gibodfisho

I already had an Alvey as well, 720 52e from memory I bought my dad as an upgrade probably 20 year ago. Before I read this I walked in to tackle shop and picked up the Wilson MT7144 as it was on special. Have you done any research on slide baiting. Cuts out the need to cast big baits and looks an easy diy option with a bit of practice

I already had an Alvey as well, 720 52e from memory I bought my dad as an upgrade probably 20 year ago. Before I read this I walked in to tackle shop and picked up the Wilson MT7144 as it was on special. Have you done any research on slide baiting. Cuts out the need to cast big baits and looks an easy diy option with a bit of practice

Hey mate have been researching the exact same thing, a big beach rod to tackle big things. I have left it a little late and will probably get the Alvey 6500 for a holiday coming up soon. What did you decide to do? Cheers Dave

Gday Swordy Couple of pictures from the net 44mm long and 6.3 grams Not exactly cheap though

Had fun playing with a new lure for me today the OSP tiny Max MR. Even though I have owned 1 for over a year I was either to stubborn to try something new or reluctant to use it because I had only 1. This lure is on the large side for a bream lure but even still it casts really well. Allowing accurate casts from greater range and on a heavyish leader of 8 pound I had a blast casting up into the shallows and crawling it through and over rocks. The bib is large and angular which let it deflect off the rocks only occasionally hanging up. Bream were not thick today but this technique boated me the most bream and was the most fun. Cheers Gibbo

The Atomic crank is the bream lure which all others must be measured against, with the best combination of price, colours, depths, cast ability, and performance. I love using them parallel to structue like bridge pylons, rock walls, boats, pontoons, jetties and more. They also excel on the flats as you have discovered. There one achilles is I think 4 pound is the max leader/line size that lets them work there magic. If you want to hook loads of bream use them on 3 pound fluorocarbon main line with no leader. It makes the atomic crank deadly. A slow steady wind is all you need for a retrieve and if there is some wind, current and bait you are almost guaranteed. Another trip I got from a magazine article is to glue half a split shot under the chin which lets you cast it further and more accurately, the crank will still float but obviously a lot slower.

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Made late decision to g and chase salmon on fly Wednesday, but no salmon schools were working the surface outside the heads. Tried fishing deep with a jig but they were not hitting it as hard as they were 2 weeks ago. Bass minnows down deep did the trick, and also trolled up a few bonnies while searching for surface schools. Back in the harbour got some tailor down deep at 50ft and a nice trev a cast way from where I hooked the king from last session.

Here are the lures that worked for me with the Salmon.

Good day out on Sunday with an "almost" amazing bycatch on 2 pound. Started by being at the heads before sunrise looking for Salmon Schools. Got stuck into them trolling, jigging and sinking stick baits. Next was couple of decent squirters north of Bluefish. Back in the harbour I wanted a trevally or two to go with the Squid for dinner, using a blade on 2pnd flurocarbon cast parallel to a dock with some shade and deep water nearby. Second hop line starts pouring off the little reel and heads out into the open. Feeling under gunned and with nothing to loose put the spot lock on the Minnkota and went to work keeping as much pressure on and constantly changing the angles as much as I could. After about 5 minutes the fish takes its longest run in the whole fight and I can see the spool peering out through the remaining line. I take out my phone and its 10.20am. Fish starts to tire but I still have not seen colour at any stage and it has the power to hang down deep and to make short runs when it feels its too close to the boat. When I do get colour its no surprise its big and angry with a yellow tail. With some confidence of landing it I get the net out ready and this is where the fight changes and the kingy tries to hide under the boat. After a few close calls he dives again on a slow determined run and the line parts, its now 11am. Strangely I am not devastated, I had chance at a great light line capture but the king won out this time. I was just happy I got to see it up close, a chunky fat winter king.

