camotec

Hey Guys Thanks for that info Huey, At least I know where to get my next boat now too. I spoke to him today and he was a very nice old gentleman and I bought it for $900 as he has just had the motor serviced and all hoses and fittings replaced. the prop looked good. and it comes with 2 life jackets, 2 anchors, new rope etc. so all in all I am fairly happy and I will most likely spend more to get it the way I want. See you on the water! (YAY! I'm not not shore bound now!) Cheers Ben

Ben Chifley Dam, Burrandong Dam, maybe other inland dams around the central west NSW.

I have looked around for a few weeks not but most basic 3.5metre tinny's are going for $1300 for just the hull and then to get the trailer and motor and fuel tank and life jackets and oars it all adds up. I was only going to use this on dams etc. I was going to offer the guy $800. is there anything that dosen't look right? I thought to get away $800-$1000 for a boat, motor, and tailer with rego was good? I do realise it is a bit banged up, but hey gotta start somewhere. I didn't really want to spend so much money to start with, one because I want to keep the wife happy and 2 for an item I may not get to use often, I dont want that money just sitting there.

Hey Guys, I have my eye on a tinny which is advertised for $1000 ono. and I just want to share some pics with you and get some advice on things I should ask the person that maynot be apparent. I have checked the hull and it has had a few repairs but the price includes the motor and trailer and both are registered until July 2010. I dunno what the motor is yet, but are there things I should be checking on the motor other than making sure it starts? Here are some pictures Any help would be awesome. I only want something to get me out on the water and dont want to outlay a whole lot to start with and then later I will buy a nice 16 footer or something lol. Cheers Ben

haha top work J.J, I wish I started fishing as young as you. your doing a top job. keep it up. Cheers Ben

That is the best 5 word response I have ever had. hehe I will definetly catch up with Ray next time.

Awesome work, Ray and Hutcho. I need to grab me one of those brag matts I think. It will definetly make things easier

Thanks for the comments guys, It was fantastic fun, not to mention the satisfaction of landing a fish and cooking it and it tasting good. I think the best part was to be able to play around with various retrieves and to see what worked for the area. Cheers Ben

