Send Ludes

Luderick AKA blackfish are the easiest table fish to catch in south-east Australia. Here’s how to do it:

The key is burley, and lots of it. I go to a beachside rock platform and grab half a bucket of green weed, plus some wet sand. Back home, I transfer half the weed to PVC takeaway food containers. Drain the salt water, and pop in the fridge. It keeps for ages. The other half gets chopped up and mixed with the sand:

Next question is, where to go? I find the best places are rock walls adjoining 2 to 5 metre deep water, with fringing kelp beds. Tidal current run is a big help, so look on Google for a place that provides a pinch point in the estuary you’re fishing. That will be where the current speeds up. Bradleys Head in Sydney Harbour a good example. The run out tide curls around it, and on the down current side there’s a big area of broken rock, sand patches, and kelp beds. Your burley will draw fish out of this habitat to your bait:

I find the depth setting of your bait is really important. From the bank, it’s hard to know exactly how deep the water is, where you’re fishing. That’s a problem because, in most cases, you want your bait to be maybe two feet off the bottom. Here’s what I use:

The iBobber. A waterproof transducer you tie onto your line, and cast out. Works like a basic sounder and connects to your phone through the app:

As soon as you get to your spot, get the burley going. Wet sand mixed with chopped weed and maybe, breadcrumbs, thrown out to where you'll be fishing. I cast out the iBobber and take a rough mental note of how far off the wall the depth reaches 3 metres/10 feet. Set the float stopper at 8 feet and cast in. A handy bit of gear that I’ve just started using is our rod pod. In calm water, fishing off level surfaces like wharves or rock walls, this setup makes multiple combos easy to manage.

Confession time – I’m hooked! I’ve gone three times in the past week:

I just get a buzz watching the float slide under. And the blackies give a fantastic fight, for their size. They’re a great species for introducing friends and family to fishing:

And we’re finding some good ones. This lude went 42 cm:

If you haven’t tried them, here’s why you should give ludes a go:

1. You can fish for them pretty much anywhere. So with the shocking weather we’ve had in Sydney lately, you can still find a place to fish out of the wind;

1. You don’t need a boat, expensive tackle, or lots of time. Quick sesh after work is fine;

1. If they’re there, they’re there. If you don’t hook up in the first 20 minutes, dump all your burley in and try again in a day or two - after its had more time to work;

4. Great thing to do with the kids, or friends who are new to fishing:

Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow