Grantm

I went through the same thing recently trying to decide what to get and it was not easy to decide. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on just about all aspects of buying a boat, including dealers. I found that it was better value ( for me ) to buy new. The boats I was looking at in the 4 to 5 meter range seemed to hold their value very well as second hand units. There was not much difference at all between top condition second hand to new, so to me it was better to go new knowing if I keep it well, it should resale well in a few years based on what 2nd hand boats were selling for now.That the theory anyway. Based on the fact that I feel a top conditon 2nd hand boat will resale well in a few years it was a safer option to go new. Read through some of the other threads and you'll see there are many pitfalls to buying second hand if you are not carefull. My opinion on glass v aluminium is that is is simply a personal choice. I went aluminium because it is lighter, easier to handle and it can take a few knocks without damage. Tin boats always seem to hold their value too. Of couse glass has a much softer and more comfortable ride which I was prepared to concede. Brands can be confusing too. I went Stacer because it gave me the most value in what I was looking for. Quintrex is the most expensive but a top boat too. Lower end hulls are Ally Craft and Trailcraft but still pretty good as well. Sea jay, Bluefin, Clark etc etc etc there are heaps to choose from in the middle. Dont get carried away in the moment, and over committ financially cause there is always money to spend along the way. You cant go to far wrong buying new, but be carefull buying 2nd hand. Read back through this section for heaps of topics on motors and buying secong hand. Good luck

Novice Mate im certainly no expert but like a lot of people this time of year can be tough fishing anyway so dont expect too much, although its starting to warm up now which should get things going. Many people struggle in the Hawkesbury cause they tend to fish the most common ground, Bridges, Flint and Steel, Juno etc. These places can be fishless for an entire day then fire the next or only at certain tides and times . When it gets a bit tough wherever I go I tend to move around a bit and do some drifts in close to the many small beaches around the place which usually turn up some Flatties and a few Bream which can often save the day. Maybe try throwing a few lures around these areas and see how you go. Dont be scared to fish right in close either. Cheers and good luck.

I think fish definately fight harder on lures. Id say it is because they are attacking a prey item and also the fact the fish is only lip kooked and has not engulfed it as it would with bait. This is definatley the case with Flathead, they fight quite well on lures as apposed to bait and are mostly hooked nicely through the mouth.

Fishn I think you have mistaken a fisheries officer for Clutch.

I use Brooklyn quite a bit and I think much more could be and needs to be done there. The bay there is quite big and there is only a very small pontoon to which 3 boats at most can use. This could easily be made 3 times bigger. Being a 4 lane ramp there is no tie up area either except a tiny patch of sand beside the ramp. Perhaps a wharf either side would make this ramp a lot less stressfull to use in peak times, and quicken up the ramp activity. Seen many blow ups there. I would say it is the council that pays for that but I could be wrong. Parking is an issue at a lot of ramps these days.

Berowra is a strange spooky place at times. Its like Sydneys version of 'Lockness' You never know what your gunna get in that place. Nothing suprises me at all in there, even the odd King.

Thanks for the tips ill have a better go next time.

Nice work Mad. I agree with the theory about stiring up sediment. When fishing the flats I quiet often drop the motor and stir up some mud then return to it later on to find a few flatties. Whiting are atttracted to this as well.

Same thing happened to me on Saturday, except i was on the move as well. We were trolling out on F & S with a lines way out and and set, making a steady pace just short of the reef when this lunatic came at me from side on looking to t bone me. I was ready to explode, in fact I stating waving him away. Basically he cut me off and stopped me, couldnt give a rats about our trolling lines, checked our licence and racked off again. Very very poor form. I dont mind showing my licence but stopping me in mid troll was ridiculous not to mention the method that was used. The boat was barely identifiable as a fishereies boat. USE SOME COMMON SENSE FISHERIES.

