PRED-ATOR

Mate definately agree with matching the hatch, if there hitting white bait try using a laser pro/blade style metal lure and work it on the surface. In relation to line, for school bonito you dont need anything heavier then 10-15 leader. When i chase bonito at port kembla my set up is a daiwa zero 4-10LB stick matched to a daiwa exceller 2000DA spooled with 6lb braid and 10lb leader. you might say its a bit light but catching bonito on light gear is awesome fun. Lure choice is rapala x rap in the pilchard and mackerel, sure catch metal slicers. (no bigger than 60gm) and floated skirts (will post pictures up for this later - my best way of catching bonito) Ive found that the rerieve should be constant but not to fast and no pausing - well thats what works for me anyway. let me know how u go

i think the heard have spoken...time for a new AUTO commodore which wont break the bank

thanks everyone for their input, theres some really informative stuff here. Does anyone own a TRD Hilux? if so how do they perform with a boat on the end of them? Cheers, Stan

I definately think it may be a transmission issue also. there is a crunching in first and second gear, i took it to holden and they said its a bit louder than normal, but nothing to worry about...it obviously is lol. i think it just might be this specific car because i got it for very cheap. im probably not going to spend any more money on it otherwise defeats purpose of cheap car. I now have a better understanding that it is probably not all commodores. i think i might opt for the auto this time. what type of diesels are reliable/powerful? e.g nissan navara? Thanks Dicko

Thank you all for the comments. I have just bought this car and i think it does need some attention. to put it into perspective, this morning i was towing my boat and on the M4 i could even get the car to do 90km's in 5th gear. i would of loved to tow my boat as a part opf the test drive lol. I have heard that the c/r turbo diesels are great for towing, but do they lack power? or is it the torque which makes them such good towers. I have always had good feedback about holden commodores for towing so there must be a problem with mine, plus having a manual isnt the best. i drove off the ramp this morning with a cloud of clutch smoke - not happy jan. the car has only done 100k could it have lost that much power over such a short distance? or could this be a gear box/diff problem? any thoughts folks?

G'day folks, Recently i sold my 97 subaru legacy GTB and bought a 2002 holden vx commodore. reason for sale was i needed something with a bit more lower end torque to tow the boat with (boat is about 500-600kg with braked trailer). the car is a 5 speed manual. Ive noticed, to my disappointment that this commodore is just as bad as the subaru if not worse. What are the best vehicles to tow boats with under 40K? - understand there are many vehicle classes e.g. 4WD etc but i thought we could just throw some names out there regardless of class. Please help : ( Cheers, Stan

Hi Mate, sorry for the late reply i got back not long ago. I caught a lot of coral trout, red throat and approx 200kg shark from a fishing charter boat. From the harbour, i took the advice and went on the wharf at the airport. and i got smoked twice lol if i were you bring some heavier gear and fish at night. Live bait was the way to go, any of the small reef fish there do well but i used live squid and caught 1 GT (2 of them i lost which were much bigger) a coral trout and something else that almost emptied my whole spool (once again failed attempt at landing it). fish at night, you will have the best luck i have found and bring squid jigs as mentioned.

Great, thanks Hornets and SZ1 for the help. Will definately take all of this onboard. All the best guys, talk to yous when i get back! Stan

Thanks for the heads up mate. is there any good spots if i do a tinnie hire? Thanks again, Stan

G'day Fishraiders, Am going to Hamilton Island next week and want to do some fishing. I have booked a charter which is mainly targeting reef species with the possibility of live baiting for spaniards. But on the other days i wanted to do some fishing of my own hopefully from the land or even tinnie hire (If the missus lets me) do you guys know of any good locations from the main island? are there any reefs accessible from tinnie? My weapon of choice will be a Daiwa Tierra 2pc matched with a Daiwa Luna 300 spooled with 15LB Braid. If anyone knows of any spots where i can live bait and throw lures for spaniards, small tuna and Trevally would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Stan.

Hi folks, My name is Stan i have just joined FishRaider. Just wanted to say hello and intro my self. Ive been fishing all my life from the land,shore and everything in between lol in both fresh and saltwater and in many places over the world. I own a boat a Formosa 5.20 Centre console and go fishing pretty much every weekend (when the missus is working) Look forward to gaining and sharing so much more knowledge and sharing my passion for fishing with you all. So enough about me lol i would love to hear about you all. Cheers, Stan.