Well its October and the temperature is rising and the bass and estuary perch are heading back up stream after their spawning. This is the time when you will catch these fish in good numbers as they travel in schools and will be concentrating in areas.
Last month we had good catchs of both eps and bass on soft plastic close to drop offs near large corners in the river where the water is eddying.
I found most of the fish I caught by using my Humminbird Matrix 37 and 97 they worked like a charm the multi beam tranluser gives me wide coverage. This allows me to quickly look over an area for fish and move on to the next if there are none in that area. I use my Matrix in auto with the fish ID on.
I have found when my Matrix shows me fish symbols these are fish. On most other sounders I turn the ID off as they show any object suspend are shown as fish.
When the sounder shows a concentration of fish, double back and give the area a good working over .I usually start with soft plastics worked deep with a lift and drop the rod tip keeping in contact with bottom. Bass and perch will often hit on the drop so use a fluro colour line so you can see the line move if the fish bits on the drop.
I will use a variety lures to find what is working best and will change to the most successful. When looking fishing for bass early morning I like to start with a surface lures like Taylor Made surface walker, Feralcatt surface and small fizzers. If the bass are on the chew these lures will out fish most other types of lure and there is nothing like a big bass slamming a suface lure.
As the morning moves on I will often start casting small deep diving crankbaits my favorites are small Feralcatt, Taylor made nuggets and of late the Viking rattlers. I cast these lure close to the bank and struture and wind them back slowly using the rod tip to add extra action into the lure and wait for that shudder as a bass swallows my lure.
Another great lure is a small spinner bait my favourite being Secert Creek Spinnerbait these are Aussie made.These lure can be fished in areas where other lures can not.I like to cast them deep into snags let them sink at retreave the back through all the sticks and limbs where those big bass love to hold.
Also soft plastics with a ¼ oz jig head with a small Beatle spin blade added to put more flash vibration into water is another good lure to work around drop offs and weed beds for both bass and eps. By using a variety of lures maximizes my chances of finding and catching more fish. You can learn more about targeting and catching bass and eps by buying the Tidal Water Action dvd it shows you how when and why most good tackle shops stock them.
Jeff Brown of Riverlands Fly and Sportsfishing reports the Central Tablelands trout fishing has been very up and down over the last month however the creeks and streams are looking all right for the new season commencing the first weekend of October.
October & early November last year produced some excellent early season dry fly fishing on Lake Wallace & a couple of private waters Riverlands Fly has access to. This year’s conditions are shaping up the same so, early morning sessions on dunn feeders is on the cards.
Early mornings during October along the southern shores of Thompson’s Creek Dam are a good bet for polarizing action. Fly anglers will need to be using leaders at 3-4 metres and be able to present flies quickly as fish move up over the drop-off edges in search of crayfish and shrimp in the shallow weed beds and along the sand edges.
Lure fishing along the wall at Thompson’s is worth spending some time experimenting as the use of soft plastics is proving a viable technique especially on big brown trout. Basically, cast long and out at angle of about 30 degrees letting your lures drop, remember stay in touch, browns WILL hit lures on the drop. Casting at an angle like this allows for fish to track lures along the wall giving more time in the major strike zone. Use a count down techniques to vary the depth of lures and vary your retrieve speeds and actions. Any one wishing to fish Trout on lure and fly can contact Jeff on 0418 435 410
On the home front we have been catching plenty of Salmon around the head lands in Sydney Harbour. Most of Salmon have been caught on 4”and 6” slugos and Mojoes working very slowly. I have seen most other boats using small metals with out much success. Slugos lures can be hard to find some of the stores that stock them are Australian bass angler, Blacktown Fishing tackle. Complete Angler in the west and Fish Outta water, Otto’s and One Stop Bait and Tackle in the city and Fish and Dive on the south side. If you’re not sure how to rig them ask the boys in the shops to show you. All the Guys that work in these stores are fishermen are will point you in the right direction.
Another lure that I have had success on lately is a new Viking Lancaster Minnow.
These work best cast into the school and work back in a jerking action using the rod to accelerate the lure forward by moving the rod down as you wind and pause for second and repeating the jerk retrieve.
The Kingfish have also started to turn up around Blue fish and the closer reefs I have been picking them on Small Trolled Mc Goo skirts and 9” slug tossed around the wash. I also heard of a good catch of kings in the Harbour near the channel markers.
The bream anglers have been catching plenty bream around the Harbour around the moored Boats casting bass minnows close to the keel and letting it sink watching there line for any movement. Most of the floating pontoons are also holding fish. Flathead have been caught up around Middle Harbour on larger soft plastics around the drop offs.
It is also the time when the first of our spring and summer pelagics turn up in Broken Bay, Sydney Harbour, Pittwater Cowen and offshore. Species such as Mack Tuna, Striped Tuna, Bonito and King Fish mix in with the Salmon and Tailor that have been here most of the winter
There is nothing as exciting as High speed spinning these speedsters. Especially when using light tackle in the 4 kg line class. These fish will test your tackle to its limit so it’s important that you service your reels, spool up with new nine and check those guides for any cracks or damage. If you are buying a new outfit to target these fish buy good quality rods and reels. I use Shimano Stradic and Sustain 4000 size thread line reels spooled up with 8lb & 12lb yellow super braid on 7” Strudwick 4 kg and 7”6” rods
Spring time is also the time of the year when saltwater fly fishing will out-fish most other methods if the pelagic are feeding on small baitfish. Why? Because you can cast a small fly that is the same size, shape and colour as the bait the fish are feeding on. You can also work a fly a lot slower than most lures or you can let the fly just sit in the middle of a feeding school.
It is also important to be able to cast your line maximum distance with minimum false cast. This is the most important part of saltwater fly-fishing getting the fly to the feeding fish as fast you can. So get out on the lawn and practice your pickup, haul and shoot in one motion. If you are new to fly casting or can’t double haul spend a few dollars and get some lessons its will give the advantage when you are working the feeding schools of plagic fish.
Any one wanting to learn more about Sportsfishing for Sydney kingfish, bonito, salmon, Taylor, bass and estuary perch can now come to one of my on the water fishing schools.
These can be tailored to suite either bass, eps or bream, Flathead in my bass and bream boat or you can learn about how to target and catch pelagics out of the 7m Sportsfisher.
We cover all the different lures how to cast, use soft plastic, poppers and trolling
Any one interested can ring me on 040 8334 892
Shannon Kitchener and I have Just finshed a dvd on Sportsfishing . This dvd will show you how to target all the differant fish that can be targeted by anglers that have small trailer boat with lures, fly and some bait.
These include Bass, Bream, Bonito, Flathead, Taylor, Australian Salmon, Dolphin fish,Trout and of course the mighty Kingfish
