Fishing session with new Fishraider

[DerekD]

Hi All,

With the actual weather being different to what was forecast yesterday I reached out to new Fishraider @Ryan.f to see if he could come out to play. He could so we met at Mosman bay.

When we met the other day he was using a 9 foot rod, 2500 sized reel and 12lb braid. Not the first outfit I would have suggested. Turns out that when he walked into the tackle store his first line was that he wants to catch kingfish (everybody wants to catch kingfish). All well and good if they are around but then I explained why it was better to start with a lighter outfit such as the ArrowZ I was using. He managed to track a well priced 2nd hand one down which was one class above the 3-14gram lure rating I recommended. I was a little hesitant in recommending it as I suspected the butt length would be longer than I usually suggest. I left the choice up to him.

Down at Mosman bay he had his 2500 reel and newly acquired rod. To see the limitations of the outfit for what I teach I put on my reel (he is English so uses the handle on the left). I tried a 70mm sugapen which I then got to walk the dog. I then demonstrated the sub surface walk the dog with a 3" plastic. That went pretty well too. The lesson then started in earnest. Had him put his reel on the rod and then the 70mm sugapen. I pointed out that if we could get that lure properly walking the dog then the same technique would work for bent minnows, MMD splash prawns and a variety of other topwater lures. The bugger had it working more or less properly the first time he tried it. He has fishing talent but lacks local experience. We spent a little time refining the retrieve and then started to throw in the pauses and speed changes which makes these lures so effective on the sandflats. Didn't get any hits but in 5m of water I wasn't expecting any.

We worked our way through, 3" minnows, halco twistys and vibes. Each accompanied with an explanation as to when and where and how we might use them. Along the way he had some hits and then the rod started to shake. Out of the depth comes a lovely little flounder which dropped at the wharf but we'd seen it. Ryan's confidence was growing as that was his first Australian fish on lure. A little while later he picked up another flounder which stayed around for a photo opportunity (I'll let Ryan post) before being released.

Now that we had covered the core concepts we worked our way around the rest of the bay as we would normally. First the channel near the marina where we both hooked and dropped flathead at the wall. I lost a lure when I was being a bit too cocky casting in the gaps between the boats.

Then to the back of the bay where we worked on covering as much ground as effectively as possible. Surprisingly no fish there but we were at a bit of a time limit at this stage.

Final stop were the jetties near the sailing club. We started using vibes and grubs at this stage. I hooked and landed a lovely little dusky flathead. I demonstrated where the spikes near the gills were and got him to feel the raspy teeth.

Time was up but it was a very enjoyable fishing session for both of us. I think Ryan has a newfound appreciation for the pleasure of fishing with light gear.

Regards,

Derek

Edited September 22, 2022 by DerekD

[Squidless]

Love the report and the part where he got it on his first try. Something I can only dream of as my coordination is worse than my 2yr old son.

Helping another raider, @DerekD you are part of what makes fishraider so special.

Getting better at lure fishing especially surface lures is on my bucket list but just don't have the time for it at the moment.

 

[bessell1955]

This is the strength of this site, Fishradiers helping other members. 

[mrsswordfisherman]

1 minute ago, bessell1955 said:

This is the strength of this site, Fishradiers helping other members. 

I agree @bessell1955

Members ARE fishraider and there would be no fishraider without our members and their input

[LuckyFil]

Sounds like you compressed many years of knowledge and experience into a morning's lesson - good on you! 

It seems  Ryan is well on the way after that lesson and with some natural ability already he'll be posting reports in no time.

Fil

[Fisherlady]

Lovely little story to read Derek. Sounds like an enjoyable time was had. 😀

[Bluebenbomb]

Good on you for taking @Ryan.f out. Looks like no matter where you are, fishing techniques and skills are important and can be applied.

[Ryan.f]

@DerekD was a great day out and loving the new outfit, so much easier to work the lures and feel all the bites. Thanks again for the recommendation Derek.

had a lot of fun learning different retrievals for different lures and learning what works in different situations. Derek is a fantastic teacher and his passion for fishing is infectious.

really happy to get my first few fish on the lure and tick off 2 Australian species. Picked if the first flounder on the vibe and another flounder and flat head on the 3” minnow. Thanks again for showing me the ropes @DerekD and thanks for everyone’s reply’s. Was unable to attach a photo for some reason but I’ll figure it out soon.

