f1shen

2004 Yamaha 15hp cost me about $300 for new plugs, a new impeller and a carbie flush (it was getting filthy in there), including labour. In the end I was happy to pay it, as I didn't have the time to fix it myself, and as I wasn't sure what was wrong with it at the time (turns out it was muck in the carburettor), I was happy to let the pros deal with it. Having said that, I've since bought a service manual so I can learn to do it myself. If you're not sure on the price, you can always ring around some other outboard mechanics in your local area and ask them to quote on the same service. Or ring Huey, who I'm sure would be happy to help. PS - If you do ring others, make sure you tell them the age of your engine. I know some mechanics wont touch the older ones, so maybe they'd also charge a premium for working on them.

I agree with the licence point, absolutely. However, I don't think it means much in the end. I've been out on a boat with people who have a licence, and yet have no understanding of where they should and shouldn't be driving, particularly when it comes to being mindful of others. They compare it to driving on the road, where you have clearly marked lanes, signs and so on - these signs are easy to ignore on the river, often with no real repercussions for ignoring them, apart from riling other people up. The trouble is that they don't go out on their boat much - the maritime equivalent of 'Sunday drivers', and so don't have the experience or the foresight to be mindful of others. Hence, when you let them know (politely, of course!) that they're not being considerate drivers, the general response is 'Huh?' - they literally have no idea.

Been seeing fish rising to the surface in Gannon's Bay in the mornings every day this week, fish which were absent all winter. The nasty slime/weed/algae which appears every winter is disappearing too - hopefully we'll be seeing some summer action soon.

The best thing about this video is how whenever he hooks onto a big fish, it quite clearly starts towing the kayak along at a pretty hefty clip. Nice!

Nice catch! What lures were the tailor hitting?

If you start here, http://www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/rec_boating/boatingsafety.html you can do most of it online, with a final trip to the RTA (or RMS or whatever it is) to do your final test.

I've got a boat of the same size (slightly different design) and the same size motor. Definitely look at putting a flat floor in - I made mine just from some plywood that I jigged out and some treated pine 'legs' that sit between the floor and the bottom of the boat. It makes a big difference. I have put a plywood deck on the front of mine, covering the two front seats. I would never use it as a casting platform, as I'd end up in the water - it serves more as a table than anything else. Stability wise, I take it out either by myself or with my five year old son, and we have no problem standing up and casting in the area between the seats when the weather's relatively calm. I take it outside too, a bit. You have to be very finicky about the weather - if the swell's to big, stay at home. Strictly bums on seats as well, and a weather eye on the waves. I haven't had a problem yet, but it pays to be careful. Make sure you have all your safety gear! As for things I'd like, I need some rod holders and I'm looking to put in a sounder on a removable bracket, as well as a battery obviously.

Double Uni is a great knot, and dead easy to tie.

I wouldn't use bungee cord as you'd probably just end up bouncing around everywhere. The sea anchor should provide steady drag to slow you down. If you're worried about things getting messy, you might like to use one of those jaw cleats that you see on sailing boats to hold the sheet lines. they looklike the attached picture. You can put a knot in your line so that it doesn't slip through, but you've always got the option of saying goodbye to the anchor rather than saying hello to some big waves and goodbye to your boat. Having said that, you should always attach it to the bow, you don't want waves coming at you from any other direction when you're trying to concentrate on the fishing.

Absolutely - remember if you're going to be anchoring in 40 - 60 metres of water, at some point you're going to be pulling up 40 - 60 metres of rope, plus chain, plus anchor. Sounds like a good workout to me.

The parasite is this thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua Pretty damned gross.

Thanks mate, might use the aluminium one though as I'm doing everything on the cheap.

Yeah, Yowie Bay wharf looks like a nice spot, but it has some downsides. One is the marina next door, which never bodes well. The other, bigger problem is the stormwater drain which is set into the seawall behind the wharf. I've seen some absolutely foul stuff come out of there. Some unscrupulous people have worked out that it drains directly into the bay from the street drains up the hill, and is a great place for an 'accidental' spill of whatever when you can't be bothered paying for proper disposal. Better places to try for land based around the Hacking would be: The wharf at Lilli Pilli baths, and the end of the dogleg on Lilli Pilli Point road. Gymea Bay Wharf. Get to it from Ellesmere Road. The sand flats at the end of Grays Point Road near Mansion Bay. Good spot at low tide. Bundeena Wharf, but watch for the ferry during day time. The wharves can be pretty packed on a good day, so make sure you have a plan B.

