North Ballina - Beach Lizzards

[stonecold]

Not long read Goatboys report on South Ballina Beach so thought I'd post up some of the Lizzards I managed off the beaches just north of Ballina this week. All on S.P. Work has finally died down a bit so Ive managed 3 trips this week. The surf was a little big earlier in the week but I still managed 1 bream at about 35cm and a monumental wipe out on what I expect was a bigger bream. Tuesday I fished high tide with a dropping sea. I found some rock in a gutter close to shore. It took a little while before I located the fish in the gutter but after that they were thick. I managed 9 lizzards in 40-45 minutes the biggest going 60-62cm with the majority at 45ish cm. Managed a hat trick at one stage the second fish taking the placcie before it hit the bottom.

Managed another quick trip yesterday arv to the same rocks and scored another 5 lizzards plus a small bream. Paid the price for being to casual on the biggest flattie for the session...that finished proceedings!

Initially fish caught on a 4" swimming mullet in pumpkinseed with a 3/8oz jighead combination, my favourite off the beach. Changed to a watermelon pearl 4" minnow on the same jig head and its quickly establishing itself as a new favourite off the beach....phenominal imitation of a white pillie in the water!


Pictures are poor from the fone but hey everyones seem pics of flatties and well ...the one of my hand.... thats the best I could do with the phone and the swearing coming out of my mouth::)

[JEWIENEWIE]

Flathead but a fat hand........Ouch.
Jewie

[84mick]

Nice looking flatties! Must say your hand looks painfull. What size line and leader do you use in the surf?

Cheers, Mick.

[nuggstar]

how did that happen, oooooooo that looks nasty. nice flattys too

[stonecold]

G'Day Nugg...might have had something to do with the bikini walking up the beach ...I was only lookin for a sec I promise ;D

Mick 3 kg fireline with 10lb FC Rock...pulls most of em up no dramas. Only been dusted the once...so far

[Freeeedom]

OOhhh!!! That's ugly - I bet that hurt. The lizard stab wounds tend to ache for quite a while. Nice fish though!
Cheers Freeeedom

[bdowdy]

nice fish stonecold .... bet that hand bled like a b^&% but...cheers bdowdy..brett

[stonecold]

;D ;D

Yeah but my wound will heal in a week or so...I can safely say that the flatties wont!

[Bennywise]

Hey Mate,

Nice Beach flathead, they fight hard in the surf!!! what rod and reel set up do you use for SP's on the beach? I have been trying to find a nice 3-6kg 9 foot rod for the same purpose.

Ben

[stonecold]

G'Day Ben,

Im using a 7ft 2-4 Kg live Fibre nicknamed "black death" put a 2500 Stradic on it and from the beach its landed everything from 3kg choppers through, bigger lizzards and bream. I regularly fish it outside and have knocked over some respectable kings and tuna on that outfit.
I really dont think you need to go any longer than 7ft, Ive looked at a few 8ft'ers but keep coming back to ole faithful. In reality the fish are normally within 20-25m of shore and more often than not within 15m. Dont need a long rod for that sort of work.
If the gutter looks good a little further out I'll wade out on the sand spit and cast back in towards the beach working the deeper water.

Cheers Mark

[pommy]

Great post Mark!

Learned a lot from that and your pm. Have a 6'8'' Raider with a 2500 Eclipse and 8lb Platypus braid. Will give it a go! I fished the same gutter the day before at first light, low tide with prawns and salted pillies and only scored 1 bream and a few bits. Well done!

What length leader do you use?

Thanks for the last pm.

Regards, rob.

[stonecold]

Rob in the surf I get away with a metre or so of leader, the fish seem much less gun shy in the surf. I have been down to 15cm of leader at times...just lazy.
I check the leader after most fish and if its damaged I'll retie te jig head. After a dozen or so flatties it dosent take long for a metre or so of trace to be reduced to near nothing.

My backup outfit is a Raider with a 1500 Semetrye so yours will do fine

I fished the Northern side of Flat Rock yesterday arv for another 6 lizzards and 1 bream, smaller fish but still fun....kini traffic better tho;D

[pommy]

G'day mate!

Hope all's well.

I've been out of touch for a while....laid low with tonsilitis.

Would be keen for a weekend fish any time over the next few weeks.

Regards, Rob.
Ballina

[stonecold]

No worries Rob...I'm tied up for the next couple of weekends but when I get clear I'll drop you a line. The hole that Ive been fishin on the southside has all but dissapeared...might just be enough water there at high tide however theres a neat little gutter right up against the rocks on the south side of flat rock that I pulled half a dozen lizzards and 3 bream out of at low tide this arv. Again all on S.P.

[pommy]

Wow!

Just a question about the jig heads. Are they ball or shaped 3/8th ounce? What size the hooks? 1/0? Are the bream taking plastics on large 1/0 and 2/0 hooks?

Looking forward to meeting up.

Regards, Rob.

[stonecold]

The jigheads I'm using are TT 3/8oz with a 2/0 hook. Go down and see Brett down at the Ballina Tackle he'ls got some there. Grab a packet of the 1/4oz ones as well, for the rare days when the surfs down and the wnds not blowing a gale!