Reflecting on older times

[frankS]

How the Bay has changed since I was a kid.
I fished in Botany bay from about 1957 till now and when I first started fishing I would hire a wooden boat with a single cylinder inboard engine which you started by turning a huge flywheel with your hand, the boat would putt along at a rapid pace around 6 knots at full throttle, I would have a small packet of prawns and sometimes some Mullet strips for bait. I taught myself how to catch fish and how to read the water to find them ( no electronics in them days ).
Yarra bay was always my go to place ( as it is still today ) but I fished from Lugarno to Yarra in the old wood boat.
When I turned 14 Years old I bought myself a 12 foot tinnie with 4 hp Johnson and trailer, My Brother in law would drive me and mate down to ramp drop us off and pick us up at a designated time later in the day/night.
I became more adventurous and started to get B.I.L interested in fishing and we fished the Hawkesbury as well as Botany.
Back then the Bay had no airport runways and no container terminals, so it was a fairly large open waterway.
Where the container walls are now there used to be good reef and the best of fish were caught there. As I grew up a bit and got a license I was a regular at the bay and getting into good fish like Snapper, Kings, Tailor, Bream, etc became second nature. Hairtail were a particular species that I caught regularly back then but haven't caught one in the bay lately .Back in them days I never thought of having a camera on the boat so didn't bother with photos, after all why take a photo when you can just go out and catch more fish the next day, I have never been a camera person with my fishing. Even now I hardly ever have a camera with me, sometimes my phone but hardly ever sees daylight.
Photo of bay back in my time and you can see how it was back then.

Frank

[Rebel]

Great Story. Thank you.

[noelm]

Yep, my story is almost the same but just further south, Little Lake was my backyard, and Shellharbour a short walk,  Lake Illawarra a bike ride (when I had a bike) all places I fished as a kid and worked out how to fish all those years ago.

[noelm]

Just thinking how times have changed, years ago, a trip to "the Banks" off Shoalhaven Heads was a mission, planned well in advance, we went in an old Dehaviland Offshore, with a 40 Mariner motor, the boat was a big 14' long, and pretty sad by today's standards, without GPS, some trips were abandoned because you just couldn't find the place, if you headed out a bit off course, or the Pros had gone, you were in big trouble, today it's just a place boats travel past. Off Shellharbour, the "Church Ground" only a couple of hundred yards from the ramp was a place to stop and get a couple of 15kg Kingfish on your way home, or anchor up for Yellowfin and Marlin during Summer....ahhhh, they were the days.

[noelm]

Just remembered on of my childhood fishing methods, no idea if it was legal and even if wasn't, I had never heard of a fishing inspector! But, at certain times of the year, big Mullet would come into Little Lake behind my house, I could never catch them, but noticed if you sat still, or hid in the bank side scrub, they would come right in close, with a few pieces of broken fibro (probably contained Asbestos, but that was unknown then) I would jump up and throw the fibro side on into the water, now and then, it would "chop" a big Mullet and stun it, I would run in and grab it, put it into my wet "sugar bag" and sit in wait again.. got enough for a family meal, and the frame was crab trap bait, the gut was Snapper bait for dad.

[Green Hornet]

Great story Frank.

I grew up on the south coast and in the 60's and early 70's travelled up to Botany Bay for a few sailing regattas around Sans Souci and Yarra Bay.

I hadn't been back until a few years ago when the wife and I stayed at the Novotel Brighton. I couldn't believe how much the place had changed.

The town I grew up in had a total population of around 30 adults and 7 kids, (barring the aboriginal kids that we weren't allowed to mix with by law). Fishing for us back then was more a source of food rather than a past time.

We used to travel to school part way by boat, then bundled into the back of the teachers ute and driven the rest of the way. It was a single room school that we shared with kids from the neighbouring dairy farms. 

That town now has its own school and a population of over 3,000.

Edited March 28, 2021 by Green Hornet

[PaddyT]

2 hours ago, noelm said:

Just remembered on of my childhood fishing methods, no idea if it was legal and even if wasn't, I had never heard of a fishing inspector! But, at certain times of the year, big Mullet would come into Little Lake behind my house, I could never catch them, but noticed if you sat still, or hid in the bank side scrub, they would come right in close, with a few pieces of broken fibro (probably contained Asbestos, but that was unknown then) I would jump up and throw the fibro side on into the water, now and then, it would "chop" a big Mullet and stun it, I would run in and grab it, put it into my wet "sugar bag" and sit in wait again.. got enough for a family meal, and the frame was crab trap bait, the gut was Snapper bait for dad.

