Time and Effort Fishing

[Rickster 0]

Hi HookstersI have been an avid fisherman since the age of about 8 and have never looked back, this has been a life long recreational hobby for quite some time.I have put many hours and days into this great sport and have been very successful, although you do still get the odd times of nada. I have fished a great many areas of this state and have enjoyed them all, from the far west coast to the lower south coast and every where inbetween. Salt and fresh but my favorite would have to be salt water bodies. My main area that I have fished the most would have to be the Port as this area has been my most productive for the Mulloway and still is. Most of all this fishing has been landbased and is still a great past time when I can’t get out in the boat.Years ago any weekends or school holidays you would always find me with my two man tent nailed to a jetty or a Port Dock wharf, those were the days when you could venture a great deal of areas without much fuss.(try and do that now)no chance.Anyway what parts of this great state have you fished and favoured as well as how much time and effort doing so, as I have 40yrs under my belt and still loving it.Tight lines and keep on keeping on. :clap: :f :woohoo:

[Ranger 48]

I was given my first rod for xmas at age about 7. Since then, pretty much every weekend was a family landbased session somewhere locally (mainly the port) and every trip away or camping outing was fishing related. I'm pushing 50 now, so I guess that's around 40 years of getting outsmarted by something with a brain the size of a pea! I recall the days where we could head to the port pretty much anywhere unrestricted, and were guaranteed a mixed bag, including squid, tommies, bream, whiting, mulloway, flounder, etc.Sadly, landbased options have become fewer and much harder hit, so these days I'm mainly a boater when I get the chance to head out, and since purchasing my first boat quite a few years ago, it's really opened up my options, even if SA can be a cold and/or windy place for a large portion of the time.Most of my fishing is C&R as I'm pretty fussy about what I will take for a feed. I like the occasional bronzie for the freezer, a few fresh whiting fillets, a rugger snapper, squid, and tommies or St's for the smoker. A flathead or two when I can find them, and pretty much everything else is released. I'm not one for large snapper, as I think they are too dry, and I dont like pulling them up and risking a blown bladder if I'm only going to release them hoping they will survive. I'm not one for port mulloway as I dont eat the residents of the cesspool (mully & Bream). I'm not a fan of crab, and I find Garfish a little too fiddly. For me a good day out is about 3 or 4 KG's (enough for one fresh feed of fillets), 3 or 4 squid for the fryer, and dozen tommies for the smoker, so I'm pretty easy to please. If I happen to score a bronzie I call stumps to get it home and butcher it quickly before the flesh gets too tainted (as it cannot be butchered at sea under current regulations) as shark is one of my favourites for the table.These days I rarely target just one single species in a session. I'll troll a paravane for snook, troll lures for st's, balloon a livey for shark, float for gar and tommies, jag for squid, bottom bash for whiting and snapper, drift for flathead, etc. This means doing a bit of work during a session, but it always keeps me busy, and if something isn't on the chew there's a good chance a change in technique will see another species coming aboard.Because of owning a centre console, when the weather doesn't cooperate I can always nip into the estuary and chuck lures at the bream, so I can get out even in conditions which see others staying at home.Since purchasing the kayak I've been having a ball with the stealth approach, so now lakes, marinas and backwaters are also a hangout for me.I recon there's a formula to catching fish: If Time=T and Effort=E then catches can directly be related to "T over E squared", which basically means that I'm never guaranteed a fish anymore, coz regardless of the EFFORT, there is never enough TIME available to get out, as work has to be SQUARED away before I can do more than think about the effort it will take getting time away to catch a FISH.......and that's why I failed algebra! :S

[Rickster 0]

Great reply there Ranger, love the T over E Squared theory. :lol:

[Boyington214 0]

