mii11x

I agree zmk1962, a battery grinder will remove anything anyway. If they want it they will get it. Its more the point of not having to pay extra excesses if I dont need to. Policy is due for renewal in December, I will follow up with club marine to see if they can recommend me a device and will repost when I receive a response. To all that have commented, and there are quite a few, thank you for all your input, time spent and research on my originally posted question.

I've never had a problem with my navionics platinum + 62p card, but I would like to update it as it would be atleast 6 years old now. I have noticed navionics now do trade in deals for their cards so I will take advantage of that when I purchase the new sounder. I bought the maps new when I purchased my hds7 gen 1 around 2011....I upgraded to the hds10 gen 2 with the lss2 module in November 2014 and kept the same card. As for the sounder, my hds10 gen 2 has served me well for the past 4 years, just trying to stay more current. I chose to upgrade the trolling a couple of months back before the sounder, so now its the sounders turn. I dont want to get the -9 as it is a smaller screen size. Budget will allow a carbon 12, but not a live 9 and definitely not a 12 live. But like I said, I dont want to downsize the screen, so carbon -12 is the way to go for me at the moment. The whole unit, 12 carbon, is not much larger in size than my current hds10 gen2. The 9 carbon has a much smaller footprint however. Cheers for the comparison on the gen2 vs carbon mate.....makes my decision a little easier. Im not an open water fisho, mainly estuaries/rivers like georges, hacking, shoalhaven, stgeorges basin and clyde so I was thinking the basic total scan transducer will do me fine also. Out of curiosity which tranny did you choose?

Cheers fellas for all the responses.

So fellas, the time has come to upgrade the sounder. Looking at staying with Lowrance and with some good pricing to be had on HDS carbon series due to the release of the HDS live series. I currently have a gen 2 hds 10 with lss2 module and navionics platinum plus card 62p+. I will be purchasing a hds 12 carbon with the total scan tranny. My question is about the mapping cards. Has anyone tried both cmap and navionics, which do you prefer and why? Cheers Mick

Like waza said, there are spool holders for less than 15 bucks. They do a good job of holding your leader. I only take it when im lure fishing. I generally fish plastics on my boat and have built up quite a large collection of jigheads/plasctics over they years. I have split them into species containers. So 1 for bream jig heads, 1 for flathead jig heads, 1 for mulloway jigheads, then some larger containers 8-10L to store my plastics for each species. I just decide what species I want to target and then usually say "fu$% it, bring em all" hahaha. Atleast they are in separate containers ready to go on the boat I cant remember the last time I bait fished for anything other than mulloway from the boat, so most of my gear is related to mulloway, but I do have a dedicated bag for bait mulloway. I do on occasion like to bait fish for whiting, so I have a small container at the ready for that also Oh yeah and I have a bag dedicated for squid jigs and bait gathering. I have also seem some seats with trays underneath. They are integrated into the underneath of the seat and you simply pull out the storage container(plano style). It wouldnt be too hard to fibreglass something up or have one made from ally if you cant buy them.

cheers for all the replies fellas, its more for when I holiday really and maybe when the trailer is left attached to my car at boat ramps. At all other times, when im not using it, its in a locked garage behind two cars. I will have a look at some of the suggestions. I just dont wanna pay 1000 excess to insurance companies if i dont have to, should it ever get stolen. I know first hand they try and weasel their way out of all claims

Hi guys, Almost time to renew my policy and noticed this clause - 18.6 theft excess. While my boat is always stored at home in a lockable garage, behind two other vehicles at night, there is the occasion I do go holidaying with it. Whenever im towing it it always is padlocked on the trailer coupling, so too when I holiday - I also chain and padlock to the cabin, but these are not accepted "anti-theft" devices as outlined in clause 18.6. So my question is, what anti-theft devices are you guys using or recommend? I dont fancy those complete wheel devices really, but it may mean the difference between a $1000 excess or not. Are there any other alternatives? Cheers Mick

I thought the 10k spool fitted on the 8k body, from memory the 14k doesnt interchange with the 10k body. Go and see your local shop maybe

I use a Loomis NRX 842S MR for jews with both plastics and soft vibes to 30grams.

