Weekly report 18/09/08

FISHING CLASSES.

My next fishing class will run for 3 consecutive Thursday nights. It will be starting on Thursday the 13th of November. The cost of $95.00 includes a fish barbeque and the class. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit.

Windybanks Bait and Tackle
523 Pacific Hwy Mt Colah NSW 2079
Ph (02) 9477 1501
Annette and John

If you can’t make that class I will be running another class at Watto’s Tackle shop. The first of the 3 conconsective Wednesday nights will start on November the 19th. The class will start at 7.00pm and finish at 10.00pm.

For further information you will need to ring or pay them a visit at the shop.
The cost will be $80.00 per person.

For further information and to book in and pay you can contact Sean at
Email: wattosfishing@bigpond.com

Phone: 0416 203 507

Address: shop 1 & 2 LOT 9 KURRAJOMG AVE ST MARYS NORTH

And while you are at it you could go to their web site and see what special they have on at the moment http://www.wattosfishing.com.au/

NEW PRODUCTS

Okay, you may or may not know that I use a number of different types of hard bodied lures and soft plastics when targeting dusky flathead, yellowfin bream, Australian bass, estuary perch, whiting, tailor, Australian salmon, flounder, kingfish and bonito. Some of which are as follows:

Gulps, Berkley Power Baits, Bass Assassins, Atomics and Squidgies in the soft plastics, and Lucky Craft, Yamashita, TT Switch blades, Eco-Gear Vibes, Mann’s and Stiffy hard bodies. Just to name a few.

Over the past number of months that I have been putting together these reports I have brought to you a number of book, video and DVD reviews. Some of which have been given to me and some of which I had had to buy. For those of you that have read my reports you would have found that not all of them have been favourable.

Like many other anglers I also have Squidgies 1, 2, 3 and 4 and I too thought that 1 and 2 were great, but 3 and 4 did let the series down in not only the quality of the footage, but in the information (repeat of some of 1 and 2) that was given to the public.

But it is with great pleasure that I now bring you my review on the
Starlo and Bushy’s Squidgy Secrets – The S Factor. Part 5 from Dunphy Sports and Dog Fish Productions.

This 2 set DVD has a running time of 3 hours and 43 minutes and with a recommended retail price of just $24.99. For a DOUBLE DVD that’s great value for money, as long as there is plenty of information to go with a great production. No matter what level of fishing skill you have when it comes to fishing, this DVD is a must for your collection.

This is a very in-depth guide to ultimate fishing success with Squidgy soft plastic and Stiffy hard body lures. What has grabbed my attention is the way that all of the presenters and the film crew have given you so much information on how to fish both soft plastics, hard bodied lures and vibes.

To help you out a bit I have expanded, just a little on each of the chapters.

DISC ONE

1. Introduction
Steve Starling will introduce you to the DVD and some of the things you can expect to see. He also suggests that you watch the DVD in its entirety and then go back and watch each chapter over and over again. I am a big believer of views all fishing DVD’s in this way. You will always pick up on something extra each time you view it.

2. Species Diversity with Squidgies
Steve Starling and fishing guide chase dusky flathead, bream, silver trevally, flounder and luderick in a southern estuary. They fish both the flats and some deeper water showing and explaining the different techniques that you need to try out.

3. Child’s Play
Steve just playing around with a few small silver trevally and bream while waiting for a coffee.

4. Tidal Flats with Squidgies & Stiffies
Brett Wilson and Mark Dunphy use soft plastics and Stiffy’s over the flats to great effect. The camera work allows you to be able to see how they work the rods; while at the same time allows you to see how the lure is performing on the way back to the boat. Brett also tries out a new Stiffy lure.

5. Snapper on Squidgies
Terry Dunphy, Scott and Coen Amon chase a few kingfish and snapper up Coffs Harbour way while drifting over a few shallow reef and washes.

6. Snapper Happy Hour
This would have to be one of the greatest snapper sessions I have ever seen. Brenden Wing, Warren Carter and Charlie Micaleff pulled in 23 snapper in one session. They were all over 5 kilos. The last 3 caught weighted in at just over 25 kilos and all were caught on soft plastics.

7. Sand Banks with Squidgies
A small, but very informative chapter on how to fish for dusky flathead on the out going tide near the entrance to a river on the NSW south coast.

8. The Squidgy Range
The title says it all.

9. Flathead with Squidgies
The explanation of how, were and when to use the Squidgy soft plastics.

10. The Science of S-Factor
Ben Biggles explains why and how he came up with the S Factor.

11. Botany Bay with Squidgies & Stiffies
Brett Wilson and Mark Dunphy are out chasing dusky flathead and yellowfin bream in Botany Bay.

12. Oyster Lease Bream with Squidgies
How to fish the oyster racks.

13. Botany Bay Oyster Leases
How to fish the oyster racks.

14. Lizards in the Upper Estuary
Chasing dusky flathead again, but with a couple of new tricks to learn.

DISC TWO

15. Whiting on Stiffy Poppers
Brett takes Vicky Winter out to chase whiting with surface poppers. The surface action will blow your mind.

16. Sand Banks with Stiffy Poppers
You don’t have to use those Stiffy poppers from a boat to get results. They do just as well from the shore. Check out how the whiting take a lure off the surface.

17. Blue Water Livies
Terry Dunphy explains how to fish with the Squidgy Blue Water range.

18. Flathead on Pro Range Squidgies
More dusky flathead action.

19. Brett’s Tackle Talk
Brett takes you through the suggested type of tackle you could use when using soft plastics and hard bodied lures.

20. Top End Barramundi
Chasing Barramundi in the northern parts of Australia. Something that I have never done before, but maybe one day I will.

21. The Boof Frog
I reckon the Boof Frog could work just as well on kingfish on the surface.

22. Fingermark on the Reef
Deep water fishing with soft plastics.

23. Barra up the Creek
More Barra fishing, but in the creek. Plenty of close quarter stuff.

24. Bushy’s Factory
Where it all started.

25. The Stiffy Range
Some great lures here, and from my experience they do work.

26. Field Testing Prototype ‘Vibes’
Bushy puts in an endless amount of hours to perfect his lures. He stated that there was over 800 hours of work in one of his tackle boxes of the new Stiffy Vibe.

Well there you have it, my review on one of the best and most informative DVD’s on the market.
FOR SALE

I have the following cameras for sale;

Cannon EOS 300 Camera (Not digital)
Cannon Lens 22-55mm Wide angle
Cannon Lens 35-80mm Standard
Cannon Lens 75-300mm Zoom
Nissin 32AF Flash unit
Marumi 58mm C-PL Filter

Cannon Powershot A520 Digital
512 mb Memory card
2 sets of re-chargeable batteries

Water Proof Housing for the A520 Depth to 40 metres

Yellow Pelican waterproof case

$500.00 for the lot or nearest offer (send me an email)

MORE REPORTS

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that in the estuary, flathead continue to improve daily with good numbers of fish now on offer from most locations. This trend should continue over the coming weeks as the water warms, with the food and the flatties becoming even more active. Some reasonable whiting are now beginning to show up at several locations downstream of the Dennis Bridge. Live worms and yabbies will be the best bet on the bait front, whilst poppers or vibes will no doubt prove successful if lure casting is your go. Bream remain somewhat quiet although the north wall produced a few nice fish during evening sessions. Best results in the daylight hours have been achieved with both soft plastic and hard bodied lures, both worked deep and on the surface.

Look for the surface lures to really pick up as summer draws nearer. As you would expect at this time of year, blackfish numbers have begun to slow a little, however some good fish to around a kilo remain on offer for those willing to put in the time. On the crustacean front, Lake Cathie has shown signs that that this year could be excellent for those seeking a feed of prawns. Alternately, word has it some top muddies are about, so now is definitely the time to begin dusting off the traps or witches hats.

On the beaches, some nice bream to over a kilo have been taken although not in big numbers, together with a few early season whiting. Tailor remain elusive and the best we can now hope for is for the Christmas run to show up early. Plenty of salmon still about providing top sport fishing for our beach fishos, although it is interesting to see a lot of juvenile fish around this year. We don’t see many small fish this far north, however a few schools lately have contained fish barely over the 30cm mark. On the mulloway front, whilst the year remains poor overall, there have been enough encounters here and there to indicate chasing them may once again be a viable option. Dunbogan and Crescent Head are locations that spring to mind for some reason.

Off the rocks, tailor remain quiet although a few fish have been snared upon daylight on both pillies and lures. Drummer reports have begun to drop off as is usual at this time of year, however a few anglers continue to manage a fish or two each outing. With the water still quite cool and plenty of fish still to spawn, the season however is far from over despite some of the more favoured ledges beginning to sand up more than we would like. Blackfish numbers remain quite solid as they have been all year, whilst evening and dawn sessions are still yielding some quality bream. Also off the rocks, some good sized groper remain active, with Point Perpendicular and Diamond Head providing some nice fish when conditions allow access to the deeper ledges.

