Port Hacking

[Yowie]

Headed out early this morning past Lilli Pilli. No tailor or legal reds this morning, though plenty of undersized reddies taking anything.

Salted bonnie strips, squid, pillies used. The bonnie strips produced the smaller flattie, and a smaller but legal flounder that I released. No yakkas, however, I caught 1 sweep and the fillets produced the larger flattie and the flounder.

The squid produced 2 jewies, but only little ones around 35cm each.

A few fish busting up around me, salmon but not taking any lures. I suspect they were feeding on tiny baitfish, 1 to 2 cm long.

Packed up, and near Lilli Pilli, the salmon schools erupted. Some of the salmon were swimming on the surface, between 40 and 50cm long, into the baitfish. Dozens of splashes, the lure lobbed through them but no takers. You would expect one to have a go, or get snagged up on the lure just swimming past, but nothing doing.

After a hundred casts, I thought about giving it away, just one more cast then a hookup. Taking plenty of line, felt like a big salmon, and eventually it swam under the boat. I then felt the head bumping of a kingie, and sure enough it was. 67cm so a legal one, but as I had enough fish, it was photoed and released.

Headed home, and the salmon were still smashing the surface.

[Isaac Ct]

Nice feed Yowie, that is one lucky kingfish. Good to know they are around. 

Well done.

[XD351]

Great report and a nice feed there Yowie!

I have seen some drone footage of some big schools of salmon down there recently - still need to catch one to try in the smoker .

[noelm]

14 minutes ago, XD351 said:

Great report and a nice feed there Yowie!

I have seen some drone footage of some big schools of salmon down there recently - still need to catch one to try in the smoker .

Salmon go great in the smoker, I fillet, skin and cut all the blood meat off, soak in a brine mix then smoke, they come out fantastic.

[blaxland]

Well done Yowie you always get a feed, what lure did the king take out of interest.

 

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Isaac Ct said:

Nice feed Yowie, that is one lucky kingfish. Good to know they are around. 

Well done.

Thank you.

Though there may be what appears to be a single species feeding in the one area, others will join in.

Have seen and caught frigate macks, mack tuna, tailor, salmon feeding in the one area, and then a rather large kingie scooting through, big enough to eat any of the above.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, XD351 said:

Great report and a nice feed there Yowie!

I have seen some drone footage of some big schools of salmon down there recently - still need to catch one to try in the smoker .

Thank you. Very small lures, or flies, would have been the go for the salmon due to the size of the bait fish.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, blaxland said:

Well done Yowie you always get a feed, what lure did the king take out of interest.

 

Thank you.

A 15 gram pillie lure, blue and silver colour. A cheapie from any tackle store. I removed the treble and replaced it with a single hook, 1/0 size.

[Larkin]

Nice king Dave!

Persistence paying off working the bust ups.

Managed a pretty good feed of flatfish too!

[Yowie]

3 minutes ago, Larkin said:

Nice king Dave!

Persistence paying off working the bust ups.

Managed a pretty good feed of flatfish too!

Thanks Chris, nice feed of flatfish, one meal eaten and another to go. The fillets off the flounder were quite large.

With the bust ups, quite often there are other species in the mix.

Had a swim at Eloura beach today, late morning, and there were fish kicking about just out the back of the waves - looked like tailor splashes.

[jenno64]

You’re warming up Yowie! You got your fillets and the fishing gods will pay you back soon for releasing a king🙏🏻

[Yowie]

9 hours ago, jenno64 said:

You’re warming up Yowie! You got your fillets and the fishing gods will pay you back soon for releasing a king🙏🏻

Thanks Rob. A couple of meals. King Neptune might send the kingie back when it grows some more.😂

[bessell1955]

A great variety of fish, well done!

[Pickles]

Nice Kingie Dave (I’m jealous)

[Yowie]

11 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

A great variety of fish, well done!

Happy with that catch.

[Yowie]

5 hours ago, Pickles said:

Nice Kingie Dave (I’m jealous)

Thanks Bob. Was thinking salmon in the big school, then the kingie turns up - certainly happier with a kingie than a salmon.  😁

[zmk1962]

Well done Dave... a solid feed as always, but I'm not sure the kingy would have escaped from my esky ... and you proved that cheapie lure works a treat - only quality fish would take it !

Mind you I don't mind smoked salmon at all !

Cheers Zoran

[Yowie]

15 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

Well done Dave... a solid feed as always, but I'm not sure the kingy would have escaped from my esky ... and you proved that cheapie lure works a treat - only quality fish would take it !

Mind you I don't mind smoked salmon at all !

Cheers Zoran

Thanks Zoran.

I had enough for a couple of feeds, so thought Mr kingie could live for another day.

[kantong]

nice one @Yowie, what a lovely chunky looking kingie!

[Yowie]

6 hours ago, kantong said:

nice one @Yowie, what a lovely chunky looking kingie!

Thank you. He was lucky I already had enough on board.