NSW - DEPOT BEACH 27/06/09

I couldnt resist the temptation to take the new ski for a session at Depot beach this morning with Luke and Stuart from AKFF. I had to make a quick stop in at the tackle store before i hit the water so i was a bit behind the others, when i arrived they were already out so i unpacked as quick as i could before they caught all the fish. Met up with the fella's and said a quick hello and got started on the fishing, set up drift with SP rods and landed my first Snapper for the day.

It was a little slow at first, landed plenty of crap fish including a barracouta and 1 fish that im not certain of, at first i assumed a wrasse of some description but after looking through a few books its quite possible it was a small Groper, ill keep researching that one as im still not sure. A few solid hits without hookups and a few bust off's from big fish but landing another fish was difficult. Stuart had been trying the edges of the bommie while Luke and i were drifting over broken reef, with none of us having much luck, especially Luke!!!

We all met up again and decided to try a slightly different area and had instant success, on the first drop i scored a Snapper then 2 more decent ones not long after. Finished up landing 4 Snapper, kept 2. All of them a similar size, out on the water i estimated 45-48cm but was suprised to see on the brag mat the biggest was 57cm which would have made the smallest about 50cm at a guess.

I had to leave early to drop the Revo off in Nowra to its new owner so i had to leave Stuart and Luke out there, so im very keen to hear how you guys went in the end. Im very happy with the new ski, decided to land on the beach instead of the usual channel between the rocks so i could see how she goes in the surf, it was only fairly small surf but caught a nice wave all the way into the beach comfortably, im going to take it down to a good surf beach tomorrow.

LURE FISHING FOR AUSTRALIAN BASS

Over the last couple of years i have developed a love for Bass fishing in the many rivers along the South coast of NSW, these rivers are one of the most peacefull places you can find which makes the experience even more enjoyable. Bass will take many different lures so i have put together this report to help anyone who hasnt had the satisfaction of luring a nice big wild river Bass.

The first technique i will talk about is surface lures which are very effective during the early morning and late afternoon period especially when there is a lot of insect activity. A few of the most effective surface lures include crawlers which make a great Cicada imitation, Walk the dog type lures which zig-zag accross the surface, and poppers. Casting these lures very close to the bank or other structure such as overhanging trees, and submerged timber or rock is the most likely spots to hold good Bass and will give you the best chance to tempt the fish to the surface for the lure.

Rather than sitting in the deeper water casting straight at the trees or submerged structure, try to position yourself closer to the bank which will allow you to cast and retreive accross the face of the structure which will give your lure more time in the strikezone. Slow to medium retreives usually work best for me, with plenty of long pauses along the way which is often the time a Bass will strike at the lure, sometimes a Bass will hit a surface lure 3 or 4 times before hooking up so if it misses the lure on the first strike there is a good chance it will come back for another attempt so keep the retreive going as normal until the lure is out of the strike zone.

Next on the list is Soft plastic lures which can be very useful when fishing heavily submerged timber or thick overhanging trees because they are cheap compared to hardbody lures and you have the ability to rig them with weedless/snag proof worm hooks. Jighead weight depends on the depth you intend to fish, but you rarely need a jighead heavier than 1/8oz for rivers, 1/16oz or 1/12oz are my preffered weight for soft plastic lures, a Betts spin blade or similar can be added to the jighead for added flash and noise will will often entice a Bass to strike aggresively which will ultimately increase your hookup ratio.

3-4 inch fat grubs, flickbaits and minnows are my most successful types of plastics in natural or darker colours are the choice of many anglers but it pays to have as many colour options as possible. Bass love diving hardbody lures as well, especially those with a bit of body to them.
The fatter crankbait style lures are the most popular, again, the natural or darker colours usually tempt the Bass most consistently.

Cast and retreive accross the face of structure with a slow retreive with plenty of pauses, the same as i have mentioned with the surface lures. While the lure is being retreived, if you feel the lure hit some submerged timber or rock, you can simply pause the retreive and the lure will slowly rise and the retreive can continue once its over the top of the obstacle which will decrease your chance of snagging and losing your lure.

The last lure type i will mention is the spinnerbaits, which are my favourite Bass lure.
Spinnerbaits were designed for fishing structure of all kinds, with their snagless and weedless design you can throw them right into otherwise unfishable locations and quite often this is where you find big Bass. Spinnerbaits can be used at any depth and come in a large range of colours and weights, along with blade styles, colours and amount of blades. I use tandem twin spins the most, which is a colorado blade, with a willow blade directly behind it and usually in a weight of 1/8oz.
I prefer dark colour skirts on spinnerbaits like black with either purple, red or green tips.

Fishing the Bass rivers on the South coast usually means thick overhanging trees with steep banks which is ideal for spinnerbaits, just find a gap in the trees, even a small gap and throw the spinnerbait as far up into it as possible, even right up to the bank if you can get it there and let the lure sink to the bottom then give the rod tip a sharp lift to get the blades spinning and commence with a slow retreive then pause and let the lure sink again, and repeat until the lure is back to you. Bass will often hit the spinnerbait on the drop so always keep an eye on the line and get ready to muscle the fish away from the structure, a big Bass will get you back into the structure before you know it so always be ready for the hit or you will lose lures, and fish.

The key to luring Bass is casting accuracy, the lure must be as close as possible to structure at all times, and when its warm and the sun is high fish the shaded areas thoroughly and you will find Bass. Please remember to always handle the fish with care, and take your camera!!

