Serena

Poacher- I'm up at coffs from the 21 march til the 5th April. Will keep youse posted on how the fishing is. Got a feeling youse be heading up at a better time as the water up there is still pretty crap.

Hi Steve I attach the middle hook the same way you attach the stinger on. I haywire the middle hook on to the tow hook then way wire the stinger onto the middle hook. There is roughly an 80-100mm gap between each hook. As for wire I use 27lb single strand at SWR and if the barries are around I run 55lb and sometimes 68lb. I have been making up rigs for the past three weeks as I'm going to coffs for a couple of weeks, though these rigs are made from 38lb and 68lb. When are you going to SWR?

Hi Poacher. When I'm fishing on the anchor or drifting I use two or three (depending on the size of the livie) mustard 4/0 or 5/0 all rounders or similar in chemically sharpened ganged together with a black crane swivel. I then put the bottom hook only through the back of the live bait. The top hook is left free. If you study how the mackerel stalk and attack the bait, as the macko is stalking the bait you will see the bait swim back towards the boat, when this happens the hooks lie along the back of the fish from the dorsal to the tail, (in the strike zone) with no wire to bite through. Just remember if you use a offset hook to put the hook in to the fish so the offset points up. When I'm slow trolling I use the same rig as you got though I put another hook in between the tow hook and the stinger. I have fished quite a lot for mackerel at SWR though this year was the first year I slow trolled live baits instead of on the anchor and all the fish we got was on the stinger and some on the mid hook. I'm not saying that is the only way to do its just based on my experience and what a local charter operater taught me. My mate who has been fishing for Spanish at coffs for 20 years has showed me a good way to get more Spanish up to the baits is to use a silver tow hook which the flashing seems to attract the Have you had any fish bite you off from the red on your rigs? Regards Ray

Are you trolling livebaits or on the anchor?

The best or one of the best ways to wash your gear is salt away. You can buy it in a spray bottle ready to use. Look up the web site. Pressure or high pressure on reels is a big no no. A fine mist and warm soapy water is the next best thing. It's true not washing them will be just as bad. Good thing to do also is spray some lanox on a rag and wipe the reels over and also spray the lanox in the oil port on the handle and other moving parts.

Thanks for all your help and comments guys. Much appreciate it.

Hi Predator The gulp juice your talking about is gulp alive in the spray bottle? Also how much water did you add?

kyngfish When you flush your engine with salt away you fill up the container on the mixing unit, flush your engine out with fresh as you would, then you turn the mixer to salt away and as soon as foam starts coming out of exhaust, tell tale, etc you shut your engine down, so its just for a few seconds. Not sure about the injector.

What did you to obtain the juice?

Hi Richie, Thats a pretty crafty thing to do! Good idea. In what way did you obtain the juice?

Hi raiders Anyone fishing the easter classic comp at coffs harbour?

Hi Ray Thanks for that. What juice do you use? Ray

Hi Raiders Im trying to find a better way to keep gulps in good nick. Im sure im not the only one having them dry out in the bag by crews members not sealing the bag properly!! Ive seen the gulp containers but was told by a few people that they leak/ Has anybody had better success with something else? Also not sure on the juice you use. I was told by a tackle shop to use the gulp alive spray bottle and just remove the top and pour it in. Ray

Marlin01 Thanks for that. I'm getting long tube shapes. Sort of like jelly beans. Just wasn't sure if those units showed arces.

Hey marlin01 and bluefin I have also for the 585 and I absolutely love it. Do you boys get arces on your screen when marking big fish?

Hi Buy it from saltaway direct, that's the easiest. It takes about a week to get it. They might be at the rosehill trailer boat show where you might get a better price. Last year at the inter boat show they had it on sale for $100 for 4 lt incl the despenser. Usually its $100 for 940 ml inclu despenser.

Huey The problems you are talking about with the other brands DI engines, are you talking about earlier model engines or current model engines?

Huey Bit off the topic here but since you touched base on the corrosion topic, id like to ask you a question. Is it true that US built outboard engines have better anti-corrosion properties than japanese four stroke outboard engines?

Gday Dave Thanks for that. Good to hear someone else had the same results. They told me as well that i shouldnt hose the boat and fishing gear down as you said it leaves a protective film on it. The thing im not sure about is what happens to the salt that is disolved by the solution? My mate was not rinsing his gear down after using saltaway and over time the "melted salt" entered the nooks and crannies of the reels. The same might apply to the boat? Thats why i have been rinsing down after use. Ray

Sounds like you had a run in with the jackets! Just like everyone else. You can catch bait at the end of the terminal wall. I use bread mixed with water til it's mushy then add 30ml of tuna oil per loaf. Once it's mixed bang it in the freezer. Very good burley for yakkas and Slimies.

Hi Quintrex480 Some nice echos on the sounder. definitly kings. Pity about the jackets. They dont give you a chance. We got squid and yakkas no problems as well on sat, headed out to the peak. some good arces on the sounder to but as soon as you drop the livebait down it raveged by jackets!

Hi Guys One thing I've heard but yet to try is when you find predators feeding particularly tailor as they leave a lot of scraps in the water is that Jews quiet often will be found underneath feeding off the scraps as mentioned earlier they are lazy fish and will take to scavenging. Makes sence really.

Hi Geoff I have been using it on my disc's for over 10 years and never had a problem with oil build up. I'm not sure exactly why the oil doesn't effect braking, it must have something to do with the turps mix in it. I friend told me about this solution and i have been using ever since with no prob. My boat will sit there for over 3 months sometimes. I only spray the disc's not the calipers, and I wouldn't use it on hydraulic brake systems. Only draw back I've had is you have to mix the solution in the bottle every now and then cause the oil settles to the bottom and goes off. I use 50/50 mix. Ray

Hi Guys Has anybody used salt away to wash down their boat and fishing gear? i used it for the fisrt time yesterday by rinsing the boat first with water then spraying with salt away then rinsing again. The boat seemed to come out spotless, no salt residue left what so ever. Wondering if anybody has exerience with this product. Ray

hi Mate Best thing to use to keep the rust off your rotors is to mix 50/50 linseed oil and turps in a spray bottle and spray the rotors after use. Its cheap and it works, doesnt effect the brake system. Ray