Geez dont go too far south on the ETEC's based on one problem. I did a huge amount of research on these motors before purchasing one and they have a solid proven track record in the states and still a top class motor. Dont forget that all things mechanical will have problems from time to time. Even the mighty Yamaha's have problems every now and again but are quickly forgiven based on their track record. A cracked fuel pump housing on a Yammie wouldnt even rate a mention. To the best of my knowledge and research there are no known faults with these motors, just some isolated bits and pieces like with any other motor. Please dont compare these motors with the Ficht motor, your comparing apples and oranges. All new technology goes through a rough trot to start with but its my opinion that these bugs have already been ironed out. Hope you get back on the water ASAP Whitto

I just spooled my Capricorn 2000 with 125 yds of 6 pound Fireline and I needed a mono backing as well to fill the spool. Using the spare spool is definately the go. EDIT : from memeory 6 pd Fireline was a thinner diameter than the thinnest diameter printed on the spool. You gotta work it out.

Thats right more dumb questions Question one I tried ( unsuccessfully ) to troll a garfish. What a nightmare. After I managed to tie the mouth shut, I then hooked it up, which was bodgy at best, then went for a troll. All it did was spin in the water and was no good at all. What am I doing wrong here? How do you succesfully rig a bait fish to troll and have it look good in the water and swim straight ? I suspect I hooked it up poorly which didnt help either. Any ideas ? Question two. What purpose does a 'double' have when trolling ? I have read and heard of the need for one but havent found the actual purpose of this rig. Why cant you tie your mainline straight to the lure, or even just use a short leader ? Hope you can steer me ( and my lures ) in the right direction.

I actually thought there was already a couple of artificial reefs in Lacke Mac. The more the merrier.

I cant go past the 3 in gulp grub in pseed. Doing well of late and most things have a go at it.

Just made it by the skin of your teeth Same deal with us, had to look long and hard to find fish on Saturday in the Hawkesbury and managed a few decent flatties for a feed but were very hard to come by. Hurry up and warm up !

Great info thanks guys. Might try a troll around with one and see what happens. Cheers

Thanks guys, will chuck one out on some gangs and see what happens. Cheers

Gday FR's Picked up some garfish last weekend and decided to keep them as bait. Fishing the Hawkusbury this weekend and looking for a few ideas as to what to do with them. What takes a Garfish ? Jew maybe ? How do you rig them. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers

Turn it into a lowrider - pimpmobile. Its the only option surely.

Yeah loving the boat Ken, very happy with the overall package and performance, more importantly glad to be on the water on a regular basis. Cheers

Nice looking boat Martin hope you enjoy it.

Wouldnt rate it as the best table fish around but ive had worse. The meat on the main body skinned and fillited was fine, the underside was nutty as you said, and the tail section although boneless was quite pink in colour and not as good as the main fillets. Definatley better skinned for sure. Was good to try anyway. Yeah a Beakie in my boat Tell you what you dont want to put your fingers in that mouth.

Hit Lake Macquarie on Saturday for a day out with the missus, the wind was up the weather was crappy but we went anyway. Found some semi quiet ground and went on a Flathead hunt. We did pick up a few flatties and tailor but highlight of the day was Longtom I launched into. Fishing in less than half a meter right in the shallows the wind was a pain and blowing us into shore, as I went to reposion the boat my rod went off and I mean OFF. I barely had hold of it and it starting loosing line real quick, and I was thinking wow this is going hard for a flattie Wrong ! Three very hard runs and a big splash my eyes nearly popped out as I saw monster Long tom on my line. The fish made a succession of hard runs and was an awsome fight, with the missus doing an unbelievable job manouvering the boat off the flats and out of the mangroves the whole time, with no real boating experience. Hooked a few before but never landed one and never seen one of this size. It hooked deep and lost a lot of blood and when boated lost more, the inside of my boat looked like a crime scene making the fish unreleasable which was a shame, so I ate it. It would have wanted it that way. Went 106 cm caught on a gulp grub

Martin just give ole Sally Stejecraft a hug and tell her its not her , its you and that you still want to be friends.

Gday Martin, Yeah the Whaler is not bad cant remember any negative comment from last time. Shall we discuss the Johno's oil injection ? Dont think so. I think Iain is ready to feed me to the sharks on this issue If the place selling the boat sold it originally, it stands to reason that they would surely have serviced it too. It would be nice to see some service history if you can. Personally I think it is a pretty safe choice for a motor but it needs to be in good condition. 150 hours is nothing. It could probably do with a water pump if it hasnt been done to be on the safe side too. Any warranty ? Sounds good if the motor is genuine. Hope to see you out there soon