Hi Peoples,
Wanna have a quick chat today about how we are spending our rec fishing license fees. Some good initiatives have come out of this like buying back commercial fishing licenses which have reduced the overall quota on catch rates..so they tell us...improvements to our boating lauching facilities like ramps, wharfs and pontoons...and the construction of artificial reefs in certain estuaries.
The artificial reefs are constructed out of concrete balls that are hollow and have multiple holes in them. The concrete is a special mix of god knows what but its supposed to promote marine growth on the balls, and hence the start of its own ecosystem.
I have had a chance to fish a few of these things already, with mixed results. I have visited the reefs at st georges basin and lake macquarie. The st georges basin reef balls have been there now for a while, not too sure of the exact time, but they fish pretty well. There is a good You Tube video of a diver with a camera showing the fish life. While i havent had too much success on them i know a few dudes that pull good reds off the reefs in the 2kg class, not monsters but quality for a basin.
The lake mac reefs are hit and miss as well. They do produce a good mix of bread and butter species but lack some of the quality fish the rest of the lake produces.
Other reefs are located at Botany Bay and a new string of reefs at Lake Conjola. This has surprised me a little. I wouldnt expect Lake Conjola to be a prime location. But the lake is devoid of reefs and fish holding structure so it may be a good choice, only time will tell. Also one has been touted for Merimbula Lake???
This is a good iniative. If it helps to promote fish life and give anglers a chance to catch better class of fish and more fish...its a good thing.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
8 things to remember about Lures.
Hi Peoples,
As most of you would know i do most of my fishing with lures these days. I do on the odd occasion hook on a live bait for jew...but it is rare.
So over the past 6 years what are the things i reckon are most important to successful luring??? The following are my experiences and are subject to change. Nothing in fishing ever remains static.
1) Go Light - I put this at the top of the tree, before action, technique or any other factor. I believe the lighter you go, the more natural your presentation looks, the more sensitivity you have, the more fish you hook. Now go light refers to the whole integrated system from your rod and reel, to your braid, to your leader and thru to your jighead. Everything should balance. Not only is this more comfortable but you will trick more fish too.
2) Be Stealthy - This goes well with point 1. No good going light and finesse then roaring into a spot just to spook the fish. From a fishes perspective a roaring boat must seem like a F18 doing circus stunt fly-bys at very low altitude. It's loud and it's scary. Pull into a spot gently, operate on an electric motor or use the tide and wind to cover ground. Keep banging the boat to a minimum. Remember if you can hear noise sure as hell the fish can too. Also i wont take the boat of the garage if the leccy isn't working!
3) Make Long Casts - Once again, ties in well with point 1&2. If you fish light you make longer casts, make longer casts you can be stealthier, and the best attribute is cover more ground. The whole premise of my lure fishing is ground coverage. I try to work as much water as possible till i find fish, stick with em, exhaust the opportunity and move on. Long casts help me achieve this. The more fish that see my lure in a given session the more fish i catch.
4) Be Patient - Not every fish eats all the time! Just like us, fish eat and rest, they don't bite all day. So be patient, soon enuf the bites will come.
5) Fish Where the Fish Are - I know this sounds a little obvious but the amount of times i see boats flogging lures in a barren wasteland astounds me. Have a reason to fish a spot. I know you here it all the time, fish structure. A fish needs somewhere to eat and rest, if you were a fish where would you go to eat??? Where would you go to rest??? Answer these questions and your well on your way! Think like a fish....
6) Slow Down - By this i mean slow the retrieve down. When things are quiet slow everything right down. Keeping a lure dangling in a fishes face a split second longer might just be the tonic to make it strike. On tought days long pauses are often the difference between fish and no fish.
7) Use Scent - These days i don't go out fishing without my trusty S-Factor and a handful of Gulps. I do use conventional sp's but smeared with S-Factor. It honestly makes a huge difference. My jew catch rate has doubled while using S-Factor. It's GUN!
8) Clear Water, Clear Lures - The simple philosophy for lure colour selection is clear water clear lures, dark water dark lures. In saying that i believe that lure colour is the least important factor in the whole system. Get the action and size of the lure right, use the right equipment and usually fish will follow. On some days though, colour can be a factor.
