Meeting two Raiders out in the wild & a very successful day of fishing

[linewetter]

So I started writing this last night and it ended up taking a few hours and I realized it was past midnight..so I finished it this morning.  So pretend you’re reading this yesterday cause I didn’t go back to change the dates/timings 😅

 

I have had a long week in terms of work and also recently in terms of real life and have been looking forward to fishing today alone just to be on my own and be in my own thoughts.  Today was forecasted by the BOM as raining all day but I was still prepared to go out fishing to be able to disconnect and recharge.  I woke up this morning and it was sunny and cloudless.  It was a perfect day for being outside!  

For those not in Sydney, yesterday was a huge storm with high winds and what felt like torrential rain.  It's a surprise that today was so nice.  I checked the tides and it was going to be a falling tide into a dead low tide then a slightly rising tide for the whole day.  Based on the tide height, it didn't seem that ideal to me but I decided to go to a marina where I normally wouldn't go at these tide heights.  I just wanted to go somewhere close by and not be stuck at a wharf pretty much considering I was going to be dropped off by my partner and car-less while she had a day to do her own thing.  She dropped me off and I took a look at the water...looked like chocolate milk.  Again, not really ideal conditions in my mind, but I was just glad to be able to be outside and enjoying my music.  I brought all my lures with me today and also a few slices of white bread in case nothing else worked - white bread always got me the bite when the going gets tough.  I decided to try and fish only lures today just because I have been bait fishing a lot lately and wanted to make sure I still had the lure fishing skills 😄 

I also wanted to do some self experimenting:

1. Will I still be able to catch fish successfully with a Mustad Fastach (it is similar to a snap but smaller profile) attached to my lures? 

2. When fishing soft plastics, I have always had the most success with a hop hop pause movement and very little success with just slow rolling it...What if I just spent a whole fishing session slow rolling my soft plastics along the bottom only?  Can I get a good amount of interest still without pauses at all? 

3. My confidence soft plastic lure is the Zman GrubZ in Midnight Oil color.  It is the lure I caught my first fish on plastics with and it is the one I have been most successful with.  Though the success part, I have sort of realized, probably because I use it most often due to feeling most confident with it having caught my first fish then having self confirmation bias of catching more fish on it than anything else due to using it more than any other plastic.  Can I use the paddletail soft plastics (Zman or otherwise) in a different color, and still have success?  What if I spent the whole fishing sesion using paddletails whenever I used soft plastics?  Paddletail plastics are the ones I have had least success with so I wanted to see what would happen.

I stood there debating what lure to snap on first...chocolate milk water meant low visibility.  I had read before that in these kind of waters, darker lures should be used.  It never made sense to me, tying on a dark lure in low visibility water, how the heck would the fish even see something that's harder to see, in water that's already hard to see through?  But I decided to try it anyway.  I decided to snap on a matte black crankbait similar to a Jackall chubby.  I tested my drag and cast it out....

 

 

....and on the first cast while I was testing different actions on the crankbait, I hook onto something massive!  It pulled drag like a rocket and I was shocked.  It was a huge bream.  This was bigger than any bream I've caught before.  I measured it with my rod and when I came home....this thing measured out to 41cm!!!!!!  This beat my previous PB by far and one of my proudest fish to catch.  But now the challenge was really on.  Every time I've caught a good fish quickly into a fishing session, I've never done well the rest of the session.  It would always be really quiet or hardly any action at all, even with bait.  I was happy with the fish I caught and if that was the only fish I caught today, I would be happy buuuuut....I also caught it only minutes after being dropped off so it would be a bit of a downer if this was the only fish I caught all day over several hours.  

Well, the next two hours turned out to be pretty quiet.  Not really any interest in the chocolate milk water.  It must be true I thought.  The curse must be true...catch a good fish quick and the rest of the session will be quiet.  I decided to swap from the crankbait to a soft plastic now.  It was time test my experiment number 2 & 3 of only slow rolling my plastic, and also only using paddletails.  

I swapped to a Zman paddletail in the color called greasy prawn.  I figured this color is close enough to white, which would stand out in this chocolate milk water....I hoped.  It turned out to be a good decision!  I had a few casts with no fish, then a family with a kid came up to watch.  The kid was really interested in the rod and lure and we had a chat.  I could see they were wanted to take a picture together but the kid kept staring into the water for my lure instead of the camera  Future fisherwoman for sure.  I stood behind the camerawoman so that the kid would look at the camera and they got a photo together.  Well that's not all...

