Bucket

Hi Nick, I had the same problem with my boat, especially when doing alot of reversing or slow trolling. It ended up that the water was getting in through where the engine mounting blots go through the hull. The water usually doesn't reach the blots when in forward motion or when stopped. Some Sikaflex fixed the problem. Hope this helps. Stephen

One has to wonder why she thought it necessary to remove the cars keys from the car and take them with her. I'm pretty sure it is parked in a secure area.

Has anyone one been up to Lake Lyall recently, as I am hoping to get up there for the APEC long weekend? Is the water over the ramp and are they letting boats in it. More importantly, are the fish biting? Thanks Stephen

THE SHARK !!

Here are some more.... The river has broken the banks in most places. This was the jetty to get onto the Nepean Belle The brand new river walk near the weir just had a bath.

Hello people.. After all the rain I made my way down to the river to see if the weed was was getting swept away. First I headed to Tench Reserve boat ramp. I saw this :- And closer up. Anyone who has fished the river will understand the huge amount of water that is there. For everyone else i'm trying to search my pictures to find a normal water level picture. Just to give you an idea the pontoon on the left has two levels. This may help After seeing that, I jumped into the car and headed straight for the weir. WHAT WEIR !!!! The first depression on the smooth water is where the weir is ... From the looks of the river all the surface weed has been cleaned out but I imagine the weed that is rooted will slowly die from the reduced sunlight and lack of settled nutrience. FINGERS CROSSED. I have more pictures if your interested. Stephen.

Well done, I have fished the river most of my life and 55cm is the biggest fish I have ever heard being caught in the river above the wier. So 50cm is a great fish for the river... well done...

It is a great experience when "nature" just happens in front off you. All the regulations on approaching Whales and Dolphins can be found here. Approaching Whales and Dolphins Cheers Stephen

I use some normal stylish safety glasses that you can get from hardware stores. They are around $15 - $20 so it isn't the end of the world if they go overboard.

Well done Leigh... !! You could open your own fish market with that lot. Stephen

Hi Guys, The old man and myself are going try something different this weekend (getting away from the Bass) and try to pick up something worth while around Smiths Creek \ Cowan. Would be greatful for any suggestions of spots that we can pickup some yellowtail around that general area. Would really prefer not to make the trip to West Head and back since the plan is to put in at Apple Tree. Any help would be great. Stephen

Hi Domza, I have never had anyluck with the Tassie Devils or their replicas on the Nepean, you tend to get snaged more then anything with them in the river. The Celta's will work with the Bass, the bigger fin the better at the moment. The pink diving lure will also work a treat, depending on the water colour. With all the rain earlier in the week the water may be too dirty for bright colours. In the end Bass are pretty aggressive and with strike at anything if they are hungry or annoyed. I'm going to give the river another go on Saturday arvo, got blown and scared off the river last weekend due to the approaching storms. Stephen

Well the old man, my sister and myself are going to do a dusk popper session on Saturday. Hopefully, the biggies are in the mood and hunting for the insects. Will probably be on the river at 5 pm and heading back just after sun down. Stephen

Hey Domza, Go with Stewy's info and you should have a great time. Just a few cents more. As for lures, Bass will eat anything when they want to, the problem is getting them to. I have been fishing the Nepean quite often lately and have found that it is not the colour but the action of the retrieve that is causing the hook ups. One other thing I suggest you do is crush the barbs on the trebles, there are 1000's of aquarium Bass at the moment in the river. Using barb less trebles will keep you from alot of time wasting trying to get the little suckers off. As for eating Bass from the river, personally I wouldn't. The only flow is coming from the Warragamba River and it isn't much, and there is some bad "mojo" in there. Drifting is the go, however if you are getting pushed around by the water skiers then keep heading upstream. You will hit an 8 knot zone which keeps most of them out. I'm just waiting till we get some serious rain and they open the dam !!! Then the trout lures are coming out to play. I love your map !! What program is it from ? Cheers Stephen.

