WEB REPORT 3/10/10

TACKLE AND TECHNIQUE TALK.

Back in September this year I gave a talk at Fergo’s Tackle World store at Taren Point.
The evening was designed for beginner and intermediate anglers and the areas that I covered were the following:
• How to use soft plastics and blades to target winter and autumn fish species like bream, silver trevally, whiting and dusky flathead.
• Deep and shallow water spots to try in the Sydney region.
• Suggested rod and reel selection.
• Types of knots used to join superlines (e.g. braid) to your leaders, jig heads and blades.
• Types of leader material.
• What techniques to use.
• Times and tides.
• Suggested types of jig heads, plastics and blades.
To give you a bit of an insight as to what I covered over the night I will go over some of the techniques that I covered.

VINCE JOYCE - THE WINNER OF A DAY ON THE WATER.

Deep and shallow water spots to try in the Sydney region.

By deep water I mean anywhere between 5 to 12 metres of water. Even though I knew the areas that I was going to fish I used my Hummingbird 788CX COMBO GPS to help me, not only pin point my position, but to also help me locate the bait and fish schools. The first area that I concentrated on was at the entrance to the Lane Cove River in Sydney Harbour. The water depth varied from 7 to 13 metres and most of the fish came from a small drop-off at the 10 mark on a run-out tide. Both Vince and I used a ¼ oz TT Switch Blades and 1/6 oz Berkley Big Eyed blades, along with 1/6 and ¼ oz jig heads with 6 inch Gulp Camo Sand Worms (cut in half).
The technique we used was to cast as far as we could in the direction that we were drifting and allow the blade or jig head to reach the bottom. It was then just a matter of slowly lifting the rod tip so theta the blade or jig slowly bounced off the bottom and then sunk back down. Bream were caught on the lift as well as the fall of the lure.

Shallow water areas will range from half a metre to 5 metres in deep and can be in the back areas of bays or in the main channels. They can have weed, sand, mud, broken shells or a combination of a couple or all. They can also be rocky outcrops, rock bars and mussel or cockle beds. The size of the blade or jig head will depend on the current. For example if the current is running quite fast you may use a heavy jig head like a 1/6 oz or if it is fairly slow you may come down to a 1/20 or 1/16oz jig head. You may even use a deep or shallow diving hard bodied lures and don’t forget to try those surface lures as well.

Suggested rod and reel selection.

I have found that the best rod and reel combination for this has been my Pflueger Trion 2.1 metre/ 2 to 4 kilo rod, mounted with a Pflueger Supreme XT2500S reel spooled with Berkley 3lb Fireline Crystal and a 4lb Trilene Fluorocarbon leader. The reason behind this is that, not only has the rod got plenty of power in the bottom section of the rod, there is still enough sensitivity in the rod tip to feel even the slightest of touches. This flexibility in the rod tip will also give the angler a bit of a cushion when the fish lunges in the other direction while trying to get away.

Types of knots used to join superlines (e.g. braid) to your leaders, jig heads and blades.

This is where I keep it very simple and use only two different knots. The Uni and Double Uni knot. The Uni Knot is used to tie on the jig head or blade and the Double Uni Knot is use where I join the Fireline Crystal to the leader. What I also make sure is that when I am going to cast that the knot between the mainline and the leader is located somewhere between the bail arm of the reel and the first guide (stripper guide) on the rod. The jig head or blade will be hanging about 30 to 40cm down from the tip of the rod.

Types of leader material.

95% of the time I will only use Fluorocarbon for my leaders, the other 5% of the time I will use a floating line when using surface poppers and lures. The breaking strain size will depend on whether I am fishing over sandy or mud bottoms, muscle or cockle beds, oyster racks or oystered covered rocks or whether the fish are a bit shy when taking the lure.

I was told that there was close to 200 people at the talk and at the end of the night there were a number of lucky door prizes drawn. The major prize on the night went to Vince Joyce (a local angler) who won a day on the water with me in my new boat learning how to put all the techniques that were discussed on the night into practice.

Late in September I took Vince onto Sydney Harbour out to put theory into practice. We managed to pull in a number of small snapper, bream and the odd trevally. Places that we fished were the deep water off Spectacle Island, where Vince hooked up to a good size kingfish on bream gear. Even though Vince showed a lot of skill in playing the kingie on bream gear when the leader material parted company after the kingie found some bottom structure in about eight metres of water.

We also fished under a number of boats and beside marker poles in the Lane Cove River. We also spent some time fishing the flats and boats of Hen and Chicken Bay.

The techniques I took Vince through were deep water jigging with blades and soft plastics, casting at moored boats and fishing the flats. Vince also won a pair of Monsoon Photochromic Polarized glasses from UglyFish sunglasses, which he has already put to good use when chasing fish out of his Hobbie Kayak.

Fergo’s Tackle World put on a number of these information nights over the year, so if you would like to subscribe to their news letter I would suggest that you go to their web site at www.tackleworld.com.au and find their store at the store locator drop down box. Once you open their home page you too can subscribe to their newsletter.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF SOME VERY IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE FISHERIES RULES THAT CAME IN ON THE 1/09/2010.

Edition 76 September 2010

Minor changes to recreational fishing rules in NSW: Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2010

The Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2002 has been reviewed as it was due for repeal on 1 September 2010 pursuant to the provisions of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1989. The new Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2010 is now in place under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 to replace the 2002 Regulation.
As a result there are some changes to recreational fishing rules in NSW from 1 September 2010, which are detailed below:

1. Changes to gear marking requirements and setting of recreational traps and nets:

Lobster traps, crab traps, hoop or lift nets and spanner crab nets
• All floats/ buoys must be labelled with name and address of the person who either sets, uses or lifts the fishing gear,
• floats/ buoys must measure not less than 100mm in all dimensions,
• the minimum height of the float/ buoy must be at least 50mm above the water,
• all letters to be a minimum of 15mm and in a colour contrasting to the buoy,
• the name of the gear (or an abbreviation) to be marked on float/ buoy. ‘CT’ = crab trap, ‘LT’ = lobster trap, ‘HN’ = hoop or lift net, ‘SN’ = spanner crab net.
• All lobster traps and crab traps must have a 50gm weight attached to the buoy at least 1m below the surface so that no rope is floating on the surface of the water.
• Hoop nets or lift nets and spanner crab nets must not have any rope floating on the surface of the water.

Bait traps, yabby traps and shrimp traps

• a tag must be attached to a part of the trap which is at or above water level with dimensions not less than 80mm x 45mm, with the
• name and address of the person who either sets, uses or lifts the trap,
• all letters to be a minimum of 15mm and in a colour contrasting to the tag, and
• the name of the gear (or an abbreviation) e.g. ‘ST’ = shrimp trap, ‘BT’ = bait trap.

Note: If a stake is used to mark the position of a yabby trap, the stake must be identified with a tag, in the manner described above. If a buoy is used to mark the position of the trap, the buoy must be marked in the manner described above (no weight on rope required).

2. Change to bag limit for Cobia
The bag limit for Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) has been reduced from 20 to 5.

3. Removal of minimum legal length for Sole
The minimum length for sole has been removed. Note: the minimum legal length for flounders remains at 25cm and a combined bag limit for flounder and sole remains at 20.

4. Removal of maximum size of landing net
Recognising the common use and the importance of large, fine mesh landing nets for catch and release fishing, the maximum size of the frame of a landing net has been removed from the regulations.

5. Reduction of the infringement notice amount from $200 to $75 for the offence of fishers not having their recreational fishing licence receipt in their possession when fishing

Recreational fishers are required to pay the recreational fishing fee (or licence as it is commonly known) before they go fishing (unless otherwise exempt). Fishers required to pay the fee must have the official receipt for the payment of the fishing fee in his or her immediate possession when fishing from any waters otherwise they are guilty of an offence under section 34J(2) of the Fisheries Management Act 1994.

The infringement notice amount for this offence has been reduced from $200 to $75. However, fishers must have their licence receipt in their possession for immediate production when fishing. If approached by a fisheries officer, only in exceptional circumstances will provision be provided for fishers to produce their licence receipt at a later date.

The above changes will come into effect on 1 September 2010. All current NSW recreational fishing rules are available at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF SOME VERY IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE SPEED LIMIT IN THE DARLING HARBOUR AREA THAT WILL APPLY FROM THE 11/10/2010.

A new 4 knot speed limit, reduced from 8 knots, will apply to all vessels entering Darling Harbour from the north cardinal mark, Darling Harbour Island, on the western shoreline across to the southern end of the overseas passenger terminal on the eastern side of the shoreline.

Local Fishing report

Fergo’s Tackle World at Taren Point

Congratulations to Ian Phillips our hard working staff member from the Wollongong store who, fresh after claiming first prize in the recent St George Basin Flathead Classic on a 3” Riptide Mullet, has also just won the NSW division of the Pirtek Fishing Challenge on exactly the same lure.

The Pirtek challenge is open to every angler in Australia and boasts a first prize of $4000 so to take this out is an amazing achievement by Ian.

The 3” Riptide Mullet is perfectly matched to a Berkley 3/8 oz Pogy Head because it fits neatly inside its cupped face which in turn helps it stay on and presents it perfectly.

Ian’s one of those rare fishermen that doesn’t mind sharing his knowledge ... so come in and ask him for some tips.

Fishing reports...

• Plenty of Marlin have been seen and caught recently with both Blues and Stripes making a showing and Jo Yee Apollo’s have accounted for more than one of them.
• Good numbers of Kings in close and off the rocks. There will be a few guys throwing the new Sebile stick baits and poppers at them no doubt.
• There have been Northern Bluefin Tuna in close up to 20kg.
• Jewfish up to 15kg being taken on plastics off the rocks and beaches.
• Large number of Bream, Tarwhine, Reds and Flatheads down at St Georges Basin on Gulp 2” Prawns, 3” Riptide Mullets and Blades.
• Bream, Flathead and Jewfish on Squidgy Pro Fish in grasshopper colour in the Shoalhaven.
• Blue Swimmer Crabs are still being caught in large numbers at Lake Illawarra and the Port Hacking.
• Small Jew, Flathead, Trevally, Bream, Whiting and small Snapper are still prevalent in both Botany Bay and the Port Hacking. With water temperatures being persistently warm, it looks like being a really long season this year.
• Fly fisherman have been catching Brown Trout up to 3kg on Black Nymph and Globugs in Eucumbene River as are drift spin Fishermen.

