antonywardle

Thanks for all the tips guys. @frankSI like the thermos idea. I'll have my butane cooker for when we are at anchor, but an oven is the way I want to go. @SmobabyI'd love to be supporting aussie made, but from what I can tell, the copies are better than the original. I'm happy to pay a bit more for an aussie one, but maybe not so much if the product isn't as good. Never heard of kick ass till now, so I'll carry on doing my research. I take your point about the knock-offs. It must be disheartening to come up with an idea, and then have someone knock it off and make money out of it. I'll post an install video if/when I get around to it. THere don't seem to be a lot around for sale ATM. Maybe they all got ordered at the same time as facemasks and toilet paper!

Tomorrow is looking better swell-wise I'm thinking of doing some shopping at the flathead grounds.

Hi My little fella wants to have a go at hairtail this year, so to prepare for an overnight trip, I'm thinking I'd like to get a pie warmer, 12 volt oven Anyone got one and what do you think of it? cheers

Thanks for the advice. I do have an air compressor and while looking around the shed, I found a multitool, a nail gun, and an air die grinder, in unopened boxes. Must have got them on sale and then hid them from my wife! The air sander looks like a good purchase too. Maybe it look at them. At this stage, I'm leaning towards a 4300 kit. @frankSthe house is a radiator housing for a 1967 Datsun. I got a replacement one, but I'll keep the original in case I ever get a cnc machine or a welder and what to see if I can fix it. It's pretty unlikely though!

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at some of the dremel models and see what I like the look of. I've finally getting some time to work on my old car, and was looking at ways that I could speed up my work. Sounds like the corded version would still be the go. Just need to look at the models. A couple of items that are need of some TLC

Hi Anyone got a recommendation about what type of dremel, or similar product to buy? I was thinking that it might be time to treat myself while the sales are on, but I don't know which ones to look at it. I'd be interested in something that has a small cutting wheel, and the ability to sand in small gaps. thanks

I made my own scoop and attached it to the johnson live bait tank kit I got. one, I connected a tap on the inside of my transom. When I have a PVC scoop on it, it seemed to force water in too much when underway and i didn't notice till I saw all the water above the floor. I had to turn the bilge pump on and I lifted the floor up and turned the tap so it was isolated. I put the mesh back on it, and I now have to manually prime it by pouring a bucket of water in to the tank to get it working. I'm not overly happy with the setup and might end up going to something different.

I got a PFLUEGER Trion Transcendent Travel Spin Fishing Rod 7' 5 piece, which it a three piece with two middles and two tips. Used for Barra. I also got a 6'6 Ugly Stik Gold 5-10kg 4 Piece Spinning Fishing Rod that I used on the reef in Darwin and it did good enough to wind up a really big lemon shark. If you were just reefing, the ugly stick would be fine. Its less than $100 and it fits in your luggage without too many issues.

I'm starting to head back in to the office too. That said, I've been able to take a few days off during the week to keep my fishing skills working ok, and when you can choose your day, its a bit easier. Office one day, wfh 4 days. Thats what being in IT is good for. It doesn't usually matter where you are.

I think that the two rumors are that bananas give of a gas that can catch fire nd explode or the gas causes the other fruit that they are with to ripen too fast and spoil. I have had bananas on boats before and found that the fishing got better when I binned them

Dave would most likely wave back. Hes a nice guy wave out to me if you see me, Im in a white plate boat with stressfree written on the side.

The boat is a polycraft that came from Brisbane. Dave is the owner. I've been out a few times, and it was with him I got my PB Dusky. I think it was 82 or 84 on a plastic. Safely released that one too.

I think where we were was around 8-10 metres. For me I was just casting and retrieving. Tide was slack which I think helped.

Got a chance to sneak out before work with a mate in his plastic boat. The target was mulloway/flathead anything on plastics and vibes. This has been a weakness in my fishing arsenal and something I've been wanting to fix. I was off to a good start as I caught a little tailor on a barra lure on my baitcaster from the wharf while waiting. We motored around Brisbane waters and started throwing plastics. Mate catches a flounder on a gulp! It was a first. It went back and then It went a bit quiet, so we changed to vibes. My mate hooks up a nice tailor and he went back out as a live bait, and we carried on with the vibes and he pulls up a good flathead around the 500 mark. It went back for someone else to catch. Next up, mate pulls in a Mulloway maybe mid 500's. Got the vibe out and sent back. If you are paying attention, you'll notice that mate is catching and I'm not. So while I'm bring mine in, I got a hit and after a couple of runs, I got my first Mulloway. This monster went around 450 on the lie detector and I was pretty happy to get my first one. Safely released. Some more moving around and mate picks up another Mulloway, around the 600 mark and then he got a good hit and onboard came an 800 model. After a few photos, it was safely released. I was on a paddle tail at this stage and as i wound it back in, I got a hit and after a couple of runs, I had a 640, so I beat my PB. The tide started running a lot more so we decided to stop for the day and headed back. We ended up with a flounder, two tailor, one flathead and five mulloway, all safely released, and I was back home in time to do a days work!

From RMS Loads that project more than 1.2m behind a trailer must have a red flag attached to the end of the load. This flag must be at least 300 mm square and clearly visible. To avoid having an overhanging load, you should purchase a trailer that suitably contains the load https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/road-rules/towing.html#:~:text=Loading trailers,-It is important&text=A load must not project,mm square and clearly visible. So if you have a flag on the back, then you are ok from an over hang point of view.

I think it was around $100. They are at $114 now, Maxus 640CCA, and at that price, you can replace them every two years if you get worried about them. I had them in my prado too.

Thats good you figured it out!

The suzuki link looks like it is recommending a normal starter battery for the outboard. I went with a 4WD N70 in mine. Its a lot cheaper, is good with the bumps and the CCA is quite high (640 from memory) Swap your other one out for a Deepcycle. Google Giant Power 140AH 12V Deep Cycle AGM and that will probably be good for you. You can use them for starting, is just not recommended. Thats where the 1-2-both-off switcch is handy. Plus you can turn off all the power when you are at home. I have this and a VSR. and it works for me. Take a portable jump starter with you too. You;ll probably use it more for helping other people out that yourself. That said, I did leave the lights on my car on the weekend and thought I'd need it to get my car started so I could my boat out!. How have you got your toys connected to the second battery? Is it a lead on the 1-2-both-off, if you have ones, witch? If it is, then you are most likely running them from what ever battery you've got selected.

That jump starter looks pretty reasonable. You can use it on your car if you leave the lights on when you've taken your boat to the ramp in winter time! Its a pity you have to take the battery out to charge. Any chance of putting the trailer in the drive way? How a lot of systems are set up is that they have a starter battery, it has something like 640CCA written on it somewhere and a house battery, and it will have something like 120AMP/HR on it. It could be two starter batteries. The house battery is used for the toys like fishfinder and lights. IF you take the switch off, theres probably a wire for the power on a pole or on the engine feed. You normally would start on the starter battery, and then when running you can move the switch to the both, but don't click through the off. That can cause you issues. Where are you located? I was also going to suggest that you try and pick a quiet time if you've not done a lot of trailer reversing and launching. People can get a bit impatient.

Start it at home before you go Put the battery on charge before you go Remember the bungs and life jackets Take a jump starter with you check you've got enough fuel check that the trailer wheels are ok Take it out for a run!

I' ve been watching and enjoying it too. They are also building a new boat to go with it. I want Milan's hat!

Nice work. NMEA is pretty easy to do. Just make sure its all terminated 😉

thanks everyone. with some planning and a bit of luck, it was possible. As it stands, I've got about $1000 in airline vouchers to try and sort out. @mrsswordfishermanwe had 12 of us on the boat, plus three crew. Plenty of room.

Thanks @YowieCertainly I had some unkind thoughts at the time! Pretty funny now though, and you are righ, catching something is better than nothing. I had a ball!

Hi all, A long post, so if you are only interested in the fishing bits, skip down to the fishing heading! Getting there. My first trip to Darwin, June this year, chasing Barra got cancelled. Luckily we were able to rebook for September. Flights were repurchased and all was looking good. Then about three weeks before we were scheduled to leave, without any reason, Qantas cancelled the flights. Luckily we were able to rebook with Jetstar. The NT government also updated their Hot-Spot map and as long as we didn't go south of the Hawkesbury, we wouldn't have to isolate. Then two weeks before kick-off, Jetstar cancelled our flights. Virgin were still running, but they went through Queensland and that meant that we needed to read up on transiting rules. The way it was written, as long as we didn't leave the airport, we could do it. So a final roll of the dice, we booked again. It was a nervous two weeks with eyes being glued to the NT Covid map. The day arrived, and we headed south. The rules stated that we could drive to the airport, and as long as we didn't stop anywhere, it wasn't counted as having visited a hotspot so straight to the airport we went. The airport was very quiet. We went through security and waited for our boarding. Not much was open so if you are flying, take your own food. We boarded for Brisbane and took off. It was a great feeling that we were finally on our way. The plane was pretty full, with few empty seats. When we landed, we were escorted by the police, army, security people, through to a check in desk, where our boarder passes were checked and then we were ushered through to the waiting room for the trip to Darwin. The officials were quite good, and there weren't any issues, other than it took a while. We had 90 minutes, so it wasn't too big an issue. The Darwin boarding announcement was made and away we went on another full place. Same deal at Darwin with going through boarder control. This took a long time, and there wasn't a toilet between exiting the plane and boarder control so it did get a bit tense! I think it took us an hour to get through. Bags picked up, we were off to our accommodation. It was a great relief to have arrived, and I could feel the stress of being in my home office for six months falling off me. First job was to head down to the mothership and load up our bags. We were on the same boat as last year, Tropic Paradise with Top End Seafaris. Beers loaded and were put on ice, then we were back for a last night on terra firma and a meal at the sail boat club. We also made a plan to head out in one of the tow boats and chase all the mac tuna that had been around before we left Darwin. We did this, but there weren't any tuna around. We hooked up with the mothership around lunchtime and started the trip to Endyalgout Island. It was a pretty rough trip with the swell being up and a lot of wind. Sleeping was ok, and it was a 10 or 11 hour trip. We took four boats with us, one on the top deck and the other three were towed. One of the boats actually landed the first fish of the trip! Fishing bits First day and I was lucky enough to be select to go on the guides crew. If you've never been out with a guide, it’s really worthwhile, even if you've been fishing a lot. You pick up small things or new techniques, and the guide (well our one) has a plan for nearly every minute of your days fishing, so there’s no time wasted. As it turned out, the first day was pretty quiet. For me, I hooked my first Barra after four hours. I didn't get the hook set and away it swam. After another four hours, I got my second and during a leap out of the water, it was able to throw the lure. The other guys had a lot more success than me, pulling in a couple of Queenfish and Barra. Second day, and I was in a different boat. Four hours in and I hook a nice Barra, it runs for a snag and busts me off. Then about four hours later, I hook another one and do everything right. I get it all the way to the boat, when the guy on net duty clubs the fish, knocks the lure out and it swims out of the net. I'm starting to think it’s going to be one of those trips. Not helped by the guys from the first day catching fish in another boat beside me. You can imagine the comments they were giving me! Day three, and I was allocated to the tinny. The weather was still a bit windy which makes casting hard work. I did get pretty reasonable with my baitcaster doing a couple of thousand casts a day. Everywhere we went looked fishing, the only issue was there didn't seem to be any interested Barra around. We came back to the mothership for lunch, got told to try a different spot so headed off and for most of the afternoon session battling winds and choppy water. On the way, we found a few good looking spots and after a lot of casts, nothing. Finally found another spot and after nine hours I finally hooked one. I got it all the way to the boat, when