Spanish Mackerel Run 1980's Sydney

[Double bay]

HI All,

My first post just introducing myself firstly, howdy all. 

As a kid I used to fish on Double Bay wharf in Sydney harbor in the early to mid 80's. I used to go to the wharf with a hand line and a bag of prawns from the corner shop. I'd be down there before my parents would wake up as a 6 year old or so. It was a fun place with lots of regulars down there and made friends of all ages. I was just obsessed with fishing, perhaps many of you can relate. 

One season there was this crazy run on Spanish Mackerel, you'd cast your hand line in and a few seconds later you'd be fighting to pull in a 40cm fish. You'd cast again and immediately hook up another, it seemed to go on like that every morning for weeks. A really exhilarating experience for a little kid, will never forget it. 

Anyway just wondering if anyone else remembers this particular run and what year it was? I'm not sure if this thing happens all the time with Mackerel, but for the 4 or 5 years I was fishing down there that season was a real anomaly. 

Cheers. 

 

[Blackfish]

Started fishing the same way DB, off a Wharf with a hand line staring down into those mysterious depths wondering what you would pull up.

Also were they Slimy Mackeral you were catching rather than Spanish Mackeral.

[kingfishbig]

Sure they weren't spotted mackerel? They turn up from time to time in Sydney. I have never heard of Spanish mackerel though.  

[noelm]

I'm thinking Slimy too, be pretty rare to get a "run" of Spanish in Sydney.

[Double bay]

Everyone called them Spanish mackerel at the time. But looking at a pick of a Slimey M they were definetley Slimey's. 

Yeah I think that's it blackfish just the mystery of what you'd pull up. Taylor, John dory, leather jackets, bream, yellowtale, crabs, stingrays. And when you got something big that just snapped the line youd dream about what it might be. I used to dangle the line near the pilons to try to snare a leather jacket, one time I slowly pulled the hand line up and something small was on the hook way down below. When I got it up it was a little seahorse just balancing on the hook. Perfectky alive looking back at me with the dorsal fin flickering away rapidly. Just a magical time. Hoping my little son who's 2 now will get the same enjoyment. 

[kingie chaser]

Welcome aboard.

Yeh I think you are referring to slimy or also called blue mackerel.

 

I had a similar experience once at the wharf off the back of fish coop at Nelson bay when I was a kid.

 

Think we caught 75 in 30 minutes with a hook & no bait. 

 

[Double bay]

Ha that's crazy Kingie. I remember at the time bringing a mate to the wharf we were 6 or so I think,  I guess he was expecting the typical experience where you get a couple of nibbles and maybe a fish or two. Well the run was on and he hooked his first one and pulled it in and it was slapping all over the place I remember how scared he was Ha 

[Green Hornet]

Hi Double Bay and welcome to the site.

Living down the coast, I remember a good run of large slimy mackerel in Ulladulla Harbour about '83-84. They were great fun on light line and a terrific way to get kids involved in fishing.  

[Double bay]

Cheers Green Hornet yeah that's about the right time period. 

[Rebel]

Welcome aboard.

[61 crusher]

Hi & welcome to fishraider,

Like you & Blackfish I also started my fishing with a hand line off that very wharf most mornings before school catching yakkas & fantail leather jackets, like you I became obsessed & caught a lot of different species there but never saw a slimy, I wonder if the steamroller is still in the park

[Double bay]

35 minutes ago, 61 crusher said:

Hi & welcome to fishraider,

Like you & Blackfish I also started my fishing with a hand line off that very wharf most mornings before school catching yakkas & fantail leather jackets, like you I became obsessed & caught a lot of different species there but never saw a slimy, I wonder if the steamroller is still in the park

Ha hey crusher. What years were you down there. Nah steamroller is long gone. I guess that big rusty beast would be considered too dangerous these days, but was a lot of fun. 

[61 crusher]

Figured as much re the steamroller I was shown the ropes by an old Italian bloke who used mince meat as bait of choice, that corner store got plenty of my coin for both lollies & prawns,

I fished there from the beginning of the seventies aged about 9 or10 for about3 years, biggest fish I’d seen & hooked there was a 4 foot shovel nose shark (not landed though)

have since heard of kingys being caught there though, even came across the odd seahorse along the foreshore

[Double bay]

10 hours ago, 61 crusher said:

Figured as much re the steamroller I was shown the ropes by an old Italian bloke who used mince meat as bait of choice, that corner store got plenty of my coin for both lollies & prawns,

I fished there from the beginning of the seventies aged about 9 or10 for about3 years, biggest fish I’d seen & hooked there was a 4 foot shovel nose shark (not landed though)

have since heard of kingys being caught there though, even came across the odd seahorse along the foreshore

Ha interesting I was taught to fish by an old Italian bloke too down there who also fished with mince meat. I wonder if it's the same guy? He taught me to put a tiny amount of bait on "just enough to cover the tip of the hook" he used to say, and to use a smaller hook. I also remember really clearly being taught how to tie my hook on with a blood knot. I think I remember he was a thin bloke used to wear a flat cap and he'd fished with a light hand line and small hook with a distinctive style: He'd be really focused on what he was doing staring into the water, and the hand holding the line would be extended out ready to fire with a huge pull . The line would be running over one long extended finger for maximum sensitivity to detect the slightest nibble. He was really successful, bagged lots of fish. One of the old guys (not sure if its the same one) went overseas back to Italy for a holiday, I used to live across the road and he sent me a postcard from Rome talking about all the great fish he saw in the markets there, I still have the postcard. 

Ah yes the corner store guy was Anthony, he got lots of my coin from me too for bags of prawns from the freezer and footy cards.

The prized fish down at the wharf in my time was a John Dory, a slightly older kid used to fish with live bait and get them now and then. He'd spend ages fishing for yellow tail then rig it up as live bait. I always used prawns and Tailor was my favorite as they gave a great fight. Different guys were into different fish, I think I remember some of the old guys liked to go for garfish with a tiny ball of bread doe on a tiny hook and light line with no sinker. I think I also remember the first time one of the old guys caught a little striped trumpeter and held it up to my ear to hear that sound they make, you'd never be going for trumpeters but after that whenever I got one I'd put it to my ear. Wonder if kids still do that?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Double bay

[61 crusher]

I never caught a John Dory there but had seen the odd one in someone’s bucket usually on a Saturday afternoon after sports, the garfish from memory used to be on the left side in front of the sailing club which was quite busy on weekends

The way you described the old guy focused on the water arm outstretched & a flat cap sounds like the same bloke who taught me, not much of a talker but friendly 

When I first ventured down the wharf before school I’d watch him intently & ask all sorts of questions, by about the third or fourth morning he offered me a hand line & there after he always had it ready & baited for when I arrived (probably to shut me up 😂)

I remember the first big fantail I hooked & lost from being so eager to get it in, I was gutted & probably more upset that I’d lost his hook but he just tied another on & coached me on the next big one. That lesson helped me catch plenty of bream, trevally, tailor & good leather jackets off that wharf.
Great spot to fish from the wharf still looks the same with only a few minor alterations 

[Double bay]

Ha isn't that funny, the same bloke.

Yes you're right about the garfish on the left. 

Yes it was a great spot, it's much the same down there.except for the steamroller: the war memorial, the rotunda are still there. A great spot to grow up, lots of good memories.