Nolongeramember

If its a lead acid battery then I think a simple low cost charger will be fine. Anything up to 7 amp output is OK for that battery. Just make sure it has a automatic cutoff so its not overcharged. Im not 100% if the battery you have is a deep cycle or not, but if it isnt dont let it get more than about half flat before you recharge it because it wont have a long life if you do. Deep cycle batteries can handle being discharged all the way but not normal batteries.

Thats good you know the blood knot. Its a very good knot for mono line. Not so good for braid tho. I myself like to tie a double in braid with a bimini twist for maximum strength. Whatever knot you choose make sure you tie it carefully and practice makes perfect.

Yes, 54Lb will be powerful enough to fish estuaries for bream. I have the same thrust on my similar boat to yours. Look around there is another thread on this stuff somewhere.

The schools around the heads are progressively getting shyer and shyer of boats every year in my opinion. They were much easier to approach 5 years ago than these days for sure. Last year at this time the only way I could get close enough for a cast was with the electric and I only caught fish because I was the only boat around at the time. If there were other boats approaching the school they would have went down. Quite a challenge thats for sure..

Thanks thats good to know. Ill definitly be getting one then.

Nah its cool man all good. But if it was me I would do it like that.

3kg mono is not enough. 6Lb braid is atleast as strong as 12Lb mono. More like 15Lb. So whats going to happen if a hard running fish takes all your braid off under heavy drag and then you get down to much weaker 3kg mono? SNAP!

Not a bad squid there Ben. Good on ya. I like the look of that gold jig at the top. Very lifelike...

If I was putting on 6Lb braid I would recommend about 12Lb mono for backing so it closely matches the strength of the braid. I use this technique aswell when Im filling up a new reel but for some reason when I turn it around and put the mono on first it fills up slightly more than with the braid on first. So now I put a little less than what I want and then when I turn it around its perfect.

Jewgaffer, much better boat control when there mounted on the front. Ive got a 55Lb minn kota and its very good and reliable. Had it for about 4-5 years and never let me down. Dont know much about the other brands but if i was getting another one it would be Minn Kota even if it costs more.

Yeh I know, but I saw all this about fireline so I thought it would help some people out. Ill just add that Ive seen braids other than fireline go weak and snap just the same after 3 or 4 years. This is with not much fishing use either. I havnt had much experince with them though but its definitly not just Fireline that gets old and weak on its own. Fireline is a very popular line which might explain why it gets mentioned alot. I now keep dates of my lines now and after 2 years I change them.

Dont overfill it. About a millimeter or 2 from the spool lip.

Additional to the above, make sure you got plenty of air in the tyres. Too low and the tyre can break the seal more easily on a bump or corner.

I just noticed this thread. Ive bought 2 out of stacks of new reels of 6LB Fireline that were defect and snapped way under what it should have. 1 yellow and 1 pink. Ive had line on reels perfect for years then one day it just becomes very weak. All my 6Lb lines do this by about 3 years of age. Ive come to the conclusion its the age of the line that stuffs it. So sitting on shelves in stores or whatever does it no good. Taking off the top layers doesnt work and neither does turning the line around. Its the whole spool that gets stuffed. Ive been using this stuff for about 7 yrs now and have had alot of experience with it. Ive seen reliable tests on it and pound for pound its one of the strongest. Believe it, its true. I think its a great line but you have to keep an eye on it when it gets a few years old.

What is this all about? Who put in these reefs and what did they actually put there?

Ill have to try that hehehe

Hi Hoges. Your boat is perfect for fitting some hooks along the inside of the side (does that make sense?) I dont have any pics but my boat is similar to yours and I clip my rods in some plastic hooks I got from Bias. The various size hooks are fitted along the side of the boat. One for the handle and one along the rod should do it. Another option is to fit a rod locker along the side. This is good too I dont like rocket launcher style holders either. I like my boat set up to be able to fight a fish and cast full 360 degrees around the boat. If you need more info let me know.

I dont bother with 2 anchors, I only use one sand anchor. Ive got it caught a few times but I persist with getting it out until its out, pulling it in all directions with the boat. 4. Use your own judgement for how much rope to let out. Keep in mind the more you let out the more the anchor will grab, so more is better usually. If your in a strong current and its windy then obviouly you let out more. If your over rock then not so much will be ok and easier to retrieve aswell. In a big swell or rough sea you need a large amount of rope out to allow for the rise and fall of the boat. 5. I would go 10mm. better on the hands.. One tip if you want your anchor to grab first time every time. Lower it into the water, never throw it. Lower it the way you want it to grab. The rope can be tangled with the anchor if you throw it or if you have the sliding type anchor it can go the wrong way and it will never grab.

What are these mate where do u get them?

Premium fuel is not necessarily better quality fuel than regular like alot of people think. In some cases Ive seen it contain more dirt ect beacuse it sits in the tanks at servos longer before its used. The main difference is that premium has a higher octane level than regular fuel. High octane is needed for high compression or boosted engines to resist pre ignition. (engine damage). If the manufacturer doesnt say to use it then you dont need it and there is really no advantage to using it. You may get more milage but thats up to you to decide if its worth it for the higher cost. I dont think your going to do any damage to your outboard if you use it but I wouldnt bother. I use it in my car because it runs high boost but I dont use it in my boat.

I know the lift technique your talking about, I do it myself and hook most of them that way, but trust me, some of these yellowtail around heavily fished areas still wont hook up like that. Thanks jewgaffer for your tips Ill give them a go. And Ill try the bait jig aswell. I had in mind to give the tiny hooks a go. Ill definitly try that because they have no choice really but to get the hook down. Mince meat- its good but these smarties steal it every time and you dont feel a thing. I used to use a handline years ago and lose a stack of hooked fish aswell. I now use a rod and its definitly the way to go. Thanks guys, Ill try these techniques out...

Many many times when Ive tried to catch yellow tail they will not bite the bait I offer them, but cleverly suck the bait off the hook like they know they will be caught if they gulp it. If I didnt see them through the water doing it I wouldnt even know because you cannot feel it they are so careful. This makes sense to me because at the wharfs etc where I experience this these fish see hundreds of prawns on hooks every day so its only a matter of time before they realise whats going on. Ive tried all the usual like light line, different baits and burley and you get the odd fish if you persist, but nearly every time I go out I can burley stacks of these critters so there feeding, but they will just not bite properly. So my question is does anyone have a solution?

Ouch.. Im yet to find an effective way to ground down the washers on sandpaper without it taking a VERY long time to get it smooth and even. You cant put much pressure down without your finger slipping off the washer. (unless you do what slinky did). If anyone has a better method please let me know..

If its a small size your talking about ie 2500, I would be getting the Stradic. You cant beat the 6.0 ratio. I personally think this is important in a small reel. You can always crank ur metals faster, keep line taught easier on a hooked fish swimming flat out towards you etc. Just getting your line/ lure where you want it quicker in general. Quality wise, there both pretty good, but I still like Stratic better.

Thats a very good idea mate. I had the same problem. I put a very old, unused reel I had lying around onto the rod. I then hit the foot of the reel againts a rail a few times while holding onto the top section of rod. It came off pretty easy but I like your idea too. I then very lightly sanded the male ferrule with 1000 paper.