Broken Bay - spur of the moment

[zmk1962]

Hey Raiders,

I've been busy the last two weeks, but late Friday afternoon the Mrs and I decided on the spur of the moment to go out early Saturday morning in search of some flatties. I'd been monitoring BOM and Seabreeze and the outlook was for 27C, with Southerly winds that were forecast to die down by mid morning and then swing to a gentle Easterly ... all on a 0.8m swell ... so a cool(er) option to sitting at home in the heat and humidity!

Checked the freezer only 2x200gm squid packs for bait left over from god knows when - but combined with some plastics should be ok for a quick bottom bash sesh,  finished hooking up the trailer hitch and packing the gear in the boat  just before the Friday afternoon thunderstorm - gods were smiling ! ... so all looked good for the trip.

3.30am departure from home, quick stop to top up boat fuel at Thornleigh,  5am three boats already at Parsley bay ramp infront of us all launched with minimum fuss - experience helps... and 5:30am we're off motoring out in the dark....heading out a few km East of Barrenjoey.

Tried a few spots, 30m, 40m ... water was a bit sloppy, it was humid and hazy. Mrs was having second thoughts about "agreeing" to come out ---"hey I thought it was a mutual decision!" -- apparently not.

Breakfast on the boat with the sunrise was just awesome ... (I had to get the rod in the view - thanks for the new reel DINGA!)....still no fish in the esky!

But by 10am... the Mrs has had enough of the sloppy water bumping the boat around and reeling in  juvenile flatties from 40m (we must have released about 100 by then),  I suggested we try 50m but she wanted to head back ... we compromised and headed to the  20-27m ground around Trawleys.  Well here things were quiet.  Nothing. Not even juvenile flatties. NOTHING. So Mrs got bored and decided to hit the bunk and have sleep. 

A few minutes later, I upped anchor and moved us back out .....to 50m grounds. Dropped a line over the side - to an immediate double hook up of two 30cm flatties -- released those but they were bigger and my spirits lifted. 

It was now 11.30am. Mrs woke up and decided to join me - no comment about the location or where we were. Then in the next 30min she pulls in 4 flatties: 60cm, 62cm, 50cm, 55cm...and ofcourse the oddball fish of the day - a spotted whiting.  I only manage 2 keepers for the whole day - 2 flatties at 40cm. 

Hmmmm.....REALLY !!!!!!!

Cheers

Zoran

 

 

 

[Yowie]

Nothing wrong with those flatties (I mean the 50's and 60's  ) Could have been worse, with you not catching a legal one, and the missus really giving you a fishing lesson.

At least you headed home with some good sized flatties. The whiting may have been a red spot whiting, found in the deeper off shore waters.

Should get you some brownie points.

[saltrix]

I was out on Sat. morning out from Sydney and it was certainly bumpy and sloppy, my mare and i had trouble moving about. Your lady must be a good sailor.

Glad you found the flathead.  Were the smaller ones spikey flathead ( Long Spined Flathead) which are sexually mature at a very small size and only grow to 34cm maximum, as they have no legal length they can be kept and are excellent eating but need to be over about 20cm to be worthwhile. If you know your flathead they are easy to distinguish as they have a very long lower spike and the tail has a different marking. They also make good baits for the bluespots and marbled flathead.  If you keep them I think they still count to the species limit of 10 flathead each.

[zmk1962]

7 hours ago, Yowie said:

Nothing wrong with those flatties (I mean the 50's and 60's  ) Could have been worse, with you not catching a legal one, and the missus really giving you a fishing lesson.

At least you headed home with some good sized flatties. The whiting may have been a red spot whiting, found in the deeper off shore waters.

Should get you some brownie points.

HA HA..... yes, she can give me a lesson in baiting and winding in fish.... 

And perhaps I might offer her a lesson, in: 

1. planning an offshore trip based on weather etc

2. packing the boat and gear 

3. choosing the fishing spot

4. preparing the rod, lines and rigs

etc.

Or perhaps I just stay quiet and enjoy what I have !!!   

Seriously we get along really well but waste no opportunities to stir a little.

But have you ever wondered two fishos - identically rigged rods, with identical line, bait, sinker and set up ... fishing in 50m of water 2m apart ... how does one catch fish and the other doesn't ? What is it? 

Cheers

Zoran

 

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by zmk1962

[Yowie]

1 minute ago, zmk1962 said:

 

But have you ever wondered two fishos - identically rigged rods, with identical line, bait, sinker and set up ... fishing in 50m of water 2m apart ... how does one catch fish and the other doesn't ? What is it? 

Cheers

Zoran

 

 

Many years ago in Port Hacking, at a few secrets spots, the school jewies would come on the bite, and I mean 20 or more in one session (the best was 42 in one night - no, did not keep them all)

Mainly my usual fishing mate, and the fish could be at either end of the boat at times.

Another mate's father kept on pestering me to take him out in the boat, so I did. I gave him one of my handlines to use, baited the hook and threw it out. Also a line for myself. Well, I pulled up jewies one after another, and the mates father did not get one bite. He kept whinging (as I knew he would) and he wanted to swap position, so I sat in his seat and used his line, and he sat in my seat and used my line.

As soon as we swapped, I was pulling up fish and he again did not catch one. So more whinging, take me home now, etc. So I packed up, took him home and gave him a couple of fish. He never wanted to go fishing with me again.  

But as a bonus, his wife baked me a chocolate cake (they were delicious), so when I had a spare jewie I would swap it for another cake.

[Berleyguts]

1 hour ago, zmk1962 said:

.,.

But have you ever wondered two fishos - identically rigged rods, with identical line, bait, sinker and set up ... fishing in 50m of water 2m apart ... how does one catch fish and the other doesn't ? What is it? 

Cheers

Zoran

 

 

That sounds like me and my son... if he comes out with me, he gets all the fish!

[Scratchie]

Great work Zoran! Nothing like a spur of the moment fish and you come home with a feed! Thumbs up! 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

[zmk1962]

3 hours ago, saltrix said:

  Were the smaller ones spikey flathead ( Long Spined Flathead) which are sexually mature at a very small size and only grow to 34cm maximum, as they have no legal length they can be kept and are excellent eating but need to be over about 20cm to be worthwhile. If you know your flathead they are easy to distinguish as they have a very long lower spike and the tail has a different marking. 

Hi Saltrix.... nah... they were all blue spot .... kindy and juveniles....all misbehaving smashing baits far too  big for them and being a general nuisance. We got a few spikeys few trips back but none on this trip.

Cheers Z

[antonywardle]

Nice work @zmk1962. I was out on Saturday too, but chased snapper instead. I better write up my own report. I managed to keep my food down. No flatties for me this time, but then again, I wasn't targeting them. Its a good idea to head wider when you are chasing them if you don't get any. Those spot whiting are good eating too. I kept a couple of the larger ones from my last trip out after I was told that they don't have a size limit. Pretty good eating I though. I also found the head of one, inside a flatty that I caught. 

 

It was very nice of you to give your wife the good side of the boat too. It happens a lot, one side seems to be better than the other, I have no idea how this can be.