This pic has been doing the rounds. It's a bit suspect as there's no legend as to what levels of radioactivity the colours are showing, but it's certainly food for thought. Apex predators like tuna and shark will necessarily be more radioactive as they have to consumed masses of already radioactive fish.

Do you know if you can completely remove the piece that goes up and down while leaving the other part fixed to the boat? As in, removing the transducer and variable mounting completely when not in use, while leaving the rest of the bracket.

If you can't find someone to teach you, there's some pretty good youtube videos on the topic. If you search for the uploader bcfaustralia, they have a few good vids, including how to rig them and how to use them. Otherwise, my only advice apart from what you're already heard here is to keep trying new combinations of lures and jig heads (though it starts to get expensive!). I've had a lot of luck drifting and using 2-3 inch gulp grubs (nuclear chicken, I think?? The olive coloured ones with sparkles) catching flatties. Had some luck on 3inch watermelon minnows, too. Also bought some squidgies to try, still looking for the perfect lure, though I think it's only possible to find the perfect lure for that particular fishing trip!

Did the gauges have a luminous / glow in the dark dial? If it 'charges up' when you shine a light on it, then it's just a phosphorescent material. More expensive ones that glow all the time use tritium, which is vaguely radioactive. Nowhere near enough to cause problems, but it IS in there. Maybe that's why they put a warning on it.

Both are being eaten. One is being turned into fish cakes, using strong flavours to mask the strong 'fishy' taste. The other is going over a wood fired BBQ after a quick asian marinade. I don't mind the strong taste, but apparently everyone else in the house does!

Checked the BOM this morning and knew it was time for payback. Last time I took the tinny out to Jibbon Headland, I got on to some nice salmon which busted me off at the boat (forgot the net!). Went out at 6 with my secret weapon (the net), and my rod with 20lb main line, down to a 20lb fluro trace with two snelled hooks, just right for a pilchard. Took my lighter 6lb rod for some bottom bashing too. Beautiful conditions out with very little swell and a fresh breeze. Wasn't long before I was hooked up on something big - on my bottom bashing line. After a helluva fight, reeled in a nice salmon which I managed to get in the boat this time, using the net!. My heavy line went next, and was treated to a few jumps out of the water. A really nice fight, which put my el-cheapo online shop special rod to the test (note to self - buy proper gear!). Another nice salmon. Hooked up again - on my bottom bashing line. Another salmon - I let him go, the two I already had were more than enough! Got on to some little reds and a small trevally too which went back, as well as a keeper tailor. The catch (got a little overzealous with cleaning before I remembered to take a pic): Need to get a brag board, the knife for reference is 35 cm.

Got some squid near Shiprock today, they were down deep with the change of tide. Otherwise, I'm trying to hone my soft plastic skills, so I only managed one legal flathead in about four hours worth of fishing. Plenty of tiddlers to throw back, though.

Definitely don't just use screws - use bolts that go right through the hull, some nice stainless ones for preference. It's not like that part of your transom is under water all the time - like you said, plenty of sikaflex will keep it watertight.

Woah ... that final hitch locking it off *mind blown*. I can't believe I didn't think of that. I'll be sure to give it a try. Thanks so much, guys. As ever, you are a font of knowledge!

Been having a lot of problems with my line recently. For some reason, my blood knots keep slipping, which has never, ever happened before. It's almost as though someone has greased my lines when I haven't been looking. I'll tie a blood knot as usual, and when you pull on the hook and the main line, the tail of the knot just pulls right through. I've varied the number of twists in the knot, made sure the knot is nice and tight, double looped it round the hook, tried every damn thing. The line isn't cheap rubbish, either, it's Daiwa branded stuff. Anyone had this problem before? What knots do you reckon might work, now that the blood knot has failed me? I don't want to bite the bullet yet and buy new line and respool. Maybe it's god telling me that it's time to move to braid. Thanks!

It's a Sweep.

Mate, sounds like a real beast. Got any pics?