sifisho

Never understood why people get more worked up about keeping big flatties than other fish? Fecundity only increases with size up to a certain point and that holds true for pretty much all species. You never see anyone getting grief for keeping a big snapper or kingy.

Pretty ridiculous to tell someone something like that. Sure the advice might seem like overkill and possibly is but you might well find you have a problem in 30 years time with that attitude. Better to be safe than sorry - its not that hard to get a feed from the safer species out closer to the heads.

This simply isnt true. Independent modelling indicates that the average household will be $2.40 better off, poorer house holds will be better off still. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/families-to-get-more-cash-from-carbon-scheme-20111018-1lyt8.html

If you seriously think you are going to need to get a second or third job just because of the carbon tax then I respectfully suggest you have been listening to too much talkback radio and reading the Telegraph too much.

But it will make a difference to anthropogenic climate change if the tax breaks provided to green energy stimulate the adoption of a viable alternative to fossil fuels. If you dont think climate change is a result of human activity then thats a different discussion altogether.

However methane has 21 times the impact on the ozone layer than carbon dioxide for the same number of molecules.

In the interests of balance I believe this is an excellent policy that has unfortunately been hijacked by misinformation spread by the same old people (Daily Telegraph, talkback radio, certain newspaper columnists etc etc). Are you surprised that the profitable mining companies are up in arms and have plenty of cash to throw at their propaganda? Don’t believe everything the Liberal mouthpieces are telling you. If this tax makes it more economically viable for companies to invest in and research green technologies that we are all going to need at some point in the future then I am all for it. This is an opportunity for Australia to be at the forefront of these technologies, which is why it’s a brilliant and courageous move to implement it. Its not just about Australia reducing its carbon emissions.

Did you actually read the article?

G'day mate - i fish out of a kayak and use a bait tube made out of drainage pipe with a heap of holes drilled through. If you do a search of the net you may find other sites with a more detailed set of instructions... If you are worried about sharks, make sure you tie it off using something that will break easily, but with yakkas, I wouldnt think you would have a big risk. As you said, its bleeding fish that might cause problems! However, if I were you, I would spend a bit of time trying to catch a live squid or 2, then fish either live or fresh strips in the well known kingy haunts in middle harbour (pm me if you need a couple for starters...) It can help if you have a leash to tie the kayak off against a mooring bobber in some of these spots. Dont necessarily worry about keeping the squid alive in the yak, live is best, but fresh strips or (even better) guts still work well. This might help if you are short of room! If you are fishing mornings, think about trying for squid early from land and then launching once you have your bait at dawn.

I'm fairly sure that (whether you like it or not) the Patagonian Toothfish boats were breaking the law, but the Whaling boats are not.

This act was approved by the Liberal party some time ago but dont let that stop you...

Yep, I know a bit... Used to breed (not farm) oysters for a living. Not in Austalia mind.... You need to factor in the risk of being wiped out by a virus overnight (which can happen), its not anywhere near as straightforward as you think... PM me if you like

Received a letter from Mosman council last night basically saying they have changed their minds and they are no longer pursuing the ban. Must be quite embarrasing for them... Council_letter.pdf

yeah - thats my understanding too. so assuming you were standing next to the waters edge (no swell/waves at balmoral) they could only enforce it at high tide....

I'm not sure that the council actually has the authority to ban fishing from the beach anyway. NSW Fisheries has this power, but under my very basic understanding of law, the council can only ban fishing off structures (i.e. jetties etc.). Have asked them the question anyway...seems like they havent thought it through properly!

I "believe" one was caught on a soft plastic at a very popular landbased location on the north shore around xmas time...

Just a thought - isnt the legal size for kings in NZ 80cm? They dont seem to have a problem catching legal size fish...

Its down a little corridor on your left just after you go through passport control/security - someone will point you in the right direction (I assume you are flying out of Sydney airport). As mentioned, you need the camera and receipt with you. You fill in a short form and then they can recredit the GST onto your credit card in a few days. Its all very painless!

Reminds me of this old chestnut:- http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=9858

You should be ok, you will lose a bit of distance on the cast as the first ring will usually be a bit on the small side, and result in more friction. However, using an overhead on a rod ringed for a spinning reel will give you problems...

Will be interesting to see which rusts fastest, I would punt one of the two exposed to seawater, but not sure whether the wet or dry one will win! You are right in saying that seawater is 85% oxygen, but this is by mass and by elemental composition. What this means it that it includes all the oxygen which is locked up in water itself (i.e. H2O). What will cause something to rust is exposure to "free" or dissolved oxygen. A high concentration of dissolved oxygen in seawater would be about 20 parts per million, where there are plenty of plants and a bit of white water to sir things up a bit. Being underwater also helps because the water is more conductive than air, so will accelerate the reaction... Love this sort of stuff (I am a wannabe scientist stuck in a desk job...)

Had a laugh at your plans yesterday afternoon, and was dying to hear how you got on! Dont you just love it when it all comes together like that!

Where are you heading off from mate?

Agree - the ban on commercial fishing cant be overturned in the foreseeable future as it would open up the government to all sorts of legal action if anyone became ill and blamed it on the dioxins. No way are they going to do that...

The best way to find a new spot is to put on a pair of boots and start walking. There are lots of places in the National Park, that I havent seen listed in the guides, and dont get fished as much as the popular (or accessible) places. The most important thing is to find a good depth of water at your feet. Google Earth and a good map will help point you in the right direction. What I would suggest is to go for a walk with just a spinning rod and a few lures, and suss out a few spots to hit later with all the gear. If you put in the yards, its far more rewarding than going to the same place as the crowds. Also - be very, very careful when sussing out a new spot...