fragmeister

Hi, My daughter made this after hearing me talk about getting busted off by big kings in the harbour. What colour are Kingfish she asked me... a while later she came back with this bracelet made out of small rubber bands. (Apparently these bracelets are all the rage). This is your Kingfish good luck bracelet she tells me. Wear it next time you fishing and it will bring you luck. Well. I am willing to try anything... I will let you know how it goes!

When you say hooking them , do you get bites but miss them? Are you off headlands or off some structure like a wharf? I ask this because sometime I notice the Yakkas slowly swim up to the bait and take it so delicately they can be hard to catch. I watch them come up to the bait and they just seem to gently suck at it. You feel them move away with it and strike only to miss or just catch them in the very edge of the lip and then lose them as you lift them from the water. You catch a few but its hard work. Then at a certain point in the tide the Yakkas will suddenly become ravenous and you can't help but catch them. They swim in fast, grab it without hesitation and race off. Other times it may be that the burley has started to do its trick. Often (at night in the harbour) around any of the wharfs, I can hear small tailor all around as they hit baitfish on the surface. While this action is on the yakkas go very quite and take baits very reluctantly and with no commitment. This is fishing 2kg hand line a small suicide hook, no sinker or a very small split shot on a handline and a piece of prawn or pilchard. I only use the Sabiki when the yakkas are ravenous and taking the jigs without baits added to them. When I used to live in the shire I would hit the Lugarno road wharf very early in the morning and it was always alive with squid and yakkas. But that was 20 years ago now so I can't vouch for it today.

All very good points Harry, especially the one about the drag knob allowing moisture in if your drag washers are thicker. I have also heard reports of fishos rebuilding using carbontex and loading their drag up much higher than they could with the standard washers and then stripping gears. While I think this is more likely on older, worn or poorly lubricated reels if the reel is designed for 10 Kg a drag I guess the rest of the reel is also rated for that kind of constant pressure on a fish as well.

You can but Carbontex material in sheets and use your old drag washers as a template to cut new ones. They cut easily and once fitted ( particularly with drag grease although you don't have to use it) the drag is super smooth and doesn't get hot and fade like the standard drag washers. It wears much better too and you are apparently able to put more drag on than a standard drags washer... yet to test this with a before and after setup. Cheers Jim

I don't normally complain about other people on the water but... Is it just me or do sailing boat skippers forget that when they are under power they don't have right of way? I give them a wide berth whether they are under sail or not as they are clearly not as agile as a power boat but really, I honestly think they forget they are under power and just expect you will give way under all conditions. Is it just me or do many sailing boat skippers often seem to pass as close as they can to my boat at anchor (not in the main channel or anything) or just as close to markers in what looks like some attempt to demonstrate how well they can handle their boat under sail? Does anyone else have this experience or is it just me?

If there was enough battery charge to start the motor then there should have been enough to run any of your accessories which draw much less current than your starter motor. Provided of course they are actually connected to the same battery source. Do you have a dual battery system? I would tend to believe that this all have something to do with the recent additions to your wiring. Jim

I have not heard this mentioned here but if you order a Sabiki rod they do come in a few different lengths and also within a reel mount suited to either eggbeaters or small overheads. If you buy the one suited to an overhead reel the entry point into the rod is too close to the reel seat and can be a problem with eggbeater style reel. Cheers

Camp cove is a great spot in a southerly. Pretty good squid spot on both ends of the beach in the kelp beds and aslo for bream and luderick on the left side as Harry says in his reply and he is spot on with the burley as it will increase your chances enormously. I have caught flathead on the sand casting from the beach (when I didn't have a boat). I have had squid taken off my line by Kingies but never actually targeted them there. I guess they are there for the squid too so it would make a lot of sense to target them there. In the early mornings salmon and tailor are often around the northern end of the beach. Cheers Jim

Sorry to be laughing at your misfortune but that was a very funny read. I hope the repairs don't cost you too much dough ( or too much fishing time). Cheers

Interesting link to the records... not a lot of record fish caught recently. Most are pre 2000. Couldn't see any in this decade.

