8 November 2011

Fishing in/near Canberra?

| Watson
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My daughter (nearly 7) wants to go fishing this weekend! I’ve never cast a line in my life so I have absolutely no clue. I’ll go to that tackle shop in Belco for our gear as I’ve heard they are good with advice too.

I considered driving up to Wee Jasper if we have the time as I love the place and the drive there and apparently there’s quite a bit of perch (yellow belly?) in the river there.

But what other (river) spots closer by would you recommend for absolute beginners? I don’t want to catch carp, for the obvious reasons. Though I think at this stage it is highly unlikely that we’ll catch anything anyway, but my daughter is very hopeful!

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EliteFishing4:34 pm 26 Mar 15

Redfin with lures best option for little kids. try off the bridge at the lake.

Holden Caulfield said :

Fishing on RA can be fun. Pretty easy to get a bite as well.

No It’s Not…

Disinformation said :

Do you think it’s time to have the RiotACT family carp fishing extravaganza?

We could decide on a stretch of lake shore, burley up the spots for everyone a few hours beforehand and then as families rock up they could sit in front of a preprepared spot..
Basic webpage advice on equipment and technique and on the spot instruction and demonstration on the day..

It wouldn’t take much to organise and Bowen park would provide easy access to parking and a good lake channel…

Half the RA would be weeping for the carp, and half lobbing dynamite. And someone clever would be taking good photos.

Disinformation4:53 pm 10 Nov 11

Do you think it’s time to have the RiotACT family carp fishing extravaganza?

We could decide on a stretch of lake shore, burley up the spots for everyone a few hours beforehand and then as families rock up they could sit in front of a preprepared spot..
Basic webpage advice on equipment and technique and on the spot instruction and demonstration on the day.. It wouldn’t take much to organise and Bowen park would provide easy access to parking and a good lake channel…

p1 said :

I find that if you don’t use bait (or better yet, don’t use a hook), the beer drinking by the water fishing isn’t interrupted as often.

Ill happily be ‘interrupted’ by the sound of my fishing rod drag taking a fish, no matter what Im doing.

For what its worth, I heard a story of a young girl who caught a carp on nothing but a sinker. Fishing for carp is really dumb luck, as others have said you can clean up in 5 minutes in some places, but in the wrong place or the wrong time, you wont get anything for a whole day.

I really do suggest that if youre taking kids out fishing, you try to find someone with a bit of experience or local knowledge. If for no other reason than to give the kids a bit of an interest in what theyre doing, rather than potentially seeing fishing as just another boring thing they cant do, when with the right time and learning, anyone can master it.

When I worked at the bike hire on LBG many many years ago, an older Indian gentleman, would come nearly every weekend, and fill a number of big plastic tubs with carp that he caught. It got the better of the boss so he went and asked the gentleman what he was doing with them, and was told that “carp was an oily fish, very good for curry”.

From the amounts he was taking it must of been for a restaurant, but he wouldn’t say.

So if you like a fish curry. and have got it from his place wherever may be you propably have eaten carp and not known it.

Oh, also have a look at a “hair rig” on google and youtube. Once you use it with corn threaded through the hair with a notched needle, you’ll never use another type of setup again.
+1..Total fan of the hair rig, simple, but effective for Carp.
Fave spot for carp, 100m down from Kings ave bridge towards the Brod Burger van, can’t miss. Also used to like Yarramundi reach for a reliable carp spot, but after observing several older gents in their shorty short shorts observing me from behind trees, bushes etc..I decided to strike that spot off the list.

I find that if you don’t use bait (or better yet, don’t use a hook), the beer drinking by the water fishing isn’t interrupted as often.

Disinformation said :

I recommend you get some handlines instead of spending money on actual fishing rods if you aren’t seriously into it, my partner and I often throw in a handline or ten down at the lake near the NLA and have great success carp fishing.

Ah, surely you meant a handline or two, because more than that would be illegal under the ACT fishing regulations… and we should never encourage people to break the law, even when fishing for carp. 🙂

I’d also suggest that you have a quick look at google for a “bolt rig” which is essentially a reasonably weighty sinker which doesn’t “run” along the line. The carp pick up the bait, feel the prick of the hook and take off. The inertia of the sinker sets the hook.

Make sure your hand lines are secured well, as they will take off quite quickly..

Oh, also have a look at a “hair rig” on google and youtube. Once you use it with corn threaded through the hair with a notched needle, you’ll never use another type of setup again.

That is all waaay too advanced for us! I actually have a cheap rod somewhere in the garage that I bought years ago and never used. We now might be joined by a couple of other kids, so will make sure we have some extra line and hooks.

My daughter says she prefers bait fishing so we can play games while we watch the line, which sounds mighty fine by me. And I thought lure fishing might require more skill anyway? Might be ok if you have someone there who has a clue, but I have none.

Disinformation9:10 am 09 Nov 11

I recommend you get some handlines instead of spending money on actual fishing rods if you aren’t seriously into it, my partner and I often throw in a handline or ten down at the lake near the NLA and have great success carp fishing.