On the offshore scene, snapper numbers remain excellent with plenty of fish to around 7 kilos on offer. Those taking on the soft plastic challenge have really been reaping some good rewards, with quality fish being taken in most depths from about 15 to 35 meters. With the superb range of plastics available in the market today, and anglers finally waking up to the fact many good reddies are taken well off the bottom, this trend has really begun to take off. Also offshore, a few solid kingfish have been on offer from the wider reefs, however the leatherjackets have again made their presence felt, with terminal tackle loss a common complaint over the weekend.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
there are plenty of holiday makers in town and apart for the windy conditions over the last week most have wet a line and caught fish.

Early last week before the wind there were good fish reported outside. Fish Rock fished well for Kings, mostly small but plenty of reports of bust off’s so there’s bruisers down there. Rocks In Line is fishing well for small reds up to 2 kilo. The reefs off Grassy and Scotts have been slow with the odd Snapper with most of the action out past 30 meters for Pearl Perch. One of our charter boats went 60 fathoms for some nice Bar Cod in the deeper water. I have been advised the bait buoys will be away until a stronger chain system is engineered, the structure on the bottom is still there so is the bait.

The rock Hoppers fishing under the Lighthouse have done well with some nice Drummer, a few Tailor and the report of some small Kings off the rocks. Smoky Beach has some good Whiting coming out with Bream and Dart in the gutters. There are still a few Tailor and Salmon on the beaches early mornings. Gap Beach has Bream and Whiting while Back beach has Flathead and Whiting.

The River is fishing well for Flathead taking Mullet, whole Pilchards and plastic baits. Whiting are about, live worms and nippers will do the trick. Bream are all over the place but legal ones are hard to find. Fish the darker hours for better results. The sand flies are brutal so remember the Bushman’s.

They also have booted Waders on special at half price at $34.95, come in and have a look before they go.

For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Steve Williamson from Jindabyne sent me a news letter about The Discovery Holiday Parks Family Fishing Challenge 2008/9 NSW Series which will be held at the following places.

SERIES 1 – Discovery Holiday Parks – “Think You Can Fish”?
Competition 1 was held in May at Discovery Holiday Parks – Port Stephens.
Competition 2 was held in September at Discovery Holiday Parks Pambula Beach
Competition 3 to be held at Gerroa in October 2008
Competition 4 to be held in Eden in November
Final in series 1 to be held in Jindabyne in February 2009

INDIVIDIAL RESULTS – After competition 2
Points are made up by adding the total length of all fish weighed in over session 1 and 2 of each competition.
This gives the possibility of the total length of 14 fish weighed in at each individual competition (8 at Jindabyne when held in 2009)

Individual Championship
1) Shawn Laurence – 2533 points
2) Kerry Webley – 2368 (Leading the ladies division also)
3) Matt McCann – 1207 points
4) Cameron Webley – 793 points
5) Robert Webley – 687 points
6) Tony Quinnell – 440 points
7) Andy Freeburn – 430 points
8) Garry Pevitt – 315 points
9) Neville Betts – 270 points

Team Category. Results after competition 2.
Teams are made up of 2 people.
A family, business or club can have as many 2 person teams as they wish.
Team Points are made up by adding the total length of the biggest fish of each species weighed in under the team category of each competition.
This gives the possibility of the total length of 7 fish weighed in at each individual competition (4 at Jindabyne when held in 2009)

Team Championship
1) Steve Williamson’s Team 3 – 2040 points Captain – Kerry Webley
2) Team 1 Snowline – 1771 points Captain – Shawn Laurence
3) Team 4 Snowline – 1767 points Captain – Matt McCann
4) Steve Williamson’s Team 2– 807 points Captain – Robert Webley
5) Steve Williamson’s Team 1– 563 points Captain - Jason Williamson
6) Team 2 Snowline – 560 points Captain – Reg Speechley
7) Team 3 Snowline – 560 points Captain – Tony Quinelle
8) Team 5 Snowline – 560 points Captain – Neville Betts
9) Team 1 Koala Shores – 315 Points Captain – Garry Pevitt

NEXT COMPETITIONS

Shadrack Beachfront Resort – Two Fold Bay, Eden
7th, 8th and 9th November 2008

Snowline Holiday Park – Lake Jindabyne
20th, 21st and 22nd February 2009

If you are interested in finding out more about this great competition you can email Steve at swtrout@airlan.com.au or just pay a visit to his web site at www.swtroutfishing.com.au

I would like to welcome onboard Scott Thorington from Haven Sports Fishing Charters http://kingfishjigging.com/ who fishes out of his Custom built in 1995, the Freedom was designed with one thing in mind - chasing marlin!

For up to date reports on what is happening offshore on the central coast go to Scotty’s blog at http://havencharters.blogspot.com/ there are some great photos of kingfish that have been caught over the past few weeks onboard the haven charters boat

Tackle World Goulburn www.tackleworld.com.au/store_pages/goulburn.html is about looking after anyone who would like to experience the enjoyment of Fishing & Shooting. We cater for all levels, from the humble first time worm drowner & can plinker to the big game angler and trophy hunter. Regardless of your taste they have the products and more importantly the advice you need to succeed in your chosen endeavours. If they can achieve this and you leave with the sense of fulfilment our job is done. Goulburn is located in a country area so we pride ourselves on personal service and friendship in a comfortable environment for everyone who enters the store therefore we have a motto by which we live. "There are no strangers here only friends they haven't met".

In the next few weeks they will also have a fishing report up for you to find out what is going on in their neck of the woods.

To view the latest Tackle Word Goulburn Fishing report you can subscribe by going to the following link http://www.noblemailer.noblecrm.com.au/download/forms/s/2894045/23812/146455/28286.html
Or by sending them an email at fns@tpg.com.au

Tackle Word Goulburn316 Auburn Street, Goulburn, NSW 2580Phone: 02 4822 1929 Fax 02 4822 1929

Ron Osman from http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ reports that until the last few weeks there has not being a lot to report about. Before now it was very quiet. We even had a couple of those no fish days but not anymore. The fishing has picked up a lot.

For more information on what is going on up Ron’s way you can either go to his web
Site at ron@estuaryfishingtours.com.au or just give him a call on mobile 0407 66197

Weekly report 18/09/08

FOR SALE

I have the following cameras for sale;

Cannon EOS 300 Camera (Not digital)
Cannon Lens 22-55mm Wide angle
Cannon Lens 35-80mm Standard
Cannon Lens 75-300mm Zoom
Nissin 32AF Flash unit
Marumi 58mm C-PL Filter

Cannon Powershot A520 Digital
512 mb Memory card
2 sets of re-chargeable batteries

Water Proof Housing for the A520 Depth to 40 metres

Yellow Pelican waterproof case

$500.00 for the lot or nearest offer (send me an email)

Local Fishing Report

A couple on weekends ago I had the pleasure of taking a couple of guys from the Windybanks Fishing class for their first ever go a fishing with Switch Blades and soft plastics for bream, silver trevally and dusky flathead in the Cooks River.

Even though the river was not firing Jake and Alex Whitlock and I caught a number of fish during the mornings outing. There were 9 bream (6 legal), 5 dusky flathead (1 legal), 1 silver trevally (legal and a thumper sand whiting.

Jake (11 years old) is one of those junior angler that loves his fishing and can put many a senior angler in their place when bait fishing the estuaries and off the rocks. He did find it a little bit hard with the type of lure casting we had to do, but with plenty of practice I am sure he will be amoungst the best of us.

Thanks for the great morning on the water guys.

Scott from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours has just got back from a trip up to Weipa (September 08) with 6 clients. If you would like to see what they got up to I would suggest that you visit his web site and have a look. You will see the following:

1. Toby and his popper eating GT
2. Marget with a Queensland Groper pulled from the snags and returned to the water
3. John and a Barramundi taken on live bait
4. George trolled up his solid Finger mark bream
5. Dave and his Cobia
6. Jim with a top GT
7. Marget and her first fish on her first cast and the first fish for for the trip
a soild Golden Trevally

The photos should spell it out for all.

Scott reports that Botany Bay has been rather good and the silver trevally are still on the chew at Trevally Alley. You can also pick up a few Tailor trolling Yarra Bay early. Most of the third runway is now a no fishing zone as work has started on Port Botany expansion, you can fish along the front and down the western side only this is a bit of a bummer.

