NickF

I was thinking of getting an Enertia myself! I've heard some awesome stories about them. I assume if I have a 21P Vengeance then I'd go for a 21P Enertia?

It wasn't the line or leader, it was the lure. You needed about 20-30g lure max. To throw a metal that small you will need lighter line and leader, for bonnies something like 14lb or maybe 20lb braid and 20-30lb leader. I was getting them on 30lb braid and 40lb leader on trolled Rapala CD11's so it doesn't put them off having heavier leaders generally. That said, to get them on light tackle your rods and reels have to be of decent quality.

I use a slim beauty for light braid to mono/fluro leader. However when I use heavier braid to leader on my overhead outfit I tie a 40 turn bimini and then a locked albright for the wind on leader. I can yank the reef up with that leader connection on 30lb braid and 40lb leader with no separation of the knot. You probably need to increase the amount of turns with your albright and then lock it by using the mono tag end to make a 3 turn lock knot. Also make sure the leader passes back through the loop in your braid in the same direction otherwise it wont close properly. Look up "locked albright" in Google.

I take my 6M boat out alone and find no real difficulty at all. As for the price, get into something used first, you will get a decent 5.3-5.8m boat for $20-30k.

I have fished in stacks of tinnies and always thought the ride was a little hard, so I recently purchased a fibreglass boat (6 metre) and have been going out in some large swells off north head and off Sydney chasing surface schools. My boat is in the recreational bracket (Bowrider) so doesn't have the deep V of a fibreglass boat designed for offshore but the ride is dry and the room onboard is amazing. Plus I get the benefit of being able to tow an inflatable and take friends for a cruise. As roosterman said, be prepared to spend a bit on costs, mine uses around $120-$150 in fuel every trip (Ermington to the heads, trolling all morning, running around and then back to Ermington). Then there is the safety equipment, you might need an EPIRB etc etc and then wear and tear, the sea and swell is brutal on fittings and components. There is a constant jarring and bashing the boat has to take. All in all, best choice I ever made you'll love it.

I'm happy to take you out to North Head and outside for some Pelagic luring. We got some great Bonito and Tailor on the troll yesterday and some rock cod bottom bashing. If not we can fish the Parra with soft plastics for flatties and bream.

Going the harbour and heads and outside tomorrow will let you know.

Sent Huey a message. How does yours go after adding the exhaust ring? All good?

Yeah we do tow an inflatable, and I had 5 adults and 6 kids (11 people total) on the other day and it was sluggish with the 3 blade. I wont be using it for top end, just cruising with a heavy load on and towing the kids. The vengeance is my "go fast" prop. Do they sell those rings at BCF?

How far out is the Sydney FAD? Fisheries site says 8.5km from the heads is that true?

Vengeance was a 21 pitch. Looks like I have a 19 pitch trophy plus for sale then!

19 pitch

It'd be expensive to get a large hub prop, another $650. It's a 1994 Mariner Magnum 175hp EFI. Any help would be appreciated! Opps and the vent plugs are sealed up no holes.

Hi guys and gals, I upgraded from a 3 blade Vengeance to a 4 blade Trophy Plus and have noticed the blade diameter is the same (13 3/4 in) for both, but the centre barrel the blades are attached to is narrower on the 4-blade as you can see in the pics, and it doesn't fit right to the edges of the leg whereas the 3 blader sat flush with the circumference of the leg. Does this matter? As long as the prop fits securely and the blade diameter is the same am I ok? Need urgent feedback as I am due to take it out this afternoon. Many Thanks

Freq is 50/200 combined, transducer is all good, sounds like I might have to check the upper and lower limit settings I'll have to have a play around tonight.

I've had some amazing sessions fishing up Salt Pan Creek with the incoming tide, throwing hardbodys at the mangroves. Same goes for the river up around Milperra and Bankstown Airport. The fish aren't in the bay because they are following the water up the river and working the areas normally exposed at low tide or that are too shallow on the bottom of the tide. Don't forget, fish like bream, flathead and whiting use the tide to enter the flats and shallow bays on the run in tide so fishing the main bay may not always be where the fish are.

I have a GME G-Combo unit which is brand new. The bloody thing won't give me a reading in 6ft or less or water, just has ??????? where the depth normally is. Is there a setting I need to change or something to get it to give me a reading? Apart from that it's a bloody smart unit! Regards Nick

So there is no real "flathead grounds" as such, just drive out, drop a bait and keep moving til you find them? What sort of weights are needed to hold bottom most of the time?

Hi All, I constantly hear people talking about flathead being caught off Sydney in 50 metres or 30 metres etc, do you just drive out the heads until the water hits 50m and drop a bait on the flat bottom? Or is there some sort of specific areas that I need to look for? Do I anchor or just drift along? Would appreciate any feedback to help me get onto the fish outside Sydney. Regards Nick

I'll check my plans, if not we can arrange for the week after.

Sounds good. Just waiting to hear from a friend at work if he will be coming or not. I normally put the boat in at Ermington and hope to be leaving the ramp by 5-5.15am, is that ok?

I recently purchased by first boat, and have had some good sessions trolling around north and south head for bonnies and throwing slugs at kings and whatnot, but I'd like to get some experience jigging some of the shallow inshore reefs with plastics and metals for whatever is down there. I have a 6m boat very capable of going outside, color sounder and GPS and all the safety gear. Anybody out there know how to get me onto some bottom fish on jigs and is available this weekend, preferably Saturday early, 5am start please let me know. Regards Nick

The thermostat in my outboard opens after only 30-60 seconds and pushes quite a decent amount of water from the telltale. I normally run it for 5-6 minutes after each use. Then give all the important bits a shot of Inox. What else should I be doing?

Just look at what some of the insurance companies are doing to flood victims, there is your proof they think nothing of us!

No problems mate, I reckon experimenting is half the fun, nothing beats exploring new fishing techniques and ideas. The most important thing is to do some reading on techniques and then make sure you enjoy yourself.