bombora

Hiya again Clutch; by the by I reckon your outfit will be sweet!! There's a definate market for a sensible priced two or three piece all purpose spinning rod for travelling!! I was forced to go a bit up market cause I couldn't find anything else. Mate the surfing was awesome, though it took some time to get used to the black tip reef sharks you are constantly surfing with. They were also all around me when I did some wading on the coral flats _ that was wild, fighting two kilo long nosed emperors in shin deep water (snuck my bream spinning rod/reel into the board bag too!)!!!! Didn't even lose too much skin on the reefs either!!!! Speaking of which I reckon if you can fit in a pair of surfing booties/reef shoes they are a must if land based in tropical islands. Only glow I got is a dam healthy tan!! Cheers again

Hiya mate; just got back from my own fishing/surfing adventure in the pacific; I was in the Tuamotu Atolls about 500 kasy eats of Tahiti. Anyway the outfit I used most was a top of their range Pfluegar (spell?) 4000 size threadline and 10kg Fins braid with a Shimano T-Curve 5-10kg two piece spinning rod. Rod was sensational. Reel _ apart from the drag which was great _ found the tropical brutal fishing a bit of a handfull and is a bit sick now!!!. A few things I learned which might help you: Bring tough trace; something like Penn10x, as everything has teeth or wants to got straught home to their coral Bombie. I used 10kg trace a lot but upped to 20kg and 40kg often. Extra strong hooks on all lures: lost some good fish especially on poppers when hooks failed (same goes fro swivels split rings etc). A leatherman type multi tool is great or at least some pliers as those teeth filled mouths are interesting places to extract hooks from. lure-wise Iv reckon a small selection of poppers, metal casting lures and jigs is the go. poppers are such a blast; both bloopers and slant faced faster poppers; I reckon the smaller Halo Rooster popper is brilliant. Spanyids in sizes from about 30 gms to 80gms were tough and caught reef and pelagic fish. However the lures I used more than any other were "bucktrail" jigs. From approx quarter once to half once they catch everything. Problem with softplastics _ which are killer in tropics _ is its one cast one strike one ruined tail. Seriously I could have gone through 4 or 5 bags of tails in an hour or two every time I fished. PS if you wanna make friends with locals catch lots of smallish red reefies and give em to em; seems everywhere in the Pacificv the locals would rather BBQ up small red reefies than anything else!!!! Cheers Bombie

Bit more detail though there's lots to go through, and some of it appears to be directly good news for rec fishers. As far as I can tell, among the things which will impact on us rec fishos is a limit to long line hooks on the east coast (great news for YFT, shark and marlin fishos etc) and a limit on broadbill swordfish take, and get this, a total ban on deep water silver trevally fishing!!! Baring any damn sneaky pollie stuff some of this is great stuff. Cheers Bombie

Hiya guys, scant details yet, will keep everyone up to date. I imagine it will be areas that come under federal control so maybe better news for, say fellowfin fishers than Hawkesbury fishers. Hope I'm wrong there. Cheers Bombie

Hiya all, just to keep fellow Fishraiders up to the second with fishing news; The federal government ann0unced just minutes ago that it will buy back 600 commercial fishing licences as part of a $220m package to reduce pressure on fish stocks. Ye Ha!! Devil is in the detail of course but this one is interesting! Cheers Bombie

Hiya all; just havin a look at a certain shop's catalogue and they have the new Daiwa Regal Xi models for $89. This seems rather a nice price for a reel with 10bbs, ABS spool plus alloy spare, machined handle and braid friendly line lay etc etc. So it doesn't have an airbail or metal body but who cares as bream sized reels don't exactly have to handle big stresses. Anyone played with one yet in any size as they do seem a bit of a bargain for the price? Cheers Bombie

Hiya PW: I fit my fishing round my surfing (or is it the other way round?) too. Anyway, you can fish SPs round rocks; I've been doing it on dead flat days for a while now and if I can score some decent fish from where I go (live at DY) then I reckon ANY rocks should have a fish or two. I've been spinning plastics into absolutely flat, often very clear, water about 2-5metres deep, over big weed beds with mixed boulders. Looks like crap but have scored trevally, bream, rat kings to 70cms, sambos and even Samson Fish (and 10 million pike). Great fun when the surf's a foot and infested with mal riders!! A handful of chopped pillies sometimes helps to kickstart the action. I use my 1500 size reel but on a very light 8ft rod, but on dead flat days a normal 7ft "bream" spinning rod still works. Reckon you should give it a go!! Cheers bombie

