Catching West Lakes Pets

[catch-nun 2]

Felt a little awkward this morning. paddling around west lakes fishing for bream and go past local residents happily feeding their "pets"talk about feeling like a mongrel pulled the rod in a couple of times and casually went to the next pontoon.one couple had a full loaf of bread with the bream jumping out of the water for their feed.lucky the locals didn't come out 'till 10'ishfirst time that I have bothered to canoe around westlakes what a mug...fantastic sheltered water. will be back for many more sessions.

[coonta kinta 1]

Nice one mate.So u know all that stuff I told ya about lures :dry: Ignore it :S just buy loaves of bread instead :laugh:Looks like a great place and the canoe provides another option for you

[Johnny Rotten 0]

You're going to return them anyway aren't you?No "different" than walking the street and finding a stray dog,reading it's tags and ringing the owner to say you found it!

[ChuckTseeker 425]

looks great Rick and what a way to wake up in the morning, fresh air calm water and Bream everywhere enjoy your reports matecheers chuck

[Guest Brent61southoz]

'pets'geez your going soft, i think of them as fattenning them up, no different to using berley.if they were pets, theyed be trained in not taking food from strangersbrent

[pescados 1]

Brent61southoz wrote:

'pets'geez your going soft, i think of them as fattenning them up, no different to using berley.if they were pets, theyed be trained in not taking food from strangersbrent

Can't argue with that logic

[Ranger 48]

Felt a little awkward this morning.paddling around west lakes fishing for bream and go past local residents happily feeding their "pets"talk about feeling like a mongrel

I felt exactly the same way when I went there, especially after hearing stories of how residents have abused fishermen around the lake.I can understand the feelings of residents though. They buy a bl**dy expensive waterfront property in a pretty exclusive suburb, they go out every day feeding the fish almost like pets, then they see fishermen coming up and catching them.It's not just that we're fishing the lake itself though, as we are specifically targetting their private pontoons by casting lures at them, where they go specifically to feed and encourage these fish, sorta like their own little patch of native nature.Because of this I always make a special effort to be friendly and polite, waving to residents and saying hello.I've also found that residents in return have been friendly and polite, have stopped for a chat, and till now I haven't seen the nasty or abusive side of things.Maybe it's just a bit of give and take, mutual respect and courtesy which this world sometimes lacks.I wonder what type of reception the ABT kayak comp and competitors will get in a weeks time?

[weaver 271]

Funny thing is Ranger a lot of the bad stories going around have come from the younger brigade that show little respect to no one.I reckon i might invest in a yak

[Ranger 48]

weaver wrote:

I reckon i might invest in a yak

I have to admit, I sure am enjoying the peace and serenity of floating about in a little people-powered mobile myself.It keeps you fit, it gets you out into the fresh air, it allows you to go a lot of places a boat wont go, it provides the stealth factor, and I think it's good for releasing and satisfying the inner hippy in us.In fact, I'm gonna go crack a muesli bar and have a cold carrot juice right now!Of course there are down sides to kayaking/canoing as well, but I'm not gonna dwell on them!

[Softy 2,991]

I have yakked at W/lakes once and didn't get any negativity from the locals, total opposite actually, was flicking around this pontoon and i seen the owner come out of the house. thinking great, here we go.. but he just come out for a chat.. 20mins later i finally managed to get away. Damn he loved to talk

[catch-nun 2]

'pets' geez your going soft, i think of them as fattenning them up, no different to using berley.if they were pets, theyed be trained in not taking food from strangers

)mongrel) :laugh: definately pay's to give the locals space and go out of your way to respect their privacy. the first couple I came across, I had my rod in the holder.I said " it's funny, you're feeding them and I want to catch them"there no good to eat you know, the lady replied."everyone releases them nowadays. there's a lot here." was my response.there's a lot more around the corner was her quick reply a couple more pics to show what it's like down there.(double click and they enlarge)I took cindy around to the small reserve on delfin island to show the piece of paradise that I was cruising. plenty of breamin front of the seat. visibility was about 5 ft near the edges.I will be trying along these pontoons on the main stretch this saturday or sunday. will get out earlier to keep away from the residents.just like around birkenhead, there is hundreds of bream to be seen from the canoe and the banks. mainly small, but there is a fair few large bream amongst them

[Softy 2,991]

And that makes it worse... when you can see them just under the water next to some structure and they refuse to come out and play ball.... ggrrrrrrrr

[protactic 0]

I've fished the lake many many times in my hobie and can assure you those bream are spoilt rotten!I've seen them eat 3 course meals which can be frustrating to a lure fisherman because he's not flick'n sausages,chops,toast, weet bix,bacon etc etc etc and you think they are going to eat a plastic or a hardbody?Mind you there are a few lures that they can't resist but you will lose a few cracking the code.

