Steve J

The muppets are pinching wheelnuts off boat trailers in my neck of the woods. One boatie got back to the ramp to find all the electricals stripped off his high end trailer.

Get a little 10hp engine and that little boat will be the ducks guts. Many years ago I was given a small fibreglass boat which I ended up selling to a desperate and dateless bloke who then caught a 107cm mulloway on his first trip out in it......the barstard...LOL Moral of the story, don't get rid of it as easily as I got rid of mine. Great find mate.

I have 3 local tackleshops I use, with a big fat BCF down the road as backup. If one store doesn't have something I want, one of the others most likely will. Each of the 3 smaller shops know me well, and the type of fishing I do. They all bend over backwards to give me the best deal, and give me the right advice and info about products. And they all fish. You won't be guaranteed all of that shopping online. Shop occasionally for some fishing gear by all means, just try to support your local bait and tackle shops when you can, coz they won't be around forever.

Not completely snag proof though. Absolutely dynamite on shut down fussy bream. Though at 20 bucks a pop, they cause a sting in the wallet when you lose them. So far lost 2 from bust offs, and one to a snag. Easily the best bream HB on the market.

Nothing that a big skoll of scotch and a teaspoon of cement wouldn't fix. Might be worth taking mini bolt cutters next time I'm using the big hooks by the looks of that guy in the first pic.

Awesome bream mate, well done and congrats on the new PB.

A 40cm bream versus a 40cm redfin would be no contest in my opinion, bream would win hands down. Bream are smarter, more desperate to get away, and like JH said, they fight right to the end. However a 40cm silver perch versus a 40cm bream would be more of a contest.

I made up a garlic and fish pheromone liquid dip. Minced garlic works best, and you just have to dip the tails of your SPs in to create a nice scent trail when it swims through the water. You can also mix garlic with fish oil, I usually mix it up with my berley.

I know some folks who only fish for salmon using metal lures, and they always get good fish. Especially in the surf where your bait get smashed up in the waves, and the metals cast easier. Blades work at times also....

Good thing it's not Scotland. Breakfast could have been black pudding or haggis. Not to mention Scottish kippers. Got some awesome carp fisheries in England and France, pay 50 pounds or 50 francs for a days carp fishing, catch and release only...... Some of those carp are over 100lbs......

It seems they are only just starting to fire up, but there are still days when they can be stubborn. Fingers crossed the warmer weather speeds up their metabolisms, gets them in breeding mode then they will be on the chew again. Tried for some today, but very gusty wind made things difficult. A few enquiries on the garden worms though. Steve

Quite the under rated fish that carp is, in Europe there are places that charge $50 per day to allow folks to catch fish like that, yet here in Oz we can get them everywhere for free. Congrats on the first fly caught fish mate.

I have to agree, man made carp ponds are gun when you don't want to travel far, and carp are so much fun on the light gear, however I won't go lighter than 6lb because the bigger fish (75-80cm) make mincemeat out of me. I personally don't have any issues with carp going back in man made contained waterways, even though I usually keep my carp and turn them into saltwater baits, whole baby carp for mulloway, and strips of carp flesh for salmon and flathead. In fact the flatties absolutely love carp strips, I think it's because of the strong smell. Also get one of those wire squid jigs, poke it through a baby carp, and wait for a big squid to grab on. You will be pleasantly surprised. Steve

Welcome to Oz mate. Some nice Bream to get you started. Wait til a big one jumps on, you are going to really enjoy it. Good time of the year to target the bigger Bream, hope you get into one soon. Steve

Mines a cheap Aussie made motor. Runs on Coopers which is a bit cheaper than Jim Beam. I can run it on Beam, but I definitely get more mileage from the Coopers, must be where it was made. I do find in winter that I get very good fuel economy with Farmers Union Iced Coffee, but if I use too much it will blow the head gasket. Seriously though, nice looking yak, hope you get many more good fish with it. Steve

They will absolutely smash a surface lure. Great adrenaline rush on the 6lb silly string. I won't go lighter... I'm too chicken. Lost way too many good lures on under-gunned tackle because of carp. And if you are fishing bait, back your drag right off, and it helps catch the picky fish. It also stops the carp from dragging your rod in, they are notorious for pinching rods when you are not looking. Stinky fish, but good dirty fighters. Steve

Got into 6 decent carp over 50cm from my local carp ponds using freshly dug garden worms today. The warmer weather is definitely making them more active. Can't wait for summer though....

Wow, $1 blades does seem a little too good to be true. Hope they don't cause you grief mate. Might be a good idea to check out your local tackle store. I bought a 5 pack of Instinct brand blades from Tackleworld for $20, and after upgrading the trebles to stingers have been more than happy with them. However my higher end blades have more movement and vibration through the braid, which in turn catches more fish. I guess it comes down to the comment.....you get what you pay for. Steve

When the weather warms a bit they will be on the chew, and breeding like wabbits.

If it's any consolation, the carp have shut down at my local ponds here in S.A. as well. But once the weather warms up, it's wabbit season. Carp become more active in spring and will be in breeding mode. Try different baits to wake up shut down fish. Locally dug worms, corn kernels (creamed corn as burley), cheese as well as bread all works at different times. Also use as little weight as possible, and back your drag right off, allowing them to "mouth the bait" a bit without feeling resistance. I have been using circle hooks for carp, because the fish hook themselves and because you are almost always guaranteed a lip hooked fish. Hope this helps a bit, Steve

Stunning looking Rainbow there, and in really good condition too. And great to hear you released it too, hope you get into another one as big or if not bigger.

Carp seem to slow down a bit in regards to feeding during winter, but come spring time they eat whatever they see. Definitely more active during the warmer months probably because of more food being available. But it doesn't matter what time of the year you catch them, using a bream stick with 4lb silly string is great fun, just use a decent landing net. And if you haven't caught a carp before, be aware.....they STINK!

And they smash poppers when retrieved slowly first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Especially when they are jumping out of the water chasing insects.