LATEST REPORTS FROM AFAR.

Paul Lennon from the Got One Store at Port Stephens portstephens@gotone.com.au reports the following:

NSW 01 October 2010

Paul the dreaded fishmaster is still in Kadavu Fuji until late today …. but he is back tomorrow! (grin) …. The swells down for the weekend, little cloudy & some wind, check out seabreeze.com.au.

OUTSIDE
Alistair from the Vanessa S reports quite a few 30kg Big Eye’s outwide this week, mixed in with them were plenty of thumper 50kg plus Yellowfin. The water temp has been around 21.5 with plenty of rat Yellowfin around 30-40kgs along the shelf. The last moon also raised a few Swordfish around 50-70kgs and a Striped Marlin was also taken during the week. There are still mega Bonito out the front of Fingal Is, Got One staff member James Moss with his brother Andrew having a competition - the winner being the person who could cast and NOT catch a bonito! There are plenty of Sand Flathead in the 30 to 40mtr range north of Broughton, Squire are about around the Islands out front with some nice lure caught Snapper coming from Edith Breakers.

BEACH.
With the warmer weather during the week Whiting around doing well at One Mile, Samurai and Shoal Bay along with some nice bonus Bream & Flathead. Live worms are the go for Whiting off the beach, use a size 4 chemically sharpened long shank hook for better results. The best being the rising tides either dawn or sunset. Salmon are thick from Stockton to Fingal along with a few better Tailor. Stockton this week has raised a couple of better Jew on live beach worms

ROCKS
Kingfish have been doing damage at Sunny Corner and we have had numerous reports all along the coast up the Fingal. Most anglers have been targeting these fellas with live Squid, Slimey’s, or Yakka’s under a breakaway float, however there have been lots of lost fish taking metal spinners chucked at Bonito, Tailor or Salmon. Blackfish are still prevalent along the Southern Rocks particularly Barry Park and Boat Harbour. Fisho’s targeting Drummer have been doing well off Tomaree and there are some nice Squid in the shallows at Fingal and off the rocks at Fisho’s.

ESTUARY
There were a couple of Jewfish taken off Nelson Bay Rockwall during the week, showing the results of some dedicated night time sorties. Live squid is the go, fished into the night round the rising or change of tides. The blackfish guys are also still doing well there and you get the benefit of being able to fish either side of the wall if the wind is up. Flathead are still about within the Bay, the water temp up at 19.5 when I fished it during the week. Best areas would be west of Garden Is towards Karuah, along the banks of the Myall & Tilligerry Creek. If you’re after Bream with the water temp up be sure to give the surface a go around the racks within the Bay.

BECOME A GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS MEMBER!
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Tight Lines

Paul Lennon
GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS Shop 5, 270 Sandy Point Rd, SALAMANDER BAY NSW 2317 Ph: (02) 4984 4458 Fax: (02) 4984 4472 EMAIL:

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that last week our Bar has been a little angry through the week with some blue water fisho’s preferring to stay in the river rather than take on the white water. Those that ventured out were rewarded with some nice Snapper off the northern reefs as far up past Scotts with the odd Pearl Perch in the bag. There were a few reports of good Snapper in about 50meters off Grassy with a few Morwong and Trag. King Fish are in good numbers around Fish Rock taking live bait and Knife Jigs with some absolute crackers. Mac Tuna and Bonito are plentiful.

The river is fishing well for bruiser Bream along the Break Wall using light gear with Pilchard cubes going well, you will lose some gear but it’s worth it. One nice Jewfish was caught off the wall last week going about 15 kilo, the big ones are few and far between but schoolies are in good numbers. Blackfish are scarce with the odd one being caught from back creek and the river. Big Flathead are about in the flats luckily I have seen the photos instead of the frames. Clybucca and Stuarts Point have some nice pan size lizards with a few Bream off the oyster racks. Chopper Tailor are in the river biting the tails off your plastics. Herring are everywhere at the moment.
The Rock Ledges have had some big swells coming in making it a little dangerous. Tailor and monster Salmon have been common with a few Sharks in close. Whiting have come on to Smoky Beach with the odd Bream and Tailor. Main beach has Whiting and Bream taking live worms with the odd Flathead off the beach.

LAST FISHING CLASS FOR 2010.

WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE

My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the Ist of December 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.

Over the years I have had an enormous amount of support from my sponsors. They have stuck by me and supported me in many different ways. So when you get a chance, go and visit their web sites and have a look at what they have on offer. It is not all about fishing and boating gear, it’s also about how to articles, suggested techniques to try out, competitions, what’s new, plus much more.

SPONSERS WEB PAGES

PURE FISHING (Pflueger / Shakespeare) - www.purefishing.com.au

The Pure Fishing Australia Web Site has plenty on offer for the keen angler and I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what the Pure Fishing Team has put together.

There are product reviews on the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, squid jigs, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Egi, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro. The web site also features a product catalogue for 2010, but you should also be on the lookout for the new 2011 product catalogue (soon to be released).

If you go to the Berkley Proteam Blog (located at the bottom of the home page) you will find new product reports, reviews, reader’s stories and much more. Then you could try clicking on the “The Armchair Angler” you will see a new segment called the Panel. This segment is open to all anglers on the Pure Fishing pro team. The Panel gives all fisho’s an insight into techniques these experienced anglers use to catch more fish. A great read for both tournament and social fisho’s alike, there is sure to be a few nuggets of fishing info that will improve your winter bream fishing.

Some of the Pro Anglers are Andrew McGovern, Brad Hodges, Neil Schultz, Mark Mangold, Stephen Wilson, Me and many more.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

Australian Fishing Network AFN (Publisher) – www.afn.com.au

For over 20 years the AFN has been the publisher of the premier fishing magazines in Australia. In their continuing efforts to bring the best fishing magazines, books, maps, DVD’s and other exciting products to the anglers of Australia and around the world. The Australian Fishing Network has added to its range some exciting new products. With more magazines a year there is always something new to offer every angler. Take some time to browse the www.afn.com.au site and help them to plan your next fishing trip.

AFN have an online book shop where you can purchase one of my books, DVD’S AND map that I have produced for AFN over the years. Or you can send them an email to find out which tackle shop that sells their produces that is closest to you.

BLA (Hummingbird & Minn Kota) - www.bla.com.au

On this web site you will find links to their catalogue, products and dealers. You could also go to the www.hummingbird.com.au web site and have a look at the Humming Bird788 C2X Combo GPS Fishing system that I am running on the side console of my boat and the Humming Bird Fishfinder 345C that I am using up the front of my boat in conjunction with the Minn Kota Auto Pilot Riptide 70lb Saltwater Bow Mount, complete with foot control.

Good Times Marine - www.goodtimesmarine.com.au

Good Times Marine is a boat dealership specialising in new and used trailerable boats and are situated in the aquatic playground of the Sutherland Shire the dealership for Anglapro boats. There boats are powered by Suzuki Marine outboards and supplied on Dunbier trailers.
They are also an authorized Suzuki Marine dealer. Our outboard mechanics are experienced in servicing all brands of outboards and they offer valet servicing to our customers unable to deliver the boats to our premises.

They offer a range of marine electronics from small compact sounders to large dual frequency colour sounder / GPS combos. They also offer marine radios and stereos as well as a full selection of safety gear to keep your boat as up to date with the current safety requirements on the water. On display is a great range of on water toys like tubes and tow ropes and also other general boat and trailer chandlery. They also supply a full range or engine oils and lubricants to keep your boat running at its best.

(Anglapro boats) – www.anglapro.com.au

At Anglapro we started our design process by contemplating you! What seats would you prefer to sit in, how would you like your dash laid out, what fishabilty needs do you have? From there we got started on building a good hull. So in short we built the boats backwards starting from the driver seat and finishing with the hull. So the result is love at first sight with the layout, then you get in and head for the horizon and its all smiles because the boats just perform in all conditions!
We keep our hulls simple by design, no catchy names for the hull to make the boat sound tricky. We know a hull must achieve 4 main results.
1. Plane easily with minimal hole shot effort
2. Corner comfortably
3. Offer stability at rest
4. Be comfortable underway though choppy seas

Uglyfish eyewear (Sunglasses) – www.uglyfisheyewear.com

Ugly Fish has a huge variety of specialised and general use glasses and related eyewear products. They have an extensive set of polarized sports sunglasses that is perfect for driving, fishing, boating and all other outdoor activities and spots where wrap around sports eyewear is the best choice in the sun. This range includes their collection of highly advanced bi focal polarized sunglasses, which by the way I cannot be without when out in the sun.

E J Todd (Luckycraft lures) www.ejtodd.com.au

At E. J. Todd & Son Imports they work hard to bring quality fishing equipment to the Australian Sports trade one of which is the highly prized lures from Lucky Craft. If you go to the web site and click on the logo of Lucky Craft you will be amazed at the number of lures they have in their stable. Some of which are the Sammy 65, the Pointer 65, Humpback minnows, the Bevy Shad and the Bevy Minnow. All of which show their great colour range in each lure.

Professional Fishing Instructors & guides association – (Member) www.fishingguides.org.au

Fishing salt water or fresh water, fly casting, lure casting or fishing with natural bait, whatever style of fishing you like, a professional fishing guide will save you time and money in reaching your goals.
This web site will help you find an approved, accredited fishing guide or instructor that is of only the highest standard. PFIGA accredited members must adhere to current Codes of Conduct and be able to demonstrate business best practice, eco-friendly/sustainable fishing practices, adherence to OHS Acts/Standards/Regulations, customer service and expertise/ability amongst other, essential and desirable qualities.

