FishingCrazy

WOW, just WOW. Trout fishing is something I need to do more of, might be time for a road trip your way.

Im trying to work that out as well?? I have gone right to the head waters of this creek and there is definitely nothing in place to regulate the flow. The posts are aluminium hanging from an overhead cable running across the creek. They do look like it's been set up for white water kayaking but even after heavy rains it doesn't flow very fast and if they are gates to negotiate through, they are really close together. There is a high school close by so I'm guessing it's something they have set up.

Hi guys and girls, Had quick morning session before crappy, life stuff that gets in the way of fishing, other commitments. A perfect early morning, warm, no wind and start of the run-in tide. When you paddle up a creek in these conditions with a bright orange sunrise, smooth glassy water and the birds in full song it's hard to remember what time you had to be at other commitments, why and what excuses you can think of to get out of them.  Not a lot of fish caught but found a few flathead and a nice healthy little jack. I have become obsessed with chasing jacks, such an aggressive hard fight fish. Even the smaller ones nearly rip the rod out of your hands when they smash your lure, and they seem to hit soon as you are daydreaming and not paying attention. Thanks.

Good luck finding an area that's safe to eat what you catch. That makes me sad to think about.

An absolute thumper, well done mate.

LOL, voice for tv or radio........head for radio only Small GT, thanks for the ID @Junky, @ellicat and @TheCharlieFisho

Hi all, I managed to escape for a few hours yesterday for an arvo session before the rain kicked in. I was fishing a small creek near Arrawarra NSW that is not always open to the ocean a few hundred meters from the beach. I was hoping to upgrade on the 43cm jack from last week, but it was not to be. The creek is very shallow, about a meter deep with a few small deeper holes. Lure of choice was the 4" paddle tail plastic rigged on a weedless weighted hook, no jig head. No monster fish caught but hooked a couple of small jacks, nice trevally and a small flatty so was still a great afternoon on the water. I haven't caught many trevally and don't know what type it is, hoping someone here can give me an ID on which species this trev is (trevally is at 3mins on vid). Thanks.

You were well rewarded for tackling the elements, nice feed for dinner, good stuff

Why when I look at those pictures, I can smell sausages?? Looks like nice weather to be fishing and BBQing.

Hi Mylesfisher, In the snags (rocks and trees) rigged weedless I let it sink till it stops then slow roll gently, if it snags don't pull hard as you may set the hook into the snag. Let the pressure off and slowly lift hopefully over/through the snag. Slow roll around bridges as well. I have caught a few jacks in the open around weed beds in the shallows just on dark when they come right out of their snaggy homes hunting in the cover of darkness. I use the same slow roll along the gaps in the ribbon weed then hop it down the deeper drop offs letting it hit the bottom them 2 jerks up, hit the bottom again and rinse and repeat like I use to do with conditioner when I had hair. lol I don't do much "open area" fishing for them though as that's not where they live and hunt most of the time. Late arvo's have been better, for me anyway, over early mornings. Those stinking hot afternoons in summer with a big thunderstorm on its way seems to fire them right up. Lots of time on the water, they say the hardest jack to catch is your first one and the second hardest after that is the first one of a new season. Good luck and hope this helps.

With the warmer weather the bass have come out to play and very active striking the surface aggressively. This was one of the most actioned packed sessions fishing the surface I have had in a long time. Its in a small creek that runs into the Clarence River in NSW. Almost every cast at structure seemed to find some attention from a hungry bass. I was using my usual favourite surface lure, finesse frog, but I think you could have tied a stick on and moved it on the surface and they would have hit it. Plenty of small fish but lots over the 40cm mark. Fishing the surface is just so addictive. Here is some of the fun, enjoy.

I might go to the mall and sit on Santas knee and ask for one, I have been a very good boy this year

Its got me wondering if it was the same fish all fired up and hit it twice or if there was a second fish.

