Bloo62

I have seen good success with a mate using a treble as the bottom hook. Having said that, I am yet to use that rig, not having been able to find big enough trebles. On my new downrigger I have used 7/0 hooks and have caught salmon withiout any problems. No Kings as yet, but here's hoping..... Bloo

Was only a few weeks ago that I had a flat battery at Bluefish. Luckily 2 very friendly people eventually towed me back to Tunks Pk. Have not got Sea Tow on board yet, but I certainly will!! Better safe than sorry!! Bloo

I generally drift at the mouth of the Hawkesbury oppisite Gunya Beach, however between the Starboard markers in water that is between 12 to 18 feet deep ( high tide). Can be fished high or low tide. Hey Martin, Well done..... Not sure where this is, can you be a little more exact? cheers, Bloo

The best places to try are water which has a mixture of sand and weed/kelp. Try middle head, Balmoral, "shacks", Campcove, manly etc. Kelvin, Not familiar with some of these places... Can you please PM me with some more specifics?? Thanks for the other advice, will try some of your suggestions... regards, Craig

Robbie, Thanks I have tried along there once or twice for nothing, but that has only been morning around 7.00am. Maybe the afternoon is the go there..... I have been near the house boat, but maybe I should try further away in a few different places. Have looked at the two Dans DVD - some good pointers there, just need to find a spot that has squid stupid enough to jump on my jig! cheers, Bloo

Hey Kelvin, I too have a first downrigger I am keen to christen, but where are some likely spots for squid? I am buggered if I can catch any - don't know if I am using the wrong jig, or if I'm at the wrong place, or both! Have tried off the head as you come around from Balmoral, heading out to the heads and also around the spit, for stuff all! Any thoughts? Times/tides/technique/location.... Any help greatly appreciated. I would be keen to take any experienced squidders out if they wanted to join me. Bloo

David, Why do you tighten the drag before hosing? What is Inox? Is it like WD 40? Do you spray the outside of the reel/bail etc? How often would you oil the inside cogs/bearings etc? thanks, Craig

Hi People, My son's reel siezed up last week, took it apart and found one of the bearings seized. Loosened it up with WD 40 put it back, still no better. Any suggestions on what to do apart from thow it out? Also why might this have happened. My usual routine is to hose the rod/reel down with fresh water and give it a wipe over with a rag. Every now and then I give the inside a squirt with some rod oil. Obviously this is not enough?? what do other raiders find is required to keep their reels in tip top shape? cheers, Bloo

Thanks guys, yes a lot of fun and a good couple of feeds as well. Funny how it goes, was in the same spot 4 weeks ago for stuff all.

Hit the water early out of Akuna Bay and had a perfect run out to Lion Island. Trolled around there a couple of times and then around the head at Barrenjoey for nada. Headed out to Trawleys for a bottom bash, but the wind picked up and at 7.30 it was absolutely freezing out there. Got nothing, so decided to head closer in out of the wind and try there. Found a nice little drift off Palm Beach with a whole lot of flathead hitting the baits - pilchards, prawns and even one on a 2" pumpkinseed. A lot of fun on the light line - 6lb braid on the small shimano really put a bend in the tip! All up caught probably 40 fish, often double hook ups. Through most back as they were too small. The ones we kept went 33-40 cm, so there were no real big ones out. Got a nice flounder as well before things started to slow down. Thought one last try out wider, so headed out again. Better conditions, but no fish except the lone jacket, which I kept cause they're popular at home. Headed back in again to find a car park of boats right off the light house. Don't know what was doing there as I have never seen it that busy there. Any raiders there tell me what was going on??? Back to the ramp and home. Quick clean of the boat and off to cirque de solei. A quick plug - if anyone hasn't seen it and wants to see some sensational stuff book a ticket quick!! All in all a great day with the boys on one of the nicest bits of water in the world! Good stuff indeed. A couple of pics of the catch...... Bloo And one of the young fella with the flounder....

Gio, May be able to organise to get there around 3.00... Not sure where yuo are taliking about. Do you want to PM me yor mobile and maybe we can catch up???? Bloo

. I'm glad to here you've been coming up here for a while now - what boat have you purchased? Anthony, Nothing too flash - older 4.5m aluminium stacer with 40 hp on the back. Set up well, though - GPS & Raymarine fishfinder &radio . But certainly good enough to get me out there!!! Just need to learn the ropes a bit more. Bloo

Hey Loomy, Been holidaying at Pt for close to 25 yrs now. Will be there again as usual first 2 weeks of Jan. I fish there all the time when I'm up, but have just bought my first boat, so keen to target some of the outside water. I have been out on ocean star a few times. Fishing has been good, but never seen any fish of that size come on board!! Captain John and Mad Mick would have been very p---ed off indeed..... Good onya, Bloo

Count me in. Love to get my first Jew - even a little one! Bloo

A Fisherman's Tale Two fellas are fishing in a boat under a bridge. One looks up and sees a funeral procession starting across the bridge. He stands up, takes off his cap, and bows his head. The procession crosses the bridge and the man puts on his cap, picks up his rod and reel, and continues fishing. The other guy says, "That was touching. I didn't know you had it in you." The first guy responds, "Well, I guess it was the thing to do - after all, I was married to her for 40 years."

