helliconia

Thumbs Up for this one... there are some nice flatties on the south and west sides of Dangar Island on the edge of the channel. I've drifted through there with prawn and sliced squid baits for flathead. Soft plastics in the Berkely Swimming Mullet and 4" Minnow have worked for me too. I'm partial to the neuclear chicken colours, especially in the muddy water. I just drop them out behind and let them run along the bottom with the drift. You'll need a heavy joghead if the current is running strong.

Sounds like a great week relaxing and fishing Steve. No doubt the highlight was having the wife there with you Looking forward to many more reports from you and the missus.

If you can do it easily try reversing the polarity on the pump and flushing it backwards. This may help clear any blockage in the impeller pickup. As far as regular cleaning goes, if there's a lot of muck in the tank (scales, sand, etc) I use one of those aquarium cleaning tubes to siphon off the water and suck up the rubbish on the bottom. You could just use a large diameter hose to do the same thing.

Good video... never could figure out that one haha

Even if they move the zone you're only moving the grey area with it. Operating a vessel close to the borders of the zone always carries the risk your position will be deemed "too close" and you'll be asked to move on. While lines on a map may define the legal limits, for practical purposes they'll often ask you to leave to save having to fine you if you do accidentally cross the line. I'll take a friendly (or even smart ass) warning over a fine any day

you could mount the bracket on a bracket, or have one made up so its removable. Design it so that you can slot it in place and lift to remove. I'm picturing a simple holder against the hull under your ladder, with a backbone that attaches to the bracket and slides in to the hull fitting.

His pants were white when he got there

Looks alright All that red should make it go faster too!

Actually the tax breaks for R&D in Australia have been quite generous. It's been a while since I looked in to it, but at one stage it was 125%, i.e. for every $100 you invested in R&D you got a $125 income reduction. This may have dropped or been changed since then, I don't know. Also, I think for the first 2 years, the government is subsidising the Carbon Tax through personal income tax reductions, grants to pollutors and handouts in the budget. The net effect is the pollutors get to collect the tax from consumers, the government reimburses most of us (give or take), and also pays the pollutors, so the companies get to pocket the tax and use it to reduce emissions (in theory). If they don't their idiots because when the trading scheme comes in to play and government subsidies run out, their overheads will blow out and they'll become uncompetitive. From an economic theory perspective it should work. In reality however I think we'll see companies buying carbon offsets from dodgy carbon fixing plantation companies hastily setup with existing stocks around the world, and the environment won't be any better off then when we started. For example, I have a plantation in Brazil, on which I grow pine trees. My business has a 25 year cycle, I plant a tree and 25 years later I harvest it. My only income is from the wood I produce. Now I get this idea. My trees are a carbon fixing asset. They absorb carbon dioxide and hold it in the leaves, trunk, and roots and release oxygen. So now when I plant a tree, not only do I make income from the wood, but I can calculate the carbon it fixes and sell that too. No new trees are planted, in fact I'll probably bulldoze another 1000 hectares of rainforest because the money is so good, but some company in Australia can buy my carbon fixing services to avoid the tax. When my trees are harvested I'll miss out on the carbon offset income while I plant more, but in the process of harvesting I'll also release a good portion of the carbon I was paid to store. We loose an efficient carbon fixing asset (the rainforest), pay some guy to store our carbon (which he'll happily do while its convenient because he was doing it for free before), and then we'll release it back into the environment at a later date so we can have timber for our particle board shelves in the pantry. Now there's a cheery picture

I've been looking at the course too. I'm just getting an idea on the cost of upgrading some bits for close offshore trips. The will get the final say based on the budget Is there anything "wrong" with the low end VHF radios, like the GME GX600 in the $250 price range? [EDIT] Damned typos!

Not exactly a fishing rig... bit it could be Navatech Military RIB

I'm looking at taking my little 4.75M tub a bit offshore (definitely not WIDE though haha). I have been looking at some VHF radios but need to know what size antenna should I be matching it to. Most of the radios seem to be of the 1W/25W variety. I can't see myself more 5 or 10kms offshore. I just want to be sure I have the necessary range back to shore if I should need help.

I just plumbed mine straight in without anything but a switch and a fuse. They don't seem to get 'hot' or drawn much power.

