Boxing Day PB, Birchgrove

[Mike Sydney]

I went out this evening, closely monitoring a large thunderstorm that swept across Sydney. With a southerly blowing very strong (40kmh+) and the storm passing quickly out to sea I headed to Birchgrove Oval, arriving 8pm about half an hour before low tide. 

The location offers great protection against a blowing southerly, and I rigged up a Zman GrubZ in watermelon red on 1/12th and 6lb line.  I find this colour is great for dusk as the shading gives plenty of sparkle in the light before providing a dark profile as light fades. 

With the low tide there was very little structure to play with - the high tide brings good action against the rock wall which was out of play - and so naturally my first cast was to the pillars at the base of the small jetty. 

My first cast was unusually accurate, landing exactly where I wanted and it was immediately hit on the drop and a fish was on, tearing away on 5 good hard runs then completely exhausting itself. 

Measuring in at a touch over 35cm this was a new PB bream for me and my third 30+ in the past week or so. 

After releasing her back I peppered the wharf and surrounding areas for no more bites, though I was treated to the sight of a large flathead (50?) swimming on the surface. It wasn’t chasing anything, just cruising very slowly, and she ignored the grub I threw after it in vain as it paddled off out of the shallows to deeper water.

This was the second time in recent nights that I’ve seen a flathead swimming on the surface. Why they do it I don’t know, as it looks like a lot of energy for no clear purpose. 

I fished another half hour or so after the change of tide, spurred on by some baitfish startling within casting range but when visible lightning started up again to the north around 9pm I called it a day and headed home .

Though the lightning was a good 100km north it’s still hard to fish peacefully with the sky flashing away.

Only an hour and only one bite but a great fish at a genuinely beautiful location.

 

[James Clain]

Very good report and nice looking bream!

 

[Little_Flatty]

That's a very nice bream Mike, think it's a case of quality over quantity.

[big Neil]

What a great Bream Mike Sydney. A well organised plan which paid off big time. Job well done. bn

[Yowie]

Nice bream. Flathead do cruise off the bottom occasionally, just free swimming, though not that usual to see it actually happening.

[masterfisho7]

One top looking well done 

[jenno64]

Great read and we’ll done on the PB!

[Mike Sydney]

17 minutes ago, motiondave said:

good stuff, 

Birchgrove, Ive heard, can be good and productive as well. 

 

EDIT, Ive noticed sometimes, fishing  a wharf or tossing a line at structure, there seems to be a "resident bream" about most of the time. The amount of times Ive caught a decent bream almost straight away off wharfs, is common. Makes me wonder if one or two bream hang about a lot, until they move on, or get caught.

 

 

Yes I think much the same. Here was this bream in the shallows at low tide after heavy rain , you’d think it’d have moved deeper. Maybe it’s just that structure is just so high up the list of bream priorities that they don’t move on as easily? 

[Rebel]

Great report. Super Bream.

Well done.