gregtech

This was one of my better trips to a small stream when the trout were on fire..
cheers
Adrian
 

Glad you're on the mend mate. I guess we're lucky to have wives that worry about us. Our small male brains think they're being mean but that's not always the case!   Iv'e adopted the 'beg forgiveness rather than ask permission' approach and it's going ok so far!!!!😆😆😆

Thanks Greg, yes, I had injections in the spine yesterday and a CT scan late this afternoon.. the back pain has eased so I'm hoping to may be sneak in a spin session in the next day or so, though Pam (wife) isn't all that happy when I suggested it.. I have caught up on the back log of trout reports etc. since I've been laid up so will post one every second week I reckon..
cheers
Adrian.

Hi Adrian. Nothing worse than a bad back. Unless you've got a crook hip and a dodgy knee as well!!!😆 Bad jokes aside, hope you're back in the river asap and posting the usual stories of great fishing in Tassie!!!
Cheers, Greg.

Sorry but I've been out of action for around 11 days now due to chronic back problems again which have been more frequent lately, I finally got out of bed yesterday & off to the doctors this morning 10:30 am. This video is from a few weeks ago when I had a reasonably good spin season in the Meander River... Hopefully I'll be back in a river again some time soon, not all that sure when that will be..
cheers
Adrian
 

I like fishing the Dodge tides for Yellow Fin Whiting.
 
I posted a detailed explanation of the factors in this post:
https://www.strikehook.com/index.php?/forums/topic/38765-dodgy-days/
.
So to start the New Year with a couple of days of dodge tides was something to look forward to.
It was a sunny day. The water temperatures were up there, at around 23C. The small tide was perfect to hold and concentrate the fish for me.
I went to work with my trusty Sugapen 95 in the MB16 colour. And there was plenty of interest straight away.
Pretty soon the polite enquiries towards my lure became full blown, “I’ll take that. Thanks.”
There was a purple patch in which I took 10 fish in the first hour of fishing. The temperature, the tide, the sun, and a perfect stiff breeze, all had the YFW at their aggressive best.
It got competitive with the YFW. What a delightful sight it is to see a gang of YFW all trying to shoulder each other out of the way, competing to be the first to jump onto your lure skipping on the surface.
Sometimes in a tight contest, there is close second. And so it was when two YFW hit my lure together.

For many I unusually use two sets of Assist hooks on my larger lures. I have Atomic Trick Bitz #8 hooks on the rear and Ecogear ZX hooks in the middle. In about 40% of cases the YFW will hit the middle assist hook. And when there is competition and a close race you wind up with a Double Header on a lure ! 

A special experience that I have been lucky to have had a couple of times previously. In the past, they have been mostly the smaller supper eager inexperienced fish.
Today they were quality fish. It was a struggle bringing them in … oooh! maybe a new PB. It turned out to be two quality fish at 35cm and 38cm. Both well hooked on the same lure.

I enjoyed that purple patch, for not long, as soon the wind came in stronger and stronger and the fishing got harder and harder. When it got to 20-25 knots wading got impossible and the fish no where to be seen.
I was able to bag 17 fish before the wind shooed them all away.

This is the prime time of the year for big YFW whiting. As the high water temperatures hold a lot of new season’s juvenile prawns in the shallows. And they are the right sized meal for the big ravenous YFW. Most fish caught were over 35cm and 3 fish were around 40cm.

Can’t wait for the next dodge tide. Hopefully the weather and wind will also be favourable.
.
Happy New Year and Tight Lines to all.
.
Cheers, Des

With a very mild Spring and early Summer, Yellow Fin Whiting lure fishing has had a few challenges this season.
The weather patterns have not sustained a constant water temperature. It barely heats up when a cold change with a series of cold days would chill off the water. It looks like we may have turned the corner.
We have not yet seen a sustained warm spell to put the warmth into the water and hold it there for a prolonged spell. It is the sustained higher water temperatures that has the greatest impact on the ecosystem and the behaviour of the YFW. Yes we have been finding a few YFW on lures, but nothing like those hot bag out sessions of last year.
So today after a few, rare consecutive days of 30+C I was off to seize the opportunity and “Strike while the water was hot”

Comparative water temperature maps. What a difference a few warm days make
 
I was trying to avoid the cooler water in the morning, by starting around 11.30am. Sleeping in ! The water was still surprisingly cold at the start. Thermal lag, meant the water was still holding onto a cool temperature after a spell of cold days earlier in the week. Hence the importance of a sustained period of warmth. It was hard to find fish showing interest in any of the surface lures in the incoming tide.  Fish would not rise for the lure. The few fish spotted, were hanging back from the lure and staying deep. They were keeping as cool and calm as the water temperature.  I went subsurface with the Ecogear ZX43 blade to catch a couple of good fish.