There you have it. 8 factors for my success with lures. Common knowledge stuff but a foundation i base all my luring by.
As most of you would know i do most of my fishing with lures these days. I do on the odd occasion hook on a live bait for jew...but it is rare.
So over the past 6 years what are the things i reckon are most important to successful luring??? The following are my experiences and are subject to change. Nothing in fishing ever remains static.
1) Go Light - I put this at the top of the tree, before action, technique or any other factor. I believe the lighter you go, the more natural your presentation looks, the more sensitivity you have, the more fish you hook. Now go light refers to the whole integrated system from your rod and reel, to your braid, to your leader and thru to your jighead. Everything should balance. Not only is this more comfortable but you will trick more fish too.
2) Be Stealthy - This goes well with point 1. No good going light and finesse then roaring into a spot just to spook the fish. From a fishes perspective a roaring boat must seem like a F18 doing circus stunt fly-bys at very low altitude. It's loud and it's scary. Pull into a spot gently, operate on an electric motor or use the tide and wind to cover ground. Keep banging the boat to a minimum. Remember if you can hear noise sure as hell the fish can too. Also i wont take the boat of the garage if the leccy isn't working!
3) Make Long Casts - Once again, ties in well with point 1&2. If you fish light you make longer casts, make longer casts you can be stealthier, and the best attribute is cover more ground. The whole premise of my lure fishing is ground coverage. I try to work as much water as possible till i find fish, stick with em, exhaust the opportunity and move on. Long casts help me achieve this. The more fish that see my lure in a given session the more fish i catch.
4) Be Patient - Not every fish eats all the time! Just like us, fish eat and rest, they don't bite all day. So be patient, soon enuf the bites will come.
5) Fish Where the Fish Are - I know this sounds a little obvious but the amount of times i see boats flogging lures in a barren wasteland astounds me. Have a reason to fish a spot. I know you here it all the time, fish structure. A fish needs somewhere to eat and rest, if you were a fish where would you go to eat??? Where would you go to rest??? Answer these questions and your well on your way! Think like a fish....
6) Slow Down - By this i mean slow the retrieve down. When things are quiet slow everything right down. Keeping a lure dangling in a fishes face a split second longer might just be the tonic to make it strike. On tought days long pauses are often the difference between fish and no fish.
7) Use Scent - These days i don't go out fishing without my trusty S-Factor and a handful of Gulps. I do use conventional sp's but smeared with S-Factor. It honestly makes a huge difference. My jew catch rate has doubled while using S-Factor. It's GUN!
8) Clear Water, Clear Lures - The simple philosophy for lure colour selection is clear water clear lures, dark water dark lures. In saying that i believe that lure colour is the least important factor in the whole system. Get the action and size of the lure right, use the right equipment and usually fish will follow. On some days though, colour can be a factor.
There you have it. 8 factors for my success with lures. Common knowledge stuff but a foundation i base all my luring by.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Bream on Soft Plastics
Hi Peoples,
Little bit of fishing report from the weekend. I went out chasing Bream in one of my favourite hot spots...Berowra Waters! I've been after a genuine blue-nose breamski in the 1.5kg weight class for a front cover shot in Fishing World.. last year i was hitting this class of fish pretty regularly and got some real monsters in the process. Ever since i have been trying to get one for noteriety and i can't get close..bloody frustrating.
The plan was to hit a few bream early using a combination of unweighted crabs which my cousins were using and i would persist with sp's.. The bream weren't around in massive numbers but they played ball and kept us entertained... The boys did better than me on size fish but i kept pace with numbers.
This all got me thinking...Gulp packaging reads..."outfishes live bait"... how true is this??? Who are they judging this against??? Is it scientific???
If a pro bream fisho uses gulp he will almost certainly outfish a newbie using live bait. Put that live bait in the hands of pros and it's a different ball game. Marketing is a powerful influencer...
Anyhow, not to digress, but i have addded to my 2009 goal sheet. I want to hit a genuine 2kg bream on sp's. I got a few using bait over the years but now it's time to hit one on sp's. Add this to my 1m flatty and my 20kg jew..and it makes for a busy year ahead. The question is what scent will it come on??? Gulp or S-Factor???
