So what's your favourite type of fishing...why?

[big Neil]

I'm always curious about what makes people tick. We're all different! 

Fishing, angling, or whatever you want to call it, is a thread that we all share. Through this forum, we all know a little about each other's fishing experiences, yet there are so many options available. I have learned so much from others who share the same passion for catching fish. Got me thinking... so many options. What really excites me, and inevitably, why?

I consider myself very lucky to have fished all of my life. The struggles of trying to catch fish in the UK...too many people trying to catch too few fish. Frustration personified! Then the absolute opposite in Australia. Stacks of options, massive areas to explore, where to start? Over the 50+ years I have been in Australia, I have tried many different types of fishing. Had lots of success, and inevitably, lots of donuts. Notice I didn't say failures. There are no such things to me, for every fishing experience is of benefit. So what is my favourite and why?

STANDARD FLOAT FISHING FOR LUDERICK. This ticks so many boxes for me. Setting up the rig, finding a likely location, what depth are the fish sitting, and the concentration when watching the float. Mesmerizing as it journeys along with the current, anticipation building. A down...how long to wait before setting the hook, then the fight on a long, whippy rod and centre pin reel. Find one, you can usually find more, so it can often provide a good feed. Sounds simple doesn't it? I think there's a reason why many of the best Luderick anglers are in the older age bracket...lifelong experience.

So why do I like this type of fishing best? It's fairly easy to access, cheap too (providing you can get some weed), and it provides the very best insight into what's going on beneath the water. Every single thing the fish does is relayed through the float. I guess that's where the fishing journey started for me, float fishing for coarse fish in the UK. Not that I would ever wish to re-visit those experiences, other than in my memories.

Second to that would be surface lure fishing for Murray Cod. That's another story.

Look forward to seeing your answers.

 

bn

[noelm]

I have fished all my life too, doing everything from creek fishing as a kid, to gamefishing, caught a lot of very memorable fish along the way. These days I enjoy taking the grandkids fishing, from getting gear ready,  catching bait (that’s their favourite) to catching table fish, releasing unwanted fish, looking at “stuff” while fishing, cleaning what we want to eat and cleaning up when finished, most of the routine they are not interested in, but (in my opinion) if only a little bit sticks in their mind, it’s been worth it! All kids like crabbing, nothing beats the look on their faces when pulling “their” trap/net and there’s a crab in it! Then the rivalry about who caught the biggest or most, washing the boat is not such a big hit, unless there is some kind of water fight involved…….

[dirvin21]

I have fished for as long as I can remember, started out with my old man drifting yabbies on handlines then got myself into lure fishing. I've been lucky enough to fish some amazing destinations in Australia and my dream trip to the Amazon, but.... my absolute favourite fishing is kayak fishing for Murray cod, it's not only about the beautiful green fish but the destination where we commonly see platypus, emus and loads of other wildlife it's also the place Amy and I got engaged.

[Isaac Ct]

Love fishing with live bait, usually mullet. Never know what you are going to catch. Flathead, bream, snapper, crabs..

Always suspenseful and keeps you on your toes. Someone of my biggest fish of different species have come doing this.

[frankS]

I love all types of fishing from gathering bait catching livies, Marlin, Tuna and other game fish and once only fly fishing in the highlands of Scotland a huge Salmon. I have pretty well done it all but my very favorite fishing is the humble little Bass. Nothing pleases me more than heading up the Colo or an extended trip up to Lake StClair or one of the lakes, even when I head north for the Barramundi I prefer to go after the bass. When fishing lake Monduran all my mates were dead set on catching 1 metre + barramundi while I set my mind on the huge Bass that are up in the high reaches of the lake.

Coming in 2nd would be casting a metal lure besides a boiling school of Tailer and hooking up till my arms can't take any more.

I have caught metre + Barramundi and metre + Murray Cod but my all time greatest fish would have to be my 55cm Bass caught in a small system near Hervey bay Qld .

Frank

 

[XD351]

This is a difficult question for me to answer , I love the anticipation of what is around the next bend when trudging down a stream , I also love the anticipation of watching a float drift and waiting for a down - either fishing for Luderick or when I used to live bait off the rocks . Then there is lure fishing , i love lure fishing , spinning off the rocks , tiny lures for trout in the Turon and wading the flats all crank my handle but if I had to pick one form of fishing that always has and always will appeal to me and literally drains the stress out of me through my feet it would have to be beach fishing , that first step onto the sand and the smell of the sea is something I can’t get enough of and watching the sun pop up over the horizon never gets old in my books . I was getting into lure fishing off the beach then Covid came to town , must get back to it this summer !

[Rebel]

I started fishing very young at a camping trip at Lake Conjola.

Fishing in a tinny with a hand line. Caught my first Whiting. Two days later caught my first Snapper on a hand line.

Fast foward. You can't beat the rocks for catching Snapper & casting metals at the beach.

These days just wander around fishing here & there with Puppy.

Cheers.

[Green Hornet]

Growing up in an isolated coastal town, in a family that mostly lived off the land, fishing was more a way of life than a recreational past time for us. We lived right on the water and until I got to school leaving age, fished for anything and everything that was in season whether in the river, off the rocks or beach to help keep food on the table. Living on such a great part of the coast I've caught everything from mullet to marlin, but always enjoyed chasing bread and butter species the most.

This is a great topic BN and such a hard one for me to answer. A few years ago I would have said jewfish from the beach, but now I really enjoy casting metals from the sand at salmon and tailor. I have an isolated beach close to home that fishes well and hooking up with sand between my toes and waves washing around my feet, under a nice sunrise is my happy place.

 

 

  

 

[Rebel]

Super. Photo.

[PaddyT]

Sightfishing of any kind , trolling of any kind (i like to cover ground) which would include downrigging-not much of a C&R fisho these days much prefer to catch a feed and go home.

[XD351]

Awesome photo Green hornet ! Wish I was there right now!

[big Neil]

33 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

Growing up in an isolated coastal town, in a family that mostly lived off the land, fishing was more a way of life than a recreational past time for us. We lived right on the water and until I got to school leaving age, fished for anything and everything that was in season whether in the river, off the rocks or beach to help keep food on the table. Living on such a great part of the coast I've caught everything from mullet to marlin, but always enjoyed chasing bread and butter species the most.

This is a great topic BN and such a hard one for me to answer. A few years ago I would have said jewfish from the beach, but now I really enjoy casting metals from the sand at salmon and tailor. I have an isolated beach close to home that fishes well and hooking up with sand between my toes and waves washing around my feet, under a nice sunrise is my happy place.

 

 

  

 

That is a brilliant photo and I imagine whatever species you were targeting there would be great.  bn

[big Neil]

Thanks guys for the replies to this topic. Simply emphasises the huge extent of opportunity we have in Australia. Please keep the replies coming. Won't take you long to post a reply that we can all enjoy, so rip into it.

Many thanks, bn

[big Neil]

I just had another look at your photo GH and it is even better than I thought. The lone figure on the beach, fishing at sunrise...full of anticipation. Absolute cracker!

bn

[JustJames]

Great thread!

 

My fave - when it works like I want it to - is trolling lures behind my boat.  The sound of a reel's ratche announcing a fish on the line on a summer morning is just heaven to my ears.  I enjoy the sense of hunting for where I think the fish will be lurling, reading (attempting to read) the info on a fish finder and then finding a patch of fish is just joy on a stick, compounded when I send an SMS to SWMBO to say "sushi tonight!".

 

Then again, there is an adrenaline rush in finding fish feeding on topwater and getting them on a Twisty.

 

And beach fishing, even though it often involves lots of waiting for stuff to happen, has its own charm too.

 

Generally not a fan of soaking a bait from the boat, but I am working on learning to catch bait and I suspect that fresh caught bait may change all that.

[wazatherfisherman]

Hi Neil great thread! I've enjoyed reading everyone's replies also.

For me it's float fishing, watching the float teaches so much about fishing and Luderick fishing even more so. You learn about tides and water movement, bait types and presentation of bait, timing the strike and then playing your fish on light line, how to land fish by washing them up. Simply watching the float you get to know what's going on in the water around you, where you should distribute your burley so it brings the fish to you (not away from you!) and it brings together many facets of fishing that combine to provide a picture that makes sense. Luderick more so because you are purposely hunting just them and although you do encounter other species that are interested in your weed/cabbage presentation, you are specialising in what you're after. You learn the limitations of your 6lb line and are playing the fish on a reel without a drag system- it's your judgement of when to give/take line on a centrepin reel and whippy rod. Dealing with Drummer and Surgeonfish on your light tackle is always challenging and in many locations, not knowing with certainty what's taken your bait adds to the fun.

The fact that Luderick are a viable target almost year round, a species available at 'gentleman's hours' and take some skill to become proficient at catching, makes them appealing, being good to eat is an extra.

Then comes float fishing for bigger stuff, drifting a cork out off the ocean rocks with a live bait under it provides 'adrenaline fishing'- when the cork disappears at lightning speed it could be anything from a Tailor to a Marlin, the excitement of watching the big cork fly under and knowing that your foot long bait has been grabbed by 'something big' always gets the pulse rate up. Using large live bait on an illuminated cork at night when chasing Mulloway off the rocks is really exciting as well, due to them grabbing the bait at speed and seeing the light vanish into the darkness would probably be the biggest rush of all.

Then there's more 'sedate' float fishing for lesser fighting species like John Dory or Garfish- still the same enjoyment and expectation when the Dory downs the cork or the Garfish pulls the tiny float sideways.