Thank you Jo!!! and it was a sh*tty day at work too; will print out your reply and attach to a work expenses claim _ sure the boss will understand!!! Bombie

Hiya, I had press stud buttons on my last boat _ a 19ft glass centre console. Never had the problem Hot Tuna describes, maybe the guy who did it just did a good job on my boat. One thing is to consider if your boat has any drainage chanels on the deck to direct flow. My carpet took this into account. Was also in two pieces which made removing heaps easier (used to occassionally take the whole carpet out if was going out on a trip which promised to be bloody, like spinning stripeys etc). Cheers Bombie

Apologies for not getting to the flycasting day at Narra on Sunday; got a phone call and had to work in the morning . Always the way. Anyway I was so peeved at missing the casting lessons went down to Queenie Lagoon for the last hour of light on Sunday evening after work. And, miracle of miracles, actually had some fun. Nothing decent but three bream to 25cms and two flatties _ wriggler and 35cms _ was a whole heap of fun considering the place has been stone dead (for me anyway) for months. Watermelon minnows and smallest Squidgy flickbaits on either 1/20th head or resin head, and River2Sea mini vibe (? the tiniest vibe anyway, about 3cms long) in gold were the go. Also missed a thumping great midwater strike among a spray of bait (yes there was some surface activity!!). Monday evening did the same thing, even though the water was heaps murkier thanks to rain. This time two bream and two flatties, with one lizard a slightly nicer model at approx 50cms (released at waters edge thanks to head shake). The mini vibe is damn handy for prospecting (can cover more ground with faster retrieve). The eastern drop off is looking the best I've seen it for ages! Really really nice defined hole and great flow on the evening high coming from the entrance drain thingy. The squirt worms seem to ahve returned too!) Toasty goon water. My feet may turn black and fall off soon but it was very nice standing in ankle deep water and casting just past the drop off with the resin heads _ the bream surface strikes would come as the resin head just came into the centimetres deep water. Cheers Bombie

Well, the minister just banned em!! He is concerned about em burleying a public beach popular with swimmers surferd etc etc etc. Gonna outlaw shark fishing from the beach! Will be interesting to see the actual wording of the ban. Wonder if those guys can then just say they are salmon fishing with game rods/reels cheers Bombie

Thanks guys; hey Kev I think my idea of entry level and yours are a touch different . $179-$199 ain't entry level to me anyway! Cheers Mal

Thanks Allthe, just what I wanted to hear. Could I ask where you got it from? I've only seen em at Mo's and really wanna feel one in the flesh! cheers Bombie

Hiya guys; sourced the pix a week or two ago and rejected em for the Tele; I was deeply sus of this one. It really appeared to me that it was a blue shark; extra long pectorals, right head shape, right very slender body etc. Wondered whether someone decided to take the pee and brought one back from out wide after the furore over the lake's baby great white. chers Bombie

Hiya all; anyone had a chance to p;ay with the new(ish) light spinning Okuma rods which go by the name Celilia (spelling?, very imilar anyway). Anyone know any shop which stocks em? They would appear to be a bit of a sexy product at a decent price (at least in Mo's Tackle cattledog) with v slim blank, several sizes from approx 6ft to 7'6", keeper ring, cork skeleton Fuji reel seat and Fuji guides (look like a poor man's Bream Buster before Mr Miller changed reel seat designs from skeleton to another style). Cheers Bombie