Well for me it started in the Swan River when I was 6 with my Grandad catching Skippy's and little bait steeling pests that they called Gobble-Gutsers! Then Spencer Gulf not long after where the main catch was Whiting with a few Snapper thrown in. But living in the outback made it difficult to get out much but whenever I could, I would be up at sun-up and gone with my fishing rod and a bag of bait, Just walking the flats at the Shacks on the west side of Spencer Gulf near Port Augusta. The catch was mainly Silver Whiting. Summer was a real pain with all the Trumpeters that hoard all through there. Living in a mining town has its limitations but I did meet my wife there. My father-in-law used to work underground (as did I) but he packed it in and headed for Penong on the west coast. Every few months, we used to venture up that way where my father-in-law and myself would frequent the ocean beaches from Ceduna to the Dog Fence at Yalata, catching Salmon and Mulloway, or, if the weather was cactus, we would frequent the pub! After about 5 years, my in-laws left Penong and moved to Port Pirie. One of the first things my father-in-law did was buy a boat. So for a few years, we frequented the waters off Port Pirie. Once again, our main catch was King Geaorge Whiting and the odd Snapper. Blue crabs were another sought after species but mainly only by him as I don't eat crabs. Every summer, the Trumpets moved in and so did the trawlers. You had to work for your catch then! I ended up leaving the mining town about 4 years ago, opting for city life in favour of my kids schooling. At first, we lived with my mum which saw me fishing in the Onk more often than not with little result. I think that it was mainly just being unfamiliar with the Onk River system as recently my results have improved. A few years ago, I bought my own house and there happened to be a 4.85m Aluminium boat in the backyard. Anyway to cut a long story short, I made an offer on the house including the boat which the owner accepted. Since then, I have begun to learn spots throughout the Southern Metro coast, exploring areas from Brighton to Aldinga and as far as 7k's out. Initially the main species targeted was KG Whiting down off Hallett Cove, but since then, I have been bitten (very seriously) by the Snapper bug. In 2010, my kids and I attended the Easter Snapper comp in Whyalla. Didn't do real good, but the kids got a few Ruggers that saw them win a prize each. Finally got onto the Metro Snapper in February of this year, with all of my 4 kids and myself having obtained PB's! Having learnt a lot more about Snapper fishing, mostly from a fellow Strike Hooker and from a certain person who is also a fellow Strike Hooker and Tackle shop employee, we are again attending Whyalla this year. For the last 30 years or so, I have collected various types and amount of tackle. But opportunities have really opened up since I got my boat two years ago!

[Boyington214 0]

T over E squared really sums it up Ranger! Classic.

[Rollas 2]

Fishing is not just about catching fish its also about understanding another species and their habitat. Its an outdoors adventure and a science lesson all in one. Addictive as all hell. Always something new to learn. The more people that do it in your circle of friends the better I have found.

[Jack. 10]

My family immigrated from England and I'm first generation Aussie and proud of it!My family is full of keen fisherpeople and from early on all family trips were either to Ardrossan or the Murray. I guess it was my uncle and Grandad that introduced me to angling and I've got some pretty cool super 8 movie footage of catching Carp at about 3yrs old :) my grandad holding on to me :)He was a mad keen fishing video maker and if he was around today, I'm sure he would be impressed with the current technology easily available to make a video of a fishing session :)I'm 33, and been lucky enough to have been shown the ropes by some very fish smart family members.My favorites are Snapper from the gulfs and Bream from the Port System. I'm a confessed addict!!!With a young family I get my fix by coming on this site when having a smoko (thank god for iPhones) and getting out EARLY every single Saturday. When I was in the Army, we often managed to smuggle fishing rods into empty launcher tubes lol and have a fish and a swim in some cool places.I fished a bit of QLD while up there and spent a 6mnth hiatus from life down in Margeret River WA A good number of years back.... The salmon that run round the bottom of WA are a LOT of fun and the surfing is insane !!!!I have to say though, that like ROLLAS said... Fishing is an adventure and to me the adventure is often more important than the actual catching bloody long learning curve.... Life long I think :)

[4THALOVE 45]

have been fishing for as long as i can remember my first memory of fit was down the port next to the birkenhead bridge with my 3 brothers and dad cos we had such a big family (i also have 2 sisters) we rarely got to go but were always at dad to take us.my uncles were alot more into it than dad and a few of them had boats which we got to go on occasionallymy uncle owned a sierra classic 18ftr and took us out whiting fishing in at wallaroo and thats when i became "hooked" on fishing.ever since i have mainly been land based always after squid of jettys and yellow fin off the beaches and had a fair period of attacking the westlakes outlet with soft plastics with awesome results to my sceptisism.i love wading down yorkes chasing the yf's my pb to date is 48cm caught 2 year ago at moonta the most i have caught in a session is 13 which was also 2yrs ago.i'd like to concider my self as a bit of a yf expert as i have been doing it for 10-15yrs on and off and have a favorite spot which i collect bait and also fish with rarely a fishless outing i know its not everyones cup of tea but to me its my release and time to reflect on things and have a bloody ball doing it thanks for taking the time and effort to read and cheers for the post Rick.

[C85 0]

Good read gents. Dont I feel young and inexperienced now!Spent a little bit of time with my mates fishing jettys and the beach during my teenage years. Although I think there were more beers drank than fish caught. Met some like minded people and been fishing the last three years regularly (Im only mid 20s). Spent alot of time on the torrens chasing carp when I lived near by, Snapper down south, whatever i can catch in west lakes and have done a trip to rocky and greenly to tackle something a bit bigger.Something I enjoy both by myself and with mates to relax.

