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Meadowbank Flatty

Chillifishi

By Chillifishi
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Chillifishi WHITING

Chillifishi

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A recent order of 3lb fluoro and 4lb braid had arrived at my door, so couldn't resist taking the ultralight set up around the wharf for a go. Have been chasing bream since getting into soft plastics but not much luck so thought I would lighten the gear up more.

Casts like a dream on a 1/16 and even more so on a 1/8 and could pull surprisingly harder than I thought I could.

Onto the fish:

Tide was running out pretty hard as it does in this area. After casting a 2.5 inch minnow for a bit here and there, a little tailor smashes lure:)

The 1/16 wasn't sinking fast enough due to the tide, so switched out for a 1/8 (tying knots on this thin thin line a bit challenging haha), which was getting pulled hard by current but much better. 

After casting here and there with no more luck, I decide to let the tide take my lure under the wharf. On the slow roll retrieve I feel the tell tale lazy weight of the flatty, which comes out without too much fuss.

I debate how I should land the fish given the light line, but realise I really don't have a viable alternative, and the lift out of the water is successful.

Pretty happy with that, but the bream still eludes😄😄. IMG_20220728_073220_737.thumb.jpg.a7888d8b11c2214191d66920e0a58fb6.jpgIMG_20220728_073220_748.thumb.jpg.5efc8a0ef5f0527405842ed17690b6c3.jpg

 

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Little_Flatty BLUE MARLIN

Little_Flatty

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Nice one @Chillifishi and :1welcomeani: to the community! Good to see another Meadowbank angler! I almost thought someone had bumped one of my older posts but was thrilled to see it was somebody different 🤣! I will likely bump into you if you are a regular.

I haven't got many (if any) flatties under the wharf. It can be tricky fishing the wharf owing to the current, as you say. The bream are no problem on bait there, but I've found lures more challenging.

Those tailor can be real pests at times. When you get down there for the first time and see the birds working in the morning, you might get a little excited, but invariably it's those tiny tailor.

If you want a bream on a lure, give a gulp crabby a go. I've been having some success on them there. I put them on a hidden weight jighead and let them sink slowly on a slack line. I then work it back slowly with tiny little flicks. Don't stress too much about the current, even a light lure will get down deep enough to reach the bream eventually. Your two inch minnow will also work from time to time, and will be dynamite on flatties and bream in other spots in this area (try the flats in the bay around the corner).

Just be warned though, the bream in the wharf precinct are DIRTY fighters so waste no time in getting them out of structure once hooked up. Even a just-legal fish will reef you given the chance.

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Chillifishi WHITING

Chillifishi

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1 hour ago, Little_Flatty said:

Nice one @Chillifishi and :1welcomeani: to the community! Good to see another Meadowbank angler! I will likely bump into you if you are a regular.

I haven't got many (if any) flatties under the wharf. It can be tricky fishing the wharf owing to the current, as you say. The bream are no problem on bait there, but I've found lures more challenging.

Those tailor can be real pests at times. When you get down there for the first time and see the birds working in the morning, you might get a little excited, but invariably it's those tiny tailor.

If you want a bream on a lure, give a gulp crabby a go. I've been having some success on them there. I put them on a hidden weight jighead and let them sink slowly on a slack line. I then work it back slowly with tiny little flicks. Don't stress too much about the current, even a light lure will get down deep enough to reach the bream eventually. Your two inch minnow will also work from time to time, and will be dynamite on flatties and bream in other spots in this area (try the flats in the bay around the corner).

Just be warned though, the bream in the wharf precinct are DIRTY fighters so waste no time in getting them out of structure once hooked up. Even a just-legal fish will reef you given the chance.

Thanks for the tips, super helpful. Looks like crabby is gonna go on the shopping list:)

 

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Little_Flatty BLUE MARLIN

Little_Flatty

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1 hour ago, Chillifishi said:

Thanks for the tips, super helpful. Looks like crabby is gonna go on the shopping list:)

 

No problems at all @Chillifishi. Meadowbank is my stomping ground so please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. There's also a few other Raiders on here who have fished a lot here in the past and really know the area (and fishing in general).

I've only recently started targeting bream in this area more specifically, so still have a lot to work out. I've found the flatties much more willing to play in this area. Presently there's a lot of casts between fish, but I'm sure we'll both crack the code eventually. There's plenty of bream there for sure. Throw in a lightly weighted slimey strip and you'll see what I mean.