Hiya Kane; mate one thing I LOVE is wading a sandflat hunting BIG whiting. And middle/late spring is a bit of a special for big whiting (at least in Narra lake). I also like first of the rising tide, but also the last of a rising BIG spring tide, which gives whiting access to areas they normally can't get to (so think right up the end of a sand flat etc). One thing is that they bite heaps better (again in Narra) with a bit of colour over the flats from rain or wind, and also as usual last and first light (and at night!!!). LONG casts are important as any 40cm plus Sydney whiting can be shy of noise. I use a 7'6" rod for long casts and 2kay Fireline and two metre plus leaders of 2kay flouro. Couple of things: if you see a big ray on the flats cast behind him; the whiting often follow plucking food from the stirred up water. I use lures _ soft plastics _ and for bigger whiting you don't need the tiny tiny SP grubs lots of people recommend. I've had success with Berkley two inch power grups in P-seed and blood worm, P-seed three inch bass minnows (put em on a standup jig head and let em sit on the bottom between hops as they deadset look like a worm sticking out of its hole in the sand); the second and third smallest Squidgy wrigglers in blood worm and also in the jelly prawn colour. Two and a half inch to three inch grubs have also worked well. Big whiting don't appear to care about jighead weight _ within reason. You don't need the tiny tiny heads often used when hunting bream on SPs. Stands to reason as whiting must spend a lot of their time wrestling worms out of their holes. A heavier head _ say a 1/8th or 1/6th or maybe a 1/16th if you have wind at your back also allows those vital longer casts. They are not soft strikers either; they can really hammer a plastic. I also reckon the biguns like quite a bit of current flow _ another reason to use a heavier head to get that lure down to em. I like SHARP No4 hooks on the jigheads. As for hard bodies any very small minnow which will trundle along the bottom stirring up sand will work; I used to score quite a few trolling a Deception Paelemon minnow and similar lures in pink up past Roseville Bridge from a 19foot Console!!! Best from Narra was a 43.5cm to the fork, with another dozen so far over 40cms _ yeha! Want a 45cm plus this season. Mate they cannot be that hard to get to hit a lure if I can score some as I'm a very average fisho who can't get out very often these days; reckon ya just gotta find em first!! Oh yeah; one thing about using lures for whiting; I'm not being a cool-as-dude, just found bait fishing for em meant one billion baby bream or tiny whiting on the yabbies or worms for every decent whiting that managed to beat em to it. Got sick of running out of bait so quick. The lures mean you have something to interest a big whiting when he/she finally comes along; not a bare hook stripped of bait by a 10cm bream. Good luck, Bombie

G'day Mr Ant; I've been hunting down a similar rod for a big trip in December . Went to Otto's last week and was shown the 10-15kg Shimano T Curve Bluewater popper rod which Byron has mentioned. It is 7'6" and in the newish two piece travel format (the join is at the top of the foregrip). Also has a long foregrip (important for extended fights) which is rippled for better hand hold. They are according to designer Barra Miller at the upper end of their line rating and judging by the play I had at Otto's would certainly pull kinks out of 10kg braid. Price was around $220 if I remember right. Damn impressive off the rack rod and well priced and supposedly the blank is tough too. Not sure if it would throw an unweighted SLuggo though as it's meant to be able to cast fairly heavy poppers. Certainly worth getting a hold of one and seeing if you like the feel. One thing: have you already got the Penn 650? Reason I ask is that I've been looking for a reel too and have ben told the Penn's are not the best layer of braid on the spool. Have been pointed at a Shimano Spheros. Cheers Bombie

Great report. The sambo fought really hard......might just be it was turbo-charged!!! V strong wind equals really oxygenated surface water equals turbo-charged sambos!!! cheers Bombie

Hiya guys; have access to all Pommie papers; the pic of the poor pooch with the double hook in its nostrils got heaps of press, not just The Current Bun (Sun). Don't know how legit. The follow up story however was a load of crap. This second yarn had a pic of a dog with what was about a 4/0 hook....in its paw! Yet The Sun trumpeted this as another case of dog-baiting. Methinks this pooch just trod on the hook. cheers Bombie

digger. Dunno where ya live but can I suggest the old gas works area at North Harbour. It's got lots of parking, a nice park, flat walkway along the water, deep water at your feet etc etc. Best in a nor easter as the winds at your back. Floats or very lightly weighted or unweighted baits will get you trevally, kings, bream, flathead, sambos etc etc at this time of year. Burley really helps. Often there's lots of squid too o bring some squid jigs (this is one of the better land based spinning spots) If your GF gets bored its a nice view and if luck isn't with you you can always take her to the Corso at Manly five minutes away for a feed and added brownie points . Cheers Bombie

Congrats mate; great fish, top photo and excellent report!!! Bombie

Saturday might go down and take advantage of the rising tide to try for a spring narra lake mega whiting (then again the lake has been stone dead for yonks) on lure. Sunday looooooooong day at work, then monday normal loooong day working . Bombie

100 percent normal; It is because Miller designed the rod with different modulus (or at least characteristics) of graphite for tip and butt. Stripping guide has trim cause it's underbound, I think, while the tip section single foot guides afre not underbound, making for a crisper action. They are very good value for money and put the lie to those who always seem to suggest $300-$400-$500 rods for jig casting. By the by was in a city tackle store yesterday and one of those gorgeous Daiwa top end spinning rods, can't remember the model, had a price tag of $800-plus bucks (not dissing the shop they are nice blokes), cheers Bombie

Riggy, and that's a fat trevor!! Cheers Bombie

Hiya guys, found out today the two pros are gonna definately be fined by state govt for not handing over Jaws Junior to Fisheries for research as required by law. cheers Bombie