tasksta

BOM shows cooler slick blowing up from south but still a long way off.

No magic seals or gas. If it is out of warranty go for it. I took a punt on an HDS7 i bought online for $200. Failed after a few weeks so took it apart and it was literally FULL of water lol. Drained it out and let it dry in a low oven overnight. Back together and all good. Spoken to Lowrance since and they say 99% of issues are due to water ingress, mainly through lack of caps on unused terminals. Exactly what mine was missing.

Ah the million dollar question! With all this rain i think this could be theast weekend before they head north. Hope im wrong though...

Dropping house bricks in 400m of water aint all its cracked up to be.

Small blue one looks like a damsel! Long way from the reef...

We copped a southerly in my mates 6.5 on the way back from browns and honestly thought we were done for. Had triple checked the weather but blew in early. Probably dont want to hear it but i wouldnt venture outside without atleast a few seasons experience inside. Atleast inside you can learn all these things yourself naturally but close to help if you get into trouble.

Which FAD?

I also looked at the elite 7 but stretched to a Simrad, best money i have ever spent. Elite 7 is bloody unbeatable at that price range though.

Yup they are either 'on or off'. I find when they are tentative you can switch them 'on' with a popper, jig or plastic. They aren't shy and thrive on the action.

Hey hey success!!! Well done mate, persistence pays off. Now you have cracked the code, got the monkey off your back etc you will be onto them regularly.

Totally agree! I have so much confidence in my xraps if they arent working the fish arent there. I have two in pilly and slimey colours, my mates call them the dolly slayers.

Yup Pete is spot on, just keep that rod tip vibrating. Do you eat the bonnies? had much luck with the dollies? Cheers Paul

I havent seen a single bonito all season. If you can get out a bit wider there are heaps of dollies and striped tuna.

Yup if i use my gunwale mounted rod holders they are too vertical and lure will pop up. My rail mount holders are almost flat and pull them perfect.

Mate we through everything at them last week. They were swarming like yakkas and would not touch plastics, jigs, or anything with lead. Switched to unweighted baits and it was on for hours, even smashed yakkas on the surface. Berley up than go unweighted thats the trick. Good luck.

I have used them for years and troll 6-7 knots. I find with the shallow divers you really have to keep the rod tip down especially in choppy sea or they will pop up. They are the bees knees though, my halco lasers have not been touched all season and last sesh the little xrap went 10 nil vs the laser on the dollies!

PM me for info on EPIRB and VHF purchase info, don't get ripped off.

This sounds very familiar as i recent set myself up for offshore after years on the inside lol. You will absolutely need an EPIRB, safety equipment, VHF and a PFD. I have an old Lazeabout with a 70 and it has never taken more than 20min to get there at around 18-20 knots. Yes thats fast but if you cant do that speed i really shouldnt be out. Always picks up on the way home but keep an eye on the weather and take it slowly and adjust to conditions. In all honesty if you have years of experience you will know what is safe and capable for your boat just keep an eye on the weather, never trust a report. As for longy its not the magic fishing spot i thought it was lol. Had much better luck at the FAD, arty, Annie, heads etc. Enjoy and stay safe!

Awesome shots as always, what size lure are the bigger dollies taking? Got all our biggins on bait, only rats taking our lures. Bloody hell those stripe tuna pull hard for their size dont they?!

Yes plenty of dollies at the waverider but very tentative,would only touch unweighted baits. We kept 5 each for a feed. Got a beauty on floated livey. Callsign is dirty Nelly...

Hey Tommy were you at the manly FAD yesterday? Was chatting to a few boats there...

Hahahaha that is funny. Mine smokes like its on fire if not started for a while. Not great considering its in an underground car park, the neighbours love me.

Mate that is the Biggest dolly i have ever seen off Sydney! Did it go hard? What lure if you don't mind? Ive been using the light 14lb gear for the dollies but may need to upgrade! Got all mine exclusively on xraps, they have not touched the halcos at all. Cheers Paul

Dfishin is right the hardwr you go the harder they fight espexially on jigs i find. I have a spheros 18000 with 80lb and i know its wrong but i just adjust it mid fight. Initially setting is so its 'very hard' to oull off with one hand. Hardly precise but ive had no issues.

Also interested in lures. I had four out and they all took the small xrap 10. Other lures werent touched.