JET01

Been getting into fishing off the beach and am about to start fishing off the rocks for Blackfish and other species. I don't service my own reels so I don't want to use my Ci4 4000 on the sand or rocks. The obvious choice for this kind of fishing would be an Alvey. The rods I'm going to be using are a Shimano Catana 3-5kg 10'6 Coastline Light, and a cheapo ***** 12' Jarvis Walker 5-10kg Beach fibreglass beach rod. I'm thinking 2 setups: One heavy setup for fishing 20lb mono off the beach and rocks. One light setup up that can be used both for blackfish off the rocks and bream and flatties off the beach, i've got a spool of 12lb dango wax which i've heard is great for luderick fishing. What 2 reels would be the best?

I spent about $80 on lures from those guys. The blades are ok I guess. I won't get any of the surface walkers or poppers from them ever again though. They filled with water and the bearings inside that make them rattle rusted as a result. A tight arse pays twice.

I've only ever fished with braid so am not sure which way to go. I've got a 4000 Ci4 stradic (and spare spool) that i'm going to use off the rocks. I'm going to use a Catana 10'6" Coastline light 3-5kg for an all round rock fishing setup an maybe my 5-10kg 12 beach rod if i need something heavier. If there aren't any black fish around, is the Dango wax ok to use for other species like Snapper and other pelagic species? I've read some good things about the Kokoda GT-R ultra. Anyone know of a shop in between Cronulla and the city where I can pick up a spool of both. If I have to get different lines, I'm thinking 12lb dango wax for black fish and 14-15lb Kokoda for off the rocks/beach.

I've got a fishing comp on soon down at Bawley Point. Nice to know that I can start stocking up on bait now.... My going to be a little grumpy when she runs out of space in our freezer because there's too much squid in there When looking for squid, just look for kelpy weedy areas. And as for jigs. I'm not convinced that the more expensive ones are better. I think it's all about getting the jig into the strike zone. I spent $25 on a Yamashita jig once. Caught a few squid, but have caught just as many on the $3.50 Sure catch cheapo ones. I caught the 27cm model on a goldy/greeny 3.5 cheapo. I was spewing because i lost it to the kelp beds a few casts later. I had a blue jig with a fluoro green belly 2.5 size that i've never been able to get the squid to take. It pulled the next 3 in.

thanks mate... edited.

I went for a quick squidding session this arvo not far from my house... pulled out 1.9kg of squid in an hour. 700g of cleaned squid tubes, nice big dinner for 2! Biggest (new PB) of 27cm (hood length). It pulled so hard i thought there may have been 2 on the end fighting over the jig. As I wiping up the sink I noticed some small clear things that looked like clear pieces of arborio rice. I'm guessing they were squid eggs. So my question is this. Is there any way to tell whether a squid is male or female? Do we need to fish for them like we do for flatties and put the really big ones back? Are there circuit times of the year where the females are more likely to be carrying eggs? I've been squidding at this spot for a few months now and rarely walk away without at least a feed. So as I'm doing this a few times a week, I just want to make sure I'm not doing the wrong thing.

Thanks for your input mate, We were going to head up in October, I didn't even think about the wet season so it's lucky your brought that up. In the end we had to change our plans to march next year because one of the boys is having a baby in October so won't be able to get away for a few months. I bought the Nitro Viper today. It's a mean looking stick, with a nice long handle on it. Can't wait to flick some big plastics around for kings and jews. Seeing as the trip is so far away, I doubt I'll end up getting a new setup until closer to the date, just in case we don't end up going. Cheers

Hey there boys and girls. I'm planning a trip to Lake Monduran with the boys. I've never fished for Barra before and normally spin for the usual suspects in Botany Bay and the Hacking. My gear consists of: 4 x 1-4kg setups, 2 with 1000, and 2 with 2500 stradic ci4's. I'm just about to get a heavier spin setup, I have a Ci4 4000 with 20lb braid that i'm thinking of using with a Nitro Viper (7ft 6-8Kg 2piece). Now i always love an excuse to buy a new setup, but what gear would be the best for fishing on Monduran. And then when i get home to Sydney, what would i be able to use it for then? When it comes to quality i'm thinking about getting something similar to a 2-4kg Pflueger Trion and Stradic FJ setup, but obviously in overhead gear. Reels would have to be shimano as they are around the corner from me and i don't service my own reels. Will only be fishing with lures. Thoughts?

