Scienceman

Caught on Vanamei prawns while fishing the wash from my boat up here on the Central Coast the weekend before last. Both were ~3kg.

I too have the exact same boat/motor (but without the millennium hull). I have had it for 12 years and has never missed a beat. Great motor but I think it is a little dated and I do find it too noisy for shallow water estury use. A very versitile boat which I use mostly solo but sometimes with my kids. Very easy to manage at the boat ramp. Have been caught out in a couple of scary situations which it dealt with confidence. The cuddy cabin sheds water nicely and gives you an elevated driving positon which greatly increased the overall safety aspect.

I was there on Saturday at the top of the tide with fresh yakkas, live and butterflied. Not a touch so I don't think you were alone with your 0. I usually catch jew (or a big flattie/kingie/amberjack) about 1 time in 4.

I want a medium sized baitrunner to put on a ~10ft carbon fibre, medium beach rod for my 10 yo to use. There are so many models from Shimano and Okuma its hard to know where to start. When I got my Shimano 4500 ~20 years ago it was alone in the market. It has been great off the beach and can handle the sand, salt and keep-on-keeping-on where others fall over and grind to a halt and need a full clean out. I know you get what you pay for but what have other found is an acceptable level of quality. There are now so many models to choose it is very confusing. Fishing will be mostly for bream, whiting, tailor from the beach and breakwalls so I was thinking that a 3500 size would be about right. It must be able to handle wind-blown sand, drops on rocks and the occasional dunking that will happen.

I did duty last year. Most cases only go for ~3 - 10 days but there are exceptions. Mine went for 6 days. If you do get an excemption, they put you on a 3 month short list and there is NO excemption for the 2nd time, no matter what your excuse / circumstance. yes is was only $120 per day. Huge feeling of satisfaction afterward and it is interesting to see the legal system from the inside.

In my opinion around the mouth of the Hawkesburry the wave conditions can change quickly for one main reason, the tide. You can go out in the moring and fish outside in a 12 ft with no problem but if the tide has changed and is running out against an incoming swell, bad things can happen. Swell height increases and period decreases, substantially. I have had this happen many times in my 16ft boat and would not want to be there for love nor money in a 12 fter. And this is in good weather. If a front is coming through, or its getting late in the day your options about finding a sheltered spot to wait for the tide to change back become limited and risks increase.

Other maintenance items include: - the axel - will eventually show rust so applying something to slow this down is a good idea. I used bitchumen paint after a good scrubbing with a wire brush to remove flaking rust. Each application lasts a few years. - suspension - springs unless galvanised will likely need replacing in 4 - 6 years. Gal springs will last much longer. Just keep an eye on how much they are rusting. - brakes - discs will need replacing at least every 3 - 6 years. From day 1 they start to rust due to the dunking in salt water and eventually the surface becomes too broken with rust to generate much stopping power. Pads should also be replaced, more frequently if you drive long distances.

A couple of years ago I bought a Starlo Stix Shore Spin. 2pc, 9ft and good for medium weight lures, sinkers, fish etc. Only $110 from memory. Its great to use when you need something a bit longer but not too heavy for spining in the surf, longer shore based casting etc.

Hey Greg, "Old" is dependant on a variety of factors. I have a 1999 70hp 2 stroke yammi and I definietly dont consider it old. Really depends on how many hours its done and how well it was looked after. IMHO a 2 stroke yammi is about as bullet proof as you can get for reliability - as long as its looked after. Also you need to consider how much long-range, deep sea fishing you will be doing. A little occassionally with a well kept "older" motor has minimal risk IMO and as Whaler said you wont be without other safety equipment on board. Usually when I go +10km out it is good weather and there are usually other boats around too, futher increasing the security aspect. If you like night fishing off-shore or going out when other dont because the seas are up and the fishing great then ignore what I have said and get an aux

