# Luderick aka Blackfish in Sydney Harbour



## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

PS You dont need an Alvey - you can use an eggbeater too - it just helps to feed out line a little.....


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Youve got to keep that spare line to the float quite tight Occy but not too tight that the weed floats unaturally - they are smart little / feisty vego fish indeed. Much fun though indeed chasing them and quite good to eat. Whats amazing is that really they there most of the time on most rocky ledges. In the old days fishing off the rocks If I wasnt catching out with the heavier gear I'd have a little blackie bash at my feet in the white water and always used to piss myself laughing at how tuff and wiley they are !! May the Luderick gods shine upon you next time !!!


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

Hey Occy

As a teenager I was infected with the blackfish syndrome, I used to fish around the old "low level" Roseville bridge. Centre pin reel, cane rod, porcupine quill float.

The technique I found was a little like trout fly fishing, and that was to count to five on each down before lifting the rod.

There is a beautiful trout fishing story by David Scholes called "Mr Findlays water race" Scholes suggests saying "Mr Findlays water race" as the perfect pause between touch and strike.

David Scholes lived & fished in Tassie and was a magnificent fishing writer,I have a few of his books all beautiful.

cheers Mal


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## FishNfun (Jun 28, 2008)

Hi Occy,

This is my maiden post only been a member since 2008, call me slow!
I went to that floating pontoon at a local wharf and saw a guy catching Black beauties ... he had terrifick weed that he had got through a mate that got it in a special spot down the South Coast :would have to kill you if I told you" type of place.

So I guess it is not what you know to catch black fish it is all about who you know, that can get great weed/cabbage.


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## blackbandit (Aug 22, 2011)

and1013 said:


> Hi Occy,
> 
> This is my maiden post only been a member since 2008, call me slow!
> I went to that floating pontoon at a local wharf and saw a guy catching Black beauties ... he had terrifick weed that he had got through a mate that got it in a special spot down the South Coast :would have to kill you if I told you" type of place.
> ...


Ah.... my favourite rock hopping pastime fishing for Luderick/Blackfish (and the other non-PC name they are commonly called by ;-) ). Got two dedicated blackfish rods and use alvey reels. Fixed floats and one metre 6lb trace with a size 8 sneck hook under an 8lb main line. Use cabbage only in the suds off many headlands in the Illawarra.

Now this is going to be interesting... fishing for there beauties from a yak... trying to think what rod to use, reel is a no-brainer. Going to need a whippy tip because if you hook up to a decent sized bronzie you are going to know all about it. Best fighting fish size-to-weight ratio around I reckon next to it's cousin the Rock Blackfish (drummer). Hmmm... some of those ledges off Flagstaff Point (Wollongong Lighthouse) that are only accessible by a yak...   

Mick


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Uhhhhh , nice blackies Matt , they look very fit .


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## blackbandit (Aug 22, 2011)

occy said:


> And, only problem with getting the weed from the floating pontoons is having to wait for low tide mate. :lol: :lol: :lol:


Did notice the Freudian Slip there mate. Didn't want to embarrass you... but since you mentioned it! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ps. Still waiting for the Barracuda SOT...  ;-) 

Mick


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## FishNfun (Jun 28, 2008)

Caught a personal best in Sydney Harbour with me m8 Occy help, last week on the going out tide with weed this time ... and he has the photo to prove it ... it was so fat and full of weed, it even pooped a bundle on my foot. These fish are in excellent condition.

The fish are on so get your floats weighted and dropped in the soup for heaps of fun ... I was fishing with 3 lb line so it took me 10 minutes to land the stonker, it is fun having an audience as well as they hang arround to catch the next ferry.

One guy had me almost convinced to chuck the weed and use prawns, "best bait for them things m8" he bleeted. He was very suprised when he saw me bring it in on green stuff, He may use weed from here on in and give the prawns the flick from now on :lol:

It fed two guys and I can eat heaps of fish and we didn't glow after eating it.


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## FishNfun (Jun 28, 2008)

occy said:


> If anyone wants to see what a real blackfish looks like take a look at the one in the first two photos which Fishnfun caught the other day. We didn't measure it but my estimate (and the comparison with Rons arm) it has to be somewhere around 60cm. Given it was nearly as thick as it was wide it had to weigh around 2.5 kg at least I reckon.
> 
> Believe me folks this fish was seriously big and fat, a real stonker, and he landed it on 3lb mono would you believe. :shock: :shock: :shock: I was there and watched the master land both of them, and whilst I managed to hook up and loose what felt like a reasonable fish he really made me look like an amateur.
> (


Occy, your no amateur, you have taught me everything I know m8.