I have owned one for a few years and it is a great blade rod and it must be tough as I have not broken it yet. Have landed my pb flathead on 3 Pnd trace so it has a cushiony action and gets used as my back up flats bream rod. It is not as sensitive as some other mid range rods but at $64 I would even consider getting a spare Cheers Gibbo

Had a chance to fish Parra river after working and taking my daughter to basketball for her first time. Even though a southerly change was predicted I was very keen as. Launched at Wharf rd and had a chat to couple of fisho's, a kayak angler and a guy doing some ground work for his fishing club throwing some hard bodies off the wharf. Conditions looked ideal but by the time I got past the bridges it was blowing 20 knots. This made fishing a hardbody tough but thats what I like to use so I persisted. No joy there so went to a blade. Tried a open area with a few scattered boats that a mate put me onto which was showing a few fish. Normally the fish are scattered and long searching casts and a constant hopping retrieve work well. But today they wanted it on top of the mooring block and got 2 nice bream to start things off. Did a few other things only managed undersized whiting and snapper, before ending up back at the rail bridge. Things went bit pear shaped here, dropped a big flatty from base of the pylons, then got smoked by a bream on the other side of the pylon, picked up the rod with the hard body get another great run from a bream and get it out into open water and it falls off. Leave the bridge as the wind is howling, and fish a mangrove bank, first cast on again but only to pull the hooks again. Getting cold and hungry sprayed a cast into the mangroves. Go in and break off a small branch with the lure on it and get a bit of a tangle and start tearing it apart to free it, but I either chuck the wrong bunch of leafs overboad or its blown out after I have put it down as the lure just disappears. Well thats enough for me and I head for home, beaten but satisfied.

Got out on the Harbour with a lot of other fishos on Sunday, stacks of boats Squidding, and on bait grounds and heading out the heads which was great to see. I had a heap of fun on light gear Kings, on 8pnd, a big tailor which bit me off after being 2/3rds in the net, and a bag of solid bream on crank baits. Only things I tried which didn't work were trolling up some Bonnies along South head and those speedy little buggers frigate Mackeral which I wanted to get on 2pnd. They pop up anywhere and disapear just as quick. Hope to get some of them soon. Cheers Dave

Wrigglers, chubbies, blades drew blanks and polycarbonate blades and atomic deep cranks getting the ep's and bream.

First session in over a month decided to hit Berowra which is a favourite of mine especially with the strong westerlies forecast. Fished a variety of structure including racks which were devoid of life altogether. Some deeper holes had fish on the sounder but was one of thoose frustrating bites where you would get 1 fish but then not get another hit. Was running out of ideas and the wind was being a real and only fish of note were a decent flattie and a nice ep, also got a very cute baby ep only about 75mm long. No bream at all until a late run along some jetties and got 2 legals. So it was a tough day but looking forward to some warmer water and did learn some new things about ep's.

Thanks. Just using screw in eyes and a 1 part sealer bought online. Not sure how strong they are, definately no braid and locked drags.Happy with the finish and the action was awesome bar 1 of the crankbaits. Stickbait needs some tuning it has an aluminium subframe and cedar sides. also painted and put together theese jigs

A bit of time and effort I knocked a couple of lures up.

Gday Ben Could possibly have been Salmon and they certainly get up that far and I got one I think I even posted about a couple of weeks ago and it slugged it out really tough, there are enough clues to have me leaning towards a jew. Both were hooked on or very close to the bottom using a slow gentle hop. Both times the lure was bumped before hooking up and close to the turn of the tide. Also most fights I have had with a salmon are visual in that u get a jump or they come close to the boat before doing a power dive. This did not look like happening at all. There are a few doubts but I am hoping I have found an area where school jew feed and thats the thought that will get me back there sooner rather than later. Cheers Gibbo

The first hook up resulted in one of the centre treble hooks being bent but not mangled, straightened it out and it was good to go again. Both fights resulted in small weed clumps on the line probably helping the hooks to come free.