 

 

While chatting about the area and where to see fish in the water when the water is more clear, I hook onto a decent fish!  It ended up being a good sized tailor.  I let them see and touch the fish, it was really cool being able to catch one right in front of them and letting them see.  

I had another quiet hour after this...walked around the marina just casting at different locations then walked back to where I caught this tailor, which happens to be near where I also caught the big bream earlier...more on this later.  Walking back to where I caught the tailor ended up being a great choice.  I caught this bream that fought really hard for its size:

 

After I released it, I had another cast out and another hook up!  Back to back fish…this might be a first for me:

 

I was feeling a little more confident in the lure and setup now.  The Fastach snap didn’t seem to deter the fish, and the lure seems to be working.  Now the slow rolling…is it working?  Is it better than the hop hop pause?  Well I had the rest of the day to find out…

[linewetter]

A few dozen casts later (the casts go by fast when you’re slow rolling, I swear!), I hook onto this whiting!





I have now gotten onto a nice little variety of fish here.  I haven’t moved from this spot that I caught the tailor at since.  This is counterintuitive to lure fishing…you’re supposed to be mobile and on the move.  But I stayed in this spot recasting over and over again like a circulating fan.  Something about this spot had me feeling good.  Even when I wasn’t hooking onto fish, I was getting a lot of interest.  A lot of tail tugging.  A lot of plastic jerking.  A lot of…probably toadfish to be honest with you.  But still, it had me feeling good about this spot!  I decided to continue staying here and that’s when I met @Aussiefisherman and @R E G I C Y C L E!  By accident really.  They came by and it was Aussie Fisher who came to talk first, just asking how the bite was going.  We talked about what was working and what not when Regicycle hooked onto a big fish and Aussie Fisher went to help him bring it in.  Afterwards, Regicycle came over and asked if I was on Fishraider…then asked if I was linewetter!  I have no idea how he knew it was me but he was right haha.  It was cool meeting the both of them and talking to them.  Regicycle seemed to be hooking up fish after fish near this spot and it started to make me believe that I wasn’t crazy….there WAS something good about this spot. 


I decided that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  I was fixated on staying here now.  I was surprised when catching this small snapper:





I think it’s the size really – I didn’t expect such a small fish to go after the lure, it doesn’t even look like it fits in its mouth.  That also got me thinking now – and this is about to turn into just my inner monologue now.  The big storm yesterday must have had some impact on the fish.  I imagine the low visibility water makes it hard to find food, and then you get a flood of freshwater in these bays.  I’m thinking that the fish must be on today because they’re hungry and desperate.  Today is the first time in at least a day where they aren’t dealing with rough water, wind, etc.  Still dealing with the freshwater inflows from the city drainage but that also made me realize….I haven’t had success walking around the marina this whole time because a lot of freshwater was draining out there.  The location I was standing at was pretty far from the freshwater drains, but also relatively shallow.  This is probably where all the tiny fish have gathered to get away from the freshwater, but also try to stay safe…and also maybe why there’s so many fish here that I’m getting hits on.  I imagine the tinier you are, the less tolerant you are to changes in your conditions, so theoretically the tiny baitfish would move away from the freshwater drainage, but only as far as they needed to go to avoid getting eaten.  Made sense to me enough to keep staying here.


After straightening up my plastic after that baby snapper, I had a couple more casts and felt a tap tap and set the hook!   I was onto a pretty good fish!  I could see it surface at times and definitely wasn’t one I recognized.  As I pulled it close to shore, I saw it had a buddy that was swimming after it, almost like it was trying to figure out what was wrong.  As I pulled it closer and closer, its buddy abandoned it and I pulled it in.  Does anyone know what fish this is?





 

It was after this fish that I felt very confident that: 1. The Fastach snap does not deter the fish noticeably.  2. Slow rolling with no pauses works well.  And 3. Paddletails do work well…but it differs between brands.  I had tried some paddletails from Rapala called The Suspect during this time as well.  I didn’t like this as much as the Zman paddletails.  I felt like the Zman paddletails had a much more freeflowing tail action and a more natural presentation. The Rapala ones didn’t paddle as hard, and also were more front heavy…I didn’t like it as much for that reason.  I also tried Shimano Squigdies in the baitfish color – this one had both the best action and the best presentation of all.  The only downfall is the durability, it is not durable at all in comparison.

