No Kingies but Flatties hungry off Sydney - Monday 29th

[Pickles]

One of my buddies Steve, asked if I wanted to join him searching for Kingies after the big wet in his boat.  He said he’d been out 2 days earlier and got some Tailor and Bream and water was starting to clear up outside Brooklyn. Weather conditions were predicted to be near perfect (they were🙂). I had been out once in past 3 weeks due to the floods and a bit fed up having to cancel a fortnight holiday to South West Rocks and spent days repairing fences and in the paddocks, so was looking forward to getting out. The report from NEWPORT NUFFY, with those cracker snapper was encouraging, even though I was a little dubious about the quality and clarity of the water but nothing to lose and as I don’t drive and pull the boat - we headed out from Brooklyn towards some of the southern off-shore reefs.

The water was still very muddy (chocolate coloured), a raging torrent with eddies everywhere and lots of debris still in the water heading out from Parsley bay - pics are of logs, a water tank, sides of a caravan on the shore and mats of debris).

We could not locate any live bait at all in the normal Pittwater or Barrenjoey haunts, but I had some squid and Yakkas from a previous trip frozen down and we caught some 32-35cm Tailor which we slabbed up.

We caught one rat king (a big Trevally and 36cm pan size snapper) after an hour of dropping, drifting and down rigging, so decided to drift for Flatties. This proved a God-send as we bagged out on sand flathead (keeping 19 and releasing twice that number- surprisingly only a few small ones and 90% legal size). I don’t keep flathead under 40cm now as I don’t like bones in fish and always fillet them out and anything under 40 (and under 90 - don’t keep the big girls) goes back. Amongst 3 families, the fillets don’t go a long way and knowing that at $59 kg at present - they taste pretty good.

We were using 2 rigs. Me - 12lb paternoster rig with 2 x 2/0 circle hooks (always hooked in the mouth and reduces the dreaded “spiked by a flattie dance”.) Steve -50lb Kingie outfit with running sinker to swivel and 20lb line to a 4/0 long shank hook (ridiculously heavy for Flatties, but Steve did land another Kingie whilst we were drifting).

Bait was squid, yellowtail (both frozen) and Tailor (30-35cm), which were around in numbers, plus a few legal sized Flatties stripped up.

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Pickles
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[masterfisho7]

That,s some flathead hall well done some top eating fish love the photos

[Yowie]

Good bag of flatties. The biggest one looks like a dusky.

A lot of boat hazards still floating along.

[GordoRetired]

Flathead is my favorite fish to eat. Prefer it over anything else. Good day our there. 🙂

[jenno64]

Great change of plan...enjoy those fillets....big dusky in amongst them too!

[Rebel]

Great report and Super photos.

[dlvbw]

Nice work Bob - the top one looks like a real croc! 

[big Neil]

Glad you managed to get out onto the water Bob. You must have been going stir crazy! Good result too...must have got 1 on every drop. BN

[Fun2fish]

Well done I went out Monday and done the flat tie ground there as well and not even a bite big difference a day makes may try again Friday if weather ok but not sure what crowds will be like this easter

[hucho hucho]

Great report and pictures. Flathead would be best for me!