Spinning with plastic had us drop a solid fish right next to the boat. Scott’s father Bill and Clive did well late last week with a good bag of 15 flathead. One was 75cms and they put her back, they worked hard fishing all over the Bay. No real hot spots.
Deep sea on Sunday saw Scotty and his crew land quite a few leatherjackets and flathead just wide from Botany Bay. They fished the Peak early with live baits, but no Kingies and it was a little quite on the bottom.

WHATS COMING UP in OCTOBER

Snapper trip
Snapper trip on the 11th October and I have spots still open.

Mid week trips
15th Botany Bay trip and the 16th Deep sea this is for a full group booking or singles.
22nd Botany Bay trip and the 23rd Deep sea trip.

Singles day
Sunday 19th afternoon singles trip 1pm to 7pm in Botany Bay four spots open.

Fishing school in November
Scott has spots open for the fishing school this is a night + full day out fishing
Night class is on the 3rd and your day on the water is on the 8th.

FISH WILD WEIPA
April 09 and September 09 trips are starting to fill
book now if you are keen on a top weeks fishing.
All detail 0418 169 439
Regards Scotty Lyons

WEIPA TRIP 09
Two spots have open up for our Weipa trip in April 09 from the 18th. This is for seven days and six nights of tropical fishing bliss, All details are on his web page.

To view what is coming up with Scotty Lyons you will need to go to (http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/.) reports that what’s coming up on the fishing trip scene or give Scotty a call on 0418 169 439. For more information and some great photos you should go to Scotty’s web site at http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ and have a look.

Fergo’s Tackle World at Taren Points reports that although the water temperature is still around 15.5C, the snapper or plastics boys are consistently reporting catches of reds around shallow reefs. Although 5” Jerk minnows in various chicken recipes are still the No. 1 hit, the Mr Twister exudes are carving a small niche with a few anglers as well. Sonic boom blades have also created a steady following as fishos explore more options and increase there catches in deeper waterEstuary Georges River has been the hot spot for Jewie of late with gun angler Scotty Lear boating a 63cm specimen on a VX35 blade (secret colour Black) and a fish of 11kg on Squidgy flick bait. (NB Scott mentioned he has been rigging the flick baits with a stinger hook in the tail, the best being the small owner assist hooks rigged on kevlar. Not to be left on the starting block resident angler Brett Ferguson fished Lake Conjola for a 2kg Trevally on a VX35 as well. (What can’t be caught on these lures?) For those fishing Botany Bay, flathead on plastics with Trevally mixed in as a bonus have kept most busy.

Port Hacking fisho’s are reporting solid Bream on blade lures. Offshore The game scene has been a little quite with the odd yellow fin tuna (9.6kg fish on predator charters) and Mako and blue sharks in the cooler waters. Mako sharks have been playing the canyon droppers with fish on the 200kg mark snacking on blue eye and gem fish at will. Mick Kingma lost a nice fish of around 200kg beside the boat when the hooks pulled after 2 hours. Smart thinking fellow angler and boat captain Jamie Reid quickly fed the fish bait and after another long fuss he landed the shark which weighed in at 196kg. Shane Ashton fishing on Shellharbour Boat “Benchmark” trolled a nice blue fin of 24.5kg wide off Kiama Canyons.

For further information and to subscribe to their Fishing Newsletter you can contact Brett at fishndivewarehouse@bigpond.com and he will send you the details on how to subscribe.

FISHING CLASSES.

My next fishing class will run for 3 consecutive Thursday nights. It will be starting on Thursday the 13th of November. The cost of $95.00 includes a fish barbeque and the class. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit.

Windybanks Bait and Tackle
523 Pacific Hwy Mt Colah NSW 2079
Ph (02) 9477 1501
Annette and John

If you can’t make that class I will be running another class later in the year on 3 conconsective Wednesday nights. The class will start at 7.00pm and finish at 10.00pm.

For further information you will need to ring or pay them a visit at the shop.
The cost will be $80.00 per person.

Absolutely Hooked
174 Merrylands Road
Merrylands
Ph (02) 9897 3474
Mike and April

NEW PRODUCTS

DVD No 1.

Hard Copy Volume 1 by Micah Adams

In this DVD you will find that Micah Adams demonstrates all the skills need to catch bream, estuary perch and flathead on a range of hard bodied lures from Lucky Craft, Yamashita and Jackson.

Micah will walk you through the art of how to locate fish and them how to tempt them into striking the lure you have just presented to them. The range and versatility that these hard bodied lures have will amaze you. You can fish them on the surface and in deep water, plus every where in between.

There is incredible bream fishing action with surface lures, bibbed hard bodies, vibes and lipless minnows all of which will having you going to your nearest tackle shop to get a few.

You will also learn about rod tapers and types, and also in what type of conditions they can be used. Micah will also go through the range of high tech braid and leader material from Sunline and Loomis rods.

I would suggest that you watch the DVD several times. The first time would be just for watching the action. Once you have done that, the next time watch how Micah explains how to work the rod tip, while at the same time controlling the speed that you turn the handle of the reel when working the Sammy 65's and WN Pencils across the top of the water.

A 28cm yellowfin bream that was caught on a 65 sammy while working the flats in the Port Hacking. One day I will work out have to use the self timer on my camera correctly.

The DVD goes for approximately 55 minutes and I am sure that you will watch it over and over again. I have and I am still picking up small bits of information that will make my fishing more productive the next time I am on the water.

MORE REPORTS

I would like to welcome onboard Scott Thorington from Haven Sports Fishing Charters http://kingfishjigging.com/ who fishes out of his Custom built in 1995, the Freedom was designed with one thing in mind - chasing marlin!
During one of Scotty's charters you may encounter one of his regular ride along guests. These may include tackle industry reps, TV hosts, tackle shop proprietors & designers, game fishing crew & captains from Australia and around the world, all who are only to willing to share their tips techniques & experiences with Scotty.

The boat has a fast cruise speed and is dry and stable on the troll and at anchor. She has a clean, bubble-free wake that makes her perfect for lure or 'bait and switch' fishing for bill fish. A bow thruster adds to her nimble manoeuvrability.

The Electronics onboard include GPS, Depth Sounder (fishfinder) 27meg & VHF radios. A Next G mobile phone is also carried ensuring phone communications at the continental shelf.

For up to date reports on what is happening offshore on the central coast go to Scotty’s blog at http://havencharters.blogspot.com/ there are some great photos of kingfish that have been caught over the past few weeks onboard the haven charters boat.

Tackle World Goulburn www.tackleworld.com.au/store_pages/goulburn.html is about looking after anyone who would like to experience the enjoyment of Fishing & Shooting. We cater for all levels, from the humble first time worm drowner & can plinker to the big game angler and trophy hunter. Regardless of your taste they have the products and more importantly the advice you need to succeed in your chosen endeavours. If they can achieve this and you leave with the sense of fulfilment our job is done. Goulburn is located in a country area so we pride ourselves on personal service and friendship in a comfortable environment for everyone who enters the store therefore we have a motto by which we live. "There are no strangers here only friends they haven't met".

In the next few weeks they will also have a fishing report up for you to find out what is going on in their neck of the woods.

To view the latest Tackle Word Goulburn Fishing report you can subscribe by going to the following link http://www.noblemailer.noblecrm.com.au/download/forms/s/2894045/23812/146455/28286.html
Or by sending them an email at fns@tpg.com.au

Tackle Word Goulburn316 Auburn Street, Goulburn, NSW 2580Phone: 02 4822 1929 Fax 02 4822 1929

Ron Osman from http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ reports that until the last few weeks there has not being a lot to report about. Before now it was very quiet. We even had a couple of those no fish days but not anymore. The fishing has picked up a lot.

Lion Island has been producing bream, trevally, tailor, leatherjackets, pike and salmon in a burly trail. The trevally are there one day and gone the next but the rest of the mixed bag are usually there everyday. The bream have been in the 30 – 35cm size, with the Trevally 28 – 38cm and very thick at times. We had schools of salmon at Box Head everyday for a week then a storm came through and they went missing for about a week but now they are back strong as ever and 1.5 to 2.5kg in size. We got into bigger ones at Middle Head and they were 3kg and much better fighters and acrobats.

Pittwater has been quiet on the kingy front but they shouldn’t be too far away with the water warming up at the speed it is. We have caught loads of tailor at the Basin trolling Rapalla’s with some going 45cm – not a bad tailor. Ron hasn’t chased kingfish down Pittwater for a few weeks now, but Ron is down there next week after them so he hopes they have come in and are ready to play.

Ron has been chasing luderick (blackfish) a lot lately as they are a winter fish and we have had mixed results where we only get a few one day and clean up the next. We caught 8 in a couple of hours one day and 7 were over 40cm with the biggest 44cm. The next day we only got 4 but one was 46cm and 1.7kg. That is the biggest blackfish I have had on my boat and I have only caught them that big myself when fishing off the rocks for them. We did drop a lot of fish and the ones we got put a great fight on the light blackfish gear and I hope they stay around for a while. The spot we got the big ones was Juno Point on the run out tide and also Croppy Head in the Hawkesbury.