Whelp I set up at half up the tide to three quarter tide today 7-9-11 (would have to be the worst tide combo) and caught the same again as I did with Occy the other day . The smaller ****** was in the keeper net for most of the outing and fluked the stonker "take two" on dusk :? . It is a pretty poor photo I know, but it is interesting to note that this one while it was just as long, did not have the same girth (However it was cleaned weight).

I guess next to my gut anything would look small :lol:

Hopefully Occy and I will be out again this Friday, weather permitting, so with a bit of luck we will get another feed. I will post the recipe that I use to cook blackies ... it is unique and makes a real top nosh meal of it; it even has a ginger sauce. "Just a little bit fancy"

Another thing I love about fishing off a ferry warf is all the people you meet. Heaps of kids love seeing this harmless old man and a couple of good sized fish ... and of course I am pleased to see their Yummy Mummies. :twisted: :twisted: 

Life is Good!!


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

occy said:


> Believe me folks this fish was seriously big and fat, a real stonker,


Occulater the really big ones generally have a bronze hue about them and are for that reason are normally called 'bronzies' by the keen ****** anglers.

Right at the river mouth Jumpin Pin, Q, sometimes it is possible to get only bronzies only in numbers in a fishing session, but might only appear for about a week in winter when they migrate north and the water is a bit cooler than normal, and few smaller ones are around all year, but not many fishing for them as rewards are poor.


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## FishNfun (Jun 28, 2008)

Dodge said:


> Right at the river mouth Jumpin Pin, Q, sometimes it is possible to get only bronzies only in numbers in a fishing session, but might only appear for about a week in winter when they migrate north and the water is a bit cooler than normal, and few smaller ones are around all year, but not many fishing for them as rewards are poor.


Thanks RICHO

I also noticed that the "Bronzies" were full or roe ... is that what is happening they are coming up the esturies to spawn at this time of the year?


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

FishNfun said:


> I also noticed that the "Bronzies" were full or roe ... is that what is happening they are coming up the esturies to spawn at this time of the year?


Ron that is correct mate and why they come in a mass move into the rivers ..... but unlike bream, am pretty sure they are a fast growing species so eating some is not really knocking them around too much...... and as you would know they are great sport on the line, and lovely on a plate later.

Be interesting to see what happens to bronzie numbers in your neck of the woods as the water warms up, as my main experience was when living in Port Macquarie when drummer and ******* were my main target off the ocean rocks all year using cabbage under a float using 12lb mainline with 6lb trace [all mono], and both of them are about the only species I miss since coming to Qld in the early 70s.


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## FishNfun (Jun 28, 2008)

Hi Richo

Thanks replying to my post.

Sydney harbour has not seem a professional fisherman "except for Occy and me" since the Dioxin scare. I would guess that things are getting better each year, with no Prawn Trawlers and Netters whacking hell out of the fish stocks .

A sign on the lane Cove River suggested that there were 19 lb Snapper that the original inhabitancy lived off, and I would believe it.

Regarding Qld verses NSW/Sydney I would have no trouble have you move in to our house and vica versa.

I lived in Caloundra in 1975 and used to catch monster flathead on live whiting casting into the channel at the tip of Bribie Island.
You can always take a trip to Iluka, a mate and I knocked over 200 *******, there way back before catch limits. The next day there were no fish as the netters took the rest.
Ah the memories. But Sydney is pumping now the best I have seen it, so I am happy and it is not to far from the South Coast and the North Coast where they have also stopped the netters


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

FishNfun said:


> You can always take a trip to Iluka,


Ron did exactly that a few years ago in pre kayak days, and went to the Bluff at Iluka to revive some old memories of rock fishing using the float etc.

It looked great and there was ample cabbage around for bait and only a slight sea, but found my ancient body was no longer at ease on the rocks any more after so long away from rock hopping and got a bit edgy, so only fished 15 minutes and gave it away no longer having to prove anything to myself, but instead went beach fishing for a few days and had a good time...... had no light blackie gear to fish the river.


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