[Bluegoose 0]

As soon as i could walk my grandfather had a rod in my hand And as soon as i could fish by myself he took me on his fortnightly fishing trips to the MurrayWhen i turned 16 and got my license i continued traveling to the same spot at the Murray as well as the odd sea fishingI joined a fishing club in the 80s where i gained experience with different aspects of fishing and enjoyed the competitive side of the sport. But even though there was now a hugh variety of fishing locations i always looked forward to fishing the MurrayThen one day recently it hit meIt wasnt just the fishing It was nature at its best where a man can get away from the day to day crap and be one with nature.There is nothing better than sitting there quietly watching nature as it should be.Then again a few beers and a barbie would just put the icing on the cake :woohoo:

[Allroy 236]

In the late 70's when visiting my grandparents I used to enjoy mucking about in the workshop banging together bits of wood & nails to make all sorts of crap. There was never a shortage of either as both my grandfather & one of my uncles ran a family carpentry & joinery business. I noticed that there was a lot of fishing gear stored in one corner of the workshop which belonged to my grandfather & my uncle who still lived at home at the time. The outfits were pretty heavy thinking about it now, big Daiwa eggbeaters on 7-8ft glass rods as well as a few early ABUs & at least one sealine overhead. My grandfather had stopped fishing at this point but my uncle used to go out at every opportunity & I used to marvel at his catch which he always seemed to bring home, mainly bream & mulloway. After much pestering & a few lessons in the backyard casting, Uncle Tony agreed to take me bream fishing one afternoon The venue was to be West Lakes & the target species Black Bream. The bait for the session was live tubeworms, which could be dug up with a pitchfork at low tide in the port river, or purchased readily for the local tackle shops if you didn't fancy the DIY approach.Spot X didn't look like fishing paradise that's for sure My Uncle drove into a new housing estate at the northern end of the lake which was mainly vacant blocks with a few houses scattered here & there in various stages of construction. We parked the car & lugged our gear across a building site the waters edge & proceeded to setup. Tony told me there was a deep hole about 10 metres out from where we setup & that the bream would school up in this area, particularly at late arvo & into the night.The method was simple. We used a running sinker rig to a swivel, then a trace of around 40cm to a size 6 hook. Mono was around 12 to 15lb from memory, a far cry from the 6lb braid I use for this type of fishing now! Bait up with half a tubie, cast out, take up the slack then lay the rod down on the concrete with about a foot or 2 over the edge, loosen off the drag & wait.Well we didn’t have to wait long as Tony's reel screamed into life as line started peeling at a rate of knots as he was obviously onto a good fish. This was the first time I had ever witnessed a fish being caught & the sound of a reels drag at work, to say I was excited was an understatement Tony then picked up the rod & set the hooks with a quick flick & after a short fight a beautiful bream was lying at our feet. "simon your rod!.." I didn't have time to watch him de-hook the fish as line started peeling from my reel & I raced to pickup my rod & set the hook I managed to fall over backwards but still manged to hold onto the rod & as luck would have it the fish was still on! Tony tightened the drag on my reel for me & after what seemed to be an eternity I had colour & I gently lifted up my first ever fish onto the bank. WOW I was hooked! We proceed to landed 9 keepers for the session before we called it quits as the sun had slipped over the horizon & the dinner bell was ringing.That was the first of many days fishing with Tony & we went on to nail some nice fish over the next couple of years before he got busy with work & I started to fish closer to home with my school mates. I remember he bought me my first outfit for my 10th birthday, a 6ft orange shakespeare rod & matching reel & a tacklebox loaded with all the gear I needed to get started So here I am nearly thirty years later just about to fish the same stretch of lake armed with a 2-4kg flick stick & a bag full of blades A lot of things have changed over the years but a lot has stayed the same as well Fishing is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!

[urhookedfish 12]

My grandad put a rod in my hand at four years old as a birthday present, and I also got given a hessian ruck sack to keep my tackle in!. I thought this was fantastic and stood there so happy and full of joy for a photo. My grandad used to take me to Thorndon park Reservoir which was just around the corner from his place and we used to catch redfin but it was more him than me. He had it sussed and he was my fishing idol. We then went on family trips with my dad, grandad and brother with our Stacer tinnie and 15hp mariner to places like the Glenelg river, Toolondo etc. we also did regular trips to Katarpatko where I got my true love for fishing. I used to get up at the crack of dawn empty my shrimp traps and put the live shrimp in my bucket and fish for yellowbelly for most of the day. I would have enough fish caught in no time flat and all by casting within 10feet of the bank. I remember seeing a pro fisherman come round the bend of the river and stop and hold up a 60lb murry cod that was caught in a drum net and said he had to throw it back as it was out of season. I remember seeing him let it go over the side of the boat. amazing site I must saySo I basically fished freshwater hunting trout and redfin in the local streams around athelstone when I was younger but then 7 years ago the snapper bug hit me. I just had to get a 5kilo snapper. It took me 3 years to achieve my first but have since spent most of my waking hours with them on my brain.:silly: :silly: I occasionally target the trout as a break from trout fishing and this year I want to chase KG's as it will be fun to learn some new grounds and specialise some techniques.But because my dad was a school teacher an outdoors man and we had plenty of time to go camping and fishing this is what got me addicted from an early age.:woohoo: Now my wife is scared she wont see me on w/ends. :fishing:

