Huge flathead

I caught this decent sized flathead off the oyster rakes in Brisbane Waters just opposite Koolewong. We had a few hours so we decided to fish around home. I was using a RMG lure and I could see a flathead rise to the surface but didn't connect. This guy was caught on a pumpkin seed plastic and 4 lb fluorocarbon leader.

I also lost a whiting earlier, a big one that tore under the boat and broke my line.  In a few minutes I'd caught my flathead. That's all I needed for the day, I just tried a few other hard bodies to see if I could get anything else. 

Bad clients

All of my clients are wonderful and I have a very good friendly relationship with them all. Why? I tend to be relaxed with them and therefore they communicate much more freely and naturally.

I don't have a strategy for avoid the rotten ones, other than gut feeling and that's normally a fairly accurate indication that something is wrong. So why did I ignore it today, because I needed to work. 

The client was an elderly man, he didn't like my rate but I limited my work to two hours. The garden needed a mow, weeding of garden beds and pots, removal of leaves from paving and spraying for weeds. I arrived early, the gate was open so I started work straight away at 7.55 am. He came out and spoke to me at around 8.15 am  and worked hard and fast for the next two hours.

He tried to imply that I started work at 8.30 am and questioned why I was asking to be paid for two hours. He then started to be vague about the rate we had agreed. He offered me $100 in cash but I couldn't provide any change ($16). I did offer to get change from a client nearby but he wouldn't accept this. I felt that from some of his conversation (seemed to know a bit of law relating to payments) that he had been in trouble before for not paying what he owes people.  I finally stood my ground and accepted a cheque which I banked immediately and that will be the end of him as client. 

From now on that gut feeling is critical, there were other issues as well. When we first met he was angry and derogatory towards me.  I'm not allowed to name him, but avoid the units with the large gate in Albany Street, Point Frederick (SK, Central Coast Highway end).

Papa Walrus

Here is a first view of our 'new' boat, my first boat. Launching does give me a slightly nervous tummy but it was worth it. He's quite a cutie. No fish for me but Brett had two small tailor in the first five minutes, he might be a lucky boat. I saw a tailor try to come to the surface to take my Yo Zuri stick lure, a first and we could have been going to fast. I'll have my licence from next Saturday.

My first rocket from the garden. The rest...

My first Rocket from the garden. The rest is going crazy.

New fungi puff ball

When I first saw this I thought it was a child's toy or a weird piece of plastic buried in the soil. Digging revealed a small puff ball that bursts open and this strange membrane breaks out and expands into this mesh ball about 15 cm wide. Not a great photo light was low. I found another three.

Koolewong

We are finally moving, I'm getting a real garden, a proper place for Frank to play. I cannot wait. The verge veggie box was a failure. Most people just picked everything they could lay their hands on well before ripening. They will take a 3 cm capsicum, the only red chilli, rip the top of the celery.

We did get enough spinach for this Hunza pie.

The $10 box from Flower Power rotted away, although it was meant to be treated timber. At the new house I will build possum proof boxes and ramp up the scale but space is still limited

The house has water views, birds, possums, koalas and a native garden and I will use this blog to record the development of the garden, especially the veggie patch.

Another good day fishing at Swallow Rock

The Stripped Seapike caused some concern as I pulled it up onto my kayak. It can bite and has the most convincing set of teeth. My net was missing however found something to hold it down, those teeth are quite scary. A good flathead again and this one eaten fresh that night.

The flathead was skinned and filleted but left the pike entire.  The fillets were fried in butter using a simple Rick Stein recipe of sage, garlic and butter.

The killing process is still a bit ugly as I'm just working out how to hit the brain, it's also bloody.  The pike was an unusual catch and not valued for eating but I found it to be very sweet and fine textured. That light texture makes cooking more difficult as the flesh breaks apart easily.

Verge veggie box

Tomatoes are now ripening and producing really well this year. Chilli is very thin and capsicum slow. The tomatoes are taking most of the light but once they finish will do a lot better as I can keep them going for a few months longer. Looking forward to replanting in the next few months for winter.

Another rat

Finished with his cruel play he asked his Mum to take it away. A two day quest is over.

Woronra River, Bonnet Bay

What a day, one enormous 70 cm flathead by Brett and two good fish from myself. The bream doesn't get any bigger at just under a kilogram and flathead at 37cm.

We fished on a outgoing tide, this area has lots of sandbanks and underwater obstacles which traps the larger fish. Six hours of fishing, by the time we left at 6 pm it was all just starting again.

All fish caught on prawns and Brett caught his fish on a Squiggy.

Great bush at Swallow Rock

Not quite seen such a mix of Bankias before, B ericifolia, B marginata and B serrata all together.