the guy on the next had a swipe and missed, and then another one and another one and a forth one. I let the fish run a bit more thinking this isn't going so well. I bought it back to the boat for a fifth time, and this time we got it landed successfully. Not huge (600) but I was on the board and a big weight had been lifted. Day four, and a different boat. We decided to head out to the reefs to see if we could get some goldies before the wind got too bad. We managed a few but thought that they were too small and sent them all back, and then the wind blew up and we couldn't hold ground over the reef so we came back in. We trolled around for a bit and I got my first Queenfish, and that was about all we did for that day. Day five and I was back in the guide boat. It started off pretty well, sight casting Barra and landed a 650. I think we all got one so we stopped for lunch. Moved to a different spot and tried trolling. I hooked one and it threw the hook while the other two blokes landed theirs. Did some more and I hooked a pretty good one, got it to the boat, and then another netting disaster saw him released at the boat. We anchored up and started throwing lures at the bank to see what we could find and I landed a nice goldie. With the trip just about over, I did a couple more casts and got smashed by a big Barra. It did all the usual things, head shakes and jumping. I was surprisingly calm, which wasn't easy, as the other blokes were saying it was a big fish. I let it run, ran around the boat, keeping the line from touch anything, listening to the guide, and after a few minutes, I had it netted and on board. It went on the lie detector and came back as an 860 model. A PB for me. The guide asked if I wanted to keep or release. I asked him for advice and he recommended releasing so that’s what I did. I got my photos and watched her swim off and we were back to the mothership and that was the trip done. A mothership is great way to fish. We had plenty of ice, the crew kept stocking the beer fridge so there was always a cold one waiting. Meals are all provided, and they'll fillet your fish if you want. They have a load of knowledge about the area you are in and what lures to try. We invented a new game called "Catching the biggest catfish with an Ice rod off the back of the boat after dinner." An exciting sport given the spikes that they have and the beers that we had! We managed to get some mud-crabs for a meal, turned some of the Barra/Queenfish in to fish bites and numus and just had a great time. The trip home was a lot smoother. We had to check SA boarder restrictions as the flight to Sydney went via Adelaide. We were granted a passing-thru exemption after waiting in another queue. No issues other than nothing being open, so it was a hungry sort of day. We made it to Sydney, and walked straight off the plane and down to the baggage handling. My mate tempted fate by saying, "well that was pretty painless". After about 25 minutes, it became clear that my bag wasn't one there to be collected. I did spot a nearly identical bag and grabbed that. I looked at the name which wasn't mine and asked the airline people about it. It became apparent that they had picked up my bag. Annoying but not the end of the world. We waited around for another hour and no one could contact him, so we left his bag and went home. The airline rang me the next day. They had got a hold of the owner, the only issue was he got on a plane to Canada, and had taken my bag with him. I nearly wet myself laughing. I looked the guy up on Facebook and warned him that he had the wrong back, and that he would be entering a different country with a bag containing knives and fishing equipment. He was very apologetic, and ended up in a hotel room in isolation with no changes of clothes. My bag got sent back a week later and he now has his bag. Equipment I took up a load of lures and plastics, and off these, I probably used about four. The big one I caught was on a borrowed lure. Rods/Reels A three piece baitcaster travel rod with a DC SLX 150. Nice reel, and very few bird nests with it. Must have done a thousand casts over the five days. I used this the most. When I find it, I’ll put the model of the rod here. A Pflueger Trion Transendent travel rod. with a fin nor LT40 as a backup for barra and reef. It was good to swap it over to rest from the bait caster. An Ugly stick Gold four piece reef rod with a fin nor LT80. Didn’t see much action as the weather was rubbish for reefing. Lures: A white looking Old dog gutter master (I landed my first one on this) A black/blue looking Old Dog gutter master (I hook up on this and got my queen fish on it) A borrowed black and silver reidys hard body. Not sure of the model, looks a bit like a Lucifer. This one got the PB A gold bomber A green reidys B52 And that was about all I used I had a great trip, and if you are still reading - thanks!