PPSGT

Hi Raiders, Bit of a long tale ( like all fishing stories...) I haven’t posted for a while, as the fishing trips have been few and far between and as every fishraider knows boat stands for Bring Out Another Thousand, and my boat, which doesnt have a name, except when its playing up I call it Das Boot - I think it gets the message I'm annoyed with it when I yell at it in a WW2 German U-boat captains voice has been off the water for 10 months Anyway as boat problems come in threes, late last year after 20 uneventful (boat problem wise )missions attacking kingys with frozen Pillie heads (with much success ) I took it out for a trip to meet up with another raider Dicko ( I still owe you that trip ), but had to call him to say the trip was cancelled as the trailer hitch clip had failed and the boat had come off and gone through the back of the car (my driveway is very steep and the clip that came with the new hitch was very weak) just as I was leaving to meet him at the ramp , so a trip to the wreckers and $500 later for a complete 2nd hand rear hatch for my Subaru door in the correct colour (the glass alone was going to be $1200) the wreckers even helped me fit it for free. I think he took pity on me as I rocked up in a suit - there are nice people in Sydney (i bought him a carton of beer for helping ) the next weekend I took my future father inlaw out for a run, the boat behaved itself until 5 minutes from the ramp, it stopped dead and wouldn’t start, and we had to take use the aux motor back to the ramp. I took it home and it started perfectly (off course) so headed out from Burns bay the next weekend for another go on the kingys with the servo pillies. Of course something else had to go wrong (a new battery $250) but I just as I got to Clifton it made a bad noise, fatal kind a noise, and stopped and wouldn’t start - so rather then waste time I started fishing for a couple of hours finally after it cooled down it started just and I started off for home - it ran dead smooth and noise free just not over 10 knots or 2500 rpm. After much changing of spark plugs and leads I took it to the mechanic for a professional opinion, He rang me and told me not even Dr House could save the patient, and things were terminal I don’t know how the rats got in there, but they certainly chewed the head of the piston.. I was suprised how well it ran on zero compression on the centre cylinder So with a wedding & honeymoon to save for only 10 months away and a bill "at least $3500" Das Boot was wheeled into the garage, and my fishing mission were put on hold till after the wedding Down, but not out I slowly boat bits and pieces for a rebuild ( my work car allowance wasn’t entirely spent on the car ) and a trip to the Lane cove library, many hours of google'ing and a few emails to Huey (how does the damn flywheel come off?) , I got the idea into my head that I might be able to rebuild it myself. Now with zero outboard repair skills, little idea of places in Sydney to find the right parts and get machining done, and none of those places anywhere near my house, no mechanically minded friends ( unlike back in Adelaide) and only a apartment balcony and an unlit carpark space to work in the rebuilt began ( glad the landlord didn’t do a single inspection in 10 months ) I'm not going to say it was easy, I not going to say I knew what i was doing, that I didn’t cut my hands or think it was ever going to start again but after 10 months of saving for parts (ebay is great!), 8 weeks for the pistons to arrive undamaged in the post after 3 attempts (bubble wrap is so cheap...), many weekends research and tinkering i had the completed block machined, with three new pistons, rings, bearings all assembled back onto the outboard leg. Rings and 3 brand new shiny pistons all fitted up My makeshift spray booth and engine stand - Had to make it look nice Now I wasnt game to start it up myself so I wait until wait until I had all the money saved for the wedding, so a month out from the big day I took it back to my mechanic ( 2 old blokes in a shed full of pre 90's Johnson parts ) Now there not the quickest of turn around but they do a great job and always have a part lying around to fix things on the cheap ( 3 weeks after i dropped it off "Jason - the weather's not good for fishing anyway this weekend ) I picked it up serviced and tuned ready for action. But it was the buck show weekend, full of scotches ( johhny walker), steak ( hogsbreath) , strippers (crazyhorse ) and snapper (charter) and a friends wedding back in Adelaide with the following weekend back in Adelaide for my big day the Das Boott would have to wait for its maiden voyage, until after the honeymoon Any way no big snapper on the charter, Didnt catch ANY fish on my wedding day Chose a fishing charter in Adelaide over a charter on Isle of Pines New Caledonia to make the new wife happy even though she said I could go on one on our honeymoon! (going back there fishing next year unbelievable! fish everywhere) but went on a boat trip out to an atoll with a 5kg lobster for lunch - 8 people couldn’t finish it was huge! They have GT & Bonefish fishing expeditons on New Caledonia... just got to get a crew of diehard fishraiders togther... and practise my French ( my wife is a french teacher) as no one speaks English on the islands, especially the Kanak Skippers Steering Island Style Anyway, had a week off work after the wedding, so took out the boat for its maiden run. Got to the ramp And realised Tunks Park ramp is Actually "Long Bay Ramp" never seen the sign before and couldnt launch the boat I guess he needed a lot of burley! Anyway after watching the captain skillfully handle the massive barge in shallow water I reversed the boat down to the water, turned the key - and it fired up instantly Now on 25:1 to run it in it was a bit smoky, but it ran perfectly dead smooth and very quiet. Took it out three days in a row and now have run up 10 hours on it so its all ready for action now! I am so happy with the outcome - total cost for the rebuild was probably less than my new wifes wedding shoes (thats sounds like a bargain - but she bought them in Paris, and just like the cost of the dress I am never to know the true cost. Just like if she realised how much I actually spend on my fishing gear... Didnt do much fishing, as was breaking in the motor, but didn’t hook a nice king on my new Tierra 2500 loaded with a pillie head , but 3kg was no match for the monster I hooked, it hit the line so hard it sounded like a pistol went off when the line parted. (my goal this year is to catch on 3kg straight to the hook no leader - first attempt didnt go so well) Anyway I'm looking forward to terrorizing all the harbour kingfish with my servo pillies and look forward to meeting up with other fellow raiders in Middle Harbour and Clifton Gardens this summer I also got a heap of new squid armoury whilst in Adelaide (squid fishing is huge) a local guy has made some very cool gear, his gear isnt cheap - but its is deadly on the squids!, and I had to go to four shops as the other three had sold out. My Tierra 2500 was $50 cheaper in Adelaide than Sydney, and that was from the same national fishing tackle shop group I buy my gear from in Sydney.. I also got one on ebay for $20 cheaper than the shops (guys was also in SA) Sydney is so expensive ,except for the ramps all 4 near my place are free! Catch you on the water - Jason

