Port Hacking

[Yowie]

Headed to the deep water up from Lilli Pilli, first time for a couple of months.

Used pillies, salted tailor and squid strips, which just attracted reddies not big enough to keep.

Could only catch one yakka, so it was cut up into 4 strip baits. It attracted the kingie on a hand line, a bit of fun and just over the limit. It was slightly longer, but allowing for shrinkage after death, I knew it would just scrape over.

I had a yakka strip on the rod, when the line started heading off. Hooked up and it kept going, up to the surface then back near the bottom. Was hoping for a good sized kingie, but suspected a large eagle ray the way it was swimming, and it stopped and sat on the bottom. Eagle rays do that.

I put the rod down waiting for it get moving again, then the salmon grabbed a handline, so hauled that up. Hooked in the gut so kept it for mum. Picked up the rod, no movement, so re-applied the pressure and made the ray move again. Had it coming slowly to the boat, then it swam to the surface and took off the other way like a rocket. 350 yards of 12 pound mono had almost disappeared off the reel, so increased the drag and busted off. Fortunately the line broke near the swivel so only wasted the ganged hooks.

The bream was caught at my mothers on a piece of salted tailor.

[hookerbruce]

Enough activity to keep your interest and a feed of fish as well 

I haven't fished the port for a while been up south west rocks for a while and the port was slow before that. 

Going to head out the front tomorrow 

Bruce 

[LandBasedKeith]

Nice catch. Salted Tailor? Any good as the tailor flesh is so soft.

Keith.

[masterfisho7]

Some fish to eat well done

[Welster]

Well done yowie.   It's interesting to see the kings are about. 

[Yowie]

12 hours ago, hookerbruce said:

Enough activity to keep your interest and a feed of fish as well 

I haven't fished the port for a while been up south west rocks for a while and the port was slow before that. 

Going to head out the front tomorrow 

Bruce 

Happy to catch a legal king for a change.

This was the first time I have fished inside the Port since early July, but then again, I hooked up the van and travelled around northern NSW and southern QLD for 8 weeks, returning a couple of days before the bushfires started up that way.

My mate and I had a fish in Bate Bay last week and found plenty of flatties, not big ones and many were just over or just under sized so they went back in. Also pulled up a couple of tigers as well.

Dave.

 

12 hours ago, LandBasedKeith said:

Nice catch. Salted Tailor? Any good as the tailor flesh is so soft.

Keith.

I have used salted tailor fillets for many years, cut into strip baits. They freeze well. I have used them up to 12 months old and they still catch fish. So long as they are properly salted and dehydrated a bit they are good bait.

 

1 hour ago, masterfisho7 said:

Some fish to eat well done

Thank you.

 

58 minutes ago, Welster said:

Well done yowie.   It's interesting to see the kings are about. 

Was happy to find one. Only one surface splash of a salmon, otherwise nothing else to see. The kingie took the bait from the bottom, as did the salmon, so they are moving about looking for food.

[Oz98]

Allot of fishos think that the fish they use for bait has to be fresh, but in fact the more off the fish the better as it smells more, a fisherman told me this a while back..

[Yowie]

11 hours ago, Oz98 said:

Allot of fishos think that the fish they use for bait has to be fresh, but in fact the more off the fish the better as it smells more, a fisherman told me this a while back..

A bit of smell is good. Fish with higher oil content - such as pilchards, mullet, mackerel, tailor, small tuna - all make good baits whether fresh or salted.

[Mr Squidy]

On 9/25/2019 at 8:16 PM, Oz98 said:

Allot of fishos think that the fish they use for bait has to be fresh, but in fact the more off the fish the better as it smells more, a fisherman told me this a while back..

Salting preserves the fish so it doesn't go off. I keep it just in the firdge and months latter there is no reall change to the smell. The old adage of fresh is best, live is better still holds for me.

On 9/26/2019 at 7:30 AM, Yowie said:

A bit of smell is good. Fish with higher oil content - such as pilchards, mullet, mackerel, tailor, small tuna - all make good baits whether fresh or salted.

Big difference between smelly because the oil content is high and smelly because the bait is old/off.

Cheers,

Rich

Edited September 27, 2019 by Mr Squidy

[Rebel]

Great report.

[Yowie]

4 hours ago, Mr Squidy said:

Salting preserves the fish so it doesn't go off. I keep it just in the firdge and months latter there is no reall change to the smell. The old adage of fresh is best, live is better still holds for me.

Big difference between smelly because the oil content is high and smelly because the bait is old/off.

Cheers,

Rich

Even in the garage freezer, I get complaints about the "smelly bait," from all of the family. Seems they don't want me to keep any bait, however, they are not getting their way.

[wrxter]

Hey Yowie,

How do you salt your tailor fillets if you don’t mind me asking.

I wouldn’t mind giving it a go as you seem to use them a lot and always with good success. I have one of those Vacuum Sealers so would that be worth using to keep them “fresher” whilst frozen?

