Little_Flatty

Nice one @linewetter. You've been 'kinged'. It will end like this a lot and there often will be not much you can do about it. But I bet that put a smile on your dial! 😎🤣

Some quality father and son time there, and an absolute croc of a flatty! How did you go in the comp results?

Hi all, Just came across a series of videos of fishing in Japan. Exhibit one: fishing for trout in what looks for all the world like a storm drain in a village Exhibit Two: More trout, this time in irrigation channels. Finally, exhibit three: catching fish out of cracks in a sea wall. The latter two videos give us insight into how the BFS phenomenon arose. I could watch this stuff forever... Enjoy! Mike

His handle is @nbdshroom and he comes for a visit from time to time, as well as fishing with @swordfisherman as seen in the digital cinema. But I would say to procure the requisite equipment (with suggestions from this community) and just get a handle on the basics with the help of google and YouTube. Technology the same as anything else (like fishing). You just need to have a go, don’t be afraid of making mistakes and search/ask for help whenever you need it (as you have done here). The best time to ask a question is when you’re stuck…that’s my mantra. It works because you’ve already had a go first. You’ll get there.😎 Even digital natives like myself will have things we struggle to learn and make mistakes. I had a major disaster yesterday when I deleted my fishing diary automations for apple shortcuts on my phone. Did I back them up? Of course not! I don’t have the time right now to fix it, but the whole idea needs a redesign anyway, so it’s time to get thinking 🤔. I am being pushed by my technologist mates to start writing an app!

I have had a similar experience getting it to generate code. I think it's a case of using the right tool for the right job. We might all be able to buy a scalpel, but can we do brain surgery? No! In the same vein it won't turn technological laggards into computer programmers. AI has proven useful at 4pm on a Friday afternoon to get me started on something new, rather than slacking off. However, I only use it to create templates to get me started. At this point in time, you'd be delusional if you think it could write exactly the code that you want. That will probably change as the technology and my skill levels change. I totally agree Neil. That said, I think we can still see some hope in that communities like this still have a very significant human element to them. The key is that this community is not driven by an algorithm. By preferring this community to other algorithm-driven social media, I actually suspect we are all 'banal old farts' by hanging out here, regardless of our age 🤣

Great thread @Ryder and interesting discussion everyone else! I am no AI expert by any length, even as an amateur, but working in the technology space and having studied some of the science/technology that underlies it, I see much of the potential and pitfalls that it brings. What I will say is that at this point in time, with regard to AI generated text, it can be fairly obvious to many when AI is used, particularly when the reader is reasonably literate. At this point in time, most AI prose I have experimented with has been more flowery than a regular person would usually write, to the point of hyperbole, and more often than not, completely missing the point. @Ryder's fishing rod ad is a classic example of that. Which advertisement of @Ryder's would inspire you to buy the rod? I think we all know the answer to that. The AI report is flowery drivel. That said, a couple of caveats. First things first, as I said I am not a skilled user of AI and like most things (including technology and fishing gear), it does take skill to use well. There is actually an emerging profession known as prompt engineering which is mostly about getting AI to produce results that you want. A good operator will likely get better results out of AI. I actually have a suspicion I'd be quite good at this myself, but the past few years, I have been so run off my feet (doing things robots cannot yet do!) that I don't have the energy to look into it any further (got to allow time for dribs and drabs of fishing here and there!). It also should be pointed out that with amount of effort required to get a good result out of AI, you might as well have written the article yourself! Secondly, referring to Neil's comment: AI is initially created by a human, but more importantly, it is trained on a given dataset. If we use good information to train AI, then it will likely present better results. If we trained an instance of ChatGPT purely on the Deckee community, we would probably get a pretty good report writing engine for the forums, but don't dare use it to write your PhD thesis on microbiology unless you want a solid fail! This is because we've biased the bot to our ends. The bias of training data is either good or problematic, depending on what you are using the trained bot for. This example I have given is a very benign one, but it could get much more serious, such as when it is applied to law enforcement or the military. Think of the movie the 'Minority Report'. It could really get that ominous if we blindly trust technology. If you have a substantial body of work that can be converted to text, then there is a risk that you could be emulated. That's part of the reason why the writer's guild in the USA went on strike last year because of their fear of getting replaced (at least in part) by AI screen writers. Closer to home, prominent writers like Tim Winton have taken issue with their works being used to train AI bots without their permission. Some others have decided that they might as well have some fun with it, like comedian Sammy J: What is ChatGPT and can it write a Sammy J song better than Sammy J? - ABC listen However, the permission issue is a deep and complex one and unfortunately I don't feel that the writers and performers (and the human race at large) will win on this front. Even if one company or country abides by a code of ethics (and this is assuming it is well written, which is a big assumption), there are dozens of others who will not. So will the robots kill us? Maybe, maybe not. I actually suspect they will, but not intentionally. They will kill us because robots will screw up, and that will be because we trained them inadequately and some (human) idiot decided to trust it, against their better judgement! I've just realised I've been going on for longer than I intended to, and compared to those in my technologically literate circles, I don't even feel like I have a strong opinion on this! 🤣