No, it's the most silver looking one I have caught. Was red on the tail and dorsal fins but very light coloured. I have seen pictures of similar so it's not uncommon but would be interest to know the reason. Maybe it's just come from the clear ocean waters from around the headlands and they get darker the longer they are in discoloured creeks???? Albino lol?? Male or female???? I don't know but maybe someone on here might know the answer. edit.. I just found this info on the web. "Observing these fish on a daily basis, Tom gave me the heads up on some of the unique characteristics of Mangrove Jack. Some of his observations worth noting are: Their ability to instantly change colour from silver to red when they are cranky, stressed or feeding. They are very intelligent, an example of this was when he had quite a large fish that was asserting its dominance over a few smaller fish. The smaller fish took a real dislike to this and ganged up on the larger fish and killed it in a pack mentality style."

Awesome haul, I have always wanted to do a trip like that but always worry that with my luck the wind will be 40knots every day. I'll bite the bullet and book it in one day, my "Want to do" list keeps getting longer and longer.

Morning all, The jack addiction has well and truly kicked in again now the weathers getting warmer. Managed to get out for an afternoon flick using soft plastics and hard body lures. Picked up a few flathead bycatch but not much action for most the afternoon. I had pretty much given up any hope of a jack and was about to pack it in and thought I'd throw a couple of casts under the bridge next to where my car was parked and hook up to a nice 43cm jack. I was lucky it ran away from the closest bridge pylon heading towards the pylon on the other side which gave me a couple of seconds to turn its head. Hooking up close to the pylons usually end for me in a split second, you feel the hit and by the time I've lifted the rod back its all over with a snapped leader wrapped around the oysters on the pylon. And if you can't turn them quick with a tight drag, they usually drag me and the kayak into the bridge pylon within a few seconds. You can see in the vid, in only the few seconds till I got it's head up it had almost dragged my kayak into the bridge. They are such a strong aggressive fish. Sorry for the over excitement in the vid when I get it in the net, just couldn't believe I hooked one when I'd thought the day was over.

I like the MMD splash prawn better..... but if they are fired up and smashing the surface then they will hit almost anything that's moving.

Very productive day. Good stuff, flathead fillet in a wrap, bit of salad and tartare sauce.....ooooohhhhhh baby

Hi all, I have done a few bass trip reports in the freshwater section, but this is my first trip report in the salt. I had my first crack at a mangrove jack for the season at Red Rock nsw where I live, near Coffs Harbour. I was fishing surface with a splash prawn and found my first jack of the season, very very small, but hey, it's a start and they can only get bigger........cause they can't get much smaller.

Sounds like a good trip. Bush to beach. Well done on the flathead, I haven't been to Station creek for years now, nice spot.

Hi turdle, where were you camping on the Clarence? After I left the Nymboida I headed to fish the Clarence up past Copmanhurst (spelling?) but the wind was blowing 25kn making kayak fishing imposable, so ended up fishing a small creek that flows into the Clarence out of the wind. I'll put a report and vid up once I have edited it, but the surface bass fishing was nonstop action. Think I was just lucky to find a big patch of them that were feeding. Right place right time.......for once. I was a bit disgusted by all the rubbish left by campers in one of the free camps on the Clarence. I don't get it? They come to a beautiful place like this to camp and enjoy the river, then leave all their rubbish spread out along the riverbank and scatted where they camped?? Why?? How hard is it to throw it in a bag and take it with them?????

I could mount it on the back of the kayak next to the kitchen sink Ellicat, not sure of what the barometer was sitting at. I know a few fisho's that won't go fishing if the barometer reading isn't right for them. I have always just gone fishing when I can, not when the barometer says its right, but might start taking note of what its sitting at each time for interest's sake. Cheers.

Nice, I did a bit of trout fishing in Canada years ago when I was on a working holiday and have been wanting to have a go here in Australia for a long time. You have inspired me to start searching for spots near me to have a crack.

Yeah that early morning mist combined with the bell bird's morning chorus was pretty special. That will be my happy place thoughts when things in life and work seem stressful.

I headed out to the Nymboida River to have a crack at some wild bass. Stinking hot, 33 degrees felt like 50 degrees sitting in a kayak. Absolutely amazing bit of country, the misty morning river was breath taking. Only found 1 bass caught on a 70mm chatter bait, but still well worth the dusty tracks and sunburn. I'm thinking that I was fishing this area way too early in the season as the bass wouldn't be up this far in the system yet?? but not sure. Maybe they just weren't feeding?? Does anyone on here know the river at all? and whether I was a bit too early for the bass to be in numbers? Anyway, I will definitely be returning again to have another shot at them.