big Neil

Jewies are beautiful beautiful looking fish Bob. Good session with the buddies, well done. bn

Mention of the Stumpjumper lures reminded me to comment on their underestimated capabilities. Many years ago they were the gun lure for Cod and Yellas, great for trawling behind the boat or casting. Fast forward to the present and they have become outdated in many anglers' eyes. So many replacement lures, and the hype that goes with them, have seen the humble Stumpjumper relegated to the lower end of the table of preferred lures. I like to keep things in the memory bank though and, complete with their choice of bibs, rate them highly. They have a 70-degree gait when swimming and a well-defined side-to-side plane. Still well worth keeping a few different sizes in the tackle box. Cheers, bn

I enjoyed reading your report Birdy. You appear to be very passionate about fishing and methodical about doing it. You also seem to be persistent and have been rewarded for your efforts. It's quite interesting for an old fart to read the journey of somebody young and keen to try everything. Enjoy the journey mate, it will be a good one. Oh, and keep us all entertained with your posts. bn

Great report Steve. I liked the way you think the issues through and arrive at a solution that works. Great result. Q: How is the water flow in the Peel River? Running very fast here. Cheers, bn

I just caught the end of a snippet of news that I think mentioned an encounter with a shark and a girl who was assisted by people nearby. Sketchy info from me, I know. It seems to me that these encounters are becoming more regular and in areas where they might not be expected. Does anybody have an opinion on that? bn

Good onya Derek and also the creator of the initial video. I know that you are an intelligent, caring person Derek but what you have done will (most likely) benefit EVERYBODY. If it comes to fruition, I'm sure the original video maker will produce a video that will be extremely popular with his channel followers, as well as a lot of people on this forum. To me that has to be a win/win situation. Top stuff, bn

What a generous offer you have made XD351. I know that this type of gesture does happen from time to time, but your generosity is right up there mate. Good onya and good on Birdy too who will be giving us all the heads up on his fishing progress. Well done, bn

Thanks Fil, appreciate it. Do you mainly bait fish, use soft plastics, or lures, to chase down Flathead? bn

Yeh, been a while between decent outings. I don't usually get concerned about the odd poor session, they are part and parcel of this great pastime. I am annoyed that nothing is working. You know there are fish there, has to be, but they're not interested. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that they had a great breeding season (conditions-wise) and they don't need to eat. Very strange that I don't miss work. Not even a little bit (LOL). Cheers, bn

Lovely report Basil. Great to see happy faces and stacks of catches being the order of the day. I should have gone to Tassie in November but got ill and had to cancel out. Still on the list. It's a lovely place and the fishing is varied and usually excellent. Cheers, bn

Mate rang me to see if I wanted any Yabbies. He had held the traditional Yabby races at his place on Australia Day. "Sure, why not? Are any of them recognised sprinters?" It appears that they were all stayers and not a sprinter among them... So he brought them to Bowls on Saturday for me to use. They were all small, ideal for Yellowbelly so I was revved up for a couple of good sessions chasing down some Native species. On Sunday I took the boat downstream to Darlington Point (renowned Yellowbelly area) and bait fished for 5 hours. Monday I went out again for 4 hours (locally). The misery continues! 3 bites, 2 fish landed, in 9 hours of trying everything I know. I tried the Yabbies, cheese, worms, chicken and marinated chicken. Lost stacks of gear fishing real tight to the snags. Both fish were caught on chicken...absolutely no interest in the Yabbies so the leftovers were returned to the river to enjoy doing what Happy Yabbies do. Ran into mate Luke on Monday and he had lure fished for 4 hrs solid with nothing to show for his efforts, either. As usual I entertained myself taking a few pics of the trips so here we go... A 57 cm Cod Ad A 51 cm Cod A typical snag that would have held fish... Not much of a report. A slightly depressed bn who is looking forward to a change of scenery.