Edited April 6 by linewetter

[linewetter]

I was finding it odd that I haven’t hooked onto a flathead yet.  Considering I was sticking to the bottom, and just slow rolling it, I would’ve expected to have had at least one.  Speak of the devil, I had one on and I’m certain this is the biggest flathead I’ve gotten so far.  I’ve only ever caught flatties on soft plastics and had taken a small hiatus off plastics till now so this was my first in a while:







After a small break to find some water, I was back at it.  The sun was slowly starting to set but man it felt like it was biting my skin worst than ever.  I had a cast out and almost instantly got a chomp.  It felt like a huge fish for a quarter of a second then suddenly weightless. Ah great…dropped another fish I thought.  I started to reel it in but noticed I didn’t feel anything on the other end.  Weird….pull it up and whatever took a chomp, actually somehow opened the Fastach:





 

No harm no foul.  If it wasn’t the Fastach, it would’ve been the leader that got chomped.  I do wonder what the heck it was that was strong enough to open the Fastach.  The size I have is rated to 15lb test so..pretty strong mouth on whatever it was.

I tied on a new Fastach and continued with my soft plastics.  I was out of the Zman paddletails at this point, so was stuck using the Rapalas.  I got mine in the baitfish color, and I have to say, it looks extremely good aesthetically at least…actually looks like a small tiny baitfish – it’s what got me to buy it in the first place. 

I ended up hooking onto another flathead!  I got this one off the hook very quickly, so I decided to move fast and setup my phone against my backpack to take a photo of me and the fish.  Always wanted to hold it like this since I see people pose the fish like this and it looks so cool with the fins extended.  Too bad the photo ended up being cut off and off center…I let the flatty go because I don’t like to keep the fish out too long and only checked the photo after I threw it back. 







 

 

Edited April 6 by linewetter

[linewetter]

I had another cast out and this time when I reeled the lure in, I decided to watch it in the water like this to see how different speeds affect the action like this:




 

It was during this time where I kept the lure at my feet, just swimming back and forth observing the different actions that a tailor comes out of nowhere and takes a swipe at it and misses.  I keep it moving back and forth and it comes back for another go!  I ended up hooking up and it was a small tailor, but no photo because it was bleeding profusely.  I unhooked it as fast as I could and threw it back. 

 

I recast out once again, and decided I actually wanted to move spots, so did a really fast retrieve to get the lure back.  I’m talking retrieving as fast as humanly possible.  As the lure gets closer, I see this big bream chasing right behind it.  I could not believe my eyes.  It happened so quickly that I didn’t know if I should pause or keep going.  I decided to keep reeling and the bream ended up making a turn when it decided the water was getting too shalllow.  I must have been going too fast but wasn’t sure if slowing down would cause it to lose interest.  Strange.  I decided to do it again and got yet another bream chasing it the same way.  It took a few snips at my lure while chasing it but didn’t end up hooking up.  I always thought of bream as fussy takers and more cautious than other fish so this was surprising to me that something moving this fast would get their interest.  It added to my theory that maybe the fish really are desperate and hungry that they’d go for anything they can get right now.  

 

After a dozen or so more casts, I decided it was time to swap lures.  I decided to try putting on a Daiwa Double Clutch.  This was my prized possession because it was my latest purchase and wasn’t cheap to me…though I heard these things are flatty magnets.  I had my first cast out and twitch twitch, I’m on.  Based on the headshakes, I was guessing it would be a flatty.  It was making runs away from me and I tightened the drag up quick.  I was NOT about to lose this lure on the first cast and be out my prized possession.  I brought it in and it was but just a small guy – though it gave me a good run. 





While unhooking it and having trouble with the trebles, the fish spiked me.  Normally I would be unhappy with the fish but I read something recently that changed my perspective.  The fish got it bad enough where its got hooked already and is now suffocating.  Getting spiked back by it is only fair.  So while I started bleeding and trying to unhook the fish, all I could think was….it’s alright, I did worse to you so we are even…  I may consider changing the trebles on the double clutch to singles though.  I had more trouble taking the lure off the fish than I’d like. 