Hey Dicko, Have sent you a PM Jason

My Cousins friend caught this snapper few weeks ago of Adelaide. I have only ever seen one bigger, which was the Australian record. This one would easily go close or over 40lbs and is a monster of a fish. They are no good to eat this size, and the only reason it was keep was that it had a heart attack on the way up and died in the water. It was caught on a drop (private reef made up of car bodies amongst other things) Judging by the size this fish would be over 30 and probably closer to 40 years old One day I'll get one that big...... ( hopefully C&R with photos) Jason

Suckers, Hooks and tentacles against the worlds largest mammals.... Maybe the whales aren't as friendly as we think, but then again I wouldnt want to meet a colossus squid in a dark alley. People have got too much time on there hands....

I went to dinner a while ago, and my mum just loves the pokies! After sitting behind her saying: "we've run out of weetbix, and everyone in the cars hungry" "No, not the centrelink cheque again!" and rubbing her shoulders like a boxing coach and saying: "come on champ, youre down but not out, we can win back the rent money, just use the credit card" I found a book placed near the ATM "Problem Gambling - A Guide for Partners and Family Members" With my new found piece of weaponary I began to read it out a loud while she played. After a minute or two of igoring me, she revived from her pokie induced coma, and said "change the word Gambling to Fishing and see how it reads!, it wont be so funny then" After the first page of reading, it dawned on me, and I began to feel ill, here's how it read: (the only editing I have done is changed one word "gambling" to "fishing") Contents 1. Is this guide for you? 2. What is a fishing problem? 3. How does problem fishing affect partners and family members? 4. How does problem fishing affect children? 5. Why can’t I get him or her to stop fishing? 6. How can there be benefits from fishing when so much is being lost? 7. Is there anything I can do? 1. Is this guide for you? If you have any concerns about the fishing of someone who is close to you, then this booklet is for you. A partner is anyone who is sharing their daily life with the person with a fishing problem (e.g. wife/husband, defacto, boyfriend/girlfriend, including gay relationships). A family member is anyone involved in the extended family of the person with the fishing problem (e.g. parents, adult children, aunts & uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins). Some family members may not be blood relations, and could include a close friend. Some of you will not be involved personally in the financial affairs of the family member or friend with a fishing problem and so some sections of this guide may not directly apply to you. However, most of the guide will be helpful. Even if you do not think it is likely that your partner/family member will stop fishing, you will find the practical ideas in this guide very helpful in managing your responses to his or her fishing behaviour, and for taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, financially and legally. You may choose to invite friends or family members to look through this booklet so they will be able to understand how best to support you 2. What is a fishing problem? Your partner or family member has a fishing problem if they are (tick the ones that apply): Spending too much time fishing or too much time thinking about fishing, neglecting other important activities (e.g. time with you and your family, work, leisure activities). Fishing to try to escape worries, low mood & problems. Finding it difficult not to go fishing at every opportunity, or finding it difficult to stop fishing once they have started. Spending too much money on fishing so that the household cannot meet basic needs (e.g. mortgage/rent, food & clothing, power, health, education, transport, recreational activity). Getting into debt because of fishing. Trying to win back their fishing losses. If you have ticked just one of the above, then it is likely that your partner or family member has a problem with their fishing that results in harm to your relationship and family. 