squizzytaylor

Glad to help mate.

Mick about 6 months ago I ordered a "refurb" HDS5X 83/200 off them via online shop, nothing for about 3 weeks and one of thier sales staff was BSing about lead times ex USA etc which was rubbish as I had paid for express shipping (3 days). I fianally got onto the business owner who admitted thay did not have stock due to a delay by Lowrance USA, at that stage he upgraded me to a brand new HDS5X 50/200 and I had it 3 days later, there online shop ads have a phone number, use it and you will get results, also they have a facebook page use it and you will get results quick!!

Unfortuantely they are way, way under resourced so most of those calls will go unanswered. Im not having a go at fisheries just the people that allocate funds! GT

Walk down to where the creek meets the lake(access through the boat and trailer carpark) and hit it, has always been a great spot for flathead. At night under Fennel Bay bridge may be worth a go as with Speers point wharf. Ive only ever fished them with plastics but anything should in theory work. GT

I fish alone 90% of the time, I fish in Lake Macquarie or one of the Hunter Dams 90% of the time, I am within 50 metres of the shoreline trolling 90% of the time, I have always worn a life jacket when I deem it necessary or appropriate and I resent being told I have to wear one by anyone. Other than that I agree.

I had a mate in Townsville who had his poly 455 Centre Console come off at about 110kph (his fault not the winches though) some gouging to the hull but still perfectly usable as it was and some skeg damage to the motor, awesome boats!!

The black crap is just 2 stroke sludge, There doesn't seem to be a great deal of the skeg missing, I would run the boat and see what if any adverse effects it has on the boats steering and tracking. I have seen a lot worse with little to no effect at all. If its all good, I would give it all a coat of paint to prevent corrosion though. GT

Excellent report and great photos, thanks for sharing!! GT

Personal taste, but a lot of older people who are in the least position to afford seafood of any description do like them so would be interested in buying black market. If treated right and killed bled and gutted straight away they are not a bad eating fish at all.

Landbased for flathead.....The back of swansea RSL where it opens on to the channel on a run out, get up on the rockwall and throw toward the other side and out into the channel and around the trawlers. Coon island near the sand flats, fish the channels. Bream.... between the Naru St rockwall and Pelican Marina. Basic map attached hope it is of help. Cheers Geoff

The only areas I spray on my reel are the bail arm pivot and guide bearing, the handles anti reverse lever etc and I only ever use Inox, I always have a small smear of inox food grade grease around the base of the drag knob which should prevent any water getting near the drag washers. From the Inox website... The only lubricant in the world with the special MX3 Anti-Corrosion, Anti-Moisture formula for the twenty first century (food grade approved). It displaces, penetrates, lubricates and protects. INOX contains no silicon, acid, kerosene or dieselene. INOX will not harm metal points or surfaces, plastics, paints, enamels, fibreglass, formica or neoprene seals. INOX doesn't dry out, gum up, become gooey or sticky or wash off with water! INOX is non- conductive, non-static, non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-staining. Most other moisture displacers/lubricants are petroleum or solvent based. I have heard of people who swear by some of these products as an attractant to fish, but I dont believe it personally, does it make a difference to catch rates? again I dont think so, having said that you have no reason to spray the spool anyway, some warm water in a hand sprayer and a wipeover with a clean cloth should be adequate. GT

I kind of agree, but what is an appropriate fine and or punishment for taking more than your limit of Tailor? 37 each over thier bag limit = $108.10 per fish and I reckon $4000 would make most people think twice. GT

It never ceases to amaze me, a few years ago myself and some like minded people removed over 500kgs of rubbish from one sand Island in Swansea Channel on clean up Australia day, but I'm afraid I'm beyond sorble, I just hate the lazy pigs who leave it there!

Ive got a couple of pots on my balcony and they have been great, they stop bearing fruit over winter but are very hardy over spring summer and autumn. Can expect a dozen or so chillis per week, these suckers are pretty hot, the variety is called nelly Kelly and came from a major hardware chain. Cheers Geoff

NSK and Koyo are japanese made other good brands include FAG, INI and NTN.

A good starting point is to clean up all connections on the lights and the trailer plug. GT

You may loose a very small amount of top speed 5-8% but this is more than compensated for in general drive-ability and the on the plane response time, will also keep the nose down at low speed.

This has been looked into many times by myself and others (Via EPA and LMCC) and the reality is the contamination is of the "heavy" type (lead/zinc) and is subsurface of the lakes bottom, effectively you would have to dig it up for it to do harm. The lake is tested week to week by both the EPA and LMCC and has NEVER had a report (since Pasminco closed down) that has ever indicated any form of threat to water users, this includes fish contamination. Many studies have been carried out and the conclusion has been reached on numerous occasions that to "remediate" the lake would in fact all but render the lake unusable and highly contaminated for many years due to the introduction of the pollution into the main body of water on a large scale. It is generally considered unwise however to take any crabs or bottom dwellers from the north end of the lake, there is no real science to this but all parties I have spoken to over the years seem to be of this opinion. Selenium levels on the other hand have been known to come from more than one power station on the lake and have been detected in a few spots but again is not a contamination that a) is a direct threat to lake users and can be easily remediated. There are several reports available online regarding this and it has been about 5 years since I researched any of it but all authorities I contacted were incredibly helpful and gave information readily. Cheers Geoff

I have a shimano Raider 3 Piece rod and thoroughly recommend it. GT

Try drifting the channel on the run-out the most productive area has always been between the marina and the dropover but the deeper areas (out the front of naru) seem to be the best (30 foot deep 2 metres past the rockwall). The reality is the lake is full of fish, try varying your fishing methods, soft plastics are a winner, try the gulp 5" or 7" jerk shads in any of the chicken colours, at this of year Id be pulling the boat up in about 10-12 feet of water and casting for shore, remembering flathead are ambush predators, look for areas with structure (rocky reefs, mooring lines, wharves, weed beds etc)and work the sand areas around them. Keegz, when you get here, give me a yell and Ill be happy to show you around. GT

River to sea mini-vib 35-43 are good, Tilsan bass in the darker colors are good, 1/4-3/8 spinner baits in purple and more "earthy" tones are good, Jackal's of any description, a couple of photos of some regular winners for me. The river to sea, my all time fav lure for bass in HA11 pattern Tilsan bass, a killer in murky water More tilsans The black and the purple have been good.

Andrew was a respected yachtsman and a very respected and honorable businessman, the marine industry will be poorer for the loss. Sincere condolences to Family and friends. Geoff

I had the same issue on the same motor and it was the seal inside the fuel fitting where it goes on to the motor, the seal was perforated and this allowed air to be sucked in and after a few minutes.....nuthin. Having said this fuel should generally leak under priming with this prob.. GT

Another great app for the I-phone is called GPS tracker, The yanks use it as a security device and when activated it sends current location, course, speed etc back the website via a map where it can be logged in real time, most over there get a prepaid phone with an unlimited plan and leave it on permanently, personally I just use it for letting the kids know which part of the country I'm in at any given time when away with work. very good for quickly logging "secret spots" though. As for the phone, honestly I consider mine to be a tool more than a phone as out of city reception is at best abysmal. GT

6.38% under by my calcs so you are doing 106.38 kph when reading 100. I'm not that good at maths either so confirmation would be good. Geoff