PPSGT

Hi Raiders, Went out to Longreef today in another raiders rig, to help him break in his new etec and hopefully catch some kings. I was on squid duty whilst he filled the tank with Yakkas - but as the saying goes "squiddin aint easy" first cast bang squid number one on me new squidding outfit a daiwa excelsior rod & tierra 2500- then he pulls in 15 yakkas in a row, just as we are about to leave I drop a nice big squid We tried several other places for squid - it was well after light so we headed out to Long Reef. It was like a carpark with boat and yaks everywhere - we went away from the herd, and started downrigging plus a yakka on the surface. In 10 minutes we'd boated 4 rats - 3 on the surface troll and one on the down rigger. I almost go reefed by what i thought was a good fish, until I realised the drag on my charter special was backed right off so I tightened it up as hard as it will go with out loosing free spool, which is about 8kg of drag - you cant pull it of the reel by hand without brute force - ready to do battle The wind picked up so we headed back into the harbour to try for more squid, we stripped the one we had downrigged everywhere for zero With a plan to be back by midday, we tried a spot on the way back to the ramp - another raider was already fishing it and said the fish were on the bite. We passed the mark but didnt hook up to we were well away from it - another rat came on board then we passed back over the mark and a huge arch came on the screen - followed by a huge arch in the uglystik and a screem from my charter special - now I couldnt pull the line of by hand on strike, but this fish was heading for the bottom with the reel acting like it was it free spool. the line then went slack so i wound it in as fast as I could - the fish was still connected heading for the surface, but once i got tension back on it, it made straight for the bottom again. With the rod tip under the boat - line peeling off and me barely able to hold the rod ( i didnt bring my gimble belt ) and not able to click the reel to sunset or put more pressure on the spool with my thumb the fish made for the shallow and rough bottom and it was over in well under a minute. The 50lb leader was shaved and cut along the trace - disappointing but still fun Would have been nice to land a legal One more rat was boated and we headed for home. We covered 37 NM for 32 litres of Fuel - great fuel economy for any trailer boat Whilst packing my tackle away when i got home my wife pulled up into the garage to hear me recount the tale of the ones that got away, and the squid that were converted to bait not dinner showed her how hard the drag was set and pulled t pul some of the 50lb braid off and it snapped like cotton - so even had the leader held, the braid was damaged during the fight and i would have lost the fish anyway Nice day on the water to start with - windy and hot to finish Any raiders do any good today? Jason

Hi Raiders, Hit the Harbour tonight to give the Das Boot a test run and get it all ready for summer and the kings After emptying out old stale fuel into the oil recycle bin and cleaning the tanks at the servo, I borrowed the mechanics grease gun to grease the bearing buddies and filled up with fresh fuel. After three months sitting idle from not fishing, due to working on my study, starting New job, travelling overseas and working on a complete rebuild of a $700 boat I bought last holidays (its a wreck - but its fun to work on) my 1986 Johnson 70HP, which I rebuilt October last year, started first kick with no choke - When I mean first kick it didn’t even crank just fired instantly from dead cold - it starts better and quicker than my mates 50HP etec when warm ( and most times when its cold too) For someone with no mechanical experience, I'm pretty happy with my DIY rebuild as it now has about 60 hours on it, seeing i rebuilt myself on the balcony of my unit, by ordering a rebuild kit online, downloading a repair manual, scouring the US forums for how to tips, and watching Youtube videos of the OMC Master Tech and others, wife wasnt to happy, but I coudl work on it and watch fishing shows on foxtel from the balcony at the same time so it seemed the perfect place. Went up to the harbour bridge to check out the bird activity I'd been watching all week from my office window, but it was 6.30pm by the time I got there and they were all gone. Retrieved a $27 squid jig i lost in lavender bay on a mooring first cast in the strong wind on Wed night then eaded back to into the Lane Cove river. Although it was only a test run, I'd put my new Daiwa excelsior rod I bought on Wed in the boat "just in case" which was lucky, as there was bait splashing everywhere! Pulled in a tailor every cast for about 10 casts 0n 4lb mono / 5gram slice, i used the in water release technique hoping something bigger would grab at the tailor but all that happened was other dumb tailor would flash the lure once the fish got off. Nice night on the harbour - had the boat back on the trailer just on dark Then tidied and cleaned it up, and packed it away ready for its first summer mission. Spending the weekend working on my project boat - laying new stringers and floor so no fishing then going to Perth next weekend for a wedding - so again no fishing, but the positive is about ten of the grooms mates are mad Samson Jiggers,so I am hoping to talk my way into a seat onboard their boat when they are on this season. Look forward to catching up with other raiders out on the water as the weather improves and the kings fire up I've got my local servo to stock up on those freezer burnt pillies that the kings love so much Jason