 

[Rebel]

Super story.

Well done.

[nutsaboutfishing]

Good on you Derek. If you had a dollar for every fisho you’ve mentored…..

You truly are a pillar of the Fishraider community!

 Ryan you have the best possible start to fishing in Sydney

[Drunkenfisho]

4 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi All,

With the actual weather being different to what was forecast yesterday I reached out to new Fishraider @Ryan.f to see if he could come out to play. He could so we met at Mosman bay.

When we met the other day he was using a 9 foot rod, 2500 sized reel and 12lb braid. Not the first outfit I would have suggested. Turns out that when he walked into the tackle store his first line was that he wants to catch kingfish (everybody wants to catch kingfish). All well and good if they are around but then I explained why it was better to start with a lighter outfit such as the ArrowZ I was using. He managed to track a well priced 2nd hand one down which was one class above the 3-14gram lure rating I recommended. I was a little hesitant in recommending it as I suspected the butt length would be longer than I usually suggest. I left the choice up to him.

Down at Mosman bay he had his 2500 reel and newly acquired rod. To see the limitations of the outfit for what I teach I put on my reel (he is English so uses the handle on the left). I tried a 70mm sugapen which I then got to walk the dog. I then demonstrated the sub surface walk the dog with a 3" plastic. That went pretty well too. The lesson then started in earnest. Had him put his reel on the rod and then the 70mm sugapen. I pointed out that if we could get that lure properly walking the dog then the same technique would work for bent minnows, MMD splash prawns and a variety of other topwater lures. The bugger had it working more or less properly the first time he tried it. He has fishing talent but lacks local experience. We spent a little time refining the retrieve and then started to throw in the pauses and speed changes which makes these lures so effective on the sandflats. Didn't get any hits but in 5m of water I wasn't expecting any.

We worked our way through, 3" minnows, halco twistys and vibes. Each accompanied with an explanation as to when and where and how we might use them. Along the way he had some hits and then the rod started to shake. Out of the depth comes a lovely little flounder which dropped at the wharf but we'd seen it. Ryan's confidence was growing as that was his first Australian fish on lure. A little while later he picked up another flounder which stayed around for a photo opportunity (I'll let Ryan post) before being released.

Now that we had covered the core concepts we worked our way around the rest of the bay as we would normally. First the channel near the marina where we both hooked and dropped flathead at the wall. I lost a lure when I was being a bit too cocky casting in the gaps between the boats.

Then to the back of the bay where we worked on covering as much ground as effectively as possible. Surprisingly no fish there but we were at a bit of a time limit at this stage.

Final stop were the jetties near the sailing club. We started using vibes and grubs at this stage. I hooked and landed a lovely little dusky flathead. I demonstrated where the spikes near the gills were and got him to feel the raspy teeth.

Time was up but it was a very enjoyable fishing session for both of us. I think Ryan has a newfound appreciation for the pleasure of fishing with light gear.

Regards,

Derek

Great write up and report, and well done for the helping hand.

Funny what you say about using the reel on the left, I have a friend who is left handed like me whereas he reels with his left and I reel with my right 

[dajayjay]

Fantastic report and @DerekD is an absolute legend!

Well done @Ryan.f

 

[Bennyg78]

Well done @Ryan.f

Wait til those fish hit the topwater lures it’s so addictive 

[Gengar]

@DerekDmate great report and love it when you teach newcomers the world of lure fishing! I am yet to catch a flounder on lure so u gotta show me next time we fish!

[Little_Flatty]

Nice work @DerekD and @Ryan.f!

I've only caught a handful of flounder on lures in 20 years of bread and butter luring, so well done!  That said, it's not hard to see why they would be supreme predators. They are always a welcome addition to the catch. A sweeter feed will rarely be had.