thanks for the tips boys. I'm going to treat myself to a nitro viper. I've got a lot of 7inch jerk shads that i'm going to use. I can't wait to get off the lounge and back into the yak. All this time stuck inside has been good for one thing and one thing only... SAVING MONEY TO SPEND ON NEW GEAR. It's silly the amount of money i fritter away on things like coffee and expensive lunch... Time to be a bit more smart about the way I spend so i can have nicer fishing gear... Nitro Viper 6-8kg 7ft on a Ci4 4000 with 20lb Power Pro. Can't wait to hook onto a beast with my new gear. I'll let everyone know when i catch a fish worth bragging about.

Thanks for your input guys. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anyone else has a few ideas for me.

Geez... 100 views and responses... Keeping all the good snapper spots to yourselves?

I had to go in for an operation the other day which is going to put me out of action for a while. It will be about Mid April before i can get back out in the boat and yak. Hoping to fish the Pirtek Challenge. Last winter my boat didn't get much use as I was away for work from May-August. The winter previous to that, I had only just started fishing so at this stage I haven't really developed a seasonal routine. Nor have I done much fishing in the winter months period. I haven't done much work out past the Botany Bay or Port Hacking heads as I don't have an EPIRB, but am hoping to get out a little more often this year to places like Shark Island, Jibbon Bombora and the headlands around the National park as I've heard they hold fish most of the year. I'm going to try pushing out there in the Yak aswell as the Stacer Nomad 469. So first of all, will mid April be too late in the year for a legal king in the areas I've mentioned above? I'm yet to catch a legal Kingfish, so am hoping i can find one this year. From what i can tell, the kings only really come close to the coast in the warmer summer months. Is that right? Secondly, GEAR... I've mainly got 2-4kg bream gear so am going to get something a little heavier for bigger plastics (i bought a 4-6kg 6'8 Sonic spin pro, but it's a broom stick and doesn't cast anything very far). I've got my heart set on a new Terez rod to use with my shimano Stradic Ci4 4000 spooled with 20lb powerpro. I've also got a CI4 3000 with 6kg Fireline exceed, that could be used also. Should i get the 10-20lb or 15-30lb? They are the lightest two in the range. I'll be flicking jig heads from 1/4 - 1oz when heading outside the heads. When inside the bays and estuaries I'm going to use it for soft plastics and blades fishing for Jews around bridges and Kings around the oil wharf and big flatties when i go down to Mallacoota for the SSBS in May. Thirdly....I noticed a few of the guys on here were getting snapper on plastics in the sydney area. I really like to eat snapper and would like to know if anyone has caught them in the Botany Bay or Port Hacking areas. PM me if you don't want to broadcast it. I live in Cronulla so would love to hear from anyone that has caught snapper in the area. What techniques and gear did you use? Cheers, Jet

that's great news. cheers boys.

Mate i really appreciate your reply but you've lost me a little. Are you saying that the holes you would need to drill for the Minn Kota Quick release bracket are in the same configuration as the holes that i already have in my boat for the Watersnake quick release bracket? So in short, i could just unscrew the watersnake bracket and use the same holes and possibly bolts to install the minn kota quick release bracket. I'm not sure what you mean about locks? I take the motor off my boat after every session because my boat gets parked outside.

Just looking out my window and I can see 3 bait schools getting hammered by pelagics. The weather is great for some fishing outside today. There is surface action everywhere off all of the Cronulla Beaches as we speak birds are going nuts. I'm stuck inside with a bad back at the moment and can't fish... Someone get out there and get into it for me!!!! Hope this helps someone get onto a fish today! Tight lines.

