A nice little topwater trifecta

[DerekD]

Hi all,

With shorebased kings being a lot of work for not a lot of joy I’ve switched to and been having a great deal of fun on light topwater this season. Between the usual mentoring and starting casual conversations with other people in the areas I’m fishing I’ve managed to get several other people addicted to this style of fishing. The sound and visual impact of a fish hitting a lure is a buzz each time.

For some fishing company yesterday afternoon I reached out to three people I’ve been fishing with recently, @linewetter, @foxyfisher and a new Raider, Ethan (yet to post). They were all tied up with either work or family... Seriously wonder about their priorities at times... I hit the inner west knowing the tide was 44cm at 5pm. I knew some of my spots were not going to be practical to fish but I was using this as a chance to see where the deeper waters were and to see how they were fishing on the low. Drummoyne was not worth the effort but I took the opportunity to get some photos of all the channels and snags. Nield park had potential but was still a little too low. The rowers club wasn’t appealing but Lilyfield had some possibilities. After getting smoked on the weekend and having it cost me about $173 in lures (ok the one I lost was a larger OSP minnow at $35, plus two more replacements of the same bought the total up another $70, then there was the middle sized MMD splash prawn I bought to test, then the new OSP hinged bent minnow I had to try... adds up quickly) I decided to use my light rather than ultralight outfit to surf any fish out of the snags. A missed strike on the small MMD splash prawn early on indicated the area had possibilities. Then a few casts later and I pull up this little beauty in the high 20s. Naturally I took a photo and sent it to the three Raiders mentioned earlier. My petty revenge for them having other priorities. 😀

A few more casts then a swirl, a hit and line peeling off. With all the oysters in the area I kept the rod high for the fight and kept as much pressure on the fish as I could. Only one or two curly moments and then I lifted up this gorgeous bream. Being larger and fighting slightly harder than the previous one I took some time to measure it. 36cm. A photo before releasing and then a text message to my three absent companions. Must give them credit, they were supportive rather than insultingly jealous... I was going to have to work harder on getting under their skin.

At this stage it was getting close to dusk so I hit Drummoyne for the third and final bream. In the high twenties so I didn’t bother measuring it. Obligatory snapshot to annoy the others and then released it. I love that we have so many fishable areas so close to each other in Sydney. To be able to consistently pull reasonable fish out of the water shows how good this fishery can be. The more I fish it and learn, the less I am restricted by the tides. I still have to take the tides and the wind into account but I’m getting more and more options each time I head out on a research mission.

Regards,

Derek

 

Edited February 27 by DerekD

[foxyfisher]

Great write-up Derek, you sure hit a purple patch yesterday evening! With any luck I’ll get my priorities right and be able to join for the next sesh 😅

[bessell1955]

A good return for all your effort, well done.

[Mike Sydney]

@DerekD another option for an Australian made hinged topwater is the Vex Deadn range, I’ve used the Deadn80  which is beautiful though only for tailor so far. There’s another manufacturer from Ontario as well Lunkerhunt which makes a lot of interesting lures including hinged surface lures which are now available in some local retailers. A lot cheaper than OSP.

Interestingly the Lunkerhunt range includes a topwater spider which I suspect would be very popular with the fish here - on my “to buy” list for sure! 

[Aussie_fisher]

Sweet some massive bream. I’ve fished Lilyfield a few times on the rising tide on soft plastics but didn’t get too much. Might have to try figure out it’s secrets now

[Little_Flatty]

2 hours ago, DerekD said:

After getting smoked on the weekend and having it cost me about $173 in lures (ok the one I lost was a larger OSP minnow at $35, plus two more replacements of the same bought the total up another $70, then there was the middle sized MMD splash prawn I bought to test, then the new OSP hinged bent minnow I had to try... adds up quickly) 

That took a lot of words to explain Derek…so you lose one lure and need to replace it with four…🤣

Here I am fishing with $1.50 home made FTT poppers…will give you one next time…another one to try😎

Great job on the bream.

[DerekD]

7 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

That took a lot of words to explain Derek…so you lose one lure and need to replace it with four…🤣

Thought it was funnier to explain the logic behind it. Had to replace one lure and while I was conveniently in the shop......

Oh and the mid-water hang time on the new OSP hinged bent minnow is seriously impressive. I'm really looking forward to experimenting more with that one. It is so perfectly balanced that using a heavier and denser 12lb fluoro slowly drags it down while using a 6lb fluoro allows it to slowly lift back to the surface.

Edited February 27 by DerekD

[kantong]

well done mate, showing us all how it's done! 

[DerekD]

15 minutes ago, kantong said:

well done mate, showing us all how it's done! 

Just want to encourage others to get out there and try this really enjoyable niche of lure fishing.

[nutsaboutfishing]

Well done on the bream Derek.

You know I still blame you for getting me hooked  on topwater

[big Neil]

Ouch, the cost of your fishing is always substantially higher than most other peoples. Can't blame you for getting ADDITIONAL lures...did you find a wee space in the back of your car that had to be filled?

You're quite the comedian too Derek. Fancy trying to shame the other 3 for not being able to get a pass to go fishing. At least it pushed you forward to getting a result that should have embarrassed them. No way were you going to embarrass them though. You have taught them too well and they must now be able to go out fishing, when time permits, and get a result. OK enough kidding.

You caught some very nice Bream there by using your knowledge and skill...well done. Keep up the good work mate, bn

[Niall]

Nice one mate.  Definitely pays to fish the low tides in all those same zones.  Oftentimes the fish are just little further off the bank than high tide.  I've had some of my better sessions on the last of the runout.

[Bennyg78]

Nice session Mr.Derek!I think we need to work on getting out for a session soon!

[lhan]

Great report Derek! I'm a bit behind the topwater fellows but I'm trying hard!

[Yowie]

Very nice there Derek. Gets expensive losing good lures.

[DerekD]

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

Very nice there Derek. Gets expensive losing good lures.

True but then if I don't use them as it was intended then I may as well not buy them in the first place.

On a side note trying various lures is how I learn and grow and I can't take the money with me so I may as well have a lot of fun on the journey.

[faker]

3 hours ago, DerekD said:

True but then if I don't use them as it was intended then I may as well not buy them in the first place.

On a side note trying various lures is how I learn and grow and I can't take the money with me so I may as well have a lot of fun on the journey.

I would love to use more expensive lures. Just need more time to build confidence. I haven’t lost a single one yet from the branded stuff I have but that is because I am using knock off's when prospecting. 

Aiming to get to your stage