Little bit of fishing report from the weekend. I went out chasing Bream in one of my favourite hot spots...Berowra Waters! I've been after a genuine blue-nose breamski in the 1.5kg weight class for a front cover shot in Fishing World.. last year i was hitting this class of fish pretty regularly and got some real monsters in the process. Ever since i have been trying to get one for noteriety and i can't get close..bloody frustrating.
The plan was to hit a few bream early using a combination of unweighted crabs which my cousins were using and i would persist with sp's.. The bream weren't around in massive numbers but they played ball and kept us entertained... The boys did better than me on size fish but i kept pace with numbers.
This all got me thinking...Gulp packaging reads..."outfishes live bait"... how true is this??? Who are they judging this against??? Is it scientific???
If a pro bream fisho uses gulp he will almost certainly outfish a newbie using live bait. Put that live bait in the hands of pros and it's a different ball game. Marketing is a powerful influencer...
Anyhow, not to digress, but i have addded to my 2009 goal sheet. I want to hit a genuine 2kg bream on sp's. I got a few using bait over the years but now it's time to hit one on sp's. Add this to my 1m flatty and my 20kg jew..and it makes for a busy year ahead. The question is what scent will it come on??? Gulp or S-Factor???
Friday, January 23, 2009
Does the Media Influence Your Tackle Purchases?
Hi Peoples,
I read a post recently on Ausfish that posed an interesting question. Does the media or media personalities influence the way you shop?? what decisions you make??? Do you put any stock into the recommendations or endoresements fishing personalities make???
These are all good questions and require some logical thought. On the forum this topic recieved a mixed bag of responses. The typical response however was one of animosity and disgust. This was directed at fishing personalities that endorse a certain product and the way they go about it.
I have worked in advertising for 8 years and worked in media for most of that time. I think i have an acute understanding of the concept of advertising and the sublimimal affects it has. Also i understand the culture of sponsorship of which no industry or products are immune.
The problem i have with all this is people dont really understand the concept of advertising. Yes they see glossy ads in a mag, TV ads and hear stuff on radio but it goes beyond that dramatically. We are all vehicles for advertising. The clothes we wear, the gear we use, the language we speak all represents a product of some nature. It is widely accepted that word of mouth is the most influential of all advertising mediums. In this respect, how can someone say they are not influenced by advertising or media on fishing related purchases. Its a short-sighted response that speaks of jealousy and tall-poppy.
This especially so when they attack fishing personalities that endorse products. The personalities are merely using another more public form of word-of-mouth. No different than if i gave a mate a recommendation about a reel. The only difference is they get paid i dont. This is where the discrepancy lies. The money factor may influence personalities to falsify thier true opinions...yes maybe. They may be forced to have to mention a product repeatedly..yes maybe. They may even be forced to use products they dont like...yes maybe.
The true die-hards should be able to cut the wheat from the chaff. Honestly, i dont know anyone thats run out and bought a shimano just cause starlo uses em...but subconciously, after seeing starlo, buschy, slick and the myriad of other use em, its hard not to associate the product with quality. They are in the hands of quality fishos. It happens to me and i know my gear back to front. Its all about perception.
So who cares who endores what. Be inquisitive and ask some questions. Investigate. Soon enuf you will make an educated decision. There's no wrong or right.
And to all the green-eyed monsters out there, pissed off cause fishos sell thier soul for gear, I'm sure you would have your hand out if someone offered something for free. Its just our nature.
I read a post recently on Ausfish that posed an interesting question. Does the media or media personalities influence the way you shop?? what decisions you make??? Do you put any stock into the recommendations or endoresements fishing personalities make???
These are all good questions and require some logical thought. On the forum this topic recieved a mixed bag of responses. The typical response however was one of animosity and disgust. This was directed at fishing personalities that endorse a certain product and the way they go about it.
I have worked in advertising for 8 years and worked in media for most of that time. I think i have an acute understanding of the concept of advertising and the sublimimal affects it has. Also i understand the culture of sponsorship of which no industry or products are immune.
The problem i have with all this is people dont really understand the concept of advertising. Yes they see glossy ads in a mag, TV ads and hear stuff on radio but it goes beyond that dramatically. We are all vehicles for advertising. The clothes we wear, the gear we use, the language we speak all represents a product of some nature. It is widely accepted that word of mouth is the most influential of all advertising mediums. In this respect, how can someone say they are not influenced by advertising or media on fishing related purchases. Its a short-sighted response that speaks of jealousy and tall-poppy.
This especially so when they attack fishing personalities that endorse products. The personalities are merely using another more public form of word-of-mouth. No different than if i gave a mate a recommendation about a reel. The only difference is they get paid i dont. This is where the discrepancy lies. The money factor may influence personalities to falsify thier true opinions...yes maybe. They may be forced to have to mention a product repeatedly..yes maybe. They may even be forced to use products they dont like...yes maybe.
The true die-hards should be able to cut the wheat from the chaff. Honestly, i dont know anyone thats run out and bought a shimano just cause starlo uses em...but subconciously, after seeing starlo, buschy, slick and the myriad of other use em, its hard not to associate the product with quality. They are in the hands of quality fishos. It happens to me and i know my gear back to front. Its all about perception.
So who cares who endores what. Be inquisitive and ask some questions. Investigate. Soon enuf you will make an educated decision. There's no wrong or right.
And to all the green-eyed monsters out there, pissed off cause fishos sell thier soul for gear, I'm sure you would have your hand out if someone offered something for free. Its just our nature.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Fishing in the Heat!
Hi dudes,
Sorry for the looong delay between posts but unfortunately, or fortunately for me, i took 3 weeks off doing what i love best. Thats right folks, 3 weeks of fishing and relaxing. So i thought a good way to kick off 2009 is to look back at some highlights of 2008, the milestones and the lowlights... Then tomorrow i will kick off 2009 with some cutting edge techniques that are donking fish all over the eastern seaboard.
So lets look at 2008's goals;
To catch a jewie on sp over 20kgs
To catch a flatty over 1 meter
To catch a kingy on a popper
To master a new lure
Bag out on whiting with poppers
Pretty standard but lofty goals to help me strive to achieve something. Otherwise i feel if i dont set goals i just go out and fish without any direction.
So how did i go towards these goals..
Jewie - 12kgs. Yep i fell 8kgs short. while i would be disaapointed with that usually the upsides were it was a PB jew on sp's. Also looking back on the year i caught 35 jew on sp's which was also a PB on numbers, including 2 individual days where i caught 3 jew a day.
Flathead - 98cms. Yep you read it correctly. I fell 2 agonising centimeters short. Can u bloody believe it. Mind you i did wait till the last week of 2008 to catch it so up until then i was 18cms short of 1 meter. I got the monster in St. George's Basin on the south coast of NSW. Nice effort.
Kingy - Nil. While this was a goal i only went out once to achieve it. Just so happened that it was the day the kingys were shut down in sydney harbour. Got a heap of follows but no strikes. Im sure this goal will be ticked off before the months out.
Master a new lure - Blades. Done. While it is a little presumptuous to state me mastering it i can confidently say i can catch a variety of fish in a variety of situations on any given fishing trip. Mind you i have used them every day for a month too so the learning curve has been steep but rapid. And let me tell you...these things catch fish ladies and gentleman.
Whiting on poppers - Incomplete. I didnt fish for whiting on poppers as much as i thought i would so far this summer. I have been been pre-occupied with catching that elusive 20kg jewie... but in the few times i have chased whiting on poppers results have been positive. While i didnt bag out this year i get 11 in one session... so 9 short.
All in all it was a productive year. Caught a stack of EP's and bass too. Still need to get my 1 meter flatty and my 20kg jew in 2009.
Sorry for the looong delay between posts but unfortunately, or fortunately for me, i took 3 weeks off doing what i love best. Thats right folks, 3 weeks of fishing and relaxing. So i thought a good way to kick off 2009 is to look back at some highlights of 2008, the milestones and the lowlights... Then tomorrow i will kick off 2009 with some cutting edge techniques that are donking fish all over the eastern seaboard.
So lets look at 2008's goals;
To catch a jewie on sp over 20kgs
To catch a flatty over 1 meter
To catch a kingy on a popper
To master a new lure
Bag out on whiting with poppers
Pretty standard but lofty goals to help me strive to achieve something. Otherwise i feel if i dont set goals i just go out and fish without any direction.
So how did i go towards these goals..