 

After a few more casts with the Daiwa Double Clutch, I decided to swap back to soft plastics…and given that I was out of Zman paddletails and didn’t like the Rapala paddletails I had as much…I went back to my ol confidence lure – the Zman GrubZ in Midnight Oil.  Full circle.  I had a few casts with many tugs – way more than the Rapala plastic had.  I have to admit, the curly tail on the GrubZ looks irresistible even to me – so good, so scrumptious looking.  The sun had set at this point and it was dark out with no lights around the particular area I was at.  This was another thing – I never have high hopes about fishing with soft plastics at night because I figure that fish can’t see.  Well, the tugs are telling me different here.  Soon, I start seeing bust ups in the distance – but within casting distance.  I burned my lure back to me and cast straight to the bust ups.  As soon as the lure hit the water, I was ON!  Whatever this thing was took off like a rocket.  I was holding my rod trying to control the fish but it just kept going.  I tightened the drag, and it just kept going.  I set my phone down to record just in case I lost this fish, at least I’d have record of it:

 

 

 

It ended up being a very nice bream.  I had to tighten my drag all the way to near max to be able to get it under control.  It was that fiesty.






 

That now proved to me that soft plastics do work at night – the fact that I was able to land this fish in chocolate milk water with something that was a green lure too? That had me a little surprised.  Maybe color doesn’t matter as much after all…considering it was night time, maybe the fish weren’t entirely relying on sight so the color didn’t matter then? 

 

That concluded a nice day of fishing.  My partner picked me up minutes after landing this bream so I left very happy that I got to hook onto it first.  My experiment was a success and now I come out on the other side more confident in just slow rolling my plastics considering it caught me the most fish I’ve caught in a day on soft plastics.  I also come out more confident in using paddletail lures.  I’d say I rate them as high as the curly tail grub lures now in my eyes. 

 

At the end of the day, I would like to thank @DerekD for his mentorship and friendship.  I mention it often and in many of my reports, but he really has made a lot of this possible for me.  Landing quality fish like this, and dropping the many more at my feet today, was something that I thought would be just based on luck.  But he has done a great job in teaching me everything fishing… from how to cast my rod, which allowed me to cast mere centimeters away from boat hulls and structure today and get to the fish in the first place, all the way to thinking about the why behind things are working out and thinking like a fish.  It’s because of that, that I am able to write this report today – because I’m not just relying on luck anymore, I am using actual knowledge to make the success a repeatable occurrence. 

 

[mrsswordfisherman]

Great reports @linewetter 

Fishraiders are lurking everywhere. Spreading the word that fishraider/Deckee is the best source of info on fishing you will find  is appreciated.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

What a great session and report! Good to meet you as well. It was @Aussiefisherman that I was with fyi.

This spot has a very distinct drop from the flat into the deep channel next to the marina, which holds some great fish as you found! Congrats on the new pb bream.

The fish in question is a silver trevally... they fight above their weight with strong 'thumping' head shakes.

Funny enough I also met another pupil of @DerekD yesterday morning,  Ethan. Not sure what his raider name is.

[linewetter]

 

47 minutes ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Great reports @linewetter 

Fishraiders are lurking everywhere. Spreading the word that fishraider/Deckee is the best source of info on fishing you will find  is appreciated.

Thank you!  I definitely do spread the word whenever I get to chatting to new fishers 😄  Has helped me so much in my learning

13 minutes ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

What a great session and report! Good to meet you as well. It was @Aussiefisherman that I was with fyi.

This spot has a very distinct drop from the flat into the deep channel next to the marina, which holds some great fish as you found! Congrats on the new pb bream.

The fish in question is a silver trevally... they fight above their weight with strong 'thumping' head shakes.

Funny enough I also met another pupil of @DerekD yesterday morning,  Ethan. Not sure what his raider name is.

I have just edited the post to tag the correct person 😅  And great info on the drop on the flat - I didn't know that.  When the tide rose again in the afternoon, I ended up moving towards where you were before and casting over the flats with some pretty good success as well 😀

And thanks for the fish ID!  A new species to me.

[Blackfish]

Excellent write up there LW and it certainly sounds like a great outing with both fish and catching up.

I count 6 different species for you. Great job.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

I forgot to mention in my original reply, but I think one of your bream is actually a tarwhine... distinctly convex head and the striped array of scales down the side points to this.

Others will be able to confirm.

[DerekD]

Hi @linewetter,

Reading this report this morning has put the biggest smile possible on my face. You and others like you are what has made the mentoring such a worthwhile experience. Considering how much time each session takes I made the decision last year to help only those who were hungry for what I have to teach with the intent to go out and really use it. I don't care what fishing level you are at, as we all start somewhere, but if you only intend to tie on a lure and not be engaged and try to grow then there is always YouTube. From the first day, your joy at seeing possibilities in what I showed you was contagious. I'd look across after you'd cast a little further and more accurately each time to see a bigger grin on your face. When I see one of your reports I click on it asap as I know I'm going to enjoy it and hearing about the growth in your skills.

