A Trip to the Synagogue

[ellicat]

A plan was hatched with @Old Scaley, @AUS-BNE-FISHO and myself to head to the Port today to chase threadies and jew. I've been watching plenty of Youtube videos of people throwing plastics and vibes at the wharves with some good success. So I rigged up 3 rods, with a soft plastic on one, a Flick Prawn on another and a FishTrap soft vibe on the third.

We met at the busy Port ramp at 6.15 and launched. Steve and Hamish threw the castnet for some livies and then deployed their crab pots. Meanwhile I had sounded down the wharves to about 2/3 of the way to the end. Couldn't find any fish but stopped at a place where there was a show of bait and some were skipping out of the water. A likely spot I thought and plenty of boats for company...maybe they knew something.

I threw all 3 rods (at different times ) for 3 hours and 10 minutes. Not a bump. Nothing. With fitness levels low I decided to drift and dead-stick the plastic and prawn. Occasionally bait jumped, so I threw the vibe into the school and held on.

Nothing.

Steve and Hamish returned from the rock wall and did a drift as well, without any luck. Eventually I had had enough so went up to Clara Rock to drift downstream with some cuttlefish head out on one rod and again dead-sticking the prawn on the other. I landed a 40cm spikey jew (aka cattie) to get me off the donut...just. Towards the end of the first drift I was sitting back having a bite to eat when I had two good hits on the cuttlefish rod, with no hookup. I ran the drift again and had a small enquiry but nothing to show for it.

The third drift was just about over when the cuttlefish rod had some interest. I stood ready beside it in the rod holder. Then it loaded up. I was on and it felt like a decent fish giving a fair bit of grief early, then allowing me to get some line back then a bit more aggression. Finally, I saw colour as it was trying to tie me up on the motor. A flash of silver. Yes !! A jew. I held the rod one handed while the fish flapped about and I setup the landing net with the other (Steve, you would have been impressed haha).

This was my first legal jew. Years ago I used to head out most Friday nights with old mate Jayson, the late @chubbstar, chasing them and threadies with no luck. So this was a long time coming.

I slipped the net under it and hoicked it into the boat. Not a huge one, going 80cm on the measure. I accidentally slit its throat and released it to the esky. Many people have told me they are good eating so this one is destined for the plate. I'm praying there are no worms, @Allnighter.

 

I did two more drifts but had no action. Steve and Hamish had been drifting as well. They went to get their pots and some crabs, I believe. I called it a day, well pleased.

I didn't see any other boats get any action along the wharves nor at the Cruise Terminal.

[Kat]

Well done!  Persistence paid off.  Would have loved to see you flicking lures for that amount of time

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Good report Brian, and great jewie. It’s a shame we had no luck at the wharves on the lures but good you got that fish! It was a fun day on the port anyways and the conditions were mint too. 
Big thanks to Steve for taking me out! 
Cheers Hamish 

[ellicat]

2 minutes ago, Kat said:

Well done!  Persistence paid off.  Would have loved to see you flicking lures for that amount of time

@Another Wazza has been egging me on, so I only took a few cuttlefish heads with me
"just in case" 

[ellicat]

Also, I gave up the smokes on the 4th of January. After catching that fish has been the hardest going for wanting a durry, so far.

[Kat]

Congratulations! Stay strong!  Remember you want to be able to catch many more like that for years to come.  Plus you will be able to afford more fishing gear now

[rayke1938]

Chubbstar was looking after you.

[Angry51]

47 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Also, I gave up the smokes on the 4th of January. After catching that fish has been the hardest going for wanting a durry, so far.

I can see a bigger boat on the horizon with

all the money you will save.

[Bretto77]

Well done on the jew and the smokes. So... The cuttlefish did the trick...

[Allnighter]

Well done on both counts Brian!

You da man

Yea when you fillet the jew have a real close look in the flesh itself for tiny little wormies... definately need glasses on for that one

[Old Scaley]

Great stuff @ellicat. You are ticking the bucket list one species at a time. We weren’t too far from you when you caught that fish. I thought you had Ned Flanders onboard, judging by the squealing and you-hooing. I would have paid money to watch the net preparation 

[Bretto77]

7 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

I would have paid money to watch the net preparation 

Did you have the go pro on Brian? @Old Scaley offered you some coin

[ellicat]

3 minutes ago, Bretto77 said:

Did you have the go pro on Brian? @Old Scaley offered you some coin

In the kerfuffle I'm not sure if I turned it on or off. I'm scared to check. haha

Yes, cuttlefish is the prime bait.  Very messy, but effective.

[Bretto77]

3 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Yes, cuttlefish is the prime bait.  Very messy, but effective.

It has worked well for me on the reefs off Cairns. My mate up there swears by it.

