out a lot of baits for many just under sized reddies, until I pulled out one over the limit at the bottom of the tide. Also pulled out the flounder, on fish baits for both. Was thinking of moving spots, but decided to have a go for the jackets, and I hit a good patch. Small pieces of squid was the bait.

Plenty of schools of sand mullet swimming about, both in the deep water and over the shallow water. The mullet in the schools range between the sizes of the 2 I took home. Will salt them for bait. Could have filled the boat as there are quite a few around.

Large schools of pillies splashing about, they would not bite even though I burleyed them, and nothing big chasing them. No big splashes from tailor or kingies as you would expect, unless those pelagics are feeding under the schools.

Plenty of frigates about now, hooked one but it spat the lure, and the others would not bite at all. Using a small metal. The frigates and pillies are feeding on tiny fish about the 1 to 2 cm mark.

A few feeds of jackets for my family, and my mother, her favourite fish.

post-13153-0-85295100-1457924069_thumb.jpg

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Nice mix yowie, I rate Jackets well, I see one of those snappers have gone past me somehow

You cannot have all the snapper, I need a couple myself. :074:

Maybe in a month or 2, those 28/29 cm ones I caught today will be over the limit.

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If you saw Scentblazers photo in the gamefishing forum, you would have to come to the conclusion that there will never be any shortage of jackets in Sydney !!

Eat them all i say !

Yes , wasn't that a graphic example of how thick they are.

I have an old Wal Hardy book from the 40's and it was no different then apparently.

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Had a look at those photos. My grandfather, when he was alive, told me about the jackets in the 1920's and 30's, they were in plague numbers then. He would dangle a lump of fish on the surface, the jackets would swim up and he could grab them by hand to pull out a few. He also tried steel mesh in a 1 metre frame, a bit of fish tied in the centre, then lower it a few metres.
Wait a short time then lift the frame. He said it was a struggle to lift with the number of jackets on top of the frame.

At times fishing outside, I have seen large numbers of jackets follow up a hooked jacket, so I killed the hooked jacket then tossed it back over. Did it a couple of times. The other jackets just attack like piranha, in their hundreds. If you fell overboard at these times, you would probably be eaten by them.

Have also pulled up flatties that had many small fresh bite marks in them, about the size of a jackets mouth. Fortunately these jackets keep to the deeper ocean waters.

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Good numbers there Yowie.

Two of us had a beautiful meal of a pair of those reds and a whiting tonight. As the say "little fish are sweet, a fast game's a good game".

My catch was happy to chew on beach worms and peeled prawn. No jackets sighted in my spot today.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Nice mixed bag there yowie, is the water temp still up there or starting to cool down?

I would say it is still up at a good temperature (don't have a thermometer in the boat), though I headed down to Jervis Bay over the weekend with friends (bugger all fish from the shore) and a few feet under the surface the water was cool. My mate said the water was a good temp a few weeks ago down that way, but has dropped a few degrees in that time.

Was happy with the jackets for a change.

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Dave

I could never get sick of catching fish like you.

But I could get tired of cleaning them.

(I know Jackets clean in 30 seconds flat. )

Dave

I left with the jackets still biting, but thought I had enough. A feed for me , a feed for a mate, and a couple of feeds for mum.

Jackets do not take long to clean at all, cut the head off, rip the skin off and there you are.

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Good stuff yowie! Thanks for putting a dent in the jacket population. One thing I'll say about your angling skills, I love the way you adapt to come home with a feed ALWAYS! Well done mate :)

Cheers scratchie!!!

Thank you Scratchie.

I don't like heading home with no fish at all. :074:

As for the jackets, they breed worse than rabbits, will be too hard to kill them off completely.

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