3. How does problem fishing affect partners and family members? Common consequences for partners and family members are given below. Tick the ones that apply to you and your family. We are struggling financially. Money set aside for bills will often be spent on fishing. I am highly distressed after discovering that joint assets have been spent on fishing (e.g. savings account emptied, super funds gone, mortgage extended) or I have incurred debts on joint accounts. My relationship is breaking-down. My partner/family member can only think about fishing. I have lost trust because of his or her secretive fishing and because I was lied to. We argue over fishing and other related issues. I am angry with my partner/family member. We are no longer intimate. Our family is breaking-down. 4. How does problem fishing affect children? Children are very aware of their parents stress and worries. Children will respond differently according to their age and individual natures, but common responses include (tick those that apply to your family): Feeling anxious, depressed. Children can have a strong sense of loss (a loss of family togetherness, a loss of trust, a loss of security). Feeling angry. Children say that it is very unfair that they should suffer because of a parent's excessive fishing. Most kids are very sensitive to a lack of new clothing and insufficient money to go on school excursions, etc. Boredom if they have to accompany a parent to a fishing venue. Poor health. Poor school performance, or refusing to go to school. Withdrawal from friends and activities they may stop asking their friends around home, especially when there is conflict at home between their parents or an obvious shortage of money. 5. Why can't I get him or her to stop fishing? A person who has is fishing heavily will not stop fishing until he/she thinks and feels that the disadvantages of fishing outweigh the benefits. It is difficult to change a habit like fishing, especially when the person is trying to win back losses. People cut-down or stop fishing when they believe that change is necessary. 6. How can there be benefits from fishing when so much is being lost? From your point of view, there may be no benefits from your partner/family member's fishing. But, it's a different story from your partner/family member's viewpoint. Which of the following do you think might be a motive for his or her fishing addiction? excitement the challenge relaxation the chance to win money (or recover losses) to socialise to escape from stress or anxiety or grief Now it may be clear to you why your partner/family member will cut-down or stop fishing only when they are ready to! Only when your partner/family member truly believes that they are: spending too much time fishing thinking about fishing too much losing control over their fishing losing their relationships/family no longer working productively will they decide that it is time to do something about their fishing 7. Is there anything I can do? Yes! There are a number of things you can do. 1. Give-up blaming yourself If you feel to blame in some way for the fishing problem, remind yourself that hundreds of thousands of Australians have fishing problems. There are many opportunities to go fishing, and it is all too easy to get into trouble with fishing. Also, if you stop taking responsibility for changing your partner/family member's behaviour, you can begin to distance yourself from his or her fishing problem and begin to take care of your and your family’s needs. 2. Get help and support It is very difficult to cope alone when a partner/family member has a fishing problem. Here are some suggestions: • Talking to someone within your own social circle/clubs/church that you know is a good listener and who will not judge you or your partner/family member. • Talking to a trained counsellor over the phone (see the fishing Help Line number at the back of this booklet), or phone one of the fishing counselling services to make an appointment to see a counsellor (the Fishing Help Services phone numbers are at the back of this booklet). Talk to your children and any other family members who will benefit from getting the fishing problem out into the open. Children will usually be relieved to know that you are seeking help. Help your children to obtain their own counselling (e.g. seeing the school counsellor), or family counselling, if necessary. • It is very important that kids do not feel responsible for the actions of their parents. My Mums pokie "addiction" costs her $10 per a week on Thursday nights down at the Footy club, plus an extra $10 every second Tuesday when she heads down to my Nanna's local before they go play indoor bowls. The sum total a year of approx $700 ( they sometimes miss dinner when bowls is not on due to one of the team members dying) She then asked me how much my fishing cost in comparison.... I stopped after calculating just the costs to have the boat sitting there waiting to fish: Rego Boat & Trailer: $120 Fishing License: $30 Insurance: $500 Fill boat up ready to fish $80 So before I've even wet a line or bought that "must have" lure, rod, braid, or other latest gismo or gadget I can already see I am in a world of trouble............ I am sure we can start a Fishraider support group for addicted members Jason

