Port Hacking - a bit quiet

[Yowie]

Headed out early this morning to Lilli Pilli, and fished along the edge of deeper water. Pulled out the tailor, dropped another, and also the flattie on a handline. It edged past the 70cm mark, so it was returned - would have released it regardless of the new size limits. A couple of little reddies, then all bites stopped before sun up.

Headed to Maianbar flats, pumped some nippers and pulled out 6 whiting, all undersize. Tried a drift along the main channel and saw garfish jumping, so burleyed with some bread crusts. Pulled out the 4 on small bread baits before they disappeared, and looks like there are a few cruising about over the flats.

Continued several drifts over the Lilli Pilli flats for the whiting, and a bream about legal size. Nothing to see swimming about, just plenty of sand with very little fish life.

I tried a couple of other spots over sand banks, and a few mullet started jumping, so I lobbed a small metal lure beside them, retrieved it at speed back to the boat and it was followed by a kingie, easily around the 80cm mark, sitting right up behind the lure until near the boat, then it peeled away and took off. Only little bream about so headed home.

[Restyle]

Was looking promising last time you posted, and now this. Jinxed! 

still got some fish regardless, you going to eat or salt the gars 

[Pickles]

Way to go Dave - a really nice flattie. If the Kingie was chasing a metal slug, I’d be lobbing a garfish (live if possible) at it and almost certain it would be hammered (and hang on for the ride if it was 80cm+).

[Isaac Ct]

Great bag Yowie, bit of an insight. I have finished exams now so heading out in afternoons will be a go.

Well done.

[Yowie]

2 hours ago, Restyle said:

Was looking promising last time you posted, and now this. Jinxed! 

still got some fish regardless, you going to eat or salt the gars 

Will be eating the gars. Removed the rib bones from the fillets, and they will be crumbed and pan fried. They are a favourite fish of mine, not caught very often.

Gars are a bit fiddly to prepare, many people avoid them, however, if you visit the southern states, gars are very popular for the plate.

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

Way to go Dave - a really nice flattie. If the Kingie was chasing a metal slug, I’d be lobbing a garfish (live if possible) at it and almost certain it would be hammered (and hang on for the ride if it was 80cm+).

The garfish had disappeared long before I saw the kingie, but he would have been trying to grab a feed of them as he was cruising the sand flats. 

1 hour ago, Isaac Ct said:

Great bag Yowie, bit of an insight. I have finished exams now so heading out in afternoons will be a go.

Well done.

A feed is a feed. The sand flats looked rather barren, the water is clear, however, fish could be further upstream as sometimes happens when the water is clear.

[Rebel]

Good haul.

Nice Flattie.

Well done.

No kids  or stupid Mothers to bother you.

Cheers.

[Larkin]

Great looking flatty! & Well done on the Gars!

I don’t mind them myself - tasty little fish! I just can never catch them.

I happened to be out this morning too - was very slow early, but better after the tide change, unfortunately the wind picked up.

 

 

[Yowie]

2 hours ago, Rebel said:

Good haul.

Nice Flattie.

Well done.

No kids  or stupid Mothers to bother you.

Cheers.

Thank you. A couple of jet skis but they kept their distance, and, no kids or mother types to annoy me. 🤣

[Yowie]

2 hours ago, Larkin said:

Great looking flatty! & Well done on the Gars!

I don’t mind them myself - tasty little fish! I just can never catch them.

I happened to be out this morning too - was very slow early, but better after the tide change, unfortunately the wind picked up.

 

 

I saw you pulled up a few. The wind came in early, the N/Easters are a pain in the arrrse.

The gars sit over the weed bed flats, and along the edge of the main channel at times.

[nal]

Need to learn how to catch myself some garfish semi-reliably, such amazing kingie baits. I do agree with pickles though, should’ve lobbed out one of those garfish for the king, IMO Garfish are second best for kingfish baits being only beaten by cuttlefish.

[Larkin]

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

I saw you pulled up a few. The wind came in early, the N/Easters are a pain in the arrrse.

The gars sit over the weed bed flats, and along the edge of the main channel at times.

When ever I see them around, they leave really quick. 
did you use a float? Or just unweighted like fishing for poddies?

[Yowie]

11 hours ago, Larkin said:

When ever I see them around, they leave really quick. 
did you use a float? Or just unweighted like fishing for poddies?

6 pound handline, size 10 longshank, no float. Really need no wind, or just a slight breeze behind you. Takes a bit of practice to flick a small piece of moist bread out from the boat.

If the gars are some distance from the boat, I will use a bubble float on a whiting rod to get a bit of distance.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Yowie

[Yowie]

12 hours ago, Max_fish said:

Need to learn how to catch myself some garfish semi-reliably, such amazing kingie baits. I do agree with pickles though, should’ve lobbed out one of those garfish for the king, IMO Garfish are second best for kingfish baits being only beaten by cuttlefish.

The kingie was moving fast, all over the place, and, I was happy to the gars home for a feed. The fillets tasted very nice, much better than kingie. 😁

Edited November 10, 2022 by Yowie

[kantong]

70cm flattie on a handline, great stuff!

[Yowie]

2 hours ago, kantong said:

70cm flattie on a handline, great stuff!

Thank you, and the bigger flatties can put up a fight.

[knirps]

Went out last Monday and Tuesday..during day though...tried hard with pillies...no result.  River was unfishable on the bottom end of the runout...due to slime..done well yowie.!

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, knirps said:

Went out last Monday and Tuesday..during day though...tried hard with pillies...no result.  River was unfishable on the bottom end of the runout...due to slime..done well yowie.!

Thank you. There is still quite a bit of slime floating through the system. The ribbon weed along the main channel is covered with the slime.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Obsessed Fisherman said:

Interesting, I didn't know you can catch mullets with a metal lure and a fast retrieve. Thanks for that, going to try that when I see some.

I was referring to the kingie. Mullet will occasionally take a lure, but not a fast retrieve. Usually a small soft plastic or feather lure, if they take anything at all. I saw the mullet jumping, so I lobbed a metal lure into the splashes, and that is when the kingie followed the lure back to the boat.

In all of my fishing, I have only observed one mullet attacking a lure I was retrieving. It was a metal wobbler lure, slow retrieve, and the sand mullet was hammering the lure but no hookup due to the treble hook.

I have caught many sand mullet on retrieved baits - bread, nippers, worms, prawn pieces, fish pieces - so they will follow and grab a moving bait at times, but only slow retrieves.

[nal]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:00 AM, Yowie said:

The kingie was moving fast, all over the place, and, I was happy to the gars home for a feed. The fillets tasted very nice, much better than kingie. 😁

Not much tops sashimi kingfish in my opinion, but of course it’s all preferential

[jenno64]

A bit of solid action there Yowie!

that’s your first flatty for the summer outside the slot limit with plenty more to come!

promising to get a decent king to follow and you bagged some fillets for the table. I’m off work next week so hope to get out amongst it🙏🏻

[Yowie]

5 hours ago, jenno64 said:

A bit of solid action there Yowie!

that’s your first flatty for the summer outside the slot limit with plenty more to come!

promising to get a decent king to follow and you bagged some fillets for the table. I’m off work next week so hope to get out amongst it🙏🏻

Some bigger flatties should be showing up now.

Good luck with the fishing during the week.