Five species at Blackwattle

[Mike Sydney]

Good evening all!

It’s been many months between reports. I broke my hand earlier this year and it took a couple months before I was able to set the hook with confidence again. I dropped many fish due to hook setting too weak, but found a video on hook sets which suggested setting three times, which improved my catch rate exponentially. Things started to pick up over the spring with my first jewfish, plenty of Estuary Perch and some great topwater tailor sessions.

My wife is currently 38 weeks pregnant with our fourth child, but she didn’t think it was coming tonight and I was allowed out again. What a blessing!

I went to Blackwattle Bay, arriving about 8pm on a very low tide, almost dead low at 0.6m. At first it looked too shallow to fish but it turned on a terrific session.

First up was some speculative work just outside the weed beds with a black GrubZ. Nothing doing and I was wondering if it was too shallow so shone the headlamp down for a look at the edges. 

Lo and behold, sitting right beneath me chilling out is a Long-Finned Eel - at least I guess that’s what it was, a yellow eel with black spots. It didn’t give a hoot about the light and stayed still in perhaps 30cm of water in a sand patch between two weed beds.

Not expecting a result I dropped the grub right in front of it, and it immediately wolfed it - and the eel is on! 

On 6lb it was very very heavy, and instead of fleeing it wrapped itself in coils and tied itself in a knot. I had the landing net unclipped from the backpack in a hurry but it was just too much weight for my line and it snapped only a few cms from getting in the net. Perhaps for the best, as I’ve not handled an eel before and it looked like a nasty wee critter, perhaps 75/80cm. Still, a very fun encounter to catch it via spotlighting and to see its contortions as it wrapped itself in a bow. 
 

With the last black GrubZ gone from the packet I switched over to a slim SwimZ in the brown speckle colour and continued to work the shallows. Even at long casts I was in less than half a meter, but the fish were on the chew and soon I had a big juicy bream on the shore, coming in at 35cm:

After releasing her I moved along the shore towards the jetty with the barbed wire. The tide was low enough to walk down onto the sand, and next out taking the slim SwimZ was a small snapper that had been milling around the boat hulls:

On to the wharf itself, which has permanent lights and small tailor there every time I fish. The unlucky owner of the boat moored there must spend ages clearing tackle, as it seems a new lost rig is dangling from the stern each time I visit.

I still had the plastic on but considered swapping out to a new surface lure that’s been killing it for me lately, the Vex Deadn’ 80. This is a hinged surface lure and I was tempted to change over, but you can still fish plastics on the surface and so I cast in the light pool, closed the bail arm and began a surface retrieve immediately on hitting the water. The tailor hooked up on its second attempt, not a big one but great to get rewarded with a plastic catch on top first cast with only a few meters to work with. 

Started fishing back towards the car and was soon on again near the cafe, this time a wild fight against something heavy, a big flathead. Touch and go landing it but I dragged it to a nearby staircase and into the landing net she went, measuring out at 56cm:

Back near the car at the end of Cook St is an outcrop of oysters, extending out six or seven meters into the flats. This structure fishes great, but was exposed completely on the low tide tonight. I jumped down to have a nosey and to my surprise found mussels in amongst the oysters. No wonder it’s so popular.

I thought about the micro mussel lure but I’m not sure dragging anything with trebles through there is a good idea. 

Standing on the end of the rock bar I could see much further with the headlamp than from the footpath, and found it largely flat with no depth change. I’ve fished it for months presuming there was a drop off at the end of the structure but found out that’s not the case. Hopefully knowing this area a little better from the low tide exploration will pay off in future sessions. 

All done in an hour and off home. The wife didn’t give birth - very polite of her! - great to have such a wonderful session given I won’t be fishing for a while again once our fourth child arrives (yeah right…🤣)

Cheers , Mike

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Mike Sydney

[big Neil]

A great report of the exploration of a familiar area Mike. Felt as if I was there with you as you trundled through the night, fishing the different spots. So it will be back to nappy changes and late night feeds for you guys, hope everything goes well for Mum and the new arrival. Good luck when next you venture out into the piscatorial world for some therapy. bn

[Little_Flatty]

Nice report there, and a few really good fish! Kind of bittersweet with the eel. The slime on them doesn't come off your hands without a good scrub with a brush or scourer, so good thing you didn't need to touch it.

I too have found that the a few additional strikes for good measure works well, particularly when fishing with gear <= 4lb.

Hope all goes well with the arrival of child number four. It's a special time with a new bub in the house.

[Green Hornet]

Very nice report and great result. Those shallow water fish always seem to fight that bit harder.

Good luck with the Bub.

