Where are they??? - Kurnell - 13/2/11

It'd been a few weeks since I'd been out chasing those Kings in Botany Bay with poppers so I figured it was about time to get stuck into them again. Saturdays wind forecast was looking decidedly shabby so I put it off until the sunday. Wind-wise, this turned out well as I was greeted with only about 8-10 knots from the south which was perfectly acceptable to me.

No boats at the HWO was a good site for the eyes but once again I didn't even get a hit! If someone two years ago had said 'Where is a guaranteed spot to get some fish?' I'd have said the HWO. Getting there just as it was light enough to see would see you landing a few tailor which was then followed by a kingie or two, or at least a hookup! Ah well, that's life I suppose. RIP HWO...

Maybe they're at the Drums, so I continue out, scanning the surface for any bust-ups that would give away the presence of Tailor, Kings or Bonito. On the way I stopped at one of the Channel poles and flicked a blade about. Nuthin'.

Boat traffic was still fairly low and the Drums were all by their lonesome, too. Poppers first and then I tried some good ol' Mojo SP stickbaits that were allowed to sink to the bottom before being jigged back. Again they remained unmolested.

Next stop on the journey was the west towrads the 'Sticks'. These twin marker pylons are a well known spot in the Bay. Bream, Flathead and Snapper are all a good prospect here and I did manage one of each on a blade, but only the flathead (40cms) was legal. Plus I did hook what felt like a very good fish (probably another flattie) but he was only connected to me for a few seconds so I must've just lipped him. Bugga!

The whole time I'd been out I'd been watching for diving birds or bust-ups but I didn't see any action anywhere. Other boats were cruising about and one lot of guys I spoke to hadn't seen any kings either. I also tried trolling a Rapala deep diver (CD10 I think), again for nix.

From there it was back into another marker pole for another zippo effort before heading in towards the groins along Silver Beach. The blade came up trumps again and this time it was a flounder. I tell you, these blades will catch anything. He wasn't quite big enough to take home though so back he went until next time.

Back on the beach I measured the flattie, took a quick photo and slid him back into the ocean. He quickly settled into the sand and within a few seconds he'd changed from the mottled brown to the light tawny-sand colour you can see in the bottom photo. I wish I'd captured it on film, the change was so quick. next time I'll try to capture it. No wonder they're such a great ambush predator when they can hide as quickly and easily as that.

So the fishing wasn't great but at least I managed to get out for a while, which is better than staying at home doing nothing. Remember, you're a long time dead, so make the most of it while you can. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Jakl'n Bass - Somewhere West of Sydney - Jan 2011

As promised, here is another report from Terry. He said sorry about the CAPS LOCK, he isn't yelling at us, honestly. : )

WELL FINALLY IT FEELS LIKE SUMMER, VERY BALMY MORNINGS & AFTERNOONS & THAT JUST MEANS BASS.

SO I’VE BEEN GETTING INTO A FEW GREAT BASS SESSIONS , AS YOU MAY HAVE READ IN THE LAST REPORT, BUT AS I’VE NOT BEEN OUT ON THE WATER THAT MUCH, I HAD IN MIND TO TRY A NEW LOCATION. ITS AMAZING HOW MUCH WATERWAY WE HAVE AROUND OUR METROPOLTIAN AREA. I"D DONE A BIT OF RESEARCH AND I WASN’T GOING TO LET THIS SPOT "X" SLIP AWAY.

WELL, BEING A HOT DAY (TEMPERATURE 34 DEGREES) & VERY LITTLE BREEZE I WAS DETERMINED TO GIVE IT A GO . SO HERE I AM ON THE WATER PADDLING AWAY. THIS PLACE LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL, SUPER CLEAR WATER, ROCK WALLS, THE REEDS IN THE WATER & THE SUNKEN TIMBER UNDER THE WATER LINE . IT JUST HAD 'BASS' WRITTEN ALL OVER IT ( WELL I HOPE SO ).

SO HERE I WAS , CASTING INTO THE SHADOWS, AS THE SUN WAS HIGH IN THE SKY PUNCHING OUT THE HEAT. I HAD BEEN CASTING SURFACE LURES FROM LURE LOGIC (GEES THEY HAVE A MAGNIFICENT ACTION) & WORKING THE LURE VERY SLOWLY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE WAS VERY LITTLE INTEREST.

