fragmeister

Further to my last email I did find some old stats about some of the fish where rec fisherman actually took more fish than the pros although I believe the article I got this from admitted that because recreational fishos don't report on their catch it was all done on some "modelling" Goodness knows how that worked or, from a cynical perspective, who paid for the report to be done. Suspect science at the very best I think. I think these stats were from 2005 so a little out of date and if you dissect the information a little you can see why the recreational catch could be higher. Some are simply not good targets for commercial fisherman - Annual Tonnes Commercial catch Recreational catch Dusky Flathead 120 570-830 Mahi Mahi <5 100 Mulloway 40 100-500 Yellowfin Bream 360 820-1070 Bluespotted flathead 125 320-450

Sure I agree but, as you say yourself those arguments are quickly seen through ... The impact on fish stocks from commercial fishing is not just about individual species it's about the total fish population and it's about degradation to the marine environment by the fishing methods used. The devastation to Snapper populations in Port Phillip Bay was as much about taking too many snapper as it was about damaging marine and crustacean growth on the sea floor by dragging nets around. Sure , there are few species which are caught in greater numbers by recreational fisherman but on the whole its the other way around and to a significant degree. The return of fish into Port Phillip Bay, Botany Bay and dozens of other estuarine environments can be directly attributed to supporting commercial fishing. There is even real science to back this plus the anecdotal evidence of recreational fisherman.

Can't agree more. Ther are so many examples of fisheries bouncing back when commercial fishing is removed. Clearly, commercial fishing is the significant factor. The proposed protected areas inside Sydney harbour are virtually unfished for anything but Squid. The Chowder Head area, the east side of Shark Bay at Neilsen Park and I think the western side of Camp Cove. Presumably, they have all been identified as habitat areas needing protection and depleted in fish... but you rarely see any body fishing there except for squid. If there is a lack of biodiversity and fish numbers at these locations it more likely to be damage to the environment due to chemical runoff than fish being taken. Science, schmience I say!

Now I am confused... Lockout zones are a problem because they can be changed at the tick of a pen but you propose another type of lockout zone which can be moved and presumably not changed at the tick of a pen? Moveable lock out zones are an interesting concept and perhaps they may help remediation of certain areas -I am not sure how you would administer that though. I believe that our collective position should be as you have mentioned, 1 million recreational fishermen are arguably of net benefit to the marine environment , but in addition, the science behind the lockouts has either not been provided or is questionable and , in relation to any existing marine park proposed, changes put up for community consultation should be clearly defined. BTW I have already registered my objection in every avenue I can think of. Cheers Jim

Woah! It's a hot subject! I can relate to the rage many feel at the potential loss of privilege. A part of me wants to rant and rave and accuse and "kitchen sink" all the breaches of my personal freedom over the years and the increased liberties given to those I consider undeserving or dangerous ... but I stop myself because it is not productive and it will do nothing to help the cause. If we become polarised on the issue and fight amongst ourselves then we have little chance of making a difference. If we draw a connection between the introduction of marine parks and the breakdown of civilization as we know it we will lose credibility. If we don't know the facts and our opposition do then we can offer little to the debate except for emotive opinion. I am not convinced for one moment that recreational line fishing is even at odds with Marine parks. Long Reef has been a Marine Park for nearly 40 years and as far as I am aware the proposed changes are to remove commercial fishing and to add site-specific rules for line fishing. The undefined "site-specific" rules are what concerns me more and I believe this should be part of the basis for comment and objection for that site. Other sites may have their own specific areas of concern. I am pretty confident we all want the same thing so lets keep it all civil and productive. Jim

Great haul and yes, once you've fished up north it can really put Sydney into perspective. Cheers Jim

Hi Frank, No, but I am keen to! I have only been out a few times since you gave it to me and both times were bottom bashing. I will let you know how it goes when I get back into downrigging for kings. Cheers Jim

Thanks for posting Paddy. Protest lodged! Cheers Jim

That's great advice Frank. Going back probably 40 years ago that was a spot my dad and I used to fish regularly and we did exactly what you just recommended. While we did catch mainly schoolies we also ended up with quite a few jews close to the metre mark. Cheers Jim

Nice one Mike, My birthday is the 15th of September - that is mid September just like the expected delivery date... It's an omen so I just had to buy a couple! Cheers Jim

This how mine is mounted. ( the fishing rod isn't part of it lol) The box is so that the cut off rail has somewhere to join to.

Thanks for posting the pictures Rick.. that really shows the contrast over the last 12 months. Cheers Jim

Hey Tash, nice report. Yes, the whole life jacket thing is very frustrating - well done though on avoiding the fine! As far as I am aware Port Jackson Sharks have nothing going for them in the eating department but one of their main foods is Urchins so they probably help keep their number down - probably better left in the water to do their job than end up a very average meal or two. Many believe they are a protected species but I am confident they are not. There was an old bloke across the road from me who reckoned their skin was so abrasive that if he caught one , before throwing it back, he would run his knife down the shark side like he was using a kitchen steel, to put an edge back on the blade! (He was full of tall tales mind you!) Cheers Jim

Well done Bill. Did you head out early? Was that you I saw rounding north head about 30 minutes before dawn? Cheers Jim

I love it... Several thousand points out of 10 in the Dad's a Genius department!