[Mike Sydney]

2 hours ago, big Neil said:

A great report of the exploration of a familiar area Mike. Felt as if I was there with you as you trundled through the night, fishing the different spots. So it will be back to nappy changes and late night feeds for you guys, hope everything goes well for Mum and the new arrival. Good luck when next you venture out into the piscatorial world for some therapy. bn

Thanks Neil! With the other three kids being 6, 4 and 2 I’ve been propping up the nappy industry since 2016…!

[Yowie]

A good session with a mixture of fish. Regarding the eel, they are angry critters when hooked, bite hard with a mouthful of sharp teeth, and as you saw, will roll up in knots. If you are bitten, the rolling effect will tear pieces from your hand.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Yowie

[Mike Sydney]

4 minutes ago, Yowie said:

A good session with a mixture of fish. Regarding the eel, they are angry critters when hooked, bite hard with a mouthful of sharp teeth, and as you saw, will roll up in knots. If you are bitten, the rolling effect will tear pieces from your hand.

Searching Raider for eels last night and the post from @Mr Squidy on this thread talking of the dangers of a live eel is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read….

 

 

[mrsswordfisherman]

Great post and best wishes to Mrs Mike Sydney 🍼🧑‍🍼

 

[Isaac Ct]

Great report mate, well done. Congratulations on the 4th child, hope you and the family are well.

[bessell1955]

A great mixture of fish.  Do you feel that Fish Markets attract fish?

[Mike Sydney]

I’m not sure really. I’m sure they gobble up chips there plenty! I’ve actually never been to the market. I tried once and the queues of cars scared me away.

The flats there hold all sorts of fish as there’s tons for them to eat and plenty of structure for them to find cover. It’s where I caught my first jewfish and I’ve had some ripping fish there - - 39cm whiting a couple weeks back too, some big trevally and estuary perch have been tight against the walls for the past six weeks or so.

The EP pictured below came out two weeks back and it sliced me up good from its gills. I’ll be taking more care handling them as it was a nasty painful cut.

[Bennyg78]

Great report and awesome session

i have a couple of those vex dead’n lures, really good action on them, very bent minnow like

[jenno64]

Great post Mike and you sure got onto some quality fish on the flat! All the best for the impending birth of Number 4!

[Mike Sydney]

9 minutes ago, Bennyg78 said:

Great report and awesome session

i have a couple of those vex dead’n lures, really good action on them, very bent minnow like

They’re great aren’t they. And half the price of an OSP!

[Mike Sydney]

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I noticed the four pictured fish were caught standing on four different surfaces. Grass, wood, concrete, sand. That’s gotta be some sort of record worthy of a badge. I just needed metal to complete the set!
 

Consider the gauntlet thrown down, raiders. This is the benchmark to beat 😆😆

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, Mike Sydney said:

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I noticed the four pictured fish were caught standing on four different surfaces. Grass, wood, concrete, sand. That’s gotta be some sort of record worthy of a badge. I just needed metal to complete the set!
 

Consider the gauntlet thrown down, raiders. This is the benchmark to beat 😆😆

Give him a badge Donna p l e a s e !      bn

[Squidless]

love it, still fishing with a heavily pregnant wife and three kids to boot! you are a lucky man. congrats on your 4th and hopefully all goes well.

you remind me of when I had my first kid...I went fishing on the day he was born...

[Rebel]

Super report.

Top photos.

All the best for the 4th Addition.

Cheers.

[Mike Sydney]

So a little update, baby arrived this morning just after first light (on a rising tide…!). Bundle of joy of course just like his dad.
He’s asleep and I open the hospital curtains, and there’s Botany Bay staring back at me, a “fish me” look in her eyes…. Wind’s dropped down, both wife and new baby asleep, minutes from the boat ramp….alas, I left the rod at home 🤣
 

 

[Blackfish]

Fantastic 😃

[wazatherfisherman]

Congratulations Mike and Mrs Mike! Babies born on a rising tide are destined to become lure fisho's 😉 Best wishes to your family

[Little_Flatty]

Congratulations @Mike Sydney and mrs mike Sydney! Enjoy this special time! You’ll get out soon enough!

[Larkin]

Congratulations on number 4!

It’s what life’s about - won’t be a dull moment at your place!

[mrsswordfisherman]

Fantastic and I presume Mum and the baby boy are well.

Congrats to you, Mum and your 4 kids @Mike Sydney

[Mike Sydney]

12 hours ago, Larkin said:

Congratulations on number 4!

It’s what life’s about - won’t be a dull moment at your place!

Cheers mate. It hasn’t been dull last few weeks for sure, the baby was racing completion of our knock down rebuild and we moved in to the new place a week before the birth. Happy days! But I wouldn’t recommend building a home and having a baby at the same time, so stressful but everything has lined up perfectly!