This year I've gone Hairtail fishing a few times, land based, but again using a float/cork, and watching the battery-lit cork bob around erratically in the dark when the live bait becomes nervous always keeps you on your toes. Hairtail can be tricky to hook when using live bait and a cork, so waiting until you're sure they've taken it well down their throat before setting the hook requires both luck and patience, sometimes that involves watching the submerged light moving around for a few minutes before attempting hook-up- so far this year, more landed than lost (thanks to the new flashing lights we use under our floats/corks)

So for me, 'float fishing' would be my favourite- watching the float and the expectation of it going down at any moment is hard to beat

[Burger]

As you may note by my profile pic, I am a Luderick fisho. It is far and away my favourite style of fishing.

For me float watching is a relaxing, almost meditative pastime.

We grew up with family fishing holidays, with many being month long winter trips to Yamba to go black fishing. Many of my earliest memories come for there.

I get great pleasure and feel at peace Luderick fishing, feeling a connection to nature by being by the water and also to my parents who have both passed away.

[Little_Flatty]

My favourite form of fishing is...any form of fishing that is available to me! At present this is flicking lures for bream and flathead, because it requires minimal preparation and I can be casting on the water in a moment's notice.

As a kid I used to love catching jackets off harbour wharves. Haven't done it for a while, and makes me think that a jacket trip is due, hopefully with a feed of jackets included. Throwing bread baits into a berley trail with light tackle is also really fun, especially when the Trevs are around.

Love the beach like most, but need to be closer to the beach to get more practice. During summer, I also really enjoy stalking whiting on the flats with bait, with my 1kg outfit.

[jordy]

I have been lucky enough to do it all from mountain streams to game fishing on the deep blue out past the shelf. For me its Australian freshwater impoundment fishing, the whole package of scenery, camping, wildlife, sharing it with families and friends and the 1 metre Cod quest cant be topped.

[Welster]

Great topic Neil.  When everything is right it is hard to beat fishing for Dolphin fish on the right day.   A nice sunrise on the way out, the water a nice shade of blue, the live bait swimming freely within view and seeing the mahi buzzing the bait through the water and sometimes the hook up too. 
 

I also like the simplicity of pumping Nipoers and fishing for whiting off the flats in a nice location.  
 

One of the great things about fishing is it can be whatever you like, laid back and relaxed or active, simple like a hand line from a wharf or involved like game fishing. It really does offer something for everyone. 

[Hill373737]

Great thread bn, and its interesting to see how others have evolved their fishing preferences over the years.

I've fished all my life, starting with a dad who was passionate about catching big mulloway and since we had 4wds back when they weren't anywhere as common as now, spent a lot of time fishing isolated beaches with a lot of time spent on Stockton Beach. It would be fair to say in my early years, I didn't think much of any reel that wasn't an Alvey!. 

Looking back, I've been fortunate to have experienced some crazy fishing adventures, starting with a Fraser Island trip in the early 70s, then multiple trips to Cape York in the 90s and then the maddest trip of them all, fishing Kiritimati in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for tuna and GTs from a wooden outrigger in 2014.

Other than occasionally throwing pillies at tailor on the beach, I'd transitioned to a lure fisherman many years ago and that developed into a love for casting against edges, initially for bream and flathead but now, I am definitely badly addicted to fishing for Murray Cod from my boat, kayak or walking a bank.

For me, its been and still is a huge learning curve but fits nicely with my desire for adventure and a challenge.

[big Neil]

I know that this is a difficult topic to answer in the singular. That's one of the reasons why we all love the sport. With a little bit of effort, and a little bit of help, we can all be sufficiently capable of a result in the many avenues of endeavour that fishing provides. I am really enjoying the responses. Some are quite a surprise to me, but I fully understand how appealing fishing is, to us all on this forum. Thanks for joining in folks.

bn

[Green Hornet]

12 hours ago, big Neil said:

I know that this is a difficult topic to answer in the singular. That's one of the reasons why we all love the sport. With a little bit of effort, and a little bit of help, we can all be sufficiently capable of a result in the many avenues of endeavour that fishing provides. I am really enjoying the responses. Some are quite a surprise to me, but I fully understand how appealing fishing is, to us all on this forum. Thanks for joining in folks.

bn

I know what you mean BN. I had to think long and hard before excluding blackfish on fly and surface luring the estuary flats.

[bluefin]

Lure Fishing. Vic McCrystal (?) once said " A Lure is a Lie told to a Fish "   I love the feeling of a fish hitting a lure. I love the anticipation. I love searching , Hunting for my fish.

Now days most of my fishing is out of a 375 Mako craft and I rely heavily on the Motorguide.  Soft plastics are my favourite. Flathead are my target. I love my 2 drunk monkeys  1 to 2 [Old Model) and 1 to 3 KG rods.  I am constantly active and thinking. I'm in My own little world world !    Happy Days !!

[XD351]

The first fishing book I read was the family fisherman by McCrystal ( McSea is what most knew him as ) he was the one that got me interested ( fascinated)in lures  about 45yrs ago !