Hey guys just a few tips with lighter braid. I can't help but feel you're all giving up on it too early. I started using braid a couple of days after I caught the fishing bug. Surprisingly I haven't had too many wind knots except for when I tried to change to Sunline super PE 6lb for the first time. I started with 4lb Fireline crystal with and shimano sedona FD 2500 on a 7'2 2-4kg Starlo Stix. Run of the mill entry level set up. From the outset, you have to use a little backing so it doesn't spin around your spool when under heavy load. Make sure when you connect your braid to your backing, you then wind your braid on under as much pressure as possible. This will ensure the line lays on the reel tightly and then you will be less likely to get loops coming off the spool and nesting your reel. When you're out there fishing. Have a look down at your reel just before you let rip on a cast to make sure there aren't any loops or tangles... If there is and you cast, most of the time you'll get a birds nest. I learned this the hard way! Every now and again, troll a lure out the back of the boat and let out about 40m of line (about twice as far as you could ever cast with the wind at your back) and then reel the line back in under tension. With regards to underspooling... personally i think it's the absolute opposite to what has been mentioned already... If you put too much line on your spool then the loops that cause tangles find it too easy to slip off your spool, especially if you're not paying enough attention to checking the tension of your line every 10-15 casts or so. Slightly underspooling is a good way to avoid this. I learned this when I changed over to super sunline PE. I put a little too much backing on my CI4 1000 spool and then tried to fit the whole spool of sunline over the top. The first 5 sessions i had with this line gave me the shit big time... I almost binned the lot, but because i'm a tight arse, i did some reading on the forums and found out what the problem was. Now i love using it for fishing around bridges and moorings with 4-6lb leader and 1gm jig heads for bream. You haven't really mentioned what brands or models of reels you're all using which may have a lot to do with it. Whilst you don't have to spend big dollars on a reel that will cast braid well, The newer designs help with this. For eg, the uses a shimano Sienna ($40 i think)... and even when she was learning to fish with lures, never had a problem fishing with 6lb FINS braid. She's alot better now and it's great because i don't have to stop fishing every 10mins to help her out. I've said it before on this site, but i'm pretty sure i'm the luckiest man in the world. A mate of mine just went through a similar problem with his sedona 2500 FB. The spool was an old shape, and kept getting knots with braid. But on the new Sedona FD which i bought, the edge of the spool is about 45 degrees which helps the line come of the spool more smoothly. He ended up getting a Daiwa legalis the other day, but I mentioned the newer Sedona to show that you don't need to pay a higher price, it just pays to update gear in the same price range. Even though i love fishing with braid, I won't fish wine sunline super pe when it's anymore than 10knots of wind. I stick to the fireline and fireline exceed as it's a little stiffer and easier to manage when fishing lighter jig heads and hardbodies. My lines of choice at the moment are 3lb Fireline which have caught bonitio, a rat king and 71cm Flathead on it with 6lb fluoro leader. Sunline super PE 6lb when there's no wind. And glad that 4lb fins braid keeps my mrs in the boat fishing with me. A lot of people speak highly of fins braid, and the good thing is, it's not that expensive. Hope i didn't come across as a know it all, but i had a lot of similar thoughts to you guys when I first started fishing. I'm glad i persisted because i can feel way more bites fishing braid with a rod length leader than i ever could when fishing lures with mono. Either way, good luck and tight lines. Jet

I'm looking at upgrading my Watersnake motor to the top of the range Minn Kota. I'm pretty sure the quick release brackets are different so i'm going to need to drill new holes in the bow mount bracket to install the new quick release bracket... I don't do too many of these jobs myself, and was just after a few tips when it comes to sealing the old holes to avoid corrosion etc. Or is there some way i can convert the Watersnake QRB to accommodate the Minn Kota.

mate don't take this the wrong way, but i feel like passing a hat around so we can chip in and get you a few new rods. I've got a cheap 2 piece 2-4kg Shimano sonic rod that i'm not using at the moment and work in the city. If you're struggling for a buck and need a rod until you can get the cash together together to get some better gear, let me know, and you can borrow it. I'd give it to you but i need if for when i take the fishing with me. I feel so bad for you mate. PM me if you need that loan that rod.

congratulations on the PB mate... Now to break the 80cm barrier

I'm interested in the type of boat you're in too... is it an Anglapro Chaser? What size?

What makes you biased? Is it because the site is sponsored by Purefishing? hahaha I really like the look of the handles on the Venoms. I'd prefer cork, but the fact that there's lot of handle where you actually HANDLE the rod, is something that really caught my eye. It was the main reason why I went for a Pflueger Trion over a Berkley Dropshot when i first started fishing, then then the same with the T-curve flights when upgrading. My decision is yet to be made.

