myocard

First time since christmas that the crab catch was zero. The rule of thumb is 'any month with an 'r' in it'

Tough day yesterday. We were on the water at Brooklyn at 6.30am. Fished the top of the tide at the rail bridge for a bag limit of catfish and one undersized jew. Moved to get out of the wind and landed 3 nice flathead & another undersized jew near Dangar Island as well as some more daytime catfish. At least each of the kids caught a flathead to take home - one of them at 58cm. 10 witches hats out for 6 hours and not one crab.

Hawkesbury early tomorrow with the kids. Crabs? Jewfish? Squid? We'll have a go and take whatever comes.

Don't feel rushed at the ramp. Plan what you are going to do beforehand, take your time and be methodical.

It's a neat looking boat. I reckon you got a bargain.

I had not considered the orientation of the trebles I've connected or replaced. Split ring pliers are essential - they make this job easy. Without them you will get a barb in the thumb for sure. Thanks again Slinky

There have been some decent Blue Swimmers in the lower Hawkesbury recently - even in the dirty water. We've caught them on lines and in witches hats. The water seemed to affect the fishing, but not the crabs. Nothing stops the eels, catfish and rays which will drive you nuts if baitfishing at night.

Sounds like a plan mate. Let us know how you go. With the right bait you are in with a fighting chance.

- how'd you come up with this one?

I don't know if the lake is any different - but mullet pieces outfish everything else. I grab whole sea mullet from the local fish shop - it's cheap. Cut it into thirds and bait the traps. Other fish pieces/frames/cat food/burley chunks don't do as well.

Any tips on where to get some replacement nets cheap?

What is the reasoning behind manually spooling line yourselves rather than have a shop do it?

Benefits of braid include significant casting distance, smaller line diameter, braid line doesn't develop a 'memory'. Braid line also floats and is very visible to the angler. Due to the low or non-stretch properties of braid you also get feel that is not possible with mono. I've never heard of a crimping tool - all mono traces are tied with a knot or joined with a swivel. Braid has the disadvantages of being expensive, requiring leaders and most noticeably, it has very low abrasion resistance - meaning bust-offs near structure where mono might land the fish.

Australia on tsunami watch after earthquake February 27, 2010 - 10:08PM Australia is on tsunami watch after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile's coast, toppling buildings and killing at least six people. "An undersea earthquake has occurred near the coast of Central Chile," the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said in a statement, warning of a potential tsunami threat to NSW, Queensland, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. "Tsunami waves have been observed on the coast of Chile that may threaten Australia." The quake, capable of tremendous damage, hit off Chile's coast at 3:34am local time (1734 AEDT) on Saturday, shaking buildings in the capital, where some have buildings collapsed. The epicentre of the tremor was 100 kilometres north northwest of the Chilean town of Chillan and 115 kilometres northeast of Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river. The quake was felt in Argentina as well. The survey had initially put the magnitude of the tremor at 8.5 but later adjusted it to 8.8. In Australia, the BoM said tsunami waves could start affecting Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands after 8:30am (AEDT) on Sunday. NSW could be hit after 8:45am (AEDT) on Sunday while Queensland would be hit 8:15am (AEST) The website said the next advice would be issued by 9.15pm (AEDT) on Saturday. The US Pacific Tsunami warning centre has also issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch is in place for Ecuador, Colombia, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica. Japan's meteorological agency also warned of a tsunami risk across large areas of the Pacific as US geologists said the risk extended as far as the Antarctic. "There is a possibility that tsunami will widely occur in the Pacific Ocean," an official for the Japanese agency said. "We are now checking if tsunami may hit Japanese coastal areas." AAP http://www.smh.com.au/world/australia-on-tsunami-watch-after-earthquake-20100227-pa77.html

We had one decent hook up near Dangar island. Two big runs & then hooks pulled. Fighting big weight / massive current made it tough. We got crabs near Wobby.

One of my favourite areas to fish. Should start seeing some bigger bream there soon.

Interesting night. Completely struck out on jewies and as usual, as soon as it was dark the eels and catfish arrived. A decent feed of blue swimmers saved the night. Seem to be plenty in the Hawkesbury at the moment. We got back to the ramp at around 1.30am to see the police rescue boat with what turned out to be some very lucky blokes. They capsized their 14ft runabout off Flint & Steel trying to retrieve a stuck anchor. They were lucky another boatie saw what happened and came immediately to their aid. They saved the boat and all three were uninjured, but very shaken up. The boat was towed to the beach upside down where they flipped in and bailed it out. None were wearing life jackets, one guy came up under the upturned boat and they all commented that it flipped without them even realising it.

Info on these is a bit thin on the ground. I got a good deal on a Shimano 4500b - so that's the way I went. There is heaps of info on these and it is all positive.

Short answer. Yes there are issues & even the fuel companies warn against using it.

Depends on who you do it with. Check the links on the maritime nsw website. ABC is one that does the lot in one day. test included. And definitely do the online test plenty of times. And pay attention to the things that you might not even be interested in - towing skiers and parasailers for example.

You've got it basically right. Option 1 - logbook option. You can do these requirements in any order. Online course / logbook / pass the test. You just need all three together before you can get the licence. You can sit the tests at an RTA office anytime, costs $22 a go though. The RTA are not interested in the certificate of completion of the online course or the logbook. Once you have passed the test you take these to a NSW Maritime office. Option 2 - I believe this includes the test as well. All you need to do is take the course completion certificate to NSW Maritime

Can you get in & out after sunset/before sunrise. There is a sign advising that the carpark is locked overnight.

That was quick. Looks great. Some people deserve a pat on the back. Cheers

I can't find much info about these bait runner reels. The prices are very good - but are the reels.

Does that thinking extend to 5 witches hats per child as well?