Some of my biggest challenges when teaching people are breaking muscle memory from old habits (in particular casting) and then getting people to really think about what they are doing. Autopilot is great when it does what you need it to but can also be a hindrance in growth. Using that grey matter and imagination is a very powerful tool when fishing for consistently good results. The people in the fishing industry that I have the most respect for are those that think outside of the box and really learn to mix it up. You have been doing so in the time I've known you and have my respect. 7 species (Bream, Tarwhine, Snapper, Flathead, Trevally, Whiting, & Tailor) in a session on lures is an excellent result.

I'm also a little jealous of you as @R E G I C Y C L E is one of the members on this forum that I'm really looking forward to meeting one day.

Thank you for making it such a pleasure to fish with you and for doing these wonderful reports and contributing back to the Fishraider/Deckee community.

Derek

PS. You have graduated the light lure fishing outfit course with flying colours and a distinction. Maybe I should get around to doing some certificates these days. Next is salmon and kings on light gear for a high distinction (or a masters).

Edited April 7 by DerekD

[Aussiefisherman]

2 hours ago, linewetter said:

I had another cast out and this time when I reeled the lure in, I decided to watch it in the water like this to see how different speeds affect the action like this:




 

It was during this time where I kept the lure at my feet, just swimming back and forth observing the different actions that a tailor comes out of nowhere and takes a swipe at it and misses.  I keep it moving back and forth and it comes back for another go!  I ended up hooking up and it was a small tailor, but no photo because it was bleeding profusely.  I unhooked it as fast as I could and threw it back. 

 

I recast out once again, and decided I actually wanted to move spots, so did a really fast retrieve to get the lure back.  I’m talking retrieving as fast as humanly possible.  As the lure gets closer, I see this big bream chasing right behind it.  I could not believe my eyes.  It happened so quickly that I didn’t know if I should pause or keep going.  I decided to keep reeling and the bream ended up making a turn when it decided the water was getting too shalllow.  I must have been going too fast but wasn’t sure if slowing down would cause it to lose interest.  Strange.  I decided to do it again and got yet another bream chasing it the same way.  It took a few snips at my lure while chasing it but didn’t end up hooking up.  I always thought of bream as fussy takers and more cautious than other fish so this was surprising to me that something moving this fast would get their interest.  It added to my theory that maybe the fish really are desperate and hungry that they’d go for anything they can get right now.  

 

After a dozen or so more casts, I decided it was time to swap lures.  I decided to try putting on a Daiwa Double Clutch.  This was my prized possession because it was my latest purchase and wasn’t cheap to me…though I heard these things are flatty magnets.  I had my first cast out and twitch twitch, I’m on.  Based on the headshakes, I was guessing it would be a flatty.  It was making runs away from me and I tightened the drag up quick.  I was NOT about to lose this lure on the first cast and be out my prized possession.  I brought it in and it was but just a small guy – though it gave me a good run. 





While unhooking it and having trouble with the trebles, the fish spiked me.  Normally I would be unhappy with the fish but I read something recently that changed my perspective.  The fish got it bad enough where its got hooked already and is now suffocating.  Getting spiked back by it is only fair.  So while I started bleeding and trying to unhook the fish, all I could think was….it’s alright, I did worse to you so we are even…  I may consider changing the trebles on the double clutch to singles though.  I had more trouble taking the lure off the fish than I’d like. 

 

After a few more casts with the Daiwa Double Clutch, I decided to swap back to soft plastics…and given that I was out of Zman paddletails and didn’t like the Rapala paddletails I had as much…I went back to my ol confidence lure – the Zman GrubZ in Midnight Oil.  Full circle.  I had a few casts with many tugs – way more than the Rapala plastic had.  I have to admit, the curly tail on the GrubZ looks irresistible even to me – so good, so scrumptious looking.  The sun had set at this point and it was dark out with no lights around the particular area I was at.  This was another thing – I never have high hopes about fishing with soft plastics at night because I figure that fish can’t see.  Well, the tugs are telling me different here.  Soon, I start seeing bust ups in the distance – but within casting distance.  I burned my lure back to me and cast straight to the bust ups.  As soon as the lure hit the water, I was ON!  Whatever this thing was took off like a rocket.  I was holding my rod trying to control the fish but it just kept going.  I tightened the drag, and it just kept going.  I set my phone down to record just in case I lost this fish, at least I’d have record of it:

 

 

 

It ended up being a very nice bream.  I had to tighten my drag all the way to near max to be able to get it under control.  It was that fiesty.






