Centrepin Reel for Blackfish

It has been a while since my last post on the blog. Been busy with a worm farming projects, hopefully some of them will be fishing related hehehe.

Winter has well settled in Australia and I got sick few times already...

With winter comes Blackfish season, now those fish can be caught all year long but in cold winter when you are not in the mood to brave the cold on a kayak and want to take a break with other species then Blackfish is a great plan. They are fun fish to catch and eat. I used to catch them off the rocks but have now moved to the estuary and fish The Entrance, by the Tuggerah Lake with the company of the locals with whom I go prawning during summer.

This year I wanted to try the Centrepin. I have been intrigued for quite a while now but never really got into it. Until I have accidentally broken my LBD reel used for my ISO rod. I wanted to get something more affordable so got an Alvey 455B XL. It is a good little reel but the inertia is not great. It requires a strong current to spin the reel. So I sold it and got an Alvey 475B instead. That was a great difference. It just great to see the slow current peel the line of the reel and fight a fish on a 1:1 ratio. Somehow fishing with an ISO rod and a centrepin reel does make sense, it is almost like an LBD without a lever, you just use your fingers to lock or unlock the spool when fighting a big fish. I had great fun with the 475B and caught some nice blackies.

After using the 475B for three weeks I found few annoying points:

- although the reel brake button on the backplate can be useful even when fighting the fish, it is also too easy to press on it inadvertently.

- the side cast feature was very helpful as I learned the art of centrepin casting. However line twists are a nightmare. I needed to tie a tiny swivel above the float for it to be effective and it annoys me that sometimes I reel in too much and the swivel get locked inside the tip guide.

- also due to the side cast, the reel foot needs to swivel and this adds extra gap between the foot and the reel itself, making the reel to far away from the rod to be able to use the thumb to control the reel spinning speed. So I need to hold the reel with the middle to pinky fingers in front of the reel and use them to palm it, but that big gap still create some strain in the hand due to the stretch between the fingers.

However, the Alvey 475B (or Shakespeare Lincoln in the US) is greatly free running and does spin for one minute with a good flick. The slowest of current peels the line allowing a drag-free drift. It use using ball bearing as opposed to brass bushing on older reels, giving it a very free running reel, but running maybe too freely and if you don't master palming while casting you will end up with 30m of bird nest, don't ask me why I know...

I heard lots of good reviews about the vintage reels such as J.W. Young Trudex. This is my next reel to test out. You can sometimes find them on ebay especially on the UK market. I would have loved something more modern machined aluminum reels like a Okuma Aventa Pro or even better one of John Milner reels, but at 400AUD and way over they are way too expensive for me. And the Trudex although older than me will continue spinning even when I'll be burried. I manage to find one for a good price and even if it does not suit me (which I doubt) I will still be able to sell it back for the same price or more on the Australian market.

 

Recent catches on Iso Tsuri

Just a quick update on my recent catches on the Iso setup. Mostly caught in the Central Coast at Woy Woy and some from Terrigal.

Bread and butter species in Woy Woy Bath

II've been fishing the public whatf in Woy Woy for quite a while but recently discovered that the bath just around the corner is very productive at good tide.

So I usually bottom fish by casting a whole worm or pilchard on a gang hook over to the opposite side and then Iso fish for luderick inside the bath.

On my first session I hooked up with a big bream and in my rush I drop my Iso landing net!! And lost the fish. It was a cold morning but I decided to dive in and find the net but gave up after half an hour. 

Not having a net on the second session I hooked up with a good blackfish on a 4lb line so had to drag it back to shore.

On my third session I finally caught that big bream. A nice 35cm specimen, along with a trevally and two mullets.

I will be trying to do some fly fishing in this area for blackfish and mullets.

Tandem kayak fishing from Davistown/South Kincumber to Empire Bay

Yesterday after work  I picked up my mate Dom at Artarmon and he stayed with us in Wyoming for an early morning kayak fishing.

For this first tandem kayak fishin trip we decided to head down to Davistown on the south side of Kincumber and paddle around to Empire Bay.

I was pretty quiet but we managed to catch a long-tom, 5 flatheads with one keeper of 42cm on soft-plastic on a pen fishing rod, a 27cm bream trolling a crank bait and two nice squids.

It also was the first trip out with my Garmin Echo 201DV fishfinder on a DIY mount I made for the yak.

Great day out!

Nice Drummer in Terrigal

My alarm was set at 5am, but I woke up in panic and it was 6.15am! I set the wrong alarm, weekdays instead of weekend one...

Got to Terrigal at around 7.30. I realised I forgot my bucket and burley box. That's a great start...

