Ryder Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Hi Raiders, Haven't had much to report lately, I've had a few outings without success and been having a few issues with the family cat. He's been put on a new low protein diet and he doesn't like it, and he let me know by biting my leg. I'm pretty sure it's a little infected but that wasn't going to stop me this morning. Loading up the gear and the cat comes into the garage trying to get into the crawl space under the house. I put him out and locked the door, so he decides he's going across the road to have a go at the neighbors chooks. It took about half an hour to get him, I put him inside and left. First stop a small beach in Drummoyne to get the sand to mix the berley. Where's the bucket? Where's the bait? GRRRRR!!!!!!! Still in the driveway. Second stop back home, and I'm tossing around the idea of not going at all. Stuff that go! Got to the spot about an hour later than I wanted but I still had it to myself. I had my regular Butterworth/ Trudex combo along with a rod I had rebuilt matched with the Avon Royal 111 I picked up at Vinnies a little while ago, I hadn't caught a Blackfish on either. I started with the Butterworth and got a fish on the 2nd drift. When I didn't get another down for a while I started changing the depth. A little deeper, nothing, a little shorter and BANG I'm on again, then again for a 3rd fish. I knew I was onto a school so I berleyed more to keep them busy while I got the other combo sorted. New things take a bit of getting used to. The Avon Royal spins much more freely than the Trudex and I had problems with over runs and line spilling off on the cast. With running tide I didn't really need to cast distance, so I just dropped it in and let the current take it to the zone. That worked perfectly and I'm on again. The rod is a lot lighter than the Butterworth and a foot and a half shorter at 10 6 but it handled it well, it's more fun because it seems like the fish fight harder. I got five more on the new combo before I had another overrun problem, this time one of the loops that spilled off wrapped around a handle and formed a knot I knew wasn't coming out. The local kids turned up and started jumping off the rock, I didn't care, it was a hot day and I used to do the same thing. I just needed 1 more to bag out, so back on the Butterworth and number 10 was in the bag in short time. So what began very average turned out pretty good. Most of the fish were in the high 30s, I released 8 and kept 2 for the smoker. Cheers 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Excellent luv to see u baggin out i havnt tried for 4 mnths too busy hope u get some more soon best eatin fish down this way...rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Nice bag of fish. The cat can be taught to swim. We had a mongrel cat when I was young, and it always bit my youngest brother, no-one else was ever bitten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakelad Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Nice work @Ryder, I can't seem to get them on the line but get a few spearfishing. One day I might get some time to learn the intricate tide/berley/weed bait combos to get success with them, certainly an art. That's a great haul, enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Some nice blackfish well done top report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 crusher Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Great report @Ryder and a good size & bag, they don’t look like they’ve been in the system for long, not your typical bronzes.That GRRR!!!! Sounded like it was aimed at the cat😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachwormer Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 22 minutes ago, lakelad said: Nice work @Ryder, I can't seem to get them on the line but get a few spearfishing. One day I might get some time to learn the intricate tide/berley/weed bait combos to get success with them, certainly an art. That's a great haul, enjoy! Hi Lakelad, I used to catch blackfish all the time as a boy and young bloke. The most important tips I could give you are: 1. Fish light - no more than 6 lb trace 2. Balance your float (the smallest possible for the conditions) with lead on your line beneath float so that it is only just floating with only the very top of it visible. This way when the fish takes the bait the float will go down without the fish feeling any resistance. 3. Present your bait simply and naturally, not a big bunch but a small strip of weed or cabbage with a half hitch to keep the hook covered. 4. Vary your float depth if your not getting downs. I vividly recall one occasion arriving at a crowded rock spot beneath Waverley cemetery with about 10 people trying unsuccessfully to get blackfish. I had been there the previous night and knew they were feeding at a depth of only 5 feet or so. Bang I was on first cast and the next 4 casts, before I had to tell them to shorten their rig and then they were all onto the fish! That's not all there is to it, but I reckon this will help! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachwormer Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Nice catch Ryder! Great score picking up the Avon from Vinnies - mine was stolen from my car many decades ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 crusher Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 31 minutes ago, Yowie said: Nice bag of fish. The cat can be taught to swim. We had a mongrel cat when I was young, and it always bit my youngest brother, no-one else was ever bitten. I reckon after the first lesson you’d need more than a first aid kit😀, same thing happened to my brother with one of our cats, we had two from the same litter and being so young back then he never knew until it was to late😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackfish Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Great report mate and a top feed of Blackfish to boot plus it was a pleasant day to. Win Win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 What a great report. Felt like I was there with you. No doubt you will soon master the new set up and start catching your bag limit on that outfit. Cheers, bn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam bros Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Great report. Certainly a really good session I have been meaning to target luderick for a while now, but have never had the chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakelad Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 (edited) Thanks for the tips @beachwormer that's great knowledge, will give it a go! I caught some Luderick recently (spearfishing) and one had a couple of parasites, that appeared to be a tongue louse. Is this common? Edited February 9, 2019 by lakelad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papafish Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 2/3/2019 at 4:59 PM, Ryder said: Hi Raiders, Haven't had much to report lately, I've had a few outings without success and been having a few issues with the family cat. He's been put on a new low protein diet and he doesn't like it, and he let me know by biting my leg. I'm pretty sure it's a little infected but that wasn't going to stop me this morning. Loading up the gear and the cat comes into the garage trying to get into the crawl space under the house. I put him out and locked the door, so he decides he's going across the road to have a go at the neighbors chooks. It took about half an hour to get him, I put him inside and left. First stop a small beach in Drummoyne to get the sand to mix the berley. Where's the bucket? Where's the bait? GRRRRR!!!!!!! Still in the driveway. Second stop back home, and I'm tossing around the idea of not going at all. Stuff that go! Got to the spot about an hour later than I wanted but I still had it to myself. I had my regular Butterworth/ Trudex combo along with a rod I had rebuilt matched with the Avon Royal 111 I picked up at Vinnies a little while ago, I hadn't caught a Blackfish on either. I started with the Butterworth and got a fish on the 2nd drift. When I didn't get another down for a while I started changing the depth. A little deeper, nothing, a little shorter and BANG I'm on again, then again for a 3rd fish. I knew I was onto a school so I berleyed more to keep them busy while I got the other combo sorted. New things take a bit of getting used to. The Avon Royal spins much more freely than the Trudex and I had problems with over runs and line spilling off on the cast. With running tide I didn't really need to cast distance, so I just dropped it in and let the current take it to the zone. That worked perfectly and I'm on again. The rod is a lot lighter than the Butterworth and a foot and a half shorter at 10 6 but it handled it well, it's more fun because it seems like the fish fight harder. I got five more on the new combo before I had another overrun problem, this time one of the loops that spilled off wrapped around a handle and formed a knot I knew wasn't coming out. The local kids turned up and started jumping off the rock, I didn't care, it was a hot day and I used to do the same thing. I just needed 1 more to bag out, so back on the Butterworth and number 10 was in the bag in short time. So what began very average turned out pretty good. Most of the fish were in the high 30s, I released 8 and kept 2 for the smoker. Cheers Nice one there champ. I always find your post. Very productive. Just wondering maybe we could catch up for a session. I'm at Balmain and I usually get a few around Birchgrove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymondhau Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Really nice catch of blackfish there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 You made the right choice heading out and giving the gear a run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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