SYDNEY HARBOUR FAD SUNDAY

[saltrix]

The day started well with a relativly calm harbour except for the heavy swell. Trolled around Dobryoid Point and across Washaway beach and we both hooked onto nice sizrd tailor, Mine gave a good effort at walking acoss the water and got off but my mate landed his.  The swell was too big to troll close to North Head so we headed out to the FAD which was last seen 8km out from the Heads

It was a bit lumpy on the way out , not a good day for our boat to go so far out but we were keen to try for some dollies. Unfortunately the heavy seas must have broken the FAD away because at the exact GPS marks there was nothing, and several boats were running around trying to find it. Did any Fishraiders find it?

Plan B was to go into DY wide and anchor in 50 odd metres and anchor up and burly some snapper, but the wind was a bit much for our anchor and we drifted off the mark before it grabbed.

Plan C was to drift out marks of DY wide but the wind was up by then and we only got the bottom by letting out line and the drift was quick even with the sea anchor.

It was too rough to have our usual cup of coffee, but we kept at it and got a few fish.

  This was my catch , my mate had flathead, tailor, and mackeral but it was too rough to take a photo. I took these at home.

Just for interest the flathead is a Marbled Flathead, very nice eating and identified by its marbled appearance and no bluespot like the usual Bluespots we catch out here.

Here is what its tail looks like.

It has no legal size but ithas to be over 33cm to be worth keeping. They still count for the species limit of 10 flathead.

 

 

 

[big Neil]

I enjoyed your report Saltrix. Good to see that you and your mate got onto them before you got to plan Z. Interesting info on the Marbled Flathead...never actually seen one before. Nice feed in store too mate. Cheers, BN

[Blairy]

Hi guys Marble Flathead are reasonably common just generally only get one here or there, from a legal size perspective I am sure you will find they have to be the minimum 33 cm - I am sure it states all other Flathead species in the size sheet I get from Fisheries.

Cheers - Blairy

 

[saltrix]

In both the Saltwater Guide booklet and the rules and regulations summary I just received with my licence renewal it lists Dusky as 36cm and Bluespot and Tiger only as 33cm. This makes sense as the other common catch out there is the Spikey Flathead, also known as the Long-spined Flathead which only grows to a maximum of 34cm. I commonly use these small ones for bait and consider keeping them for a feed if fishing is a bit slow.

There are other listing in these guides where the size limit only applies to one or two varieties  of the species such as whiting and trevally. I often catch the eastern school whiting while fishing 50m depth and it has no legal size and a much smaller maturity size than rthe sand whiting which is the only NSW whiting to have a legal size.