Love fishing - (Monthly articles) www.lovefishing.com.au

The Love Fishing web site has so much on offer for the recreational from the beginner to the advanced angler. So much so that it is so hard to mention all of what is available on the site you should go to www.lovefishing.com.au yourself and see what they have to offer.
Some of the things you will find are Most Popular Stories, Weather updates, Kids Corner, latest photos, AFTA Retailer, member login, just to name a few.
I have now started putting together a monthly article for the Love Fishing Web site and for the next six months they will be as follows. So when you get a chance check them out:

July 2010
Techniques for Four fish species for the four seasons of the year. POSTED.

August 2010
Techniques on how to target dusky flathead with soft plastics. POSTED

September 2010
How, when and where to berley when bait fishing

October 2010
Whiting techniques

November 2010
Location guide to fishing the Parramatta River in Sydney

December 2010
How to fish pontoon, marinas and wharfs

WEB REPORT 14/08/10

A few weeks ago I held a talk at Fergo’s Tackle World at Taren Point.
The evening is designed for beginners and intermediate anglers. I covered the following:

• Using soft plastics and blades to target winter and autumn fish species like bream, silver trevally, whiting and dusky flathead.
• Deep and shallow water spots to try in the Sydney region.
• Suggested rod and reel selection.
• Types of knots used to join superlines (e.g. braid) to your leaders, jig heads and blades.
• Types of leader material.
• What techniques to use.
• Times and tides.
• Moon phases.
• Suggested types of jig heads, plastics and blades.

I was told that there was close to 200 people at the talk and at the end of the night there were a number of lucky door prizes drawn. The major prize on the night went to Vince Joyce (a local angler) who won a day on the water with me in my new boat learning how to put all the techniques that were discussed on the night into practice. Vince and I will be going out on Sydney Harbour later in the month, so I will report on the days outing in a later report.
If you would like to subscribe to their news letter send Fergo an email at Subscribe

Local Fishing report

The Hawkesbury River has been producing bream, flathead and the odd mulloway along the stretch of water from Spencer to Bar Point. Strips of mullet, Hawkesbury River prawns and squid are the go. Berowra Water shoreline is worth a flick with soft plastics and blades for bream.

The reef area off the south eastern side of Bar Point has been producing bream on the run-out tide, but you will need to keep your baits about a metre off the bottom to get away from the catfish. Further downstream at the road and rail bridges you can try for flathead, bream and mulloway on the first and last parts of the run-out tide.

Flint and Steel has not been as crowded as it gets during the summer months, but is still producing the odd bream, flathead and mulloway on both the run-up and run-out tides. Try using a paternoster rig. The Pittwater has a few kingfish still patrolling around looking for baitfish. You could try down rigging for them around Scotland Island, Careel Bay and West Head and if you are down rigging try to keep clear of those anglers who are anchored up and bait fishing. Nothing is worse than having someone drive across the back of your boat in your berley trail.

If you are after a feed of trevally and leatherjackets you could try Sydney and Middle Harbour. It is just a matter of finding a spots that has either a drop off, small reef, marker buoy, channel marker or a set of boats on swing moorings, anchoring up and laying out a steady stream of berley and they will come. I use bread and chicken pellets for my berley and peel my Hawkesbury River prawns. The 2 rigs are a ball sinker down onto the bait and a running ball or bean sinker behind the swivel with a leader of between 1 to 2 metres in length.

Tailor and Salmon have been chasing the baitfish around the entrance to Middle Harbour and Sow and Pigs. Try using as small metal lure, by either casting to them or trolling around the edges of the feeding school.

Botany Bay has the usual schools of trevally feeding at places like Trevally Alley, the drums, the Sticks, Towra Point, the oil wharf and Sutherland Point. There have also been a few legal snapper about in the bay, along with bream and the odd kingfish or two.

Port Hacking is worth a shot for leatherjackets, luderick, silver trevally and bream on a run-out tide. Bait, soft plastics, blades and squid are the go at the moment. If you are chasing the luderick you will need to berley and use fresh green weed. I am not going to tell you where to get your fresh green weed, but I will give you a hint as to where to locate some. Look for stormwater drains close to the saltwater.

LATEST REPORTS FROM AFAR.

Paul Lennon from the Got One Store at Port Stephens portstephens@gotone.com.au reports the following:

5/09/10
OUTSIDE
Someone needs to get out and chase a few Yellowfin as the long liners are getting stuck into them straight out just over the shelf in a 100 fathoms. Edith Breakers has been firing over the past week with plenty of quality Reds to 5kg coming in by those using soft plastics. Gulp Jerk Shads are by far the most productive Snapper plastic with the best colours being Water Melon and Blue Pepper Neon as well as Camo and Orange Tiger. Snapper are also poking around Broughton, Chris our newest Got One staff member managed to get a few to 2kg early in the week around the Sisters. Another customer also got stuck into the Reds around the bommies at Broughton managing a bag of solid fish to 5kg. Mack Tuna have made an appearance around the Islands and headlands with one bloke I know hooking a 9 kilo model on 6 pound gear at Tomaree and landing it Big Island! There are plenty of Pigs and Stud Bream around the wash that will take a liking to a lightly weighted fresh Prawn or bit of Cunjevoi. Trolling or casting metal lures around the Islands and edges of the white water should result in Bonito Tailor and Salmon.

BEACH.
Salmon are getting thicker along Stockton, Samurai, One Mile and Fingal Beaches, most fish have been taken by those using whole Pilchards or Garfish. It’s the same story for the Tailor, you just need to get up a bit earlier and fish that dawn period for best results. Mulloway are worth a shot along Stockton and Samurai if you fish after dark. Bream and Whiting are on Fingal Spit with live Worms as always the gun bait.

ROCKS
Still loads and loads of Pigs and Luderick roaming the white water. The best areas are Tomaree Torpedo Tubes, Fingal Island, Boulder Bay, Rocky, and Cemetery Point. Bream are also pretty thick in the white water so don’t be surprised if you rustle up a bit of a mixed bag fishing the wash. If you’re fishing for Bonito you just might get connected to something a little bigger as there seems to be a few big Mack Tuna cruising around. Tailor and Salmon are from Barry Park to Fingal Island down to Sunny corner.

ESTUARY
Flathead are starting to make their way down the rivers and spill into the Bay. Mick Styles managed to nail 14 in a couple of hours fishing the sandy patches between the racks and around Tiligerry Creek. Luderick have gone haywire over the past few days along the Nelson Bay Rock Wall with many anglers getting there bag limit inside a couple of hours. Bream are still getting caught on the inside of the Break Wall at night, while the Short Cut and Soldiers Point Racks have been fishing well for the lure guys. Squid are still in good numbers around nelson Bay Marina, Shoal Bay Moorings, and Little beach. .

NSW 06 August 2010
OUTSIDE
Snapper are still patchy but there are scattered reports of quality fish coming from Broughton and I did hear a rumour during the week of a monster 10kg Red taken from Fisherman’s Bay. Plenty of tailor are around the Island’s out the front and a quick troll should get you a feed in a short time. Squid are in Hospital Bay, at Big Island. The Gantry and Boat Harbour. Bonito are still racing around the headlands and if you peg or troll a couple of metal lures or feathers around you shouldn’t have much trouble getting a few.

BEACH.
Salmon are in massive numbers along Stockton Beach down to Fingal. Tailor are also in good numbers but try and get to the Beach early on first light for best success. Box Beach and Fingal spit are also fishing well for Salmon and Tailor plus guys are getting some cracker Bream in the middle of the Spit on high tide using Live Worms.

ROCKS
Drummer are chewing their heads off with big pigs coming from Rocky down to Tomaree Point. Plenty of Luderick off the rocks with Barry Park, Birubi and Cemetery Point all fishing well. Salmon and Tailor are coming off Sunny Corner at One Mile, Fingal Head and Box Beach Rocks. Heaps of squid are at Boat harbour and Boulder Bay with Yo-Zuri pink and orange jigs in 2.5 to 3.5 doing much of the damage.

ESTUARY
Luderick are going haywire in the bay with fish being caught in big numbers from both the Anchorage and Nelson Bay Rock Wall through to Little Beach. Big Bream also have taken up residency along the Nelson Bay Rock Wall; I spoke with one customer who had caught 7 Bream for 8kg one afternoon this week. Yet again, Squid are still about in the Shoal Bay moorings. The odd Mulloway is also poking around the place and I’ve heard of quite a few being taken over the past week inside the estuary.

BECOME A GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS MEMBER!
Enjoy the latest updates, tackle information, new products, special offers & savings, as well as this Fishing Report delivered to your email box every Friday! Just become a Got One Port Stephens member.

NSW 13 August 2010
OUTSIDE

Snapper are still patchy but there are scattered reports of quality fish coming from Broughton and I did hear a rumour during the week of a monster 10kg Red taken from Fisherman’s Bay. Plenty of Tailor are around the Island’s out the front and a quick troll should get you a feed in a short time. Squid are in Hospital Bay, at Big Island. The Gantry and Boat Harbour. Bonito are still racing around the headlands and if you peg or troll a couple of metal lures or feathers around you shouldn’t have much trouble getting a few.

BEACH.
Salmon are in massive numbers along Stockton Beach down to Fingal. Tailor are also in good numbers but try and get to the Beach early on first light for best success. Box Beach and Fingal spit are also fishing well for Salmon and Tailor plus guys are getting some cracker Bream in the middle of the Spit on high tide using Live Worms.

ROCKS
Drummer are chewing their heads off with big pigs coming from Rocky down to Tomaree Point. Plenty of Luderick off the rocks with Barry Park, Birubi and Cemetery Point all fishing well. Salmon and Tailor are coming off Sunny Corner at One Mile, Fingal Head and Box Beach Rocks. Heaps of squid are at Boat harbour and Boulder Bay with Yo-Zuri pink and orange jigs in 2.5 to 3.5 doing much of the damage.

ESTUARY
Luderick are going haywire in the bay with fish being caught in big numbers from both the Anchorage and Nelson Bay Rock Wall through to Little Beach. Big Bream also have taken up residency along the Nelson Bay Rock Wall; I spoke with one customer who had caught 7 Bream for 8kg one afternoon this week. Yet again ..Squid are still about in the Shoal Bay moorings. The odd Mulloway is also poking around the place and I’ve heard of quite a few being taken over the past week inside the estuary.

