Little_Flatty Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 I've changed. In the past, I used to grab a lure rod and get straight out there. But now the decision process involves much more deliberation. Do I cast lures like usual? Do I get the fly rod out? Or do I get out the float rod and get myself a luderick? More and more I've been reaching for the long glass rod. These days, there is almost always a box of green weed or cabbage in the fridge and almost always a bucket of sand sitting in the garage. And so it went this morning. I popped down to Hunters Hill in the morning about six and deployed berley. It was extremely quiet for the first 30 mins or so, which enabled me to muck around with float weighting and a new float I bought when up north. Then when I least expected it, I got a down. Bait gone, good sign. Baited up again and sent it down. Tentative down. Wait a little longer, float goes under, count to five and strike. The rod curves into a satisfying bend and I get sight of a nice luderick. I got a bit slack and didn't net this fish. Normally I'm pretty strict with my net use...it's not just line failure; I've dropped many fish before with the hook falling out at my feet. And the moment I got the fish up, the hook fell out, but thankfully I was able to get hold of the fish for a quick photo and then release: Next bait out, another down, but missed. On the next down, waited a little longer and got a smaller fish: And then next bait, another: And then the ferries started arriving, just to remind me that it was time to return to the rat race. Left them biting. I've noticed the bites don't start until at least 6.30am these days. Either it's how long the berley takes to work or it's the light (though I know from @wazatherfisherman that luderick will bite in the dark). I think I jinxed myself when I said in an earlier post that I don't see many undersized fish upstream of the Harbour Bridge. Seems like most of my fish since have been undersized! Luderick fishing has a way of humbling you when you start to get cocky! 🤣 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Nice way to start the day Mike. Even the undersized one are fun on the long rod. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 10 Author Share Posted October 10 22 minutes ago, Green Hornet said: Nice way to start the day Mike. Even the undersized one are fun on the long rod. Sure are Pete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Not a bad result for a quick mornings session Mike and as Pete says….. a nice way to start the day! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 10 Author Share Posted October 10 Just now, Burger said: Not a bad result for a quick mornings session Mike and as Pete says….. a nice way to start the day! Cheers Stu, certainly is a nice way to start the day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 That's great...having choices as to what sort of fishing you will try on a particular trip. Good result. Love the ambience of fishing for the humble Luderick. So relaxing, contemplative. bn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Hey @Little_Flatty, a great few catches you've got there. A quick question from my curiosity, on the 2nd blackie photo you've uploaded, is there a red sore about 2 centimetres below the gill cover? Its been a while honestly since I've seen a luderick have a sore, perhaps some debris from the ground? Still a great fish regardless. Cheers, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFishyFisherman Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Good way to start the morning. Even small luds put up a fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhan Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Sweet little session @Little_Flatty! Some nice fish there. I'm already in a dilemma nowadays between topwater/jigs/plastics (and soon hardbodies when summer came I guess). If you kindly introduce me into luderick fishing... well well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 11 Author Share Posted October 11 26 minutes ago, Peter K said: Hey @Little_Flatty, a great few catches you've got there. A quick question from my curiosity, on the 2nd blackie photo you've uploaded, is there a red sore about 2 centimetres below the gill cover? Its been a while honestly since I've seen a luderick have a sore, perhaps some debris from the ground? Still a great fish regardless. Cheers, Peter. I didn’t notice, but we are talking about Parra system fish here. What I did notice was that many of the fish I have caught recently (even up in Forster) have been rather beaten up, with ragged fins and missing scales. I suspect something has been picking on them, maybe tailor, maybe mulloway. 26 minutes ago, TheFishyFisherman said: Good way to start the morning. Even small luds put up a fight. Sure is @TheFishyFisherman! 