Sydney Harbour Surprise

[DerekD]

It is not often I get blown away when watching someone else fishing but, at times, it happens – Wednesday evening this week was one of those times.

My original plan was to try some photography concepts with a friend, a prime lens and the Christmas lights in the Mosman area. Unfortunately, my muse had eaten something which had disagreed with her and was unwell for most of the day. Looking at the time and the wind I decided to head down to Sydney harbour to try for some kings.

Getting down at one of my favourite locations I found two people already fishing. They’d set up neatly in one of the corners so there was still plenty of room for me to fish. I asked them how the fishing was going and they said they’d already had a few. He was fishing bait and she was fishing soft plastics. While setting up I watched her cast and was impressed at how efficient her technique was. It is the first thing I usually modify when mentoring people so I’ve a tendency to watch other people doing so.

When chatting while fishing they introduced themselves as Ed and Joss and I replied that my name is Derek. They had gotten into fishing about 3 years ago and had struggled initially to get information to help their skills grow. At one stage I mentioned Fishraider and then suddenly a couple of things clicked into place for them. They realised that I was that “Derek” and they were also very familiar with @Pickles. Turns out they’ve read a lot of our posts and Bob and myself were two people they wanted to meet one day. Joss was very complimentary (how to win friends and influence people) on the details that went into my articles. I mentioned part of the reason they were so detailed is that I wanted to help the information hungry fishing person that really wanted to understand the core concepts of aspects of fishing I feel I’m pretty good at.

The reason I was so blown away by these two is how well they fish together. Ed uses baits as he does really well on them and probably didn’t feel the need to make the transition to lures. Joss said she didn’t like handling baits and the related smell and mess so she concentrated on lures and got really good at the plastics. So much so that during one session she got 31 salmon in about an hour up at the Central coast. Ed kindly takes the fish off the hooks for her. They kind of vibe of each other’s techniques. His bait acts like a burley bringing additional fish into the area for her to catch. Her lures often fire up the fish which increases his catch rate and gives him the opportunity to switch to lures when the fish are playing. They have invested some money into their gear (including Shimano and Daiwa) and it is all stuff I’d happily recommend to others when mentoring. More importantly they have learned to fish this gear in a way that plays to their respective fishing strengths. They head out 2 to 3 times a week and research locations to find new places to try. At one stage Joss mentioned she’d often try different things to see what worked. I suspect their dedication and intelligence were driving factors in how they had gotten so good in such a relatively short period of time. I see people with decades of fishing behind them that just got in the habit of doing what they’d always done cause it worked but then seemed to be missing the growth aspect of fishing.

It was a pleasure to chat to them as we bounced around several topics, they had my sort of humour and were pretty quick to laugh. During the conversations they landed several salmon, a flathead in the mid forties and an almost legal snapper. I was impressed at the quantity of good fish they were pulling in. All were released as they were fishing for the pleasure of it.

It is really difficult to point out potential areas for improvements to people that do as well as these two – if not done with a bit of humility it can almost come across as arrogance. Watching them I did realise there were some aspects where their skillset could be added to. I went into teach mode and showed them how plastics could be made to walk the dog sub-surface. Ed had never seen anyone move a plastic that way. Joss was almost there already with her retrieves (which already worked really well for her). I went into the basics of shore based jigging (at least the way I do it) as it is something neither had had much experience with. I also mentioned I fish topwater for bream and whiting which it turns out is something that Joss struggled with. She conveniently had a larger sugapen which I tied on my outfit and then used to show how tightly it could be made to walk the dog – irritatingly (from my perspective as they distract from the lesson) several salmon had a go at the lure. We then tied the sugapen on her outfit and then I showed her that it came down technique rather than gear. She gave it a try but realised what I was showing her was a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. My counter was that I’m doubly disadvantaged at coordination as I have the male gene and the engineering gene and am extremely painful to watch on the dance floor but if I could do it then she could too (in time). Over the lesson several more salmon had a go at the lure and then suddenly she hooked up. I think another couple of sessions out and she will nail the retrieve. I also spent a bit of time with Ed showing him how to walk the dog sub-surface with plastics. Took a little while to find the cadence but after a few aha moments I think he got it.