Yeah, know what you are talking about. Fond memories of fishing with my dad and grandfather as a young'n and looking to organise some trips with my dad and eldest boy now that I have bought my boat. Very special times indeed!!!! Looking to get down south around Greenwell Point or Sussex in the near future when things start to warm up a bit. Bloo

Also hoping to make it out. Dropped a keeper kingy at the boat trolling a minnow lure off Nth Head a week ago. Weather looks to be good by then, so hopefully it will be a good morning. Bloo

Yes, they are certainly a pain, but damm good eating! Just wrapped the trevs up in foil - lime, coriander, salt pepper. Just about to pop them in the oven...... Fish and a coldie, does it get any better?? Bloo

Launched at Tunks Pk and headed out to troll along North Head. Had 2 hook ups, lost one and got the other to the boat, but 5m away it pulled the hook. It was a Kingy about keeper size, so was pretty annoyed! Nothing doing after that, I chatted to another fisho I knew out there who had caught a couple of Salmon on flies. Heap of birds out there, but not much happening. So off to Sow and Pigs. Anchored up, burley out and got into a batch of trevally and jackets. Not too much size, but the bigger trevs went ok on 6lb braid. First time I have tried berleying up by dropping a 4" PVC pipe drilled with holes. Screw lid on top. Filled it with berley, old pils etc and away we went. Never had that much success there before. I assume it was the berley. Anyone ever tried this method??? Final tally, 13 Trevs, 9 Jackets. No pics forgot the blasted camera!! The kids were having a good time on prawns, so I thought I would try some SP's. 2" pumpkin seeds seem the go, so I had bought some. Lo and behold, 2-3 trev's took them - my firest ever fish on plastic. Had a couple of nibbles on them and retrieved to find plastic gone, but hook still there. Funny thing was when we were cleaning the jackets back at the ramp I found the bitten off plastics in their stomachs! Sure enough, pumpkinseeds there they were! Has anyone ever caught jackets on SPs?? Well, one of the better days, will have to try the berley and SP method again soon. Bloo

Just joined up....man, how do some of you guys get 10/10?? Good guesses?? I only managed 9 and one was a good guess. Try again next time... Bloo

Well thanks fellas. Will try a few of the tips. I was using a paternoster rig with sinker at the bottom and 2 long shank hooks, they were biting off between the hooks or even above the leader on the main - 30lb - main line. I too use pre rigged lines ready to clip on and use black swivels/clips. I guess next time I might try the wire trace at the first sign of jackets. They are a pest, but damm nice on the bbq. Bloo

King pig. Are you kidding me? By smell? OK I will try not to touch, but I giuess it would be difficult to do so. CFD - yes it was fun, although I was geared a bit heavy as I was hoping for some of those elusive winter reddies. Also spent too much time re-rigging!!

Headed out of Akuna Bay at 7.00 in a huge fog - actually got lost cause we took a wrong turn into one of the little bays - with the brother in law and 4 kids between us for a not so serious fish yesterday. Pulled up off Palm Beach and drifted along dropping pillies and prawns down for a bottom bash. The oligatory horde of 28 cm snapper and small flathead were sent back to their brothers before the leather jackets arrived in their hordes. Not big, but plenty of them - often double hook ups! It got to the stage that we were dropping 10m down and being hit straight away. Total in the boat - 36. No pictures because before we got back to the camera at home the kids had skinned and cleaned them - bonus! One good thing about jackets is the kids can clean them and have a lot of fun while doing it. They may be a pest, but marinated in garlic, lemon and soy and then thrown on the bbq, there aren't many better eating fish around. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid losing tackle? I even tried a flurocarbon dropper, hoping that it would be harder to see in the water. I thought this was working as all the other lines were being bitten off, but then I lost 2 so that obviously doesn't work..... damm pests......

Thanks for that. I thought so, but why do you need the leader, what purpose does it serve? Sorry, what is flurocarbon? You are not talking nylon are you? Or are you? Will obviously have to practice my uni knot....

Hi Guys, Have a 4.5 aluminium with a 40 HP on the back, set up with sounder and GPS and all the gear needed. Have had several outings in various locations - Hawksbury, Sydney Harbour, out to the FAD chasing dollies, bottom bashing some outside reefs. Have had some success trolling up tailor, picked up some snapper, jackets etc drifting over reefs etc etc, but I feel that I would learn a lot more if there was an experienced fisho happy to come along and show me the ropes. Would love to try what I have already been doing, or there are lots of reports of people anchoring up and berleying and using SP's, so am keen to try that. Generally I can only get out Sunday mornings, although I have some holidays in a few weeks and could make mid week sessions. I live in Ryde area, have never been out on the Bay, but would be prepared to go as it seems to be producing..... If anyone is interested and either has a boat, but would like to join me on mine - or wants some company on their boat - or doesn't have a boat, but as a regular deckie on someone else's boat, knows what to do, feel free to PM me. Happy to have a and a with any raider who is keen.