Hey Guys, Well I got back from my week away at the central coast and all I can say is that I will be heading up again for some long weekends soon. Ok so when I arrived to Avoca things looked terrible. it was raining etc. and the forecast was not looking good for the week. but Things changed and I had an absolute blast! LEts just say I was really trying to catch up with Ray R and sent him about 3000 SMS's and then I worked out it would be quicker to call him. he was really busy with his business all during the week and we could not meet. but we will the next time I am up as even though he could not come fishing he still gave me plenty of advice and shared a couple of stories. Anyways here is the rundown of my holiday with pics. Sunday 28th Feb: Fished down at the estuary at Avoca and caught bait fish and that was it... really looked terrible (my fishing technique), I had no idea what I was doing. Monday 1st March (Morning): Went down to the beach and showed my son what sand was, the fearless 2 year old ran for the water and got broadsided by a wave just as I caught him, He loved it! Monday 1st March (Arvo): Ok decided to go throw some plastics off a small jetty at Pretty Beach (Which I later worked out was Hardy bay as I didn't listen to the GPS and just saw water and ran) I fished with Gulp and got a landed 2 leatherjackets which kept smashing the Nuclear Chicken Shrimp Gulp! I was using both went back as it started to rain. Tuesday 2nd March (Arvo): Went back to Hardy bay to the same little Jetty and a local guy who lived opposite the jetty was also having a fish. I said g'day and we got talking, he was using live bait and not having much luck and I was using Softies (I switched from Gulps thanks to the tacklo guy because they were well aware of the leatherjackets love for the gulps and told me I would have more luck with flatties on these softies which are a little more leathery than the gulp so dont get chomped so much by the LJs). Anyways I told the guy I was new to fishing and that I wouldn't pose a threat to his fishing. I hooked a just under legal bream which the guy was very helpful in releasing and then about 10 mins later I got a flattie but not in the conventional way as I had lasoo'd the flattie and landed it lol the hook hitched on on the leader around the belly of the flattie and just wouldn't come off past the fat head lol. was awesome and we both had a laugh about it. The guy said he was glad we weren't in a comp otherwise I would have won, I just swatted the comment away with a mention of beginners luck and we got back to it (Was definetly nice to hear though). I then caught a crazy looking orange fish next, which the guy said were not good eating and I could not find it on any chart, we threw it back too. We both left and he made sure he got the type and size of softie I was using hehe. Wednesday 3rd March (Morning): Went for a fish on the beach in the early morning, forgot the beach rod holder and after arsing about with a pilchard I snapped the line on the 2nd cast, threw the whole lot in the car and went home. The highlight of this morning fishing session turned out not to be the fishing but the beautiful sunrays through the cloud (dont get this sort if thing in Bathurst). Wednesday 3rd March (Midday): Went to lunch at The Cowrie and had a meeting with a Performance Brake Pad company I did some work for and after a fantastic lunch, the guys said they were going out fishing in open water tomorrow and asked if I wanted to come along. HELL YES!! Thursday 4th March (Early Morning): Swell was high and I was feeding the fish the macca's I had the night before lol. after a couple of showers the sea sickness and swell went away and we could get into fishing. Bryce was into something big straight away and was hoping it was a big snapper and after about 5-10mins of winding he found he had gotten a shark. It was carefully unhooked and set free. After that I wound in a coral trout on another guys (Andrew) rod as he was slow to get up because he had a knee hinge/brace thing on lol (sorry man, but I have it now). The next thing I know is Andrew is now sitting 1 foot from his rod with a firm hold on it ready to pounce, incase another fish jumps on, and who could blame him, this stuff is addictive. He then landed a snapper shortly after and Bryce then caught a Mulloway which put up a decent fight before surrendering. Right So it was my turn.. BAM this thing was heavy and we got it up and it was a Jewie and I was proud as it was a decent size fish about 60-70cm but after being told they were bad eating I threw it back.... WHAT?!? I hear you say!, and now if I had spoken to Ray R before this outing I would have kept the fish, but let me say I will definetley be up on all the fish types and eatability for my next trip out. I then caught a couple of decent size bonnies which I would be having for dinner, and something to show my wife this whole fishing interest I now have is yeilding some results. (plus I had already read about bonnies being good eating on these forums). Anyways Andrew caught a finny looking orange fish that looked like it came from way down and apparently it is good eating so they kept it not finding it on any charts. By this time I was starting to get sick again and the swell was building again so we decided to head back in around 11:30am. I learnt how to gut a fish which was n real hands on lesson. but it was a good feeling to know I would be putting it on the table tonight. I showed my wife and we came up with a Garlic Chilli & Oregano Bonito fillet on a bed of mash and even made it look all nice for the fellow fishraiders to look at. Les (my Wife) had watched a cooking show a couple of weeks ago about pulling bones from the fish with tweezers and was in there with her plucking tweezers to get all the bones out without loosing any meat. anyways pics of it below. Friday 5th March: I had 2 hours before I had to take the wife to lunch with a friend of hers so I thought I would get some fishing in at Hardy Bay again but this time from a jetty on the other side of the bay. I threw in the plastics and bam got a small flattie. about 15mins later I hooked another but it dropped off the hook just as it surfaced but not very big anyways. about 30mins past and I was enjoying the quiet morning and cool breeze I was starting to retrieve and got a really strong pull, BAM hooked something worthwhile, I pulled it up and it was another flattie, this time I was cheering as it was a monster (well my biggest flattie anyways) Approx 44cm. I was so happy. I decided to throw it back as I did not have the luxury of cooking dinner that night and we were leaving the next day so I thanked it for going along for the ride put it back. CHOOOOOO!! off it went. I went home beaming knowing I learnt so much in such a small amount of time and I think next time out I will be a better fisherman.

Hi Guys & Gals, Back from my holiday on the Central Coast. I will be posting a wrap up in the fishing reports forum shortly, with pics. I had a great time and thanks to everyone who helped me out, especially Ray, even though we unfortunately did not meet he provided plenty of information and tips over the phone and also a relisation of noobness on my part (he was a very busy man this past week). Next time I am up there (maybe for a fishing weekend), I am sure we will catch up and have a few brews. Cheers Ben

hi there, I will try and get more information from the fisheries group, I think a shallow punture and agentle squeeze was recommended. I will have a word to the fisheries staff again and see if I can get more information for you

I will most likely be fishing from Sunday onwards, by the time I get up there in and into our accommodation and stuff it might be a bit late I will be out there most days though

