GreyNurse

Don't forget to click on the 'Knots" link at the top of the page. There might be a few there you could practice. For terminal tackle, I still like the 4 turn half blood knot, or the "improved clinch" as it's known now. Easy enough to tie blindfolded and a bit easier than the uni when the wind picks up.

Just had a look at the pics, Donna. Great stuff. It looked like so much packed into 48hrs, no wonder this social is the success it is.

Thought for a moment that hill looked like Cape Hawke, but that's not right. It is very east coat looking, but it could be anywhere.Apparently the guy won't divulge the location. Can't say as i blame him. Looks idyllic!

Damn that water refraction. It makes ID'ing difficult! However, if you look closely, there's one thing that gives it away. The striations behind the eye. Compare to the pic below. There's a label covering part of the feature I'm referring to, but I think I;m on the right track here. I'd say a tuna for sure.

Fantastic images on the sounders, guys. It underscores that old saying, "a picture's worth a thousand words". There's a whole book when you combine the reports and the sounder images here. I'm going to be there next year, even if I have to swim to Jerusalem Bay and stow away in someone's bilge! Can someone come back with a report on the cooking and eating attributes of these hairtail?

Well done Yarraone, on all levels. Ed, you must have been close. Well done to you, too. Congratulations to Little Scratchie. Dad's got some real competition now. A great comp from here everyone. Gutted I couldn't make it at the last, but had a ton of fun on the follow. Between the cricket and the fishing, one helluva good weekend.

That's the style mate. I've got you at 6-4 on. But you can do better! Let;s see a 2 metery.

The cricket was even better. The Aussies are giving the Poms a master class. Just a pity the ABC has to put the cricket on the back burner for the footy. Channel 9 have found a way around it. Why not our national carrier? Oh, sorry Ed. Almost forgot. No hard feelings. Anyway, my money's on you to take out the comp. If you can nail those big NZ snapper and kings, a juicy hairtail should be child's play.

Looks like I'm not going to make it after all. Pity, I was looking forward to practicing Iki Jimi on a few toothy ones. Stewy, what have you got planned next on your Social calender?

Got two pocket warmers now. Both working fine. Warm as toast. Pity I can't put 'em to good use tonight, but there's always tomorrow.

Will have to see you all later. Perhaps tomorrow if things work out. Unfortunately things went a bit pear-shaped this afternoon. Still, got a nice bream. Ed, the colour is SILVER, not grey!

Waiting at Appletree Bay. Just landed a nice 30.5cm breambo! Sent from my GT-I8150T using Tapatalk 2

Thank goodness for my Fishraiders beanie. Thanks Swordies! Sent from my GT-I8150T using Tapatalk 2

Why don't you send the Swordies a PM to that effect. I fish the Port as well and wouldn't mind one for the kayak in summer.

Hi James, You are correct. Bleeding upon capture is preferred, but for some fish, it is essential. Many pelagics, and fish like luderick are best bled immediately. There is a practice the Japanese use, called Ike Jimi. You can read all about it here. http://www.ikijime.com/. It's also very important to put your kill on ice ASAP after despatch. Failure to do that in a timely fashion is probably more the reason why eating quality deteriorates.

Bad luck about this afternoon mate, As already stated, keep it simple. You're better off tying a knot that you are familiar with and tie well, even though it may not be rated the best, rather than tying a you-beaut difficult knot badly. and have it fail. I'm still working on the FG. to join braid to leader. I prefer to tie that one at home. If I have to put new leader on while I'm fishing, the double uni knot is the most successful for me. I've not had one let go, except when I've been snagged. Would you believe I still use the 5 turn half blood knot (or improved cinch knot) to tie on my hooks, snaps and swivels. I know I'm tying these correctly, and as a result, they are easy. I can even tie the last in the dead of night without a nearby light if I have to. A single hook on a metal slice would be worth trying. Or you could cut one of the hooks off your treble, effectively turning it into a "W" hook. I've found that tailor don't throw them, where I've had plenty of tailor spit a treble. It should be as effective on salmon.

Talking about pinball machines, I've been looking for pinball games to run on Windows 7. Plenty of emulators, but the best PC pinball game was Balls of Steel, I reckon. The only problem was that it was written in 1995 and support for it stopped in 1998. And, like many PC pinball games of that era, doesn't like to run on a 64 bit OS. Pinball games weren't easy to gain acceptance because the physical attributes of the real thing was hard to transpose to software. But a few companies managed it. And Stewy and Donna, had anyone mentioned Rise of The Triad? I'm currently playing the 2013 release. Not bad. They've managed to keep the same quality of gameplay and the graphics are now brought up to date.

Lightly grilled fillets on the pan with a nice, home made Greek or garden salad (with lotsa avocado). The flavour of the fillets don't need enhancing. Such a tasty fish au natural.A good, healthy meal, summer or winter.

What a great pinnie. I worked for a short while at an establishment that imported them and other family entertainment machines. Parts are relatively cheap, but you should know that. The main thing is the maintenance. Oh, and of course, playing them!

Hi Raiders, I came upon this website this morning after watching some doco's on commercial fishing. I won't pass comment. I'll leave that to those Raiders who feel passionate and knowledgeable enough to do so and, perhaps, further enlighten us. Looking forward to the responses. http://fish.gov.au/reports/finfish/temperate_snapper_and_bream/Pages/yellowfin_bream.aspx

Well done on a cracker yellowfin bream, Gianni, It beats my PB by 1cm. I love the way the older fish have that change in head shape. I think it looks spectacular. Your knowledge of the species is very good,as well. Her's a bit more. They are reported to grow 1cm per year, but that may be after they reach maturity, which takes about 5 years to reach a fork length of 23cm. Hence the legal minimum of 25cm. Like flathead, bream start their breeding cycle as males but change sex to female as they get older, if the gender spread require it. However, some bream remain males all their lives, It's thought bream grow to a maximum length of 55cm, but these specimens would be few and far between nowadays. Still, it's nice to let the old ones return to the water, if for no other reason than to keep practicing catch and release techniques. If more people treat fish the way you do, then our fisheries will regain their previous good health in no time.and we might just be seeing reports of over 50cm yellowfin bream in the not so distant future.

Nice report and well done mate. Stay with the 12ft rod off the beach. It's just a matter of practice, practice, practice, and you'll soon find the length and the weight of the rod becomes second nature. I couldn't fish the beaches with anything less than 10', that's for sure. Match the rod up with a 5 or 6" Alvey, or a Seamartin reel and you're set. Most good fish are in the close gutters and channel edges, so don't be worried about distance casting at the moment. It will come. I still get out cast a mile by other fishos on the beach, but manage enough hook ups to keep me happy. Leave a few fish for me up on the Mid North Coast beaches so when I retire there, I'll have more to do than playing bingo!

Thanks david, I have a Water Snake. It's still in good nick, but if I notice any corrosion setting in, I now know exactly what to do

I have one of those floats that came with a fly rig that I purchased from the U.S. IMO they're better than the little coloured floats that Ryder posted. The coloured ones have a tendency for the rubber stoppers to perish after a few months, as well as the brass eyelets that the line passes through pop and the plastic around the eyelet snaps.as a result. But they are cheap and plentiful, so no biggy.

I love 'em. Like you, Jimbu, I've caught heaps of mid to top water fish under these floats with an unweighted bait. They're all the rage in the states for fly fishing with spin gear. I'm surprised that hasn't caught on here.