Hi Raiders, After moving to Sydney a few years ago, my mates love ringing me from Adelaide and brag about XOS snapper and mulloway the have been catching.... Anyway one of the friends a while back lost his job selling security alarms (boring) and was struggling to get work. A friend of friend rang he a week or two later and asked if he could recommend so fishing spots for a South Australian TV show called "Out of the Blue" a seafood cooking show where they usually go fishing for what they cook - he offered to come along and see what is was all about, a week later they offer him a job, now he spends his time traveling all over the place fishing and eating what the Two Michaels (the hosts of the show - its sometimes on Foxtel) cook. He now arranges the fishing charters , organises the sponsors spots (ie read free fishing gear) and basically does nothing but going fishing two or three times a week, gets paid for and gets to eat the spoils of the cooking show... what a hard life! Anyway he rings me at work from the Head of the Bight, where they have just finished filming. Now I never let work never get in the way of a good fishing story, so I got all the details of his latest trip. They fished at Yalta and The dogfence, two salmon hotspots but the locals, a national Parks ranger and the local fishing store guy said the fishing was slow and the mulloway had been hard to catch. So bar catching a truck load of 10lbs plus salmon, they caught nothing worth putting on the show. They went back to the township that day and met a local aborginal fishing nut, who’s claim to fame was a 90lb+ fish from his secret spot a few weeks ago. He arranged to take them into the traditional lands restricted area to do a bit of fishing. The next day they set out, and drove along the beach looking for a gutter to fish, the bloke was in my mates 4wd, with his head out the window, my mate asked him what he was doing, and his reply was that he could "smell" the mulloway in the gutters Anyway they drove a little further, after passing some really fishy looking gutters, he yells out stop, out the front of the smallest, fishless looking gutter and tells him this is the spot. My mate starts to think he's been had, and the story they were told of the 90lbs mulloway he'd caught "a few weeks ago" my have been an typical "should have been here last week" fishy tale. The local tackle shop guy tells him their wasting time and should go back to one of the other gutter. My mates getting paid to be there , so he's not that fussed whether they catch fish or not, and follows the "guides" instructions He tells him his hooks are two small, fresh squid wont work, pilchards are no good... and the list goes on about the things he's doing wrong. He’s told to use the salmon from the day before that was in the engel fridge in the car - "big chunks, big hooks" he rigs up as instructed and tossed it into the life less looking gutter within a minute or so, his rod is loaded up and losing line fast after 100 or more metres the line goes limp and the guide tells him "your hooks are two small, the fish spat your bait" By now the other guys are interested and some bigger hooks (although not big enough according to the guide) are found and the bait is cast back out - This time he hooked up solid, but couldn’t stop the fish. As the show is sponsored, his lovely Saltiga & braid out fit he uses at the Murray Mouth is at home and the sponsors crappy outfit fitted with bargain bin 20lb line unfortunately isnt up to the task and the fish wins its freedom. He lost a few more unstoppable fish but managed a nice gummy shark, and as time was running out for filming it was cooked up for the show. (they taste good, so they were pretty happy) He hit the bloke up for some tips on the trip back to town and his theories on the mighty mulloway Bait??? - Salmon , his theory is the mulloway cant actually catch the big salmon, but wait for the big bronze whalers to chew up the school, and the really big fish rather than expend energy chasing down their dinner, they just sit in the shallow gutter waiting for the shark to herd the salmon into shallow water and just pick up the scraps BIG Hooks - the bigger the better, the really big fish have huge mouths, and tend to spit out the bait to re swallow after the first run, Smelling them in the gutters??? - Even I am skeptical about this, but Aboriginal trackers are pretty much the best in the business, they know their environment and I'm sure this guy would know his local area very well. A quote from the SA Govt fisheries website on Mulloway "They have a quite distinctive smell and some ‘old salts’ claim to be able to ‘smell’ schools of mulloway from the beach." so maybe it is true, he certainly got my mate onto the fish straight away, in a gutter they never would have fished What Gear??? - Definitely not the sponsors "special" of the week Proof of the 90lbs Mulloway - He didn’t have a photo, but had photos of other big fish he'd caught 40kg mulloway aren’t too uncommon in that area (have a look on google) so no need to doubt that part of the story - believing he could sniff the big fellas out however would need a bigger leap of faith... Pic from the Yalata Indigenous Protected Area homepage Jason BTW - After all this talk about jewfish I went to the fishmarkets today and bought the big jewish cutlet they had and cooked it for lunch it was close to a kilo....and it was fantastic along with some 8 to a kilo king prawns (like mini lobsters they were) I got her to pick out all the big ones!