'MMMMMM,' I THOUGHT. 'OK, NO BASS, PRETTY STRANGE, NOT EVEN A LITTLE ONE CAME TO INVESTIGATE.' AS I PADDLED ON FURTHER ADMIRING THE NATURE & THE BEAUTIFUL CLEAR WATER & BELL BIRDS IN THE BACK GROUND, I WAS THINKING OF THE NEXT TYPE OF LURE I SHOULD USE AS I'VE NEVER SEEN THE WATER SO CRYSTAL CLEAR OR ARE THERE EVEN BASS HERE FOR STARTERS? LOL.

WITH THE WATER BEING VERY DEEP IN SOME PARTS (7 MTRS & MORE) I THOUGHT OF TRYING A JACKALL AS THESE LURES VIBRATE LIKE MAD & GET DOWN DEEP WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT, AS I WAS IN NEED TO CATCH MY 1ST BASS FOR THE DAY .
AS I CAST THE LURE INTO THE DEPTHS, I WATCHED THE LINE FOR ANY HITS. A SUDDEN WHACK LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN SAW THE LINE COMING OFF THE SPOOL VERY QUICKLY.

OH NO!!! FLICK THE BAIL UP OVER ,SO YOU CAN SET THE HOOKS TEZ! LOL WHEN I DID, WOW. THE FISH PULLED HARD & FELT VERY SOLID. THERE WAS NO WAY UP TO THE SURFACE IN A HURRY. WELL, IT FINALLY SURFACED AFTER A HECTIC BATTLE & LANDED IT. THIS FISH WAS IN PRISTINE CONDITION & THICK IN THE BODY AND WENT A VERY RESPECTABLE 360MM.

MY ADRENALIN WAS VERY HIGH, AS THIS SPOT LOOKED UNREAL. I KEPT PLUGGING AWAY, AS THIS SPOT HAD PLENTY TO OFFER, IT WAS MIND BOGGLING OVER WHICH SNAG OR CREVICE MAY HOLD BASS. LOL

AGAIN PERSISTANCE PAYS OFF. AS I WORKED THE LURE WITH A SUDDEN WHACK & I'M FIGHTING AN AGGRESSIVE FISH. IT WASN’T A DESCENT FISH, BUT HEY, WHO CARES? A BASS IS A BASS! LOL, IT WAS 220MM

WHILE BEING ON THE WATER FOR A FEW HOURS & GETTING INTO SOME BEAUTIFUL BASS OF ALL SIZES, I WAS KEEN TO GO ON FURTHER & CHECK THIS PLACE OUT. TALK ABOUT NATURAL ENVIROMENT & THE NATURE, IT WAS ENDLESS, EVEN THE PADDLING WAS ENDLESS .

AS I WAS A LONG WAY FROM THE CAR & TIME WAS RUNNING AWAY FROM ME I COULDN’T RESIST TO HAVE ANOTHER CAST WITH THE JACKALL INTO SOME AWESOME SNAGS. THE AMOUNT OF BASS THAT I SAW LURKING AROUND THE AREA , IT WAS UNREAL TO WATCH, AS THEY WERE FIGHTING OVER THE LURE AS IT WAS SINKING INTO THE DEPTHS. TAKE IT TAKE IT I THOUGHT. WOW!!!!! WHAT AN AMAZING SIGHT TO SEE THE BASS TAKE THE LURE & SWIM OFF WITH IT. IT WAS JUST CRAZY!

ALL THAT IN A BLINK OF AN EYE , THERE WAS NO TIME FOR PLAYING GAMES , THIS FISH WANTED FREEDOM ,BUT WITH A LOCKED UP DRAG & QUICK ROD WORK I WON THE BATTLE .

ANOTHER WELL CONDITIONED FISH WAS LANDED & IT LOOKED LIKE A BEAUTY. IT WENT 370MM WOW !!! I WAS STOKED. I RELEASED THE FISH BACK IN THE WATER TO LET IT FIGHT ANOTHER DAY. THIS TRIP WAS WELL WORTH IT, EXPLORING NEW WATERS. DEFINATELY, I’LL GET BACK TO THIS MAGNIFICENT PLACE.

