Cooks by-catch

[adamski]

Hey folks,

Hope you're having a good one!

It's been a quiet week for me fishing wise and haven't managed to get out as much as I'd like. I did go for a flick late last week with the heavier gear on the Cooks run-in. Mostly stopped at bridges and picked up a mixed bag including a couple of bream, a Trev, a luderick and a flattie. Interestingly, all of the fish were happy to hit a 3" minnow on 14lb leader. 

I'm finding the blackfish-on-lures thing weird btw: I literally had 2 on soft plastics in 3-4 years of fishing in Sydney before I went back to the UK and since I got back that's now 4 in 2 months on 3 different soft plastics. I've seen guys on YouTube fishing similar stretches and catching them too. Do fish diets change as they get more accustomed to a particular system? I doubt there's much cabbage weed in the Cooks! 

Might get a chance to try for something bigger in the next day or two, so fingers crossed!

 

 

[Isaac Ct]

Keep going mate, hope to see some more fish in the near future.

Nice quality amongst them, well done. 

[Rebel]

Top report.

Well done.

Great photos.

[Little_Flatty]

Looks like a good session there @adamski. I have read that Luderick will take lures and prawns/yabbies occasionally and that it is a seasonal thing. I've caught a few myself on lures in the past and it's always a nice surprise.

I'm pleased you carry a landing net with you! It seems like the art of netting fish is lost amongst most landbased lurers these days and I wince whenever I see people poling fish up the bank on 6lb leader!

[Mike Sydney]

Well done @adamski. I also have had two luderick on prawn imitation lures out of the cooks upstream. I read somewhere they take other lures when there’s no weed around for them.

[JimT]

use to fish The Cooks River breakwalls in my younger days and recall during Aug/Sept when the westerlies were blowing we would catch lots of Blackfish on Botany Bay Wrigglers and what looked like a small yabby greenish in colour (not pink nippers) The fish were in good condition and spawning as well so lots of roe etc as well

Jim

[masterfisho7]

Nice mix bag well done 

[Pickles]

Well done @adamski, three very nice fish. When Luderick are in pre-spawning mode they”bulk up” on protein and I have caught them on pink nippers and prawns, so I guess they eat small fish crustaceans also and SP’s that imitate the same. Any way, they fight well on whatever they take and you got a nice mixed bag🙂.

[Larkin]

Some nice variety! 
Well done 👍 

[Yowie]

Niced mixed bag.

I have caught a blackfish on a wonder wobbler metal lure while spinning for tailor over a weedy area.

[bessell1955]

A very mixed bag.

[adamski]

21 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Looks like a good session there @adamski. I have read that Luderick will take lures and prawns/yabbies occasionally and that it is a seasonal thing. I've caught a few myself on lures in the past and it's always a nice surprise.

I'm pleased you carry a landing net with you! It seems like the art of netting fish is lost amongst most landbased lurers these days and I wince whenever I see people poling fish up the bank on 6lb leader!

Cheers @Little_Flatty! A landing net's pretty useful, although I have to confess I'm still guilty of occasionally lifting fish by the leader if I can't quite reach them.

I was out again today and had a couple more trevs and a whiting.

Had to do a double take as I was bringing in the second trev: it was getting harassed by what seemed to be 3-4 of the biggest tailor I'd ever seen. Then I noticed the yellow on the tails. I've never seen rat kings in the Cooks before!!!! Switched up to a bigger lure and fast retrieve, but couldn't entice a bite from them. Went for a flick around a few bridges, but didn't get anything else. Still, it was a nice day to be out by the water.

[Isaac Ct]

1 hour ago, adamski said:

Cheers @Little_Flatty! A landing net's pretty useful, although I have to confess I'm still guilty of occasionally lifting fish by the leader if I can't quite reach them.

I was out again today and had a couple more trevs and a whiting.

Had to do a double take as I was bringing in the second trev: it was getting harassed by what seemed to be 3-4 of the biggest tailor I'd ever seen. Then I noticed the yellow on the tails. I've never seen rat kings in the Cooks before!!!! Switched up to a bigger lure and fast retrieve, but couldn't entice a bite from them. Went for a flick around a few bridges, but didn't get anything else. Still, it was a nice day to be out by the water.

Nice fish mate, shame about the kings. Keep at it.