Palm Beach Wharf in Pittwater has had heaps under it and we usually get a couple before leaving if that is where I pick my customers up. You just have to time it right in between the ferries and if you fish Saturday or Sunday morning the first ferry isn’t until 9am so you get a few hours of fishing in before they come and scare them off. The wharf next to it has them too but not as many. These fish are in the 35 – 40cm range and are right underneath the wharf so getting them out is great fun.

Brisbane Waters has blackfish too with the best spots Rileys Island and around Davistown and Woy Woy and these fish are in the 30 – 38cm range but there are the odd bigger ones. Flatties are on the come back and starting to take soft plastics at Lobster Beach, Hardies Bay and Ettalong. They are not big only about 30 – 50cm but still a welcome catch and should only get more active as the water warms up.

Ron has tried for Jewies a couple of times with no results until now. His last trip down to the road bridges where they caught a small keeper at 47cm, but they only fished for them for a couple of hours at the end of the day. Talking to his trawler mate he said one of the mesh netters had a 30kg+ Jewie get out of his net at Gunya Point just last week so there is at least one Jewie out there. There was a 3.5kg one caught at the Rip Bridge last weekend. So it looks like they are starting to come back.

Coming out of Pittwater with customers on board a few weeks ago there was a humpback and it’s calf playing near Lion Island. So they pulled up the mandatory 300m away (which is still pretty close to an animal that big) and the mother breached 3 or 4 times and was rolling over and waving at us too with the calf not far behind. Then later in the day they were off Patonga just laying on the surface sunbaking. They got it all on video and photos and it was unreal and his customers were very happy and we hadn’t even started fishing yet.

For more information on what is going on up Ron’s way you can either go to his web
Site at ron@estuaryfishingtours.com.au or just give him a call on mobile 0407 66197

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au
reports On the beaches, salmon remain common, and show no real signs of disappearing any time soon. For those seeking something edible, a few nice bream are about although generally not in huge numbers with Lighthouse locally fishing as well as anywhere. Tailor however remain elusive as too mulloway.

On the beach fishing scene, once again the subject of beach hauling has raised its ugly head, this time as a result of another substantial mulloway haul from not too far south of here. Firstly, no one begrudges licensed commercial fishermen from earning a living, for remember they have a demand to meet, families to support, and most have outlaid considerable dollars in acquiring both their endorsements and equipment. However this particular practice, whether it involves bream, mullet or mulloway is arguably the least sustainable form of commercial angling still permitted as it predominately targets mass congregations of these species during their spawning runs. In today’s day and age in which declining aquatic resources are creating major concerns, the time has certainly come for this practice to cease. The long term benefits of allowing any fish species to complete its annual spawning run seems obvious, especially considering the potential breeding capabilities of the tonnes netted during these times. Why the issue of buying back these licenses has not been addressed by the relevant fisheries ministers at either state or Commonwealth level is difficult to comprehend. It would not endanger day to day market supply, yet would ultimately prolong long term commercial sustainability of the relevant species. When you think about it, its hard to see anything but a long term win outcome for recreational and commercial fishers alike if this outdated practice were to cease.

Off the rocks, drummer numbers remain reasonably consistent with the odd few fish on offer for those willing to put in the time. Most local ledges are producing however the key as always is to be prepared to be mobile, and of course berleying heavily. Blackfish numbers also remain excellent, with some solid fish being snared both locally, and around Point Perpendicular. Tailor numbers however remain below par although may improve in the lead up to the coming full moon. For those inclined to chase groper, now is just about prime time, although scoring a flat sea in which to access the better ledges is likely to the major hurdle.

In the estuary, flathead are the big improvers, with excellent catch rates across the board being reported each week. Whitebait and yabbies have been the pick of the baits, whilst those throwing lures have also enjoyed considerable success. Gone are the days when flatties were considered a summer time species, with recent years, and perhaps enhanced lure techniques, confirming this species as a genuine year round proposition. Bream numbers are somewhat shy and not expected to improve in the short term, unless of course we get some decent rain and a bit of colour back into the river. On the blackfish front however, both walls continue to fish well, whilst Limeburners and the Maria have also produced some quality bags. A few solid whiting are also getting about Limeburners and Blackman’s Point, with yabbies and worms proving the baits of choice.

Outside reports remain most encouraging for this time of year. Boats fishing closer however report good numbers of snapper as well as pearl perch, with the number of pearlies taken from less than 30 meters of water now better than anyone can recall. Wider out, the jackets have begun to disburse to a tolerable level, whilst wider still, a few yellowfin tuna are worthy targets for those partial to a bit of game fishing.

In the estuary, the focus area has certainly been around the lower reaches following the fresh coming down the Hastings. As is often the case, mulloway spinning was the number one pastime from the break walls, with both the north and south walls providing quite a few fish. The highlight was a terrific 33.6 kilo specimen taken by Andrew Nee off the north wall on a lure, however there were also plenty of fish caught in the 15 to 25 kilo bracket. Elsewhere in the estuary, bream numbers have been reasonable from the walls and up Limeburners, whilst those with black weed scored a few nice luderick when the dirt came down. Flatties have been a little quiet however look for a big improvement once the water clears a little.

On the beaches, the weather on the weekend obviously ruled out most options, something beach fisho’s have had to learn to accept this year. Before the seas burred up, salmon were common from most beaches, with no bait or lure immune from their appetite. Still a few nice bream about however, with North Beach and Crescent Head giving up a few nice fish during even sessions. Live worms and pipis have proven particularly successful. Mulloway however remain disappointingly quiet however lets hope the recent stir has a positive effect. Whether there remains any decent formations from which to target them remains to be seen.

Off the rocks, little to report as a result of the seas last week, however look for a big improvement once the seas settle. Best bets would to chase drummer or blackfish at the first opportunity, however bream and tailor should both improve once the seas back down, especially during the lead up to the next full moon.

On the outside scene, once again the weekend was a write off, however last week saw a continuation of the terrific snapper from the close in reefs off Lighthouse, Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills. As has been the case now for quite some time, soft plastics have been achieving the bulk of the success, with good numbers of fish to about ten kilos being taken. If lure fishing for reds is simply not your cup of tea, it is worth bearing in mind the style of bait fishing this technique mimics. For many years, dedicated snapper chasers have sworn by lightly weighted baits such as livies, whole squid or pillies slowly drifting down on the close in reefs, either at anchor or during a drift. Whilst this method may not achieve the constant bites that drifting with a standard snapper sinker may, the rewards are in respect to quality snapper. The key is to fish with as little weight as possible, even floating baits in a berley trail if conditions allow. Good snapper have no qualms in feeding anywhere from the mid water column to almost the surface at times, however the smaller fish and most of the rubbish certainly don’t. When you think about, this is where soft plastics are fished as opposed to baits attached to a traditional snapper lead which often simply bounce along the bottom. Perhaps this is worth thinking about when next wondering why the guys throwing plastics have a few nice reds on board, whilst your bait fishing exploits from the same locations have yielded only assorted rubbish by comparison.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
more wind and rain pounding us again last weekend slowed the fisho’s down but before that those who got out were rewarded with some nice fish. There has been a lot of activity around Fish Rock with fair Kings up to 75cm in amongst hundreds of rats racing for the bait. There were a few small Snapper off he bottom. Those who ventured out wide towards the shelf picked up a few Bar Cod and Blue eye in reasonable conditions. Snapper were on the bite again off the reefs around Grassy with a range of plastic baits extremely effective on these species around sunrise. Floating Pilchards has also been working well. Pearl Perch are coming out of the same area with bigger fish out a little wider. There are still a few Jackets about.

Flathead are making a welcome return to our river system with some taken off the banks up to 4 kilo. Nice panners are coming out of the Back Creek on Mullet, Whitebait and plastic baits. There are straggler Blackfish about along the walls but there are a few undersize as the run comes to an end. If you can get around the oyster racks at Clybucca, throw some baits or lures at the healthy Bream living there. Good Bream are coming in along Smoky Beach from Black Rock to the Hat along with a few Salmon and Tailor. Gap Beach has had some Whiting, Bream and Tailor while the rock hoppers are using metals on the good quality Tailor.

Were a couple of week into spring, and the chill is off the early morning air, if your heading out to sea pre dawn there are Snapper waiting for you off the northern reefs to Scotts. Good numbers are still on the chew along with some nice Pearl Perch up to 3 kilos reported. There were no reports from out wide last week but with the water slowly warming up good times are ahead. Plenty of King Fish action again this week around Fish Rock with the rats outnumbering the bruisers. There are a few Mac Tuna about along the coast.