Once again, thanks for the report Tezza. That some really spectacular country to go Bassin' in. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Squidgie Southern Bream 2011 - Georges River - 30/1/11

Last years series was a hugely successful one and this year promised to be bigger and better. Conditions were going to be ideal (maybe a little too hot though) and a big field was expected. But I think even the organisers were a bit surprised with the turnout. 84 boats and 26 kayaks graced the starting beach and what a spectacle it was. It's great to see the kayak numbers up on last year and I'm sure these events will just get bigger and bigger.

At 7am the boats were off and by 7:07am, we, the real fisherman : ) were allowed to go. I'd been in mixed minds as to where to target this year. Towra Point was one of the options but I figured there'd be a mass of boats hitting it and I'd take at least 40 minutes to get out there anyway, so I put that idea to bed. Next thought was the racks in Woolooware Bay but as most of the yaks headed that way, I decided to go with the first part of my plan of last year and hit some boats and jetties early but would then continue on upstream, hopefully finding some relatively untouched waters.

I dropped a good fish only 5 minutes into the comp but at least that was pretty promising. I continued working along, flicking under jetties and pontoons with a variety of SP's, waiting for that telltale grab of the plastic but it turned out to be a long waiting game. In fact, it was as if someone had netted all the fish in the area because I couldn't even get a bite! Well, one small chopper tailor doesn't count, so I continued with my plan and headed upstream.

By 10am the water traffic was in full swing with jetskis and water skiers and all other types of boats zooming all over the place. Not great conditions for breaming and they would only make the fishing that much harder. Some flats I'd intended to hit had TWO wakeboarders zigzagging across it so that was skipped as I made my way up to Kangaroo Point.

I glanced at my watch and it was 10:42am and I hadn't even seen a bream. At times like this you start to ask questions: Should I have gone to Towra or the Racks? Maybe deep water is the go? Where are the fuggen fish??? Etc, etc.

For the umpteenth time I skipped the Squidgie bloodworm wriggler into the shadey area at the back of a pontoon. I watched the line as it sank and what the? A tic! I slowly lifted the rod and felt some weight so I struck and yes, I'm on! In she comes and yes it's a bream but it's only 25cms to the tip (it needs to be 26cms) but at least it a start.

I move onto the next pontoon and repeat the cast. Again I feel weight and this time it feels a bit better and woohoo, this one is just over 26cms, so I'm on the board. And then it was as if someone flicked a switch and suddenly, they came on the chew. Over a four hundred meter section , I hooked or landed a fish off every second jetty and pontoon. Some small or just under and a couple of legals and twice I was roasted by good fish that pinged me off on jetty pylons but them's the breaks.

By 11:30 am, I had three in the well but one was just over 26 cms, so I really wanted to upgrade him. I eventually made it around to my ol' fishing mainstay of Oyster Bay and on the third pontoon I pulled a 28 cm specimen so I knew I had three that would pass muster but unfortunately, there were no kicker fish in the bag.

The tide was dropping so I followed suit and dropped back into a deeper channel and started working it with a blade. This proved successful and I landed another four that were all 26 or 27 to the tip, so all legal but unfortunately, no upgrades. Try as I might, I just couldn't hook that kicker fish.

By 12:15 pm the bites had stopped and I didn't raise another scale. Bugger all bycatch today too, only one legal flattie and two undersize ones and one pike. I've included a map of the path I took (just under 14 kms) and the red dots are where I landed my keepers. So were all the fish just in that area? I don't think so. I reckon they just decided to start eating at that particular time and then for some reason, they shut up shop again.

As I made my way back, I figured I'd only have 1.3kgs maximum, which I was sure wouldn't be enough. Maybe a top ten if I'm lucky but that's about it. Punching home into the now very-fresh wind was not fun and I only made it back with about 30 seconds to spare. Too close for comfort really as there is a 50 gram penalty for every minute that you're late getting back to the weigh-in.

