Fishing tips

thermalben's picture
thermalben started the topic in Monday, 2 Apr 2012 at 9:32am

OK, so I want to try my hand at fishing. I have a couple of rods and reels, and an assortment of stuff in a shiny tackle box (Chrissy present from a few years back). I've got salt water and fresh water options close at hand (Narrabeen). But, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

Can anyone offer me some pointers? I'd really like to impress the missus.

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bonza Thursday, 2 May 2024 at 7:48pm
etarip wrote:

Jeez, these forums are getting a bit snarky and shite. Even the ‘safe spaces’ like the fishing thread. Go for a walk, take a couple of weeks off posting. Same old, same old across multiple discussion spaces. It definitely takes the shine off being part of a ‘community’ doesn’t it.

+1

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saltman Thursday, 2 May 2024 at 8:17pm

Been risking spots in perfect conditions and bugger all tailor the last few weeks
There have been reports of good catches but really inconsistent for this time of year
Heaps of baitfish around and pelagics regularly just out of reach of land (most of the time)
A plague proportion of Dart in close
Was great to see some young kids fish tiny plastics showing nice skills on light gear of the rocks - after having 10 solid ones between them they kept fishing for 3 hours and throwing them back
Tailor will turn on any day now

Oh yeah Stefanofic is a tool

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MidWestMonger Friday, 3 May 2024 at 9:47am

Dart are pesky over here on the WA midwest coast too. Any bait or lures retrieved quickly send them mad. Good bites and fight but as soon as you see those long blue fins its a disappointment. Many have totally swallowed the bait and on inspection have a huge parasite in their mouths. (Cymothoa exigua?) Poor buggers have no choice but swallow and get gill hooked.

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saltman Friday, 3 May 2024 at 6:11pm

I didn’t have to wait long for it to change

This morning tailor were around for 25 minutes before the run out tide got moving
Then this afternoon a solid hour of bent rods on high tide
Quieter just before dark

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indo-dreaming Friday, 3 May 2024 at 6:47pm

I lived at Fraser Island for a few years and tailor fishing was big in winter, i tried it a few times but never got the fuss, their okay to catch but not great eating.

I always preferred to target whiting on light gear and get dart as by catch, i always looked at it that i won either way in that if i caught whiting they were good eating and if not around normally the the dart were and they were super fun to catch, id keep them sometimes and steam them remove the bones and make Thai fish cakes.

Plus there was always plenty of beach worms or pipis around and getting fresh bait is kinda primeval satisfying especially when you then get a feed of fish from the effort.

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freeride76 Friday, 3 May 2024 at 6:47pm

I think tailor are great eating- as long as they are treated properly.
Got to kill them (iki jima), bleed them, and get them chilled as quickly as possible.

Really, really healthy fish to eat too.

Might have to drive up your way Saltman.

Nada down here- too much dirty water out of the river.

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indo-dreaming Friday, 3 May 2024 at 6:59pm

Yeah done all that even skinned but not my thing i dont like Aussie Salmon either.

Im betting you are like a mate i have up there super keen fisherman fishes almost every day and eats and loves anything that lives in the ocean, no fish to him is off the menu, he even use to try all these ways to try to eat pipi's.

Was a great place to live fishing wise though, surf beach fishing, great offshore reef fishing, then a variety of creeks, flats low cliffs on the other side to fish and mud crabs and prawns at times in creeks.

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etarip Friday, 3 May 2024 at 8:02pm

Got a tailor off the beach just before last light. Ate it within an hour of landing it. Good eating.

And a super fun surf this morning, 2ft and super clean. Had it to myself.

Not a bad day.

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tubeshooter Friday, 3 May 2024 at 8:41pm

For me, I really love crispy skin tailor and sea mullet, and much better for you than skin off.
I do find it better leaving both those fish in the fridge overnight though.

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Distracted Friday, 3 May 2024 at 8:54pm
tubeshooter wrote:

For me, I really love crispy skin tailor and sea mullet, and much better for you than skin off.
I do find it better leaving both those fish in the fridge overnight though.

Totally TS, love some crispy skin on tailor fillets and they have been on the bite lately.

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etarip Friday, 3 May 2024 at 9:00pm

Same same. Shallow fried mine tonight, dusted in seasoned flour. crisped up nicely.

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freeride76 Friday, 3 May 2024 at 9:26pm

Gotta get the skin crispy.

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saltman Friday, 3 May 2024 at 9:35pm

tell me about skin on tailor please guys??
I am only Pank crumbed fillets, Curry, and Thai fish cakes
Oh and have smoked the fillets as well

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basesix Friday, 3 May 2024 at 10:06pm

^ toss in flour with a pinch of salt n pepper, put in fridge for 1-6 hours (let the flour absorb the oils and juices)
fry, skin down, in preheated, hot! pan (olive oil, butter)
flip the fillet over when skin has the required texture, remove from heat and allow to sit in the pan for 5 mins.