Thanks for the reply Mike Sydney I imagine most fleeing fish would dart left/ right, up/down to avoid predators. As mentioned, I study different lure actions for the types of fishing I do and it never ceases to amaze me that many of the really radical action lures get chased down and hit regularly. Of course, my target species use this method as their primary method of feeding. I'm not sure if Whiting fit the same bill...I don't know enough about their feeding habits. I would love to see some video of lure action with fish hookups but it is so hard to capture. I guess this topic is one that we all experience as we expand our fishing capabilities and broaden our horizons. Cheers, bn

HAHA Bob. Self praise is no praise, so I'll sing your praise. You are one of my heroes. You are an absolute treasure. Your willingness to take people out fishing, show them the skills and techniques that have taken you a lifetime to perfect, is legendary. On top of that you are modest, patient and a great educator. You're right about it being hard to successfully prospect for fish without local knowledge...but so much harder when there are thousands of species and not just a handful. Keep doing what you do so well Bob. bn

What a discovery Noel. Moving has to be one of the hardest things that we humans do in life, yet there is always something there that tweaks the great memories we all have stored and forgotten. The old magazine would have resurrected an epiphany of memories for you and eased the pain of the work in hand moving. Great post. Wonder what your "old" money is worth to collectors these days? Probably not a huge amount, but another 20 years or so? Who knows? bn

Another successful outing on the water Bob... a couple of nice fish dinners in the tub. That Bream looks like a decent size, was it caught on bait or lure? Hope you left a few for next time LOL. Great pictures. bn

I think the video over generalises the difference between the methods of attaching the line to the lures. I think the best view for seeing what action is imparted on a lure is from above and directly in front. Of course, there are many types of lures. The ones depicted probably have very little side to side movement. Sub-surface lures that I use have great variance in the retrieve, both vertically AND horizontally. I feel that the impact of the different methods of attaching line to these types of lure has much more relevant impact. I used to test my combinations of line fastening to the different types of Native fish species lures and test them in the swimming pool. Believe me, the differences were really significant. I will add that I may be a bit off topic because I am comparing very different types of fishing lures. I just think that generalisations of such a vastly broad-based topic may not do the subject justice. bn

Yep, I agree GH. We always have to treat each lure as we find it, especially when using light leader material. My loop knot has a big loop in it and it stays where I set it. Of course, in the environment where I generally fish with sub-surface lures. I'm using 30 or 40 lb leader. One issue with the large loop is that it can increase the likelihood of snagging. I do find the fastatch works very well with my big sub surface Murray Cod lures. bn

Split rings are a curse and should only be used to attach to clip. The clips I like are called Fastatch and they are really quick to change hardbodies with. I use the smallest size as it is rated about 27lb breaking strain. Bigger ones can be difficult to use because they are made from heavier wire. The only other option is the loop knot...definitely NOT tying the line to the lure tow point with a clinch or Uni knot. bn

HAHA "resulted in some words"...what a crack up. Glad the new gear got put to good use and with success. Hope the knuckle wound doesn't prevent you fishing and you're soon back into using the new gear again. bn

What a top report. If that report doesn't show the benefit of this forum, nothing does. Networking at its best and the end result is all of you having fun, learning something, and taking away a whole bunch of enthusiasm to get out there and enjoy your fishing even more. So happy for all of you. Don't waste the benefits of the experience, get out there, explore, find new areas and put your newly found skills to work. Of course, post your results so that we can all share in what you are doing. Well done all of you. bn

I sincerely hope that your wife is ok and that you have no problems with the insurance people Fab. bn

Great summarised reports Albert. Many thanks to Steve for taking the time to show you the ropes re chasing Murray Cod. It's seldom easy but always worth the effort to be out in the pristine environments where these native species hang out. Top photos too guys. Better luck next time you have a crack at them. At least you got a Yellowbelly, as did Steve. Cheers, bn

It was 24th May 2015, the water level was low and about 8 degrees C. bn

It was about 20m further upstream and the very next cast with the same lure. *a deep diving Oar-gee style that looked like a giant Bardi Grub (colourwise). First came across Greg Champion at the 30th Port Fairy folk festival. Best concert I have attended, went for 4 days.

An excellent account of one of your brief assaults on the local area. You certainly are mastering the process and coming up with the goods big time. bn