BECOME A GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS MEMBER!
Enjoy the latest updates, tackle information, new products, special offers & savings, as well as this Fishing Report delivered to your email box every Friday! Just become a Got One Port Stephens member.
Tight Lines
Paul Lennon

GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS Shop 5, 270 Sandy Point Rd, SALAMANDER BAY NSW 2317 Ph: (02) 4984 4458 Fax: (02) 4984 4472 EMAIL:

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that last week they had mixed results last week in conditions that were pretty good on the water. Grassy has been a little slow with a heap of Bonito on the bottom but Snapper numbers are not good. Scotts Head is fishing better with some nice Pearl Perch and Snapper coming in. There are still the odd Leather Jacket about after 60 meters. Fish Rock reports are filtering through with a couple of cracker Kings being caught along with good numbers of Mack Tuna. Green Island has been producing quality Bream and the odd Tailor. Charter boats are reporting a few Kings out wider off Rocks In Line.

Black fishermen are getting a few fish along the wall and out of the Back Creek but unfortunately the numbers are not there to keep the boys happy. Bream are there on the change of the tide off the Break Wall with a few Flathead towards the boat ramp. Fishing the end of the wall has been productive for Tailor and Salmon late afternoon. Up river around Jerseyville Bream and Flathead are about in fair numbers with the odd School Jew and Whiting taking live worms. There are a few Bream around the oyster racks at Clybucca while fishing Stuarts Point should get you a Flathead of two.

Smoky Beach has been slow with gutter structure not spectacular at the moment. There has been a few Bream along the beach with Salmon and Tailor patchy. North Gap has a few Tailor and Salmon off the rocks as does the Gaol ledges with a few Bream and Blackfish.
Come in and check out our new range of Rapala lures including the new Clacking Rap exciting the Snapper fishermen.

The week before last week if you are one of the millions who love to throw a line out into a pristine estuary, cast a bait into the surf as the sun is rising over the horizon or simply drop a bait down to the bottom of the ocean please consider carefully who you cast your vote for in the upcoming election.

Labour has secured the Greens Preference vote and with the issue of Marine Park lockouts both parties have a high priority to put many more of these No Fishing Zones in place as well as radically adding to the already existing Marine Park zones around Australia. Labour has been trying to fast track this through before they were interrupted by the dumping of one leader and creating a new one with the same vision. Please don’t be fooled, if Labour is returned your right to recreationally fish in your favourite waterways or your holiday destinations will be in serious doubt. The frustrating part is these Marine Parks target small coastal towns like Byron Bay, Batemans Bay and Nelson Bay etc, and earmarked as their next conquest hear at the Mid North Coast. These towns rely 100% on tourism and the dollars they bring to towns like ours. No fishing zones do not make sense when there are a thousand things you can do for fish stock sustainability without locking up multiple areas around our country.

FISHING CLASSES FOR 2010.
WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE
My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the 8th of September 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.

Over the years I have had an enormous amount of support from my sponsors. They have stuck by me and supported me in many different ways. So when you get a chance, go and visit their web sites and have a look at what they have on offer. It is not all about fishing and boating gear, it’s also about how to articles, suggested techniques to try out, competitions, what’s new, plus much more.

SPONSERS WEB PAGES

PURE FISHING (Pflueger / Shakespeare) - http://www.purefishing.com.au/

The Pure Fishing Australia Web Site has plenty on offer for the keen angler and I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what the Pure Fishing Team has put together.

There are product reviews on the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, squid jigs, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Egi, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro. The web site also features a product catalogue for 2010, but you should also be on the lookout for the new 2011 product catalogue (soon to be released).

If you go to the Berkley Proteam Blog (located at the bottom of the home page) you will find new product reports, reviews, reader’s stories and much more. Then you could try clicking on the “The Armchair Angler” you will see a new segment called the Panel. This segment is open to all anglers on the Pure Fishing pro team. The Panel gives all fisho’s an insight into techniques these experienced anglers use to catch more fish. A great read for both tournament and social fisho’s alike, there is sure to be a few nuggets of fishing info that will improve your winter bream fishing.

Some of the Pro Anglers are Andrew McGovern, Brad Hodges, Neil Schultz, Mark Mangold, Stephen Wilson, Me and many more.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

Australian Fishing Network AFN (Publisher) – http://www.afn.com.au/

For over 20 years the AFN has been the publisher of the premier fishing magazines in Australia. In their continuing efforts to bring the best fishing magazines, books, maps, DVD’s and other exciting products to the anglers of Australia and around the world. The Australian Fishing Network has added to its range some exciting new products. With more magazines a year there is always something new to offer every angler. Take some time to browse the www.afn.com.au site and help them to plan your next fishing trip.

AFN have an online book shop where you can purchase one of my books, DVD’S AND map that I have produced for AFN over the years. Or you can send them an email to find out which tackle shop that sells their produces that is closest to you.

BLA (Hummingbird & Minn Kota) - http://www.bla.com.au/

On this web site you will find links to their catalogue, products and dealers. You could also go to the www.hummingbird.com.au web site and have a look at the Humming Bird788 C2X Combo GPS Fishing system that I am running on the side console of my boat and the Humming Bird Fishfinder 345C that I am using up the front of my boat in conjunction with the Minn Kota Auto Pilot Riptide 70lb Saltwater Bow Mount, complete with foot control.

Go to the Hummingbird web site and read up about my new Hummingbird 788CX GPS

Good Times Marine - http://www.goodtimesmarine.com.au/

Good Times Marine is a boat dealership specialising in new and used trailerable boats and are situated in the aquatic playground of the Sutherland Shire the dealership for Anglapro boats. There boats are powered by Suzuki Marine outboards and supplied on Dunbier trailers.
They are also an authorized Suzuki Marine dealer. Our outboard mechanics are experienced in servicing all brands of outboards and they offer valet servicing to our customers unable to deliver the boats to our premises.

They offer a range of marine electronics from small compact sounders to large dual frequency colour sounder / GPS combos. They also offer marine radios and stereos as well as a full selection of safety gear to keep your boat as up to date with the current safety requirements on the water. On display is a great range of on water toys like tubes and tow ropes and also other general boat and trailer chandlery. They also supply a full range or engine oils and lubricants to keep your boat running at its best.

(Anglapro boats) – http://www.anglapro.com.au/

At Anglapro we started our design process by contemplating you! What seats would you prefer to sit in, how would you like your dash laid out, what fishabilty needs do you have? From there we got started on building a good hull. So in short we built the boats backwards starting from the driver seat and finishing with the hull. So the result is love at first sight with the layout, then you get in and head for the horizon and its all smiles because the boats just perform in all conditions!
We keep our hulls simple by design, no catchy names for the hull to make the boat sound tricky. We know a hull must achieve 4 main results.

1. Plane easily with minimal hole shot effort
2. Corner comfortably
3. Offer stability at rest
4. Be comfortable underway though choppy seas

Uglyfish eyewear (Sunglasses) – http://www.uglyfisheyewear.com/

Ugly Fish has a huge variety of specialised and general use glasses and related eyewear products. They have an extensive set of polarized sports sunglasses that is perfect for driving, fishing, boating and all other outdoor activities and spots where wrap around sports eyewear is the best choice in the sun. This range includes their collection of highly advanced bi focal polarized sunglasses, which by the way I cannot be without when out in the sun.

E J Todd (Luckycraft lures) http://www.ejtodd.com.au/

At E. J. Todd & Son Imports they work hard to bring quality fishing equipment to the Australian Sports trade one of which is the highly prized lures from Lucky Craft. If you go to the web site and click on the logo of Lucky Craft you will be amazed at the number of lures they have in their stable. Some of which are the Sammy 65, the Pointer 65, Humpback minnows, the Bevy Shad and the Bevy Minnow. All of which show their great colour range in each lure.

Professional Fishing Instructors & guides association – (Member) http://www.fishingguides.org.au/

Fishing salt water or fresh water, fly casting, lure casting or fishing with natural bait, whatever style of fishing you like, a professional fishing guide will save you time and money in reaching your goals.

This web site will help you find an approved, accredited fishing guide or instructor that is of only the highest standard. PFIGA accredited members must adhere to current Codes of Conduct and be able to demonstrate business best practice, eco-friendly/sustainable fishing practices, adherence to OHS Acts/Standards/Regulations, customer service and expertise/ability amongst other, essential and desirable qualities.

Now, in 2010, membership is slowly creeping back up. With an influx of members specialising in Saltwater services the face of the PFIGA has evolved again and now boasts fee for service fishing guides and instructors from all around Australia.

The Accreditation provided by the PFIGA is world class and distinguishes those that gain this accolade as the leaders in their field, covering all aspects of business best practice, eco friendly and sustainable fishing practices, OHS and Customer Service. A PFIGA accredited guide or fishing instructor can be trusted.

Love fishing - (Monthly articles) http://www.lovefishing.com.au/

The Love Fishing web site has so much on offer for the recreational from the beginner to the advanced angler. So much so that it is so hard to mention all of what is available on the site you should go to www.lovefishing.com.au yourself and see what they have to offer.
Some of the things you will find are Most Popular Stories, Weather updates, Kids Corner, latest photos, AFTA Retailer, member login, just to name a few.

I have now started putting together a monthly article for the Love Fishing Web site and for the next six months they will be as follows. So when you get a chance check them out:

July 2010
Techniques for Four fish species for the four seasons of the year. POSTED.

August 2010
Techniques on how to target dusky flathead with soft plastics. POSTED

September 2010
How, when and where to berley when bait fishing

October 2010
Whiting techniques

November 2010
Location guide to fishing the Parramatta River in Sydney

December 2010
How to fish pontoon, marinas and wharfs

WEB REPORT 11/07/10

Carl Dubois teamed up with Dave (Just Crusin) in Jason Meech's tinnie. It was a freezing' start to the morning but at least the predicted wind was absent. They started off in Exile Bay and Carl picked up their first (bang on 25cm fork) after about 30 minutes. They snaffled a few that were just undersize so they moved upstream to Brays Bay near Ryde Bridge and started working a likely looking shoreline. Dave was fishing the shallows and Carl was casting out into the deeper water.

