Bracey

I have never targeted YFT but keen to give it a go this winter. When does the season start and roughly how far out do you need to go? Depends on the temp breaks I guess. Bart

Wind forecast wasn't looking great but we decided to have a go anyway. Glad we did as conditions were ok. Water temperature at 24.2 degrees and a nice blue colour. Plenty of Dollies still there ranging from 70 to biggest we got was 87 cm. Every yakka a hookup but they were just as happy with half a pillie. Trolled before we got to the FAD and on the way home. Was expecting maybe a striped tuna but the absolute bonus for the day was getting 2 small yellowfin. Both about 70 cm and hit the same lure a crimson laser pro 160 at 2 m. Got one on the way there and the other on the way home. Cheers, Bart

G'day guys Had a week at Byron with the family and promised not to take my fishing gear. However took some leader and braid to learn a few knots. Came across this AG Chain knot which has come from the Japanese jigging scene. Very simple to tie. I test all my knots to failure and these have come out at around 95% on 20 and 30lbs mono. It's meant to be for FC but I don't waste FC on testing. Anyone got any experience with this knot? I normally use the ever reliable uni for terminal connections but it only ever tests between 60-70% max of ABS of the line. Definitely of thinking of switching for solid ring knife jig connections. Any suggestions? How many hitches do people use? Is it suitable to tie to a hook for live baiting? Cheers, Bart

Awesome solo effort. I bet the adrenaline instantly cleared any after affects from the night before. Cheers, Bart

Let me be the first to say that is awesome. Great story, great fish. Well done to both of you. Cheers, Bart

Awesome fish mate. You must have a good net to get that bull head in. Well done. Cheers, Bart

Go braid for sure if going spin. Mono will give you less hassles maybe but there are some real advantages of braid. Can cast further, wave action has slightly less affect on your line and is more sensitive for feeling bites. Best part I like though especially for sambos and tailor is being able to put on a nice strike to set the hooks when your bait is 40m away. No stretch in braid has to help that. I do run about a 8' FC leader though. Connect with a bimini and a reverse albright. Cheers, Bart

Hi Meg126 Sounds like you were around the same area as my post regarding the stray ropes. If your going to anchor definitely go the pick, but I think drifting across your mark and then repeating is the most effective way to get your bait or jig exactly where you want it. Congrats on a fantastic looking fish. Perfect christening for your new boat. Cheers, Bart

Could have been I guess but this was about our fourth drift over the exact same spot and we hadn't seen any floats. Fairly sure the rope was just submerged. When we came back the second time we clearly saw a rope of a different colour drifting down current with the end about 6' from the surface and heading back and down to right on the wreck. At least we all carry sharp knives. Cheers, Bart

G'day SnorkaI had no idea that Bigeye looked so similar to YFT. Started searching the web and as usual there is heaps of info out there. Came across this one site that had a whole power point presentation on it. Here is the link http://www.mexfish.com/fish/beyetuna/ItanoBigeyeTunaID.pdf I think it is still a yellowfin. Main mark is the M shaped notch at the base of the caudal fin. On bigeye it is smooth. Bigeye also have longer thinner pectoral fins that extend back to inline with the second dorsal fin. It's a short stumpy one on my fish. So hard to say for sure though. Cheers, Bart

That would have been a good idea Harry. Didn't occur at the time. We let Marine Rescue know and they said they would pass it on. I kept a good watch for fins I can assure you. Bart

Yeah not real good. We were only at about 500 rpm but the motor just cut out. Must be an auto function I guess and then wouldn't restart. Tilted up and saw the problem. My old man bit the bullet and jumped in with the knife. I have also read they could be from divers that mark the wreck with a buoy but then they get cut off by other people. Not sure, either way dangerous and something to be aware of. Cheers, Bart

G'day guys. Posting this just to give a heads up for anyone that fishes off the Valiant wreck off Barrenjoey. We were out yesterday and were doing drifts across the wreck jigging when we got a rope caught around our prop. It was taught and still attached to the bottom. Thankfully we got it off without any damage after a lot of effort. Managed a couple of just legal kings there then headed for the FAD. Lots of dollies, water 24.5 degrees so get out there. Went via the Valiant again on the way home running the same sort of drifts and spotted another rope, tight to the bottom and just under the surface. I assume boats are anchoring without a pick and getting stuck, cutting the line and leaving it for the next boat to come across. I'll ring Waterways tomorrow. Cheers, Bart

A topic that seems to split people down the middle. Half suggested I was fishing too heavy in line class and drag and the other half said to beef up the gear and man up. Classic Cheers, Bart

Thanks for the reply. I am very like you when it comes knots, quite fastidious by the sound of it (read anal in my own case). The 7kg was an estimate (although I have used scales in the past) and yes we were basically skull dragging them as they weren't taking any line. I'm not sure what you mean about getting the reel serviced though as I never said that I had it selected at full sunset, it could still go toward 15kg. I normally still tie a uni knot in 80lb which is the heaviest I have ever fished and I have tested my line strength and I agree it goes at around 60 to 70% of the rating. I use a 50 turn bimini for the doubles and that comes out at close to 100% breaking at the top of the bimini. So on this setup I'm saying it will let go around 50lb which is 23kg. We do tie our leader to the solid ring that is connected to the assist hook so it sounds like I got that part right. Pulled hooks happen sometimes I guess. Going tomorrow and I have used a crimp for the first time. As a matter of interest, when they fail at around the 80% mark, where is the actual failure occurring? Cheers, Bart

Thanks to Fishraider admin for running COTM and all the raiders that posted or voted. Very much appreciated, I'm stoked to win. Cheers, Bart

Thanks Dave. That all sounds like good advice. Cheers, Bart

They are just a standard J hook that comes with the jig. Jigs are from a local distributer that a lot of guys use so I'm sure that's not the issue.

Using 50lb braid 80lb leader I could set the drag to max and shouldn't need to worry about breakages. My understanding is that these sort of line ratings are more used for abrasion resistance than needing to set really high drags. When I said they were a handful I guess I was referring to the fact that they weren't taking drag but still pulled hard and this is when I have had the hooks pull. Less drag would allow a 'softer' fight but run the risk of them making it to the bottom and if something bigger does come along I guess you would need to adjust the drag mid fight which I've always heard was a no no. Is pulling hooks just bad luck and I should crank the drag up??

Was just after some advise on drag settings. Setup is Spheros 10000FB rated to 15kg drag and 50lb braid to 80lb FC leader and 100g knife jigs. Have been getting a few at the inshore reefs, water depth around 12 to 20m. Most fish around the 70cm mark and even these felt a handful with the drag set around 7kg. I have had the hooks pull a couple of times and I thought this was due to the drag being set too high. I assumed I shouldn't have the drag too low though as I'm always hopeful of hooking a hoodlum (still waiting) and was also worried about getting reefed in shallow water. What drag do you guys recommend in this situation. Cheers, Bart

Thanks for all for the comments. It was absolutely pure luck but I'll take it. Cheers, Bart

It certainly was an unexpected by catch whilst fishing for yakkas. Bart

G'day All Been a long time since posting in this section. Got some Kings last week at Long Reef but nothing amazing. Was going to go again today but the wind forecast put me off even though it didn't eventuate. Plan B was still to get some bait and down rig in Pittwater. Saw on a post the other day about some slimies at a well known spot inside Pittwater. Have never caught slimies only yakkas so went to the spot with some standard Mustad Bait jigs. Caught two slimies and some yakkas so it was a good start. Having one last pass as we had enough for a quick session and then my line screams off. Thinking it was a rat king I gave my 10 lb braid, 10 lb leader and the bait jig about 20 seconds before I thought it would be all over. It peeled off plenty of line and we were in the moorings so didn't like my chances, but it seemed a bit different to a rat. Anyway, we got the other lines in, chased him in the boat with me sitting up on the bow. Thankfully he headed for a bit of clear water. Once I got a look at him I realised why he wasn't fighting that dirty. Wasn't expecting to see a small YFT on the line. My mate Sean did an outstanding job driving the boat around and getting him in the net. After that excitement we down rigged the slimie in the same area as there were some good fish sounding. Had a big take but no hookup. The slimie was bitten very neatly in half. I assume it wasn't a king as they take the bait whole from the head. Could that have been another tuna? Got the rag in the photo so I'll put it in for COTM. Cheers, Bart

Thanks for the reply Huey.

G'day guys Just need some input on this issue. My father as a 21' boat with an evenrude 150hp etec and is considering getting it anti fouled and permanently berthing it at a marina. What is the best way to flush the motor. We have access to a fresh water tap. Was initially told there was a port high on the back of the motor that would have been above the water level. Then got told by a mechanic that that was only the cooling chamber but would not flush the leg and he said to use the standard ear muffs which would then be submerged. I'm not sure how effective it would be flushing with the ear muffs under the water. The leg has to be down do run the motor. Also, we can't reach where the muffs are mounted from in the boat. Only way would be to get in the water. Ay suggestions? Cheers, Bart