Bate Bay

[Yowie]

Headed out to Bate Bay this arvo with my mate in his boat. Pulled up a few small flatties, most not much over the limit. Plenty of spikies, so moved out to 200 feet. A couple of whiting bites, but no hook ups. Drifted back to slightly shallower water, and it was little spikies non stop, 2 at a time. Hit the bottom and hooked up to them straight away. Biggest flattie at 41cm. Saw a trawler working a little further out from us, so he may have scooped up a few flatties.

At sundown, we anchored near the bombie and burleyed away. Wall to wall under the boat with yakkas, and some big slimies. Dropped baits to the bottom for many pike, but nothing else.

I hooked up a big strip of slimey fillet and lobbed it a bit of distance from the boat, no sinker so let it sink naturally. The rod bends over, reel screams as line disappears quickly, and eventually up comes the reddie. 66cms, and happy with that.

A while later, hook bitten off by a sharkey critter, so headed home.

[big Neil]

A very nice Snapper Dave, hard work on the Flatties but you still managed a good feed. You certainly know your way around the local area. Well done again.

bn

[Little_Flatty]

Nice work Dave. What do you do with a snapper at that size?

[Bryant fish]

👍 

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, big Neil said:

A very nice Snapper Dave, hard work on the Flatties but you still managed a good feed. You certainly know your way around the local area. Well done again.

bn

Thanks b.n., very happy with the reddie.

[Yowie]

38 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

Nice work Dave. What do you do with a snapper at that size?

Son was saying, throw it on the bbq, close the hood and cook away. 

What I will do is carefully fillet it this morning, so that I get just about all the meat off the bone, then cut the fillets into large pieces and cook it in a large fry pan. Will look up a recipe for some sauce to add to it. 

[noelm]

A Snapper that size is about my upper limit for eating (but, big ones are still good) I tend to do similar, if for myself, I fillet the next day, bone the fillet and simply roll in flour and cook, if it’s for a family meal, I tend to cut the fillet into almost fish finger size and crumb them, everyone loves “Snapper fingers” in my place.

[Yowie]

1 minute ago, noelm said:

A Snapper that size is about my upper limit for eating (but, big ones are still good) I tend to do similar, if for myself, I fillet the next day, bone the fillet and simply roll in flour and cook, if it’s for a family meal, I tend to cut the fillet into almost fish finger size and crumb them, everyone loves “Snapper fingers” in my place.

I don't catch many reddies around this size, but it was not going back in.

Don't overcook it, and it will be good. 40 to 50cm reddies are probably the best eating size, but the 63cm one I pulled out earlier this year was very good eating. 

[noelm]

18 minutes ago, Yowie said:

I don't catch many reddies around this size, but it was not going back in.

Don't overcook it, and it will be good. 40 to 50cm reddies are probably the best eating size, but the 63cm one I pulled out earlier this year was very good eating. 

I don’t necessarily release the bigger ones, and I often eat them, but I just prefer the 1kg ish ones, the flesh just seems the right texture for my taste. I like eating Bream, but most of my family are not huge fans, they still eat them, but often ask if there is anything else. They all like Sand Flathead (Blue Spot) because I do all the work, catch, fillet (boneless) and cook, river Flathead they are a bit like Bream, OK, but……not too sure I should post why I won’t eat Leather Jackets.

[Yowie]

22 minutes ago, noelm said:

I don’t necessarily release the bigger ones, and I often eat them, but I just prefer the 1kg ish ones, the flesh just seems the right texture for my taste. I like eating Bream, but most of my family are not huge fans, they still eat them, but often ask if there is anything else. They all like Sand Flathead (Blue Spot) because I do all the work, catch, fillet (boneless) and cook, river Flathead they are a bit like Bream, OK, but……not too sure I should post why I won’t eat Leather Jackets.

I don't mind the jackets, but not the larger reef ones, as the meat can be a bit tough at times.

Bream are just average to me. Tailor under 45cms are good, the larger ones a bit fishy, the just over legal ones not much taste. 

Whiting up near the top, flatties are good, just a slight variation in tastes for the different species. Reddies around the kilo mark are very nice.

[Larkin]

Nice Red Dave!

A few chunky fillets to come off that one.

I find if the yakkas are schooling around there, will usually will be a snapper or two lurking below.

Did you try further south for flatties?

 

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Larkin said:

Nice Red Dave!

A few chunky fillets to come off that one.

I find if the yakkas are schooling around there, will usually will be a snapper or two lurking below.

Did you try further south for flatties?

 

Thanks Chris, happy with the red.

Mate wanted to try for a red spot, so we headed straight out the front, but very little wind or drift for a while, then the wind turned N/E but blew us back towards the shore.

Did not go south as the trawler was working down there. It was in 200 foot or more.

4 flatties each so that was enough, though not big ones. Also a number of just unders, both tigers and blue spots, and a million spikeys.

Schools of pillies bouncing around, they were chasing 1 to 2 cm baitfish on the surface.

[Isaac Ct]

Good stuff Yowie, very nice bag of fish there. Cracking reddie, well done.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Isaac Ct said:

Good stuff Yowie, very nice bag of fish there. Cracking reddie, well done.

Thank you Isaac.

[Larkin]

3 hours ago, Yowie said:

Thanks Chris, happy with the red.

Mate wanted to try for a red spot, so we headed straight out the front, but very little wind or drift for a while, then the wind turned N/E but blew us back towards the shore.

Did not go south as the trawler was working down there. It was in 200 foot or more.

4 flatties each so that was enough, though not big ones. Also a number of just unders, both tigers and blue spots, and a million spikeys.

Schools of pillies bouncing around, they were chasing 1 to 2 cm baitfish on the surface.

My mate is out on the water today - just sent me a vid.

Probably the same trawler you saw yesterday, is now working the area off maroubra

Said no flatties left - areas been cleaned out

[Ryder]

Nice Big Red, and a great feed.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Ryder said:

Nice Big Red, and a great feed.

Flattie fillets tonight, reddie Friday night. A good sized reddie for the Sydney area.

[Yowie]

5 hours ago, Larkin said:

My mate is out on the water today - just sent me a vid.

Probably the same trawler you saw yesterday, is now working the area off maroubra

Said no flatties left - areas been cleaned out

Looks like the same *#@^#* trawler. 

[jenno64]

Sensational red Dave! What a way to finish off an already productive session. You and your mate would have been very happy with that!

now for the cook up🙏🏻

[Yowie]

8 minutes ago, jenno64 said:

Sensational red Dave! What a way to finish off an already productive session. You and your mate would have been very happy with that!

now for the cook up🙏🏻

Thanks Rob. Certainly happy with the red. Carefully cut off the fillets so maximum meat on the fillet, not left on the backbone. Friday night cookup for the red fillets.