People always catch lots of leatherjackets of all the wharfs right around from Kirribilli to round to Lavender Bay, so for kids they would be a lot of fun I see the regulars catch bream under the bridge a lot - I hope they are only eating the ones from the Eastern side, the ones on the western side are toxic I've caught heaps of kings in the boat - but never one from a jetty or wharf, which is something I want to achieve this year I love reading about raiders who land one from Clifton or from the wharfes around in the rocks, west of the bridge I havent seen Yakkas caught during the day - but I'm sure they'd be there in the evening Kids like catching anything and there are some nice spots there, give it a go Jason

And today.... Its dead... No Birds... No surface bust ups..... Still want to go fishing though............

Couldnt see any predatory fish when I went out for lunch But Lavender bay was full of 2 inch long brown bait fish all tight along the edges

Hi Raiders, Just looking out of my officde window to see a bunch of kings working out the front of the bay just out from the moored boats followed by 100 seagulls They could be salmon, but the water looks warm and the kings have been up around Lane Cove and the birds came from the west following the fish Its not tailor, as the seagulls are getting nothing...... They are just sitting on top of the water and now and them moves when the fish break in another spot. Going to go for lunch, walk around Luna Park and have a closer look Isnt it smart how the fish sit in the no fishing zone.... Everytime I launch from Lane Cove first thing in the morning in the summer, before the ferries start I pass hordes of kings right under the bridge Jason

I've bought some carp magazines when I was in England... those guys love chasing fat carp's.... He seems to be the UK's most famous, except for maybe the giant Cod in "The Goodies" The extraordinary life and suspicious death of Benson the giant carp What exactly caused the sad demise of one of Britain's most celebrated fish? John Bailey The Guardian, Wednesday 5 August 2009 Article history An angler holds 'Benson' Photograph: SWNS.COM/James Stacey Alas poor Benson. Born around 1984 and at times England's largest freshwater fish, this awe-inspiring carp has been found dead at his home at Bluebell Lakes near Peterborough. The facts of Benson's life are well known for he was the UK's most famous fish. Stocked into the Bluebell at around 10 years of age, Benson was already well over 10kg (22lb), on his way to super-stardom. At his peak, he was caught at over 25kg (60lb), though more recently he had slimmed down to around 50lb – still a leviathan. He gained his name because of a small hole in his dorsal fin that looked exactly like a cigarette burn. But what made Benson so special, so beloved, was his generosity. It's estimated he graced the landing nets of more than 60 anglers, dusting them all with immortality. Under normal circumstances, we would simply lament Benson's passing but there is anger today and a sense of suspicion. Carps can live to 60 or 70; Benson was cut down in his prime. Raw tiger nuts have been found on the banks at Bluebell. Unless these nuts are cooked and expertly prepared they can prove toxic to carp and the fear is that Benson could have been poisoned by one of his pursuers. Carp anglers love their carp and this smacks of a monstrous betrayal. I never met Benson. I don't know what he was like as a fish. But through the 1980s, I pursued a carp called Eric in his Norfolk lake home. (I say Eric but Erica is more apt! When she died, she was full of eggs.) During all that time, I swear Erica got to know me as well as I did her. She was happy to flaunt herself, to tease and to tantalise. I often wondered who was trying to fool who. I realise we shouldn't credit fish with intelligence but Erica and Benson and fish like them possess an awareness that is undeniable when you get to know them. When Erica died, I mourned the passing of a friend rather than a target I would never be able to achieve. In the history of carp angling, Benson and Erica are not new. There have been other great fish like Sally and Heather the Leather – so called for her complete lack of scales. It is impossible not to realise that carp like these are the airbrushed supermodels of angling, unattainable to 99% of the fishing fraternity. Most of us simply dream, quite content with the smaller fish that give so much pleasure and are so lovingly returned – who knows, perhaps one day to replace our lost friend? Benson, carp, born 1984, died 2009. Leaves behind numerous widows, thousands of offspring and 60-odd lovelorn captors.