Dave gets a whack and lands number two (27 fork). Then Carl gets another, that's 26. Beauty, that's three and they still have three hours to go. All the fish have been caught on blades so far, even though they were changing between various HB's and SP's.

Then Dave also pulls in a nice 37cm whiting, a flathead and another whiting. Carl also caught a 70cm mulloway on a Shimano Stradic Ci4 matched with an Okuma spin travel rod while using 2lb crystal braid with 4lb leader.

They managed 18th place with 1.51 kgs so it wasn't a bad effort, we just couldn't get those thumpers that we needed. In fact we didn't even hook any that we'd call good fish. Still, it was a great day, even if Dave and I felt a bit funny fishing out of a boat rather than a yak.

On the Botany Bay front, Terry has been hitting it all this week (jammy git has been on holidays, hasn't he!) and has been getting heaps of tailor on the troll. Most of them have been up near the 50cm mark too, so they're a good size. Every now and then he'll pick up a trevally as well, so he's been having a ball in his new Hobie PA.
Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours reports that they had another top weekend of fishing, yes Saturday morning was a little cool but in behind the Container wall at Trevally Alley was quite nice and the fishing started slow due to the low tide but once the sun hit the water and the tide started running in it was game on with Trevally on the bite, this repeated itself both days.

Tailor were slow on Saturday but Sunday we did well with a small school just at the end on the Third Runway and spinning with small metals fooled the fish and we boated around 30 fish in a hot session great fun. Spinning with Plastic on Saturday along the beach at Brighton produced well with around 10 Flathead, two keepers and the rest all around 33-35cms were put back.

FISHING TRIPS COMING UP
*Holiday fish with the Kids next week in Botany Bay
13th, 14th, 15th, special trips 9am to 2pm.
Come on the kids will love it.
*Saturday the 17th I have spots open.
ROCK FISHING NIGHT AT HUNTS MARINE
SPOTS STILL OPEN 19th JULY.
BOOKINGS AND DETAILS
Scotty Lyons 0418 169 439

SPONSORS WEB PAGES

PURE FISHING (Pflueger / Shakespeare) - http://www.purefishing.com.au/

The Pure Fishing Australia Web Site has plenty on offer for the keen angler and I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what the Pure Fishing Team has put together.

There are product reviews on the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, squid jigs, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Egi, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro. The web site also features a product catalogue for 2010, but you should also be on the lookout for the new 2011 product catalogue (soon to be released).

If you go to the Berkley Proteam Blog (located at the bottom of the home page) you will find new product reports, reviews, reader’s stories and much more. Then you could try clicking on the “The Armchair Angler” you will see a new segment called the Panel. This segment is open to all anglers on the Pure Fishing pro team. The Panel gives all fisho’s an insight into techniques these experienced anglers use to catch more fish. A great read for both tournament and social fisho’s alike, there is sure to be a few nuggets of fishing info that will improve your winter bream fishing.

Some of the Pro Anglers are Andrew McGovern, Brad Hodges, Neil Schultz, Mark Mangold, Stephen Wilson, Me and many more.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

Australian Fishing Network AFN (Publisher) – http://www.afn.com.au/
For over 20 years the AFN has been the publisher of the premier fishing magazines in Australia. In their continuing efforts to bring the best fishing magazines, books, maps, DVD’s and other exciting products to the anglers of Australia and around the world. The Australian Fishing Network has added to its range some exciting new products. With more magazines a year there is always something new to offer every angler. Take some time to browse the www.afn.com.au site and help them to plan your next fishing trip.

AFN have an online book shop where you can purchase one of my books, DVD’S AND map that I have produced for AFN over the years. Or you can send them an email to find out which tackle shop that sells their produces that is closest to you.

BLA (Hummingbird & Minn Kota) - http://www.bla.com.au/
On this web site you will find links to their catalogue, products and dealers. You could also go to the www.hummingbird.com.au web site and have a look at the Humming Bird788 C2X Combo GPS Fishing system that I am running on the side console of my boat and the Humming Bird Fishfinder 345C that I am using up the front of my boat in conjunction with the Minn Kota Auto Pilot Riptide 70lb Saltwater Bow Mount, complete with foot control.

Good Times Marine - http://www.goodtimesmarine.com.au/

Good Times Marine is a boat dealership specialising in new and used trailerable boats and are situated in the aquatic playground of the Sutherland Shire the dealership for Anglapro boats. There boats are powered by Suzuki Marine outboards and supplied on Dunbier trailers.
They are also an authorized Suzuki Marine dealer. Our outboard mechanics are experienced in servicing all brands of outboards and they offer valet servicing to our customers unable to deliver the boats to our premises.

They offer a range of marine electronics from small compact sounders to large dual frequency colour sounder / GPS combo's. They also offer marine radios and stereos as well as a full selection of safety gear to keep your boat as up to date with the current safety requirements on the water. On display is a great range of on water toys like tubes and tow ropes and also other general boat and trailer chandlery. They also supply a full range or engine oils and lubricants to keep your boat running at its best.

(Anglapro boats) – http://www.anglapro.com.au/

At Anglapro we started our design process by contemplating you! What seats would you prefer to sit in, how would you like your dash laid out, what fishabilty needs do you have? From there we got started on building a good hull. So in short we built the boats backwards starting from the driver seat and finishing with the hull. So the result is love at first sight with the layout, then you get in and head for the horizon and its all smiles because the boats just perform in all conditions!
We keep our hulls simple by design, no catchy names for the hull to make the boat sound tricky. We know a hull must achieve 4 main results.

1. Plane easily with minimal hole shot effort
2. Corner comfortably
3. Offer stability at rest
4. Be comfortable underway though choppy seas

Uglyfish eyewear (Sunglasses) – http://www.uglyfisheyewear.com/

Ugly Fish has a huge variety of specialised and general use glasses and related eyewear products. They have an extensive set of polarized sports sunglasses that is perfect for driving, fishing, boating and all other outdoor activities and spots where wrap around sports eyewear is the best choice in the sun. This range includes their collection of highly advanced bi focal polarized sunglasses, which by the way I cannot be without when out in the sun.

E J Todd (Luckycraft lures) http://www.ejtodd.com.au/

At E. J. Todd & Son Imports they work hard to bring quality fishing equipment to the Australian Sports trade one of which is the highly prized lures from Lucky Craft. If you go to the web site and click on the logo of Lucky Craft you will be amazed at the number of lures they have in their stable. Some of which are the Sammy 65, the Pointer 65, Humpback minnows, the Bevy Shad and the Bevy Minnow. All of which show their great colour range in each lure.

PFIGA (Member) www.fishingguides.org.au

Professional Fishing Instructors & guides association – (Member) www.fishingguides.org.au
Fishing salt water or fresh water, fly casting, lure casting or fishing with natural bait, whatever style of fishing you like, a professional fishing guide will save you time and money in reaching your goals.

This web site will help you find an approved, accredited fishing guide or instructor that is of only the highest standard. PFIGA accredited members must adhere to current Codes of Conduct and be able to demonstrate business best practice, eco-friendly/sustainable fishing practices, adherence to OHS Acts/Standards/Regulations, customer service and expertise/ability amongst other, essential and desirable qualities.

In the late 1980's there weren't many professional fishing guides in Australia, yet the fledgling industry was getting a bad reputation due to poor experiences some people were having with "amateur" fishing guides.

The late Mike Spry in Khancoban, along with Bill Bourke from Alexandra were the prime movers in getting together a small group of guides to form an association. Other founding members were John Killip, Evan Mathews, and Ron Vise. One of the earliest "meetings" of the association was around a fire on the frosty banks of the Eucumbene River when the lake trout were running upstream in early winter.

Eventually, the Australian Professional Fly Fishing Instructors and Guides Association was formed in 1990 with an emphasis on fly fishing training activities. The name was changed to its present form at the 1992 Annual General Meeting when it was decided that the association would embrace all methods of recreational fishing, with guiding and instructing getting equal emphasis.

For a few years membership of the PFIGA remained very small, until Rod Barford took over as secretary and started working hard to recruit members. The numbers increased to nearly fifty before the severe drought during the late 90's and early 2000's began to affect participation in freshwater angling throughout South East Australia. As a result, a number of members dropped out of the industry, going back to their "day jobs" in many cases.

Now, in 2010, membership is slowly creeping back up. With an influx of members specialising in Saltwater services the face of the PFIGA has evolved again and now boasts fee for service fishing guides and instructors from all around Australia.

The Accreditation provided by the PFIGA is world class and distinguishes those that gain this accolade as the leaders in their field, covering all aspects of business best practice, eco friendly and sustainable fishing practices, OHS and Customer Service. A PFIGA accredited guide or fishing instructor can be trusted.

Love fishing - (Monthly articles) http://www.lovefishing.com.au/

The Love Fishing web site has so much on offer for the recreational from the beginner to the advanced angler. So much so that it is so hard to mention all of what is available on the site you should go to www.lovefishing.com.au yourself and see what they have to offer.

Some of the things you will find are Most Popular Stories, Weather updates, Kids Corner, latest photos, AFTA Retailer, member login, just to name a few.

I have now started putting together a monthly article for the Love Fishing Web site and for the next six months they will be as follows. So when you get a chance check them out:

July 2010
Techniques for Four fish species for the four seasons of the year

August 2010
Techniques on how to target dusky flathead with soft plastics.