I soaked some bread and hand throw them. But I was too lazy today and water plus cold weather is not great. It was also raining but i was hoping it was good for drummers. After an hour walking around I finally got to the end of the first platform, my favourite location. An Iso fisherman was seen on the opposite platform he then went away half an hour later. Two other fishos came and started to burley around with bread, sweet! Free burley for me hahaha. I went around the hole and started to cast around. I was running out of time, so best for me is to chase the fish. After 10 mins I got a spat out, casted again and yoohoo!!! The rod bent as I've never seen! It's a difficult ledge because it's a sort of big amphitheatre with bit staircases and The good spot usually 20 meters away and snagging easily happens. But fortunately for me this time I managed to steer the fish away and brought it back to me. It definitely was a drummer by the feeling on the rod. After maybe 5 minutes I got the beast at my feet and used the net for the first time to land my catch.

A 40cm drummer, I estimated as the Ikiboard was too short to exactly measure it. I left the fish in a pool and went for another quiet 30 minutes before killing the fish using the Ikigun.

I did take some video footage but it was a failure, I switched off the camera in the middle to save batteries and forgot to turn it back on before the catch. I recorded the Iki Jime process but my arm was hiding the action... So next time.

Here are the pics:

Huy

Great end of the week with breams and drummers

I'm on annual leave since Wednesday as I have family members coming to visit us in Wyoming. Yesterday morning I went to catch some fish for our diner tonight. So I went to  to Half Tide Rocks, nearly 40 minutes drive from home! I was hoping it will be worth the effort.

After a walk to the point, I went and choose my fishing spot and started the burley ritual and did few cast right in front of me. At first there were small bites and few misses. But then big breams were coming for the burley! It was really cold, 8 degrees when I arrived. I made it 2 hours and kept 3 breams for diner.

I have recorded about 1h20 of the session but used iMovie to make some time shifts effect to fast forward boring parts.

Here is the intro video:

And this is the full version:

The keepers:

Then I went back home and took my wife and boy for a lunch and then drove the missus back home while father and son went for a ride to three different playgrounds. On the way to the third playground Thien-San, my boy, felt asleep so I drove to Narara Creek where I can park the car just one meter away from the water so I can fish and keep an eye on him.I started burleying in the middle of the creek but then nothing, not a single bite. So I decided to burley closer right in front of the little bush and bang bang bang! 4 more breams to end this awesome day, here are the two legal ones but I released them anyway:

This afternoon, I took the cousins to Terrigal beach, as the kids were playing with my wife on the beach, my cousin, his wife and I went on the tiny rock platform on the right hand side. I didn't think well of the location, but it seemed OK to the view of the weed beds and rocky bottom but we didn't want to go too far away from the kids anyway so we stayed around.

Luckily after the burley took effect, breams and Blackfish were caught one after the other until it was time to go back home as the little one was hungry.

Once back home, I posted a report on OzIsoFishing forum and the more experienced members told me the two fish I thought to be Ludericks were actually Drummers! My first pigs on my Iso setup!

What a wonderful week really! I'm not sure if it's because of the Iso fishing technique, or because Central Coast is just the fishing heaven as most are saying or maybe a bit of both, but this week has been really fun and I learned a lot about this awesome fishing technique.

I gave my wife the rod so she can have some fun fighting a large bream, but unfortunately he spat out the hook right at her feet.

Here are some more pictures of this afternoon taken by my auntie:

And of course, we had a great diner. I cleaned up the fish, my wife cooked them and my auntie did the salad, what a yummy diner:

7 hookups 1 landed

Up until today all the Iso sessions I made were just an intro to Iso fishing. What I meant by this is the fish did not put an awesome fight and I felt it was just like fishing with a regular rod. Yeah the rod did bend and all but it was not spectacular.

Until this afternoon, I went to Terrigal, first time on this platform and it looked awesome. The tide was raising and the swell was safe. Not a fisho out there, the platform was for me so I picked my spot and started burleying.

My first hookup happened 40 minutes after the first cast. Something really big was on the other side. Unfortunately my drag was not at 100% so it pulled under a rock and busted me off.

It carried on like that three times eventhough the line snapped too early to be rocks I think it was a big fish and my 8lb was too light. So I switch to 12lb and landed a nice Blackfish.

As the tide went up and sun went down, the fish went mad over the big rock step on top of which the white water was bubbling. Until 5.20pm I lost 3 other big fish. I finally got to learn how to use the lever drag. At the beginning I got busted cuz I was holding the lever and tension was too high. On next hookups, as soon as I recognised the breaking tension I released the lever and the rod straighten up allowing me to fight for around one minute but I always ended up in the rocks at the end of the rock step.

