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Jazman,
Would be keen to come along next flounder trip. Let me know when you are going.
Need to gear up. Checked some of the other flounder threads and have some idea of what is involved. Do you normally wear waders? I take it a flounder type light is a necessity, something like a dolphin wouldn't be much good especially if it is not submerged? I have an old conventional speargun (newer one stolen -oouch), I guess this would do.
Cheers
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Gday snapperman
I do normally wear waders, but I wear shorts in summer. But if the sea lice are bad I wear waders even in summer to stop the little b******s from biting my legs. You really do need to have your light submerged to spot flounder, so a dolphin torch is out (although I know they are waterproof, the angle you'd have to stoop to keep the light underwater would mean you'd do your back in). The lights advertised as prawning lights are the ones to get.
HOWEVER don't lash out and buy a whole heap of stuff unless you're sure you're going to use it a lot, I have a spare set of everything (waders, light, battery, spear, net, float) that you're welcome to borrow.
A speargun isn't necessary for spearing flounder, in fact I think it could be dangerous (although a crazy mate insisted on snorkelling along next to me one night with a speargun, he did quite well on the flathead). You can make a very basic but extremely effective flounder spear by bolting a cluster head onto a length of ally pipe from bunnings. Then try and bend all the prongs into a straight line. But like I said I have a spare spear so it might be best to check out my gear first to get an idea of what to buy/make.
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Jazman,
Thanks for the offer. I have waders, several old batteries and charger, spear off speargun and can put together a float system but might take you up on spare light. let me know when you are thinking of going.
Do you know if the beach on Phillip Island Cowes towards Rhyll is any good for floundering, flat and shallow and sand. Im down there over Melb cup we and might have a poke around.
Cheers
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If it's flat and shallow then it's defiantely worth a look. I'v never tried there myself. I'll start a new thread about the group trip when I think we're a good chance to get some fish - hopefully in the next few weeks.
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Jazman or anybody else,
Got some basic gear together so depending on weather I am going to have a look for a flounder or two this weekend.
What is the best time of the night, 9pm versus say midnight?
What depth line is best?
looking forward to snagging some of these slippery suckers.
Cheers
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Hi Snapperman
About time to go, you can get fish from as soon as it gets dark onwards, but having said that I generally find that I get more and more fish as the night wears on - so go as late as you can within reason.
Any depth from waist deep to ankle deep, you do get fish deeper but at much deeper than waist deep it becomes a bit troublesome to spear accurately, and it gets harder to hold the light. I honestly get most of my best fish in about 1 foot of water.
As for floundering this weekend.....if I were you I would give it a miss. The forecast is for windy conditions and wind is the enemy of the flounder spearer - it ruffles up the surface of the water and makes it EXTREMEMLY hard to spot the fish.
Friday
Northeast to northerly wind of about 10 knots during the morning and seabreezes
of 10 to 15 knots developing in the afternoon. Wind then tending northerly
tonight and freshening to 15 to 20 knots. Waves around half a metre increasing
to a metre tonight.
Saturday
Northerly wind increasing to 20 to 30 knots early then easing to about 15 knots
before shifting southwest to southerly at a similar strength later in the day.
Waves of 1 to 2 metres gradually abating to less than 1 metre.
Sunday
Southwest to southerly wind of 10 to 15 knots reaching 20 knots in the afternoon
and evening.
Have a go if you're really keen, but I'd hate for your maiden trip to be a bummer because the weather isn't suitable.
Ideally you want a forecast of winds below 5 knots, or variable to 10 knots etc.
Good luck
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Jazzman,
Thanks for all the info.
Unfortunately did'nt manage to try floundering over the weekend. The beach was exposed to the North Easterlies so there was no point. Monday evening would've been perfect but had to return earlier. Got some good advice from a couple of locals including a novel way of fishing for Garfish which involves using an opened clothes wire hanger, breaking their backs by flicking it over them.
Went out on Sat from Newhaven around Clelands Bight for 2 pinkies and a small gummy.
Cheers.
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hi snapperman,
i would like to hear more about this wire hanger trick...how do they get close enough to flick the garfish with a wire hanger?
is this while floundering at night?
cheers, glen
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Glen,
Apparently hitting gars over the back with a wire hanger is supposed to be a good way of getting them. The person who described it said it was possible to get two or three in one go. I havnt got any experience with gars in the shallows at night myself but I believe they are on the surface so a normal torch would probably be ok.
Cheers
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I used to do something similar to the coathanger trick when I used a single pronged flounder spear - just line them up and slap the spear down onto their back. I have found that it does tend to mess them up a bit. In my opinion you're better off trying to spear them. The last time I went floundering down near the Prom we got over 60 good sized gars, all speared. I don't think we'd have caught this many had we been using the coathanger trick, also I tend to think that the slapping noise when you whack them would scare off other gars in the area. Also it can be tricky to recover the stunned gars.
The forecast for tonight looks reasonable for a Blairgowrie trip, but I'm a bit hesitant to suggest a group trip because the forecast suggests winds tending Northerly. Southerly, South-Westerly, or Westerly winds are good for Blairgowrie, any wind from the North blows directly onshore and jacks up the waves.
Friday
West to southwesterly wind of 15 to 20 knots moderating to 10 to 15 knots this
afternoon and tending southwest to southerly. Wind easing to 5 to 10 knots
tonight and tending west to northwesterly. Waves about 1 metre abating to half a
metre or less tonight.
I'm willing to have a go, only because it's not too far of a drive for me, what do the rest of you guys reckon?
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Forget about the trip, the forecast has changed:
Tonight and Saturday
South to southwesterly wind around 15 knots shifting northwesterly overnight at
around 10 knots. Wind freshening to 15 to 20 knots by the afternoon then
shifting southwesterly at similar strength. Waves to around half a metre rising
to around 1 metre by the afternoon.
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