Cheers

Wrxter

Edited September 28, 2019 by wrxter

[mrsswordfisherman]

On 9/27/2019 at 5:36 PM, Yowie said:

Even in the garage freezer, I get complaints about the "smelly bait," from all of the family. Seems they don't want me to keep any bait, however, they are not getting their way.

I sympathise with your family. I am about to throw the garage fridge out. It wastes way too much electricity running it just so it can be loaded up with smelly bait and weed. 

Use plastics etc I say wherever possible and keep your family happy by insisting mates store the smelly bait  🤮👍

[Yowie]

6 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

I sympathise with your family. I am about to throw the garage fridge out. It wastes way too much electricity running it just so it can be loaded up with smelly bait and weed. 

Use plastics etc I say wherever possible and keep your family happy by insisting mates store the smelly bait  🤮👍

My fishing mate has his own bait storage problems.

I store the frozen bait in about one fifth of the space of an old freezer, and the missus wants me to not have any bait at all. Well, pig's bum, that is not happening.  I am mainly a bait fisho from my younger days, I use handlines a lot, don't use braid, and don't buy the expensive rods and reels.  I ain't changing for anyone. 

Anyhow, thanks for your tips Donna.  

Dave.

[Yowie]

7 hours ago, wrxter said:

Hey Yowie,

How do you salt your tailor fillets if you don’t mind me asking.

I wouldn’t mind giving it a go as you seem to use them a lot and always with good success. I have one of those Vacuum Sealers so would that be worth using to keep them “fresher” whilst frozen?

Cheers

Wrxter

All I use is a large flat glass dish ( a Pyrex dish because it does not absorb the fish odours like metal dishes can - don't ask me why that happens, but it has. Possibly the salt attacks the metal and leaves a smell behind). I use the fillets from tailor about 35 to 42 cm long - just cut off the fillets, no need to remove the rib bones - lay the fillet flesh side down and sprinkle some salt onto the skin.  Turn over the fillet and sprinkle on a lot more salt onto the flesh then place the dish into the fridge.

I place the dish inside a plastic bag, but some fishy smell will drift out, so I use the second fridge in the garage. Leave for 2 days and you will find plenty of fluid in the bottom of the dish - this can be drained away on the first day if you like.

I drain any fluid and place  single fillets into small freezer bags (the ones you buy at a supermarket) add the date and into the freezer. You can try zip lock bags, but I don't use them, however, a vacuum sealer bag would be better again (I don't own one)

Same applies to fillets of mackerel, small tuna, mullet or other fillets I may keep.

[Welster]

I just upgraded from a small swinging door freezer to a larger chest freezer.   Not huge but much better.   I'm divorced and terms ( fishing gear and garage space) would  be part of the terms to a change in that situation😂.  

 

[zmk1962]

You guys gave me a laugh. I can see the issues and really appreciate how abundantly lucky I am as my missus fishes. Our daughters don’t!!!  I (we) own the bottom shelf and bottom drawer of our upright freezer in the garage. Reserved for bait and frozen water containers. Period. Must be ready to go whenever the conditions and commitments allow!

Cheers Zoran 

[Scratchie]

Good work yowie!!! A king on a handline must be great fun! Don’t think I’d want to fight a Ray on one though! 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

[Mr Squidy]

On 9/27/2019 at 5:36 PM, Yowie said:

Even in the garage freezer, I get complaints about the "smelly bait," from all of the family. Seems they don't want me to keep any bait, however, they are not getting their way.

Yeah, its funny the way they complain about the bait but never the fresh fish as if you can somehow magically separate the two haha.

[Yowie]

3 hours ago, Scratchie said:

Good work yowie!!! A king on a handline must be great fun! Don’t think I’d want to fight a Ray on one though! 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

The big black rays put up a good fight on a handline, however, eagle rays have the speed to burn your fingers with the line. A spectacular sight hooking one and having it jump clear of the water.

Kingies kick up a stink on a  handline. You should try one on a yakka line with a size 10 hook - not many get back to the boat though.

[Oz98]

Yep sorry i should of clarified it a bit more, by smell i meant that the more off the fish is the better. But all to their own, as long as it works its all good! 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Oz98

[Captain Spanner]

Just a tip for anyone salting their own fillets for the first time in the fridge. Make sure your tray/bowl/dish is at least a couple of inches deep. It is very easy to underestimate the amount of fluid that comes out of the fillets. If your dish is too shallow then the fish juice can fill up the tray and can overflow, spilling into the rest of the fridge and the veggie crisper.

[Berleyguts]

My last lot of bonito and striped tuna fillets and whole slimies, I salted down in a polystyrene I’ve box (one that my wife’s Lite n Easy meals came in I think. I threw a couple of ice bricks in there as well. Then I cryovacced them and put them in the upright freezer in the garage, which contains mostly bait, berley and the BARF dog food (we get 30kg delivered every month).