September 2010
How, when and where to berley when bait fishing

October 2010
Whiting techniques

November 2010
Location guide to fishing the Parramatta River in Sydney

December 2010
How to fish pontoon, marinas and wharfs

LOCAL REPORTS & FROM AFAR

Paul Lennon from the Got One Store at Port Stephens portstephens@gotone.com.au reports the following:

OUTSIDE
While the long liners have been getting heaps of Yellow and Blue Fin I still haven’t heard of any confirmed reports of any recreational blokes doing any good. One customer went for a look earlier in the week and gave up after 5 hours of cubing. While no Yellow Fin he did see three Marlin for the day which is pretty impressive in July. Good Snapper are being caught from the usual haunts around Broughton and up towards Seals. Big, Little and out the front of Fingal Island are all worth a shot for Reds as well as down out the front of Fisherman’s. Drummer, Luderick and Bream are there to be caught by those fishing the wash zone with lightly weighted peeled Prawns or Cunjevoi. Tailor are still on dawn and dusk from the islands out the front and the back of Tomaree. We just received a heap of Halco Twisty’s metal lures ranging from 10-70g these lures are one of the best tailor lures you will use, especially the 30 and 40g models.

BEACH.
The travelling season for Bream, Mullet and Luderick is starting to come to an end and now we will see the arrival of some massive schools of Salmon on our beaches. While a good sport fish and great fun on light gear Salmon can be a bit of a pest and don’t perform to well on the plate. They will eat a large range of baits and lures especially those fished in the same way when targeting Tailor. Best areas for Salmon are just about any beach between Stockton and Box. Bream are still in good numbers along the beach, Fingal spit is fishing well for them as well as Stocko and Samurai. Live Worms and Pippies are the two number one baits for Bream off the beaches. Tailor are also on the chew in that first hour before and after dusk and dawn.

ROCKS
Luderick are everywhere right now with areas such as Boulder Bay down to Box Beach and the Torpedo Tubes all fishing well. Their bigger cousins the Rock Blackfish or Drummer are also in numbers around the same areas. Tailor and Salmon are coming from Box Beach and Sunny Corner on first light. Bonito are simply refusing to leave and are still being caught from the rocks around Tomaree .
.
ESTUARY
The Gamakatsu Bream GTS Series tournament was held last Sunday and turned out to be an extremely well run comp with plenty of prizes and plenty of fish caught. I managed to scrape into the placing’s while local fishing identity Brent Hancock came very close to winning it but in the end had to settle for second place on both the overall and the biggest fish. Brent’s bag went 3.8kg for 5 fish while 1st place had 5 fish for just on 4kg. Biggest bream went 1.1kg with Brent also just missing out with a 1.070 fish. Luderick have started to really fire on the Break Wall over the past week and will continue to get thicker and thicker over the next month or two. Best areas to fish are Nelson Bay and Anchorage Rock Walls as well as the Torpedo Tubes. Bream are also thick around the rock walls and in the racks at Soldiers Point and Tea Gardens. Squid are off the Salamander Shores Wharf and Shoal Bay’s Jetty and moorings

BECOME A GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS MEMBER!
Enjoy the latest updates, tackle information, new products, special offers & savings, as well as this Fishing Report delivered to your email box every Friday! Just become a Got One Port

Stephens member.

GOT ONE PORT STEPHENS Shop 5, 270 Sandy Point Rd, SALAMANDER BAY NSW 2317 Ph: (02) 4984 4458 Fax: (02) 4984 4472 EMAIL:

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that last week brought some mixed results from outside. With conditions a bit sloppy most fisho’s stayed in close. Snapper up to 3.5 kilo have been around Grassy and Scotts with some very respectable Pearl Perch coming in the bag. There have been a few Leather Jackets about but not in the huge numbers as first thought. There are still some nice Tailor to be caught in close off the Gaol. Fish Rock has some King Fish around it but some days they are just not interested. The Dot is producing Snapper and Pearlies with the odd Trag. Most reefs have Morwong on them adding to the bag.

The Luderick fishermen are a little frustrated, we should be in the middle of the season now but the numbers of fish being caught are patchy. Next week with the new moon hopefully they will be on the bite. The Break Wall is fishing well for Bream but like last week there are some small fish amongst them. Jerseyville has a few Flathead coming in with the odd Bream and School Jew. Kinchela to Smithtown is fishing well for School Jew, Bream, Flathead and Bass under the bridge. Herring have been hard to find but a small Mullet will do the trick on a lazy Flathead in the shallows.

The Beaches have slowed down with Smoky producing the odd Tailor and Bream, as is Gap Beach with better results on the northern end. Main Beach has some small Whiting while Back Beach has the odd Flathead off the sand.

Rock Hoppers are getting a few Tailor and Salmon with the odd Bream, Drummer and Blackfish.
Special: Finn Nor Jig and Spin rods $210.00 ea Shop around this is a very hot price while stocks last.

FISHING CLASSES FOR 2010.

WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE

My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the 8th of September 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.

19/06/2010

I have not long got back from a trip of a life time with my lovely wife Leanne. We have been touring Canada and Alaska. Before we went over we went through the Scenic Tours catalogue and were amazed at the photographs of the scenery over there. They were postcard shots and believe me we were not disappointed. While away I took over 1500 digital photos, some of which I have put in this report.

While there I took the chance to do a spot of fishing and I managed to catch a 9.08 kilo King Salmon while down rigging in 35 to 49 metres of water. The down rigger bomb was set about half a metres off the bottom.

I will give you a full story in a later report.

On the local scene the fishing has been a bit patchy and anglers have had to work very hard to get amongst a few fish. Botany Bay is worth a shot for silver trevally, bream and small tailor at the end of the third runway, Towra Point, trevally alley, the drums and Sutherland Point. The best time at the moment seems to be the last three hours of the run up tide. Once the tide turns the fish bite slows.

Port Hacking has numbers of leatherjackets and luderick feeding along the rocky shorelines and Bate Bay is worth a shot for silver trevally and tailor. Wanda to Greenhill’s beaches have been producing the odd whiting, dart, silver trevally and tailor. The better catches have been coming in during the quieter times of the day and during the night, but boy is it cold.

During the week a report was penned in the Daily Telegraph about the closures of a few wharfs in Sydney Harbour by the NSW Government. Now many land based anglers would get very upset and angry about this, but I think that is it fair enough and I wondering why it hadn’t happen earlier. This has been brought on by those dirty, grubby anglers who leave their mess all over the place at ferry wharves and don’t give a hoot about anyone else.

There have been a number of reports of anglers clashing with ferry commuters, ferry staff and other anglers about how they use these wharfs. It’s disgraceful. Those anglers (the minority) should think their selves lucky that the NSW Government only saw fit to make it illegal to fish at Abbotsford, Cabarita, Chiswick and Kissing Point wharfs during the hours of 5am to 10am. If they keep it up shore based anglers will lose any more spots. So if you see someone making a mess on the wharfs, don’t confront them, just report them to the ferry staff.

Now on another note did anyone read the Local St George and Sutherland Shire Leader? NSW Fisheries Officers caught a number of people with over 16,000 pink nippers over a 12 week day and night surveillance. Some of these idiots had more (4 of them) than 4,000 in their possession and one bloke were caught on three separate occasions. I hope they throw the book at them. They also caught one of these guys selling them to a bait and tackle store. I hope they bust them too. What they are doing is disgraceful.

The next time you go a pump pink nippers remember the bag limit is 100 nippers per person.

What’s New

If you have never been on the Pure Fishing Australia Web Site before I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what is there.

You can find the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro.

There are product reviews and a new feature product catalogue for 2010.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

The latest articles are Jig Flicking River and Streams for trout with Andrew Mc Govern, Lure Creek Barra by Neil Shultz, Starting out with soft plastics by JB and yours truly has an article on how to go about anchoring your boat up.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

LATEST REPORTS FROM AFAR.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that the
nice calm ocean conditions were the order of the day last week with plenty of quality fish being caught. Snapper were in good numbers from Grassy to Scotts up to 3 kilo. Trag are still everywhere with plenty of Morwong about. Out in around 60 meters Leather Jackets are in huge patches to create havoc with your tackle. Trolling in front of the Gaol has been productive for Tailor and Bonito. Smiths Jigs have been the weapon of choice for these tasty fish. There have been some nice Bream around Green Island and if the current allows its great fun on light gear. Fish Rock has been quite with only the odd King, Snapper and Tuna out of the green water.

Black Fish are slowly increasing their numbers along the wall with fisho’s having more luck than last week. Also off the Break wall, Bream up to 1 kilo have been caught towards the river opening. Flathead numbers have dropped off a little in the river, look for them in the shallows as the water the cools. School Jews are around the pylons of Jerseyville Bridge along with the odd Bream. There are still a few Whiting to be had up river towards Smithtown.

Rock Hoppers have been into Tailor all along the ledges with some nice Bream while Salmon are staring to make a return. One or two Drummer have been about with a few Blackfish.
Smoky Beach has Tailor and Salmon along the beach with a few Bream and the odd Whiting. Gap Beach is fishing well for Tailor and Bream.

The Labour Government are aggressively trying to create new Marine Parks under the new AFFA banner (areas for further assessment) before the next election. This is very dangerous, more info to follow.


FISHING CLASSES FOR 2010.

WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE

My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the 8th of September 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.

This jewfish was caught while fishing with Ron Osman from Estuary Fishing Charters. Go to his report further on for more information.

I have had a number of emails from readers request more land based fishing spots in the southern areas of Sydney. So for this month’s column I had dedicated it to the land based anglers.

So in the May issue of NSW Fishing Monthly I listed 10 different land- bassed fishing spots for you to try out. Here they are:

Port Hacking – Flathead – Jibbon Beach
 It doesn’t seem to matter whether you fish near the bottom of the tide or the top of the tide. Due to the fact that most of the area is a sandy bottom.
 Try using a paternoster rig, but put the sinker on the second hook, not the bottom one.
 Early low or late light periods are better.
 If using plastics you will need to fan your cast.
 Usually work pretty well during or just after a southerly blow.

Port Hacking - Dee Ban Spit - Whiting/flathead
 Fish here during and just after there has been a big sea.
 The white water will harbour salmon and tailor.
 Fish on the eastern side of sand spit during the summer months on a run – out tide with either beach, sand, tube or blood worms for whiting.
 Fish on the eastern side of sand spit during the summer months on a run – in tide with either beach, sand, tube or blood worms for whiting.
 Good place to learn how to use soft places for flathead. No snags.

