Grays Point

[Gengar]

Hi Raiders

Just wanted to report back after my earlier thread here (https://www.fishraider.com.au/topic/94927-planning-day-fishing-trip-with-kids-thinking-maianbar-wattamolla-greys-point-or-windang/#comment-716079) with day trip out with the family to Grays Point to trap some poddies and pump some yabbies on Monday. Special thanks to @Larkin who pointed me in the right direction and the whole family had lots of fun.

Got to Swallow Rock Reserve at about 11am and the reserve was already choc a block with boats and kayaks constantly launching. So we moved down the river bank and decided to fish from the end of the beach area. Threw in some bread and definitely poddies around. Set our two poddy traps, one was a 4L clear bottle and the other a translucent one. Not sure if it was where we placed them or poddies like the clear bottle(?) but we trapped our first poddies within the hour. We tried catching some on tiny hooks on floats but didn't manage to hook any so maybe we were doing something wrong? I also chucked out a poddy as a live bait but had no takers.

 At low tide we moved over to the flats at Grays Point. It was a massive area with heaps with yabby holes though we didn't find that many yabbies but the ones we did find were either really small baby yabbies or these massive ones. The area we pumped was really muddy and hard to walk. Anyway before we went we caught a 29cm whiting after throwing a yabby in the deeper channel just off the flats. 

Overall a good day. Planning on heading over to Maianbar over the weekend!

[Isaac Ct]

Well done mate, the flatties are definitely around at Grays Point but with all the people the might be a bit hesitant. If the drive isn't to far, try around Lakewood city oval on the other side of the river, I am yet to try it but it looks a decent spot.

[Yowie]

A good effort there.

The poddies prefer the clear bottles, because they are see through. They can be caught on very small hooks, size 10 or 12, with bread. Bread 1 or 2 days old, half a slice, into the water for less than 1 second, then squeeze out most of the water until it becomes firm but not hard.

Flatties are around the area, boats will be scaring them away.

The whiting you caught is a Trumpeter Whiting, no size limit, and they do not grow a lot over 30cm. The sand whiting usually stick to the flats or along the edges at low tide.

[Gengar]

5 hours ago, Isaac Ct said:

Well done mate, the flatties are definitely around at Grays Point but with all the people the might be a bit hesitant. If the drive isn't to far, try around Lakewood city oval on the other side of the river, I am yet to try it but it looks a decent spot.

I havent been there but looks nice! Guess I add that to my places to go for the next family trip! Usually we try to go where we can pump some nippers to get the kids involved and I find nippers usually land us legal size fish that we can take home.

[Gengar]

5 hours ago, Yowie said:

A good effort there.

The poddies prefer the clear bottles, because they are see through. They can be caught on very small hooks, size 10 or 12, with bread. Bread 1 or 2 days old, half a slice, into the water for less than 1 second, then squeeze out most of the water until it becomes firm but not hard.

Flatties are around the area, boats will be scaring them away.

The whiting you caught is a Trumpeter Whiting, no size limit, and they do not grow a lot over 30cm. The sand whiting usually stick to the flats or along the edges at low tide.

Thanks Yowie! I still haven't mastered the art of putting bread on hooks so will try your method next time.

Stupid me just thought it was a sand whiting. It's good I posted here so I can learn. BTW how can you tell its a trumpeter and not a sand whiting? To my untrained eyes they look kinda similar.

[Little_Flatty]

That's great @Gengar. Nice adventure in nature with the family.

I think the mottled pattern on the whiting gives it away that it isn't a normal sand whiting. Sand whiting are more uniformly translucent than the one you caught. Which means, for the species, it's a very big model! Well done!

Edited April 22, 2022 by Little_Flatty

[Yowie]

9 hours ago, Gengar said:

BTW how can you tell its a trumpeter and not a sand whiting? To my untrained eyes they look kinda similar.

Trumpeter whiting have a slightly darker colour, caused by faint stripes/mottled colouring along the body. The colouring can be hard to see to the untrained eye.

[Rebel]

Great report and photos.

[Larkin]

Well done on catching some poddies and a nice whiting!

I’ve also pumped that spot and had a similar result - lots of holes but only babies or giants and not that many. It was about 4 -5 months ago - thought it might of been the time of the year. 

[Gengar]

Thanks little flatty and yowie, I know what you mean. Will be on look out next time I catch a whiting to see if it's a Trumpeter!

Also thanks Larkin. Already looking to planning next trip with the kids over the winter holidays!

[Yowie]

On 4/23/2022 at 9:30 PM, Larkin said:

I’ve also pumped that spot and had a similar result - lots of holes but only babies or giants and not that many. It was about 4 -5 months ago - thought it might of been the time of the year. 

I don't pump nippers from the area too often, but similar results any time of the year - not many for the number of holes pumped, and some are quite large.

[onearmedfisho]

On 4/22/2022 at 4:45 PM, Isaac Ct said:

Well done mate, the flatties are definitely around at Grays Point but with all the people the might be a bit hesitant. If the drive isn't to far, try around Lakewood city oval on the other side of the river, I am yet to try it but it looks a decent spot.

You mean Lakewood reserve on the wonny? If so its not the other side of the river, its a totally different system