2 Days Blackfishing

[Ozzybass]

Here goes my first blackfish report on Fishraider...

I had 2 consecutive days blackfishing last week.  Weather not so great, but mainly big swells meant that I was looking at flat water.  Flat water blackfishing is still a bit of a mystery to me since I started doing it in the last 3yrs in an effort to expand my blackfish horizons and to get some spots closer to home.

Day -1

I went to the eastern suburbs to get some bait for the next day.  Where I would normally get a bunch of good ocean weed in a few minutes (in winter) there was not a skerrick!  I went to the other side of the bay to the ocean pool where I found some nice cabbage growing on the side of the pool.  I gathered enough for a good session and went looking for more.  No cabbage, but I did find 2 other types of string weed - a fine, wiry type usually found on sandstone and a long, fine slimy weed growing down a Cliffside seep.  3 types of bait - I thought I can't miss.  At the car, I met a blackfisho, obviously a local, and we had a short chat.  I saw him go to the side of the pool and begin to fish in a smallish gutter/hole next to the pool where there was a fair bit of white water coming over the outer rocks.  I decided to watch him for a few minutes.  Bang!  He was on after about 5mins.  A mate of his turned up, netted his fish for him and ran off to get his gear.  He returned about 3mins later and he was on first cast.  Dang!  I was only gathering bait and didn't bring any fishing gear!  I filed that spot away and decided it would be a good high tide spot.

Day 1

The next day, I drove back to the pool, but was a bit late.  The tide was a fair way out and the gutter was quite shallow.  Still, I landed a small drummer first cast, but that was it.  I tried a couple more possies with deeper water in the area and even though it looked good, I didn't get another bite.  Wasted a couple of hours doing that.  Decided to head back west of the Bridge.  Ended up fishing in the Drummoyne area for 2 nice blackies in the mid-30's.  The water was slightly murky from the rains and I used 6lb leader.

I filleted & skinned them and gave them to the old couple next door.  A lot of driving for 2 fish.

Day 2

My Bass Sydney club mate Doug joined me and we fished 2 spots west of the Bridge.  Firstly, we fished next to a ferry wharf where I/we have not tried before.  Doug landed a nice mid-30's a couple of minutes before I arrived on some weed from the Northern Beaches.  He didn't have much though.  I arrived and after rigging up, started burleying up.  We had no sand, so I made small burley bombs of mushed up bread mixed with chopped cabbage & weed.  Before long I hooked and landed a fat 40cm model on cabbage.  We were both using 4lb leader.  We stayed for about hour & half, missed a couple more half-hearted downs and decided to move a short distance away to where I fished the day before.  We fished there for another 2hrs and while the action was not exactly "hot", we got another 3 fish.  3-2 to Doug, but I got the 2 biggest of the day.  No fish was less than 34/35cm.  Pretty happy with that.  Doug didn't want any fish from west of the Bridge so I went to work and finished with 10 skinned fillets.  I kept the 2 fillets from my biggy + 1 more fillet and gave the rest to the oldies next door.  That's 9 fillets in 2 days so I think they had enough for 3 good feeds. As for eating fish west of the Bridge, I don't do it very often and I'm too old to care and the neighbours are definitely too old!  My spouse won't eat blackfish.  The oldies were happy as.

This is me at first spot.  My 40 is in my right hand.

The day's combined haul -

She did cook them up for my dinner though.  Crumbed and fried, accompanied by potato scallops and minty coleslaw.  Yum.

Looking forward to the rest of the blackfish "season".

[big Neil]

Nice report Ozzybass. Well deserved reward for your efforts. Some decent fish there mate. BN

[macman]

Mate, you'll get into trouble showing backgrounds in your piccies  harbour blackfish spots are super secret. Nice report BTW.

Matt

[Burger]

Great report OzzyBass!

Do you use the forceps on your jacket for a hook disgorger?  what a great idea!!!

I find the string weed can be slimy when it's from fresh water, which I guesss it would be from a cliff seep . . .

stu.

[Ozzybass]

I tried to crop as much of the background as I could without cutting my head off.  I guess I should've done that - not missing anything there!  I figure if you knew exactly where that was, you know it anyway.

Yes, forceps work great for gripping small hooks and trebles especially since they have the clamp function.

I forgot to add that most of the fish, bar my 40 was caught on string weed.

[mrsswordfisherman]

5 hours ago, Ozzybass said:

I tried to crop as much of the background as I could without cutting my head off.  I guess I should've done that - not missing anything there!  I figure if you knew exactly where that was, you know it anyway.

Yes, forceps work great for gripping small hooks and trebles especially since they have the clamp function.

I forgot to add that most of the fish, bar my 40 was caught on string weed.

No you should not have done that Ozzybass!

Fishraiders help others and it is against site rules to post pics that have "heads cut off" or obliterations. Keep posting quality pics like that by all means.

A very nice report for your first on fishraider and thanks for sharing - especially the last pic of the plated fish

@macman he won't get into trouble from anyone on here heh heh pretty sure you were joking about that comment

 

[Ryder]

A 40 cm fish is a great fish.

You did well, I hear the fishing has been pretty tough. I haven't been out for weeks due to work, family and Springsteen.

Last Friday I went for weed and couldn't get out on the rocks. The big seas even smash it off protected spots, a couple of weeks ago foot long weed is now a few cm.

 

[Mike89]

Good stuff mate. Big specimen there in the first photo.

Well done! Nice report.

[DMG]

Nice fish and the end result meal looks awesome,yum yum.