The dirty water in the river at the moment has been a godsend for the Jewfish fishermen with fish up to 20 kilo being caught at the end of the Break wall with the Killalure 150 Jew lure working a treat in the coloured water. The incoming tide has been working well for some nice Bream but there are heaps of undersize Bream so if you’re from interstate remember under 25cm its back to the water. Flathead are biting on Pilchards, Herring and Mullet with some nice fish caught over the week. One or two Blackfish are coming out of Back Creek while Hat Head Creek is producing good numbers. For the Tailor guys, the popular Raider and Quarter Back lures are back in stock. Gap and Smoky Beach fished well for Salmon Tailor and Bream last week while the Rock Hoppers cleaned up on some great Tailor.

For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Steve Williamson from Jindabyne sent me a news letter about The Discovery Holiday Parks Family Fishing Challenge 2008/9 NSW Series which will be held at the following places.

RESULTS - Discovery Holiday Parks Family Fishing Challenge – Pambula Beach

The weekend of the 6th and 7th of September saw the second of the Discovery Parks ‘Think You Can Fish’ series at Pambula Beach. Anglers from as far as Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and the Snowy Mountains competed in the event with the two winning anglers doing very well catching 5 out of the 7 species of fish chosen for the competition.

Everyone had a fantastic time and the weather was kind although the big seas made it impossible to fish outside or off the beach and rocks. Anglers therefore fished the estuary systems of Pambula and Merimbula. Unfortunately there was an algae problem in the Pambula River, washed in by the big seas and making it difficult to fish, however the Pambula lake was in good shape with flathead, bream and tailor for those with boats.

Merimbula Lake had plenty of luderick and bream from the boat ramp to the lake and heaps of tailor once you entered the lake. There were also quite a few whiting and plenty of trevally although a lot of the trevally caught were just undersize.
From the Merimbula Bridge to the mouth at Bar Beach, anglers had great fun catching Australian salmon and these fish were caught on various lures and soft plastics.
The base for the competition was the Discovery Holiday Parks Pambula Beach and this was a fantastic venue with all the kids having a great time using the resorts facilities. They had huge interest from both kids and adults with the magnetic fishing competition held in the resorts swimming pool. Huge catches were made and many instant prizes were won.

Our fishing competition results were as follows:

Champion Angler – Shawn Laurence

Champion Lady Angler – Kerry Webley

Best Team Award went to ‘Team 1 Snowline’ made up of Shawn and Samantha Laurence.

Runner up team - Snowline 2 - Matt McCann and Russell Cheeseman

Steve Williamson’s Junior Encouragement award went to Jake O’Shea

Anglers will now go to Discovery Holiday Parks Gerroa on the weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th to compete in competition 3 of the series.

Accommodation bookings for Gerroa can be made by calling 02 42341233 or gerroa@discoveryparks.com.au

NEXT COMPETITIONS

Gerroa Shores Beach Resort – Gerroa
3rd, 4th and 5th October 2008

Shadrack Beachfront Resort – Two Fold Bay, Eden
7th, 8th and 9th November 2008

Snowline Holiday Park – Lake Jindabyne
20th, 21st and 22nd February 2009

If you are interested in finding out more about this great competition you can email Steve at swtrout@airlan.com.au or just pay a visit to his web site at http://www.swtroutfishing.com.au/

Weekly report 30/08/08

Botany Bay has been a little bit on the quite side over the last few weeks, but the water temperature increasing the fish will start to get a lot more active. There has been plenty of silver trevally and leatherjackets to be caught off trevally alley, the sticks, the drums, Watts Reef, the oil wharf and at the end of the third runway. A steady stream of berley and peeled prawns are the go.

The oil wharf also has a number of tailor and yellowfin that have been taking baits on the run-out tide. Half and full pilchards are the go and make sure that you berley.

Dusky flathead have started to show up in numbers off Silver Beach, Towra Point, Brighton- Lee Sands and in Yarra Bay. Live poddy mullet, small yellowtail, white bait and slimy mackerel are the go for bait. You could also try drifting a few strip baits like mullet and striped tuna.

The Georges and Woronora River have been producing great catches of luderick on both the run-out and run-in tides. Chopped up weed and sand for berley and fresh green stringy weed for bait. You could also try using squirt worms and small pink nippers for bait.

Bream have been feeding along the rocks wall from Como Bridge and up stream to the Milperra Bridge. There has also been the odd mulloway caught to 8.9 kilos. Mullet have also been on the chew near the baths at Picnic Point.

Bonnet Bay boat ramp has been producing the odd dusky flathead on a rising tide for Charles Benning form Menai. Charles has been using Gulp Poddiges on a 3/8 oz, 2/0 Nitro Jig head.

Sand whiting, yellowfin bream and the odd tailor and Australian salmon have been caught off the sand banks at Maianbar and Lilly Pilly on the rising tide. Fish with very long leaders and try using the Sunline Basic FC Fluorocarbon for your leaders.

Johnny Jewfish fished in Botany Bay with a few mates for 12 silver trevally, 3 legal snapper and a 52 cm dusky flathead. A few weeks ago he off the rocks at Wattamolla with a few mates for 14 drummer and 2 bream on cunje, 3 silver trevally on peeled prawns and a Australian salmon on a metal twisty.

FOR SALE

I have the following cameras for sale;

Cannon EOS 300 Camera (Not digital)
Cannon Lens 22-55mm Wide angle
Cannon Lens 35-80mm Standard
Cannon Lens 75-300mm Zoom
Nissin 32AF Flash unit
Marumi 58mm C-PL Filter

Cannon Powershot A520 Digital
512 mb Memory card
2 sets of re-chargeable batteries
Water Proof Housing for the A520 Depth to 40 metres

$600.00 for the lot or nearest offer (send me an email)

LATEST NEWS

Yabbie Bait and Tackle is no longer. The shop has been brought by Marcus Unkuri and is now called Southside Bait and Tackle and is situated at 2a Toorak Avenue Taren Point. Marcus is opened 7 days a week and has plenty of winter special on at the moment.

So when you are next in the neighbourhood call in a have a look around. It may only be a small shop, but I am sure that Marcus will help you out and also give you a few spots that are worth fishing.

FISHING CLASSES.

My next fishing class will run for 3 consecutive Thursday nights. The cost of $95.00 includes a fish barbeque and the class. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit.

Windybanks Bait and Tackle
523 Pacific Hwy Mt Colah NSW 2079
Ph (02) 9477 1501
Annette and John

If you can’t make that class I will be running another class later in the year on 3 conconsective Wednesday nights. The class will start at 7.00pm and finish at 10.00pm.

For further information you will need to ring or pay them a visit at the shop.
The cost will be $80.00 per person.

Absolutely Hooked
174 Merrylands Road
Merrylands
Ph (02) 9897 3474
Mike and April

CHECK THESE OUT.

When you next get a chance have a look at the following on http://www.youtube/

No 1.

Here is a video of the world comp that was held on the weekend of the 28th & 29th of June were 92 casters from 14 nations took part. This fantastic event that was hosted by the Belgium club. There was one guy that cast a ¼ oz lure 266.29 metres.http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=dreoDJ3a6EE

No 2.

Terrific Bass action. Check out the way the angler works the worms & spinnerbaits action to entice the bass to bite. Brilliant! Interesting to see how the fish react to the lures too - sometimes grabbing the tail before inhaling the rest, or just gulping it down immediately!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX9x7A_QE2I&mode=related&search=
No 3.

Just check out how this angler can skip the soft plastic on top of the water and into the back of the snag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcusiZFxjKY&NR=1

NEW PRODUCTS

BOOK No 1.

Fishing and Camping in NSW and Victoria RRP $19.99

BOOK No 2

Fishing and Camping guide to the Northern Territory by Dick Eussen RRP $24.99

DVD No 1.

Murray Cod Tactics by Rod Harrison and Bill Classon RRP $19.99

MORE REPORTS

I would like to welcome onboard Scott Thorington from Haven Sports Fishing Charters http://kingfishjigging.com/ who fishes out of his Custom built in 1995, the Freedom was designed with one thing in mind - chasing marlin!

Scott Haven Sport Fishing Charters was established in 1987 and is owned and skippered by Scotty, who has fished throughout the Pacific including locations such as Hawaii, New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, he has logged thousands of sea hours as skipper or crewman on commercial and sport fishing boats from Eden in the south to Lizard Island in the north. During one of Scotty's charters you may encounter one of his regular ride along guests. These may include tackle industry reps, TV hosts, tackle shop proprietors & designers, game fishing crew & captains from Australia and around the world, all who are only to willing to share their tips techniques & experiences with Scotty.