I cant comment on the Hawkesbury really, or kingfish for that matter, but I can comment on Mulloway. I like to think of myself as a bit of a self taught expert with regards to mulloway haha. So much literature on Mulloway is out there mate, and I learnt by reading all that I could from magazines and forums just like this. There is a "how to" specifically on mulloway on the fishraider site, start by reading this and putting it onto practise. Catching Mulloway on a regular basis is somewhat of a mean feat, the hours I have put in to them over the past 8 or so years I couldnt begin to divulge. Add to that, the hours I put in just to catch bait to give me the best possible chance. Then you have those times, particularly when I began specifically and solely targeting them, the fishless, cold and soul destroying nights when you drop a fish, makes the times you net/boat them even better. Just the other night, I witnessed one swimming between a bridge pylon and my bait in the water for about an hour before it disappeared and I ended up with a donut. But, from what I have learnt over they years, I did put myself in the right spot at the right time, so I dont really count this as a failure by any means. For the record, if i did land that fish, my tally would be 15 for the year (and I didnt fish at all in june, july, august or september). So it averages out to be about 2 a month. Considering how many people I see trying to catch mulloway vs actually catching them in the Georges river, I think im doing ok. I AM a diehard fisherman for mulloway, that will never change now!! TIPS 1. Dont give up on them after just one or two sessions or you wont have learnt anything. 2. Keep a diary - might seem a bit silly, but trust me, if someone offered me 10 grand for my diaries I would never sell them. Doesnt have to be a diary, I just use exercise books. I record everything, what tide, the amount of water both run in and run out differences and the peaks, what the weather is like that outing, pressure, what the water is like and doing depending where I am, date, time etc etc. I just write down anything really lol. 3. Use the best bait you can!!!! You may need to learn how to catch bait first, so learn that as well, worst case you end up with a bag full of squid you can eat, and yakkas do taste ok too. I catch squid a few days out from when Im planning a jewie adventure, i wrap them indivually when I get home and freeze them. I have caught mulloway on self caught squid that has been frozen for 8 months, but never servo/baitshop squid!! Now for the little I can add about the Hawkesbury - never fished there ever for mulloway. There are plenty of known spots so begin by hitting them up. Looking at any map of the river, I always see two bridges, perhaps start there. You should be aware of those bits of structure for any estuary fishing really.....there is loads of info on the hawkesbury and also you could get your hands on a map from AFN that will tell you places like flint and steel, juno point, coal and candles etc etc. Hopefully some of this helps mate Hope to see you post when you do catch your first mulloway Mick

Hi guys, What do use on the inside of your trailer plug to prevent corrosion/electolysis? You know, the green crap. Cheers Mick

gotta be happy with a metery

not a fan of either team, but roosters. Also, I hope slater gets "legally" shoulder charged the same way

thats pretty good life for a battery. Im just a little concerned now with why they are telling me they arent suitable for electric motors

thats a cracker snapper mate, well done on achieving your goal

Just checked my email and Luke from aussie batteries responded with this regarding the Giant brand agm deep cycle 130ah. Look like i will give it a miss. Hi Michael, Unfortunately, we do not recommend our deep cycle battery and will not warranty our batteries if they are used on an electric motor. I would recommend contacting the manufacture or local distributor of your electric motor and asking them on the brand that they would recommend. Regards, Luke Swan 12v Sales - Aussie Batteries & Solar Freecall: 1800 853 315 Phone: 07 5443 2955 Ive replied to him just now to seek further clarification since their website states it is suitable, furthermore, there is an entire page devoted to selecting a deep cycle battery for trolling motors. Ive also emailed supercharge regarding their amptech range and will await a response. I will keep updating this post with my results

How long you had it mate?

Hi raiders, After some reviews on the deep cycle batteries you guys are using for trolling motors. My current deep cycle (Interstate Batteries SRM29 120AH) has dropped a cell . Ive had it for close to 5 years now, so its been a good run. It was powering my old MG W55 trolling motor. Its use will SOLELY be for powering my newly installed MG xi5 trolling motor. It will be charged at home via an 8 year old CTEK multi xs7000. I have seen on the interwebs some good reviews of GIANT branded batteries, the one I was considering in particular is the Giant AGM deep cycle 130AH. Also checking out the AMPTECH range from supercharge. Open to other brands, but don't want to break the bank really, im thinking $350 max, so that would leave out the optima and century range. Looking forward to your opinions. Cheers Mick

also remember you need the motorguide gateway kit and also the nmea network cabling as well

When I bought my boat new in 2009, I also had a w55 saltwater motorguide mounted to the bow - wireless foot pedal 55lb and 12v. Excellent unit, never failed me once. I reckon it has had more than 500 hours of use. Its been serviced once in its entire life. As soon as I outboard my way to my fishing spots, its usually been in the water and running non stop. I had no hesitation in buying a new motorguide at the recent Sydney international boat show - I fitted it up a brand new xi5 pinpoint gps sw55 12v model yesterday, will be taking the boat out next weekend to play with it, especially the spot lock and gps features. It will take some getting used to no wireless foot pedal until I purchase another Im thinking though. My father bought a small cheap watersnake for his tinny a few years ago - stern mount hand steer and never has a problem with that brand either. I really like the auto deploy on the minn kota ulterra, pricey though and I cant connect it to my lowrance, hence staying with motorguide brand. Ive never used a minn kota or know anyone personally that has one, so cant speak much about them. Remember to factor in the cost of a decent deep cycle battery 100ah minimum and a good charger as well. My 120ah, from a full charge gives me 3-4 days of electric motor use, maybe 15 hours total use before I have to recharge. Your going to get good and bad reviews about both major brands, so it is a hard decision really. If you want to connect hummingbird to it, get the minn kota, lowrance get the motorguide......both brands offer spot lock. Hope this helps Mick

cheers mate will have a look

What are the stickers you talk about Captain?