[Another Wazza]

Nice fish Brian, it was always only a matter of time before you were graced by a legal specimen.

When you sent me the pic of it in the net today, I initially thought he was a little tacker around 60 or so, I failed to realise the sheer size of your butterfly catching net

[ellicat]

I was glad it was big enough to make it easy for a one hand netting.

[mangajack]

I saw all of you down the port today and yes it was a pretty dismal experience on the thready count. I gave another boaty a venting needle for the only thready i know of that was caught this morning.

I ran live herring, vibes and plastics for 1 catty.

I searched the port area twice and right up to rivergate without finding any schools, the odd singular fish with lockjaw.

I pulled the pin at about 11am or so.

I will give the port a miss until the prawns run properly.

 

[ellicat]

You could've popped over and said g'day, @mangajack  . Always good to meet forum members.

Good tip on the prawn run.

[mangajack]

I was in the black Assault Pro 449....

 

[Andrew_P]

Great fish Brian! Don’t worry about the worms - they are not harmful for humans raw or cooked, just offputting! You will be able to see them in the fish flesh mainly along the backbone bit. For want of a better description, they look like a white tadpole - white with an oval head and curly tail. You can use a skewer to dig them out of the flesh. 

[ellicat]

14 minutes ago, mangajack said:

I was in the black Assault Pro 449....

 

I think I remember - 2 up at the cruise terminal ?

[ellicat]

15 minutes ago, Andrew_P said:

Great fish Brian! Don’t worry about the worms - they are not harmful for humans raw or cooked, just offputting! You will be able to see them in the fish flesh mainly along the backbone bit. For want of a better description, they look like a white tadpole - white with an oval head and curly tail. You can use a skewer to dig them out of the flesh. 

I'm not sure how I can ignore that while I'm ingesting it. And I definitely can't let the good wife see it.

[mangajack]

4 hours ago, ellicat said:

I think I remember - 2 up at the cruise terminal ?

1 up at all the wharves and terminals.

[ellicat]

Ah yes, I remember the Honda from at the wharves. You pulled in briefly just upstream of me in the earlier part of the day. There were so many boats yesterday it was hard to keep track. Nice looking rig.

[jon]

First legal Jew is definitely a milestone Brian congratulations. The port of brissy is where I finally cracked my first jewy also. It’s a great spot for those that put in the work!!

Edited January 20, 2023 by jon

[ellicat]

I did hook one on a plastic at Harry's with @Another Wazza one day, but it reefed me on the structure. So good to get one in.

[mangajack]

Legal jew are quite a lot easier to catch in the Pine and Cabo rivers....far easier to find and hook.

Far less educated to vibes and plastics.

[ellicat]

Nothing's too smart for a cuttlefish head. haha

[ellicat]

 

[Old Scaley]

I thought I recognised that guy in the video as Brian (@ellicat)? But then there was no durrie hanging out of his gob so I realised that you must have trawled the internet for a guy who looks like you but can catch jewies. Well done mate on the fish, the landing net and the non-smoking. And now for the threadie!

[Bretto77]

Job done With an awesome soundtrack too! Go the Powderfinger! Didn't seem to be much stuffing around with the net...

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Good video Brian

[kmcrosby78]

21 hours ago, ellicat said:

I'm not sure how I can ignore that while I'm ingesting it. And I definitely can't let the good wife see it.

Turn the lights off ......... . Congrats on your first legal jewie mate, well done!  I've caught two that were both right on 75cm so you're now ahead of me. Been numerous years since I've caught one so perhaps I need to start doing some river sessions again.

[kmcrosby78]

2 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Well done mate on the fish, the landing net and the non-smoking. And now for the threadie!

Yep, that's a great piscatorial start to the new year @ellicat. And yes, a threadie now would be great - have you caught a legal one before? I've never caught one .

[Andrew_P]

Great vid Brian it really shows that patience provides (provided there’s no sharks around!). Beautiful curve on that 6-12lb rod designed for flicking bream and flatty lures

[ellicat]

4 minutes ago, kmcrosby78 said:

I've never caught one

Me either. I gave up trying 10 years ago. haha

[ellicat]

2 minutes ago, Andrew_P said:

Great vid Brian it really shows that patience provides (provided there’s no sharks around!). Beautiful curve on that 6-12lb rod designed for flicking bream and flatty lures

Yes, that's the rod I got off you. It's one of my favourites now - it ensures I'm patient. haha

[Andrew_P]

Definitely the best fish that rod has ever seen

[ellicat]

This was my last and only other one - just under at 73. I was a bit younger and lighter. haha

[Neil Stratford]

Congrats on your 1st legal Mulloway Ellicat hopefully your next one is just around the corner.

Regards

Neil