Great video Derek. I think that leader and line is something us fishos see as disposable but for environmental, fishing time and cost reasons we should conserve it as best we can. I am one who doesn’t tie FG knots with a pile of tension. I just use the weight of the leader spool hanging down (stopped with an elastic fly fishing tippet spool tender) to keep a constant tension on the leader. For the braid. I just hold it in my teeth with the weight of the rod/reel hanging towards the ground to provide the tension on the braid (taking care not to drop the reel in sand or water). It’s a bit of an eccentric method and requires a little coordination, but I find it easier and quicker than knot assist tools or other methods (and I can do it without looking, which is good because my eyesight is not going to be 100% forever…already looking at getting my eyes checked for multifocals!). In fact I suspect I can now tie an FG with this method at least as fast as I can tie a double uni. It wasn’t always this way, I just happened on this method by coincidence and it made FGs accessible to me in a way that no other tool could. Point is to do what works for you, and constantly look for ways to do better!

Sounds like a great day out Neil. Good to get friends onto fish!

Don't remember, but probably somewhere around 8lb. Interested to hear your theory.

Long hard day, but you got a feed! That said I'm with @zmk1962...4am is hardcore! Though I'm a morning person, I wouldn't be seen dead awake any earlier than 5am! That's a nice flatty there at almost 60cm.

Oh @Yowie and @zmk1962, just stop it you two!🤣 I'm still waiting to see photos of a fish after having eaten the soft plastic Bonito, somewhere outside the Hacking 😎

That's a cracker fish Chris, well done!

Great job @linewetter, a 35cm bream is a decent fish and as you have found, will present a decent tussle. There's something about fishing with bread for bait that I find really fun, and the prospect of quality fish like that makes it even better. I see a fresh and well presented bread as like Maccas for fish. Not particularly good for you, but they crave it and will almost always go for it when tempted. Something I have heard from a mate in the past: apparently flatbreads can be good bait as well, particularly when fishing for baitfish. I thought the idea had potential) but haven't got round to trying it yet. To my way of thinking it could make it easy to present very neat and small baits for poddies and garfish and the like. Anther way to present a neat bait is to use a bread punch (from UK coarse fishing - google them up) - I have a couple and they are great.

Nice stuff Dave. I think this might've been the first time I've observed you using plastics. But maybe I haven't been paying attention! 🤣

We never stop learning so we Bob, even masters like yourself.

I love these! What beautiful works of art, and I love that they've been left unpainted and 'true to their materials' as architects would say. That they catch fish is a huge bonus.

Nice one Neil. Wildly different scenery to what I fish!

That's a big jump. Well done.

Thanks Donna, I'll see if my method works out. They're easy to make and don't have to be perfect. Most important aspects are that they are an appropriate size for your target species and they sit right int he water. Give it a go I may share templates when I'm happy with the design, mine are not quite ready yet as they still have foibles only the lure maker will tolerate. Hahaa, with my workmanship, I'd never sell any The originals did sell commercially on a small scale though, I believe!

I think the title 'legend' is apt Chris. Only others can confer that title on you, and rightful owners of such a title almost always reject it 😎

That’s a thumper bream, well done. What was your previous PB bream?

Cheers Pete, Though I started doing this to get me out of a tight spot, it’s taught me so much already. I’m looking at a fly pattern that behaves similarly to try to break my first bream on fly duck! It sure is fun Noel. As for ‘fish rich’ waters, we all wish for them! That said, it does make it more satisfying when you have caught an ‘educated’ fish on a lure you made yourself. Thanks mate, it’s not a big bream by any measure, but still satisfying all the same. You’d be surprised what fish will eat. If it’s the right size, moves like something it could eat, it will likely give it a taste.😎 Thanks Baitdropper. I encourage you to give it a go! Keep it simple for starters. This project only required a Stanley knife, cutting board, some foam, some wire and hooks. I’ve learned to only make one lure at a time until I am sure the lure is doing what you want it to do in the field. This will help you to avoid duplicating mistakes and design flaws. Will keep you updated as I come up with better ways to craft them. Thanks Dave.

@spraka. As @noelm said, Sydney's a big place, so when you know where you might be staying, we might be able to PM you a few places to look at. If you haven't decided and have a choice, try to stay somewhere near fishable water...near the coast, near the Hawkesbury, Nepean, Parramatta, Georges, Port Hacking rivers as an example For something different in winter, try catching blackfish/luderick: While you are here, have a look at the Articles section: Articles - DECKEE Community . There's a wealth of information here and the majority of article focus on fishing the Sydney area and surrounding regions.

You're like a young version of @Yowie Isaac. Consistent quality catches and a good feed for the family.

It's really fun, adds yet another dimension/challenge to your fishing. It also helps you think more deeply about the lures that work for you and why. I hadn't really paid much attention to how a Slippery Dog sat in the water until I started playing with these foam poppers. Tying your own flies is normalised in fly fishing, it's a shame that making your own lures is not. I'm sure it was different in the days of yore...👇 ...which proves my point above. That would've been a sight to behold Bessell!