# NSW - Durras Lake surface action



## brant78 (Jun 24, 2012)

Hi all.

About a week ago I ventured up to Durras Lake to try my hand at surface action for whiting/bream. Given the enormous summer crowds I headed up there super early and was on the water just after 5am. First there. Feeling great with lures in hand and a beautiful pre-dawn quietness and still flat water. Started working the flats and could see whiting everywhere. So I thought here we go.

3 hours later and not an inquiry after trying every single lure in my surface action tacklebox I was starting to get despondent. The water was glassy, the tide was coming in and the fish were really thingy.
I headed up as far as I could go and decided to fish the fringe of the deeper water and the 6inch flats.

A nice ripple had come over the water and the tide was on the change so I was hopeful.

I saw a big flash in the water and thought it was a big mullet. I then saw my line heading in the opposite direction and knew I had a good one. I carefully brought it back to the boat (I had forgotten my net and with a 3kg fine trace I was a bit nervous). However, I managed to get it into the boat and was ecstatic. PB sand whiting at 42cm. As big as I have seen them in Durras. 










I then had a crazy 1.5 hours where I was getting smashed with my sugpen lure.










Interestingly the only other thing they were interested in was a px45 in purple but it was nothing compared to my sugpen. Other Px45s, bent minnows, NW pencils - nothing, which was interesting. Most of the fish were smashing each other to hit the lure which actually made it quite hard to hook them. I also changed to those little decoy trebles and they made a massive difference. Didn't drop a fish after that.
I love the bow wave behind the lure and then splashes and hits followed by your lure doing cartwheels through the air with ferocious whiting hammering after it. That is what popper fishing is all about.

I decided to change it up after all that by using the gold ecogear zx 35 and flicked around the slightly deeper water and hooked a big flattie. With my very fine trace I knew it would be a fluke to land, and with no net I tried to bring it towards the shore to beach. Snap! AHHHH!!!  Oh well.
Then hooked a nice little bream as well. So the blade was doing well.

After this it started blowing a gale and was really tough going. Along with the loonies on jet skis and fanging around in high speed boats with donuts out the back :twisted: , I felt I was better off heading back.

All in all, I had to really work for the fish and interesting for the 6-7 hours I was on the water, there was a small window of good action. So it pays to put in the yards and time ;-) .









Ps don't those other whiting look really little!? They are 30cm.


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

Surface fishing and bow waves, sounds like a wicked little session once it turned on.


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## RekFix (Dec 30, 2011)

Stonker fish....noice!

Changing trebles on the water.... I would never think of that, awesome stuff mate.


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## brant78 (Jun 24, 2012)

Yeah the back treble was quite blunt so you can see from the pic that there are different trebles. I also think the trebles on these lures are a bit big. I find the smaller trebles tend to hook the whiting better particularly if they are fighting themselves to get onto it.


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## robsea (Apr 7, 2010)

Congrats on the PB whiting on surface lures.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Massive bonehead Brant, and isn't it good to catch something on a new lure  Might have to get me a sugapen.


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## Sibbo (Aug 11, 2012)

Well done mate. Interestingly I ordered a sugerpen in that colour last night before I read your post. Random :shock: . Dissapointed I didnt make the effort to venture down to Durras. Burrill and Conjola were dissapointing to say the least.


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