10 minutes ago, lhan said: Sweet little session @Little_Flatty! Some nice fish there. I'm already in a dilemma nowadays between topwater/jigs/plastics (and soon hardbodies when summer came I guess). If you kindly introduce me into luderick fishing... well well @lhan we will sort you out 😎 Can’t leave you as a one trick (micro jig) pony🤣 2 hours ago, big Neil said: That's great...having choices as to what sort of fishing you will try on a particular trip. Good result. Love the ambience of fishing for the humble Luderick. So relaxing, contemplative. bn Yep, though the fish aren’t glamorous, I sure have plenty of options! I haven’t even explored the freshwater options available to me yet! They are all within 15 mins drive…I drive longer than that for my weekend sessions! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie_fisher Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 When I went up to the entrance last week I was getting blackfish on blackfish on prawn. They were going crazy for it. Though they were all small around the 20-25 mark it was interesting to see. And every single one of them had that tongue parasite 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 11 Author Share Posted October 11 1 minute ago, Aussie_fisher said: When I went up to the entrance last week I was getting blackfish on blackfish on prawn. They were going crazy for it. Though they were all small around the 20-25 mark it was interesting to see. And every single one of them had that tongue parasite Yep it’s this time of the year they like prawns. Would’ve been fun to get one on SP or even top water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 A few for your efforts, so not a waste of time. Some fun to be had trying to hook and land them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 1 hour ago, Little_Flatty said: I didn’t notice, but we are talking about Parra system fish here. What I did notice was that many of the fish I have caught recently (even up in Forster) have been rather beaten up, with ragged fins and missing scales. I suspect something has been picking on them, maybe tailor, maybe mulloway. Ive only been seeing the usuals, bream with a few red marks here and there, or that golden rusty splotches here and there, a few EP's looking a bit red, the other day I pulled up a 15cm bream on a plastics and half of its belly area was chewed off! The flesh was still a bit raw and hadn't turned to scarring yet, however, it was swimming fine, no organs punctured. Interesting stuff parasites and sores are, I wish there was a way to understand them more without being an extreme science wizz! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 3 hours ago, Aussie_fisher said: I was getting blackfish on blackfish on prawn. They were going crazy for it. Though they were all small around the 20-25 mark it was interesting to see. Interesting indeed! My understanding is the 27cm size limit enables a majority of luderick to reach maturity and have spawned at least twice. There is a theory that they also seek out (more) protein after spawning to ‘bulk up’ again. Perhaps these small fish had just finished a first (or second) spawn run? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryder Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Good little morning session there, I’m a little jealous you’re allowed to keep weed in the fridge. I’m banned. I think part of the attraction to Luderick are the numbers you can catch, you can get them schooled up and catch or 1 after the other. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Their ragged appearance could be relevant to their breeding season where a bit of aggressiveness is shown??? bn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 11 Author Share Posted October 11 6 hours ago, Peter K said: Ive only been seeing the usuals, bream with a few red marks here and there, or that golden rusty splotches here and there, a few EP's looking a bit red, the other day I pulled up a 15cm bream on a plastics and half of its belly area was chewed off! The flesh was still a bit raw and hadn't turned to scarring yet, however, it was swimming fine, no organs punctured. Interesting stuff parasites and sores are, I wish there was a way to understand them more without being an extreme science wizz! Fish are tough, that's one thing for sure. It's a dog-eat-dog world in the water. Nothing wrong with being an extreme science whiz! Take a look at Dr Greg Vinall and all he does with fishing and beyond. The world's your oyster! 4 hours ago, Burger said: Interesting indeed! My understanding is the 27cm size limit enables a majority of luderick to reach maturity and have spawned at least twice. There is a theory that they also seek out (more) protein after spawning to ‘bulk up’ again. Perhaps these small fish had just finished a first (or second) spawn run? I have often thought it'd be a fascinating job working with the scientists who estimate these size limits. I'd pay money to just hang out in their offices/labs when they are doing those studies, let alone work with them. The things you'd learn about fish and the marine environment... 2 hours ago, Ryder said: Good little morning session there, I’m a little jealous you’re allowed to keep weed in the fridge. I’m banned. I think part of the attraction to Luderick are the numbers you can catch, you can get them schooled up and catch or 1 after the other. Shhhhh! 🤣 I keep only very modest amounts of weed (maybe a handful at most) and it's confined to one bait box and a ziplock bag. Most goes to berley and once chopped and rubbed into sand, the berley lives outside until it's used up (normally 2-3 short sessions). Not sure if that's the done thing but it works for me. I've been contemplating investing in a salad spinner from the discount shop to dry it out a little to see if it keeps longer. Where do you keep your weed? 1 minute ago, big Neil said: Their ragged appearance could be relevant to their breeding season where a bit of aggressiveness is shown??? bn That could be another very plausible theory Neil. They seem quite competitive in the berley trail and also competing with each other for the bait, leading to 'ups' with the float. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie_fisher Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 4 hours ago, Burger said: Interesting indeed! My understanding is the 27cm size limit enables a majority of luderick to reach maturity and have spawned at least twice. There is a theory that they also seek out (more) protein after spawning to ‘bulk up’ again. Perhaps these small fish had just finished a first (or second) spawn run? Definitely is an interesting theory. Probably caught like 10 luds within 30 mins on the prawn so no coincidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryder Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 9 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said: 've been contemplating investing in a salad spinner from the discount shop to dry it out a little to see if it keeps longer. I have heard wrapping it in a towel then put in the washing machine spin cycle works. That would be Strike 2 for me. I store it for a day or 2 in a hessian sack, squeeze out most of the water before. But I’ve been inspired by XD351, I’m keeping some in salt water to see what happens. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 17 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said: Fish are tough, that's one thing for sure. It's a dog-eat-dog world in the water. Nothing wrong with being an extreme science whiz! Take a look at Dr Greg Vinall and all he does with fishing and beyond. The world's your oyster! For sure, ill have to check the doc out, id never heard of him or his podcast (don't really listen to much that's why). 18 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said: I've been contemplating investing in a salad spinner from the discount shop to dry it out a little to see if it keeps longer. I think your better off just using a tissue or paper towel, if to much water/moisture comes off the weed will just dry out, if I pick fresh weed and leave it in the sun without water it will dry and wilt without 20 minutes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted October 11 Author Share Posted October 11 37 minutes ago, Ryder said: I have heard wrapping it in a towel then put in the washing machine spin cycle works. That would be Strike 2 for me. Yeah I'm not game to try this one 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD351 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 18 hours ago, Little_Flatty said: I didn’t notice, but we are talking about Parra system fish here. What I did notice was that many of the fish I have caught recently (even up in Forster) have been rather beaten up, with ragged fins and missing scales. I suspect something has been picking on them, maybe tailor, maybe mulloway. I have seen in a video of a guy catching luds off the rocks up near port Stephen’s and every fish had a round red sore on its belly - probably the size of a 10 cent piece - the only thing I could find that left a mark like that was a lamprey but according to all the info I read about lampreys in Australia they didn’t range that far north - I don’t think the luds would migrate north a massive distance so I guess maybe the lamprey are there but not yet discovered? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD351 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 9 hours ago, Little_Flatty said: Yeah I'm not game to try this one 🤣 Well you know the saying - Happy wife , happy life unhappy wife , end of life 💀💀💀 Stuffing a pile of weed in the washing machine would mean instant termination 🤣🤣🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 (edited) 2 hours ago, XD351 said: I don’t think the luds would migrate north a massive distance so I guess maybe the lamprey are there but not yet You might be surprised XD, there are a couple of scientific papers that indicate BIG distances! “Mark-recapture experiments conducted in NSW showed that tagged luderick moved distances up to 450 km from their point of release, travelling in a predominantly northerly direction along the coast [27], [32], [33]. Gray et al. [27], [31] suggested that some movements may be related to pre-spawning migrations” and yep, I’m a bit of a science nerd. Edited October 11 by Burger 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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