ROCKS - MALONEYS DRUMMER, NSW 21/6/09

With the recent weather conditions, getting out for a session in the kayak has been difficult with strong winds and a big swell which has left me to do some more landbased fishing, this time for Drummer (rock blackfish). Finding a spot that had some shelter from the wind and swell was tricky, but after searching local maps and google earth i decided to try a new rock platform that i have never fished before at Maloneys beach in Batemans Bay.

I searched the area looking for the better spots and came accross a nice deep section in between some thick weeds and reef. I started a burley trail of bread peices and bread crumbs, once i could see some fish moving around chasing the burley i sent out my unweighted #6 hook with a ball of bread firmly pressed onto the hook and watched it slowly sink down into the deep section and within the first 30 seconds i hooked up to a reasonable fish but pulled the hook after only a short fight.

Keeping a good burley trail going kept the fish active and hookups were common, on most casts the bait was getting hit and a few decent Drummer came up to join me on the rocks for a quick photo before release. After a few more smaller fish, a good Drummer of 41cm and approximately 2kg came up after a good solid fight and a few nervous moments trying to get me into the weeds and rocks. After that fish, things went suddenly quiet with hardly a touch for 5 or more minutes until i felt a light tug on the line, i lifted the rod tip slowly to se if there was any weight on it and as soon as the fish felt some tension on the line it was on!!!

Using 15lb braid and 15lb flurocarbon leader i was able to put quite a bit of drag onto the Daiwa Tierra reel which i estimate was about 6kg of drag pressure but that was not nearly enough to stop this beast of a Drummer, i didnt even get a chance to turn the handle once, he had dusted me in no time under a rock ledge and despite everything i tried including opening the bail arm for a few minutes to see if he would swim out himself i could not get this fish out of the rocks and eventually snapped the line.

My time was pretty much up by that stage so it was time to pack up and start the long walk back to the car. A very promising spot that i will be visiting again soon to try and beat that Drum!!

THE KFA KITCHEN - BAKED WHOLE SNAPPER

Winter around the southern coastal areas of NSW provide many fishermen the chance to dine and feast on fat Snapper intent on securing a feed themselves. The pan sized models provide good sport on light gear while the larger beasts can feed upteen amounts of people (From children to adults). A few years ago I came up with a simple recipe to showcase a baked fish, while it works well on fish like Bream, it really proves its worth infusing its flavours with whole Snapper.

Baked Snapper with Lemon and cracked Pepper :

1 Snapper ( 1kg upwards, Fresh is best )
1 lemon ( Thinly sliced, skin on )
1 Onion ( Sliced finely )
3 Garlic cloves ( Sliced finely )
2 Tomatoes ( Diced or sliced )
1 Flat leaf parsley ( 6 tbsp, roughly chopped )
1 Basil ( 6 tbsp, roughly chopped )
1 Sage ( 3 tbsp, roughly chopped )
1 Oregano ( 3 tbsp, roughly chopped )

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees, and prepare baking tray ( Deep dish ) by placing Snapper into tray and oiling with a good quality virgin olive oil. Score snapper ( Cut 4 slices down the body from head to tail, lightly into the skin of the fish ), rub oil into the cuts and crack generous amounts of pepper into and all over the body, follow this with a few pinches of sea salt and place tray to the side.


2. Place all Stuffing / Filling ingredients into a bowl, mix with a tbsp of oil and again crack some pepper and mix. Stuff fish heavily with filling and use a skewer to stitch the Snapper closed ( Alternatively a tooth pick, or leave open! ), take sliced lemon and place on top of the fish gently inserting each slice into the score, aligning neatly along the body.


3. Bake fish until cooked ( No more than 1/2 hr, checking along the way ) and serve with some baked potatoes with lashings of Chives & Sour cream, plate up and enjoy.

KFA Kitchen tips :

• Dont over bake, check only once and turn if desired.


• Substitutes well with Bream, Black Bream and other white fleshed species.


• Cover with foil if you wish, beware any juices will not evaporate and add to the finished product.


• Could be barbequed or even smoked using webber techniques.

THE KFA KITCHEN - THAI FISH CAKES

The weather for Snapper bashing looked a little ordinary this weekend, big swells and high wind. We took the opportunity to practice a few traditional forms of fishing instead, the art of rock and beach. While the Drummer off the rocks were replaced by Sweep (Unfortunately), the Salmon came out to play as we hit the beach surf at Pedro Point. The larger specimens were returned to the water while most of the smaller 40cm models were kept for mincing and freezing, ultimately ending up on the Kayak Fishing Adventure Kitchen menu.

Thai Fish Cakes (Makes 16) :

500g Australian Salmon (Filleted, skinned and boned)
2 tbsp red curry paste
2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves (Torn)
2 green onions (Chopped coarsely)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
3 snake beans (30g, chopped finely)
2 fresh small red thai chillies (Chopped finely)
Peanut oil (For deep frying)

1. Cut fish into small pieces. Bleand and process fish with curry paste, lime leaves, onion, sauce and juice until mixture forms a smooth paste. Combine fish mixture in medium bowl with coriander, beans and chilli.


2. Roll heaped teaspoon of the mixture into ball, then flatten into cake shape; repeat with remaining mixture.


3. Just before serving, heat oil in wok or large saucepan; deep fry fish cakes, in batches, until browned lightly and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper; serve with fresh coriander leaves and lime wedges, if desired.

KFA Kitchen tips :

• Nice with cucumber dipping sauce, shredded carrot on the side.


• Substitute Salmon with any firm white flesh (Flathead, Redfin etc).


• Dip fingers in cold water before shaping cakes, prevents sticking.


• Try turning only once during cooking, dont crowd them in the pan.


• Remaining mixture can be shaped ahead and kept overnight.


• Can be char-grilled or barbequed, use cooking oil spray directly.