Matrix

That is one of the funniest clips I've seen in AGES! Thanks!

Even the SS rodholders out back looks sexy Sweet boat! Is it gonna get wrapped?

Lost count the number of times I've passed on these links over the years, but take your pick, it'll help b4 u go http://pages.infinit.net/fishing/bait101.htm http://pages.infinit.net/fishing/bait201.htm http://www.fishingnoosa.com.au/baittech.htm

There are all kinds of things you can do to mitigate against birds nest/loose loops, but the single most useful thing u can do, is to make sure u load ur braid onto the spool under a decent load so the line is packed in nice and tight.

Grrr, gave up on trying to embed a pic. Here (Dobroyd Parade)is where I used to leg it for hours and hours on end before I started fishing from boats Its amazing what u can catch there. At certain times of the year, flathead can be a real pest if its not your target species (and if it is,happy days then huh ), but species that also frequent this spot are the bread and butter ones like trevally,bream,blackfish,whiting,tailor and the odd jew. High tide is better but not absolutely essential, and if ur fishing really really early, before traffic starts to flow, throw some topwaters for some boofing fun

Have read quite a few stories on things going wrong when trying to bring a Marlin in, but this really got my attention(previous attention grabber was the lady that got speared thru her breast implant:rolleyes:): "He had a hole in his chest about as big as my fist and one in his back about the size of golf ball" http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/general...tory?id=3913667 We've all heard abt marlin pulling fishos into the water, but never whilst still connected to 14ft fish by way of its bill!

The Duck Nose is just another name for "Slim Beauty" in case anyones wondering. Here's yet another illustration(in addition to Wakd's one above): Slim Beauty 1 No knot will have a slim profile when using heavy heavy leaders but where knot strength and lower profile is preferred ( like when casting lures ), the Slim Beauty rules.

Nice one Linton!

They've been out in Jpn for a while now. Any one of the JDM e-tailers could possibly source u the lure, but mine was bought in-situ (Jpn) then shipped to me by a mate. If you're not aware of any reliable e-tailers, pm me and I'll reply with some already well known places. Or you could try ur local tackle shop and see if Megabass Aust has any in stock.....

Have u tried the furry version?

When the topwater bite is on, like for the past 4 or so weeks, the ancient yet trusty 3/8oz Jitterbug pwned every single one of my topwater bass. But if its one lure for the entire season, it'll be a spinnerbait

I second that.....kings have that afterburner level turn of speed, barra have the sheer oomph/power and cm for cm, will carry more kgs than jews. (impoundment barra that is) But when all is said and done, all three will give u a bit of curry when hooked so its a moot point

Adding to whats already been said, try and respool the line on under load, it really helps mitigate loose loops on both spin and baitcast reels but is especially important on spin reels. Making sure the spool/line gets a decent rinse in fresh water after use in the salt also helps, residual salt/gunk sometimes result in the line being semi sticky. HTH

The Jitterbug has been working really really well on the bass the last couple of weeks. A slowish roll, just enuff for it to get moving and plopping away,with a few pauses thrown in, has been working. Will be speeding up retrieves once the temps start rising, but for now, slow is good. Assuming ur using the lure for bass that is....

Strangely enough, these arent readily available in most tackle shops. The one in the pic above was actually from Japan and is made in various colours. The one available in our neck of the woods (pic below) may or may not be the latest version (the keeper is curved instead of straight) of that but is only available in gunsmoke/black: Or you could just try the one from Owner

Not too big, not too small, not too light, not too heavy, decent standard hooks,very nice finish and (this is the clincher) - cheap as chips. Arguably one of the best poppers ever for bream and whiting Lost my last original version of this lure abt 3-4 yrs ago and have been waiting for a copy ever since "Splasher"

I'm pretty happy with the PE lines I've tried, one I thing I havent tried yet though are the leaders....

Actually we do

Congratulations Kit! Beautiful Fish!

What a coincidence berely boy I fished there a few weeks ago, topwatering for humble bream and had just hooked a nice little 30+cm specimen and was in the process of bringing the fish in when I looked down right below the boat, to see a friggin huge cobia investigating, wondering what all the bruhaha was about! Geez I so wish the cobia wolfed my bream down....that would've been a fight to remember

Doh! Didnt check the date on the post before I replied. Anyway, hope the rod turned out the way u wanted it

These guys sell the popular (in the US) reel grips: http://www.reelgrip.com/ I'm positive I saw somewhere that they make a similar product for ROD grips as well but it doesnt seem to be listed on their webpage. Drop them an email and ask what the deal is

You didnt mention what species u like targetting? If you're not fussed, a nice way to pop ur SP cherry would be to go to Hen and Chicken or thereabouts, where a heap of flathead reside and this is where u could reasonably expect to pick up a flathead quite easily atm

When u say light, how light were you looking for? I have jigheads of 1/6 and 1/4 with up to a sz 4/0 and 5/0 hook which matches up nicely to the bigger SPs, any lighter and I just use a tiny sinker above whatever hook I'm using. If it's just a matter of fishing big SPs in really skinny water, as I often do, I'll just rig the SP on a big worm (Owner/Gama) hook. And 6 inch shads typically have sufficient weight for casting anyway. Its probably more a case of practicality, ie some shops just arent able to carry every single jighead in any one particular brand/range and having a jighead manufaturer ad a small, say 1/16, bit of lead to a biiig jighead is probably neither practical nor profitable

$300 is enuff for u to get a decent light setup Faulks. You could try to hit up one of the site sponsors or perhaps try to stretch ur dollar a little further by going the Ebay route. A nice small/medium Daiwa Caldia or Shimano Biomaster/Stradic would do quite well for bass/estuary....then you should still have enuff dosh for a tidy rod...be it a fibreglass or graphite Hope this helps Matt