Port Hacking - couple of nice flatties

[Yowie]

Headed out early this morning to the deep water off Lilli Pilli. Used salted fish strips, squid strips and pillies. All were picked off the hook quite easily. Small reddies, the smallest about 10cm, and trumpeter.

Was not looking too good, then a school of pillies swam around the boat for a while, and I pulled out a baker's dozen. I cut a couple of them in half and lobbed them out. Pulled out the 2 flatties and the flounder on the pillies. The larger flattie put up a good fight, making the reel sing when near the boat. Both released. Also pulled up the crab. The only thing jumping were the pillies.

I packed up and headed up towards Gymea Bay, threw a metal lure out for nothing, then decided to have a throw in around the mouth of South West Arm.

After a few casts, I pulled up a tailor, so kept casting and pulled out the other 2. The last one into the boat was followed by a good sized kingie. Quietened down a bit then hooked another tailor that was being reeled towards the boat, then a big hit on the tailor, line screaming off the reel, then nothing. Tailor and lure gone. Probably a kingie grabbed it.

Tied on another lure, and as the tailor had disappeared, I let the lure sink to the bottom before retrieving a few times. Hooked up to a 55cm kingie, not like the big one I saw. A few more casts and onto another one. A bigger fish that eventually worked it's way to the bottom and snagged me, in a spot where I thought there were no rocks. Eased the pressure on the line, but it frayed the line - another lure gone.

Another lure on and hooked what felt like a legal fish, so I motored out to the middle of the bay to keep it away from the rocks. Eventually landed it, but at 63cm, no cigar, so released that one as well. Decided that was enough so headed home. 15 gram metal lures on 12 lb mono made for some fun.

[Yowie]

[Yowie]

[Yowie]

I have released 7 flatties this year, from 67 to 88cm, 3 in the 80's.

I usually pull out a couple of big ones most years, but this year has been the best I can remember, all caught in deep water.

An old work mate I spoke to last week has been pulling out some good ones to about 80cm, but all caught in shallow water on lures. Some fancy lure that he bought up north - I have not seen it yet.

[kingie chaser]

Sounds like a good day out after a slow start.

Bad luck on the king, they will find a twig in a desert! 

[Bill Morris]

Great fish. Any particular brand of 15g metal lure that you were using? Haven't had much luck with kingies in the hacking

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, kingie chaser said:

Sounds like a good day out after a slow start.

Bad luck on the king, they will find a twig in a desert! 

It started off slow all right, I thought I was going to have to keep the smaller flattie when it was the first fish up, as there was just nothing to hook up.

I have had kingies grab tailor before, but usually the kingie will grab the bait hanging out of the tailor's mouth, then hook up. Don't know whether this one grabbed the tailor, or hooked up on the lure in it's mouth. All I know is it was weighty.

[kingie chaser]

2 hours ago, Yowie said:

That's a solid flatty!

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Bill Morris said:

Great fish. Any particular brand of 15g metal lure that you were using? Haven't had much luck with kingies in the hacking

I was using a blue coloured lure, which looks like a pillie, and I think the brand name is Pillie. Less than 10 bucks.

When both of those were taken, I used a chrome slice, that still worked. The bait fish in the water were anchovies.

[Yowie]

1 minute ago, kingie chaser said:

That's a solid flatty!

I weighed it in the net, then deducted the empty net weight. 8 pound and a thick body.

The 2 biggest this year were both just over 10 pound - 87 and 88 cm.

Keep putting them back and they will keep breeding.

[Blackfish]

Nice Flattys.

[Yowie]

2 minutes ago, Blackfish said:

Nice Flattys.

Thank you.

I've been reading and hearing stories of big flatties in other rivers and harbours, so the release of the big ones is a good thing.

The only down side of big flatties is the spikes on the side of their heads. The spikes can cause some damage to hands and fingers if you cop a hit from the head. Or worse in a kayak.

[Rebel]

Great report and a good day.

[61 crusher]

Interesting day with a good varied catch & a couple of good sized flatties you’ve released there @Yowie 👍 I’ve also lost the odd metal to tailor  turning into a missile, hard to do anything on 2 to 4kg gear when your line pops on the initial take or run. Just curious I’m assuming you’ve caught a few metre + crocs in your time & when was the last one

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, 61 crusher said:

Interesting day with a good varied catch & a couple of good sized flatties you’ve released there @Yowie 👍 I’ve also lost the odd metal to tailor  turning into a missile, hard to do anything on 2 to 4kg gear when your line pops on the initial take or run. Just curious I’m assuming you’ve caught a few metre + crocs in your time & when was the last one

Biggest flattie was this year at 88cm.

An old bloke - now gone - use to fish the Hacking for big flatties during summer. His biggest was 12 pound, and he dropped one at the boat that he guessed was 15 pound.

When I was a kid camping and fishing on Lake Illawarra, the locals would hammer the heads of flatties around the cleaning table in the caravan park. Some heads were the size of shovels. The biggest I saw was well past the metre mark, just sitting outside a caravan on the lawn. Maybe the fisho left it there for a while so others could see what he caught.

[mrsswordfisherman]

@Yowie very nice fish there Dave

Was that the council caravan park at Windang that you went to as a kid? We used to go there every Christmas holidays. Prawning at Primbee was always productive  too. 

[hookerbruce]

I agree with you Dave seems to be more large flathead around this year. 

Last Friday there was a bit of activity sounds like you had a bit more today with flathead tailor and kings. Hope there are a few around tomorrow still. 

[Yowie]

10 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

@Yowie very nice fish there Dave

Was that the council caravan park at Windang that you went to as a kid? We used to go there every Christmas holidays. Prawning at Primbee was always productive  too. 

Thanks Donna.

It was the van park on the western side of the bridge, the name might have been Oaklands Van Park.

Also caught plenty of prawns as well. I kept the smaller ones alive for the next morning, they were great bait for the flatties and larger whiting.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Yowie

[Yowie]

9 hours ago, hookerbruce said:

I agree with you Dave seems to be more large flathead around this year. 

Last Friday there was a bit of activity sounds like you had a bit more today with flathead tailor and kings. Hope there are a few around tomorrow still. 

Good luck for today Bruce.

No action off Lilli Pilli yesterday that I could see, just have to find the baitfish schools first.

[Bill Morris]

18 hours ago, Yowie said:

I was using a blue coloured lure, which looks like a pillie, and I think the brand name is Pillie. Less than 10 bucks.

When both of those were taken, I used a chrome slice, that still worked. The bait fish in the water were anchovies.

Thanks for the reply mate. The other month when I was out the bait fish were really small and the lure we had was too big I think. Was the bait a bit bigger the other day?

[Yowie]

2 hours ago, Bill Morris said:

Thanks for the reply mate. The other month when I was out the bait fish were really small and the lure we had was too big I think. Was the bait a bit bigger the other day?

Anchovies, between 5 and 7 cm long.

[mrsswordfisherman]

On 12/18/2019 at 7:18 AM, Yowie said:

Thanks Donna.

It was the van park on the western side of the bridge, the name might have been Oaklands Van Park.

Also caught plenty of prawns as well. I kept the smaller ones alive for the next morning, they were great bait for the flatties and larger whiting.

Yes I remember that one Oaklands CP.

Good spot it is

[jenno64]

Great session Yowie and two crocs over 70 in on day is amazing by anyone's standards. Just as a matter of interest at what stage of the tide were the deep water crocs caught? I've been getting a few