Evets

Nope not full of it BMT of 750 kg + needs brakes. RTA - Towng trailers things you need to know Evets

Chris, My trailer is made out of 50 x 75 x 2.0 mm RHS. Its under a 16 foot fibreglass seafarer but........ it originally came from under a 21 foot ski boat. Its super heavy duty for my boat. Evets

Muskellunge My thinks the same thing. So now I quickly change screens when I hear her walking near the computer. Sometimes Im not fast enough and she sees me making the change. Now she thinks that I am looking at porn instead of FR. Evets

Excellent reels. I wish had more of em. They are good bottom bouncing reels. I give it to my less experienced fishing mates or the kids to use because it is so simple to use. With Bit of practice you will be able to a mile with it so Id match it up with a 7-8 foot rod and use is as a backup rod or have it there to cast lures to any passing schools of fish that happen to come by. They are really easy to service as they are quite simple inside. Ive had mine now for almost 20 years and despite having much newer (and expensive) reels I always seem to be reaching for the good ol trusty Abu 7000. Evets

Do yourself a favour and get the 23cm Dexter Russell filleting knife. Its by far the best filleting knife I have ever used. Can be easily sharpened so its super sharp and it holds it edge really really well. Steve

Alphabet, No I havent noticed a difference in the strike rate with the red heat shrink. It was the only colour I could find when I was making the assist hooks up. Colours? I havent really noticed any real difference between them but I like pinks and blues. My fishing buds have had great success with greens. I reckon that jig action and underwater structure play more of a factor than jig colour. If you are after kings jig on the side of the structure that the ocean current is running towards. Even better to jig on the highest point of that structure. Sending a livie down at the same time is also a pretty good idea. Framedtrash, Where are you getting your Zests?? My mail order ones dont come with a second solid ring - only a split ring and an assist hook tied to a solid ring. Evets

Hey Alphabet, I use Jigman colour coded 50 lb braid for my deep water jigging. I use a 80 -120 lb 1.5m flurocarbon leader tied to the braid with a PR knot. To the other end of the leader I tie/crimp a 300lb owner solid ring. To this ring I attach a 450 lb split ring and an assist hook. I then attach the split ring to the jig. If I need to change jigs I simply open the split ring and swap the jigs. I like Zest and Williamson jigs in the 200 - 300 gram range. These jigs are good to jig in water up to around 120 m deep.

Oh nice boat by the way. Love those seafarers. I have one just like it. Steve

Jay, I have worked on 2 hydraulic tilt and trim systems on my boat. In both cases I used Dexron II automatic transmission fluid for a 79 Mercury and then my 06 Merc. This recommendation came straight out of the overhaul instructions from a Clymer and Seloc repair manual. Steve

Woodchop Maybe all is not lost. A new side plate and gears might be all that you need. Probably cheaper than buying a new reel. Evets

I havent seen a marlin sharked like that before. The ones Ive seen have more than just the head missing. Seems strange that the shark only wanted the bony head and none of the flesh. Come to think of it, the missing bit is a bit too straight for a shark bite I reckon. Could have been caught by someone who only wanted the head/bill as a trophy. Evets

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I use beads to adjust the position of the hook in my trolling skirts. I use the fluro ones in deep water jigs to add a bit (not that much actually) more luminesence Steve

Anywhere between Nowra and Jervis Bay would be ideal. Id stay at Huskisson or Greenpatch in the JB national park. Plenty of fishing/non fishing things to do if you went down there. Steve

woodchop the end plate on my 5.8: avet MXJ has only just enough space for the drive gear to fit into, so unless you have a bit of space a new drive gear wont fit. Remember as well that if you simply change the drive gear the pion gear may not mesh because of the different diameter of the drive gear (ie the center of a new drive gear will be the same spot as the old one but have a larger diameter meaning that the pinon gear must be in a different spot or be a bit smaller for it to mesh together) Steve

Snag Is this what you are after ?