At least some public money is being spent on worthwhile research. These grants have just been released: LP110200825 Dr Will F Figueira, Dr Aldo S Steffe Approved Project Title Closing the loop: understanding the relationships between recreational fishing surveys, fishing regulations and fisheries management objectives 2011 $17,361.00 2012 $33,222.00 2013 $31,722.00 2014 $15,861.00 Primary FoR 0704 FISHERIES SCIENCES Partner/Collaborating Organisation(s) NSW Department of Industry and Investment Administering Organisation Project Summary The University of Sydney The project aims to improve the management of recreational fisheries in Australia by using model-based evaluations to understand the effects of recreational fishing regulations and survey design on the realisation and assessment of fisheries management objectives. LP110200603 Prof Robert G Harcourt, Dr Iain C Field, Dr David J Slip Approved Project Title Marine predators, marine parks and marine hotspots: is zoning an effective conservation tool in a changing environment? 2011 $37,500.00 2012 $75,000.00 2013 $75,000.00 2014 $37,500.00 Primary FoR 0602 ECOLOGY Partner/Collaborating Organisation(s) NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Zoological Parks Board of NSW Administering Organisation Project Summary Macquarie University Southeast Australia is a marine hotspot in terms of climate change, and is an important habitat for seals, seabirds, sharks and other predators. This project will use state-of-the-art technology to assess their feeding requirements in relation to marine park zoning and the changing oceanographic environment.

Hey anf I was there too on Sunday morning. You must have been one of the boats in close over the reef. I was out wider hoping for a jew on the change of the tide. No takes unfortunately but did end up with 3 flatties (largest ~2kg) and 4 choppers.

I pray that I may live to fish, until my dying day, And when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray, When in the Lord's great landing net I am lying fast asleep, That in His mercy He wil say, "He's good enough to keep."

3 weeks in a campervan with the family touring the South Is of NZ. I fished some of the most picturesque locations but alas the recovery of my scaley quary from their wet home was well below expectations. Basically come April the trout in the rivers have had a variety of artificials dragged past their nose all summer and are a bit jaded. Especially as I had to fit fishing into general travelling and family activities I could only visit easy access areas which are hit the hardest. Fishing the lakes without a boat is also difficult as there is just too much darn water. I never saw a small lake in my time there - they are all HUGE. I would dearly love to go back for a fishing only trip and tap into the local guides but that will have to wait for another day. Below are some of the photos of the places I fished with the kids who had the best holidy in their lives (their words). If you look closely at the last photo you might be able to see the lure in mid flight behind my back and the rod fully loaded in mid-cast. A great photo my wife took but a total fluke as she would have had only a fraction of a second for this image.

Bugger - I missed the previous one and this time I will be with the family doing a 3 week campervan tour of the South Is of NZ.

My 8yo boy is starting to get really keen on fishing and wanted to have a crack at some jews before he went back to school. Due to the hot / windy weather previous plans kept getting cancelled until Saturday. Forecast was for overcast and cooler conditions in the morning - perfect. High tide at 5:30am which means that the change in tide in the Hawksburry will be an hour or two after that (I find the actual change in water movement can vary a lot depending on conditions). Up at 4:45am, boat in the water at 6am, yakkas in the tank at 7am and up the Hawksbury to try some well known jew spots. One livie and one butterfly out the back. Unfortunately I had missed the tide change by ~1 hour (bugger ) 30 min later the livie goes off. Thought it was a good jew for a bout 1 min but when it started to speed around the boat with several sizzling runs I knew it was something else - which it was, a 70cm kingfish Another livie out and 5 min later he gets really twitchy and bang, I'm on again - this time a 68cm king. By now my boy is getting the shits as nothing has touched his butterflied yakka so I swap to a livie but nothing happens. Then my rod goes off again but this time it is a 60cm amberjack, my best to date Only 2 livies left so I tell Heath that the next fish on any rod is his. Needless to say the yakka on my rod gets twitchy again so I tell Heath to pick up the rod and hold on. It gave him a few anxious moments but he was up to the task and a nice 1.5kg amberjack joins his mates in the esky. No one around us was catching anything but my guess is that they didnt have livies which sometimes are needed to get the kings in a feeding mood. They just cannot resist a livie in distress. Coming back to Brisbane water was a bit bumpy with the outgoing tide, a 1m swell and quite strong NE blowing. Scared my youngster a bit but the excitement of his biggest capture to date helped him cope with the stress.