The boat has a fast cruise speed and is dry and stable on the troll and at anchor. She has a clean, bubble-free wake that makes her perfect for lure or 'bait and switch' fishing for bill fish. A bow thruster adds to her nimble manoeuvrability.

The Electronics onboard include GPS, Depth Sounder (fishfinder) 27meg & VHF radios. A Next G mobile phone is also carried ensuring phone communications at the continental shelf.
For up to date reports on what is happening offshore on the central coast go to Scotty’s blog at http://havencharters.blogspot.com/ there are some great photos of kingfish that have been caught over the past few weeks onboard the haven charters boat

Tackle World Goulburn www.tackleworld.com.au/store_pages/goulburn.html is about looking after anyone who would like to experience the enjoyment of Fishing & Shooting. We cater for all levels, from the humble first time worm drowner & can plinker to the big game angler and trophy hunter. Regardless of your taste we have the products and more importantly the advice you need to succeed in your chosen endeavours. If we can achieve this and you leave with the sense of fulfilment our job is done. Goulburn is located in a country area so we pride ourselves on personal service and friendship in a comfortable environment for everyone who enters the store therefore we have a motto by which we live. "There are no strangers here only friends we haven't met".

In the next few weeks they will also have a fishing report up for you to find out what is going on in their neck of the woods.

Tackle Word Goulburn316 Auburn Street, Goulburn, NSW 2580Phone: 02 4822 1929 Fax 02 4822 1929

To view what is coming up with Scotty Lyons you will need to go to (http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/.) reports that what’s coming up on the fishing trip scene or give Scotty a call on 0418 169 439. For more information and some great photos you should go to Scotty’s web site at http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ and have a look.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au
reports that in the estuary, blackfish numbers are as good as they have been all year, with the south wall and Limeburners in particular fishing quite well. Good to see a bit of quality about with quite a number of fish around and above a kilo. Some nice lizards to around 2 kilos have continued to be caught over the past week, despite the cooler waters, with whitebait and mullet strips achieving the better results. The lower stretch of the Maria seems to be well worth checking out. On the bream scene, as expected the full moon saw the night time action down a little, however I expect results will have improved considerably by now.

To the south, it appears Lake Cathie has once again closed up, with a massive amount of sand now where the entrance once was. Whilst the big seas have seen a bit of water flow in around high tide, unfortunately, it is no longer flowing out. I guess the next week or so will most likely dictate whether mother nature is capable of a quick re-opening, or whether we will need to await another council assisted opening when the criteria is met.

Off the rocks, the big swells last weekend saw most of the more favoured ledges either out of bounds or difficult at best. As such, local reports have been limited apart from a few blackfish around Shelley’s and the odd tailor from high rock at Lighthouse. Further north, Hat head is reported to be holding droves of bream, however there are plenty of barely legal fish among the better ones. The drummer scene remains in a bit of a slump, however don’t be at all surprised if the recent big seas prompt a beginning to their late season spurt.

For beach fisho’s, the most frustrating winter season in many years just continues to roll on. Just when we get a decent period of weather, some good formations and few fish about, along comes another big sea once again. This has been the case pretty well all winter, and to make matters worse, the regular periods of big swells have coincided with pretty well all optimum tide and lunar phases. Lets just hope the weather gods play fair during the latter half of the year. And quickly on to what has been about when conditions have been reasonable, just refer to my comments last week regarding the absence of salmon this season, and completely disregard them.

Little to report however on the offshore front, with the consistent winds and swells keeping most boats ashore nearly all week. If the seas back down in the near future, I expect the close in snapper action to remain excellent, as it has been for several weeks now.

On the beaches, there are a few nice bream to be had although as has been the case pretty well all winter, conditions turned pear shaped just in time for last weekend. Whilst beach anglers are somewhat conditioned to having a bit of time out due to strong winds, big swells etc, this winter has been the worst I can recall for many years. Not only has the sea been ugly more often than not, the lack of any permanent deep water close in has been notably absent this season. As a rule of thumb, winter generally provides the premier fish holding structure of the season, however the constant seas this winter have unfortunately ensured this did not occur to any great level. Rather than seeing high sandbanks and deep gutters, the converse has occurred, with predominately shallow water in close, and a distinct lack of sand on the beaches which in turn has created numerous erosion problems along a significant section of the coastline. Let’s just hope the summer nor easters arrive early this season, some solid structure develops, and the fish hang around a little later, as they did last season. If not, I suggest keen beach fisho’s start experimenting with new and creative salmon recipes.

Off the rocks, drummer remain patchy however a few anglers are managing the odd nice fish. Point Plommer and the surrounding headlands have again been the pick of locations for those keen to tangle with these tough fighting fish. Tailor numbers have been reasonable, with a few reasonable fish taken both locally and further a field at both Plommer and Diamond Head. The big swells last weekend however ruled out most of the more desirable ledges. On the positive, blackfish remain excellent however few reports of groper recently which is not unexpected given the rough seas.

In the estuary, at present the water is running quite clear, with a good drop of rain now needed to both add a bit of colour to the water and stir the action up. Blackfish remain consistent, with good catches reported from both break walls, the coal wall and areas further upstream. Bream numbers in the estuary have also been a little slow, however the tides this weekend are excellent for a night time session. Could be well worth exploring further upstream in the absence of any solid rain. Flathead numbers have been reasonable with whitebait and prawns being the most successful baits. Expect the flathead action to begin to pick up considerably as the water begins to warm over the next month or so.

Outside reports have been fairy quiet, with the strong winds and big seas seeing most stay put until early in the week. Those venturing out after the winds continue to report excellent snapper off the closer reefs, with Jason Sewell scoring a top 8.37 kilo fish close in off Cathie on a strip of sergeant baker. Now that’s certainly an upgrade any fisho would be delighted with.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
it was like somebody flicked the switch off last week because the blue water fisho’s battled for a feed with the reefs off Grassy only producing a few Snapper, Pearl Perch and the odd Morwong. There are Flathead about off the Lighthouse grounds and Tailor are still running in close off the rocks down to Green Island. Leather Jackets are still about here out wider but there not in big numbers, most of the action last week was around Fish Rock with good numbers off King Fish taking baits, most are Rats with the bigger Kings taking live baits and its worth trying the metal knife jigs for these bigger fish. There was a fair current running down there late last week.

Smoky Beach was the best of the beaches last week with nice Tailor coming in down towards Hat Head with a few Bream and Salmon. North Gap is producing some Tailor and Salmon. Rock Hoppers are picking up Drummer, Salmon and Tailor off the ledges.

Our river has been very quite over the last few weeks. Black Fish are still on the bite with most fisho’s getting a feed. It’s hard to find a good Bream along the walls at the moment but fish light for better results. There has been some small Jew and the odd Bream around the pylons of Jerseyville Bridge with good Flathead on the flats, while Smithtown Bridge is producing fair Bream and Flathead.

For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Steve Williamson from Jindabyne sent me a news letter about The Discovery Holiday Parks Family Fishing Challenge 2008/9 NSW Series which will be held at the following places.

Holiday Hub Beach Resort - Pambula Beach
5th, 6th and 7th September 2008

Gerroa Shores Beach Resort – Gerroa
3rd, 4th and 5th October 2008

Shadrack Beachfront Resort – Two Fold Bay, Eden
7th, 8th and 9th November 2008

Snowline Holiday Park – Lake Jindabyne
20th, 21st and 22nd February 2009

If you are interested in finding out more about this great competition you can email Steve at swtrout@airlan.com.au or just pay a visit to his web site at www.swtroutfishing.com.au

A FEW FISH THAT

WERE CAUGHT AT

EMOUTH IN

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Weekly report 8/08/08

Carl from http://www.kyakafishingsydney.com.au/ reports that work is still the bane of his existence, but at least it keeps the wolves from his door. It was a week and a half ago that Terry and Carl ventured out of the Cooks River and over towards the runway as during the week Terry bagged a half a dozen salmon on SP's over the flats. Showing the stability of the Hobie Outback, Terry stood to cast a popper at a few surface boils not far away, but to be honest, Carl thinks he was trying to temp the Qantas jet. Thank God he didn't hook up! : )

Unfortunately, the boils only proved to be small chopper tailor that were no bigger than 25cm's. There were no signs of any salmon on the surface and our submerged SP's couldn't raise a scale either. They started to target the marker buoys and eventually picked up a few legal bream, but nothing to write home about. Carl hooked what felt like a nice trevally (thump, thump, thump coming back up the line), but he pulled the hooks on it 30 seconds into the fight. A minute later, Terry lands one but he's in a generous mood and sets it free to grow a little more.

