Maroubra Beach Report June- Quest for my first Jewie!

[wangwang]

Morning raiders! Welcome to my first post!

Having started fishing on the old mans 20 year old kmart reel without a clue (or bite) in the world, I've since spent many a night in a trance like state lurking on fishraider and educating myself on the plethora of fishing information out there. Have really gotten into it in the past 2-3 months (probably as a means of exam procrastination) and managed to scrap up some cheap gear on my meagre uni student budget. Armed with squid and fresh pillies, I drove like a mad man to Maroubra beach to catch the last hour of sunset on the incoming tide, when (theoretically) the jews are feeding. Sent a whole squid in on ganged hooks and a 10ft surf rod, and worked the shallows with a 6ft smaller rod with a running sinker rig. No bites for the first hour and only pickers on my 6ft rod, with the sun setting, I made an executive decision to throw on a whole pillie on the surf rod and half pillies on the 6ft. 15minutes later at around 6PM, my reel erupted under the weight of something massive, made some awesome leaps and very powerful runs. All the fishing techniques, pump and wind tactics flowed into my brain as my heart raced, with sore shoulders and tired hands, I managed to land him in the end. Wasn't a jew but came out to be a 64cm Aussie Salmon, not what i was looking for but it was really something else considering all I'd been used to prior were 20cm bream and tiny leatherjackets,this was definitely the biggest thing I've ever caught. I guess the kiwi's don't call them kahawai, strong in the water for nothing! The bite went quiet after that, but I did manage a 40cm flathead at around 7pm to bring home to the missus for a nice feed if the salmon proved a dud (which it did).

All in all, not a bad day given my limited experience and the beginning of hopefully what is to become a fruitful and long fishing career,

Also when I spiked the flathead slightly above it's eyes it kept moving, kept trying different places to no avail, poor bugger had to suffer more than it should've. Any pointers from more experienced fishos would be greatly appreciated thanks.

The addiction continues!
Dan

Edited June 14, 2016 by wangwang

[will_l]

Have a look here, on where to spike the flatty

http://www.ikijime.com/fish/flathead-dusky/?adv=0#Estuary%7CFlatheads%7CFlathead%20-%20Dusky

[budzsta]

Awesome post mate!

Good use of the site to hone your knowledge and put it into action!

I've learnt so much from just reading the forums!

Good work! You'll land a Jew soon enough

[big Neil]

Dan that's a fantastic first post mate and well done on catching a few. Welcome to Fishraider (it's a great site). Don't neglect your studies though. Fishing won't pay the bills. Keep the posts coming. Cheers, Big Neil

[Guest 4myson]

Nicely done......

[seasponge]

Despite my absolute best intentions to dispatch my fish as quickly as possible, I still get the odd flathead where I obviously don't quite hit the mark spot on. I aim just below the point of an equilateral triangle formed by the two eyes (as per the iki jime link above). These days i go in on an angle, rather than straight down, to maximise my chance of hitting the brain immediately. It's always a bad feeling when they don't go instantly!

[Novicefisherman]

Bleed ya salmon straight away and fillet it. Remove blood line and red meat. Eat that night, it aint too bad on the tooth. Just don't over cook it or it will turn out dry.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Novicefisherman

[fragmeister]

Love the enthusiasm!

Keep the posts coming Dan.

Cheers

Jim

[sam bros]

Well done Dan and welcome to fishraider

I too am on that uni salary and spend way more than I should on fishing gear.

Good luck with exams

[dlvbw]

Hey mate. Great job. Smoked kahawai is delicious and easy to do. Make sure you bleed them asap. The bloodlines ruin the flesh otherwise. Also if cooked on the day shallow fried tempters are decent in salt and pepper breadcrumbs.....no flattie but still a nice meal. Tight lines.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[wangwang]

Hey mate. Great job. Smoked kahawai is delicious and easy to do. Make sure you bleed them asap. The bloodlines ruin the flesh otherwise. Also if cooked on the day shallow fried tempters are decent in salt and pepper breadcrumbs.....no flattie but still a nice meal. Tight lines.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

Thanks for the tip, just had a look at some smokers from bcf, boy they aren't cheap! I guess i'll try the shallow fry method for now haha.

Well done Dan and welcome to fishraider

I too am on that uni salary and spend way more than I should on fishing gear.

Good luck with exams

Cheers, you too sam, hoping the fish come out to play for the both of us once all the boring stuff's out of the way Really looking forward to a month of stressless fishing.

Awesome post mate!

Good use of the site to hone your knowledge and put it into action!

I've learnt so much from just reading the forums!

Good work! You'll land a Jew soon enough

Haha thanks bud! I've spend way more time on this forum than I should. Hope the fish are biting for you!

Dan that's a fantastic first post mate and well done on catching a few. Welcome to Fishraider (it's a great site). Don't neglect your studies though. Fishing won't pay the bills. Keep the posts coming. Cheers, Big Neil

Noted Neil! I've kept away from the water for the last week, it's killing me! Enjoy the winter fishing.

[dlvbw]

You dont need an exy smoker mate just a cheap smoke box and a bbq. Smoke box is about 20 bucks. Bunnings or tackle world will sort you out. Good luck.

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[GordoRetired]

I find that the best way to despatch a Flathead is a sharp hit with a suitable heavy object, even a small rock works and finishes them quickly.

With the Salmon a mate of mine reckons that cut into small 'fish bites' and shallow fried in batter makes for a tasty snack. Personally I throw them back.

[Greyfox]

Great post wangwang , isnt it awesome to catch you first decent fish, awesome feeling.

Why was the Aussie Samon a dud , they can and do cook up well.

Keep studying , but there is always time for a fish. Look in the cooking section for ideas, or try youtube and type in Aussie Salmon cooking.

This is a great forum for all to share and enjoy.

Keep up the good work.