Hi mate, Ive caught loads of mulloway fishing landbased in the Georges River. Largest landbased ive caught is 93cm in about 4m of water using live yakkas (about 7km upstream of CC bridge - hint hint). Its not a secret spot, and is known, but i wouldnt say it is printed on any maps or the like. I tend to stay away from the more known spots, I have tried most, and usually see the gangs there catching sweet FA and generally have not caught many when others are fart arsing around nearby. Half the time if people are fishing where I really want to fish these days, i count my losses, dump my bait and head back home......i drive from campbelltown to the hacking to gather my bait, then back to the georges and if people are there i dump the bait and head home as I know i wont catch anything. In my early days - maybe 6 or 7 years ago - I began specifically targeting them. Look, mulloway are no easy target, lots of things you have to get right to produce results, but keep at it and results will come.......and keep a diary too. Get 10 or so results and fish the same tides/moon phases. Get 20 -30 results and a pattern starts to emerge. Hit 50 odd results and you should be able to say ive got a 80% chance of a result. These days, I feel pretty confident. Have taken a few raiders out and got them onto their first, two of which was their first time solely targeting them. One of said two scored a 90something cm.......i was holding my breath since my largest from the system has been only 108cm. Ive used squid i have caught and snap frozen(some of which have been 6 months old) , i have used fresh squid(self caught of course), live yakkas, live mullet, live herring, live tailor(yes legal size), dead baits like butterflied yakka, mullet or tailor. Funnily enough never caught a single mulloway on a slab bait yet though - but i do keep persisting. I began those years ago by targeting them on the slack water parts of the tides, that produced results for me. Both high and low tides slack water. Then i started fishing an hour or so either side, that also produced results. I now fish a full tide run in or out and results still come. Also on a half tide....ie the middle of the run in or out I have caught them. I generally nowadays dont fish the tides, i fish by dates really.....so the diary helps immensely. I cant emphasise enough about a mulloway diary. You say you have caught them from a boat, so why not try the same tide phase/moon phase landbased nearby. Mulloway do hole up and yes you will get them time and time again from the same hole, but they use the tides to move up and down a river system also, sometimes feeding along the way should an opportunity present itself - like my bait hahaha. Mulloway do hunt, so if your nearby to one of your boat spots, your in with a shot when your landbased really. I use my boat alot and have caught many.....but sometimes i dont want to take my boat out so i do go landbased a fair bit also and still catch them - even though im casting nowhere near where I anchor up. PM me if you would like a little more info Mick

About 8 years ago, 2 mates and I started travelling down to southern NSW to chase bream, flatties and mulloway. We found a local tackle shop in the town and now we buy all our gear from them. We build up a list of things we need before we go and i message him. When we arrive we go and pick them up and pay. We have spent a lot of money on reels, rods, terminal tackle with him.....most recent purchase were 2 stella 8000sw reels for myself - I paid 810 new per reel!! My mate got two live fibre rods from him also, and paid less than what the shop at coffs had them on special for. We visit once, sometimes twice a year now and the prices he gives us is way better than anything online from dinga and the place in coffs....even better than digi taka online. Also, the tips and advice he gives us is amazing, even sms me when things are going really well fishing wise for us to get our arses down there. Yes dinga is a site sponser, i get that and generally most online shops are all the same price, but at the end of the day i bet they would never sms me fishing info no matter how much i spend with them. Local tackle shops are a wealth of knowledge and will often do better prices if you keep going back to them. Sorry if this offends admin and/ or the site sponser. Yes i have bought things from dinga in the past when i need things in a rush. Admin feel free to remove my comment if it is detrimental or offends anyone

Forgot to mention jigheads. I use segmented plano style containers. I have some species specific ones ready for trips, but all the extras are in 4 or 5 containers in weight/hook size order. When i notice my species specific containers running a little low, i simply get a few more out of one of my 4/5 spares containers. Dont worry about them changing colour. Most of mine have lightened up a little from dark grey to light grey, and i dont have a problem catching what i target.