Had two different sessions on the Parra, Saturday with great weather and today with shite. Both days scored good bream nothing huge just low 30's on atomic and daiwa baby cranks, gulps and blades. The highlight of both days was hooking into something a bream rod was not designed to handle, while fishing a blade. On saturday survived the first run by just angling out towards deeper water then doing a few laps of the boat, plenty of head shakes, gaining line then powering back under the boat,again and again until after a good fifteen minutes and what I was thinking was its last long run the hooks pulled . Devastated I did not get a visual and with some serious forearm pump I headed home . Today same thing happens while hopping the same blade across the bottom my 2000 Sol starts screaming but this time the fish is headed back towards structure. Undo the drag and turn the boat around to give chase, fish does a u turn and goes back under the boat and I do the drag back up and almost let it pull us out into deeper water. Feeling safe I add a little extra pressure by placing my finger on the spool and the fish responds by shaking its head and powering off on an angled run and the hooks pull out . At least this fight was over quickly this time, but not knowing exactly how big or even what species of fish I was connected to is a bummer.

Left work for sneaky session on the Parra river for a bit of field testing and being such a nice day it was just to hard to resist. The plan was to hit some flats and try some new gear but it was pretty quiet. Went looking for some current and tried the bank I had success on last time. This was not happening either, but kept casting the atomic crank and got a good thick set fish 34cm fork. Moved to opposite bank and this is where it came good. Legal, another cracker same lenght but even fatter, a smoking and then sight casting to groups of half dozen or so bream high up in the water colum that were under pylons with a plastic Went further up the river past Gladesville and caught a big Salmon of all things in the dirty water practically from under a pontoon . Had a quick stop at road bridge but electric was out of juice or playing up and called it a day. Cheers Dave and go the Eels

Yeah using hard bodies Atomic deep cranks. Using the fluro straight through doesn't suit every situation but is something you have to try. It was a great session considering I don't like or am spooked of fishing some of my favourite spots close to a full moon. Cheers Dave. ps Poddy Trapper how is the Sratos treating u after owning it for a while, or are u still in the honeymoon phase.

Inspirational nah, crazy maybe just a little bit and I only went to work for a few hours mainly just to brag anyway. Cooked some of them in a pocket of alfoil with a marinade of crushed garlic, cherry tomatoes, lemon and olive oil.

You seem to have all the theory worked out, but like all fishing its the fine tuning that gets results. Bass are agressive and will hit a surface lure year round but its definately better in summer. The jointed Jitter Bug is a classic bass lure but it may be to big and in your face for 95% of the bass in the Nepean especially at this time of year. A more suttle surface lure like a walk the dog style or hard body crankbait may be a better option. Also make sure you add plenty of pauses to your retrieve which gives the bass plenty of time to work themselves up and smash a lure. Do a search on Penrith weir on the forums or better still go down and see what others are doing its pretty popular and you are bound to pick up some information. Cheers Dave

Hatched a plan to visit a spot at Norah Head instead of twidling my thumbs at work due to the rain. Up at 3 and at the beach carpark at 5. Light rain and a steady breeze but should be fishable I thought. Put all my wet weather gear on for the walk in and 2/3rds down the beach it goes eerily quiet and then teems down and wind starts pumping big time, so hard I went and hid in the sand dunes for some protection. Toughed it out and rigged some gear as I was now wet anyway and started casting a big minnow around hoping for a jew. Weed was a problem and so rigged up light out fit hoping for something to turn up in a bread berley trail. Had some likely customers, sand mullet but they proved frustrating after loosing my only small hook. Tried a few other things and then sun started coming out and tide started to drop and I was going to have to make long drive home with 1 mullet. Just then noticed some terns diving on outer edge of the reef then another patch down the beach. Quickly took the minnow off and tied on Halco rooster popper. After a few casts a school must have come in range and they started smashing the popper, got five fish in quick time biggest close to 2kgs. This was awesome fun as I would hook the fish from the rocks then scramble across to the beach to land them. At work now thinking of how I am going to cook them up for my family. Cheers Dave