 

That now proved to me that soft plastics do work at night – the fact that I was able to land this fish in chocolate milk water with something that was a green lure too? That had me a little surprised.  Maybe color doesn’t matter as much after all…considering it was night time, maybe the fish weren’t entirely relying on sight so the color didn’t matter then? 

 

That concluded a nice day of fishing.  My partner picked me up minutes after landing this bream so I left very happy that I got to hook onto it first.  My experiment was a success and now I come out on the other side more confident in just slow rolling my plastics considering it caught me the most fish I’ve caught in a day on soft plastics.  I also come out more confident in using paddletail lures.  I’d say I rate them as high as the curly tail grub lures now in my eyes. 

 

At the end of the day, I would like to thank @DerekD for his mentorship and friendship.  I mention it often and in many of my reports, but he really has made a lot of this possible for me.  Landing quality fish like this, and dropping the many more at my feet today, was something that I thought would be just based on luck.  But he has done a great job in teaching me everything fishing… from how to cast my rod, which allowed me to cast mere centimeters away from boat hulls and structure today and get to the fish in the first place, all the way to thinking about the why behind things are working out and thinking like a fish.  It’s because of that, that I am able to write this report today – because I’m not just relying on luck anymore, I am using actual knowledge to make the success a repeatable occurrence. 

 

Wow great job mate, definitely out fished us 👏 🤭

And thanks again for giving me a soft plastic to try 👍

[Yowie]

A very successful session, a good variety of fish with a big bream as well. Bream at 40cm and over are good sized. 👍

[lhan]

wow what a great session! Congrats on the new PB bream!

Personally I had better success with paddle tails and slow roll when things are quiet around upper Parra. But I have to admit I haven't gained enough confidence to say this in the harbour.

[big Neil]

I love your infectious enthusiasm linewetter. You certainly have been listening to Derek and your natural inquisitiveness coupled with the skills you have learned have provided you with the ability to really challenge yourself and still be successful.

Regarding the comment about the existence of "good spots"... they are very real. As you mentioned most lure and soft plastic users remain mobile and this can be very successful. Your discovery of a place where you decided to stay and use the "many casts option" worked. The reason it worked is that fish need very little to survive. In fact they only need food and safety. Where you were having success was obviously such a place, so different species are congregating there. Having the skill to be able to cast right into the structure of the boat keels enabled you to be right in the zone.

I have never seen a Fastach clip bend like that and I have caught some very good fish while using them. I think they are very useful for lure and soft plastic fishing.

I think the fish you didn't identify was one of the Trevally species and definitely a Tarwhine in the mix too.

A fantastic series of reports, well written, and with good photos and videos enables the reader to feel that they are right there with you catching the fish.

 

I think that this series of reports deserves some recognition. What do you reckon Donna?

Tight lines young fella.  bn

Edited April 7 by big Neil
additional info.

[Little_Flatty]

That's a fantastic multi-part report @linewetter. Goes to show you can still find fish after heavy rain.

I took my eldest out early this morning to chase flathead but it was a disaster from start to finish. Starting with being tired to get up (in spite of an hour's sleep) to "I'm hungry" to getting freaked out by packs of dogs to finally hiding under a blanket with a mid range fever. And now I'm stuck at home with a sick kid on a nice sunny day.

Thank goodness that I have my lure making project on full bore. I'm actually having nearly as much fun making lures as I am going out fishing...as long as the lure making results in an eat, I'll be happy😎

[Steve0]

Enjoying the day, finding fish and increasing your PB. Well done!

It is not surprising you found fish in salt water that looked like chocolate. We tend to judge from what we see on top. However, salt water is denser than fresh water, so fresh water tends to 'float' across the top before mixing. What you see at the top is not necessarily the same as what the fish are in beneath the surface.

https://www.surfertoday.com/environment/the-fresh-water-meets-sea-water-natural-phenomenonI

Similarly, if you test taste surface water in an estuary and find it slightly brackish, deeper water is likely to be more salty.

Quote

It felt like a huge fish for a quarter of a second, then suddenly weightless. Ah great…dropped another fish I thought.  I started to reel it in but noticed I didn’t feel anything on the other end.  Weird….pull it up and whatever took a chomp, actually somehow opened the Fastach:

You aren't the only member of that club! Gear failure is something to learn from.