[Softy 2,991]

My story isn't as good as some of these but here it goes....Being a Victorian...:whistle: When I was a kid we had a caravan at Lake Eildon and spent most weekends up there, first off dad had a 13ft tinny then upgraded to this bright yellow 18ft half cab, most of the fishing we did was trolling tassie devils and older style blades. Dad had some pretty sweet overhead reels with what i thought was braid, but only the other day we where having a chat about fishing and told me they where "lead lines"? Most of the time we would clean up on big trout.If the trout fishing was slow we would tie up to one of the MANY dead trees in the Lake and go jigging for redfin with a metal lure with hooks cast into the head of it, once again we would clean up. I remember one weekend he went away with his mates, much to my protest/hissy fit (still wouldn't take me) he come back late Sunday night with the holy grail of trout, once cleaned, had to be cut in half to fit it in the freezer, and damn it was tasty. Went up a couple of times during duck hunting season but that was normally a boys weekend away, and got pretty bad up there at one stage with pissed idiots shooting each other accentually so I was best left at home.One year we hired a houseboat on Lake Eildon for a week and cruised around fishing from it also had 2 boats in tow so would take off on them also. One night sticks in my head of watching dad and his mates catch a pregnant female trout and killing it for it's eggs then using them for bait and cleaning up (looking back don't think i agree with it) but it was amazing the amount of fish caught that night using that method.Then as i got older, the trips where far and few between as dad started his own company and had less and less time till no more. In about 8yr at high school my best mate invited me to come fishing with him and his dad, because they would go to various locations most weekend. I would stay at his place the night before, as it was always a early start, his dad would come wake us up at 4-5am after much protest we would get up and get some food into us and head off, most of the time we would go chase trout in the Goulburn river, his dad has some great spots along there, use to do pretty good using worms or gents under a float, now and then we would go to st kilda and chase whiting. During the week after school we had a big dam near our place full of carp so would go there and waste the days away fishing for them.Then once again, got older and more busy and the fishing stop, few years later moved to Adelaide. Then one night a couple of years ago Del had to head to Ceduna for a family thing, at that stage I wasn't working so said ill come for a drive to keep him company (we got back a week later..) after Ceduna we stopped into his shack at Kellede Bay for a couple of days, went fishing most days and always cleaned up, every night was fresh fish, and chips we would cut up from potatoes and a few beers. After we got back to Adelaide that was the beginning of a expensive hobby, first it started off with cheap Ebay crap, then quickly snowballed into wanting better and more expensive gear, to the point i hate to think how much i have spent now. But do not regret any of it!!Ok that is my ramble over.... hopefully it makes sense, bit under the weather this morning...

[Moggy23 625]

My first memories of going fishing was with my grandpa on the Hume weir catching Murray cod in a timber boat powered by an Austin 10 in the early 60's, We motor up and down near the Murray banks with spinners and easily catch 10 Murray cods. I actually have that old timber the shed today. Next memories are up in Whyalla, catching crabs at night along the foreshore and out at the blue line during the day. My dad bought a boat we would catch snapper at the Pt. Lowely rip and whiting just out in front of the town.Easter time we would go to Streaky Bay and would fish around Cape Bauer to Olive Island, catching big whiting, sweep and lots of rock cod. I remember dad running out of fuel in the boat and walking to a farm house to get fuel. Another day there I got a fish bone stuck in my thumb, don't ask how I did it, and twice got a splinter up under my fingernail from the Streaky jetty. :pinch: Then dad bought a property at Tooperang near Mt Compass in the early 70's and I would dig up worms and catch trout in the creek. the property is now the trout farm.Got married, had 2 kids and started going camping all over SA and bought my second boat, a 4 mtr. Devil Cat in 95 and as a family we have been camping, boating and fishing ever since.I got my first boat, a old clinker when I was 14 and I fitted a Blaxland Chapman Pup it as the Seagull outboard was too gutless.And still loving it

[Rickster 0]

Thanks hooksters there has been quite some interesting feed back on this topic. congrats to all on your experiences and hope you have many more exciting times to come.And totally agree that it's not all about fishing but a life long adventure. :woohoo: