changa

Inked, theres great fishing in patonga creek. I dont know what your favourite target species is, but heres some suggestions. Our fishing club goes to patonga twice a year and has done for a long time so you get to pick up a few pointers from the more knowledgable(elder ) fishos The racks up the creek hold bream if you like to flick SP's. There is also some good flatties in the creek. I prefer up further past the racks and pro boats where it widens to reveal a nice sand bank which holds millions of nippers and soldier crabs (best at half tides but lots of options). once you pump your nippers, there is also great whiting fishing up there. The crabs dont last long when cast near the racks for bream. nippers work well on the drift along with prawns for flatties up there(its also a great spot to swim) right out front of the camping area(more so in front of the BBQ area) at a rising tide you get a nice eddie there where you can pick up heaps of poddies in a decent home made poddy trap. These are better fished in the deeper holes and channel for flatties. You can fish all these places in between tides if you are fishing juno etc for Jew. Good luck. changa

Little mullet, Merry Xmas and I have been using SP's off the rocks for pelagics mainly for years and i find they are irresistible to most species. Some SP's are very soft and are munched in one hit and some others i use i have had for years as the material is much tougher. When the likes of tailor are biting their heads off i switch to the CHEAPO SP's that i buy for a couple bucks for a bag of 10. These usuall last for a few fish before being changed. Change your retrieval rate and experiement a lot. I generally use 4" in 'silver fox' or similar or white or silver/blue with good success. good luck changa

thanks hooky, no wonder i have not seen the place at SWR if i drive up to coffs for the day i will be sure to grab some pies from freddo and stock up. thanks again mate, merry xmas changa

Pat, i am there untill Jan 22......just gonna miss ya. you not goin up again in Feb? Hooky, who the &@^% is FREDDO? .......... I get my pies from the shop on the corner, they are LUSH !!!! if there is better, tell me please as i love my pies changa

Bluecod, I dont get there until the 7th........... I dont usually target blacks at xmas time although if we do, we still get them but more like 1 a day rather than 3, 4 or 5 like when they are hot. We fish wide in search of bigger things. Big dollies, wahoo, blues, YFT etc. As for the 18yr old lass(i was not sure if it was your daughter or his previously, thats why i asked ) i hope trev pins one for her. There is nothing better than getting someone their first marlin. Merry xmas mate, and if you are there when i am, call me up and have a and Trev has my number. cheers changa

Bluecod, I thought trevor was only going up for 2 weeks comin home on the 7th If he is there for 3 weeks, then that means he will be there until W/E of 14th.....or is he not sat to saturday accom at the gaol ?? Hope i get to catch up, you goin up? who is the 18yr old lass?..... changa

Johblow, I often snorkel in back creek and i often see 5kg+ flatties layin in the sand. They are 5kg for one reason..........smart fishy But, you would be right, fishing was ALWAYS better back 'in the good ole days'..... Personally, i gather bait in back creek, snorkel in back creek, swim there, toss soft plastics about and catch whoppin muddies there. There will always be a bad apple to contend with that wants to rape our waters. Hell, ive seen nets across the entire width of the macleay (yep, thats not legal and look at what they would reap.....massive jews,flatties, big greenback tailor, longtails,sharks, thumpin bream, blackfish, etc etc. Anyways, looking forward, the most damage up there nowdays is the hordes of people that travel there to rape the place of its majestic bait grounds and game fishery, with many boats killing multiple marlin EVERYDAY....(who could ever eat that much)....... now, dont get me started on them changa

If anyone is at SWR in JAnuary same time as me, i would be only too happy to meet them and take them thru the bar, in and out a couple times in their boat or mine just so they get a grasp of it better. Its one thing to read, its another to experience it. changa

Johblow, thats an interesting comment about the PRO's ... what do you mean by 'stuffed the creek'? changa

