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I have seen longliners shoot nets around slimies with a dinghy but this was just a slow run at a couple of knots continually doing wide circles. couldnt see sign of net but boat had short mast with davit up front similar to what I've seen on trawlers. As I said I have no issues if what they do is within law, it was just a comment how ones emotions kick in when their on your patch. Ron

No dinghy around. Boat was continually slowly moving in circles. Have seen longliners getting slimies there in other years. Ron

Don't Remember RPM. Will check next time. Ron

I watched a red hulled trawler about 40ft long trawling off Cronulla yesterday. He was doing small circles off the southern headland about level with Jibbon bommie and was probably on schools of slimies. I have had a good relationship with a few pro fishermen over the years and respect that they do it tough making a living that way, but thinking about it later it amused me how much I resented that they were working my patch. Not doing anything wrong, just hope they dont move on to trawl the flatty grounds in Bate bay as they have in the past. Ron

I have a 2001 5.6 quinnie with a 90hp Honda 4 stroke and am running a 19.25 x 17 aloy prop as was on it when bought it and also recommend by Solas when I replaced 2 years ago. She is no rocket with a top speed of about 25 knots, but probaly normal for a 4 stroke. I have a 60 litre bait tank on back. Ron

Thanks for your comment Baz. If people want to go off topic like this they should just start their own topic. Anyone reading this will have forgotten what the original topic was and less likely to raise comment. Ron

My current boat a 5.6 metre Quinnie Classic has 6 flush mounted deck rod holders that are great for overhead outfits but I believe are unsuitable for threadline reals. Unless the rod has a very long handle Threadlines tend to rest the body of the real on the deck which in time damages both the real and the deck. I have heard many stories of rods being pulled out of holders by fish which is nearly impossible, especially if drag is set correctly. I believe what has happened is the rod has had a short handle popular with plastic flickers and has been levered out of the holder by the real being on the deck. Either way to prevent rod loss and damage to your real and deck, you need to fit a simple rod riser as per photos. You will need a piece of tube that fits into snugly into the rod holder which in most cases will be 40mm outside diameter. For normal estuary work these can be made from plastic plumbing pipe, but don't store permanently in the sun or they can go a bit brittle. Mine are made from 4mm walled aluminium pipe which I recommend should you troll outside with big threadlines or fish for kingies etc, plus you have no sun deterioration issues. Cut your pipe to length and round off and smooth ends. Mine are 340mm long but adjust to how far you want your real off the deck. This creates another small problem as the real can get a small damage point on the stem where it rests on the pipe. To solve this I got a hard polystyrene bobby cork like the rock fishos use and trimmed the sides so that it could be hammered into the tube for a stopper. You can use other materials for stopper like wood etc but I had heaps of bobbies picked up when trolling and they were the right shape anyway. I then used a wooden rod to hammer the stopper down the tube to where I wanted it. Use your shortest rod butt as a guide so real sits just clear of the pipe. Rod in photo has a longer butt so it stands higher from the pipe. Riser in photo is many years old and stopper has never moved but you could glue it if your fussy. I came up with this simple solution many years age which I haven't seen anyone else use and thought I would share. Hope this is of use to someone. Ron

I used to have a Canadian canoe with side mounted electric. You automatically adjust the stearing to compensate the slight offset in direction and don't even notice it. Found it great to paddle around and used lecky to get home quickly, especially if against wind and current. Deap cycle batteries are best as you can run flat without damaging them. Be wary of Lithium batteries as I have noted that Watersnake state in specifications that they are NOT SUITABLE for use with lithium batteries. Ron

Over the next week or two I will share a few solutions I came up with for little issues I have found through the years with my boats. These will simple and cheap to do. Quite a few years ago I went out on a mates boat and he asked me to change the anchor and attach a reef pick. The shackle was seized with rust and I couldn't undo. Mate directed me to a set of pliers and naturally these were in same condition and rusted up. Dug into my tackle box for pliers and soon had reef pick attached but tines were straightened from last use. Mate had a short length of gal pipe to bend tines into shape which worked fine but it somehow didn't surprise me that this resulted in a shower of rust onto the deck from inside the pipe. On getting home I put my thinking cap on for a solution and made the following. Found a couple of short lengths of heavy walled aluminium pipe left over from making a rocket launcher on my Lazeabout which were about the right size for bending tines on anchor and wouldn't have any rusting issues. I then made a coupe of shallow cuts in one end and joined cuts with a file so I had a small slot about an eighth of an inch wide to fit the tag on end of shackle bolt as per photo. This acts as a spanner to tighten/loosen shackles and I have also be used it on jammed bungs. I keep this on bottom of anchor well where it is always at hand should I need to re-bend reef picks or should a shackle jam. Mate was happy to receive one for his boat. Hope some of you find this useful. Ron