To date I have used Inox on my reels but recently I had a good chat with a guy who has run a bike shop for 30 years and we go to discussing lubricants. Bikes need good lubrication and are at least as exposed to dust, water etc as reels. He said that he doesn recommend Inox because once the volitiles have evaporated the lanoloin attracts and hold dirt and grime. He recommended a good quality silicone spray. I picked up a can of for $20 and am now giving this a try.

Thanks for those great suggestions Roberta. They are going into my file. You didnt mention whether you caught much yourself on your trip there?

Hi All, I'm heading over to the South Island for a 3 week motorhome trip with the family in April. Fishing isnt a priority but I just know that I'll end up camping next to a river full of fish and if I dont have a rod and license I could be driven insane. To head off this situation I just want to get a little feedback on the practicalities of dropping a line in, either salt or fresh. Can I expect to pull a fish out of a stream / river along the way or is it really necessary to have a guide and proper gear? Can I have a throw off the beach and actually catch something (exept Kawai)? I was thinking of taking my SP bream gear and a long, whippy telescopic rod + 4000 real for the beach or large rivers. Any suggestions on the most practical outfits to take given I dont really know what I'll will be targeting? Any suggestions or advice greatly appreciated.

Caught one about the same size in Paddys Channel, Brisbane Water a few weeks ago so they are definitely around.

I bought one of the heavier spin rods (SZ 701 SH). Intention was medium large SP's for lizards, estury jew and snapper. This brand is owned by Freddy's Fishing World and manufactured for them. They actively promote them above other well known brands such as T-Curve, probably because they make more margin on them. Unfortunately they dont tell you any of this when you are buying. However saying that they are reasonable quality and very attractively priced (mine was $230). I had a great session on 2 - 3kg flatties last week and it held up well on a ?kg cobia from QLD last month. I compared the action of this rod to several other brands and found the tip action and curve under load to my liking. I can see this rod playing a central role in my future captures and would happily recommend it.

My 475 Quintrex has two removable sections of flooring right at the back. I take these out after every trip so that the under-floor is ventelated and will dry out after washing and I also have a look for sinkers etc which may have rolled down to the back.

Or just learn to use the low mount for spinning as well as the Alvey. I have an MT7144 low mount that gets used for everything and I taught myself to cast a threadline and overhead real from this location. As I am right handed I would use my right hand up the rod and the left on the real to release the line or thumb the spool. Just a much control as a high mount and the benefit is your right arm which will be stronger if you are right can put its full might into the cast without having to have a partial grip to enable real control - if that makes sense? I also find it less tiring with a long heavy rod if the real mount is lower as the winding position is more comfortable. These rods are difficult to tuck under your arm and spin with which is the common method with a high real mount.

One session using them in the rod holder saw 3 BIG green-eye squid come up. One was even hooked but netted them all.

Hey Bill, do you mind saying where you got your name sticker made as I have been wanting to do this but balk at the cost.

I prefer to use the Woy Woy ramp, near the bowls club. The reason is that the ramp isnt as steep, and therefore your boat wont try to launch itself once the winch hook has been removed. And secondly, there is a small beach on the inside ramp where you can putll the boat up, keeping as far to the right as possible, while you park the trailer. Thie makes it easier for a solo launch/retreive and will take the pressure of your 11yo until he knows the ropes. Coming back in can be a bit busier but as long as you join the que there is no hassle. You can even use both sides of the ramp for beaching your boat but to the left is only enough for 1 or two boats at most. The only problem can be some day boaters just leaving their boats on the beach making it more difficult to find room while getting the trailer. Saying that, there will occasionally be some bozo just waining to give you a hard time. I took my VERY pregnant wife out one day and got abused because I did the retreival solo was on the ramp for a few extra minutes. Your other option are the ramps a Kooliwong. They are like Gosford ramp and are steepish with a small jetty at the side. Not usually crowded but there can be a lot of ribbon weed you have to remove from your trailer. Also the ramps are very narrow so less room for error. Good luck and enjoy Brisbane Water / Hawksbury.