I noticed the Venom series seem to be on clearance sale on a few online sites. I know Swordie loves his Blood Python, but was wondering if there was anyone out there that has fished both t-curve and venom in a 2-4 1piece and what the difference was. I'm thinking about getting one last rod to round out the collection for my inaugural year of Southern squidgy bream tournaments. I'm going to have 4 rods set up. Plastics, popper, hardbody, blade. I've got 2 1-4kg t-curve flight rods ( a 6'6 and a 7ft) , but i'm not sure if the new t-curve tournaments are the same blank. Seeing as the Venom series are on special, thought i might get one at the more reasonable price. The specs seem to be different between the berkley website and the online retailer that has them on sale. I'm thinking the 2-4 6'10" or 2-4 6'9" in the Venom range vs the 661 2-5kg T-curve tournament. I like to keep my rods around the 6'6 mark as I'll be fishing out of the yak, anything longer gets hard to handle in the event of a tip wrap. Anyone have any feedback on these?

You're not wrong mate. Around this time last year, I was pulling in s#@tloads of fish. Most of those I was releasing. I was pulling in that many, that it got to the stage where I used to say to the , " don't worry about taking any meat out of the freezer tonight, I'm going fishing after work and will bring back a couple of flatties". This year it's been the opposite... I've had about 5 trips out this year where i've been out for longer than 4 hours at a time. Of those trips i've pulled in 2 legal flatties, one massive trevally, and the other 2 i've had donuts. I'm only fishing with lures, so maybe that has something to do with it. My guess is the weather is playing a massive part in the lack of fish around this time of year. I had one day in spring where i landed a 65, 60, and 55cm flatty on the same day in the Hacking of all places! The hardest place to fish anywhere in sydney in my opinion. That was the first time the water started to warm up, then it's dropped off again since then, and that's why i think the fish have shut back down. That is why I feel so much satisfaction about the PB Trev. Getting a PB when the fish a on the bite is one thing. But when the fish are shut down and have been off the chew for what feels like a month, it just makes it all the more satisfying and special. The is going to make a Red trevally curry tonight. Can't wait.

Paul, Dan and I left the Tom Uglies wharf at 0530 and headed out to kurnell to try for some yakkers. After only a reddies we gave up and went over to the oil wharf to flick a few lures around. Within about 5 mins, Dan caught his first fish on soft plastics. A reddie going 25cm. kissed and put back in. Shorty after Paul was onto something that gave his senora 2500 and 2-4kg Silstar and run for it's money. in the end his 6lb Braid and 8lb leader brought in a 40cm tailor. released to fight another day. Just after that, my 7" Jerk shad got smashed! the line was peeling of my 4000 CI4, and my 4-6kg rod was fully loaded up. The fish went for a couple of blistering runs. We were all calling it for a Kingie. About a fortnight ago, I got busted off by something that felt similiar, so I was a little more patient this time. The patience paid off, and after an excellent job with the net, I'd boated my PB Silver Trevally of 55cm and bang on 2kg. Stoked. Paul caught a 44cm flattie on the way to Captain Cook bridge. We headed over to the pillons to fish the tide change for Jewies. On the way we stopped because we saw a guy with what looked to be a 15kg rod fully bent over. He'd been fighting it for over 20mins. Funny thing was, they hadn't pulled in the anchor. I went around the anchor rope, and after a lot of stuffing around they finally got it untangled and continued the fight. It was obviously a massive ray, but they didn't get their rig back because it run under the boat and the line rubbed on the hull. It situations like that when i can't figure out why anyone would ever contemplate buying anything other than a side/centre console open fishing boat. Any way over at the CC bridge we flicked some lures around. Paul hooked up and felt some big shakes.... after about 2mins of fighting we had it near the boat, but still deep in the water. Didn't get colour. Paul was spewing when it spat the hook and will probably have nightmares tonight about the "jewie" that got away... shortly after he was on again, but this time a dinner plate size numb ray. Cleaned up and headed home around 1030 after a quietish day. Stoked with the PB!

If I'm fishing alone. I'm always in the yak. I only take the boat out when I need to take someone with me. Yaks are great. A one off cost, no rego, no insurance, no maintenance, stuff all cleaning. I'd sell my boat in a second if I could. Anyone want a nomad 469 merc 50 two stroke with under 80 hours on it get in touch