Port Hacking - Bass - Audley
 Fish either near the bottom of the tide or the top of the tide. This due to the fact that big eddies can form here making it hard to stay near the bottom.
 Try using a paternoster rig or a float. The baits needs to be suspended off the bottom.
 Early low light periods are better
 After a couple of days of rain it is worth trying either live garden worms or Power Bait. Lures should either have a lot of vibration, or rattles or be bright in colour.
 Work the eastern shoreline from the weir to the first corner in the north.

Port Hacking – Flathead – Swallow Rock / Deer Park
 Fish the top of the tide. This due to the fact that it is fairly shallow at low tide.
 Try using a paternoster rig or a float when using live poddy mullet. The baits needs to be suspended off the bottom.
 Early low light periods are better.
 After a couple of days of rain it is worth trying either live garden worms or Power Bait. Lures should either have a lot of vibration, or rattles or be bright in colour.

Salmon – Wattamolla – Rocks
 Fish out the front only when the seas are down.
 Live bait can be gathered either in the inside of the small bay to the north or out the front.
 Bread or soaked chicken pellets in a plastic bucket or onion bag for berley.
 Need to fish with a min of 10 kilo.
 Try using a balloon for a float, don’t blow up to big.
 Apply Vaseline to line to help in float while letting line out.
 Use double hook, snooded rig.
 The point just to the south is good when wind coming from the south.

Wonga Road Wharf in Yowie Bay –squid
 It doesn’t seem to matter here whether the tide is falling or rising
 Take 3 different sized jigs in 3 different colours
 Best fished at night
 A slow retrieve seems to work most of the times
 Try berleying here

Coalcliff Point –kingfish
 Fish out the front only when the seas are down
 Live bait can be gathered either in the inside of the bay or out the front
 Bread or soaked chicken pellets in a plastic bucket or onion bag for berley
 Need to fish with 20 kilo and up
 Take gaff, not many places to land big fish without one
 If seas are up you can fish up in the back of the bay
 Try using a balloon for a float, don’t blow up to big
 Apply Vaseline to line to help in float while letting line out
 Use double hook, snooded rig
 The point just to the south is good when wind coming from the south

Kingfish – Kurnell Point - Baits
 Try places like just west of Pig Rock, Little Yena and Yena itself.
 Live yellowtail, slimies, tailor or squid for bait.
 Berley for live bait with mashed up pilchards.
 Try using either poppers or soft plastics.
 You will need to have some white water, but not too much as the swell can come up over the rocks at these places.
 Good time to try is a few days before or after the full moon.

Cape Banks – yellowtail kingfish
 No good in a southerly swell
 Best fished after the swell has abated after a couple of days
 You will need to take in berley for the live yellowtail, garfish, mullet, pike, squid and slimy mackerel. Don’t be worried if you don’t get any, you can try suspending strips baits like squid, cuttlefish, pike, garfish or any think else that you may come across.
 Look for the deeper water that is in close.
 Either suspend bait under a bobby cork or a balloon, use a double hook snooded rig
 If you can get hold of a small blow up pool for live bait, it’s handy
 Try early morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is low.

Mulloway Tom Ugly’s bridge and Captain Cooks bridge
 Use either whole or half pilchards, white bait, mullet, strips of tailor, yellowtail or slimy mackerel, Hawkesbury prawns
 2 hook ganged rig for smaller mulloway to four hook ganged rig for large trophy fish
 Tide doesn’t seem to matter, as long as it is running.

So the next time you up for going out for a fish in the southern Sydney area these 10 land based spots will give you a bit of a starting chance.

What’s New
If you have never been on the Pure Fishing Australia Web Site before I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what is there.

You can find the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro.

There are product reviews and a new feature product catalogue for 2010.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

The latest articles are Jig Flicking River and Streams for trout with Andrew Mc Govern, Lure Creek Barra by Neil Shultz, Starting out with soft plastics by JB and yours truly has an article on how to go about anchoring your boat up.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

LATEST REPORTS FROM AFAR.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that the Marine Park issue has reared it ugly head once more to frustrate and anger responsible recreational fishermen. Local fisho’s please take the time to sign the petition that is currently in our shop as well as other locations around town because people power in the right direction is powerful message.

Spotted Mackerel are still being caught in ones and twos off Grassy with guys having more success with live bait. Some nice Trag have been coming out of the same area with the odd Snapper. Out wider a few Dolphin Fish, Pearl Perch and the odd Bar Cod were landed last week. Cobia have been about from Grassy down to Hat Head with the majority coming from in front of the Gaol. Fish Rock has a few Kings in a fairly strong current. There were a few Yellow Fin around the 5 kilo mark caught last week, a run of these little torpedos would be excellent . Live bait is still not abundant but enough to keep you going.

Bass fishermen are in their element up around Fredericton and Smithtown braining them with surface and shallow divers. Whiting are around the same location. Smaller Bream are in good numbers around the oyster racks while some nice Flathead were caught throughout the same area. School Jew are along the Break Wall with the odd good Bream. Herring were tough to get last week but White Bait was doing the trick.

Rock Hoppers are having some fun with Tailor and Bream with some nice Jew Fish in front of the Gaol and off the ledges at Hat Head. Local beaches are full of Dart with the odd Whiting and Bream. Smoky is fishing well for Tailor early morning and on dusk.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that on the beaches, despite the Easter break seeing a bit more wind than we would like, reasonable conditions were to be found if you fished either the protected corners or significant holes. As has been the case of late, tailor dominated catches with most beaches producing well. Lures, pillies and whitebait have been equally successful, with dawn and dusk producing the better catches as normally is the case. A few school mulloway have also been on offer with the beaches around Lake Cathie proving quite consistent. Also off the beaches, bream numbers are on the improve with north beach and Lighthouse giving up a few nice fish to around a kilo. Salmon numbers remain above average, considering this time of year has the warmest water along our coastline which is generally not to the salmons liking.

Off the rocks, long tail tuna have finally shown up in solid numbers with reports of both successful and unsuccessful encounters from most locations between Hat Head and Point Perpendicular, including the north wall at Port. Unfortunately we are also hearing reports of ill tempers and selfishness from a couple of the premier locations within driving distance of Port. Whilst I can understand long tail, or any LBG opportunities for that matter, are only available for short periods of time in comparison to bread and butter species, etiquette and patience are qualities a few of the enthusiasts seem to leave at home. Perhaps they are blackfish anglers in training. Also off the rocks, tailor and bonito remain common, whilst those floating a bit of cabbage report some excellent bronzies and the odd pig are haunting the washes in reasonable numbers. Bream and school mulloway remain viable options for those fishing the darker hours.

In the estuary, a few good bream have begun to show up, particularly for those fishing the lower reaches at dawn or dusk. Limeburners and the coal wall have both produced well. Flathead numbers remain reasonable, as too have blackfish, whilst garfish and mullet schools remain abundant. For those keen on tangling with a decent mulloway, live mullet, break walls and change of tide are the three main phrases you should fish by for the next month or so.

Offshore reports have been limited given poor conditions; however the next few days look particularly attractive, with the warm currents back in close. As such, those keen on chasing Pelagics should relish the opportunities on hand, whilst bottom bouncing should also prove productive as long as the currents does not scream too hard.

Ron Osman from ESTUARY FISHING TOURS reports that the days are getting colder but the fishing is still good with heaps of flatties and crabs, a few jewfish and Kingfish if you are lucky.

This summer has been the best Jewfish season I have experienced. We haven’t got one over 20kg in the boat but we have lost a few that were around that size and we have had plenty over 10kg with the biggest 18kg. Some days there are heaps of throw back Jewfish with the occasional keeper and up to 60cm (3kg) then the next day there are only a few big ones around. We have caught them everywhere so if you go out move around. I usually give a spot an hour and if we haven’t had any good hits or caught any we move on. We have been fishing Juno Point, Flint and Steel, Gunyah Point, Wobby Beach, The Bridges and a few other not so secret spots. Fresh squid is the best as always and the 18kg Jewie took half a squid. Butterflied yakkas are getting a few too. I prefer a butterflied yakka than a live one as long as it’s fresh they seem to work better.

We are getting heaps of Flathead on soft plastics at the moment with the occasional Jewfish as well. You can really tell the difference between them when you get them on. We are getting about 8 keeper Flathead an hour with heaps of throw backs. I use gulps when flicking for Flathead because you could catch a Flattie with a piece of string but if you use the gulps you will get other fish to. We have caught Jewfish, Bonito, Watsons Bonito, Salmon, Mack Tuna, Kingfish, Bream, Pike and a lot of crappy fish all on plastics. The only problems is the Leather Jackets and Tailor love them too and at around $1.50 each it can be costly. I like the 4 inch Minnows and the 3 inch Shrimp in any colour. It doesn’t matter for Flathead. I am not sponsored by anyone so I am not trying to flog something that doesn’t work. The best place to get them is Big W or Kmart as they are $7-$9 a pack and tackle stores sell them for $10 plus.

If your after Flathead just drift past any of the beaches down the Hawkesbury or Pittwater flicking plastics as you drift. Once you have covered the area go to the next one. It’s 90% luck with Flatties. They are just sitting there waiting for something to go over the top of them. We have also taken some huge Flathead while fishing for Jewfish mostly on butterflied or live yakkas. The biggest lately was 88cm and these big ones are mostly pregnant femailes and should be released unharmed. The big ones don’t taste as good as the smaller ones anyway, around the 45 – 55cm mark are the best eating and flatty filets are my favorite eating fish.

We had a great time on the Kingfish over Christmas but Pittwater has been dead for the last month on the Kingie front. We have been catching a few around the bommie at Barrenjoey but they are there one day and gone the next. We usually give it one run and if we don’t get any hits we leave. There has been heaps of Garfish around West Head and Iron Ladders and if the Kingfish are there they will take them everytime or you can take the Gars home to eat as some have been huge.

