bennoz

bit of an update: sanded back as much as i could to get the scratches out and groves even. cleaned up with some turps. went to bunnings and picked up some gloss black epoxy spray paint. did the 1st coat today and it came up really well. here are some before pics. ill post some after pics after the 2nd coat:

people actually make a sport out of surf casting. They use 12-14 foot rods that chuck 150g + sinkers well over 200 meters. its a combination of rod, reel, sinker weight, braid line and co-ordination. google the pendulum cast to see how the pros do it. ive seen pics of a snapped off sinker embedded into a car radiator. the big rods and weight generate ALOT of force. When i tried i cut my casting finger quite badly anyway - enough of that. braid Will help as the low diameter cuts through the air much better than mono. sinker weight is a big factor. add more = further, but it'l effect your fishing reels - overheads are generally considered better for distance, but eggbeaters with a low profile lip on the cylinder (or that are quite full) reduce resistance as the line comes off the reel rods - yes longer is better for distance but not so good for say ... in a boat. ideally you want a rod with a nice whip action and a sensitive tip. The rod will provide most of the force that sends your sinker a mile

HI Raiders Was helping the old man clean up and found his old surf rod. Its a 3.7m graphite composite in need of some TLC. I decided to replace all the guides (only 2 were any good) an as i was cutting them off i noticed alot of scratches, chips and scrapes. So i spent a few hours yesterday sanding the old girl back. I tried to get as smooth and even a surfact as possible. Theres still a few deepish ridges but its pretty good. Now i need to paint the rod. Does Anyone know what type of paint i need and where i can get it? After doing some research online, seems i need an epoxy paint that comes in a spray can - is that right ? Id go with a gloss black. cheers Bennoz

G'day RPL i love surf fishing - getting your feet wet, facing the waves. Brilliant ! As to your questions: 1). Yes tides matter. You'l generally catch more around a tide change - but thats not to say you wont catch anything the other times. Also dawn / dusk play an important role too. Low tide just after dawn = perfect! I prefer to fish an hour before low tide to an hour after. Low tide you can see the gutters / holes better. Just remember low tide = food moving out to sea 2). I used to use a running sinker to a swivel to 3x 4/0 hooks ganged. Now i am converted to surf poppers. You can buy these pre-rigged for under 5 bucks. Basically its a patternosta rig with a surf popper on the top dropper (looks something like this: http://www.amazonoutdoors.com.au/e2Shop/uploads/330/surf_poppers.jpg), and ganged 4/0 on the bottom dropper. Large star sinker on the bottom. casts a mile and reduces tangles. 20lb line should give you some fun (this setup is mainly for salmon / tailor - the bread and butter surf species) 3). bream / whiting prefer (from my experience anyway) a less surf beach. Any beach where the surf is under 1 foot. look for places where weed meets the sand. Running sinker to a long shanked hook (or jigging soft plastics) and you'l be good to go Bit more info in another thread : http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=52516&st=0&p=381972&hl=beach&fromsearch=1entry381972

im always keen to get out - espically on a sunday. what i lack in experience (quite a bit) i make up in enthusiasm more than happy to cover my fuel / bait / other costs if you have room for one more

its also on the "latest news" section on the top of every page "ITEM FOR JANUARY 2011 PURE FISHING CATCH OF THE MONTH IS A PAIR OF SCISSORS, CLIPPERS OR KNIFE "

10char

man i wish i had a boat. sounds like awesome fun

was it bit off recently (like on the way up), or did it look like an old injury?

thats awesome - nice report too never would have thought you could get wahoo off sydney...and 2 in one week reported on the forum.

i reckon you could chuck it all into a mortar and pestle, and make a sorta parsley pesto marinade. sounds really good though - ill be trying it thx for sharing

awesome - will try and arrange a time in the comming weeks. (bucks party this weekend ;P )

sounds like a plan - PM sent

This - i do it all the time, except less fancy (no butter or garlic). still tastes awesome !

nice size flatty - i might have to give it a go next time im there. i was in culburra over xmas, catching big salmon from the beach (when it wasnt too windy)

dont forget that if your getting a reel in the "6000" range, you'l easily fit 600+ yards of braid, and at up to 30c a meter - thats like 100 bucks most stores have "clearance" specials. not the latest gear but brand new and still good. could be worthwhile just visiting a few shops and see what they have to offer

Your name: Ben Age: 28 Your Location: Crows Nest, Syd Fishing technique: Rock fishing - blackfish, Kingies, spinning etc Availability: Weekends only Preferred location: northern beaches / centeral coast Provide your own gear? Yes Provide your own boat? No Hi All I do abit of surf fishing, and im keen to get out on the rocks - but dont want to go alone (espically for saftey's sake). Im pretty in-experienced off the rocks and am very keen to learn. I have a decent 12'6" surf outfit, rock boots and most of the other gear needed(i think) Im a 9-5 desk jockey, so anytime weekends are a go. Travelling isnt a problem but id prefer to stay north. other than that - feel free to drop me a line if your keen to get out / adopt a learner edit: (just realised i should update my profile abit...done)

bloody awesome! lucky son of a ....

if you can find a tackle store that prepares salted pillies - they are well worth the bit extra $$$

the gov't isnt taking this seriously. theres too few officers covering to large an area and too many people stll do the wrong thing. 20k is nothing. he's been doing this for years and im sure he would have made more than 20k. up the fines i say

got back today from culburra. Unfortunatley had to cut the trip short due to a close friend passing away in a diving accident. ... Anyway thanks to all for the tips. had a great trip. caught a load of salmon from culburra beach to break in my new beach outfit. biggest was just over 4kg and gave me a run for my money. Average was close to 3kg - was surprised at the constant size. I know alot of people regard these as poor eating, but after filleting, flour salt and pepper, grilled on the BBQ - they were great. went to the Crookhaven heads under the lighthouse - picked up some drummer and flatties. got out to murrys beach but it was such a nice day (and with some family + mates) we just had a beach day. beautiful spot - can see what u mean about the rocks - looks like a top spot. A pod of dolphins were frollicking about 20meters away. Totally awesome to be in the water with them spent a day walking / exploring currarong. that will def be my next stop with more time. saw some old men pulling in good size whiting from callala beach. Even saw some pull up a small cobia and a small salmon. Jervis bay - What a Great spot

yep - what brickman suggested. pollard is used as horse feed. chicken Layer pellets will also work wonders. 15 bucks for a 25kg bag ! also any fish u catch and fillet - use the guts / carcus (minus the big backbone) to mince up. old 2nd hand food processor will work. mix it all up and freeze

awesome fish - and from a yak ! respect ! love some of the comments on that news site lol

i bloody hope so !!! i was on the rocks Tue morning when i was joined by a nice enough bloke and we shared the outcrop. he pulled up a baby snapper and i made the comment "nice little fish, good start but your going to throw it back right ?" - He didnt. bit more time goes by he pulls up a nice flounder, but he has no idea what it is. Same with a good size leather jacket. he pulls up another baby snapper and 2 small bream. He keeps the lot. As he goes to leave he asks if i wanted the flounder or leather jacket. i say no as ive caught 2 good flathead... so he throws em back into the bay. I couldnt believe it. Why kill the fish if your not going to keep it. On top of that i cleaned up after him when i noticed he'd stuffed rubbish into the ledges (he was gone by that stage) if i had my phone on me id have called fisheries. these people have no respect

thats exactly what i did - was a great dinner ! yeah i know it was a good session considering... but damn ive never been so frustrated - to see the fish so close and yet so far. happens all the time i guess