griffox

Thanks again guys for all the advice. I was out earlier in the week and tried the "Return to Vessel" setting (cheers Leo) but it made no difference... As you all said, the standard chart is out by a nautical mile (or 50!). The DSI is amazing, showing almost photo quality images. I found the new reef off The Gap exactly on the marks, so the GPS side of things is also spot on. I will get a Navionics card at some time in the future, but this is definately not a priority for me as I'm not using it to navigate unfamiliar waters. Cheers 'Raiders!!

Way to go!! Can't wait for the next edition... "Salmon Wars III"!

Hey boattart, the problem isn't the props... You've got TOO MUCH HORSEPOWER!! Try a single 15hp like mine, I don't have any cav problems...

Now that's what is known as GOOD bycatch! As the Aussie Olympic team has recently realised, GOLD ain't that easy and may take years to land!! (I'm still hunting for that elusive big Jewie...) Nothing wrong with a big fat flattie as second prize... Well done Gatts!!

I feel your pain!! I usually have a heavier rig (15lb,Paternoster rig with bigger hook, bigger bait) in the water while I'm flicking the Bream gear, just in case.. Even so, the last time I got a Sambo from the shore he jumped on the 80mm Wriggler intended for the Bream! Next time...!!!

And you still went to work?!?! Nice start to the day...

Well done! I landed one a few weeks ago in Pearl Bay (Middle Harbour) on 6lb while fishing for bream, and then nailed 3 a couple of days ago at Sydney Harbour heads. They have certainly provided some entertainment during an otherwise slow period... Good practice for when the kingies come in close. And for those that haven't caught any, keep trying (and keep chasing any birds you spot)!!! Gotta be in it to win it! Cheers.

That is GOLD!!! I'm sure we've all thought about it, but I've never heard of anyone actually hooking one! Do Shimano make a brag mat that caters for 100m+ ?!!? If the charter had been Japanese you could have landed it in the name of "scientific research"!! Gotta get me some 10,000lb braid and a couple of 100/0 hooks!!! Now that's a story to tell at the pub!!!

G'day 'Raiders, I just got home from a really nice day out on Sydney Harbour. Put the tinnie in the water at Rose bay (and yes the new work on the ramp has been worth it) about 9am. Trolled around the moored boats and shallows to see if there were any flatties to be found, but no takers... Kept on trolling around South head but not much on the screen so I thought I'd anchor up over the new reef off The Gap. Caught a few of the usual undersized pinkies, then lost a good flatty right at the surface. Aaaaargghhhh!! Then I noticed a huge load of birds getting closer, obviously working on something worthwhile. Motored over to chase them around (along with half a dozen other boats that materialised from nowhere!) and started throwing some metal at them... First cast hits the water and... I get tangled with one of the bl*%dy birds!!! Wind him in (and he's putting up a really good fight!), struggle to untangle him, then as I let him go the line rips out of my hand! I'm on to a fish at the same time!!! Landed a very nice Sambo (72cm) a few minutes later. Let him go and cast again, another slightly smaller one jumps on! Maybe a dozen casts, six hook ups, three fish landed... fantastic fun! Then thay all dispersed and left all of us (those of us that got a few anyway!) smiling!! All caught on a small Spanyid Raider,15lb braid on a 7'2" Berkley spin stick. So a great day in perfect conditions, but you know I'm gonna cop it from the better half for not bringing any flatties home!! Oh well.... Roll on more good weather!

If you're using mono I find a plaited double to be the easier to tie. If using braid, then definately a bimini twist. Either go to the Fishing World site and follow the links or go to the top of the Fishraiders home page and click on "Knots". BTW, when using a bimini in braid I would normally use 60 or so turns before finishing off the knot.

I did mine through the Australian Boating College. Did the theory exam in the morning and the practical boating test in the afternoon. I did mine at North Sydney Leagues club and on the water at Middle Harbour. They run schools all around the place. Have a look at www.abclicence.com or call 1800 435 886. They will send you info before the course, learn it as well as you can before you get there and you will breeze through it! The only people that failed on the day were the ones that didn't take any notice of the pre-study... Good luck!!