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Yowie WAHOO

Yowie

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A good experiment that worked for you.

When using light gear, a landing net will come in very handy if you hook up to a better fish as you will not be able to lift then up without breaking off.

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Chillifishi WHITING

Chillifishi

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3 hours ago, Yowie said:

A good experiment that worked for you.

When using light gear, a landing net will come in very handy if you hook up to a better fish as you will not be able to lift then up without breaking off.

Thanks mate. Yeah I think a net is in order. I have been considering it, but have hesitated as I really enjoy being super mobile, lures in a bumbag and rod in hand, but a net aint too much more to carry, and the regret will far outweigh any convenience of not having a net if I lose a good fish:)

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Little_Flatty BLUE MARLIN

Little_Flatty

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37 minutes ago, Chillifishi said:

Thanks mate. Yeah I think a net is in order. I have been considering it, but have hesitated as I really enjoy being super mobile, lures in a bumbag and rod in hand, but a net aint too much more to carry, and the regret will far outweigh any convenience of not having a net if I lose a good fish:)

I've had the same thoughts/problems but have been working on various solutions as per this thread:

The latest incarnation is really very simple - a belt rod holder mounted on my tacklet belt:

image.png.04211cc46a614354f73b5b70cdaf07b3.png

Fully extended this net is 3m, so it is really quite practical for a landbased fisho (as you probably know, it isn't unusual to be > 2m above the water, particularly at low tide). But the handle is carbon fibre, so it is really very light for what it is. The handle is <50cm when fully collapsed. It will cost a bit of money and take a bit of effort/time ordering everything you need, but it is well worth it. If you're interested, I can PM you the details of where I got everything - just let me know. I wasn't prepared to compromise on mobility but at the same time really felt I needed the landing net after losing quite a few good fish on light line.

Search for 'PRO TRUST' telescopic landing net and you'll get an idea of the starting point. I also swapped out the net itself (as the default offering won't deal with bigger flatties for instance). I have a feeling that this rod holder solution will be better than my magnets, but might need a zip tie or two to make it a bit easier to get out when you have a fish on.

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Chillifishi WHITING

Chillifishi

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4 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

I've had the same thoughts/problems but have been working on various solutions as per this thread:

The latest incarnation is really very simple - a belt rod holder mounted on my tacklet belt:

image.png.04211cc46a614354f73b5b70cdaf07b3.png

Fully extended this net is 3m, so it is really quite practical for a landbased fisho (as you probably know, it isn't unusual to be > 2m above the water, particularly at low tide). But the handle is carbon fibre, so it is really very light for what it is. The handle is <50cm when fully collapsed. It will cost a bit of money and take a bit of effort/time ordering everything you need, but it is well worth it. If you're interested, I can PM you the details of where I got everything - just let me know. I wasn't prepared to compromise on mobility but at the same time really felt I needed the landing net after losing quite a few good fish on light line.

Search for 'PRO TRUST' telescopic landing net and you'll get an idea of the starting point. I also swapped out the net itself (as the default offering won't deal with bigger flatties for instance).

Thanks for the direction mate much appreciated, will have a look! The belt rod holder on the tackle belt is quite a good idea

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Little_Flatty BLUE MARLIN

Little_Flatty

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11 hours ago, Bluebenbomb said:

@Little_FlattyHaha, could never afford an expensive landing net like yours. Last time I did, I forgot mine ($40) on Cremorne Point Wharf 🤦‍♂️.

Yep, it cost a bit of money. After mods, it cost more than some of my outfits (that said I don’t fish with very expensive gear). But I feel like I’m playing with fire, fishing light tackle without a net.

I guarantee if you spend as much on the net as I did, you’ll never leave it on a wharf! 😎

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big Neil DOGTOOTH TUNA

big Neil

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On 7/28/2022 at 5:49 PM, Chillifishi said:

Thanks mate. Yeah I think a net is in order. I have been considering it, but have hesitated as I really enjoy being super mobile, lures in a bumbag and rod in hand, but a net aint too much more to carry, and the regret will far outweigh any convenience of not having a net if I lose a good fish:)

Firstly welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy being a regular contributor on here. Take the time to investigate the landing net situation. I have a fantastic one that is lightweight yet extendable and fitted with the fish friendly (rubber type) net. One like this could easily be attached to your rucksack so you (still) only have the rod to carry in your hand. Might save you from losing a good fish, especially when fishing the Harbour area. Good luck, bn

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