The dominant vs non-dominant hand debate is an interesting one. I learned to wind left-handed decades ago in the Rex Hunt/Steve Starling era and haven't been able to shake the habit for everything except for the Alvey and fly fishing (both instances where I might need to palm the spool and that's one of the scenarios where I feel that I need dominant hand coordination). For the same reasons I like left-handed baitcasters because I can thumb the spool with my right hand. Left-handed winding works better for me in all other scenarios, including retrieving at speed. I've been doing it for so long now that right-handed retreival feels foreign to me, to the point I think that I'd struggle working lures if I changed hands. But it seems like non-dominant hand winding is dying out these days, going off youtube personality preferences. Each to their own! For what it's worth, I've left my kids' reels right-handed (they're right-handed like me).

@Ryan.f did you bring your coarse fishing gear downunder with you? If so I'd love to see you take it out with Derek and see how it goes on the blackfish. I think you'd brain them!

[HawkesburyParadise]

On 9/25/2022 at 6:59 PM, Little_Flatty said:

Nice work @DerekD and @Ryan.f!

I've only caught a handful of flounder on lures in 20 years of bread and butter luring, so well done!  That said, it's not hard to see why they would be supreme predators. They are always a welcome addition to the catch. A sweeter feed will rarely be had.

The dominant vs non-dominant hand debate is an interesting one. I learned to wind left-handed decades ago in the Rex Hunt/Steve Starling era and haven't been able to shake the habit for everything except for the Alvey and fly fishing (both instances where I might need to palm the spool and that's one of the scenarios where I feel that I need dominant hand coordination). For the same reasons I like left-handed baitcasters because I can thumb the spool with my right hand. Left-handed winding works better for me in all other scenarios, including retrieving at speed. I've been doing it for so long now that right-handed retreival feels foreign to me, to the point I think that I'd struggle working lures if I changed hands. But it seems like non-dominant hand winding is dying out these days, going off youtube personality preferences. Each to their own! For what it's worth, I've left my kids' reels right-handed (they're right-handed like me).

@Ryan.f did you bring your coarse fishing gear downunder with you? If so I'd love to see you take it out with Derek and see how it goes on the blackfish. I think you'd brain them!

I've often wondered if I'll be able to flick better with my stronger right hand. 

[Ryan.f]

@Little_Flatty no unfortunately I didn’t bring any of my gear with me I left it all back in England for when I visit.

I will probably get some course fishing bits as I go though as I would love to get back into that also. I mainly fished for carp so would be interested to see what the Cato fishing scene is like here in oz 

[Little_Flatty]

Just now, Ryan.f said:

@Little_Flatty no unfortunately I didn’t bring any of my gear with me I left it all back in England for when I visit.

I will probably get some course fishing bits as I go though as I would love to get back into that also. I mainly fished for carp so would be interested to see what the Cato fishing scene is like here in oz 

Ryan I think you'll be quite surprised at the carp fishing in Sydney. They are very prolific to the point where they are considered a noxious pest and likely much easier to catch than back in England. The advice we are given is to humanely dispatch and dispose of any carp we catch. In some states it is illegal to return them to the water.

The Parramatta river above the weir (just up from the Parramatta ferry wharf) is freshwater and they can be caught there, along with some bass. Worms, bread and corn all work. When I was fishing there a bit as a kid, I'd just tie on a size 6 hook, squeeze a 3cm piece of bread around it (leaving the end fluffy), wet it for casting weight and lob it out unweighted and let it sink slowly. Then after a while, a carp will hopefully pick it up and off you go!

Apart from that, I know that they are in Manly dam, Lake Parramatta and also on the Nepean, where I believe that there are a few coarse fishing practitioners honing their craft targeting carp, mullet, herring and bass.

[Blackfish]

Also above the Weir at Parramatta I have seen people catch them. I think @motiondave has fished up that way.

[Rock&Beach]

Great work DerekD. Good on you for helping the bloke out. Sounds like you had some fun.

[Denisfisho]

Ah reminds me of our first session xD.

Fishing light is so much fun.

When someone during the first sessions catches a bream with the sugapen you'll know you found the chosen one lol.

[Pickles]

Champion effort Derek.