Hi all, saw the post on SWR and thought i would give you some info on the place. I have fished there pretty heavily for about 10 years, and have prolly crossed the bar hundreds of times. There is 2 main entrys to the ouside blue water fishing. There is the main river bar(Macley River) and Back creek which enters to Horshoe Bay. I used to use back creek a lot, and it is a much safer way to get ouside for boats that are 'sub 18ft' or so. They used to dredge a channel beside the rocks on exit which made your exit even in a 6m+ boat safe in ALL conditions. But this has not happened for holiday times for a long time now and the mouth of back creek gets silted up. You really have to enter and exit back creek on bigger than half tides which is not hard given your planning with a tide chart. Back creek has only a small 2 wave hop to get out and you are exiting to a bay so the waves are rarely more than a foot or two high. All you gotta do to check is drive beforehand to horseshoe bay point, turn left just before the caravan park entryas if you are going into police station) and drive around behind the maritime museum and it takes you to the back creek mouth. You can sit and study boats going in and out and check the scene from there. you can even see the main bar. The biggest mistake people make at back creek is coming in. They come in with a smallish wave behind them thinking all is safe, the leg hits the sand and the wave behind turns the boat sideways, next wave hits and WOOPS !!!!! So, trim up coming in, and make sure you have plenty of water coming in, better to go fast and draw less water than slow down too much. The main river bar can be a doosy, and i have witnessed many a boat lose it there from trawlers to pro dive boats flipping as we passed them etc. Unfortunately, the bar has silted up quite badly due to a lack of flooding in the mackley of recent times and the 'lead marks' are not that good, although, they are a better point to work off than the uneducated eye. I will post some pics of the lead marks at SWR and how to correctly used them. If anyone has anymore questions, id be happy to answer. The bar is not a place for the feint hearted, especially 2 hrs either side of low tide, or when a strong nor easter blows for days (as SWR bar faces due north, not east like most).... The bar should be crossed with life jackets fitted 'ALWAYS' and approched with caution.the mouth is relatively fine, its the outer break that cleans most people up as they think they are out when they really are not. The bar can, and will sometimes break for 500m and will have 2 sets of breaks to pass. Do not exit the bar and turn hard right or you will run into larger breakers. Also, do not head to the left (only a fool would do this as the white water is very obvious). Watch some experienced boats, and watch their line. If a SET starts to stand up on your way out, do NOT turn side on to it. You have either 2 choices, turn fast and run back in to the smooth water and wait, or PUNCH thru the wave. I would prefer to punch thu a breaker. The safe way to do this is to accellerate to the wave as mauch as you can and pull off the power as you hit the front of the wave. By doin this, you SPEAR thru the wave by the boats weight(sort of like duck diving a surfborad under a wave for those surfers out there). Do not, i repeat, DO NOT accellerate UP the face of the wave or you risk flipping or doing a PIN DROP back into the water. The flipping is self explanatory, the pin drop is when a boat flies up a vave and goes near vertical in mid air and drops back into the water vertically. When this happens, a lot of the time the motor is submerged cutting air flow to the engine which in turn stalls the motor. What happens next? You guessed it, the boat pops sideways or has no power and the next wave SLAMS the boat barrelling it. You are better to sit in the safe part of the mouth and watch the sets. Count the waves per set and time your run. You will notice there is at leat 30 second to a minute or more between sets which gives you plenty of time to get out. Sometimes, its like glass, but other times its rough as hell. Coming in the bar is relatively easy providing you have plenty of power. A gutless boat can be easlity turned sideways by the wave behind you, especially on a strong outgoing tide. Approach the bar coming in in line with the eastern rocky bar headland(some people call it the southenr side, but it is eastern, anyways, as long as you get what i mean When a wave starts to form, sit on the back of the wave, trying to stay on the upper half of it. Dont ride TOO HIGH, and dont sit in the bottom or trough as this is where boats lose control. stay on that wave untill any breakers up ahead have already broken and flattened. You can follow a wave all the way in if need be. DO NOT cross the bar 2 hrs either side of low tide unless you are experienced. this is the strongest time of the tide with the least amount of water under you and the biggest most powerful waves. Im sure, with some study, and taking your time, you should all be fine. Dont let this scare you too much. There are picture perfect days on the bar(but not often) but i have erre'd on the side of caution as the place is one of the most dangerous bars on the east coast of NSW. Attached is the Lead marks and some pics of us crossing the bar last year on relatively small day, but the usual afternoon NE winds. cheers changa

Hey Scottie !!, whats news big fella ?? Didnt catch you at the classic......i had beers waiting for you changa

Firstly, you wanna be sure that the oil IS getting into the fuel and mixing at the specified ratio. a 'LEAN OUT' caused by the oil injector/mixer(for an easier term) can and will cause overheating. As bluecod and red suggested, do easy things first, check connections, get a multi meter and check wires for continuity and also test the senders. the temp sender is easy. you can remove them and test cold, then put in boling water for 5 mins and test again to see if it works. If connections are good and temp sender is ok, i would not risk blowin a powerhead by a lean out. Get it checked by qualified service techo's. Once they isolate the prob, you are sweet. its cheap insurance changa

Hi Rodholder, firstly, i would be determining WHAT size jew you want to target and what gear you have to do it. If its a big one you are after, dont use light gear. The spots suggested all produce and Jews are not really territorial and will travel quite a distance in search of food. I would be using big leaders(like 60lb+) and good 50lb+ mono or braid.(this is if you want the bigguns) Current doesnt stop the fish biting, as long as you can get your baits down. You know the law of using sinkers. Big baits, fresh squid, yakkas or tailor all work well in the lower reaches where as tailor,herring/sprat etc are better up further. If you want to be serious, pick a good spot and STAY THERE. most people give up too early. changa

Red, The jew is excellent in the curry but id hate to waste it So, let me know when you wanna exchange some fillets.....you better hurry, my boys LOVE mackerel

Gibbo, Probably depends on wether you wanna game fish or bottom dong for snapper and pearlies etc. or, maybe you wanna chase kings? Either way, best YOU talk to different operators and see who you think suits your fishing style and is prepared to accommodate you the best. some reputable charters are: Splashdown Charters Gunrunner Charters Sea Urchin II Lauren Marie changa ps. if you get on google and search for charters at south west you should reach kempsy shire council site etc and you can access the ph numbers there.

Red, i take you you wont be needing them spanish mackerel and wahoo fillets i bought back from Cairns for you that you caught or Can i feel a trade off comin my way coz you KNOW how much i love my Jew fillets changa

I took mine to Otto's and he gave me a new handle on the spot, BUT, not long after, it broke again. I then drilled out the lugs and put rope thru there and tied it VERY tight, been that way for years and years and still going strong. changa

Great fish Dan , well done mate. changa

Simon, gonna pm you some stuff. There is the southern canyons and also canyons off stanwell park another 12km south again from them. Sthn canyons seems good for fin and best thing is the marks are not all that common. Anyways, i dont have a boat so i wont be out. best of luck mate, i hope you do well. changa ps. i will be praying for some fishy weather for you

Numbnuts, its up to the individual not to cheat, just like in gamefishing comps. I dont know where you was standing all day but apart from one peson mentioning this, i never heard a peep about cheating. the reason you heard it was that you was in a crowd that has an obvious vendetta against the person in question. I think if anyone is going to hear whispers of cheating, it will be me but apart from the one person that mentioned it, as i said, i didnt hear a thing. Now, to enlighten everyone a little more on the subject...... The guy you are trying to roast DID catch fish mid week, he also went home and didnt camp in his boat for a week. He also fished a prominent spot on fri nite when others were not there, he also caught fish and was cleaning some fresh jew at the cleaning tables saturday. Now, stopping cheating has nothing to do with anybody but the cheats themselves. If YOU want to stop so called cheats so bad, buy some infra red video gear and set up camp and follow him. I really think this whole thing has been blown outta proportion considering the MAIN reason most fish this is to raise a dollar for charity. changa

i understand mate, i had 4 boys under the age of 6, i know all about nappies Anyways, always good to catch up with fellow fishos for a few coldies Was good to catch some raiders out there. changa

Telcobroker, why cant you do as hundreds of others do? Enter a comp(whatever it is) join some great blokes in comradiere, make new friends, talk some fishing, maybe even learn a little trick or two(you never know) and relish in watching some really GREAT fishos collect some well deserved rewards. I enter my entire family(thats 6 of us) in the classic every year and only once in 5 years have i even taken my boat out to actually have a fish. i enter to be in the chance for the boat giveaway and have a blast with some great mates made over the years. It can be whatever you want it to be. changa

Numbnuts, i can address your concerns i think as i was there. The person in question that complained, did just that, he complained. he had NO PROOF whatsoever. Now, you cant walk into a courtroom and point to a man and call him a murderer and EXPECT him to go to jail WITHOUT PROOF(thats why we have courts) As i have said before, if you wanna catch the guy out that bad, use your digi cameras and take pics. if the fish submitted meets the pic and we can prove it, you got your man. Without proof, there really is nothing anyone can do except speculate. Nothing wrong with airing your grievances, but please dont hang people before they are proven guilty. As othes have said, and i reitterate their words, to complain is one thing, but bad manners and slandering people really doesnt belong here. changa Numbnuts, you ever been on a trawler? or other pro boat? anything that is not going to go to market in a day will NOT be put on ice slurry. Ice slurry MAY keep the fish smelling fresh but it does not help keep it LOOKING fresh. As i said, there are ways to tell if a fish is more than a couple days old and also easy to tell if its been frozen. changa ps. if more of 'us' did this our sport would not be threatened but our pride in being a good aussie citizen would be. Most of us have no problem doing the right thing.

Kevvie, i would love to see some proof of someone weighing a fish that was caught days earlier. Of course, anyone can PRE FISH, and most good fishos would. There is no rule against pre fishing, or the collection of bait before the 6pm fri nite start time. Also, if you have weighed or been present at the weiging of many fish, you can actually tell a fish that has been kept on ice for a few days or more. As for cheats, i think that any comp with prizes could have the possibility of the element of cheats, as to some people, ego is mosre important than honesty. Just like many game fishing tourneys, you cant be alsong side EVERY angler that SAYS they tag a fish. You sometimes have to have faith in people. I have no problem trusting people as i would never cheat and cant see why anyone ever would. They only ever do themselves damage in the end. I for one enjoyed the day, and Congratulate Dave Pearce on another fine fish to take the comp out. As for big name fishos pulling out, if you take the winners over the past 5 or more year, they are all still fishing the comp, year in year out. Even if one person tried to cheat, one reported case out of 700+ anglers is not too bad. The person in question didnt even get a look in anyway..........lol Dan, congrats on the boat win mate, you bunch of larrikans helped make the day. heres an idea for everyone that wants to roast this guy they think is cheating. Next time there is a comp, take your digi camera(be sure it has night vison also) video even better, and video him catching his fish with time and date display. Also, have some witnesses willing to testify. Then, submit the proof on the day and BINGO!! you caught you guy (as long as he weighs the fish he caught before start time) If however, he weighs fish he caught legally, and you have made him out to be a public spectacle, be prepared for a possible court case for defamation etc. Who knows what it could lead to. Just a thought. changa

Unfortunately duty calls and i will be working at the HAWKESBURY CLASSIC making sure everything runs as smooth as possible. Would love to fish, fished the comp first time in 5 years last year but no luck this year. Hope to see many RAIDERS there. come say hello. changa