GrantHarris

Just an update on the mounting saga. I discovered by accident that the Scotty rail mount can only be used on rails that sit ON TOP of the gunwhale. Because mine are flush mounted on the inside I have 2 constraints. The 1st is that there is no clearance between the rail and the cutaway of the gunwhale for the tightening lugs and the second is that there is no way to brace the mount for the qweight of the downrigger with a piece of wood. Now thanks to a few contributors on this site I went with the gimbal mount which sits in the flushmounted rod holders on the boat. I had to replace the plastic holders with stainless steel ones (no problem there) and opted for the mount with the 9 inch shaft which locks into the pin at the base of the rod holder and clears the top by about 10mm. I'll post a picture up here for everyone to see. Cheers and many thanks to all the suggestions and the help.

Yep. But Hangar with double a on account of my flying. Have I bought something from you??

Had no idea what one was until I started reading this site. I have just picked up a new Scotty 1050 from ebay for $350 complete with 7 and 10 pound bombs and intend to mount it this weekend and give it a go. I have never caught a kingfish before and am hoping this will help.

Thanks John - I'll look forward to seeing the pic. Cheers

Netic, that is a point I hadn't even thought about. I will give Tony a call. Thank you for the advice.

Yes all except something that was very silvery/white in colour - couldn't tell you what it was though and we threw it back.

Thanks Steve I look forward to your posting it - I hadn't considered this option. Cheers

Good Morning. I have recently purchased a 1050 Depthmaster and I am now considering the best mounting option. I don't want to permanently fix it so am considering either a Gimbal mount or a rail mount. I have a Haines Signature 520c and it has gunwhale rails on port and starboard on the inside of the gunwhale that can be used to mount bbq's and other things. I would like to use the Scotty 1027 rail mount so as not to use up one of my rod holders but I am not sure if the 520c rails will accommodate the 1027 mount and I can't find any store that has them in stock. Could someone please share with me their experiences with a rail mount or direct me to a store in Sydney that might have one in stock so that I can look at it. Thanks in advance for what I have no doubt will be all of your useful insights and knowledge. Cheers

Great advice thank you

Brilliant thanks

Hi A mate of mine wants to take his young son fishing and the criteria is that he has to catch some fish. They live just up the road from Clifton Gardens and i was thinking of recommending he go there and just fish for Yakkas with a bait jig and some berley. I'm unfamiliar with the topography and would like to know if this is feasible? Thanks

Update from the weekend: Thanks everyone for the advice. We went to Little Box Head and within 20 minutes had enough to keep us going for the day. A simple slurry of burley made of bread, fish oil and cat food in combination with a Wasabi bait jig had us pulling them in sometimes 3 at a time. Cheers

Well Rod, Broken Bay (Little Box Head) is our destination on Saturday morning so I will certainly give these techniques a try. Thank you once again for all your help. It's making this summer's fishing (the first I've done in 10 years) very enjoyable

Hello everyone Encouraged by the excellent (almost overwhenlming response) I received to my query regarding squidgies I thought I might pick your collective brains on this one. I've never caught them before and would like to know the best way from the boat. Being a bait fish I guess some sort of floating rig with a bit of berley. Then obviously once I have them I need to use them so some advice on livebait hooks and rigs (don't have a downrigger yet) would also be appreciated. Cheers and many thanks

Thanks Stewy - it certainly gave my Quivertip and little Spirex reel a workout. Now Kelvin as for flathead I can only go on what another very kind person posted to me in a pm a couple of weeks ago and that is Lobster Beach on an incoming tide and ettalong on an outgoing tide. I cannot confirm though because I have never caught a flattie before and am in search of my first like you. I can confirm though that the easern end of Lobster Bay seems quite popular with anglers with a 2 or 3 boats arriving just after us pretty much right on the turn of the tide mid-morning. Admittedly I did not have the right sort of baits with me having left my squidgies in the car back at the ramp so I was not really expecting to catch anything and hence didn't stay for long. But it was worth watching how others fished for them (with success) and I certainly picked up some tips for rigs and techniques so it was half an hour well spent in that regard. I will keep you posted though on any progress.

Late start to the morning due to an alarm that didn't go off. Got to Box Head just inside the point at about 7.00am and picked up a just legal bream on prawn and a running sinker and hook. Went in to Lobster Beach for some flatheads. Flicked a lure but no luck. Only saw one small flattie taken in the time there. Decided to head down to Barrenjoey Heads but half way between Lion Island and Box Head we decided to stop and drift. Picked up an 800g Tailor on a whole Pilchard but the rig was too heavy and it didn't offer much of a fight. Rigged up my quiver tip with 4lb line and Spirex reel with running sinker and double bottom hooks (not ganged) with pilchard . By this time we had drifted back to Box Head but this time just outside the point. Whilst I was flicking a squid jag for something to do my reel started zinging and by the time I'd wound in my squid jag and put the fighting drag on the little Spirex I had a real fight on my hand. Eventually landed a 1.25kg Tailor and by that time it was midday and time to call it quits.

Thank you for this reply. I can see quite clearly now how to do this correctly and where I was going wrong: a picture certainly accounts for its fair share of words! I'll let you know how I go - many thanks.

Helllo I apologise for the blatantly novice nature of this inquiry but I have never used soft plastics before and I am going to give them a try on the weekend. For someone completely unfamiliar with them I found the idea of an artificial bait rather intriguing. That aside would anyone be so kind as to advise the correct way to present these baits on the hook. For starters I have tried what I think would be the most obvious way. Using a squidgee and a long shank hook with a lead ball attached I figured any trolling or drifting or retrieving would mean that the hook was retireved in a conventional fashion with the lead ball leading followed by the shank and then the hook and barb. Given that you want the bait to look like it is moving through the water in a forward direction I have have fed the squidgee onto the hook head first leaving the tail protruding over the end of the hook with the head pushed hard up against the lead ball weight and the shank travelling down through the body. Sorry if this description is long winded but I wanted it to be as clear as possible and thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond.

fished Brissy Waters on Saturday - quiet overall but landed one 750 gram Bream and 3 Luderick under the Rip Bridge all on prawns. I've never caught Luderick on anything but weed before so was very surprised