Heading back Carl switched to a TT Switchblade and start working the flats, hoping for a flathead. No flatties, but he did manage to rack up another species on the blade, this time a Flounder that came home with me and tasted magnificent once filleted and dipped in a beer batter and served up with fresh lime wedges, Maldon Sea salt and cracked black pepper. Mmmm Mmmm...

Holly Cow something was hungrey

LATEST NEWS

Yabbie Bait and Tackle is no longer. The shop has been brought by Marcus Unkuri and is now called Southside Bait and Tackle and is situated at 2a Toorak Avenue Taren Point. Marcus is opened 7 days a week and has plenty of winter special on at the moment.

So when you are next in the neighbourhood call in a have a look around. It may only be a small shop, but I am sure that Marcus will help you out and also give you a few spots that are worth fishing.

PRESS RELEASE

USA: KING KIM BAIN WINS HER 2nd PRIZEBOAT

Globe-trotting Brisbane born fishing writer / photographer, Kim Bain, who grew up catching mackerel in Moreton Bay, has stamped herself as an international king mackerel angler of note with a nail-biting outright 2nd place finish in the prestigious Jacksonville King Mackerel Championship held over the weekend in Florida, USA. Kim, or 'Junior' as she is often referred to as the younger of the Bain fishing clan, took home a 6m boat package and $16,000 in cash winnings. The Jacksonville King Mackerel Tournament is the largest in the USA with 670 boats competing this year.

The versatile Bain, who earlier in the year in April became the first Aussie to win a pro bass fishing tournament in the USA (which came with a $50K boat prize), has the American's searching the record books to see if she is the first angler in history to win the benchmark 'prize boat' in both saltwater and freshwater in the same season. Bain's other multispecies angling achievements of note include being the only angler in US history to win prize money in bass, walleye, redfish and mackerel tours in the USA. Kim, Australia's greatest ever performing international tournament lure cast angler, also currently leads the Women's Bass Fishing Championships in the USA already qualifying for the 2008 grand final and has now qualified for 5 world championship finals in America.

Kim's two day aggregate mackerel catch out of Jacksonville north Florida, included a 29lb fish on day one and a 43lb fish on the second and final day for a 72.35 pound aggregate which earned her (and her Aussie named boat 'Crikey') second place overall. In dramatic fashion Kim says she was seriously a jittery wreck when the 43 pound fish tore the gaff out of the professional gaffman's hands at the side of the boat, breaking one of the guy's ribs, and then the gaff fell out, 'Fortunately we had a second gaff on board and I managed to stay connected to the fish and we got a second and successful shot...we might have lost a $100 gaff...but we could have lost a $40,000 fish.' 'My dad, Steve, normally gaffs the big fish for us but he had just returned to Australia' explained Kim.

The successful Bain father / daughter duo had previously won pro-mackerel prize money earlier in the American season. In doing so they became the first Australians to taste King Mackerel success. It seems king mackerel tournaments are full of action. In a previous event in the season the team was robbed of a second place prize-winning fish when a barracuda snipped the mackerel's tail off at the side of the boat. Fish with bites from other fish are unfortunately disqualified. All fish weighed in on the king mackerel tour are donated to charity. In the past four months Bain has amassed over $100K in tournament winnings. 'I used to have a job in the Myer centre in Brisbane when I was at high school,' she mused, 'but my boss said I had to make a choice between cooking and fishing'.

Not just an avid angler but a success story on TV, Bain formerly worked four seasons on fishing television in Australia before heading to the USA where she featured in the Emma Winning cast of presenters for the ESPN's Great Outdoor Games and won a Telly award for advertising and promotion with the Kellogg's fishing DVD. The outdoor face of Special K in America, the photogenic Bain's 'headshot' has also graced the side of Kellogg's cereal boxes and semi-trailers in the USA. Kim's Kingfish Ride, aptly named Crikey , is a 3x300hp Evinrude E-Tec Powered 120kph 36' Centre Console custom-built by Invincible boatworks in the USA. And it's trailered behind a dual wheel pick-up truck.

FISHING CLASSES.

My next fishing class will start on Thursday the 28th of August starting at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Thursday nights. The cost of $95.00 includes a fish barbeque and the class. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit.

Windybanks Bait and Tackle
523 Pacific Hwy Mt Colah NSW 2079
Ph (02) 9477 1501
Annette, John and Luke

If you can’t make that class I will be running another class later in the year on 3 conconsective Wednesday nights. The class will start at 7.00pm and finish at 10.00pm.

For further information you will need to ring or pay them a visit at the shop.
The cost will be $80.00 per person.

Absolutely Hooked
174 Merrylands Road
Merrylands
Ph (02) 9897 3474
Mike and April

CHECK THESE OUT.

When you next get a chance have a look at the following on http://www.youtube/

No 1.

Here is a video of the world comp that was held on the weekend of the 28th & 29th of June were 92 casters from 14 nations took part. This fantastic event that was hosted by the Belgium club. There was one guy that cast a ¼ oz lure 266.29 metres.http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=dreoDJ3a6EE

No 2.

Terrific Bass action. Check out the way the angler works the worms & spinnerbaits action to entice the bass to bite. Brilliant! Interesting to see how the fish react to the lures too - sometimes grabbing the tail before inhaling the rest, or just gulping it down immediately!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX9x7A_QE2I...ted&search=

No 3.

Just check out how this angler can skip the soft plastic on top of the water and into the back of the snag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcusiZFxjKY&NR=1

NEW PRODUCTS

DVD No 1.

Long Range Samson Fish

Approximate running time is 50 minutes

RRP $24.95

DVD No 2.

Hooked with Dave Butfield Series 2

Approximate running time is 7 hours

RRP $39.99

MORE REPORTS

I would like to welcome onboard Scott Thorington from Haven Sports Fishing Charters http://kingfishjigging.com/ who fishes out of his Custom built in 1995, the Freedom was designed with one thing in mind - chasing marlin!

Scott Haven Sport Fishing Charters was established in 1987 and is owned and skippered by Scotty, who has fished throughout the Pacific including locations such as Hawaii, New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

In Australia, he has logged thousands of sea hours as skipper or crewman on commercial and sport fishing boats from Eden in the south to Lizard Island in the north. During one of Scotty's charters you may encounter one of his regular ride along guests. These may include tackle industry reps, TV hosts, tackle shop proprietors & designers, game fishing crew & captains from Australia and around the world, all who are only to willing to share their tips techniques & experiences with Scotty.

The boat has a fast cruise speed and is dry and stable on the troll and at anchor. She has a clean, bubble-free wake that makes her perfect for lure or 'bait and switch' fishing for bill fish. A bow thruster adds to her nimble manoeuvrability.

The Electronics onboard include GPS, Depth Sounder (fishfinder) 27meg & VHF radios. A Next G mobile phone is also carried ensuring phone communications at the continental shelf.
For up to date reports on what is happening offshore on the central coast go to Scotty’s blog at http://havencharters.blogspot.com/

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours (http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/.) reports that what’s coming up on the fishing trip scene;

Last Friday was a cold and wet out on the Bay, Trevally are still rather good at Trevally Alley but Sunday morning I couldn't`t find them, They might be better on the run in tide.

Scored a few nice Flathead on soft plastics just wide from Towra these were the first for a while and we had to work to fine them, Both caught on a Squidgie Blood worm wriggler.

Saturday Morning it was the deep sea singles day, Nathan had the boat for this trip and filled up with the small Slimy Mackerel and head to the Peak, and what a day high speed jigging and live baiting well the photos tell the story.

Sunday I had the Botany Bay Singles day so I started at Trevally Alley, but no good, trolled Yarra bay and pick up a few small Tailor but dropped one right at the boat and a lure with it.

Headed to the drums and filled up with Slimies and then push just out of the mouth in around 46metres as last weekend we did well on the sand Flathead.

Today they were all in 45 to 47 metre and a little slow but a few good fish in the mix two of them both up around 57cms great for sandies, We ended up with a nice catch of around 20 fish for the day.

WHATS COMING UP

*WEATHER IS LOOKING GREAT FOR NEXT WEEKEND

AND THE KINGIES ARE ON, I HAVE SUNDAY OPEN.

*AUGUST THE 9TH IS OPEN, BOTANY BAY OR DEEP SEA.

*AUGUST FISHING SCHOOL IS ON THE 18TH 6PM TO 9PM AT HUNTS MARINE THIS INCLUDES A FULL DAYS FISHING.


*DON`T FORGET THE LAST SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IS THE SINGLES DAY JUST GIVE SCOTT A CALL AND JUMP ON FOR THE DEEP SEA TRIP OR THE BOTANY BAY TRIP.

*HEAD OUT MIDWEEK WHY WAIT FOR THE WEEKEND.

