stormy

Yes, but the fish were already filleted and skinned. Don't like sand in the flesh when I bite into a piece of fish. Catch up soon. Bring you over some fillets I have accidentally dropped in the sand

In the lead, as always, H No fishy pics. Mark did report back that he enjoyed my flathead fillets and bream. I had them in a clean bucket and he dropped his sandy shoes in there, so I said, 'enjoy the fish'.

Just sold my Prowler Elite 4.5m, which was one fantastic kayak, and bought a Hobie Outback. Actually, my mate and I bought one each at the same time and got a good deal. Reason for selling, was the fact I have a neck and shoulder injury, making paddling a bit painful for me. Anyway, we maidened the yaks last Friday and I was very impressed with the rudder authority and ease of "pedalling" as well as the benefit of being able to have both hands free for casting and winding, etc. Got my first couple of bream on lures, a small metal blade doing the damage. Also a couple of nice flathead on the blade and a tailer on a SP. They really chop the plastics up and after one or two tailer, you can toss the plastic. Looking forward to some more trips and this coming Friday we will be fishing Cowan Creek. Happy with the new Hobie, although it certainly doesn't paddle as well as the Prowler.

I was up there a few weeks back and did well on Flathead and whiting. A good fishing kayak really helped get me into places a boat couldn't. Great time. Want to buy an 'as new' kayak? Got two now and need to move one.

Good going. Was today a public holiday? One day is like another for old blokes. Heading off in the morning for some kayak fishing. Target a few flatties and bream.

They are completing the deer fence. Been at it for a couple of years now.

All I can say is; - "Get a haircut".

My trailer looks like the above quote, without the treatment. Thanks for the tip

Yes, three stores owned by one 'company' closed and also one in Nowra. However, the NEW store in Nowra is A1 for service and pricing.

Who made you aware? No news on the internet that I could find. Pretty irresponsible statement to make, if it isn't backed up. Let us know.

Yeah, say hello if you do see Mick. He here is amongst the racks.

Spent a week up at Tuncurry recently and met a bunch of great guys in the caravan park we stayed at. I had my 4.5m Prowler with me and it is just a terrific fishing kayak for most applications. Where it was a bit harder, was manoeuvring inside the oyster racks. Any wind or tidal flow, made it difficult to stay inside the corridors and it was a matter of cast, then use the paddle to get back online. If a fish was hooked, then it was often a case of ending up parked against a rack or getting ground against it with the drift. Much of my lure tossing is around moorings and racks, so the decision was made last week to sell the Prowler and invest in a new Hobie Outback. Found that a new dealership was opening in Nowra, that very day and they gave my mate Mark and I the best deal imaginable on a twin set of Outbacks. Got turbo fins and the larger sail rudder plus a bunch of accessories, so will soon be set to test the new rig around my home waters of Port Hacking and Botany Bay. The Prowler will be missed (when it sells) as it is a fast, stable effective fishing platform. We went out most days for the week up at Tuncurry and landed nice flathead each time. Roberta, you would have met some of the guys we fished with, up at the caravan park the other day. Mick knew them (he is from Newcastle and staying at the park until next week, I think) and goes up there every year for a couple of months. We are booked in for next November, so will try and be in touch to catch up for a chat or a fish. A pic of our new twins.

Good work Trevor. Just got back from a couple of weeks at Forster. Fished out of my yak almost every day and saw some schools of huge blackfish under the oyster racks and weed beds. Only used SP's though and got lots of flathead. Also picked up a new nickname - 'mud crab' - but there's a story behind that, relating to "never get off the kayak to answer a call of nature and step onto a sand bank in the middle of the river".

Big fish. Get stuck into those flatties Paikea and we will do a trade for some blackfish fillets

Crimson banded wrasse - male.

Yes Simmo, you are correct. It is a bristleworm - I should have enlarged the photo to look more closely.

White Headed stilt in your photo. Common. It is a Weka - NZ bird to go with your name.