 

The Salmon Trout have moved out & the Trumpeters have moved in. A sure sign of warm water.
Still it was not until the tide started to run off late afternoon, and the water had warmed up from the heat of the day, did the fishing come alive. Increasingly overcast conditions did put a dampener on the fishing. You always catch more in sunshine. I had to resort to some UV enhancement tricks to engage the fish. UV sprays and UV flash tinsels can transform the standard sunny day lures into successful overcast day lures. A quick spray on your lure. It dries fast. Although it leaves a strong lacquer smell. So rub it over with some S factor or Pro-Cure scent to negate the smell. Today my ever reliable Sugapen 95 could only catch fish with the UV enhancements. 


 
I worked through a variety of surface lures today. The other successful ones being Zipbaits Fakie Dog DS, Ebi Panic, MMD Splash prawn-AW Yabby, 

 
And one I have not used for a couple of years, the Atomic K9 Bulldog which took the biggest fish.

The smaller size lures where better in lighter winds and the bigger and noisier lures in the stronger wind spells.
 
The day finished strongly with the fish more aggressive in the warm water late in the day. I released a few fish in the high 20s to 30cm and kept 17 fish in the 31- 40cm range. Most were in the 35 to 40cm range. A clear sign of the warm water attracting a new batch of juvenile prawns onto the sand flats along with the larger predatory Yellow Fin Whiting.

 
Happy Hot days and some Hot fishing sessions ahead !
 
Cheers, Des

Fished the dodge tide on Saturday. 

Unfortunately the wind and air pressure conspired to negate what little water movement there was. Rather than accentuate it which is what I was expecting. 
Nonetheless got 16 from 32 to 40cm. Sunday was a blow out !
 


 
 

Good work Adrian. That second one was a cracker! Strange injury on its back for a freshwater stream? An angry eel maybe?
Cheers, 
Greg.

This trip to a small tannin stream gave up a couple of surprise size trout, something that doesn't happen all that often in small tannin waters.
cheers
Adrian
 

Very unfortunate for sure.
However, Softy should get down there for some fish - after all, he doesn't catch much and this would be an easy score for him  

No worries - yeah it seems no retrieve could be too violent when the prawns are in full panic mode.

Fish are much better at tracking stuff through the air than I first thought.

I remember being on a 3 story boat that takes tourist snorkeling up north - my mate left her camera on the second story, near where I was and asked me to get it.

It was a cheap disposable with a float - so I threw it near her, off the balcony - she got swamped by all sorts of reef fish. I could see them tracking the camera as soon as it left my hands.

The staff on those boats throw fish scraps off the side to feed them, so they are well trained to investigate stuff thrown into the water. But from a birds eye view - it was interesting to see how well they can see up through the surface of the water. And how quickly they can lock onto an airbourne target
 
 

It has been one of the slowest starts to the Yellow Fin Whiting lure fishing season here in S.A.
Adelaide finally got it’s first 30c degree day in 7 months, this November.
It has been a disappointing weather pattern. As soon as we have a warm day, it is followed immediately by a cool change and several days with temperatures in the teens. A sustained warm spell is needed to put some deep set warmth into the water. At present water temps, still hover around the teens.  Well short of the 20+C that makes those big Yellow Fin Whiting rabid hunters. The hotter the better. My favourite YFW spot has the Big Mamas ravenous at 22C.
Nonetheless we have to get our fishing fix and take what is available.
There are plenty of YFW about for the bait fisher. And sub surface lures like the Ecogear ZX are more productive in cooler waters.
At present the most common catch on surface lures are Salmon Trout. In good sizes too, not your small summer sprats.  Their presence is a clear indicator of the cooler water temps.
Flathead are providing a good option to break the monotony of unproductive casts for Whiting.
They don’t mind the current water temperatures. Too hot and the baitfish along with the Flathead disappear from the wading shallows.Whereas the hotter shallow water see the juvenile prawn population thriving and the YFW voraciously feeding on them.
The Ecogear ZX gives you both options. It will take Flathead and YFW. Although you will need to modify your retrieve depending on which fish you want to attract. With whiting it is always the continuous retrieve of a fleeing prawn. For Flathead it is the high lift, pause, retrieve, repeat. For Flathead it is all about the “hang time’” above their eyes. A not infrequent by catch is the odd Flounder. Tasty when cooked fresh. Should you come to a Flathead holding hot spot, my go to lure at present is the OSP Bent Minnow which certainly attracts their attention. These catches in current conditions, necessitate you target a variety. And for those keen on Salmon Trout, you can certainly come away with a full bag.
Mixed bags are what I am getting in these “transitionary” conditions.
But I am keenly looking forward to a heatwave !!!!
Cheers, Des.
 

Sports fishing scene are about to have a sale, same with Tackleworld, and Reelndeal are in the middle of one so I'd be  heading  to  those. Have a look at Venom rods at SFS, can't remember what I got but does whiting to tuna they reckon.

Thanks for the advice, I  will be using the rod for any heavier work,  I  have 2500 and 3000 reels for the lighter fishing. So a good allrounder if there is such a thing is what I  need.
 