Talking to the others, it seems it'd been a tough day for everyone. An interesting fact was that most didn't get their fish until after 10:00-10:30am which correspondes closely to when my fish were caught, too. The family were there to watch the weigh in and surpirsingly, I managed 6th place with 1.265 kgs.

And who won it? Andrew Death, of course! He's hot to trot at the moment and has won his last three comps in Sydney and he well and truly smashed us in this one, too. Andrew bit the bullet and ventured out to Towra with all the boats and brought home a 2.21kg bag, eclipsing his nearest rival by 320 grams. His bag also included a bream that nearly went a kilo, so it was an impressive show of talent on a tough day.

Second place went to Robert Chambers (1.89 kgs) and third went to that podium regular, Stewart Dunn (1.585 kgs) who just nudged Dave Hedge into fourth with 1.535 kgs. Or as Stewart says, 'Smashed him!' Well done guys.

Of course, the tournament was another huge success with drinks and a sausage sizzle rounding out the day and 'Basin Lure and Fly' can take another bow for running a truly professional tournament that is accessible to all. For further details on the series, please visit their website at: http://www.ssbs.basinlureandfly.org.au/

Plus Terry has been out Bassin' again, so I'll get another report and photos off him and put that up soon. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Bassin' the Nepean - Dec 2010 or Jan 2011..not sure of exact date

As stated last week, Terry has been getting into a few bass and he sent through this report that covers a trip he had a few weeks ago...

With all the rain we had in the last few weeks, I was begging hard for it to blow out to sea.
As each day this week I was watching the weather very closely & hoping to get a line wet.
Sure enough today was the day, I couldn’t resist, the humidity, the stillness & those cicada’s (don’t ya love em) buzzing in my backyard, gave me an indication to have a crack at dirty bassin.
Although the barometric pressure wasn’t favourable (not that I look at it) I set off to my local river .

It was a late start at midday, water was coffee, overcast, not a ripple in the water (mirror finish)& insects everywhere (looking good just how we like it). As I paddled along & looking at the sounder WOW the water temp was 26degrees.

Well out came the surface lure , just love my surface action so visuial. I pulled up to a great looking snag, timber everywhere, sure there's gotta be a bass here .

As the lure landed tight against the snag & the ripple disappeared BLOOP BLOOP 10 secs later BLOOP BLOOP nuthin , not even a tap, mmmmm.

I fished with surface lures for half n hr for no result even in places you think to yourself, how did i get that lure in there with all that overgrown branches where bass love to hide.

I looked in my tackle box deciding on what lure to tie on next , the stumper jumper was it , have had some great success over the years with this lure & it wasn’t before the line wet tight , drag peel’n off , WHHHOOOO , this felt like a descent fish , as he was racing back for cover, still no colur, as it was trying to snag me up.

After a great tussle & the fish landed & measured 380, my blood was pumping, a quick photo & the fish was swimming away.

By this time it was 1pm & I didn’t have much fishing time left.
As I flicked into the shadows & retrieved into the depths , was on again how good is this ( thats how fishing should be ) another well condition fish was landed it measured 350. The next half hr was just awesome fishing , it surprised me with all the rain & run off we’ve had, it was worth giving it ago in dirty water . I ended up with 9 bass ranging from 270 – 380 mm. Its only going to get better from here. Happy bassin'.

Great report, Terry. Thanks for sharing with us.

And this weekend (sunday, 23rd January) sees the next round (no. 5) of the Daiwa ABT/Hobie Kayak Bream tournament kick off in Victoria at the legendary location of the Bemm River! Last year the bags were massive (24 anglers from a field of 38 had a weigh-in bag of over 2kg's for three fish!!!) and there is sure to be a strong turnout for this one.

More info is available here: http://bream.com.au/abt/2010/Bemm10.pdf and if you can only do one tourny, this would have to be high on the list. Hopefully the yakkin' fraternity haven't been hit too hard by the floods and they can still make it to this premium event. Good luck to all attending, I know I wish I could've made it... Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Popping for Botany Bay Kings - 7 & 9/1/11

It's been a while since I'd been to the HWO off Kurnell and honestly, I haven't caught a fish from there the last 5 or so times I'd been. I think the dredging for the pipes across the bay really stuffed it up as it was almost a sure-fire spot for getting a few tailor and maybe a king or two right on sun-up. But I hadn't even had a hit there lately but I'm not ready to give up on it yet, so out I go again in the dawn gloom, hoping to have my arms stretched.