Used to be common for snapper to come into some Pt Hacking locations after a period of big seas. Once got 2 identical ones at 52cm 10 minutes apart right on midday. Have seen photos of some over 5kg taken from the same spot. Ron

Never tried wide gape hooks (also known as Kale hooks) on dropper rigs outside but use them exclusively when drifting in estuaries with live baits for flatties. I get better lip hook ups with them and less line twist with light lines as they don't have any kerb or offset. I also fish them like a circle hook in that I don't strike, but let them hook themselves or load up by winding in slowly. Ron

Tackleback works well for me as I nearly always use a swivel clip. Can be difficult to position boat coŕectly in fast current or strong winds. Ron

The trick to being a successful fisherman is to not just try to catch something but to target specific species. In other words specialise with one species until you can catch them regularly and move on to another if you want. This requires you to learn all you can about them, the locations, rigs, bait or lures etc. If bàit fishing forget buying it and learn how to catch your own such as poddies, nippers etc and your results should surge ahead. Catching your own not only provides better bait but teaches you how their environment works which helps locate youur target species.

The old Lazzeabout was very popular being very roomy for a 4.5m as it was same hull as 5m juust made shorter. Having fibreglass decks allowed smoother lines and styling. Only sold as I needed a softer riding rig due to a bad back. I moved up to 5.6m with Millenium hull which is great. Ron

A few years ago I saw a 5m quinnie çonverted to a cuddy cab. It looked really good and had a chat with owner. He had a mate whose fibreglass boat was written off in an accident and cut cuddy off and àttached it to his boat. It was a near perfect width and was a very unique boat. Quintrex used to build quite a few boats with fibreglass tops including the Lazeabout which I used to have. They also made a cuddy ìn the latre 70s however I found them to be a bit nose heavy as the hulls weren't as full up front in those days. Ron

I was in similar situation a couple of years ago. Have a 5.6m Quintrex with a 90hp which was on a dual axle trailer but replaced with a single axle. Dont know if I can make recommendations on site. I'm also in Shire, message me and we can discuss. Ron

Pity about breakages but I wouldnt mind my tough days ended with a bag like that.

I used to have my boat rego No on a DYMO label next to radio in my previous boat. Will have to do same for this one as I can never remember details if asked. Ron

I have caught a few flatties on weed many years ago in Patonga creak. They hit the retrieved weed as it looks like a little fish swimming. Ron

I have a 5.6 Quinnie with a 90hp Honda and fish out of Pt Hacking regularly so very similar situation. I rarely bother going if forecast is more than wind of 15k winds and 1.5 meter seas. Boat can handle much worse and I am experienced but any worse and fun factor reduces quickly. Dont forget if your not comfortable and enjoying yourself it's not worth the effort. Ron

Òk to flush next day. You only get issues when salt water dries out in engine. You only have to look at all those outboards on boats moored on the water that don't get flushed. When you do flush, do so for at least 5 minutes as you need to get motor hot enough to open the thermostat or no water will get to the top of the power head which is where your trying to clean. Ron

The trick for me at StG B is to use your sounder to find the bait schools and fish around them with live baits. I have caught about 7 over 4kg using this method with the biggest 5.6 kg and 97cm. All released of corse. Ron

Good luck.

I wouldn't wait for next service but report immediately and get fixed asap. With my boat I have to get bow of boat right in middle to allow catch to engage when driving on to trailer. Ron

I still fish at night during winter for jew and hairtail. The best advice I have is dress in layers and look at ski clothing starting with thermals and finishing with a windproof jacket. Ski pants over your normal pants are worth considering as they are warm, wind and water proof. Last of all an inflatable pfd as you can't swim in all that gear if you go overboard. Ron