 

Your Saragosa has good and not so good impact on your rod choice I think. At around 700 grams it narrows down your options which is good in a way. No overthinking required! Its a big reel and is right at home knocking off a heap of larger models. It is overkill for snapper but like you said, you have it already. Doobs mentioned catching his first snapper on my gear and it was a nice fish but it was a tuna outfit and he made short work of it!!! That was a 6000 Shimano on a T curve Deep Jig 200.  Again, huge overkill for snapper but it is a brilliant allrounder for offshore work. Troll the tuna in the morning and bottom bash for nannies and whatever comes along in the arvo. Still sensitive enough to feel the bites on bait. The Terez range has a heap of rods in that 7 foot ish range in 1 and 2 piece. The TZS70M might be worth a look.  I'd head to a loaded tackle shop with reel in hand and try a few.

Your Saragosa has good and not so good impact on your rod choice I think. At around 700 grams it narrows down your options which is good in a way. No overthinking required! Its a big reel and is right at home knocking off a heap of larger models. It is overkill for snapper but like you said, you have it already. Doobs mentioned catching his first snapper on my gear and it was a nice fish but it was a tuna outfit and he made short work of it!!! That was a 6000 Shimano on a T curve Deep Jig 200.  Again, huge overkill for snapper but it is a brilliant allrounder for offshore work. Troll the tuna in the morning and bottom bash for nannies and whatever comes along in the arvo. Still sensitive enough to feel the bites on bait. The Terez range has a heap of rods in that 7 foot ish range in 1 and 2 piece. The TZS70M might be worth a look.  I'd head to a loaded tackle shop with reel in hand and try a few.

I've only caught 1 snapper in my life - on someone elses boat and someone elses rod - so I'm no help for you 😅
That someone else is @Gregtech and he has some good rods and seems to have good knowledge of them too.
If he sees your post he may have some good input for you.

Hi all...
I went out for a cast.. First for the season.
Walked the outgoing and incoming left as the wind came in.. Got cold.
Went to a spot I know.. Found where they were.. Only fired up when the sun came out.. as the clouds builded they stopped.. I kept moving/exploring.. about 7ks
They were there in small numbers but very sluggish, wouldnt really commit, all nice sizes which is usual first start of the season. Managed to get 2, 39/36.. nice and golden, fat and heavy.. Beautiful fish.
Lost 3 due to floating weed/stuffing around setting drag, lost a very nice and heavy one. Got it close though.. It was big... Drag was too tight and got all tangled up in the only bit of floating cork weed about, pulled the hooks and was the first fish too! Wasnt happy..
Took everything I new to get them.. They would follow but not commit.. Was frustrating but I know they are starting to fire up.. need some HOT days...Were very active before lunch as the sun was shinning and it was warm.. died off when it cooled down.
Lots of salmon trout, Mullet were every were, bloody pain.. Seen heaps of gar in the shallows as well... Only seen 1 keeper crab but lots of small ones.. Water wasnt too warm.. but getting there.. not much floating weed.. Was a nice way to start the season..
Oh! lost 2 lures.. Bloody wind knots.. It was and old trusty and the other was a new funny one, it worked very well got 2 fish! Always happens with new lures and when I spool new line.. Oh well.. excuse to buy more.. Took 3 spare spools and used 2.. Happy with the new line.. Casted well after it settled down.
Mike

100% agree mate. Fresh, bled and skinned snook with the bloodline removed are spot on for eating. On the bbq for a couple of minutes and wacked on fresh buttered bread with salt & pepper or a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Bliss😊

Yesterday went to west lake for my first ever kayak fishing session. And some how I knock my rod into the water went for a swim but couldn’t get it back. Brought the rod and reel less than a month 🥲🥲 anyone had same experience ?

Depends.
Tommies and garfish I sprinkle salt and pepper, then dust in flour, before frying quickly in a lightly oiled fry pan.
YFW I like to crumb in panko crumbs before shallow frying.
Crab, I like to make serve with spaghetti.
I also like to make tommies into fish cakes.
In summer, when I catch most of my fish, I have loads of home grown tomatoes, cucumber, basil, chillies etc. for the salads. I get a lot of satisfaction from serving a meal that is mainly made from what I've grown and caught.

Been cooking up a few whiting fillets recently and its got me thinking.

Im all about shallow or deep frying - either dusted with flour, herbs and spices or batter made from the same ingredients.

I have been accused of overpowering the taste of the fish in the past - but thats how I like it - and I can still taste the fish underneath it all

The main flavours I use are, italian herb mix and garlic powder mixed in with the flour. 

If Im feeling saucey I'll drizzle over some sweet chilli sauce over the fillets right at the end, so the sauce caramelizes but doesnt burn. Finish with a squeeze of lemon - a bit of salt and add a dollop of tomatoe sauce and Im in heaven.

The photos arent the best but the taste makes up for it😉

 

100% agree mate. Fresh, bled and skinned snook with the bloodline removed are spot on for eating. On the bbq for a couple of minutes and wacked on fresh buttered bread with salt & pepper or a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Bliss😊

100% agree mate. Fresh, bled and skinned snook with the bloodline removed are spot on for eating. On the bbq for a couple of minutes and wacked on fresh buttered bread with salt & pepper or a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Bliss😊