Give Scotty a call on 0418 169 439. For more information and some great photos you should go to Scotty’s web site at http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ and have a look.

Ron Osman from Estuary Fishing and Tours reports that fishing has picked up a lot with 7 bream to 35cm, 4 trevally to 35cm, 4 pike to 40cm, 3 leatherjackets to 38cm and 1 red morwong 45cm all caught at lion island in 4 hours and caught on squid, mackerel and peeled prawns in our burley trail. Then went jewie fishing for nothing.

Flicked plastics in Brisbane waters on sat with a mate as I had no booking, we caught 2 large 40cm whiting and 4 flatties to 45cm with a few throw backs all in the channel in front of lobster beach, then tried the rip on the turn of the tide for only small jackets and reds but I did drop a big flattie as we were trying to net him I reckon he was over 90cm and would have loved a photo with the big girl before release but my mate poked it off the line with the net, and all he could do was laugh.

To find out what type of fishing has been happening in the Hawkesbury, Pittwater and Brisbane Waters area you could have a look at the reports that have been put up on http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ web site or you could email him at ron@estuaryfishingtours.com.au

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports In the estuary, blackfish numbers remain as good as they have been all season, with both break walls still giving up plenty of fish to around a kilo and varying catches all the way further upstream. Flathead numbers and quality remain quite good for this time of year, with both whitebait and lures enjoying equal success. Bream remain in solid numbers, with night time bait soaking achieving the better results. Many long term bream enthusiasts believe the colder the better for bream, so conditions right now should suit perfectly, especially given the good tides and moon at present. Lure enthusiasts too are doing well during the daylight hours, with blade style lures in particular achieving excellent results. These lures are certainly the flavour of the month at present, and based on their results, it’s hard to see this changing. At least until the next new toy is released that is.

On the mulloway front, whilst the odd good specimen has been encountered, such as Craig Mulley’s terrific 30.6 kilo model, what has been interesting is the sharp increase in incidental captures or juvenile fish from several Mid North Coast waterways of late. There have been numerous reports of multiple fish in the 20 to 50cm bracket being caught over recent weeks, something we have not seen for quite some time. This is a terrific sign, and perhaps signifies a repopulation of this species, which is most welcome. If you manage hook any of these juvenile fish, please ensure they are released in the best possible condition, so they can grow to the size many anglers look forward to as perhaps the catch of a lifetime. Alternately, if you intend keeping a feed, bear in mind the minimum legal size in NSW is 45cm, although realistically, their table quality significantly improves in models at least twice that size.

Off the stones, drummer numbers remain solid although the seas have seen quite a bit of sand moving around our headlands over the past week. Drummer rarely fire up when there is a lot of sand in the water, so searching for locations where the water is clean will generally pay dividends. Bream have picked up following the recent full moon, with Hat Head and Plommer giving up good bags, whilst Lighthouse locally has also held some quality fish. Tailor numbers haven’t been great, although the odd solid fish has been encountered during early morning sessions. Better results have been reported from the ledges around Hat Head and Point Plommer. Once the seas back right down, testing the back out chasing a few groper could be well worthwhile.

Of the beaches, once again conditions have not been kind, as they have been for most of the year to date. Once the seas settle, bream will your best bet with either live worms, pipis or mullet strips likely to achieve the better results. This weekend’s tides are excellent so hopefully conditions will be at least reasonable.

As for offshore fisho’s, a similar story with the seas not being at all friendly on most days. Best bet would be to look for a few snapper of the closer reefs, or alternately head wider for a quick feed or leatherjackets.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
on the beaches at present, bream remain the star performer, with some terrific fish on offer from most local beaches. In particular, North Beach and the lower end of Lighthouse have produced some top fish, with the vast majority in excellent condition as is usually the case at this time of year. With the full moon and big night time tides now on the wane, the next couple of weeks could prove excellent as long as the seas and winds remain reasonable.

Tailor numbers however remain somewhat disappointing with a few small choppers here and there, the odd big greenback after dark, and few consistent results in between. Salmon numbers are slowly increasing, although this season to date has seen the numbers and size down significantly from recent years. Few seem to be complaining though. On the jew front, the recent full moon phase once again did not produce the results many had hoped for. For whatever reasons, they simply have not shown up in any numbers at all this winter.

In the estuary, blackfish have been the main attraction, with the break walls in particular fishing well on most days. Both the run in and run out tides have proven productive in different sections of the walls, with fish to around and over a kilo now on offer. Flathead numbers remain quite good, with Blackman’s Point and the flats around Pelican Island well worth a go on either whitebait or lures. On the bream front, this coming dark should again be excellent, with Limeburners and areas further upstream now at their prime. As for bait, gut baits have been particularly successful as often is the case at this time of year; however we have also had some terrific results from those using the humble school prawn. On the whiting front, the Hastings remain a little on the quiet side, however Lake Cathie has been producing some good fish, particularly after dark, along with plenty of nice flatties.

Of the rocks, good reports on drummer continue to come in, with Hat Head again giving up some nice bags over the past week. Locally, Rocky’s, Shelley’s and Lighthouse have all produced fish. On the tailor front, some reasonable reports continue to filter in from Point Plommer and areas further north, with a few isolated greenbacks on offer. On the bream scene, the full moon saw results down a little as is to be expected, although the odd big fish was taken, including a magnificent 2.44 kilo model by Cameron Doak. Plenty of blackfish still around too for those keen to toss a bit of cabbage, with Miners giving up a few nice bags of bronzies early in the week.

Offshore results over the past week have been quite good however the swell which has built in the early part of this week may keep a few boats at home for a few days. Ocean Star has been continuing to achieve some great catches for their customers, with plenty of good sized snapper and pearlies, along with a steady stream of difficult to avoid leather jackets. As per recent weeks, make sure you have plenty of wire on board if you plan to fish between 40 and 80 meters.

The return of rotten the weather at the end of last week meant the fish had it to themselves outside apart for a few die hard’s fishing the close reefs for a few Snapper, the odd Pig Fish and small Pearl Perch. Heading south there has been Mac Tuna and good Tailor in close down to Fish Rock where the odd King Fish and Snapper have been coming in. Early last week the calm conditions brought some better results like Ronny Vandriest and his 1 meter 10 kilo classic Snapper between Grassy and Scotts while Bar Cod are in the wider locations. Jackets were out there again but not in big numbers.

Flathead were on the bite last week with Back Creek producing some good fish while through the cut to Stuarts point and the entry to Spencers Creek have been productive as well. Nice Bream have been caught along the Break Wall early mornings biting well on live worms, nippers and chicken gut. Black Fish are still biting on the rising tide but fisho’s have had to work for them because it’s been a little tougher to find them over the last week.

Richard Pitt and the boys from Walcha fishing club fished Hat Head beach and rocks for fair Tailor to 1 kilo but most of the action came from Smoky Beach with some monster Salmon and good Bream, their highlight, three unstoppable runs on tailor slabs during the night.

It has been a very quite time out on the ocean over the last week with only a few fisho’s coming back to the ramp with something to run a fillet off. Reports from the charter guys are the Leather Jackets are back with vengeance past about the 30 meter mark. There were a few Snapper out of the northern reefs with a return of some reasonable Pearl Perch with one crew of visitors doing really well on the 5 and 7 inch Gulp Jerk Shads. The only other highlight was a few keeper King Fish around Fish Rock along with heaps of rats to get your bait past.

Blackfish have been keener to take a bait over the last week with a lot of fisho’s getting near their bag. Jew Bite along to the wire fence are still the hot spots and if you can get on the water the walls along the Cut Through and further up to Stuarts Point also have been productive. Bream and Flathead have been a little tougher to find, with once again locations up river have been more productive.

There were Tailor and Salmon back on the beaches last week with the Hat Head end of Smoky working well. The North end of the beach has had nice Bream in the gutters on the bigger tides. Gap Beach has been fishing well for Salmon and a few Tailor and Bream. Salmon have been caught of Back Beach which is great fun on light gear. Rock hoppers are pulling in some big Tailor off the rocks around the Lighthouse casting metals or floating Pilchards.

For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Steve Williamson from Jindabyne sent me a news letter about The Discovery Holiday Parks Family Fishing Challenge 2008/9 NSW Series which will be held at the following places.

Holiday Hub Beach Resort - Pambula Beach
5th, 6th and 7th September 2008

Gerroa Shores Beach Resort – Gerroa
3rd, 4th and 5th October 2008

Shadrack Beachfront Resort – Two Fold Bay, Eden
7th, 8th and 9th November 2008

Snowline Holiday Park – Lake Jindabyne
20th, 21st and 22nd February 2009

If you are interested in finding out more about this great competition you can email Steve at swtrout@airlan.com.au or just pay a visit to his web site at www.swtroutfishing.com.au