Cheers Leo, Geoff & Juggs, Unfortunately I live in the inner city... NO BACK YARD!!! Underground car park/garage with my 'bikes and crap, by the time I can get it out into open air I may as well keep going until I find water!!! As I said I'll try a couple of the suggestions re: settings first and go from there. The main reasons I went for the combo were the clarity/definition of the DSI, and to be able to find GPS locations, so if the Chart side is not great it doesn't matter too much. I'm not really using it as a navigation aid, more as a slightly better fish finder. Once I get it working as good as it gets I'll decide if I want to add a better card... BTW, any advice on the WAAS/MSAS/EGNOS setting? Thanks again guys...

No, the Elite 4 doesn't have a card standard. So the default "Lowrance" setting is all I got! I'll try a couple of the suggestions next time I drag it out. Thanks.

I wondered if I'd need a card to get decent results... I'll try the suggestion from Leo next time I'm out, and try to learn my way around the menus first. Then, if it still is no good I guess I'll be spending more money!! Cheers.

So go into "Chart", hit "Menu", open "System", and then "Return To Vessel/Exit Cursor Mode", is that the go? I can see a mention of this in the manual, but didn't understand the significance. I'll try when I'm out next.. Also, what about WAAS/MSAS/EGNOS, do you generally run with this on or off? Thanks for the help!

G'day 'Raiders! I have recently bought an Elite 4 DSI for the little tinnie and finally got out to try it yesterday. The DSI is fantastic compared to the basic sounder I have been using for the last year or so. However, one problem that I had out on the water is in the Chart screen. When I opened the Chart screen it showed a map of Australia with the cursor showing my position (Sydney!), all good. Then I adjusted the scale to start zeroing in for more detail but all I got was was an olive green screen (denoting land) with the cursor in the middle, no sign of water!! WTF?!? Anyone know what I'm doing wrong before I talk to Lowrance? I've had a look through the Ops Manual and have been able to work my way around most of the settings, but can't find anything relating to this problem... Any ideas?

Nice catch!! You'll have to update your Kingfish P.B. now!! What time of day did the action occur, around the tide change or later? Any favourite jig or were they hitting anything you sent down?

I started using the "melville" when I saw it in Fisho magazine, then their website told us they'd made a mistake in the mag and to use the modified version from the web... Both versions seem to work O.K.!! I generally use a double uni in the lighter line classes and either a Bimini/Tony Jones or a Bimini/Slim Beauty or the Melville Special on heavier lines (depending on the application).

"Octo jig" is the generic name for this type of jig, i.e. Lead head, skirt, free swinging assist style jig hooks. "Lucanus" is simply the Shimano vesion. Lots of different brands and styles around now...

Cheers Zenman, I'll check it out next time I'm in MH...

Sorry guys, I know MH fairly well, but "vb reef"??

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!!!! O.K., he got you this time.. But now you know where he lives...! You know how to tempt him. So arm yourself for next time, re-group, re-load,... AND GET THE SON OF A BEACH!!!!!

Well done! Nothing wrong with Bonnies on the BBQ or as bait! In close or out wide?

Did anyone notice the yak on the Lowrance stand? The sounder/chartplotter was big enough for an offshore marlin charter boat! My missus would KILL me! So much for yaks being a budget option! You could buy a tinnie, motor and a years worth of fuel for that!! I agree though, plenty of good seaworthy/fishable boats in the 5m category, set up and ready to roll...

Hi Sido, I faced the same issue last Friday. Early in the morning the winds were light, so I tried a couple of spots around the Bay. As the day progressed the wind increased until it made things a bit uncomfortable (I'm in an open 12' tinnie), so I anchored up hard against Moll' Pt. for the incoming tide. Kept the burley going (bread, pellets and a dash of oil) and cast very lightly weighted pieces of pilchard into the trail. For about two hours I kept pulling in small Trevs. Mostly undersized (30cm for Trevally), but quite a few "homies", catching (and releasing) about 20 fish in total. The only problem came when I made for home (Cooks River ramp) as the wind had now blown up and was making a metre of chop with loads of white caps and spray across the whole Bay. Only a short trip back to base, but I was soaked! In general, westerlies are not the preffered winds to fish (here on the east coast), mainly (I think) because the cooler winds off the land tend to cool the top layer of water and push the bait down and away from the fishy zones. And from a boaties perspective it always makes the trip home hard work...!! As always though, you have to judge for youself the safety issues. I didn't mind getting bashed about a bit for the run home after having a good fun few hours of fishing, but I wouldn't have put my less enthusiastic mates (or my better half) through it! That's my two cents worth...