Here's one I snapped last year. What is it, hint, Paikea?

2nd one is a nudibranch. Many different and colourful species and shapes.

Yeah, that's a white headed Stilt. I got these shots of a Red Capped Dotterel up at Cape Tribulation. Played the broken wing act to keep me from finding the egg.

Thanks old mate. I will do that soonish, and I get to Ulladulla fairly regularly to see mum, so that is a good recommendation. Might have to drop you in some luderick fillets

Not really. I had a go at Windang Island, breakwall and bridge with not much result for my efforts, a few months back. I guess when you have a couple of spots that produce, you tend not to travel too far. That's my excuse, anyway

Did a quick report on my methods, in the Workshop segment of this forum.

Baby steps, Haj. You need to go fishing first Always up for a swap. Did you keep that hitch for the front mounted towbar plate? I can't find a bar to fit inside the 'tube' you welded onto the plate. Klaus

In response to a request from a few Raider members, I have written a short post on the methods I use to make my Blackfish floats. Nowadays, it is becoming very difficult to buy large blackfish floats suitable for the oft times turbulent conditions of ocean blackfish and black drummer habitat. The large floats you can buy at stores or tackle shops are just on the small side, so it has become necessary to roll your own. The old timers who used to make them for local tackle shops have gone by the wayside, or else the shops can now buy the Chinese produced versions for just a few cents each. The floats you buy these days are also not weighted, so you need to add weight to the stem. I used to drill a hole through a ball or bean sinker, but if you have ever tried to drill lead you will know what a pain it can be. I have many bullet projectiles from my hunting and reloading days and they are a good option for use as a stem weight. I have since made a mould which makes a nice tube of lead with a 3mm hole in the centre of it. Just cut off what you need to balance the float and push it on the stem. Champagne corks are the best for shaping the body of the float and if you can source them before they have been forced into a bottle, all the better. For large floats, I glue two corks together with 5 minute epoxy, prior to shaping. It is also next to impossible to source split cane or bamboo stems, so I have been using 4mm and 3mm solid carbon road which can be bought from a kite shop or radio control model aircraft store. Dead straight and strong. I stress that this is what I use and there are many materials and designs which no doubt work just as well or better than mine. I also fish fixed floats, but eyes can be bound on to the stems and sealed with epoxy if you use running floats. The below list is what I use, but other methods can be adapted, I’m sure. : 4mm Tassie Oak dowel (from Bunnings), cane stems, carbon rods or even bamboo skewers. : champagne corks (a mate has several thousand, new, unused, pristine corks) or find them laying around at pubs, clubs or after a party you might attend. : electric drill (or ideally a lathe) : black paint, clear marine varnish etc : fluoro paint in your favourite colour - generally red or orange.(a white undercoat really helps) or iron on trim tape if you can source it. : coarse and fine sand paper : 5 minute epoxy 1. I place the glued together cork in the vise on the drill press and bore a 3mm hole neatly through the centre with a long drill bit. 2. I then run the cork onto a 3.5mm threaded rod and set it up on the bench drill. If using a drill, the highest speed is best and ensure you make up some kind of jig to support the end of the rod. 3. Using the coarse sandpaper first, turn on the drill and shape your cork ensuring you don't press too hard or the cork will spin on the rod. 4. Fine sandpaper lightly next to give a clean finish to your cork. 5. Cut your dowel to the required length. (46cm for ocean floats and 28cm for medium water floats. I use the 28cm floats for the ‘inside’ location where I often fish) 6. Keeping an old foam fruit box as a “booth” paint the top of your float in your fluoro colour then jam it into the foam to dry. A couple of coats is good. I epoxy the cork onto the stem at this time as well. Have some floats black at the top too as they are much easier to see on glary days 7. Jam the cork onto the stem and spray black and then stick the float upside down in the foam holes to dry. 8. Give the cork a couple of coats of varnish to seal, and that's all there is to it. A few hours and you can knock up a dozen floats.