Dusky

well, if you have a little tinnie with a twist grip - the twist part is the throttle is you have a larger boat it is the (usually) T bar thing which you push pull to control the engine speed & therefore the speed of your boat.

I don't know the answer to that but I would PM Huey at Huett Marine for his advice

Hi mdj sounds just perfect! I have a mate who has been at me for ages to go down there & try my luck, sounds like I should have a go.

who could ask for a better week end - well done

just took a sneak peak at Raiders & was caught laughing to myself with this one - Daammm yuoor funny boi!

well done - nice haul can I get an invite to dinner

Hey Roberta/Keith Great news - Enjoy your time in WA & make sure you put a post up for it (cause I know you will & make me jealous - love your work) Keith & many more to come

Damm.. That's a great catch (& glad you let her go )

nice set up you should try the Georges River

Hi Geoff All good questions. I have a similar policy with GIO & would be interested to hear what you find out. Rex

Thank you fellow Raiders. Yep I am stubborn & would not let something like this beat me! & yes I do have to do a little more to get things done or approved but as you said Jeff (& I hope its true) that makes me a little more cautious than most & perhaps better - we will see.

I hear your pain. My feelings exactly. I am a fighter & will not stand for any form of discrimination, I am currently looking for a postition with an organization who works with disadvantaged groups as that is where I was working a few years back & want to return to that arena.

Hi Raiders Well, after 9 months of discussions & arguments with NSW Maritime, the Anti-discrimination Board, local politicians, doctors & boating schools I have my boat license at last. Those of you who know me personally would know, I have a slight disability (1 hand & 1 foot). As I cannot hide this fact, I am continually discriminated against by many bureaucrats who from time to time, make my life difficult. After passing my written test, I asked if I could then continue on to do the practical examination. I was told that there was more red tape that I would have to deal with (as opposed to any one else who could just go for it!) AS luck would have it my brother contacted 2 NSW State Parliamentarians who asked some difficult questions of Maritime. Even so, I was still being asked to get letters or proof of my abilities. As luck would have it I bumped a really nice chap in Mt Druitt from Sea School Boating. Stuart contacted his boss who contacted Maritime & together with their assistance & Mr Ray Williams MP (Member for Hawksbury) along with his wonderful assistant Greta, they conceded that, should I be assessed by an independent assessor I would qualify for a license. So, I went to the Nepean River with Stuart from Sea School & ran through all the assessment criteria & what would you know - I PASSED - - YEAH ME!!! Now that I have my boat - license (boat & fishing licenses) & soon a 4x4 to tow it I hope to see many fellow Raiders out on the water. One VERY relieved & happy boatie

Chipper Skipper

I'll PM you tonight if I can swing it -

nice haul pal! well done. also great job on the catch & release thanks for the report - a good read

Great catch Grant! I will have to look for an excuse to come up & visit now the weather & water are warmer & see if I cant find that Kingie in the river again.

Yep - I was brought up watching my name sake & it was Rex who made me want to go fishing. & the late Malcolm Douglas was also a favorite of mine. Unfortunatly there is only 1 Leyland brother left.

couldn't agree more

Happy Birthday Donna - make sure you get spoiled today & lots of pressies! & have a couple drinks to celebrate

you poor old bloke - I feel your pain - NOT wish I was there - hope you have more fun out on the water doing what we like best - fishing Rex

Hi Roberta Yes, he is a nice bloke, he said if you call & arrange with him he will pick you up in town or from the airport & drop you back as well. It was really worth it. I had such a great time & it took till this morning to get the smile off my face. Cath & I are looking forward to our next trip up to Forster & hope to call in & perhaps have another day out in the yaks with you (if that's ok with you of course) Rex

Hi all I had a trip up to Townsville for work this week although it had been raining on & off since the weekend, I had the opportunity to take a couple of hours to go fishing on Thursday morning before my flight back to Sydney. Dawn on Thursday came with a few clouds & the song of the birds to wake me up & with the prospect of being a wonderful Nth Qld day - hot sunny & a little humid. After meeting up with my customer & a cup of coffee & business for the day done by 10.30am we had egg & bacon sambo's for brekkie & set off to a local Barra Fishing farm just out of town (only 15 min drive YEAH) I arrived thinking that this would be just waste of time but... a day fishing is better than - well anything! We went in & chatted to Ron the owner - a really nice bloke who set out the rules - catch & release on his gear & which area was easy & which had a greater challenge & therefor more fun. I took the big fish dam & soft plastic option & with a can of ice cold drink, set off to find a likely spot to look for reeds or swirls in the water. After 45 minute in the sun & getting frustrated at only getting the odd nudge & not having my own gear or choice of lures I changed over to fresh bait. (as I only had 2 hours to play) Well these hungry suckers were far more interested now! I had SO much fun from then on. Every hook up was the same buzz - the gentle nudge on the tip of the rod, a little tension on the line as these beautiful fish sucked in the bait & then a quick jerk on the rod to set the hook. Then, off like a freight train they went! with the reel screaming as line stripped off & the rod doubled over & with me screaming and yelling like a teenager - so much fun (I know I said it before). There was even the odd structure & given the chance they would dive in & around it to get away so dam or not you had to guide them out & as you did the reel would scream again with these sweet fish jumping & performing like I had a film crew to film them. I landed 8 fish over the next 1 1/2 hours & unless someone was near buy could only get pics of a few. Every fish was exciting & as much fun as you can have LB & as I discovered - no guarantee of a hook up or landing a fish. I have attached a couple of shots - If you want a day trip to fish for Barra in Nth Qld & have $400 you can fly up fish & fly home in a day - can you think of a better way to spend a day off? PM me if you want details