By 4pm some other fishos have been fishing around me I didn't notice them coming, too focused. The sun went down, I casted my last one but not being able to see the float I decided to hold the rod tip high and pulling the line a bit. I noticed the fish were so aggressive that I didn't need to see the float. And bang another big one and another bust off... :-(

So either the fish snapped the line or the line got stuck to deep rocks far in front of me.

Even with just a single blackie and multiple busted ones. I feel that this session was a real Iso one which I learned a lot from.

I now need to get some 16lb fluoro leader!

More bream on Iso in Sydney

After my first visit to Clifton Gardens the other day, I decided, yesterday, to give it another go but went to the rocky bits on the right side of the beach accessing it through the walk path from the beach.
15 minutes after my first cast, the wind went mad, black clouds were forming and a massive dead branch felt off a tree and landed two meters from my feet. That was it for me, I packed up and went to the jetty. But the wind got even stronger and some fishos left for their cars. So did I.

However, I didn't want to waste an afternoon so decided to find a protected area and remembered of place I read from other forums as being more productive. And from memory it's location should protect me from the wind coming from that direction. So I headed there and walk down the path and hill to access the small rock platforms. I chose a group of four rocks and stand on the first of them. As I stepped on the rock, a blackfish got spooked and swam away... Before deploying my rod, I burleyed in front of me. 20 minutes have past and not a single bite, I became impatient as it was around 5pm and the sky was getting darker. So I casted on my left, nada... I casted on my right, trying to reach as the other set of rocks further back, and as the float settled it went down, bang! Smaller fighter, it was the first of three leather jackets.

An Iso fisher man was standing further up by the point, he was on a good location but it was too far for me and I didn’t have a lot of time so I decided to stay here.

I had enough of leatherjacket and they bit through my 6 lb leader so many time I’ve lost about 5 hooks, so I casted again in front of me in the hope the burley had kicked in. Again as the float settled it went for a dive, I strike and hooked up to something good! Letting the Iso rod do the work for me, the fish finally got to the rock and I lifted up as my platform was very low at near water level, my landing net is still a virgin! It was a nice bream, I estimated it to 28 cm. Second cast, a second bream of the same size, third cast got me an undersize bream that went back to the sea.

It then got quiet again, the sky was now at near zero visibility, I used what’s left of burley and made a last attempt, the float was barely visible, but I managed to see it went under for one more time and got me another good bream. That was exciting!

I called it a day and started packing up when $#&&@~!!!, in my excitements I forgot to check the water and my way back is now under water. Oh dear! Quick lets check Google Maps, it seems to be another exit on the opposite side, so I slowly jumped from rock to rock and got stuck again as a stack of small boats and kayaks were in my way and the rock on the side was too far to make a jump.

After some hesitation, I knew the only way out is to climb that bushy slope in front of me, so I looked around and see a low enough edge and used my landing net pole as a probe. Slowly, I made my way up avoiding fragile roots, branches and other obstacles and finally made it up there…

Behind me:

In front of me:

From the top:

Got home after one and a half hour drive and measured the fish. I released one small bream and two leather jacket. Here are the keepers, the breams were all around 29m.

What an adventure...

First bream on Iso

Until Tuesday, I will be finishing work at 3pm. That's a great opportunity for me to practice my Iso fishing skills around the Sydney area. Yesterday I went to discover Clifton Gardens, I've heard of this spot several times in the past but never got to visit it until now. I can understand why it is popular, the view is good, there is a nice grass field for family gathering, the beach is small but nice enough and there is a massive jetty where fishing is said to be pretty good at times.

I arrived at around late 3pm and there were already a lot of fishos. But everyone's bucket seemed to be empty, except for a guy who was catching yakkas. There was another Iso fisherman but he to was getting doughnut.

I've anyhow decided to give it a go and stayed till 5.30pm. I saw one other guy trying to catch a yellowtail for bait for Kingfish, as he was using a hook and bait that was way too big, I offered him a size 12 hook, he still didn't catch anything so I helped him by pulling out my handline and caught him a yakka to play with.

After 20 minutes of berleying and getting my bait stolen by pickers, something decent finally pulled my float down fast. Little fight and I pulled out a 26cm bream, the only good fish for the whole session...

I will be coming and try again.

My first legal Blackfish

As I got into Iso fishing, targetting Blackfish (aka Luderick) was to be expected. With a lot of efforts going to various rock fishing locations, I still haven't managed to catch any decent blackfish (caught couple of baby ones when targeting Bream...).

This morning I went to Bradleys Head, a wonderful location if you are looking for a fantastic panoramic view over the Harbour Bridge, for another attempt. I started on the rocky patches on the left of the amphitheatre but the first hours was pure failure, not a single bite, the tide was at the lowest...