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seeds Friday, 3 May 2024 at 10:21pm

Bleed em, gut em, and cook em whole any way you like. I’m a big fan of whole fish. Sure it’s a pain to eat but you can get your fingers into it. Fish cheeks and all those sticky icky bits in the frame. Insert Homer drool here.

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saltman Saturday, 4 May 2024 at 6:24am
freeride76 wrote:

I think tailor are great eating- as long as they are treated properly.
Got to kill them (iki jima), bleed them, and get them chilled as quickly as possible.

Really, really healthy fish to eat too.

Might have to drive up your way Saltman.

Nada down here- too much dirty water out of the river.

Steve closer to home for you
Brunz has been producing some decent tailor sessions the last few weeks

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freeride76 Saturday, 4 May 2024 at 6:33am

North of the Cape though (your fish)?
I'm happy to take a mission to Brunz.

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saltman Saturday, 4 May 2024 at 4:11pm

Yep up at Kingscliff
Do occasional midweek trip to Brunz north wall just to mix it up

Just saw a picture of a nice Jew caught at Ballina yesterday

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saltman Tuesday, 7 May 2024 at 11:44am

Yeww there coming in closer in numbers now under the new swell
Took a handful in 40 minutes this morning

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saltman Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 12:02pm

+ Bagged out this morning
Threw 5 smallish Tailor back, gave 4 to a friend who was late to the party, took home 10
5 for a Neighbour and 5 for me
Incoming tide throwing 40gm hardbody on medium light 10ft rod, 30lb Braid 20lb leader
from 6.30 to 9.30am.
It was fun adapting the different bite patterns and locations as the swell and tide changed

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freeride76 Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 12:17pm

Damn, you are killing me Saltman.

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saltman Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 2:27pm

Must be some action down your way Steve

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freeride76 Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 2:30pm

Haven't caught a tailor this Autumn.

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saltman Thursday, 9 May 2024 at 7:59pm

the crispy skin tailor worked a treat
Dart recipes please?
this morning landed 15 dart, kept 10 of them, all over 35cm
casting a 20gm metal into the swells as they crested and retrieving it slowly as it sunk

gee they pull hard

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basesix Thursday, 9 May 2024 at 8:01pm

(p.s. scoring the skin before flouring stops the curling..)

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silentp Thursday, 9 May 2024 at 9:23pm

Dart are great used in fish patties due to the strong flavour, and yeah tough little fighters.

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indo-dreaming Friday, 10 May 2024 at 8:19am
saltman wrote:

Dart recipes please?
this morning landed 15 dart, kept 10 of them, all over 35cm
casting a 20gm metal into the swells as they crested and retrieving it slowly as it sunk

gee they pull hard

I use to make Thai fish cakes with them, its been 15+ years but from memory i kind of steamed them whole in a big deep fry pan with lid which meant you could peel the skin and lift bones out of them in pretty much one piece easily leaving just meat. (cant remember if i even bothered scaling first, but of course gutted)

Then id get all the meat into a big pot and just get my hands into it and kind of mash up the meat and remove any bones etc that might has slipped through.

Then id mix in some Thai curry paste, some chopped coriander and chopped shallots, and some eggs to hold it all together from memory i just did it with my hands (well washed) and then just roll up into patties fry in a pan like you do rissoles, dusted in flour if needed.

From memory i often froze them before frying if i had too much, either wrapped in glad wrap or folded greased paper to ensure they didn't stick together in bags suitable just for one feed.

Always went down good dipped in sweet chilli sauce.

And yeah heaps of fun to catch especially in the surf in shallow water on whiting gear.

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Andrew P Saturday, 18 May 2024 at 9:22pm

Been building a few rods for mates over the last few years. This one is for an old boss whose shed burnt down last year taking with it all of his toys including fishing gear. 7’5 graphite 30lb spin rod for chasing snapper and coral trout on plastics and tuna/mackerel on slugs up to 40grams.






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tiger Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 5:35am

Nice work Andrew P, Looks tidy.

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zenagain Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 8:19am

Nicely done AP. Brought it back to life.

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freeride76 Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:10am

Deluxe AP.

What blank did you use?

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indo-dreaming Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:13am

Nice thats cool.

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indo-dreaming Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:24am

BTW. Is there such a thing as a half decent telescopic rod?
(ive always thought of them as just novelty toys)

Traveling to Indo with just a back pack as have boards etc all over there and thinking of getting a telescopic rod mostly to just to get some squid off this little jetty with quid jigs or flick some soft plastics around for a bit of fun on lagoon edges just a lightish gear set up.

Edit: just googled and found these look alright.
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/shimano-telescopic-rod-reel-combo/

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freeride76 Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:35am

They work fine .

I usually take a 2 piece rod in a board bag.

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Andrew P Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:35am
freeride76 wrote:

Deluxe AP.

What blank did you use?

Thanks FR. Blank is a United Composites bass blank. They are more of a Cadillac than a Ferrari but can fish above their rating with very little risk of failure. Haven’t had one blow up to date touch wood

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Andrew P Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 10:38am
indo-dreaming wrote:

BTW. Is there such a thing as a half decent telescopic rod?
(ive always thought of them as just novelty toys)

Traveling to Indo with just a back pack as have boards etc all over there and thinking of getting a telescopic rod mostly to just to get some squid off this little jetty with quid jigs or flick some soft plastics around for a bit of fun on lagoon edges just a lightish gear set up.