Huey, He was actually asking about the two side thicknesses in the two models not the brand. In the interest of sticking to the posted topic how about we agree to disagree and leave it there. Cheers

I get you point Huey but do you get mine? For a boat buyer there are sales guys representing all products all claiming their boats are the best buy, all with convincing stories about why their boats are better. These are guys who all have a barrow to push. They all know the limitations of other products and the features of theirs. Its their business to. Its sales 101. JB's post says he has narrowed it down not just to a brand but to a model so he is pretty committed. I am sure he has done his work and checked out the other other brands. I figure support the guys decision unless he is making a grave mistake (which he is not) and respond to his request for advice which is not about the brand of boat to buy its about whether he is going to bend a Quintrex by hitting a Wharf and what OB to buy. Cheers Jim

Always worth looking at alternatives. Nice one Huey! You can't blame a man for trying to sell a boat!

Hi, I bought a new Lazeabout 570 last year fitted with a 150 Yamaha Four stroke and just about every optional extra available. I am pretty sure it has the same topsides as the 490 (2mm) but it has a 4mm bottom sides( It think the 490 has 3mm bottom sides) and its about 100mm taller. I have yet to dent the sides hitting the wharf ( and I have hit it pretty hard) but on a new boat you would be wanting to use fenders anyway... I really only use them in strong winds that are blowing off the wharf when you can't use the wind to slowly blow you along side. My boat does just on 40 knots in ideal conditions but it is an aluminum boat and the driver' s position is well forward so you have to watch your speed in the wake or over swells etc otherwise your kidneys will cop a hiding even with the Millenium blade hull. I stand up if I am in serious chop and this helps considerably. I have taken it offshore and it goes ok in a head sea and not too bad in a following sea , its by no means an offshore boat but not bad for a tinnie. It has a 90 litre tank and a run from Rydalmere down the Parramatta River and around the harbour here and there will only cost me $25 bucks in fuel. The runabout style gives you a huge fishing platform. This is one of the best features. While I can't give much advice about your particular query I do have some other observation on the Quintrex that might be useful. I bout the Lazeabout because I wanted a Family/ fishing boat although in retrospect, if it was purely a fishing boat I may have gone for the Fishabout and spent the difference on some other fishing features rather than the better finishings that come with the Lazeabout. My lazeabout looks very nice with an almost car like finish with the plastic molded interior and trim, but when you troll up a big salmon and he's hooked through the gills and shaking like crazy, that blood spattered all over your nice interior makes you wonder whether nice is what you wanted. ( yes... this happened last week). These are the optional extras I bout and what I though of them. Plumbed live bait tank - Works well. Big enough and plenty of (variable) water flow Burley bucket:- Thick plastic with a alloy plunger... I have my doubts as to whether this is a good combo as there are some serious gouges it the plastic... wait and see on this one. Walk Thru Transom - A good feature for the kids to get back in off the tube but it does reduce seating by at least 1 adult or two kids maybe, leaving only room for 2 on that rear seat Bait Cutting Board/ Rod holder - I believe they have redesigned this but on mine the drain is badly place on the high side so it doesn't drain and the motor can't tilt all the way back without scratching the motor top cover on the bait board. Power Steering- To be honest I don't know what it would be without it but at speed steering is pretty hard even with the power steering. This might be normal. Fish Finder - I upgraded the standard to the Lowrance HDI 7 -. This was a good investment as the larger display and other features really help targeting fish. Bimini - Works fine - made some simple slip on foam pieces to stop it rattling against the windscreen at speed Clears - Good quality clears made this boat much nicer in the wind and rain for fishing in less pleasant conditions - buggers to put on though when they are cold. I bought mine from Hunts Marine at Blakehurst. Sales Guy was great. No pressure, very knowledgeable and consultative. The boat on delivery looked like it was a little rushed ... a little dirty in places, I know that had a bundle of orders but still. After sales service was excellent but, as we all know, it costs a bomb to service your boat motor ... nothing unusual here. This is what I have bought since that either was not supplied or I thought was a good idea. A reef anchor - none supplied. Longer / thicker anchor rope - Think they supply 30 meters or so, too thin to handle comfortably and not long enough to anchor offshore or in parts of the harbour. A canvas bag to store the clears which do not like being left in the underfloor storage nest to any thing that can mark them. An EPIRB - They only supply inshore safety equipment. Flares - As above. A Minnkota I-Pilot ( what a cracker! ... if you can save money on the purchase this is the place to spend it). Footholds attached to the trailer near the winch block... if you fish alone this really helps you get off the boat over the bow when after you have driven it on to the trailer. Otherwise its a foot placed precariously on the edge of the winch block and the real chance of slipping and crashing to the ground. Cost me a few hundred bucks but it was worth it. Lighting I wired in some additional strip LEDs under the dash. Really helps night fishing and is much better than the lighting provided. Full Cover- Wont fit in the shed and its too big an investment not to protect. Incidentally , I also had to make a new drive through carport - the boat wouldn't fit through into the back yard! D'Oh! This is how I occupied myself while I waited for the boat to come! I hope some of this info is useful. Cheers Jim