Its an easier run from Appletree Bay though. The water is practically glass-like, none of the wind chop you get in the stretch from Brooklyn/Mooney Mooney. Once I exit Cowan Creek (past Cottage Point) I have to slow down because the gf doesn't like getting bounced around in the chop. I average 25 knots up until then, then back off to 15 the rest of the way to Flint & Steel.

I never said it would work he he Can't give up without some resistance though

haha thats gold! mine takes 3 pairs to work with her!!

Not that I want to defend the government but on the topic of mandates, think on this. The last election saw neither party able to form a government. This forced the parties to negotiate with the Greens and Independents to create a stable (well in theory) government. These are the Greens and Independents that enough people voted for to give them the balance of power. Unfortunately, they come from specific areas or ideologies and now we are reaping the result. Labour did not have a mandate for a carbon tax, but a handful of disillusioned voters in specific seats handed that mandate to the Greens and Independents to force on the rest of us. Whether the fix for this is more independents or less I'm not sure. More would create unstable government, at least with the system we have that favours a 2 party structure. Less would allow us to go back to the way it was but I'm doubtful that is any better. Both parties are treating the last election as an aberration. It will be interesting to see what happens next election, whether the swing away from Labour goes to the Libs or sees more independents or minor parties voted in. On the Carbon Tax itself I'm a bit divided. On one hand, you don't reduce pollution without fixing a cost to it. Its an unfortunate fact of capitalism that if there isn't a cost or profit involved business will not act. Theoretically, market pressures from consumers should favour those products that attract the least tax (ie are closest or the furthest below carbon neutral) and hence are cheaper. Government funded research falls in the same category, unless there is a cost in polluting business has no driver to implement new knowledge. Products or companies who are carbon negative, ie produce products or services that reduce emissions, will attract profit from selling carbon credits and be able to subsidise their products further to make them cheaper. On the other hand, the money isn't being directed properly. I agree that the 50% give or take that is being returned to consumers in the form of tax breaks to offset the cost is a good investment, the rest of the money is being put into short term carbon offset schemes which can only keep up with a certain amount of demand. If we're going to do this right we need a shift in the technologies that are causing the pollution. New forms of power generation, transport, and industrial practices need to be invented and implemented. It requires a shift in individual and group thinking that taxes do not accomplish. In a few years the tax will be another fact of life and no-one will care enough to make changes. Long term change is the answer, not short term programs to "neutralise" what we continue to plough along with. As for the "Why us first" argument. If not us, who? If not now, when? The fact is, the developed world needs to lead the rest in these issues because we can afford to. As noted, we enjoy the 2nd highest standard of living. Can we in good conscience expect countries of starving people to do it first? Our economy is one of only a few in the world that can currently absorb this kind of tax, and the scare mongering that says it will send us broke is ridiculous. The total collected carbon tax, based on some loose calculations I just did, represents less than 1.3% of our gross domestic product. I based that on 26.9 tonnes of carbon produced per capita, at $23 a tonne, and a population of 21 million. Our current inflation rate of 3.6% will cost us much more and I don't see anyone screaming murder about the reduction in our standard of living from that.

I'd simply explain that if the rods go so does her access to mine

From the original press release “The $900,000 reef will be located approximately 1.2 kilometres off The Gap at Vaucluse and 1.9 kilometres off South Head."

Theres a good doco on billfish on ABC's iView at the moment. Google "iview" and look in the documentaries section. At the end they find a Sailfish nursery and film the juveniles.

What new laws? The last revision I could find was November 2010...

My alloy boat is sitting on a roller trailer and I find launching and retrieving is pretty easy. It sits on the trailer and tows nicely but I'm no expert so I couldn't say whether skids are better or worse. Since it was supplied by the boat manufacturer (Brooker) I have to assume they know what works with their hulls.

Also check out this thread, there's a lot of good info in it. Jew Tips

There are flathead drifts opposite Cottage Point to the north. I've also done reasonably well for Bream around the rock walls in Smiths Creek. Jerusalem Bay also has a good selection inc Jewies, just move around a bit til you find a pocket with fish in it. The other spot I like is Little Shark Rock Point just east of Jerusalem Bay, get some nice bream and other species there on an incoming tide. Vibes, plastics, and prawn baits have served me well there.

I'mno Kingfish guru, but everything I read about them says reefing is the most common way to lose them. A baitrunner/liveliner system is just going to let them run to the bottom while you're trying to trip the fighting drag on.