As I said Christmas was the best we even caught 2 Cobia although they were small they were good to see and we caught heaps of AmberJack as well. It wasn’t rare to catch Kings and Jews in the one day around Christmas and we did just that plenty of times. With the Cobia one took a live squid off the downrigger but the other took a piece of squid of the bottom at Flint and Steel while we were fishing for Jewfish. I thought it was a shark at first because he came straight to the surface and we have been catching plenty of Hammerheads to 4ft around the same area.

Blue swimmer crabs have been funny over summer being thick one week and none the next but at the moment we are getting around 10 keepers a day in our witches hats from between Juno and Croppy Head or the mouth of Mooney Creek. If the tides are big put your traps out in a bay somewhere out of the current or your traps will be sucked out to sea.

There are heaps of Mullet around at the moment with the pros beach hauling them at Iron Ladders and Little Patonga. We have been getting a few on real small metals or plastics but the fly fishos do really well. Mullet fight really well, they are great bait and they are pretty good eating too with plenty around at the moment.

There are still schools of small Mack Tuna around Pittwater and the Hawkesbury but most days they are in very small schools just popping up here and there and you have to be very quick and lucky to get them. But some days the small schools join up and they stay on the surface a lot longer and are easier to chase around. We catch them on very small metals and with 6lb line are great fun.

I have been seeing heaps of good size blackfish hanging around wharfs and pylons everywhere lately and I will be pulling out the Luderick gear soon but at the moment there are too many other fish around.

A quick tip if someone is anchored and fishing don’t anchor up behind them as that is where there lines are. Anchor up beside them but not to close. I have had this happen a few times lately and we have had to move spots after being there first. Some people are very rude when you ask them to move. They think people are fishing straight down when anchored. We fished Flint and Steel a month ago and this happened. The guy was very rude to us after doing 3 circles around our boat and then anchored up right behind us. So we moved spots and got a 4 and 5 kilo jewfish in the first 15min of being at our new spot. Must be karma.

Ron Osman - Captain, Estuary Fishing Tours http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/

FISHING CLASSES FOR 2010.
WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE
My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the 16th of June 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.

Botany Bay is alive with silver trevally. Phillip Mars and his brother went out last Friday and managed 19 to 1.05 kilos. All were caught on peeled prawns and very little weight. The key to their success was that they were the only ones berleying with bread and pilchards. Botany Bay will fire on the silver trevally front and I can see this pattern continuing for about the next 2 months. Every time I have gone out lately to target silver trevally all I have had to do is anchor up near or at the edge of a drop-off at Towra Point, marker pole or buoy, the drums, Monilex Point, the artificial reef in Yarra Bay and the end of the third runway, start berleying and fish as light as the conditions will allow. Once the trevally have got the scent of the pilchards, bread and pellets they just coming swimming up into my berley trail.

Best baits have been peeled prawns, pink nippers, blood worms and fillets of skinned yellowtail. To name all the spots that I have fished for trevally this year would take up too much space up, so here is a few of my favourites; The Wedding Cakes, North Head yellow marker, Middle Head, Bradley’s Head and Clarke Island in Sydney Harbour. The Port Hacking has places like Deer Park, Gymea Bay, and the Lilly Pilly drop off and just off sandshoes at south Cronulla.

I caught this tailor while flicking a Lucky Craft Sammy 65 at a school of feeding tailor in the Port Hacking.

Small to medium tailor to 1.35 kilos can be caught at the Hot Water Outlet. The best time has been an hour after the sun has risen. Then the fish will go off the bite as the first rays of sun hit the water near the Hot Water Outlet. I have also found that the tailor will keep on the chew when the day is an overcast one.

Rod from Gabe’s at Gymea reports that there have been a number of mulloway to 46.7 kilos caught under the Captain Cooks Bridge. The best times have been about 3 to 4 hours before the sun sets. Bream are feeding in the shallow areas of Oatley and Oyster Bays on the rising tide.

The beaches off Cronulla and Wanda have been producing whiting during the day and tailor at night. You could also try fishing Garie and Stanwell Park Beaches. That is if you can put up with the chill. The Port Hacking is worth a shot for squid and leatherjackets along the shoreline of Deer Park. Dusky flathead are been caught in Gymea Bay on live poddy mullet and small yellowtail.

Soft plastic shads are the go for flathead that have been holding up off the boat ramp at the end of Swallow Rock Drive. Australian bass and bream have been caught by anglers who have been working the shoreline from the weir at Audley and up the Grays Point. Hard body lures and soft plastics have been doing the job.

Sydney and Middle Harbour are still producing a few kingfish, both on lures and live baits. Kevin Potters from Manly fished the drop-off at Sugarloaf Point for 3 kingfish to 68cm, 4 bream to 750 grams and 1 dusky flathead. The kingfish were caught on live yellowtail and the other fish were caught on strips of stripped tuna. Tailor have been caught while fishing off the southern side of the Spit Bridge on the run-up tide using whole pilchards and garfish on ganged hooks. Leatherjackets and squid can be caught in the bay at Little Manly and the western side of the Sow and Pigs is worth a shot on the run-out tide for bream, silver trevally and the odd dusky flathead.

Further up stream in the Lane Cove and iron Cove Rivers the bream and dusky flathead have been feeding at the edges of the mangroves and rocky shoreline when the tide has been high. Try using pink nipper, peeled prawns and pilly tails that have been lightly weighted. The flats of Hen and Chicken and Five Dock Bays are worth a shot at high tide for bream, dusky flathead and whiting. You could also try worth the boat hulls in the same areas.

What’s New

If you have never been on the Pure Fishing Australia Web Site before I would suggest that you go to www.purefishing.com.au and have a look at what is there.

You can find the latest rods, reels, lines, soft plastics, hard bodied lures, terminal tackle, accessories and clothing they have in Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Berkley, Gulp, Fireline, Abu Garcia and Nitro.

There are product reviews and a new feature product catalogue for 2010.

You can also view video clips on Pure Fishing TV (PFTV) on how to rig up a whole pilchard onto a set of ganged hooks, strip baits, whole and peeled prawns, squid and worms. There are also plenty of other clips, for example, how to use blades, squid jigging and bream on soft plastics and surface poppers.

David Tosland was using Berkley Big Eye Baldes to target bream and caught this healthly whiting on a Mango Ripple.

The latest articles are Jig Flicking River and Streams for trout with Andrew Mc Govern, Lure Creek Barra by Neil Shultz, Starting out with soft plastics by JB and yours truly has an article on how to go about anchoring your boat up.

If you are interested in getting a newsletter to also keep you up to date on what’s happening on www.purefishing.com.au all you need to do is subscribe to their newsletter and they will keep you up to date.

LATEST REPORTS FROM AFAR.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
the warm water and strong currents have been the order of the day and last week was no exception. The FAD is producing Dolphin Fish in around four knots of current with the odd King Fish out of the same area. In closer to Grassy Head Spotted Mackerel are still in good numbers but very finicky Fisho’s are trying to go without the wire causing lots of bust off’s. There were no signs of Spanish last week but one or two Trag were on the bite on the bottom. The DOT has been productive with some nice Pearl Perch, Morwong and the odd Snapper. Heading south Green Island has Bream and Tailor around it while Fish Rock produced Snapper and some good Kings. Black Rock gave up a few Cobia last week. Live Slimies have been near impossible to catch there are some yakkas about which are worth a shot on the Kings. One visitor hooked a striped Marlin around 70 kilo on a Knife Jig out wider in about 4 knots of current.

Tailor and Bonito are on the end of the Break Wall in good numbers with the odd Bream. There have been a few Flathead coming in off the Tavern with some Whiting as well. Jew Fish are about with a 12 kilo and 20 kilo unit caught in the river last week on live bait. School Jew and Whiting are on the bite from Jerseyville to Kinchela taking live worms. Dust of your Black Fish gear they are on their way in the river system, I just hope the netters give them a break this season.

Some nice Tailor are off the rocks out of most locations with Bonito and small Kings down at Hat Head. Smoky and Gap Beach are fishing well for Tailor, Whiting and Bream.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that on the beaches, despite the Easter break seeing a bit more wind than we would like, reasonable conditions were to be found if you fished either the protected corners or significant holes. As has been the case of late, tailor dominated catches with most beaches producing well. Lures, pillies and whitebait have been equally successful, with dawn and dusk producing the better catches as normally is the case. A few school mulloway have also been on offer with the beaches around Lake Cathie proving quite consistent. Also off the beaches, bream numbers are on the improve with north beach and Lighthouse giving up a few nice fish to around a kilo. Salmon numbers remain above average, considering this time of year has the warmest water along our coastline which is generally not to the salmons liking.

Off the rocks, long tail tuna have finally shown up in solid numbers with reports of both successful and unsuccessful encounters from most locations between Hat Head and Point Perpendicular, including the north wall at Port. Unfortunately we are also hearing reports of ill tempers and selfishness from a couple of the premier locations within driving distance of Port. Whilst I can understand long tail, or any LBG opportunities for that matter, are only available for short periods of time in comparison to bread and butter species, etiquette and patience are qualities a few of the enthusiasts seem to leave at home. Perhaps they are blackfish anglers in training. Also off the rocks, tailor and bonito remain common, whilst those floating a bit of cabbage report some excellent bronzies and the odd pig are haunting the washes in reasonable numbers. Bream and school mulloway remain viable options for those fishing the darker hours.

In the estuary, a few good bream have begun to show up, particularly for those fishing the lower reaches at dawn or dusk. Limeburners and the coal wall have both produced well. Flathead numbers remain reasonable, as too have blackfish, whilst garfish and mullet schools remain abundant. For those keen on tangling with a decent mulloway, live mullet, break walls and change of tide are the three main phrases you should fish by for the next month or so.

Offshore reports have been limited given poor conditions; however the next few days look particularly attractive, with the warm currents back in close. As such, those keen on chasing Pelagics should relish the opportunities on hand, whilst bottom bouncing should also prove productive as long as the currents does not scream too hard.

FISHING CLASSES FOR 2010.

WINDYBANKS BAIT AND TACKLE
My next fishing class will commence on Wednesday the 16th of June 2010. It will start at 6.30pm and will run for 3 consecutive Wednesday 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 Contact Annette and John.