Ah, surely you meant a handline or two, because more than that would be illegal under the ACT fishing regulations… and we should never encourage people to break the law, even when fishing for carp. 🙂

I’d also suggest that you have a quick look at google for a “bolt rig” which is essentially a reasonably weighty sinker which doesn’t “run” along the line. The carp pick up the bait, feel the prick of the hook and take off. The inertia of the sinker sets the hook.

Make sure your hand lines are secured well, as they will take off quite quickly..

Oh, also have a look at a “hair rig” on google and youtube. Once you use it with corn threaded through the hair with a notched needle, you’ll never use another type of setup again.

Casting lures for Redfin is the way to go when fishing with little kids. My lot don’t have the patience for bait fishing, but are happy just casting out and winding in again even if they don’t catch anything.

We hit a school near the yacht club last summer and caught nearly 50 before it was time to go home.

Thanks for the tips! We’ll go check out one/some of these spots this weekend!

I find the young ones are happiest using lures, because you are constantly casting they don’t get bored as quick. Plus no messing about with ‘icky’ bait (their words, not mine).

Get a 20 dollar rod from Kmart and small lures with plenty of red on them. Kmart used to have the perfect little silicon fish for catching redfin but stopped stocking them, the bastards!

I get Redfin in front of Hungry Jacks at Lake Gininderra. Just don’t get snagged in the landscaping on the lakes edge. No luck at all in Lake Burley Griffin or Yerrabi Pond. But only because I haven’t found the good spots yet.

But now I have more spots to try. Yay me.

Three spots I can recommend for youngsters. 1. Yerrabi Ponds, 2. Just off the bridge behind government house (watch out for passing bike riders) 3. Off the National Museum pier. All three will provide small to medium redfin on rods baited with garden worms. I’ve often taken friends and their kids to each of these places and never failed. If you head off to Wee Jasper etc you will still see Carp but the odds of catching anything for the little ones might drop.

Disinformation12:36 pm 08 Nov 11

Redfin Perch can be found in most of the lakes around Canberra. They taste just fine and some think better than trout. They will take worms and even corn, but are better on lures like spinners.
For small children, carp are ideal introductions to fishing, but if you’d like to eat what you catch (and presuming you know how to fillet or prepare fish, then worms are your best option as they’ll catch a range of fish. No need to go above a size 10 hook either.
No license needed in the ACT, great access to water and plenty of options.

Caractacus Potts12:34 pm 08 Nov 11

I have taken my kids of a similar age fishing under the bridge at Lake Ginniderra. Plenty of tasty redfin lurk next to the pylons, it’s close and shady. The only disadvantage is traffic noise, but as Bramina at #7 says, you won’t be there long…

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Hang on, do you want dinner or do you want to throw it back? Do you know what sort of fish youre after for dinner? Do you prefer a river fish like trout or redfin or do you prefer a sea fish like flathead or snapper? Do you want to fish from a dirt bank, sand, boat, rocks, etc? You seem to have cast a rather large question but already have some ideas in your mind of what you want. Sometimes you may spend all day fishing and catch nothing, other times you might catch your bag limit in 15 minutes.

One thing to be mindful of, if youre fishing in NSW is ensure you have a fishing licence, they only cost a few dollars for a 3-day licence, and contribute to the fisheries. Getting caught fishing without a licence is a rather hefty fine. Also ensure you have a fish identification book or chart which tells you the legal size and type of fish you can keep. These books (and stickers, complete with ruler) are available for free at most tackle stores and maritime offices.

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Perfect for dinner! stick them in a bathtub of tepid water for a week, let them get all the lake gunk out of their system, terminate, de-scale, and then spend the better part of 4 hours de-boning them.Delicious!!

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

IS here a reason why you can’t eat carp? Are you Fishist?

I eat them regularly, just not from any of the man-made lakes in the ACT because I am scared of what might actually be in the water and been eaten by the Carp. However I still catch them in LBG and then dispose of the little bastards.

The most important thing here is that your daughter is 6. Firstly, she almost certainly won’t have the patience to sit around watching a line, and she will have no idea what is going on.

You could catch a carp, chuck it in the bin, and give her fish fingers for dinner.

But since you haven’t fished before, there’s a good chance you won’t catch anything.

If its not too far, consider going to the trout farm at Jindabyne. You will get a bite within seconds of throwing your line in, even if you don’t bait the hook. Your daughter will catch a fish, have a great time, and you get your dinner.

Watson said :

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

In the ACT you are allowed to throw them back.

Holden Caulfield12:01 pm 08 Nov 11

Fishing on RA can be fun. Pretty easy to get a bite as well.

2.0 said :

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

Because ideally, we’d like to catch our dinner! And I am put off by the fact that you cannot throw them back.

Go to any of the spots around Yarralumla Yacht Club, Yerrabi Ponds in Gungahlin or on the way out to Fyshwick, those carparks along Morshead Drive.

what are the ‘obvious reason’ you don’t want to catch carp?

they are great fun to catch, put up a good fight and you don’t have to go far.

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