Hi Raiders, I checked out the weather reports and decided it would be OK to head outside to drift for blue spot flathead. The swell was only 1 meter but the wind was forecast to pick up about 11 am so I planned to be heading back home by then. I got out to the 50-meter mark off North Head just before dawn and started a drift with the light NNE winds from one of the 3 Reefs I have found so far that is called "The Colours" A few weeks ago I caught some Blue Spot Flathead off the edge of this reef and they were so tasty in a tempura batter that I wanted some more.! I was using a two hook paternoster rig with either a salted pilli or a piece of squid on the top hook and a soft plastic ( squid vicious) on the bottom hook. It was quiet for an hour or so but when the sun came up I hit a patch of Mowies around the 40cm mark. I tossed half a dozen back but kept one because I have never tasted one ( someone told me about 30 years ago they were very average and I believed them.) All the mowies were on the bait. After about the 5th drift I let the drift go a little longer and I stumbled on a patch of Blue Spotted Flathead and pulled in half a dozen in fairly rapid succession. Half the flathead were on the squid vicious and the other half were on baits. I am assuming that there were lots of Jackets about because I lost a lot of baits without really feeling anything and the SP'S were chewed to bits plus occasionally my line was simply cut off. Again, because of the Jackets I am wondering if the SP's are effective just because they stay intact longer than the baits. I only kept the first three flatties but I easily bagged out in an hour after 3 or so drifts During one of the drifts a humpback breached not more than 20 meters away from the boat. It was the whole body clear of the water thing and while it looked great as I watched it slide back into the depths now not 5 meters from my boat I did wonder where it might surface next! At about 11:00 the wind came up strong enough that it was difficult to hold bottom so I headed off home. Haven't had a bite to eat all day... so looking forward to fish and chips! and a beer (or two)! Cheers Jim

Nice one Jeff. I bet the boy enjoyed himself out with the old man. I like the part where you were explaining how you got smoked in the past and next minute you were on. I must admit I am suffering a little Snapper Envy at the moment! Cheers Jim

Hi David and Karen and welcome to Fishraider, I Have a Quintrex 5.7 Lazeabout which is the Fishabout with a few more features. It's a little bigger than your boat but as Frank says its all about the Skipper. I go out past the heads nearly everytime I go out but I always pick days like this Friday for example The swell is about 1M and the Swell period( the distance between the wave peaks) is also good. So, in summary, small swells a long way apart. I like it like that because I want to get to and from my fishing locations fast. I could go out in moderate winds and perhaps 1 .2 meter or more swell but it would take all day and eat into fishing time. The other factor ( sometimes a bigger factor) is the wind speed and direction. The winds this Friday are coming from the NNE so even in close in outside the heads there is not going to be any protection from the headlands. The wind waves after about 11:00am are going to start to get unpleasant particularly pushing into them and you will need to travel very slowly or get very wet. I wouldn't say it was unsafe necessarily to be out in moderate winds but it can get very uncomfortable if you push too quickly through swell or wind waves. Quintrex hulls are not the softest ride and if you come down hard off the top of a wave it can really jar the kidneys. If I go out tomorrow I will probably come back in around 11:00am and avoid the winds. So, in summary, if you want to so outside in your new boat pick a day where the following conditions apply and you won't go wrong. As you get more experienced you will be a better judge but always err on the side of caution. 1 Meter or less swell, More than 10 seconds wave period and light winds. Cheers Jim

Good Effort All. Cheers Jim

On the subject of motor hours. How do outboard hours translate to other vehicle hours? For example. I know the following from years of fleet management in the materials handling industry that you would expect to get 15,000 hours at least from a 2.5tonne Toyota Forklift, (20,000 is not uncommon) before a major overhaul was required. These engines were governed so they couldn't get flogged as such and they were regularly serviced. They did work a solid 8 hours day so I guess most of the hours were on a warm engine. My car averages about 40 klm per hour and I would expect 200,000klm before the engine needed an overhaul so that equates to 5,000 hours. I appreciate that engine life is subject to many variables but how many hours would you expect to get out a properly serviced 4 Stroke and 2 Stroke? I have heard some alarmingly low figures ... 1500 hours for example. I do appreciate that marine engines work in harsh conditions but what is it about them that accounts for this comparatively low life? Is the stop-start nature of the work they do? Appreciate your input. Cheers Jim

The thing I'm picking up is the "N" key on your keyboard is a bit sticky! LOL!

Nice bit of filming and production.

I've got one that describes Yowie... Alwaysus-Catchafeedus

Nice one Waza. Another very informative post. I love the " Occi Shock " method. Cheers Jim

Thanks Luke