Little Manly

[PritchEagle]

Evening All.

Hope everyone got a bite this weekend.

i took my kids for a quick fish at little manly on the little manly beach side out on the wharf this arvo. Got down there bout 4. I own a $30 rod from tackleworld brookvale.  Anyway my 7 year old threw the line in with a coles peeled prawn on the end and hooked up a pretty decent looking lizard. I took the rod but we couldn't reel it in - the reel just went the backwards. I tried to fiddle round with the drag but the it just wasn't strong enough to lift it up from the water. It is about a a 5m drop. Anyway the lizard put up a fight and got away sadly.

I am a beginner so just wondering what I did incorrectly. Did I need to set the drag tighter or is there another setting I haven't figured out.  or is the rod and reel just not good enough? 

Any help appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Short]

Should be a little tab on your reel somewhere to engage/disengage the anti reverse function....either that or take it back to the shop for a refund!

Too bad he got away!!

[PritchEagle]

Thanks mate - you were right it was the anti reverse. It's also a massive drop so I dunno if my 30 buck rod could take that much weight. The guy in the fish shop said I needed a long net. 

[MattGb1989]

Up until recently when I bought a new set up I was using a cheep combo like yourself and there isn't nothing wrong with that, it's a good way to start and get experience. Sucks that the lizard got away but hopefully now with the anti reverse sorted you won't have that issue otherwise maybe source a spot where retrieval is a little easier or yeah a big net haha. Keep at it bud and good luck.

Brownie 

[Volitan]

Pulling a decent fish 5 metres out of the water probably isn't a good strategy regardless of the quality of your gear. Better to get a net under it, or look for a way to swim it over to a lower vantage point. Perhaps if you could have swum it back to the beach and dragged it out onto the sand or something then that would have been better.

[MattGb1989]

Yeah 100% right. But at the end of the day if ya kids had fun that's the main thing 

[PritchEagle]

Yeah thanks all. It's way too far from the beach. It's the point which was the old coal wharf until 1963. It seems like a cracking fishing spot. I agree I think I will need to buy the long net if I am gunna fish there - 43 bucks in the tackle shop. 

[savit]

You might want to consider using a stronger line. I lost a number of flatties in the past while trying to catch them into 2.5M telescopic landing net. They just chew through the light leader by that time.

[Volitan]

20 hours ago, PritchEagle said:

Yeah thanks all. It's way too far from the beach. It's the point which was the old coal wharf until 1963. It seems like a cracking fishing spot. I agree I think I will need to buy the long net if I am gunna fish there - 43 bucks in the tackle shop. 

Sorry, didn't really mean the beach proper, just somewhere where you can get closer to the fish. 

The other option is a long handled gaff. Personally I don't like them because they make catch and release a bit impractical but they are probably more reliable then a net.

[Mike89]

As others have said, you'll either need to use a net or scope out a good spot to land them.

I used to fish all the time without a thought as to how I'd actually land a big (or just big enough that lifting isn't an option) fish. Nearly killed myself a couple of times scrambling down ledges.

Now when I get to a spot I'll always have a game plan before throwing a line in.

[PritchEagle]

Thanks very much for all of your advice. Yeah i think I'll need stronger line and also a big net or a gaff if I fish there. I went again tonight and nothing was biting. It's a tricky spot as there is nowhere I can see to land the fish due to the drop. Heaps of people fish there though.

 

[Novicefisherman]

Long net would be the better option. You can buy the ones that extend out if you need the extra distance.

[PritchEagle]

Thanks mate - yeah I saw them 46 bucks at the fishing shop in Willoughby. Anyone know whether you can buy them at KMart?

Edited March 18, 2017 by PritchEagle

[undy]

Kmart chatswood definitely sells nets - not sure if they are long enough for your needs. you should check them out before spending more on the net than your $30 spin outfit.

[PritchEagle]

So true. It kinda doesn't make sense to spend more in your net than your rod and reel. I had a 5 buck one but I left it at little manly accidentally on tue.

[Short]

Wait until the next council clean up and grab an old pool scoop! Get a cheap hand held landing net and take the flat end off the pool scoop. Few screws or rivets in there to secure it and away you go.

Might need a few cable ties or some gaffer tape in there somewhere to make it a legitimate home made work of art.