Hi Raiders, Hit the water at 11am with my new boss with a promise to put him on a king. Couldnt be bother getting up at the crack of dawn and chasing squid, so really just went out for a day on the water. Trolled North head for zip, didnt bother chasing any livies as I had my never fail backup freezer burnt pillies, and these ones were in really bad shape, so chance of success was high. Couldnt lose a bait anywhere - water was different temps all over the place Spent an hour on the Jumbo size squid, coudl get them to the boat, but not one would take the jig and i tried every secret weapon i had in the arsenal, including some new cool stuff from Japan we then both agreed that the squid were smarter than us, then went off to chase my favourite MH quarrie - the coffee boat He was shadowing a sailing race that was going maybe 2 knots an hour so we chased him down, to land to nice hot chocolates, one small just under the limit the other XO sized - they went down well. Tried the regular MH haunts, one of my favourites has a big boat on top of it now, spoke to one of the charters, who said he coudlnt get past the leather jackets A leather jacket would have been welcomed by us! Went to the final spot before calling it a day, about 4 boat there and knowone was catching anything Dropped down the juiciest pillies on the 3kg outfit - and bang hooked up on a heavy weight and slowly dragged it to the boat hopping it was a squid. Turned out ot be a 50cm rat who didnt realise it was hooked. And just kept swimming around the boat - eventually it woke up and put on a little bit of a fight we got the camera and took a phot for my boss to send a photo back to his 8 year fishing nut son back in Norway lifted him out the water took the photo and he was back in within 10 secs Packed up and headed back to the ramp Saw a guy cleaning a gemfish at the ramp, and wondered how his 4.3 metres tinny made it out to browns?, the lucky bloke was given one by some anglers who must of felt sorry that he didnt catch any fish when he'd taken him family out on MH Nice day on the water, very calm just a bit of rain Didnt see any other raiders though Jason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O3Plt8DyMk This is the funniest fishing song i have ever heard! My didnt find it funny..... I'm Gonna Miss Her Well I love her But I love the fish I spend all day out on this lake And hell is all I catch But today she met me at the door Said I would have to chose If I hit that fishin' hole today She'd be packin' all her things and she'd be gone by noon Well I'm gonna miss her When I get home Right now I'm on this lakeshore And I'm sittin' in the sun I'm sure it will hit me When I walk through that door tonight Ya I'm gonna miss her Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite Now theres a chance If I hurry I could beg her to stay That waters right And the weathers perfect No tellin' what I might catch today So I'm gonna miss her When I get home Right now I'm on this lakeshore And I'm sittin' in the sun I'm sure it will hit me When I walk through that door tonight Ya I'm gonna miss her Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite.

When burleying in areas where white pointers are, When you turn off the motor you should then it it back into gear. If left in neutral the prop will turn in the current and seems to attract the sharks into taking a nibble They can crunch a stainless prop just as well as a aluminimum one Jason

Hi Raiders, Travelled to Adelaide for work, and spent an extra day Sat visiting my folks It was short notice, so didnt have time to organise any fishing whilst I was there But whilst at the airport when I was leaving I wondered into the South Australian Icons store After purchasing Fruchocs, Haighs frogs, Farmers Union Ice coffee, Fritz and Metwurst I saw some vacuum sealed packs of King George Whiting fillets, at $24.99 for four fillets / 300gs that worked out at $83 a kg - so I walked out as the price was ridiculous. Then I checked my wallet and I had $25 left so I thought what the heck, I'll claim it as a "work trip meal" Got home and fried them up with some chips.... With out a doubt the best tasting fish in Australia, and well worth the price tag ( And I've tried just about every fish that swims either caught or bought) Although Adelaide has crap sportfishing, sitting on the one drop and catching Snapper, squid, King george whiting, garfish and blue swimmers taking them home and cooking up your own seafood basket is one thing i really do miss..... Wouldnt swap it for the Sydney Harbour kings though... so accessible and so tasty and there always somewhere you can fish in the harbour, regardless of the weather Unlike St Vincents Gulf off Adelaide , which is blown out just about every summer day after 11am Jason

Squid (espceially southern calamari) attack the jig sideways if they think it is a fish as they are trying to kill the brain of the fish as quckly as possible If the squid gets spiked by the fishes dorsal spines it can be fatal to the squid so just like kings try and turn yakkas to swallow them so the dont get stuck in their throats , the squid is trying to attack in a way it is least likely to get injured. When squid eat prawns or whitebait , they will grab them anyway they can, and are more aggresive as both dont have harmful spikes or spines I have a great old VHS video underwater video showing 6 squid attacking a jig, it was a large jig and they all attacked it sideways When a squid kills a livey it is always at the back of the head first, then starts eating the rest of the fish Jason

Hey Raiders, Reality has finally set back in, With my wife back from her 3 weeks overseas, and for the past 4 weeks since handing in my notice at work, and taking every sickie I had saved up to go fishing Today I had to have a shave, iron a shirt, put on a suit and turn up for my first day at my new job I turn up to the office, and get shown my new desk How am I suppose to concentrate on work? There were a few seagulls working, but very little surface activity water was calm, and looked perfect for fishing going to work early tomorrow to see if anyone is fishing the markers to the right of the bridge Might set up a web cam.... Bit hard to take a sickie and go fishing now, I've told the new boss what my boat looks like and he has the same view , I guess I cant launch from my local ramp when i'm "sick" anymore might pack the binoculars tomorrow My new work collegue is as mad as me about fishing, so we spent the morning talking about our latest fishing adventures, my new boss is away for two days, so I am in the office alone might even take a rod and get some "exercise" at lunch time Jason

I never have much luck on Yakkas, unless they are mars bar size or smaller I dont think you are doing anything wrong, its just yakkas are harder for smaller fish to eat and on the many kingfish videos around, the underwater troll cams show them really struggling to swallow the yakkas as they have to swallow it head first due to all the spines. Run your hand head to tail, then tail to head and you'll see why they need to swallow it head first Squid, slimies and garfish are very soft and smooth, and the king can swallow and turn them without two much trouble, and probably just inhale them any angle they can get them. Sometimes they arent in the mood for anything and I have had them nudge live squid, then slam a pille thrown in the water or take servo squid against fresh caught Jason

Hi Raiders, Hit Tunks a early today with the plan to catch some squid, just after arrived two guys pull up in their very nice, new (to them) rig on its maiden voyage. Got chatting to them, found out one was a raider, lets call him Raider X, and his 2iC, lets call him Y, the anonymity will be maintained, to save embarrassment. Anyway told them of my plan, and got his number and said I'd SMS him if I got onto some kings so he could join me and christen the rig in style. Headed off towards the spit, sat around for 15 mins before moving off into the harbour. I was a bit suprised the other guys hadnt caught up with me as they'd launched at the same time. Got to the first squid drop, first cast in trying condition, pulled up a nice squid, then nothing for another hour and got a single smaller model. Tried every marker in the harbour for yakkas, only to be greeted by every type of leather jacket in my fish guide book. Pulled the boat into clifton and watched a young bloke land a 68cm model from the wharf ( top effort!) and had breakfast at the cafe and spent a hour catching one yakka SMS'd the other raider about midday, or rang, I cant remember and said I was heading into a MH, as I'd been taught a lesson by some big kings on Monday and was out for revenge. Just as I got the spit, I got a frantic call saying they'd run up onto the rocks at Manly near the 4 Knots sign, and they needed help urgently. I headed back towards Manly, and found them on the ledges at little Manly. Raider X was sitting on the rocks, and Y was leaning out over the anchor locker and panicking that anchor wasnt going to hold as eh was going to go back onto the rocks. I coudl see his anchor was firm as he was into the wind and hadnt moved since I spotted them, My boat had the down rigger, rods and tackle all out and my new mooring rope at the front of the boat in the anchor well ( which luckily I double the length of the old one with Jim77's help on Monday) All of which only took seconds to get clear ready to and be ready to throw a tow line, i then told he to wait until I held his boat into the wind and waves before pulling the anchor, so we both didnt go into the rocks but he pulled the anchor straight away, but it worked out ok. I gave him the plan, pull the boat into one of the coves out of the wind, and yelled to X to walk around to somewhere I could pick him up from. Y was still distraught, And thought I was going to hit other boat or rocks and still didnt listen to any of my instructions, (asked him 5 times to have his oars out ready when he hit the beach, and when he got to the beach, run the anchor up the sand so the boat would sit in deeper water as the tide was dropping and sit down for a few minutes and wait for us to come back - he sat there holding the boat in the waves the whole time) Go the boat to the beach, picked up X anchors my boat in deeper water and drifted back and tied off to their boat, assured them I had everything to get them going again ( tools, aerostart & jumperpack) put the jumper pack on, sprayed some aerostart and it turned over strongly but didnt fire, . I thought it was strange it didnt fire straight up as I just thought they had a flat battery then they told me they'd been emergency starting it all day even at the ramp, one of them then checked the kill switch on the control box, it was slightly out, pushed it in and it fired up right away. They followed me back to MH, and fished for a while, I told them to wait until 2.30 and the kings would come on the bight, just as they were leaving at 2.32 I hooked up and caught a released 8 rats of various sizes and a nice tailor. They headed of for home, I rang them twice to see if they made it back alright, but they didn't return the call, hope they made it home ok. Just thought I'd point out this story to other new to boat raiders on their first voyage, especially in a second hand boat, this story could have been a lot worst, if they had this drama near the other 4 knot sign near quarantine, were the swell was quite bad, it could have gone very pear shaped - If you are heading out for the first time, do it in daylight, log in with the coast guard and maybe try and team up with another raider I am always keen to help another boating, because everyone will have a "gilligans Island" day were things go wrong, and you generally only learn from experience or going out with experienced people Anyway, report for the day 2 squid, 8 rats, +2 massive reefings on 50lbs braid/ 80lbs leader (followed by swearing, and much thrashing the water with my rod tip ) Here is some shots off my sounder when I had the kings under the boat (only on my phone sorry) How do I know that the marks are kings? I was feeding them pillies at the time, you can see one rising up to eat one, and they were swimming at the back of my transom waiting for me to drop more in. the dot you can see below it is a pillie piece floating down.... really cool (near the 25ft mark) And because they looked like this on my X125 The HDS sounder is so cool, structure ID is incredible, if its not the bottom, you will know and it shows up my balls sinkers, livies, anchor dropping and downrigger very clearly My wife is back next week from France, and I start my new job, so fishing nealry every day over the past 2 weeks will come to an end... back to be a weekend warrior, it was nice to meet some weekday raiders though Jason

Hey Raiders, Hit the Botany Bay today for a fish, been there once before but we really didn't fish. Set off for an early start, but ended up helping some one with their car that had broken down which took 40 minutes, a laundry truck had lost its load, and this poor young bloke was following a a hospital sheet wrapped around his drive shaft, I lent him a knife to try and cut it, but it ended up getting dragged away by the RTA. So I got to the ramp, and by now it was well after sun up, so I spent a hour reorganising things, making up traces and double checking everything. Got to a some kelp and got my squid within 15mins, and lost some really big ones as well. I wish I was there early, as when I arrived they were really hungry The only yakkas I could find looked like baby kingfish they were so big, and the one I kept for a livie spent the day under a float and wasn't touched. Went out to the desal plant, but the wind by that stage had picked up and was too rough to fish one up. Pulled up to a marker and pulled a 60cm salmon and a 67cm King and more horse size yakkas Any way a great day on the bay, checked out the Captain Cook plaque on the marker and having kingfish for dinner tonight Barely legal, but it made my Tierra 2500 scream, and I home by myself this weekend so it will make the perfect dinner skinned, deboned & deblooded ready for the frypan Jason

Hi Raiders, Has anyone got any good GPS marks for Sussex Inlet Offshore, within say 5KM of stingray bay? PM me if you like, or if anyone has any tips for fishing there, only been once Jason

Hi Raiders, Took a friend out for a fish on Sat in the harbour who was over from Adelaide as he'd never caught a fish before and was planning to get him onto a king. As he had a plane to catch mid afternoon we have time to go squiding so just tried with pillies. 3x 40cm+ bream, a salmon, and three kings that pulled the hooks later, we still hadnt got a king on board. We then pulled in a big octopus, and we thought our luck had changed but it didnt even get a sniff. Meanwhile another boat pulls up and lands 4x 80cm+ kings on after the other, and we werent getting a nibble... Got chatting with them, and they were raiders ), and they gave us some fresh squid to try. (thanks cephlapod ) The bite had really stopped though, and we left soon after they did to get my mate on his plane which we made with 10 minutes to spare. Today I had a meeting cancelled, so finished work early, and as I hadnt cleaned to boat from Sat, I thought if i going to pull it ou to clean it I might as well go fishing first. I Fished and downrigged everywhere in the harbour today for nothing, and was the only fisherman out there, it was really rough. So I anchored up and sat reading the paper, my phone rings and as I answer it my Wilson charter special combo screams off with the rod tip under the boat. The fish is solidly hooked, but it ran hard against heavy drag and had enough line out to wrap around the anchor rope. I backed off the lever and free spooled the line and was about to pull up the anchor when he un wrapped himself and took off again this time for clear water after a few more runs to the bottom an 83cm king was in the net Shortly after I packed up and headed for home for a dinner of Kingy and Chips which was delicious The whole time out there only had two runs, both times when the phone rang Jason

Hi Raiders, Now i think Yak paddlers take there life in their "own" hands every time they go out, going out before dawn without appropriate lighting, dodging Sydney ferries and crazy big boat captains or live baiting with kingfish for whitesharks off longreef ( i call those guys "Shark hors d'oeuvres" - From the French, and literally means "outside of work" - A small portion of a tasty food served as an appetizer before a meal) Now just like Bungy jumping, skydiving or swimming off clifton gardens, extreme sports aren't for me, but I'd never begrudge anyones attempt to make it into the Darwin awards. (no I'm not jealous that those stealthy yaks pull a lot of fish ) But coming back into Tunks Park on Sat afternoon, we came across a bloke paddling his yak. At first we thought, isnt that funny he's got a dog sitting on his lap, as we got closer it was a baby of about 3 months (couldnt hold its head up) strapped to his chest in a Baby Bjorn Now a baby bjorn sits the baby head at chest height, a grown man floats up to his shoulders, so if he got tipped out, the baby would drown before he got back in the yak. Now I've done a lot of Kayaking when I was younger, and can do a T rescue, H Rescue and right a kayak by myself, most of which involves treading water or sliding up on you chest to get back into the kayak. I cant believe any mother would let their partner do this? besides the drowning aspect, every time he made a right had stroke he knocked the babies head I dont now what other raiders opinions are, but i thought this guy was a complete moron, do what you like with your own life, but give your offspring a chance to swim out from the shallow end of the gene pool. Jason

thanks, I thought people have said before to skin them so they are white. Hopefully it will get converted to a king on Sat Jason

Hi Raiders, Has anyone had much sucess using Octopus for Kingfish? Do you use it whole or skin it first? I used them for snapper but never for kings Jason

Hi Raiders, I have spent the last three weekends studying, so havent got out on the water. I have my Uncle over from Adelaide for the weekend, and have promised to get him onto a king. With no recon over the past few weeks, the change in weather and all this rain and fresh in the harbour I'm worried this mission will fail... ( and all through Jan i was emailing him pics of Kings and telling him how easy it was...) So we are fishing both Days, early Sat in a 28 Riviera, and Sunday morning and afternoon (Yumcha in the middle ) in my 16 footer. I dont need anyones secret spots - but the following info if someone would like to share be appreciated: In the past week or after the rain: Are the rats still in the harbour and hungry? Any Kings at the front of North Head or out on Long reef? Anyone had sucess on the squid in the harbour, or should I target them out on the reefs? If I hook him onto anything bigger than a garfish he will be happy PM or post a message here Taking my shark gear and video camera out on the big boat, if we get lucky I'll post the video Thanks in advance, Jason

my favourite combo is a Charter special 2000 lever drag & ugly stick OHG66 or their is a charter special combo out by Shimano that is about the $229 For a reel of $150, which is what you can pick them up for when they are on sale. I have caught many snapper over 10kg's, shark, rays and of course kings on this combo and use it downrigging, live baiting or with cut baits. Dont be put off by the price, these and the TLD's punch way above their price, but as they been around for ages ( more than a decade ) all the R&D has been paid for so the cost has come down. Lever drag is much more fun on the kings, it will skull drag in the rats, do extremely well on the 80-90cm models and will handle a big king no problems. ( well its will a least hold it long enough till you get into problems which will happen) I fished in 1998 on a southern ocean expedition off Port Lincoln and a lot of the guys used Charter Specials on big samsons without any problems, I'm not saying their are a saltiga or a stella but you could by two of these combos, braid, hooks, tackle and fill the boat with fuel for the price of 4500 or 6500 saltiga Other raiders will have many varied opinions, but show me a reel for $150 that will out perform it. Plus you can sometimes get a free hat with it.... I do love my tierra though.... PM me if you want any more details Jason

Hammerheads are great to eat if small / under a metre They need to be gutted and trunked (all fins cut off) straight away. Fillet, then place the fillets overnight in salted water and juice of a lemon to nuetralise the ammonia taste. No bones, white meat without a strong taste Last time i had it was on the BBQ, everyone wanted to know where they could buy it from Similar in taste to Bronze whalers. Though the last few I have hooked I've let go - they looked to cute to eat Jason

Hi Raiders, Went out in a mates boat so he could finally get a king. Fished Clifton and that mission was accomplished with 5 rats in an hours and a half plus a decent bream on a mixture of light and heavy outfits ( i love my new Tierra 2500 great reel ) However when we were headin out we saw the biggest bait bust ups between Seaforth and the Spit, with pilchards clearing the water everywhere. Pretty excited and thinking we'd be onto fish 5 minutes from the mooring we threw everything at them as they jumped as splashed around. The funny thing was although the pillies were clearing the water the whole, we did not see a single predatory fish either crashing the top, on the sounder or swimming around (bar penguins and seagulls) It appears the pilchards were chasing little whitebait as these were the only other fishing jumping out. We were in a 30 footer which a bit big a thirsty to charge all over the place chasing the bust ups and on a time limit so we didnt hang around for more than 20 minutes as we couldnt see anything but the pillies (and we already had a frozen block of them on board) Did any other riaders fish this bait school? I'm sure the kings/salmon/tailor would have shown up at some point If i was on my boat I would have stayed around It seems the dinner bell was ringing loud and clear yet nothing was smashing the pillies I guess even those at the bottom of the food chain have to have a good day every now and again... Jason