I then decided to change spot and went on the jetty right in front of the amphitheatre where a lot of weeds were growing at the base. All went very slowly, caught couple of Pufferfish, little buggers, but then the tide started to raise and I could see a big school of bait fish swimming in. Very soon after that, my float went for a slow dive so I strike and hookup with a mullet.

A nice by-catch to start the excitement.
As my float drifted away, I saw a big Kingfish chasing some of the bait fish at around 6 meters in front of me. He must have been about 1.20 meters! All I could do was to admire this majestic fish swim by.

Then suddenly there were some noise behind me, a couple of crow were trying to get a feed from the bread inside my bag... I chase them away and secure the bait.

Back to my float, it has drifted past the left side of the jetty and above some weed bed, it sank! Strike & hook up again! This time if feels bigger and the rod was bending nicely. That's when I had an experience of the self pulling action of the Iso rod. Those long rods are extremely flexible and because they are trying to regain their original straight shape, they are pulling the fish for you at the same time, all I had to do is holding the base of the rod straight up and the fish was being pulled towards me by the rod. Quite neat. The fish was swirling around in the water and I couldn't recognise this type of movement, until it started to swim straight that's when I knew it was a Blackfish, and a good size one. I haven't brought a net with me and wasn't too sure about lifting it up. Not knowing my new Iso rod well yet, I didn't want to risk breaking it by lifting the fish out so I worked it back to the stairs on the side of the jetty. On the way the Blackfish was trying to dive under the weeds but thanks to the length of the rod (5.3m) it was just a matter of extending my arm in front of me and the fish was pulled out from below the weeds. Awesome! I then just caught the leader and pulled the baby out of the water.

31cm it was, not too bad for a first legal size Blackfish on Iso rod. It was the first time I saw a legal Blackfish in real life, and I find it very a nice fish.

Both the fish were not a match to a size #2 Iso rod that is designed for Drummers, but it still was a nice fight and seeing the rod bending over is quite exciting. As I was away from home to work on a night shift in Sydney, the fish were released to fight another day.

Hopefully, I will catch more of them soon and looking forward to fight a Drummer too!

First month in Central Coast

After months of house hunting in the the northern areas of Sydney, my wife and I decided to move to Wyoming near Gosford on the Central Coast as the houses are bigger and cheaper and the life style is just great for rising a child. And on top of that, there are a lot of popular fishing areas :-D

I haven't been personally very lucky for this first month but with some friends we did manage to bring back some nice catches.

On my first session, I went at the discovery of Brisbane Water and fished near MV Lady Kendall II and got a nice bream caught on frozen beach worms.

My family did enjoy walking along Brisbane Water, it's quite a change from Artarmon, so great being able to be near the water.

Some friends then came up and visit us staying the weekend at our place. We then been told by a local fisherman that the railway bridge is an awesome place where people have caught some nice jewies. So we went there at night trying to catch some, but unfortunately we didn't have squids, just frozen pillies, instead of jewfish we caught a lot of breams one of which was over 1 kg. We were using frozen pilchards as bait and the big bream was caught with a whole pilchard on a gang of size 3 hooks!

I now live in Wyoming and Narara Creek is less than 10 minutes drive from home, my first attempt there got me a big eel and four nice breams on my pen fishing rod. I really like this little rod, even if it feels a bit like a toy, which it's probably is if you compare the built quality to normal size rods, it is however a very capable fishing rod that brings you much more fun than regular outfits. It took me 10 minutes to land this eel, half the time to fight it back to the creek's edge and another half to make it enter and stay in the landing net. The pen rod was bending and screaming and at the end of the Berkley Nanofil 4lb line, I could feel every single movement of the beast that tried to swim away on my far left.

One of my rock fishing buddy came along and we headed one morning to Avoca. Alarm clock set to 4am! There we went, I was surprised how large the rock platform was and the view of Avoca beach was just amazing. We stayed until 11:30am and near the end my mate caught one Bonito and two Mack Tuna. I managed to catch a black drummer on his Iso Tsuri fishing rod.

I'm now hooked to Iso fishing! More about this subject very soon.

So overall, living in the Central Coast is really a big change, in a good way. We live near fishable waters, the life peaceful, nice neighbourhood, the house is massive and costs less than a one bedroom unit down in Sydney. The drawback, there is always drawbacks, is the commute time, I still working in Artarmon, so my commute is mainly biking from home to Narara station, then take a one hour train to Artarmon and bike to the office, it usually takes around 1:20 each way. Driving would take a bit over an hour on a good day. But for the moment it is worth the effort.