chrisg

I now use Nanofil for all my bream rods. Just make sure you use the 11 turn Albright knot shown in the packet. Other knots do work but I've found this to be the most reliable for me. C.

I would go the 60 size for off the rocks - The Orra's are a compact reel for their size, the 40 being smaller than the average 4000 size(great snapper reel by the way). The 60 will give you a better retrieve rate for when you have to skim your rig quickly back of the tops of the submerged rocks and is still smaller than a lot of heavy 6000 reels. C.

If the track is clean and lubed then most likely the pawl is worn. They don't look it but when you replace them everything works fine. Don't remember them being too costly. C.

You really still need a leader with Nanofil. It is awesome stuff though - a few reports here. http://www.purefishing.com.au/berkleypro/berkley/berkley-nanofil-test-saturday-9th-july-2011/ http://www.purefishing.com.au/berkleypro/berkley/nano%E2%80%99s-by-the-handful/ C.

Iron Ladders beach, next bay on from Little Box Head before Box Head. There's a large sloping rock on the corner - berley up anywhere off that rock.... they will find you!

Yes..no problem being loaded. C.

No you have a short or polartiy problem. Go back to the beginning with a multimeter and track thru. C.

Hi all Kids back at school...I'm off to fish Lake Mac for the rest of my days off. Don't even care if its raining just looking forward to getting out! Anyone know which end is fishing best at the moment..north or south? Can only fish mornings to be back for the school run so want to fine tune my start point. Feel free to message if you want. Thanks in advance C.

What motor is it Dicko?

I was up there the other day and a patch of mullet was being hammered by a 6 foot bull shark. The explosions of water were fantastic at times.

I remember reading somewhere that Mercury consider fuel over three weeks old stale. The Stabil product is popular in the States but I also read they have a blue "Marine" Stabil and not to use the red Stabil which is the only one I've seen here. Mercury/Quicksilver do a product called Quickstor for longer storage periods and Quickcare for per tank use that help condition the fuel. No doubt BRP do similar products. Do they work...difficult to say but there is great support for the Mercury products in the States. C.

Low battery generally causes the click click noise when you turn the key. If your hearing whiring noise then the motor is turning. As the pinion gets flung outby centrifugal force on some motors so it may be stuck. You should be able to lift and turn the pinion gear in one movement and you'll see the shaft exposed. This may need a clean and lubricate. Pop the starter off and try that.. shouldn't take long. C.

Here's all the details - Coxwain's Cert C.

I looked at this also but gave up on it. The course work etc is straight forward enough but the 1800 hours is almost impossible unless you a working on a boat and can operate under supervison for that time. Really the course is aimed at people in the industry who have the deckhand certificate and are working their up the line. The last person I knew who did it worked on a dredger and got up to his Master certificate in a few years. C.

Try the new Fireline Exceed..reduced diameter and Flame Orange in colour. Perfect for SP's and HB's. C.

Why are you wanting to "cast" with 30lb braid? Bit heavy on a 4500 sized reel as it is but your fighting so many things. Whats you use? C.

Also look up "Soda Blasting". Uses soda crystals just like sand but strips with out damaging the surface so much I believe. The are a few places that do it and some can come to you. Enviro friendly too. C.

Do you still have the broken off bit. It can be welded back on.

The grey bolt is the tilt tube lock nut. Its turning because the white bit is seized onto the tilt tube. This could be a heat job. Steering cable is about $150 and can involve having to take the motor off if the splashwell is small. As Fez suggest could be one to pass on.... C.

Don't undo the grey bolt (circled in yellow). You want to be undoing the white encrusted fitting...see it has a hex end. The smaller fitting in red I think is a corroded lubrication port. Undo it anyway. I have feeling it all going to twist and break anyway when you try and undo that fitting but bottom line...replace the whole thing. With that much corrosion its destined to cause you problems in the future. C.

Wes At idle speeds the thermostats control the operating tempurature of the motor. At around 2000 rpm the poppet valve begins to open. It acts as a bypass to the thermostats and allows hot water from the heads to dump out through the leg increasing cooling. Its basically a spring loaded plastic plug the thickness of your finger and is located bottom right side of the motor under a cover. If its sticking because the rubber "seat" has swelled, the diaphram is damaged or even the cover gasket has ballooned out to cause a restriction, it will not open properly causing a a hot condition possibly an overheat condition in the 2000rpm range. At idle all seems fine because the thermostats are doing the control, at WOT all seems fine because the pump pressure is overcoming the problem and forcing the valve open. With cooling issues you should always go to the pump first but if your confident in the pump and and thermostats the poppet valve is the next suspect. When doing the pump housing and impeller did you replace the gaskets in particular the one under the stainless plate and did you run a bead of silicon along the 'wall' immediately behind the pump housing? New components might do the job but there are a hand full of Mercs that for some reason just always have this issue as factory standard and need a tweak. All this said be wary you can be chasing something that might just be ordinary operating condition but I suppose you have gone so far in chasing this thru, the poppet is the logical next step and is a relatively inexpensive job for peace of mind. Cheers C.

Wes It could be a poppet valve issue. The valve isn't opening early enough to cool the head fully. Ask your mech to replace the diaphram , spring, valve seat and gaskets. If the problem persist you may have one of the problem Mercs that require a simple but non standard modification. Best to try the factory setup first. When was the water pump last serviced? C.

Any reason your looking at short rods as it is? C

Many thanks C.

Hi all Do you have to pay to park at Parsley Bay, Brooklyn? Which is better to use in a southerly PB or Mooney Mooney? Cheers C.