[linewetter]

9 hours ago, Blackfish said:

Excellent write up there LW and it certainly sounds like a great outing with both fish and catching up.

I count 6 different species for you. Great job.

Thank you!  It was an unexpected turn of events starting with the good weather.  I can only imagine a very different day had it been raining as forecasted.

 

[linewetter]

9 hours ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

I forgot to mention in my original reply, but I think one of your bream is actually a tarwhine... distinctly convex head and the striped array of scales down the side points to this.

Others will be able to confirm.

Yep I believe you're right on this one.  When I was reviewing my photos, I was thinking it was a tarwhine or maybe a silver biddy then looked them up - definitely a tarwhine.  I always think of the round head as the tell tale sign from a bream 😄

[linewetter]

9 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi @linewetter,

Reading this report this morning has put the biggest smile possible on my face. You and others like you are what has made the mentoring such a worthwhile experience. Considering how much time each session takes I made the decision last year to help only those who were hungry for what I have to teach with the intent to go out and really use it. I don't care what fishing level you are at, as we all start somewhere, but if you only intend to tie on a lure and not be engaged and try to grow then there is always YouTube. From the first day, your joy at seeing possibilities in what I showed you was contagious. I'd look across after you'd cast a little further and more accurately each time to see a bigger grin on your face. When I see one of your reports I click on it asap as I know I'm going to enjoy it and hearing about the growth in your skills.

Some of my biggest challenges when teaching people are breaking muscle memory from old habits (in particular casting) and then getting people to really think about what they are doing. Autopilot is great when it does what you need it to but can also be a hindrance in growth. Using that grey matter and imagination is a very powerful tool when fishing for consistently good results. The people in the fishing industry that I have the most respect for are those that think outside of the box and really learn to mix it up. You have been doing so in the time I've known you and have my respect. 7 species (Bream, Tarwhine, Snapper, Flathead, Trevally, Whiting, & Tailor) in a session on lures is an excellent result.

I'm also a little jealous of you as @R E G I C Y C L E is one of the members on this forum that I'm really looking forward to meeting one day.

Thank you for making it such a pleasure to fish with you and for doing these wonderful reports and contributing back to the Fishraider/Deckee community.

Derek

PS. You have graduated the light lure fishing outfit course with flying colours and a distinction. Maybe I should get around to doing some certificates these days. Next is salmon and kings on light gear for a high distinction.

I'm very glad to hear @DerekD.  With all of the time you have invested in teaching me what you know, the very least I could do is share with others what I have learned from you and how I've put it into practice.  It's a big part of why I write the reports, I enjoy writing them and recalling the successes and what could've gone better with the day or what I would've done differently, but I also want to write them to show and cement the positive effect you've had on at least my fishing experience because it's completely changed it for me.  It's people like yourself that willing to share their knowledge and time with strangers (and voluntarily at that) who have their impact on the world because now I feel confident and knowledgeable enough to become the person that helps the next person out.  Like you always say, you don't have to be an expert to help the next person out, you just have to be a few steps ahead and you've definitely helped me many steps up from where I was when I met you.

[linewetter]

7 hours ago, Aussiefisherman said:

Wow great job mate, definitely out fished us 👏 🤭

And thanks again for giving me a soft plastic to try 👍

No worries!  I hope you got a few fish off it.  This was over like 9 hours straight of fishing so I think you guys would've definitely got that many fish or more if you were out for that long too - just had time on my side for this one 😅

[linewetter]

7 hours ago, Yowie said:

A very successful session, a good variety of fish with a big bream as well. Bream at 40cm and over are good sized. 👍

I have been wanting to get a fish measurement tool so I could take pics of the fish measured out....Every time I've been going fishing lately, I keep thinking....I could go buy that fish ruler...or I could go fishing instead.  I always chose fishing thinking I wouldn't get a monster so it'd be fine.  And this time I was really kicking myself for not getting the damn ruler!  Especially since I feel like it'd be tough to surpass this fish haha.  I went and bought a fish ruler today finally...

[linewetter]

5 hours ago, lhan said:

wow what a great session! Congrats on the new PB bream!

Personally I had better success with paddle tails and slow roll when things are quiet around upper Parra. But I have to admit I haven't gained enough confidence to say this in the harbour.

Thanks!  This'll be tough to beat for a little bit I think but happy to have that as a problem 😄

That's interesting...The Parra river is where I had most of my success of the hop hop and pause retrieve with the grubs.  However I also knew a lot less about fishing than I do now so it could have just been right place, right time because I was casting into the void and any and every direction back then.  