Not so much a fishing report as an observation report. Went for a walk from the office today around one of the lakes in Olympic Park. Saw a heap of shags working the pond, so thought there must be some fish in there. Waited a while, and as the disappointed ducks circled around looking for bread i didnt have two massive eels surfaced (right near the no fishing sign) either looking for bread or ducks. They were about 1.5 metres long and about the thicknest of a 1.25 coke bottle, one was motley green and one was silvery white. Also it was full of bruiser carp in the 20 - 25 kg range, big and fat upto a metre long With those beasts swimming around you wouldnt want small children falling in there.... Got back to the office, and spent the afternoon thinking of the practicalities of fishing in my suit during lunchbreaks, and where the fishing rod would fit under my desk. It takes 15 minutes to walk there and 15 minutes to walk back, What if i hooked a big one on the light tackle and the fight took longer than 30 minutes? What bait could I store in the work fridge? By the time i got through all that thinking it was 5 pm so I went home... and yes, like many people on fish raider, I am a fishing tragic. Give me a muddy pond and the hope of a bite, and I'd be there for hours..... The eels looked like the mascot on the Parramatta Eels logo, so are they short finned or long finned eels? Jason

theres probably some mullet in the somewhere..... the rest is by catch Maybe its like prawn trawling, where you 15kg of by catch per 1kg of mullet...

Southern Calamari lay clusters of eggs on rock and reef ledges and spawm in Spring and Autumn but depending on the areas and weather they seem to be in spawning condition at all difference times. Females have clusters of yellow eggs when they are ready to spawn, which go everywhere when you go to clean them - which would make great burleyI'm guessing. After watching the Movies "Cloverfield" and "The Mist", i think we should all catch and eat as much squid as we can, because if those Kraken, Architeuthis and Colossal squids ever get a backbone we are all in a lot of trouble... Jason