Edit: just googled and found these look alright.
https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/shimano-telescopic-rod-reel-combo/

I use 3 or 4 piece travel rods. You can break them down to fit in a regular sized poster tube and take on carry on. 2-4 kg should handle squid and small fish. Never touched a telescopic rod in my life but I’m sure they work fine - Big in Japan!

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tubeshooter Sunday, 19 May 2024 at 7:39pm

Nice work Andrew P. Looks well crafted.

A telescopic rod will be fine for squid ID. But, in case you aren't aware, if you're only taking a backpack as carry-on luggage then you can forget about packing hooks, jigs etc. Even fishing line, either on a spooled reel or in a sealed packet is considered dangerous as carry-on on most airlines.

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saltman Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 8:22am
tubeshooter wrote:

Nice work Andrew P. Looks well crafted.

A telescopic rod will be fine for squid ID. But, in case you aren't aware, if you're only taking a backpack as carry-on luggage then you can forget about packing hooks, jigs etc. Even fishing line, either on a spooled reel or in a sealed packet is considered dangerous as carry-on on most airlines.

I was stopped at Denpasar airport early this year with a travel rod in my carry on reals and tackle were checked in
They would not allow me to board with the rod as it was deemed dangerous Argued with security to no avail he showed me their policy documentation which overrides the airline policy
Thankfully checked it in
Another traveller was not so lucky on a indo domestic transfer at the airport He had to surrender his reel and line at security checkpoint

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saltman Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 8:24am

Oh tailor have been on with increasing regularity last week
Colder weather ?? Moon phases??

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Andrew P Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 9:37am
saltman wrote:
tubeshooter wrote:

Nice work Andrew P. Looks well crafted.

A telescopic rod will be fine for squid ID. But, in case you aren't aware, if you're only taking a backpack as carry-on luggage then you can forget about packing hooks, jigs etc. Even fishing line, either on a spooled reel or in a sealed packet is considered dangerous as carry-on on most airlines.

I was stopped at Denpasar airport early this year with a travel rod in my carry on reals and tackle were checked in
They would not allow me to board with the rod as it was deemed dangerous Argued with security to no avail he showed me their policy documentation which overrides the airline policy
Thankfully checked it in
Another traveller was not so lucky on a indo domestic transfer at the airport He had to surrender his reel and line at security checkpoint

Aahhhh bugger. I only travel domestically with travel rods, like FR i will pack a 2 piece rod in my boardbag if i go international. Have definitely travelled domestically with reels with line on it in my carry on (not hooks/lures etc) but can understand if the rules have changed.

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freeride76 Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 10:42am
saltman wrote:

Oh tailor have been on with increasing regularity last week
Colder weather ?? Moon phases??

May is prime tailor month.

I still haven't hooked one this autumn- water now filthy dirty so might not be until moon in June.

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saltman Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 3:22pm

Yesty afternoon the 45 minutes before dark anyone could catch a tailor and they were- couple of young guys were frothing, one over their first ever tailor. (it got thick with frothers on the rocks)
I had 4 in the bag and the session was cut short with a broken rod after a distracted bloke trod on my rod as I was unhooking a fish

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freeride76 Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 3:34pm

tweed coast headland?

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etarip Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 6:13am

Lake opened up down here after all the rain. Had a very busy 30min session the other day just before dark off to the side of the break.
2 good salmon and 3 tailor. Was on every cast.
Fresh fried Tailor and chips for dinner.

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freeride76 Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 8:22am

Nice one mate.

I'm getting extreme fishing frustration at the moment.

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saltman Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 10:25am
freeride76 wrote:

tweed coast headland?

Yep
a bit quite last 2 days though. heaps of big mullet around

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MidWestMonger Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 3:14pm

I have used those shimano telescopics for a while now. Good when new, lucky to last 3 years. The eyelets are tacked onto a thin ring at the top of each tube section. Easily broken off and hard to repair. Folding them up bangs the eyelets up, saltwater weakens the tacks. OK gear but don’t expect a long life

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MidWestMonger Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 3:14pm

I have used those shimano telescopics for a while now. Good when new, lucky to last 3 years. The eyelets are tacked onto a thin ring at the top of each tube section. Easily broken off and hard to repair. Folding them up bangs the eyelets up, saltwater weakens the tacks. OK gear but don’t expect a long life

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etarip Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 5:11pm
freeride76 wrote:

Nice one mate.

I'm getting extreme fishing frustration at the moment.

Hope you get onto something soon.

In spire of all the decent swell around, I’m getting extreme surf frustration due to travel and work schedules not lining up with swell directions and winds / tides.

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saltman Thursday, 23 May 2024 at 8:14am

Classic tailor morning today First 3 casts 3 tailor Brisk offshore breeze just enough swell to create some wash
It went quite once the sun was up for an hour