[Komodo 10]

pepople said to me how can you eat something you've given names to I said I used to have 11 kids now I've only got 2

[catch-nun 2]

protactic wrote:

Mind you there are a few lures that they can't resist

and they would be....... :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: I had 2 big solid strikes, and started tightening the drag reeling them in :woohoo: :woohoo: . they both spat the lure, but the wriggler and tail was undamaged??how do bream bite the jig??

[catch-nun 2]

Lord Blackbilly wrote:

pepople said to me how can you eat something you've given names to I said I used to have 11 kids now I've only got 2

Have you got goats on your property LBB ???

[pescados 1]

Lord Blackbilly wrote:

I said I used to have 11 kids now I've only got 2

Your lucky I used to have 2 and at times that was 2 too many

[Mickyj 3,204]

Rick wrote:

Felt a little awkward this morning. paddling around west lakes fishing for bream and go past local residents happily feeding their "pets"talk about feeling like a mongrel pulled the rod in a couple of times and casually went to the next pontoon.one couple had a full loaf of bread with the bream jumping out of the water for their feed.lucky the locals didn't come out 'till 10'ishfirst time that I have bothered to canoe around westlakes what a mug...fantastic sheltered water. will be back for many more sessions.

They must not like you lure guys people and fish If you look at that beach in this first picture .Aussie day there was a lady bait fishing .Move a bit further along Mickyj was catching and letting go fat under under sized bream that were hungry Mind u only when the wind was blowing Were u in a twin yak Aussie Day?Watched someone who was .Don't worry about the locals how do you go fighting the skull boats the kids doing yak classes and the dragon boats ?I'm not sold on the yaks .I understand you guys do fantastic fish wise .But it seems like an awful ot of work get the yak to the water get out of the water again etc etc.Hell I hate having to put waders on even that seems like a bother Me I just like to walk wade and cast .Of course more locals stop and chat.Even had a few people stop and take a snap .CheersMickThose that fly fish win

[catch-nun 2]

the wife said there was a funny looking guy flicking away I thought it would have been you.catchsum always tags along and fishes from the shore when I take the canoe out. my canoe is a small double, not the kayak that was there.I throw my canoe in the back of my ford econovan (King's). very quick and easy to take out. quicker than putting your waders on I'm going out again early sun morning from the same place. If you are around, I'll give you a paddle and you will see what the attraction is about.

[Mickyj 3,204]

Rick wrote:

the wife said there was a funny looking guy flicking away I thought it would have been you.catchsum always tags along and fishes from the shore when I take the canoe out. my canoe is a small double, not the kayak that was there.I throw my canoe in the back of my ford econovan (King's). very quick and easy to take out. quicker than putting your waders on I'm going out again early sun morning from the same place. If you are around, I'll give you a paddle and you will see what the attraction is about.

I've been called worse :ohmy:And I catch Bream

[catch-nun 2]

Mickyj wrote:

And I catch Bream

OUCH !!!!!!!!!!

[Mickyj 3,204]

Rick wrote:

Mickyj wrote:

And I catch Bream

OUCH !!!!!!!!!!

And size doesn't count if it does I'm stuffed

[fishnfreak 0]

weaver wrote:

Funny thing is Ranger a lot of the bad stories going around have come from the younger brigade that show little respect to no one.

I, for one, am totally sick of hearing this comment. Thats like saying all migrants take undersized fish, or that old people cant drive. It is very unfair to say that, remember once that the older generation were young once, and would have been classed as disrespectful by their predecessors.I am a young kayak fisherman, brought up in a family with strong respect for others, and everytime i hear that young people are disrespectful, it really fires me up, because myself, and my friends do not exhibit these bad traits.I myself have been abused from a resident of the lake, after targeting a rock wall which is below his house. It was quite a tirade of abuse too, with a few expletives and choice threats thrown in for measure. I ended up leaving disheartened, and haven't fished it since. By the way Weaver, many older fisherman have been abused by the residents, just ask the boys from AKFF. We held a bream comp 2 years ago, and this is where i was spoken to.