Information Gathering?

[James Clain]

What websites (ie: science and general fishing websites) are good and reliable resources for learning about ways to catch and release different fish species including the areas where they can be consistently be caught and areas where they can be potentially caught, ideal conditions and what baits and lures work. 

Obviously this website is great as a forum for learning about others success's but what are a few that focus more on the scientifical knowledge regarding the fish.

 

[Scratchie]

James, 

This site generally will give you nearly any information, to any question that is fishing related. 

We have some very experienced fishos, in many different areas of expertise! 

If you can’t find an answer here, “then google it” 

cheers scratchie!!! 

[James Clain]

1 hour ago, Scratchie said:

James, 

This site generally will give you nearly any information, to any question that is fishing related. 

We have some very experienced fishos, in many different areas of expertise! 

If you can’t find an answer here, “then google it” 

cheers scratchie!!! 

Sounds Good, I know wikipedia is usually a bit dodgy are there any other websites that are also dodgy?

[Scratchie]

What specific information are you looking for? 

[James Clain]

Just now, Scratchie said:

What specific information are you looking for? 

Location where you can catch fish consistently and where they can be potentially caught.

[Scratchie]

7 minutes ago, James Clain said:

Location where you can catch fish consistently and where they can be potentially caught.

Haha James! Now that is the million dollar question of fishing! 

My tip, you can’t catch a fish if your lines not in the water! 

[James Clain]

24 minutes ago, Scratchie said:

Haha James! Now that is the million dollar question of fishing! 

My tip, you can’t catch a fish if your lines not in the water! 

Haha well i'm going fishing then!

[Berleyguts]

I’m not aware of any websites that provide this detail. In my day, I just used to read... magazines like Modern Fishing and Fishing World would mention some areas but, more importantly, teach us what to look for when exploring new areas. 😉 I think you can subscribe to these magazines online if you’re so inclined. I still have a copy of “Sydney Hot Fishing Spots”, which I found quite useful.

[James Clain]

Just now, Berleyguts said:

I’m not aware of any websites that provide this detail. In my day, I just used to read... magazines like Modern Fishing and Fishing World would mention some areas but, more importantly, teach us what to look for when exploring new areas. 😉 I think you can subscribe to these magazines online if you’re so inclined. I still have a copy of “Sydney Hot Fishing Spots”, which I found quite useful.

sounds good!

[DerekD]

18 hours ago, James Clain said:

What websites (ie: science and general fishing websites) are good and reliable resources for learning about ways to catch and release different fish species including the areas where they can be consistently be caught and areas where they can be potentially caught, ideal conditions and what baits and lures work. 

Obviously this website is great as a forum for learning about others success's but what are a few that focus more on the scientifical knowledge regarding the fish.

 

Hi James.

From one perspective that is a very eloquent question you asked. From another perspective I second @Scratchie's response of that being the million dollar question.

I've been fishing for several decades and think I have a pretty broad knowledge for what I do but then talk to others on the FR forum and they frequently drop gems of information which I probably would never have come across through other sources. The information will almost certainly be on this site if you ask the right questions.

Most of what you will learn about the species will be guidelines. The advice I frequently see from people I admire and who are at the top of their fishing game is that if something isn't working then mix it up. This is what makes your question so difficult to answer. We don't know what is going through their mind on that particular day - are they fixated on a certain food, is it water temperature or wind direction, is it even the taste of the water on that day.

When you ask for scientific knowledge what do you mean. The DPI or the Australian Museum will give you fish data but how far will that go in helping you catch them? Their information will be more statistical (size, location, life) than behavioural.

I'd modify your approach. Pick a species and then target it. It wasn't till I started teaching people that I realised how much I actually knew. For example, pick whiting in Sydney. Most likely to be on sandflats and beaches and especially where you have yabbies (think surf beaches, Pittwater, sections of Botany bay, Port hacking). 40 plus cm is a good fish so you use light gear such as 2-4kg bream rods. Will you use bait (yabbies or worms) or lures (poppers, walk the dog lures, blades)? Then start looking at conditions (tides, overcast, sunny). Once you have mastered (or at least can do it consistently) the catching of that species then pick another. Flathead are easier on plastics in my opinion than bait. I haven't caught a meter plus one so I won't say I've mastered it but I can catch them rather consistently. Blackfish is another that can be targetted. In fact most species can be targetted.

Keep remembering that these are guidelines and what worked one day will not necessarily work the next. Fish move around or change their food preferences.

You have a big learning curve ahaead of you but that is not a bad thing. I still find it fun and each year try to pick at least one new skillset to learn (a new lure, style of fishing, area, etc).

Regards,

Derek

Edited May 2, 2019 by DerekD

[Mullatt]

17 hours ago, James Clain said:

Location where you can catch fish consistently and where they can be potentially caught.

As has been noted, Fishraider will give you most of the info you need and as the membership is fairly widespread covers nearly everywhere, but there are some sites that I'm aware of that give you weekly reports including where and how they are catching them.

If you're interested I can pm the details to you mate. 

[Koalaboi]

Hi James,

Adopt a scientific approach to your fishing and over time, you will find the answers to your questions grasshopper! (Apologies to TV show Kung Fu).

Seriously though, your question is a good one, but one you need to pursue yourself fishing the areas that are close to you so that over time, you build a good knowledge of what you can reasonably expect to fish for with some success.

In short, there are no short cuts....but really, that's the fun, the challenge and the reward of taking up fishing seriously.

Scientific method: observation, hypothesis, experiment, results and analysis/discussion/conclusions.

KB

[James Clain]

5 hours ago, Mullatt said:

As has been noted, Fishraider will give you most of the info you need and as the membership is fairly widespread covers nearly everywhere, but there are some sites that I'm aware of that give you weekly reports including where and how they are catching them.

If you're interested I can pm the details to you mate. 

Sounds Cool, that'd be great!

[James Clain]

5 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi James.

From one perspective that is a very eloquent question you asked. From another perspective I second @Scratchie's response of that being the million dollar question.

I've been fishing for several decades and think I have a pretty broad knowledge for what I do but then talk to others on the FR forum and they frequently drop gems of information which I probably would never have come across through other sources. The information will almost certainly be on this site if you ask the right questions.

Most of what you will learn about the species will be guidelines. The advice I frequently see from people I admire and who are at the top of their fishing game is that if something isn't working then mix it up. This is what makes your question so difficult to answer. We don't know what is going through their mind on that particular day - are they fixated on a certain food, is it water temperature or wind direction, is it even the taste of the water on that day.

When you ask for scientific knowledge what do you mean. The DPI or the Australian Museum will give you fish data but how far will that go in helping you catch them? Their information will be more statistical (size, location, life) than behavioural.

I'd modify your approach. Pick a species and then target it. It wasn't till I started teaching people that I realised how much I actually knew. For example, pick whiting in Sydney. Most likely to be on sandflats and beaches and especially where you have yabbies (think surf beaches, Pittwater, sections of Botany bay, Port hacking). 40 plus cm is a good fish so you use light gear such as 2-4kg bream rods. Will you use bait (yabbies or worms) or lures (poppers, walk the dog lures, blades)? Then start looking at conditions (tides, overcast, sunny). Once you have mastered (or at least can do it consistently) the catching of that species then pick another. Flathead are easier on plastics in my opinion than bait. I haven't caught a meter plus one so I won't say I've mastered it but I can catch them rather consistently. Blackfish is another that can be targetted. In fact most species can be targetted.

Keep remembering that these are guidelines and what worked one day will not necessarily work the next. Fish move around or change their food preferences.

You have a big learning curve ahaead of you but that is not a bad thing. I still find it fun and each year try to pick at least one new skillset to learn (a new lure, style of fishing, area, etc).

Regards,

Derek

Come to think about it. I have already started doing that without realising. Since I started leatherjacket fishing i have figured out some great spots, baits and the way to strike them. Basically trial and error, thanks for your great advice!

[Scratchie]

See what I’m saying James! There’s a lot of feedback you get from this site! 

My tip, when you catch your targeted species. Make a mental note of the time, tide, bait, gear, conditions and if that situation presents itself again, you should be successful. 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

[mrsswordfisherman]

8 hours ago, Mullatt said:

As has been noted, Fishraider will give you most of the info you need and as the membership is fairly widespread covers nearly everywhere, but there are some sites that I'm aware of that give you weekly reports including where and how they are catching them.

If you're interested I can pm the details to you mate. 

Can you pm me those details too please

[James Clain]

Will do @Scratchie

[wazatherfisherman]

Hi James my tip for you is to keep a simple 'log-book' of ALL your fishing trips. Buy a decent hard-cover foolscap sized book to keep your info in. You can write in about 3 trips to a page- doesn't take long and you have an easy to reference reminder of what you did and what worked or didn't at particular times

Record all the following:: Date and time, Moon phase, Tide phase/s and size, Weather and water conditions, Your target species, Then add your method/s, bait/s, tackle, rigs and results.

A 2-3 line summary of what you think happened and why is how you finish your entry. It only takes a few minutes and you can look back on this easily.- EG "Bream were biting on last of run in,stopped at high tide, got a run from a Mulloway on high slack water, wonder if it spooked the Bream?" and so on

I did it for years and found it to be invaluable as it relates to your own experiences/triumphs/failures etc. and is "location-specific" for where you are fishing. You can add a symbol or rating for easy reference of particularly good trips.

Cheers and good fishing. Waza

[61 crusher]

18 hours ago, Mullatt said:

there are some sites that I'm aware of that give you weekly reports including where and how they are catching them.

If you're interested I can pm the details to you mate. 

Hi @Mullatt if its not to much trouble could you pm me those details, it would be greatly  appreciated, cheers 

Edited May 2, 2019 by 61 crusher

[mrsswordfisherman]

9 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Hi James my tip for you is to keep a simple 'log-book' of ALL your fishing trips. Buy a decent hard-cover foolscap sized book to keep your info in. You can write in about 3 trips to a page- doesn't take long and you have an easy to reference reminder of what you did and what worked or didn't at particular times

Record all the following:: Date and time, Moon phase, Tide phase/s and size, Weather and water conditions, Your target species, Then add your method/s, bait/s, tackle, rigs and results.

A 2-3 line summary of what you think happened and why is how you finish your entry. It only takes a few minutes and you can look back on this easily.- EG "Bream were biting on last of run in,stopped at high tide, got a run from a Mulloway on high slack water, wonder if it spooked the Bream?" and so on

I did it for years and found it to be invaluable as it relates to your own experiences/triumphs/failures etc. and is "location-specific" for where you are fishing. You can add a symbol or rating for easy reference of particularly good trips.

Cheers and good fishing. Waza

Keeping the records is a great idea and many have done that over the years. 

Some actually use fishraider to do this - I watched often as members looked back on their fishing report posts on previous dates to check lure used, weather conditions,  barometric pressure, water temps. Tag the reports to find easier.

You can keep an electronic version in your smartphone - perhaps there is an app dedicated to this alone? Anyone know one? I bet people have spreadsheets that they use and you can access this on your device. 

 

[anthman]

The problem is that fish will move, will be there one day, gone another - the weekly reports (as well as daily fishing reports in the paper!) will give you an indicator of what's around but will ultimately be upto you to determine by getting out there. The treasure trove of posts and reports in fishraider will give you an idea of the locations that have held fish in the past and therefore are possible to hold fish in the future. Even then I've been to hotspot locations to walk away with no keepers despite glowing reports.

DerekD's advice is good - target a species and to help focus your questions, responses, time, effort and money spent. There's something incredibly rewarding about having a target fish you've never caught, getting the inputs, putting in the time and effort (and money! Who doesn't like more tackle?) To produce the expected results. Then you add this to your set of skills - which will include identifying the environment of your target fish. What you'll find, like I did, is that you begin to identify whether a location feels right or not - coupled with Google maps satellite /Google Earth - and you've got a very valuable resource that you can apply your own attuned judgement to find productive spots that suit your fishing style and options!

Summary: pick a species, research, prepare and put in the time and effort. Rinse and repeat!

[Mr Squidy]

On 5/1/2019 at 8:18 PM, James Clain said:

Location where you can catch fish consistently and where they can be potentially caught.

Such an over asked question in my opinion. Always find it funny how often the first question to someone who has caught a great fish is not "how did you catch it" but "where did you catch it". If you expect to simply get given an X on a map and then start catching buckets of trophy fish you will be very disappointed...

The truth of fishing is that for most budding fishermen, location is not what is stopping them catching fish. It is learning correct techniques that holds them back. The amount of times I have heard fishermen talk about how a particular spot is rubbish because they have never caught nothing there when I know those spots  produce or where I have been out and had a successful day while watching others get nothing (and sometimes sadly vice versa) is crazy. That's nothing to do with the spot.

Sure you have to fish where the fish live but you really want to learn that by learning the environments they inhabit and their behaviors and then search out such places if targeting specific species, OR, by learning what fish are likely to live in the areas you have access to and then tailoring your fishing techniques to these species. This approach gives you the flexibility to adapt as needed and achieve consistent catches as certain spots or species don't fire on particular days.

Not many sites out there that can match this one in finding the information about "how to catch fish", especially if you can ask the right questions.

All of that said, one great resource for seeking out new freshwater fishing areas is the following map from DPI that shows where they have carried out fish stocking programs and for which species. Lots of places I've seen on there that I would love to test out one day. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/resources/stocking

Cheers,

Rich

 

[Mullatt]

14 minutes ago, Mr Squidy said:

Such an over asked question in my opinion. Always find it funny how often the first question to someone who has caught a great fish is not "how did you catch it" but "where did you catch it". If you expect to simply get given an X on a map and then start catching buckets of trophy fish you will be very disappointed...

The truth of fishing is that for most budding fishermen, location is not what is stopping them catching fish. It is learning correct techniques that holds them back. The amount of times I have heard fishermen talk about how a particular spot is rubbish because they have never caught nothing there when I know those spots  produce or where I have been out and had a successful day while watching others get nothing (and sometimes sadly vice versa) is crazy. That's nothing to do with the spot.

Sure you have to fish where the fish live but you really want to learn that by learning the environments they inhabit and their behaviors and then search out such places if targeting specific species, OR, by learning what fish are likely to live in the areas you have access to and then tailoring your fishing techniques to these species. This approach gives you the flexibility to adapt as needed and achieve consistent catches as certain spots or species don't fire on particular days.

Not many sites out there that can match this one in finding the information about "how to catch fish", especially if you can ask the right questions.

All of that said, one great resource for seeking out new freshwater fishing areas is the following map from DPI that shows where they have carried out fish stocking programs and for which species. Lots of places I've seen on there that I would love to test out one day. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/resources/stocking

Cheers,

Rich

 

That is a great link Rich, thanks for sharing. I knew of some of these stocking locations, but many I didnt. Have to try out some new "old" haunts.

cheers

 

 

[PaddyT]

Good answer, certain spots fire in certain conditions/times of the year for certain species- the best way to learn is to get out there and do it yourself- a fishing diary is a damn good idea- but only if you write down the dud days as well- go on a charter or two with a top notch operator- and dont worry about what you catch but WATCH everything they do- sure take note of the spots they fish but take note of WHY they fish there more (structure/current /tide phase/wind etc). Get good at catching one species , then you will have a depth of knowledge rather than just breadth. Fish are simple - look for shelter,food and comfort and you will find them. 

[GoingFishing]

Gday James

Overall you have received some very valuable feedback from the boys above.

Fishing is very much like any other sport. If you want to get good results consistently, you will have to practise yourself. 

You can watch hours of it on TV, read about it for hours or listen to someone talk for hours, this will help in terms of learning the theoretical application, but the reality is the best way to get consistent results is to get out there and do the practical application yourself.

There are so many variables that are specific to you, that cannot be considered by others, your boat, your gear, your bait, your location.

Hopefully not sounding arrogant, but the spots that produce consistently for me I almost always have entirely to myself when im out on the water, they were found by investigation, trial and error. Anyone can do this if you put in the time and effort.