Spots to fish in Adelaide - I'm guessing your land based Westbeach boat ramp breakwater for Mulloway & Bream St Kilda Channel - fish the end on a incoming tide with whitebait & lures for Salmon trout, as bream, yellowfin, snook and mulloway can all be caught there Outerharbour Breakwall jetty - Snapper, Tommies & Bream float berley (snapper block) and pillies towards the wharf Second Valley Jetty - Top Landbased squid spot, and on the way back you pass through the McLarenVale so you can pick up since nice reds on the way home, also Wirrina Marina Second Valley is about 50 minues from the CBD, the rest of the spots are all less than 30 mins Ask any tackle shop about these spots and they will point you in the right direction Youve also got the Port River & Westlakes, they are both full of bream & mulloway but just like the Parramatta river I'd recommend catch and release Typical Port River Bream Here is a pic of Second Valley jetty - One of the prettiest places I've ever fished, and full of big hungry squid If you cant travel far - just go fishing for tommy ruffs of one of the local jetties using gents (maggots), they are easy to catch (like yakkas just more suicidal) but taste great - so do smaller Salmon Trout If you had access to a boat I could give you some spot to catch the snapper of a lifetime... the Aust record was caught 10 mins from one of the metro ramps Let us know how you go Jason

Hi Raiders, I am going to New Caledonia in Oct. Has anybody else fished there? Can you recommend a guide or any contacts who could help me get on a Charter? I am staying in Noumea - and can only do a day trip Any help would be appreciated Thanks Jason

Hi Raiders, Got stuck at a work conference yesterday at Day Dream Island. I had a full schedule, but managed to sneak away during an afternoon session, to the other side of the Island for a quick fish. Missed out on a school of GT's that swam under the the jetty just as I arrived, they never return, those puppies where about a metre long - nobody really fishes there so they were just swimming around like they owned the place and heaps of big brightly coloured mullet Got busted of a few times by unknown reef critters - but managed one fish ( Maybe flattie man can tell me what it is so I dont have to look it up ) Snuck back into the conference - without them being any the wiser, just in time for the Bar to open! I was supprised by the quality of rods they had for hire - shimano's rods and reels I was expecting handslines. Wouldnt have stopped anything big but better than a dept store combo! Jason

You Can buy Fibreglass bog Or just use the resin, mix in Talc ( plain unperfumed ) keep adding until it is the same consistancy as bog - then add your catalyst. works the same as fibre glass bog and sets rock hard It takes heaps of talc - a cup of resin might soak up two or three cups of talc before it gets like bog Once its set you can grind or sand it Jason

Thanks Guys - Hitting the puller with a heavier hammer did the trick. Either that or it got scared when it saw the bigger hammer and just popped itself, as i hardly hit it Jason

Hi Fishraiders, Anyone out there got any ideas how to remove a stuck flywheel on a 86 70HP Johnson? I have the correct tools - Harmonic Balance Puller - Correct flywheel bolts to mount the puller The flywheel nut was hard to get off, but eventually came off. The fly wheel is another story... I have already stripped the thread on one puller, and probably will strip the second one... I have tried - WD40 soaked for three days - Gentle heat the the crank shaft - Hitting the top of the crank shaft with a rubber mallet - Tapping the side of the flywheel with rubber mallet - trying to gently lever the flywheel off with two bars under the fly wheel The puller has heaps of tension on it, and i have left it like that for a few days hoping that it might eventually come off.... but nothing I have run out of ideas and almost out of patience so any pointers tricks or tips would be appreciated Thanks Jason

Slimies are easy to catch - Either use the bait jigs, 5g-15g metal lures or unweighted bait. The best bait and berley for slimies is slimies - they seem to love eating themselves So after i catch one i cut it up for bait or stick it in the muncher to keep them around on the surface. Just watch you unattended roads if you hook a big slimey on your bait catch rod with the drag tight, they are quite capable of snapping light rods - they pull hard for the size. Info on Slimies.... The blue mackerel, Japanese mackerel, Pacific mackerel, slimy mackerel, or spotted chub mackerel, Scomber australasicus, a fish of the genus Scomber, is found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific ocean, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden, in surface waters down to 200 m (656 ft). Its length is between 30 and 55 cm (12 and 20 in), and weight over a kg (2.2 lbs). The blue mackerel has a slim streamlined body with a pointed snout and large eyes, and is one of the smallest members of the tuna/mackerel family. The first dorsal fin is triangular, the second much lower followed by serrated finlets to the deeply forked tail. There are lateral thickening keels on each side of the caudal peduncle and the body is fully scaled. There is a single row of sharp teeth in each jaw, the ones in the lower being larger. The blue-black back has narrow oblique lines which zigzag and undulate, and the belly is pearly white and marked with thin, wavy broken lines. There is a swim bladder present. The blue mackerel feeds upon copepods and other crustaceans, squid, and small fish. 200px_Scaus_u0.bmp Theres quite a few raiders posts on slimies so have search & a read - the good thing about catching slimies is they are always hungry and suicidal - they do take a lot of water flow to keep alive though in the bait tank compared to yakkas Jason