Piercing of the bladder (or 'Fizzing') is a contraversial method of depressurizing a fish. as there is no conclusive study to say that Fizzing improves survival. it may improve short-term survival however due to possible fungal infection or damage to tissues the fish can often die from secondary issues, however this does depend on the species of fish. The success of "fizzing" depends on the conditions at the time and also on the training and experience of the individual performing the procedure. It is a difficult procedure to perform accurately and, from an anatomical perspective, there is very little room for error. Hope this helps, I guess its a matter of which is the greatest evil Cheers Ben Camilleri DPI IT Geek

only hours away before I head up lol, can't wait, can you tell? I will be fishing the whole time & weather permitting

Ray mentioned the rocks but being that I am only very new to fishing I want to keep things simple and a non dangerous as possible as my 2 year old son will be around. I will for the most part be mostly fishing alone too so if I am going to become fish bait I would prefer I did it where other people can see lol. But if its a calm day and Ray is around and feeling like a fish off the rocks otherwise Beach and estuary it is for me. Beach will suit me fine as I can chill out in the early morning and relax in the sun or catch a sunset and maybe a fish or 2 in the evening

I will most likely have a fishing session or 2 with Ray, depending on when/where is is fishing I dont want to encroach on his own time but I will give him a call when I am up there and hopefully we can catch up. I am super excited to go. I will be up in Avoca on the 28th so I might go for a fish late afternoon around 5-6pm. maybe some beach action and then when I wonder why I am not catching any fish I will contact Ray to help hook me up on the locals

Hi Mike, Thanks for that, thats all I need.... a starting point. Just to get all the right tackle and then set it up. Cheers Ben

Hi Guys, I just got a 12ft 5-10kg beach rod and spin reel and I just want to know your thoughts on hook and sinker size etc. I have the rod spooled with a 7-8kg mono and I will mostlikely use a 20lb leader. Is there a particular setup thats better? I am going to be baiting with half or whole pillies, to catch Aussie Salmon, Tailor etc. single hook and sinker setup or a siker further up the line and then 2 hooks 5cm apart to put 1 hook through the jaw and then another through the guts? Another question is butterflying a pillie worth while for beach fishing or is that more likely something to do if your trolling in a boat? I have been practising my pendulum cast and even the brighton cast lol. Anyways, I know I am pumping everyone full of questions but I am on the fast track learning as much as I can. I dont want to be a pro, I just want to know what I am doing. Cheers Ben

That was a great report, good on you guys, awesome result Cheers Ben

I wash looking at a anglers stable kayak with cup holders and rod holders and storage up the wazoo (hey, you might as well get the comforts) and for $699, it would be great but I can't seem to bring myself to putting roof racks on the evo lol. but yeah I found a lot of big fish in an outlet area, yellow fin and trout. But do you think I could get them on with Gulp or Lures. hell no, they were sitting right behind the lures looking at them and I am thinking... just jump on damnit! I think I need to use some live bait like worms etc. to get them on. I will try that next time. Cheers Ben

Thanks Snooze, I will keep this rod at home this time round as I want to spend a bit on the baitcast reel that I buy and I dont really need to be worrying about how to use it when I want to catch a fish. I went out and bought a Beach Rod today, nothing special, a Jarvis Walker Comet 12ft because I think I will catch up with Ray R while up there and the beach action is probably where its at for a decent dinner fish. It came with a 750 JW Ball bearing spinning reel included. I didn't spend much on this rod either only paying $35 reduced from $49 but I thought it would be good to have all bases covered and then depending on their use I will upgrade to better rods and reels as I talk to people and I get better. Thanks for all the comments and advice, very much appreciated, hopefully one day I can give advice lol. Cheers Ben

I did actually give a tassie devil a go but I also did not have much success but again most likely my technique also lol

I will be heading down to the local tackle shop to check out all of the reels so I will make it known I am new to this type of reel and want something easier to use even if it is more expensive. I am using Super 100 12lb mono (Platypus) as my main line and Vanish leader on my reels at the moment, it casts a good distance and the sensitivity seems pretty good. but I haven't had a huge amount of time to fish as yet. (only at my local water hole) Cheers Ben

Very Nice Ray, I hope I catch a nice flattie like that up there. Any good spots in the estuary, that I should try? Cheers Ben

Excellent article, I will definetly give it a go