Great advice here from other readers. Fish early, fish light, fish the cover. The Port is a clean and crystal clear fishery so you have to fish accordingly. I have been fishing the area from Maianbar to Bundeena for nearly 30 years. Been camping at the Bonnievale camping area for just a long. Sounds like you were originally fishing Simpsons Beach and then perhaps opposite Burraneer Bay I swim there all year round ( tough in late winter/early spring I gotta tell ya!) In the warmer months I always fish from Simpsons beach all the way up to the spit and then wade (or swim) across the other side to fish the flats on the other side of the cabbage tree creek inlet. My main strategy is soft plastics, or for the larger flatties, whole pilchards on ganged hooks. I make a few casts, mix up the retrieves and if I don't get a hit I move along the beach maybe 20 meters and then cast and repeat. If I get a Sand Flathead, I work the same place for a while because they often loosely school up but if I get a Dusky Flathead I move anyway because they are more solitary in my experience. 5 Years ago I used to get a feed for a dozen or so campers by the time I reach halfway down the beach. Now it is much harder. I have noticed a gradual dropping of of the fishing particularly in the last 5 years ever since a few significant storms came through and changed the bottom along Simpson Beach. It seems that there is no longer any depth to the sand covering the bottom. It's a mixture of partially crushed shells and hard compacted areas with a really closely cropped cover of some sort of weed. My theory is that this makes it hard for the flatties to conceal themselves so it is much less attractive an ambush spot for them. I guess what I am saying is that this specific spot has declined in recent years but the port still fishes well for the local fishos. Cheers

Hi, If you are land based any of the wharfs will hold yakkas. Lillli Pilli Baths is a good spot. The Wharf at the end of Lugarno Rd in Woollaware is good for yakkas The wharfs in Turriel Bay Any wharf really, but the ones closer to the sea are generally the better ones. Yakkas like clean water so after rains this is even more important. Cheers Jim

Hey Linc, Sounds like an eventful day. Always a bummer to lose an anchor but the cable tie idea is a good one. Sounds like it won't be the last trip past the heads for that tinnie. Cheers Jim

Bad luck Buddy, There will be a better day but sometimes thats no consolation if you were keen t go out.

What a classic! There ought to be a record section for the smallest fish caught on lure! Cheers Jim

Great read, They sure are a great fish.

My experience is I cant sleep so I just stay awake and fish but if you can get a few hours thats always great. All good advice here from the members. Oh yeah, I like the idea of taking the cooker for a feed because its when you are half way through cooking the bacon and eggs you will get the best run of the session and there will be bacon and eggs, hot pans and fat eveywhere when you lurch accross to grab your rod with a big jew on the end. ... at least thats the way it always goes for me! ... the buggers seem to know when you are disctracted by something. Good luck!

Mate, You have my most heartfelt condolences... I am sorry for your loss. (Feels like a loss in the family when the elements conspire against us and we can't go fishing eh?) Cheers, and better luck with the weather next time.

Hi Dredog, Thats a great piece of info. I am very interested in what turns fish on the bite and often I think its not so much that you throw a yakka in as a live bait but more that its doing smething a little strange or panicky. It swims funny with a hook through its back when its live bait so the Kings figure its injured and an easy meal. If its hooked on a hand line or bait rod it gets all panicked and the Kings get very interested. Cheers

Good Call, Tempting fate, I suspect, is diving off the wharf on the edge of a dropoff, at dawn when there's a school of mullet nearby. Might save my early morning swimming for the enclosure at Neilson Park. Incidentally, never really worried about this until I recently, I guess maybe you get a little more cautious as you get older. Cheers

Nice mixed bag! Don't get over that way much but when I do I am, struck by the quality of the water. Cheers