Stipo - Thats a baby compared to the one you lost a few weeks back due to your poorly tied hooks.... Cant wait until you land a big one! (there not a "snapper" until there over 60cm) See you in the new year for another longy session- I'm off to Spencers Gulf between Christmas and New years so I hope to get on to the big ones then, or a least a truck load of squid Jason

the stella's sent to Australia must be the "boomerang edition" People seem to loose them over the side, but some how against all the odds get them back

Hi Raiders, Fished today with a fellow Raider today Stipo and two of our mates - After checking the weather the decision was made to go in one boat, so we headed out to Long Reef armed with three bags of servo pillies and high expectations of catching some big spawning snapper, we arrived at our first drop to find it covered in slimies between 30-35cm. None of our burley was getting to the bottom, so after we filled the live bait tank with fresh bait we moved out to some deeper water - where a Fishraider potential record Sgt Baker was landed ( and released ), with no other bites we moved into 40 feet of water to target the snapper. A burley trail of pillie cubes was set and the big wait was on.. 500 metres North of us there was a heap of boats all around the same spot, but we persisted with our little ledge hoping to land a red. Stipo floated out half a slimy and hooked up solid on a good red - but a short time into the fight, a suspect knot or leader failure ended the battle prematurely and so I spent the next 1 hour given him plenty about all the things he did wrong, all the things i would have done right, its was his fault our day was ruined, and what ever else we could make up to make him feel worse. My next bait was floated out a 30cm whole slimy with a 8/0 hook ready for big red. 10 minutes later, in true big red style the line screams off and then dropped, I picked up the rod and waited for the second run - after letting it run and hoping its swallowed the slimy I set the hook the rod loads up and the my first big NSW snapper is all but in the bag - the rod I was using had bagged plenty of reds in the 6-8kg range, but this fish was a battle to stop, and considering the bait size and pulling power this fish was easily in the 10kg+ bracket. The fish swum around the back of the boat, then headed back under, against better judgment I thought I had him beat and instead of walking it around the motor, kept fighting it under the boat until the inevitable happens - the keel cuts through the braid and its gone. Seems like Karma got back at me for paying out Stipo so much, and the fish that should have been landed swum off to it freedoms. A great day was had by all - water temp was 20 degrees and there was heaps of bait and no leather jackets. We saw a couple of whales, and bagged the usual trevally, sweep, wrasse and rock cods while waiting for the snapper, by now it was 11am and the snapper we well and truly out of the shallow water so we headed home. Jason

Hi Raiders, Went for a fish around the harbour today , picked up some medium sized yakkas and a solid bream at Balmoral, then joined the Salmon circus with about 12 other boats around North Head. After 30 minutes fruitless casting with sluggos, metals, and drifting epoxy flies in front of the school without a nibble (and watching a guy with a fly rod hook up every few casts) I decided to get serious and break out the servo pillies. I put away the 3kg gear and quickly grabbed the next available rod with a hook on it and one freezer burnt pillie was shot across the bow whilst steering, with the intention swinging the boat around and have it drift towards the approaching salmon. No sooner then it had hit the water I was onto my first salmon which proceeded to the bottom at an alarming rate, double checking the rod I realized I’d grabbed the 50lb braid outfit , The drag was already heavily set so I started to pump and wind the fish back from the deep. After the third run I finally got some colour – just enough to see a big silver flash followed by a bright yellow tail. At the start of the fight I thought it was a salmon soI didn’t really set the hook - when he flicked around after seeing the boat the hook must have slipped and he was gone… Fished Clifton for a few hours for not much, and in Middle harbour caught some rather Large sweep and small snapper. We found plenty of kings on the sounder, but they wouldn’t bite – we chatted to another boat as they passed us downrigging and they’d hooked a 62cm model ( now undersized, where’s my letter from the fisheries informing me of the change? ) Great day on the water – with temps always above 18 everywhere we went , as opposed to the greeny 16 from a few weeks ago. Southern Calamari squid were hard to find today, 3 weeks ago got some monster ones And saw plenty – this week at the same spots nothing… All fish were released, including the Yakka that toured middle harbour on the down rigger. Sorry no fish so no photos - Liked to have got one of me swearing and carrying on after I lost the king, like LOST KINGIE VIDEO (warning:course language) by dazzassj6 Cant wait for summer & daylight savings for some after work sessions Jason

Hi Raiders, I know its not a NSW report - but my brother in Adelaide sent me this picture from the charter he went on today out to Middle Bank in Spencer's Gulf off Whyalla. He's the one on the left in the photo, He didnt tell me he was going as he's not really into fishing (IT Geek) and wanted to impress me with his catch. Both the fish he caught went over 6kg (not bad for his first fish ), but the Charter Operator declared it a bad day as no one got one over 10kg and they didnt bag out so gave them all a discount off the charter price Heres the boat he went out on - Its basically my "retirement" boat ( after I win the Lotto ) The ultimate snapper machine a 10.4 metre Gallant called "Wildthing" Hopefully he's been bitten by the fishing bug now and I can convince him to come out after the Kings when he next comes to Sydney, and he books me on the charter next time I'm back in Adelaide Jason I'm still chasing my first decent NSW red ( cant even get one in the Hunter Valley.... the Semillon's are nice though)

Hi Fishlick99, Did you have the trip set on your reef anchor? I use strong cable ties or better still a clip made out of a coat hanger in years of snapper fishing over wrecks and reefs still have the same anchor. Also make sure your anchor is matched to your boat, the weight of the chain is what holds it if you dont use a trip you want to be able to straighten the prongs of the anchor with the power of your boat. Those really cheap ones from BIAS would work well - If you carry a spare anchor ( of course you do!) I'd attach the cheap anchor via some fencing wire so you boat can pull it apart if it gets really stuck. 6 metres of chain and 30+ metres of rope is a very expensive day out. Well done on the snapper Jason

AFN "Fishing Guide to Sydney-Hawkesbury" By Gary Brown ISBN 1865130524 Has great maps of areas and also some GPS marks

Maybe its not a fake...... It could be a mutant, dioxin crazed Sydney Harbour Leather jacket , if anythings going to live after a dose of dioxin it would be them bloody leather jackets! ( or carp ) It could be the culprits that bite through 80lbs trace when your bottom bashing, or follow the braid up and nip of a good 50 metres of it. If it is real i might need to upgrade my anchor chain. Jason (someone had the same post a few months ago)

Hi Fishhunter I dont fish much for the arrow squids as they are not as tasty, but do plenty of squiding for southern calamari's. Arrows are a schooling squid and can be caught in very large numbers and can be netted by the pro's Southern Calamari are an ambush predator and are usually found in different areas of the harbour, and I rarely ( if ever) catch an arrow squid while fishing for southerns during the day out in the boat. At night of the jetties/wharfs a mixture of the two is more common especially if there is weed beds there. Are you squiding landbased or from a boat? Are you wanting them for bait or for eating? If your not sure if its a good area for catching southern squid try the following - drop a fresh dead yakka to the bottom on a handline with attached by a hook through the mouth. Make sure it sinks to the bottom, After five minutes of it sitting on the bottom slowly pull it up. If it starts jerking back or its heavy your in squid territory. Or if you pull it up and its got bite marks/bits chewed especially behind its head its squids again. If it comes up chewed to bits it was probably a cuttlefish which is just as good as southerns & cuttles live over the same type of ground. When I first moved to Sydney 2 years ago I caught heaps of squid, thenI joined fish raider and realised how hard they are to catch Seriously though if you arent catching them ( I have taking plenty of fishing newbies out and they all catch them ) Squid arent that bright so it might just be your not doing one of a few things right send me a PM if you want specific spots or tips for an area Jason