[DerekD]

2 minutes ago, linewetter said:

I have been wanting to get a fish measurement tool so I could take pics of the fish measured out....Every time I've been going fishing lately, I keep thinking....I could go buy that fish ruler...or I could go fishing instead.  I always chose fishing thinking I wouldn't get a monster so it'd be fine.  And this time I was really kicking myself for not getting the damn ruler!  Especially since I feel like it'd be tough to surpass this fish haha.  I went and bought a fish ruler today finally...

Just go online. Delivered to your door and won't cut into fishing time.

[linewetter]

5 hours ago, big Neil said:

I love your infectious enthusiasm linewetter. You certainly have been listening to Derek and your natural inquisitiveness coupled with the skills you have learned have provided you with the ability to really challenge yourself and still be successful.

Regarding the comment about the existence of "good spots"... they are very real. As you mentioned most lure and soft plastic users remain mobile and this can be very successful. Your discovery of a place where you decided to stay and use the "many casts option" worked. The reason it worked is that fish need very little to survive. In fact they only need food and safety. Where you were having success was obviously such a place, so different species are congregating there. Having the skill to be able to cast right into the structure of the boat keels enabled you to be right in the zone.

I have never seen a Fastach clip bend like that and I have caught some very good fish while using them. I think they are very useful for lure and soft plastic fishing.

I think the fish you didn't identify was one of the Trevally species and definitely a Tarwhine in the mix too.

A fantastic series of reports, well written, and with good photos and videos enables the reader to feel that they are right there with you catching the fish.

 

I think that this series of reports deserves some recognition. What do you reckon Donna?

Tight lines young fella.  bn

I am glad the enthusiasm comes through in the reports!  I was typing like mad and having a ton of fun recalling the day and before I knew it, it was 12:30AM and I was barely halfway done.  I didn't want to stop writing but even I knew I had to get to bed soon 🤣

 

You're right regarding the good spots.  I have always had this belief (mostly from Youtube) that if I didn't get any interest within a few casts, I had to move on and keep it mobile.  This session has changed that for me now - I might not be successful on the first dozen casts, but the next cast could be where I get hooked up to a fish.  It has taught me that if I can identify the landscape and environment that would hold fish, I should trust myself and give it more time than I used to do so since that's what I did this time around with great success.  

As for the Fastach clips - I'm a convert.  I bought them to use with the crankbaits for better action since I disliked tying loop knots.  I avoided using them for anything else because I've heard they can deter fish, however kinda got me thinking...if the hooks aren't scaring the fish away from biting, I don't think my tiny Fastach will either.  And if I'm using a jighead...the Fastach weighs nothing in comparison to the lead on that thing.  I like the idea of a metal loop knot, allowing for more free action on the lures.   That and the convenience of being able to swap very quickly, allowing me to try a lot of different lures without dreading retying a new lure on.

I wish I had taken more videos of the fish I hooked onto.  The latter half of the afternoon, I stopped recording so I could listen to music instead on my phone and that was when I got most of my fish.  I'm still toying with the idea of buying an action camera so I can have the best of both worlds - recording I could rewatch/upload & music to listen to while I fish.  It definitely makes the reports a bit more nice when I re-read them to have both photos and videos to go along with it.  I appreciate you taking the time to have a read!

[linewetter]

5 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

That's a fantastic multi-part report @linewetter. Goes to show you can still find fish after heavy rain.

I took my eldest out early this morning to chase flathead but it was a disaster from start to finish. Starting with being tired to get up (in spite of an hour's sleep) to "I'm hungry" to getting freaked out by packs of dogs to finally hiding under a blanket with a mid range fever. And now I'm stuck at home with a sick kid on a nice sunny day.

Thank goodness that I have my lure making project on full bore. I'm actually having nearly as much fun making lures as I am going out fishing...as long as the lure making results in an eat, I'll be happy😎

Yes!  I'm someone who always fished when the opportunity arose, not someone who fishes when the conditions were only ideal.  Never know what you're going to get unless you wet a line 😁

Sorry to hear about your eldest and their fever!  Hopefully the next outing is more successful when you guys go together...I know when I was a kid, I had little patience for fishing but nothing beats the excitement of a hooked fish.  Hard part is hooking the fish in the first place though!

I'll be looking forward to your lure making project and following along.  I've had a mild interest in at least painting my own blank lures but reading your future lure making journey might be the motivation that pushes me over the edge to actually do something on my own 😝