There was one boat casting large poppers at it when I arrived and I decided to flick out the 6" Mojo stickbaits for something different. I gave it a good going over for 15 minutes and once again, not even a touch. The same result went for the boat who eventually packed it in and shot off to the other side of the bay. I gave it another couple of casts and decided to head out to the Sticks to see if I could get a bream or two. I'm sure that the HWO still fires at times but it's definitely quieter than it used to be.

On the way out to the Sticks, I saw a few boils ahead of me, 'Maybe Bonito?' I thought and flicked out a small metal slice and cranked it back at high-speed. After a few casts without a touch I switched to the Mojo. Nuthin'! They were still boiling up, nothing wild though and I reached for a new Ecogear popper I have, an orange and black TP88F. First cast and it's snaffled off the surface. And then the drag starts screaming! Oh yeah, this isn't a bonito.

Strong determined runs and then down deep it goes, slugging it out. Now this is more like it. I soon get colour and it's my first Kingie for a long time. Into the net and onboard but it's just short of legal at 62cms so it's back into the drink for this guy. The boils had stopped by now so I continued to the Sticks and started with a blade.

I'd been blading for about 10 minutes and had landed one small pinkie and a 33cm bream when 20 meters away there's a bit of a bust up on the surface. A quick switcheroo of rods and out goes the TP88F again. It's hit 3 times before the hooks stick and I'm dragged away by what feels like a good fish. By now a few boats have seen me hooked up and are slowly creeping closer.

I get colour again and it looks like a twin of the first King and at 63cms, it almost is. Aaaarrrgh, so close to legal, but back this one goes, too. I scan the water, searching for more bust ups but the boils have disappeared for now so I go back to the blades.

But it's not long before they're back on the surface and to test them out, I switch to the Mojo again. Still nothing. So I downsize to smaller squidgy flickbaits but again they are ignored. I even cast the blade out and landed it right in the middle of the school but to no avail. So back to the popper and it's instant action again. I pulled the hooks on two fish before I finally get a solid hook up and this guys goes deep straight away and gives me a good tow.

When I eventually drag him aboard I'm only 20 meters from one of the boats and the guy yells out 'What are you getting those bloody Kings on?' I return with 'Are you using Soft Plastics?' 'Yes', he says. 'Well I'm not getting them on those,' I say with a smile. I flicked my lure towards them and said 'Try a popper like this.' I hope he managed to get into a few.

As fortune would have it, this one is a smidge over 65 cms, so hallelujah, there's dinner. My time on the water was now up so I left them biting. Man, I hate having to do that.

Of course, after a good session like that, I was keen to have another go so on the sunday I headed out into the overcast slightly drizzly morning which at least kept the boat traffic down. The fish were a bit shyer today and again I could only get them to take poppers. The TP88F (see right) worked again, as did an NW Pencil and also a River 2 Sea popper which promptly had the light gauge hooks completely straightened. Silly me forgot to back the drag off. D'oh!

So I ended up hooking 5 and landing 2 but the biggest was only 60 cms, so none of them came home with me this time. But gees they're bloody good fun! Let's hope there are a few more sessions with bigger specimens involved over the next few months.

On a different note, Tezza has been getting into a few bass lately and will send me a few photos with a report to go with them, so I'll get those up within the next day or two. Happy yakkin, everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Cooks River - 28/12/10

So from all reports the Bonito were going off their proverbials in Botany Bay, especially around the Port Botany area. A plan was quickly hatched late one night to go out and get a few as they are one of my favourite fish to eat (filleted, rolled in sesame seeds and dried chillies, seared in a pan for 30 seconds and served with soy and wasabi and pickled ginger...perfecto).

And thus Tezza and I stood at the ramp on Foreshore Rd at 5am, looking into a 20 knot southerly. A guy in a half cabin cruiser was also there at the ramp, looking at the chopped up water. 'Fugg that', we thought, and decided to skip the Bonnie chasing and head to calmer waters.

Next closest place was the Cooks, so we set off to get a few bream although the rods we had were a tad heavier than we'd normally use. At least the ramp was nice and quiet. Bouncing a TT switchblade along the side of the freeway wall saw me come up with one bream of 27cms fork length within five casts and I left the next stretch to Tezza and moved onto the boats out in the deeper water.

Hop, hop...hop, hop and boofo! Ooh, this doesn't feel like a bream. I could feel a decent weight on the end of the line and off down current we go. He took me on a bit of a run and we danced around the anchor ropes with there being one moment when I thought it would all end in tears. He was going the left hand side of an anchor rope when he suddenly veered off and went the right side. I quickly tried to turn but there was no way I was going to make it to follow him and suddenly I felt the line rubbing against the rope. There was nothing else I could do, so I flicked over the bail arm and free spooled him praying that he'd stay attached. As I rounded the anchor rope, I frantically wound in and yes, he's still there.

The runs weren't as strong now and I knew that with patience and a backed off drag, he'd be mine. Up he came and into the net (it just fitted) and our plan B turned out to be A-ok! Ha, who needs Bonnies when you can catch these brilliant fish? He was hooked right in the side of the jaw and the fluoro didn't even have a mark on it. Luckily it must've been the braid that rubbed against the rope. Sometimes ya gotta get lucky, I suppose. 78cms total length and only 4cms short of my best one from the yak.

Tezza was keen to get his own now and from the distance I hear 'I'm on!'. I can see his rod doubled over but he's right near an anchor rope too and when I catch up to him it's all over. On the hook up, this brute shot straight between the front of the boat and the anchor rope which didn't give Tezza any chance at all. Next time, buddy, next time.

To round out the day we picked up some great whiting and a few more bream, but nothing was going to top that jewfish. Well, maybe a bigger one I guess would've done it...

And sorry, but I don't have time to get the Kings on Poppers from Botany Bay report up today but it WILL be up tomorrow. Happy yakkin', everyone.

cheers,

Cid

Another Dubois starts her fishing adventure - 24th Dec 2010

Firstly, let me start with hoping you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe New year. Fingers crossed you got out a few times and landed some fish and hopefully santa brought you what yopu really wanted.

A couple of years ago I took my son out on my old Hobie Sport and we had a ball landing bream in Oyster Bay. My daughter, Danielle, asked me 'When can I go fishing?' and I thought if you're old enough to ask, you're old enough to go. So we loaded up and set off for the same spot as I took Lachlan that first time.

The tide wasn't quite right (it was a bit too low) but she was really keen, so on with the type 1 PFD (much to Lachlans protestations: Hey, that's mine!) and up the front of the Outback she went and we started trolling an SX40 and a River2Sea baby vibe. She loved being out on the water and giggled with glee as we bounced over the wakes from the other boats zipping about.
We'd been trolling for about ten minutes when the River2Sea is smacked! 'Here, Danielle, hold the rod, no not like that, like this, that's it now wind like we practised, no, the other hand, wait lift the rod up, no, like that, yes, that's it, yes, that's...damn.' Between all the instructions and the excitement, the flattie chewed through the leader. Must've been a good 'un. So on with another SX40 (no more R2S's) and off we go again.

It's not long until another rod buckles and this time I sit her in my lap and hold the rod while she winds. This guy put up a feisty fight and Danielle squealed with excitement as we netted him. 40 cms he goes and he'll be perfect for dinner. We came in after this as the tide was almost bottoming out but she loved the whole experience and now it'll be trickier going out and deciding who stays at home.

To make it up to Lachlan, we snuck out a couple of days later and landed four between 38cms and 44cms and lost two that felt bigger. Naturally, when we got home, Danielle was there with hands on hips giving us the dirty look for not taking her. Hopefully, I'll have two fantastic fishing buddies for the rest of my life and I couldn't be luckier. I just hope they'll grace me with their company when they hit the teenage years.

A few days later I hit the Cooks River with Terry and landed a very nice surprise. I'll get that report up tomorrow as well as adding the session I had chasing kings in Botany Bay on poppers. Now that was exciting stuff. So until tomorrow then. happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid