macca02

With the Raider rods just make sure you wash them down after every use (you should do this with every rod anyway) - i don't know if they've upgraded them but the shimano raider rod i have the guides all rusted very quickly after missing a wash down. Daiwa rods I've found are generally of higher quality (components & blank) though cost a bit more. Maybe checkout the Daiwa Saltist rods? (i believe there's a 9ft model that might be around $150 mark).

Yew! Very nice mate. What sort of rig do you run when using worms? I'm planning to hit the beach around the new moon mid next week and fish the high tides around dark! Haven't got a jew for over 6 months :/

A 9ft spin rod is the most versatile sized rod for beach and rock work - perfect for spinning off the rocks/beach and can be use for beach bait fishing perfectly fine (mine be a bit harder in big swell compared to a longer rod). Do you have a budget?

Get a 120ah AGM deep cycle battery (i've been using a powersonic brand from ebay and so far its been great - also use it to run a car fridge). They're very heavy but!

I've started doing one for Mulloway trips - have whipped up a rough template in microsoft word which i use. Excel or Word would be your best bets (Google Forms sounds interesting aswell - i personally haven't tried it but i'll check that out). I've been meaning to make an app for this on the mobile phone just haven't found the time!

I tend to use fluoro leaders upto around 20lb (pretty much all estuary and light beach). Over 20lb i go back to mono - it knots much much better IMO in the larger diameter (the knots seem to pull down easier with less friction and lock better). Black Magic Tough Trace and Jinkai are the two i generally use in the 30lb+ leader size.

I agree with flattiefisher, anytime from December i find it starts to get good, with April/May being the prime time. Although squid is a top bait for kings, I'd be saving those precious squid for mulloway or the pan! Yakkas are easy to come by on the rocks at anytime and are very hardy. I generally just use a live Yakka with a 7/0 hook lightly pinned in the shoulder with approx 1.5mtrs of 80lb trace with a small running ball sinker, a torpedo float and a ball bearing swivel (connected in that order). I like to have a fixed float, so i carry some elastic bands and tie a knot on the line with an elastic band so it keeps the float up near the swivel. Its also a good idea to take some pilchards and throw a half pilchard unweighted in the wash whilst you have your livebait out, theres been plenty of times where I've had a livey out and its the unweighted pillie at my feet that gets taken by kings and big bream!

Nice catches! A couple weeks back near that area i kept hooking what i can only assume as big bronzies - had me stretched and kept losing them with 60 & 80lb trace either being bitten or rubbed through. Must be plenty around atm!

Subframe looks very nice - is "hoop pine ply" the same as marine plywood? Trailcraft43 - Just out of curiosity - why would the aluminium rivets corrode? My tinny has aluminium rivets which holds the bench seats in (and various other things), the boat is well over 40 years old and they show no signs of corrosion. I think you're better off with alloy rivets on an alloy frame, then SS rivets on an alloy frame (even with tefgel - i still worry about galvanic corrosion).

Thanks for the reply mate! The 15ft sensor surf does look like a beast of a rod. I actually have a 12ft Sensor Surf IZM rod which I love, though its more suited to casting a 3-4oz and a pilchard or squid strip IMO (this exceeds the max rating but I find it's not an issue). When attempting to cast a larger bait I really have to be gentle and just lob it, only good for when the gutter is right in close. I have it paired up with a 5500 Shimano ultegra and 30lb braid and it's exceptionally light and nice to fish with - perfect for salmon, tailor and smaller baits for jew. The prevail is a great rod for the money(its the heavy 12ft version, things a broomstick!) - though it's a lot heavier and definitely doesn't feel as nice to use as the sensor surf (probably cause it's half the price!), there's really nothing wrong with it though ideally I'd like a rod with it's ability to cast large baits and the lightness and crispness of the sensor surf. I was contemplating the 13ft sensor surf as that has a higher cast rating than the 12ft version - it looks to be the most suitable in the sensor surf range for what I'm after, though for a bit more I can get the saltiga surf which also looks like a great rod (though its older and doesn't appear to have been updated for awhile) The Saltiga Surf ballistic rod is rated up to 280g cast weight and 7-15kg. I haven't used one, though on paper it looks like the perfect compromise between casting decent sized baits and still being light and nice to fish with.

Just wondering if anyone owns either a Daiwa Saltiga Surf reel 6000 or the 13ft Saltiga Surf (Ballistics?) Rod and have any feedback on either? I'm looking at getting this combo soon for chasing Jewfish off the beach, primarily would be using 4oz star sinkers and a slab bait (mullet/tailor fillets, squid etc) and load it with 40lb - 50lb braid. Currently my heavy setup is a 12ft Penn Prevail matched to an older 8000 Shimano Sustain FE. The Prevail can lob a heavy bait without a problem but looking for something a bit lighter - hence the upgrade. Also open to other suggestions for a 12-13ft beach rod combo to target mulloway.

Awesome pics! What camera are you using to take these? - quality is unreal!

+1 for a cheap Shimano combo. A Shimano Sedona 2500 would be a decent entry level reel, load it with some braid 6-10lb braid and a 7ft rod would be a good start and cover all your estuary lure fishing. You'll probably need to stretch the budget another $30-50 to take into account line & leader.

I don't have one, but have had my eye on the Quintrex Renegades (420, 440 & 460) - they look tough and the perfect fishing tinny. They come in various configurations (TS, SC, CC) - Personally i'd go a TS with all the electric bells & whistles to maximize space.

I caught a few off the beach on the central coast over the weekend - they're definitely there, though not sure about up in the estuaries.

Nice catches mate! Good on you for the release as well.

Mike I just use a 10ft rod that is light enough in the tip to throw unweighted or light baits, but has a lot of guts down low in the blank - most rods between 10-12ft would suit. Yeah they put up a great fight! You definitely know when you've hooked one.

Can't really help with locations in Sydney - though most rock platforms with a bit of wash will produce drummer. Fishing for them is very simple - find an area with alot of wash/whitewater and berley up. Berley: 1 - 2 loafs of white bread with sea water, mush it up and chuck a handful every 5-10 minutes. You can also add sand and sea lettuce (cabbage). Though bread and water is the base and is all that is needed IMO. Alvey reels are the best for this type of fishing, though a spin reel will also do - 15-20lb mono is the go (Tough lines like Schneider are great for this fishing, or any quality mono with good abrasion resistance). Rig is a very small ball sinker (have a couple of different sizes to suit, but generally as small as you can go for the conditions) running right upto a strong small hook #2 upto #2/0. I've been using circle hooks (mustad demon circle 2/0) for them and they work a treat, hook in the corner of the mouth every time and haven't had one break, despite being thin gauge. You can also use floating rig to float baits (especially good for cabbage). You want to fish at your feet/close in, no need to cast out far. Bait: Bread, Cabbage, Peeled Prawns and Cunjevoi are the best and all work. If using bread for bait make sure its fresh so its soft and doughy and can be molded on the hook. Have your drag tight and don't give them an inch.

I used a marine sealer called everdure (or evadure can't remember but its a 2 part product, little bit $$$). I used Form Ply (didn't have the $$ for marine ply at the time) for flat floors in my tinny over 8 years ago and coated it with this, then glued the carpet down. The boat is left outside (covered, though still condensates) and the floors are still in perfect condition.

I personally prefer the soft bags that can take large sized tackle trays (e.g. plano), and the more pockets the better. Also as mentioned, look for ones with a plastic zipper! The one i have is an 'Ugly Stik' tackle bag and is the best I've had to date.

+1 for avoca for a short rod. You can get a decent 9ft graphite rod for $100ish dollars - this will make your life easier on the rocks.

For starting out livebaiting for kings - i'd simplify it and forget the leader knot and just go straight from your leader to a good quality swivel, then about 1.5m of trace with a largeish torpedo float (for yakkas), a small ball sinker and a 6/0-8/0 hook. To make sure the float stays at the top, you can use an elastic band and tie a knot over the line to keep the float in place up near the swivel. An overhead reel is the go for Livebaiting kings off the rocks (Tyrnos 25/30) + 24kg mono. I run an 80lb leader of about 15m using the albright knot, this is due to fishing a high ledge and allowing for the ability to pulled the fish up by the leader when theres nobody to gaff it!

Are green prawns worth a go? (for the last minute sessions) Also want to try a crack my first blue groper this year!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've purchased some of these to try out as they're quite cheap: http://adrenalinwetsuits.com/2P-Thermo-Shield/43-2P-Thermo-Long-Pants/flypage_images.tpl.html They look to be similar to wet suit pants - though haven't actual seen them in person so will have to wait and see. Green Hornet: They look great - i might look into something like that if i'm not a fan of the wetsuit/neoprene style pants.

^ Yep. The sweep/current of the beach is the real pain. I generally find over 1.5m is when it starts to get bad. Also if theres been big seas, and the wind direction has been blowing in the direction the beach you're fishing faces, then you're probably going to have a bad time with the seaweed (as i found over the weekend :/ )