Jewie - 12kgs. Yep i fell 8kgs short. while i would be disaapointed with that usually the upsides were it was a PB jew on sp's. Also looking back on the year i caught 35 jew on sp's which was also a PB on numbers, including 2 individual days where i caught 3 jew a day.
Flathead - 98cms. Yep you read it correctly. I fell 2 agonising centimeters short. Can u bloody believe it. Mind you i did wait till the last week of 2008 to catch it so up until then i was 18cms short of 1 meter. I got the monster in St. George's Basin on the south coast of NSW. Nice effort.
Kingy - Nil. While this was a goal i only went out once to achieve it. Just so happened that it was the day the kingys were shut down in sydney harbour. Got a heap of follows but no strikes. Im sure this goal will be ticked off before the months out.
Master a new lure - Blades. Done. While it is a little presumptuous to state me mastering it i can confidently say i can catch a variety of fish in a variety of situations on any given fishing trip. Mind you i have used them every day for a month too so the learning curve has been steep but rapid. And let me tell you...these things catch fish ladies and gentleman.
Whiting on poppers - Incomplete. I didnt fish for whiting on poppers as much as i thought i would so far this summer. I have been been pre-occupied with catching that elusive 20kg jewie... but in the few times i have chased whiting on poppers results have been positive. While i didnt bag out this year i get 11 in one session... so 9 short.
All in all it was a productive year. Caught a stack of EP's and bass too. Still need to get my 1 meter flatty and my 20kg jew in 2009.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Lures at Night
Hi Peeps,
Here's a good question for you all. Do all lures work at night??? Do soft plastics work at night? If so, are they as deadly at night as they are in the day???
Interesting stuff. I must admit i dont flick lures at night as much as i should but a few of my fishing mates love flickin lures at night. They have good success on the regular species of bream, flathead, jews and whiting. But from my limited experience i would say that not all lures work at night. Some are more deadly than others. Lets see some exampleas and why...
1) Soft Plastix are a good allround performer. I would say that they are the best of the night time lures for salt water estuary species. But within the range of softies some perform better than others. Usually in the day i mainly use stickbaits or jerk minnows. The in-built action of shads, fish tails or grub tails can turn shy fish off the bite in the day. The in-built action in the lure transmits a vibration that attracts fish from long distances. This is extremely helpful at night or in murky low-vis water. So using a plastic with some tails action seems to catch more fish than subtle presentations of jerk minnows.
2) Top water lures are also another good night time producer. Usually they are used for aussie natives like bass or perch but some switched on anglers are starting to use poppers at night in the brine. Once again the attraction is the noise the lure makes as its worked. Also another consideration is popper colour. As fish look skyward for a meal a black or dark lure sillouettes better with the light of the moon making it more visable.
3) Metal blades are also making a splash at night now. I mentioned in an earlier blog that some guys are catching blackfish at night. Once again the vibration these lures transmit make them a deadly weapon at night. i dont think colour matters here, just as long as the lures is working correctly it will attract fish.
There we have it. I think the lesson is a clear one. Lures that make noise, vibrate, rattle or hum will catch more fish at night than quiet finesse lures.
Get out there and give it a go. Im sure you'll be surprised at the results.
Here's a good question for you all. Do all lures work at night??? Do soft plastics work at night? If so, are they as deadly at night as they are in the day???
Interesting stuff. I must admit i dont flick lures at night as much as i should but a few of my fishing mates love flickin lures at night. They have good success on the regular species of bream, flathead, jews and whiting. But from my limited experience i would say that not all lures work at night. Some are more deadly than others. Lets see some exampleas and why...
1) Soft Plastix are a good allround performer. I would say that they are the best of the night time lures for salt water estuary species. But within the range of softies some perform better than others. Usually in the day i mainly use stickbaits or jerk minnows. The in-built action of shads, fish tails or grub tails can turn shy fish off the bite in the day. The in-built action in the lure transmits a vibration that attracts fish from long distances. This is extremely helpful at night or in murky low-vis water. So using a plastic with some tails action seems to catch more fish than subtle presentations of jerk minnows.
2) Top water lures are also another good night time producer. Usually they are used for aussie natives like bass or perch but some switched on anglers are starting to use poppers at night in the brine. Once again the attraction is the noise the lure makes as its worked. Also another consideration is popper colour. As fish look skyward for a meal a black or dark lure sillouettes better with the light of the moon making it more visable.
3) Metal blades are also making a splash at night now. I mentioned in an earlier blog that some guys are catching blackfish at night. Once again the vibration these lures transmit make them a deadly weapon at night. i dont think colour matters here, just as long as the lures is working correctly it will attract fish.
There we have it. I think the lesson is a clear one. Lures that make noise, vibrate, rattle or hum will catch more fish at night than quiet finesse lures.
Get out there and give it a go. Im sure you'll be surprised at the results.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sydney Harbour Kingfish
Hi People,
Just want to highlight for you all the remarkable kingfish numbers that have filtered in to Sydney harbour this season. If you live in sydney you would be no stranger to the fact that the kingfish are so thick you can walk across the water and not get wet! Seriously the fishing has been phenomenal...
The overall size of the kingys have been small. There are no doubt good specimens around but the ravenous little rats are beating the bigger, more weary fish to the lure or bait. Livies are getting the better quality fish but the fun factor is still squarely with chucking lures. Nothing beats the flick of the lure only to be met witha crunching halt and a screaming drag. My good mate Sami Omari helped popularise the concept of flicking poppers for kingys in the harbour. In the December Fishing World he penned an article highlighting a few techniques. Since that article came out poppers sales have gone thru the roof in sydney. Every marker in the harbour has been hit with every top water lure imaginable. The fish are starting to wise up to things. They are increasingly becoming gun-shy and catching them requiring more cunning and stealth.
Funny thing is even Sami is finding catching the kings harder. Dunno if he will be giving away so much gold to punters in an article next time!
The recent performers have been Halco Roostas in 110mm, Cultiva Tango Dancers and Cotton Cordell pencils. But in saying that, the trend has been that lures that the kingys havent seen have been getting atention. Basically get out all the old top waters you havent used in ages, dust em off and get ready to throw some lures at some markers.
Also softies are still donking a stack of fish too. The technique is to sink the lures down past the marker, give a few twiches and retrieve back to the boat. The kingys are also busting up here and there so keep a keen eye out for bird activity.
So basically, if you live in sydney, or close to it, get off your arse and get going. While the fish are mostly undersize, on bream gear they are a heap of fun. Just goes to show that after 5 years of removing the kingfish traps haow impressive the fish stocks have rebounded. How can they tell me that rec fishing decimates fish stocks???
Viva la kingfish....
Just want to highlight for you all the remarkable kingfish numbers that have filtered in to Sydney harbour this season. If you live in sydney you would be no stranger to the fact that the kingfish are so thick you can walk across the water and not get wet! Seriously the fishing has been phenomenal...
The overall size of the kingys have been small. There are no doubt good specimens around but the ravenous little rats are beating the bigger, more weary fish to the lure or bait. Livies are getting the better quality fish but the fun factor is still squarely with chucking lures. Nothing beats the flick of the lure only to be met witha crunching halt and a screaming drag. My good mate Sami Omari helped popularise the concept of flicking poppers for kingys in the harbour. In the December Fishing World he penned an article highlighting a few techniques. Since that article came out poppers sales have gone thru the roof in sydney. Every marker in the harbour has been hit with every top water lure imaginable. The fish are starting to wise up to things. They are increasingly becoming gun-shy and catching them requiring more cunning and stealth.
Funny thing is even Sami is finding catching the kings harder. Dunno if he will be giving away so much gold to punters in an article next time!
The recent performers have been Halco Roostas in 110mm, Cultiva Tango Dancers and Cotton Cordell pencils. But in saying that, the trend has been that lures that the kingys havent seen have been getting atention. Basically get out all the old top waters you havent used in ages, dust em off and get ready to throw some lures at some markers.
Also softies are still donking a stack of fish too. The technique is to sink the lures down past the marker, give a few twiches and retrieve back to the boat. The kingys are also busting up here and there so keep a keen eye out for bird activity.
So basically, if you live in sydney, or close to it, get off your arse and get going. While the fish are mostly undersize, on bream gear they are a heap of fun. Just goes to show that after 5 years of removing the kingfish traps haow impressive the fish stocks have rebounded. How can they tell me that rec fishing decimates fish stocks???
Viva la kingfish....
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