Nahh.... Dont need to use an ezy rig. I like simple rigs. So you can either use a rubber band or tie the balloon directly to the mainline with a loop. To tie with a rubber band (either a number 14 or 16) pinch it to the line, and wrap the loose end around the mainline at least 10 times, then thread the loose end back through the loop being held by your thumb and forefinger. Pull it gently so it all locks into place, and then use this loose end to tie above the knot you've tied in the inflated balloon. Its important to do at least 10 wraps so the elastic band is tight and doesn't slip on the mainline when in the water. The light gauge band is also important so the balloon can break away. Or even simpler you could make a loop in your line and then tie the balloon around the loop, when a fish comes the loop straightens out and the balloon is free. Al McGlashan shows how to do one of these (cant remember which) in his live baiting video. Either way works really well for me. I prefer the rubber band when the sea is a bit rough or the bait is pretty big. And the loop with smaller bait/ smoother seas. Hope this helps Evets

Wood My Avet is a couple of years old and doesn't have any casting control on it either. I just did a little research and saw that Alan Tani first saw that Avet started gluing the drag washers from the beginning of 2007. So, when I say "relatively new" I actually mean made from 2007 onwards. Evets

Woodch0p, If your reel is relatively new you will find that Avet has glued the carbon fibre drag washer to the spool to stop water intrusion behind it (a bugbear of Alan Tani). The pics that skinky has posted are for the older Avets. No problem in changing from a dry to wet drag but make sure that you carefully wipe the grease off it (as per the last pic in slinkys post.) No need to bother with upgrading the drag plates as they are pretty good from the factory. However, I lapped my drag plate with some wet and dry sandpaper to ensure that it was perfectly flat and smooth. The drag is now super smooooth Evets

Nope, No grey area here. If the boat travels faster than 9 knots (ie 10 knots or more) you must have a licence to operate it. This can be found in Regulation 76 (1)( of the Marine Safety (General) Regulation 2009. It says (unfortunately in a double negative) that: (1) A vessel is exempt from section 63 of the Act if the vessel: (b is not being operated at a speed of 10 knots or more. Regulation 76 Section 63 of the Marine Safety Act 1998 says that you cant operate a vessel unless you have a licence. Soooooo........ It doesnt matter if the vessel is capable of travelling faster than 10 knots. You must have a licence if it is being operated at or faster than 10 knots. Evets

Hi Jewgaffer Repairing guides is easy peasey So you should have a go at doing it yourself. Rod tips are particularly easy because you just take the old guide off and glue on a another. The guide lower on the rod can be easily rebound after the old binding has been removed. Add a bit of clear coat and you're done. It really is easy. Google guide replacement and you'll see how easy it really is. Evets

Bridiling the fish through the front of the eye socket doesnt qppear to harm the live bait. Marlin fishermen have been doing this for years... I have seen fish trolled for a couple of hours and then released. The fish swam away quick smart. Evets

And dont forget that Busrangers bay is off limits for fishing Bushrangers bay Steve

Hi Guys, I have discovered that in my neck of the woods they bite best when there is some tidal flow. In an estuary I sometimes fish in I can follow the changing tide in my boat and catch them all day long. As the tide falls I follow it down river and target tailor and flatties with soft plastics or tailor fillets. By this time I am near the river mouth. I anchor up and have a bite to eat / cat nap. When the tide turns and starts to come in ( preferably after dark) I follow it back up the river. Sure enough as the water starts to flow the tailor come back on the bite. While Im doing this I chuck a tailor back out as a livie (less half a fin). This is deadly for jewies Steve

Apparently the prawns have started to run in Lake Illawarra. In my experience a falling tide is best because when they are on you can just stand there and scoop the prawns up as they swim past with the tide. If you havent been prawning before its great fun. Just need a light source (prawn light is good) and a prawn net. I made my own prawn light out of some old electrical conduit, a plastic plumbing pipe reducer and a 12v down light globe. Cost about $8 to make. I have a big plastic box that I put the battery and the prawns into. It floats behind me as I walk against the tide. Put the light into the water and when you will see the prawns swim past just scoop em up. Usually you see their eyes first - little red dots. I took my little bloke last year (6 years old) and he loved it. Lost more prawns than we kept but it was a hoot. Steve