That sounds like the fun police would arrest you these days for that-i remember buying 10/0 trebles and wire tying a big ball sinker into the base of it- mind you jagging was legal (and lots of fun) 

[Welster]

Wow Frank the Bay is certainly a lot different now.   The only changes I recall is the addition of the third runway and the extension f the oil wharf a few years ago.   The hot water outlet has gone too. 

[frankS]

Just to add to the stories from yesterday. Another one of my Bro inlaws ( I had 4 brothers and 4 sisters, I was the baby of the family ) had a house in Menai ( now named Illawong ) not far from the old ferry that ran between Lugarno and Menai, I used to stay with them quiet a bit I would ride my push bike from Enfield to Menai and stay with sister for a few days.

Anyhow The old ferry would come across the river and as it slid up the slipway the draw bridge would quiet often scoop up heaps of Garfish and other smallish species. The operator's of the ferry knew me and would allow me to run onto the drawbridge and collect as many of the fish as I could in a bucket before opening the gates to allow the cars to get off the ferry. Easiest way to catch a good feed and fantastic bait.

I spent a lot of my childhood on the Lugarno side of that ferry catching Bream with Cheese, way way way before it became popular.

Just had a look at google maps and wow the place has changed since those days but my old rock I used to catch my Bream from is still there about 60 metres east of the old ferry slide. Might pay it a visit one of these days.

Frank

Edited March 28, 2021 by frankS

[Yowie]

3 hours ago, PaddyT said:

That sounds like the fun police would arrest you these days for that-i remember buying 10/0 trebles and wire tying a big ball sinker into the base of it- mind you jagging was legal (and lots of fun) 

The old bloke near where I lived as a kid (Yowie Bay) would tell me of the times he would head to Wanda Beach in autumn, cast out a sinker with 2 big trebles above, and jag the mullet out the back of the waves.

He said if he was lucky he would hook a mullet on each treble, 5 or 6 pound each, and it would take a long time to haul them in, as they fought very hard in the surf.

[Yowie]

5 hours ago, noelm said:

Just remembered on of my childhood fishing methods, no idea if it was legal and even if wasn't, I had never heard of a fishing inspector! But, at certain times of the year, big Mullet would come into Little Lake behind my house, I could never catch them, but noticed if you sat still, or hid in the bank side scrub, they would come right in close, with a few pieces of broken fibro (probably contained Asbestos, but that was unknown then) I would jump up and throw the fibro side on into the water, now and then, it would "chop" a big Mullet and stun it, I would run in and grab it, put it into my wet "sugar bag" and sit in wait again.. 

When I pumped squirt worms out the front of the Oaklands Van Park as a kid, the big mullet would swim around (5 pounders). I threw the nipper pump at them a few times, but stunned them temporarily and they then swum away. Never caught one!

[Yowie]

6 hours ago, noelm said:

 big Mullet would come into Little Lake behind my house, 

The big mullet would turn up out the front of Oaklands Van park, not biting at all, also many sand mullet would also pop up. I would catch a bucket load of these, take them to the bait shop on the north east side of the bridge, sell them for a few shillings, which was good pocket money for me, enough for a few treats in the van park.

[noelm]

I nearly bought that bait shop, land and all from Bruce Darrah that owned it for years, silliest move I ever made was turning it down all those years ago, but I was only about 25 had a family and other stuff on my plate at the time.

[noelm]

55 minutes ago, Yowie said:

When I pumped squirt worms out the front of the Oaklands Van Park as a kid, the big mullet would swim around (5 pounders). I threw the nipper pump at them a few times, but stunned them temporarily and they then swum away. Never caught one!

Should have used broken fibro......

[Green Hornet]

@frankSI found a pic of the old, original Lugarno punt. 

My auntie and uncle used to live right near it on the Illawong side and we'd often fish off a large concrete pier about 300m downstream.

[frankS]

3 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

@frankSI found a pic of the old, original Lugarno punt. 

My auntie and uncle used to live right near it on the Illawong side and we'd often fish off a large concrete pier about 300m downstream.

Thanks for adding that photo, probably about 10 years before my time but I remember it well and brings back great memory's of a mischievous youth. I can't recall the pier being there, I'm sure it must have been dismantled before the 60's otherwise I'm sure I would have fished from it.

Frank

[mrsswordfisherman]

4 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

@frankSI found a pic of the old, original Lugarno punt. 

My auntie and uncle used to live right near it on the Illawong side and we'd often fish off a large concrete pier about 300m downstream.

Great pic Green Hornet

Did you take that pic? What date/year would that have been roughly?

[Green Hornet]

36 minutes ago, frankS said:

Thanks for adding that photo, probably about 10 years before my time but I remember it well and brings back great memory's of a mischievous youth. I can't recall the pier being there, I'm sure it must have been dismantled before the 60's otherwise I'm sure I would have fished from it.

Frank

It was more a large concrete block than a pier and I'm pretty sure its still there as I reckon I can see it on google earth.

23 minutes ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Great pic Green Hornet

Did you take that pic? What date/year would that have been roughly?

I got the photo off a terrific FB page called "I Grew Up In Mortdale 2223", not that I grew up there, but they show heaps of old photos which is something I love to look at.

 The pictured, yellow ferry was decommissioned in 1961 and replaced with the grey, 16 car one we probably all remember.

My auntie and uncle lived in a house that was built on piles out over the water on the upstream, Illawong side of the river and I have a funny story about catching a large bream through the toilet, that I shared on Raider a fair while back.

[mrsswordfisherman]

6 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

I got the photo off a terrific FB page called "I Grew Up In Mortdale 2223", not that I grew up there, but they show heaps of old photos which is something I love to look at.

That is why I asked. I am on several groups that are similar for various areas around Sydney, NSW and around Australia. 
I was wanting to share it and needed the ID of who to credit it to 😉

Message me if you want any links. I love old photos too. There are marvellous groups on fb. 

[noelm]

Yes there is, it's probably one of the few times I log into Facebook, I belong to a very similar one with old photos of Shellharbour, because I have lived in the same place all my life I get asked now and then about "stuff" my grandparents moved here in the 1930s

[mrsswordfisherman]

My mother travelled around NSW and VIC with a dear friend years ago. They took lots of photos at lookouts and town memorials.

We started caravanning a few years ago and I try to visit and recreate the photos with myself where she stood. 
I send the “back then and now” shots to local town fb groups where they are well received. 
Here is one at the Oxley Lookout at Tamworth. 

[Blackfish]

Excellent Donna. 👍

[wazatherfisherman]

Just wanted to add to Franks great thread-

Fishing home base for my school mates and I became Taronga Zoo Wharf. Every Saturday morning we'd all meet on the last carriage of the train that arrived at Wynyard about 5.40 am. Fraser, Rob and Ross came from furthest- Chester Hill, I got on at Croydon, Ben, Roy and the 2 Franks got on at Summer Hill and a few of the other guys got on as we got closer to the city, we were all around the same age and on the same train each week, pretty much the same crew of regulars and Saturdays because the first ferry of a Sunday was too late- 9am

 We had to get out at Wynyard and walk to Circular Quay because the first train from our direction got to the Quay at 6.10 am- exactly the same time as the first Taronga ferry left and you had to get there on that ferry to get a prime possie on the old Wharf which was locked until just after 6am every morning.

The great thing about fishing "the wharf" was you only needed 45 cents to be able to go fishing- 25c for a "child excursion" ticket that covered all train, ferry and bus travel for the day, plus 20c worth of hamburger mince for bait. The mince was converted to Yellowtail and they were used live or filleted, very occasionally someone would have something else like pillies or prawns, but all you really needed was a small ball of mince and you were set.

Nobody bothered with burley, you just tried different depths for Yakka's until you found their level and then put your handline cork in your pocket to save the depth. It was best to just drop your Yakka line rather than throw it out, then you'd avoid the masses of 6 inch chopper Tailor that were always in the vicinity- if you threw out, 9 times out of 10 a chopper would grab your bait as it sank on an angle and a lot of the time bite the number 14 longshank hook off. 14's still the killer sized hook for the tiniest Yakkas.

As time went by, we started fishing all around Bradleys Head and had a few "private" spots that rarely saw any other fishermen, but "the wharf" was where we went if we were going John Dory fishing or Luderick fishing. Freezing cold spot to fish for Luderick in winter as you never saw the sun while drifting a float out the back of the wharf, but very productive.

The best Luderick fisherman in the harbour- Abbey (known as "the king of Sydney Harbour') was often there and he never missed getting a good bag of fish, he even had a "net man"- Irish George who did the burley and netted Abbey's fish. Learned a great deal about Luderick from Abbey.

It's such a shame they first moved the old Wharf, then closed it down to fishing completely. Rubbish, mess and incidents with people tripping on fishing gear were to blame- it's one of the only wharves to remain closed to fishers.

It was a great social spot for younger fishers, relatively safe and in the many years I fished there I only ever saw one disagreement. You could even turn up without any bait and someone would give you some, a line and hooks too if you needed and some genuinely amazing fish were caught there every year.