A few more people showed up at which point the three of us decided it was time to go. Joss and Ed, firstly, it was a pleasure to meet you and fish with you. Secondly, I hope you do end up becoming members on Fishraider. Thirdly, I hope I lived up to your expectations of me based on all of my articles you’ve read and we will have to see if you can meet with Pickles too down the track.

Regards,

Derek

PS. I ended up with one tailor but had fun so didn’t really care.

Edited December 22, 2022 by DerekD

[Green Hornet]

Great write up Derek, and kudos once again for taking the time to show the couple some of the finer points.
Soon, if you want to have a quiet fish to yourself, you’re going to need a disguise.

[DerekD]

9 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

Soon, if you want to have a quiet fish to yourself, you’re going to need a disguise.

Not too bad at the moment. At one stage now that she was able to put a face to the name, Joss said she'd seen me fishing before - McMahon's point with the fly rod chasing black fish.

She comes across as very observant too.

Edited December 22, 2022 by DerekD

[Yowie]

Good work there Derek.

Some people like to read Fishraider reports to gain info to help their fishing interests, others read it just to find a fishing spot that we use.

[Little_Flatty]

49 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

Soon, if you want to have a quiet fish to yourself, you’re going to need a disguise.

Come to think of it, I’m not sure @DerekD actually fishes! The times I’ve been out with him, I’ve barely seen him pick up a rod!

I reckon he either learned everything he knew by chatting to anglers like Joss while they were fishing, or maybe he was just freakishly born with all of the skills🤣

Of course I jest, but that’s a testament that to how generous Derek is. It’s also why he could become a guide, and why I can’t 🤣

[Jfish]

Hi raiders

It was a pleasure meeting the famous @DerekD in person.  I wasn't expecting a lesson, but he showed me how to walk the dog.  The fact that a couple of fish tried to grab the lure while he was working it shows that his technique works.  What a great demonstration!  

I am amazed by how generous Derek is with his knowledge and skillset, which he has honed over time.   As you know, he is so willing to offer his help to strangers, even online ones.  Derek, you are a rare breed!

@Pickles I love your fishing reports, including your cheeky banana!  You are truly a kingfish whisperer.  Hope you catch a lot of them this season.

Happy holidays and tight lines!

- Joss - 

 

[DerekD]

10 minutes ago, Jfish said:

Hi raiders

It was a pleasure meeting the famous @DerekD in person.  I wasn't expecting a lesson, but he showed me how to walk the dog.  The fact that a couple of fish tried to grab the lure while he was working it shows that his technique works.  What a great demonstration!  

I am amazed by how generous Derek is with his knowledge and skillset, which he has honed over time.   As you know, he is so willing to offer his help to strangers, even online ones.  Derek, you are a rare breed!

@Pickles I love your fishing reports, including your cheeky banana!  You are truly a kingfish whisperer.  Hope you catch a lot of them this season.

Happy holidays and tight lines!

- Joss - 

 

Hi Joss,

Welcome aboard. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your posts - especially after seeing how well you and Ed fish together.

Regards,

Derek

PS. Looking forward to taking the two of you out for some topwater bream and whiting.

[Yowie]

4 hours ago, Yowie said:

Good work there Derek.

Some people like to read Fishraider reports to gain info to help their fishing interests, others read it just to find a fishing spot that we use.

@Rebel

A few years ago, a fisho motored over to me on the Hacking, asked if I was Yowie, I said yes, thinking he was another Fishraider. I asked him who he was, and he said, "that doesn't matter, I only wanted to know where you fish," then he took off.

[Jfish]

15 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Come to think of it, I’m not sure @DerekD actually fishes! The times I’ve been out with him, I’ve barely seen him pick up a rod!

I reckon he either learned everything he knew by chatting to anglers like Joss while they were fishing, or maybe he was just freakishly born with all of the skills🤣

Of course I jest, but that’s a testament that to how generous Derek is. It’s also why he could become a guide, and why I can’t 🤣

We bumped into @DerekD again today while fishing.  @Little_Flatty I can confirm that Derek fished for a whole session without teaching!  😬 Even when there were two other fishermen there.  

Anyway, Ed caught two salmon on bait today.  And we got to meet Pat - Derek's fishing buddy.  

It was a lovely day.  

[bessell1955]

Another two dedicated members, well done Derek.