I can see it now, earning your first million by retreiving anchors.

They are some nice fish, well done !! May have to give Lostock a try. Stephen

I also take my boat which has a 60hp Yammie to Kroboats for servicing, even though I live in Penrith. In fact I purchased my boat off them and was so impressed with their friendly yet professional service I am more than happy to make the trip. It is a family business so they take a huge amount of pride in their work and are very accommodating regarding bookings and timing when they know you come from Sydney. Stephen.

Hi guys, Some great points have been made in this thread and some good suggestions. Here is mine situation and why I purchase the majority of fishing tackle from the net. I currently live at St Marys about 15 minutes walk from Watto's, however I work in the city. This means an hour train trip each way. So by the time I get home in the arvo/night Watto's and other Tackle Stores have closed and probably on their way home. Most Saturdays I fish, Sundays I recover and spend time with my family. This not only stops me from buying things from TS but also from developing a good relationship with them so I can get good deals and the time to ask advice. This is why the net suits me perfectly, I can shop when I want, compare prices from all over the world without leaving my desk. I only buy from respected sellers and most do have return policies, you may say returning them is not as easy as going back to a local store but in my case yes it is. As already stated by Aron I can get all the advice and reviews from the great members of Fishraider. Cheers Stephen

Bass often do not like the light, so if it is bright the bass will move into the shady deeper spots. I have found that surface lures work best at dawn and dusk and diving or sinking lures the rest of the day. As Stewy said 1020 is a good pressure to be at and overcast days work well. If your planning to hit the Nepean this weekend got some bad news, The F1 boats are on and the river is closed to everyone else....

Hey Raiders Made the trip out to Wiseman’s Ferry on Friday to try and hide from the forecasted off shore wind (didn't work ). It was my old man, myself and a friend that made the trip with big plans to try and get a feed of flathead for dinner. After a bit of an explorer heading down towards Spencer we picked a spot about an hour before the high. All three rods were casted out and the sunscreen went on, 5 mins later one of the rods gets a massive hit and then nothing. The bait was checked and surprise surprise no hook!!! All was quiet for the next hour, however when the tide started to turn the wind started to bite and so did the FISH!! For the next hour and a half it was soapie central, triple hook ups were regular and the bait was going quick. We were having a great time, but the wind was making it hard work. In the end we boated and released just over half a dozen soapies ranging from 40cm to 50cm and dropped twice as many. All in all a great day on the water and I must say soapies on light gear are awesome. When the actioned slowed down a bit we got time to take a pic. Cheers Stephen

That's priceless !!!!

Hi Claudia, They are a great idea and I have been planning to get a set, however I still want to be able to light up the floor. Domza, It is a Qunnie Hornet Trophy 445. So it is a side console with casting decks. It does have pretty wide gunnels, hence I think that would be the logical place to put them. Squizzytaylor, That looks like an awesome light. I'm going to have a look to see what other lights they have. Thanks for your replies guys. Stephen

Hi Raiders, I have been doing some night fishing in the boat of late and I have realised that holding a torch in one hand and trying to get the hooks out from an upset fish is just not something I'm skilled at. So, I have decided I need some sort of lighting in the boat to light up the floor when needed. I ways thinking of putting some 30cm fluro's under the gunnels which should provide enough light. Anyone done something similar?? Would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Thanks Guys... Stephen.

Have to agree with femalefisho, definitely is a Estuary Perch.

Hi Joe.. As David said "Lake Macquarie is a verrrry big place". If you are staying closer to the Swansea side near the channel here are a couple of places. The bridge is a good place to sit and try to catch some rat kings on an out going tide, becareful as the water tends to move very fast through there. Drifting between the bridge and the sunken reef (ocean side) will get you a good flathead or two. The drop off is where the channel meets the lake is a great place for bream and often tailor will run the edge hunting for food. There is an artificial tyre reef in the lake, which i can give you GPS co-ords if you like. Hope that helps Stephen