longtail

That is a Giant aka Goliath Tigerfish, Hydrocynus goliath The pitbull of the Barb family. The teeth mesh into each other and this beast can't fully close it's jaws, like the Wolf Herring. A sought after ##### in Africa, the world record stands at 253lbs 9oz, taken in lake Tanganyika one of the Rift lakes formed when geological forces trapped seawater inland. They go nuts for huge spinners & spinnerbaits and crush treble hooks with ease. The freshwater apex predator. Listed by Australias DPI as a noxious species - well duh!!

Kenny's right. The truth can be found here: http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/inde...p;hl=frangipani

Ian Miller: DCM

You're all very lucky to have hooked a Frangipani. Longliners have all but wiped out the entire east coast biomass. The tragic thing about it is all these Frangipanis go to waste - turned into stickers to be placed on the back of chick 4WD's in the greater Newcastle region. Such a waste of a truly magnificent species. The stocks will recover, once the fad passes. Bad Boys and Oakley sunglasses are only now starting to return to levels they once were prior to commercial harvesting for the sticker market. Take a photo - but please: don't stick frangipanis on the back of your car. Peace luv & mungbeans baby! Krusty the tree hugging Eco Warrior

Al McGlashan wrote a good story on Harbour jew last year that will answer some of your questions. Kelvin's nailed it: they hunt actively at slack water, are sedentary and hold out of the current at other times. Word from the diving community is they ALWAYS hold on the shady side of structure, never on the sunny side,very tight to the structure. I suspect that like Spanish Macks Jew pupils are fixed and they can't comfortably handle light. They can be caught at these times (daytime) but you'll need to drop your bait within a metre or two of the fish. My tip: locate shipwrecks/current deflecting ledges in deep water & strong current. A top shelf sounder is your best friend. They have huge swim bladders for body size and are very sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure. An approaching storm front combined with a tide change really seems to bring em on the chew, a bit of dirty water even better just like Macks...hmmm.

4x kilo plus. sorry for the 'that's a crock' confusion

I expect you'd have a good shot from Yacaaba, tho Tomaree has the killer rep. Failing that you're up for a drive to Seal Rocks. Watched a school of longtail boil up in Fingal today, they're so fast the seagulls couldn't keep up. They show up anywhere anytime no warning. You can fish light (6-8kg) they fight in open water in wide arcs. Slimies are the 'go to' bait. As for tackle stores around here, they all tell you the same thing - literally, like it's rehearsed

Don't worry about it. Port Stephens squid aren't that fussy, and very aggressive. Just got home from Fingal with four kilo plus squid taken on a berkley gulp 7" jerkshad threaded on a spike. In my experience this outfishes the pricey jigs 2 to 1

A surfboard & boltcutters ??

that looks like a pricey Yamashita jig...Yikes!! I would drill a very small hole (dremel) thru the body & pin assembly, Araldite it and put a fine guage stainless pin thru the lot to secure it. this would add a pooftenth of a gram rear bias, easily offset with a split ring at the tow point. I couldn't bring myself to toss a qual jig like that without at least trying to fix it !

Erm.. well you can definitely get into some good calamari & Kings in PS, but the Myall & lakes is better known for the more traditional estuary species. Your best bet for squid on the northern shores is Barnes Rocks. fairly reliable in a N-NE but exposed in any southerly. the wall at the end of Jimmys to the back of Yacaaba is good too. I personally get my squid from Fingal bay or Boulder bay weather permitting, very reliable. Average size is big. Top jew spots are the singing bridge & the boat ramp. The 'neverfail' productive spot is the Corrie shortcut (between Winda Woppa & Corrie island). bit of a hike from Winda Woppa. any of the groynes leading into deeper water also produce. LBG target at the mo is Longtail tuna. That should get you started:)

Hi Chris, I can recommend a marine engineer who has a mobile service. Saved me $70 on a scheduled service, didn't have to tow it, and did the job with his offsider in 1/2 hr. Uses genuine parts & Quicksilver (Mercury) lubes. I was very impressed & he gave me some good tips. Check yr PM.

I've been there, I feel for you bro. The stomach turning feeling of some butt pirate violating your space is the worst. Maybe get your cat a canine companion. Thieves are the vilest waste of flesh that God ever shovelled guts into. Hope they didn't get any irreplaceable items ie heirlooms or antique jewellery.

This is easy, it works, tightens on itself as pressure is applied. Tie it once and never forget. good for braided & fused PE and mono/fluoro

Cool. Thanks for the tip, Stewy.

Can any Raiders recommend a metal or lead HSS slug that closely resembles a hardyhead ? The nearest match I've found are the River2sea Searock in herring green. Must be suitable for very fast retrieve, ie spinning up boiling Longtails. Must cast like a bullet as well. Is there something better (or cheaper) than the R2S ?

This is by no means a first or fluke. Southern USA 'noodlers' have been catching flathead catfish by hand for years. the bite-and-grip is a defense reaction during spring breeding, sometimes requiring a tyre lever or pinch bar to retrieve the hand. No Thankyou very much. Noodlers are complete nutsacks!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodling

Kenny, I saw a 5 foot cobia landed off the marina breakwall last week. I like the sound of 'very large cobia'

about 16 inches, a worthwhile tablefish if iced immediately. becomes mushy pretty quickly if not iced. Got any more info on that other mystery??

The fish in the pic is a female Southern Maori Wrasse Ophthalmolepis lineolatus very common around rock & reef in the bay. The other you described sounds like a Grinner or Lizardfish. Raiders have been getting amongst a few of these northern tourists lately. Shame the lad didn't land that occy. There's heaps around right now, & they're the gun bait for something 'a little special' You'd be surprised just how many trophy fish will inhale a live occy within the system. Is this the slender toothy critter ?? D'oh! sorry CFD, you got in quick. Great minds...

Pin a big hook thru it's noggin & pelt it out. They're not the most powerful swimmers, But will certainly attach themselves to anything solid. Doesn't require much lead to keep them leashed. Copy that. I've seen big eagle rays, Numbfish, wobbegongs on the surface and my fave, NBT's which are a real buzz on spin gear, and in big numbers. The kingis are prolific at times esp. first hour of the flood.

OK, makes sense. This one was from the D'Albora marina wall. We get all sorts of weird tourists here. Hopefully the bluefin tuna will show up next month, fun on a stick !

Just got back home from a twilight session @ my local breakwall. Lots of tarwhine & plenty of very nervous mullet. Dropped a nice jew which took a liking to a live occy caught on-site. So I'm walking back along the wall and there's a big pool of blood on the concrete, 'bout a metre in diameter, I follow the trail of blood back toward the carpark feeling like some kind of forensic investigator! There's a young bloke struggling with what appeared to be a shark of about 4.5-5 feet, not an unusual catch here by any means. As I get closer in the darkness... the biggest freakin' cobia I've ever seen comes into view. The lucky angler was buzzing with excitement - he could have powered the entire Hunter region on his "buzz" alone. What makes this remarkable is a few things:- this breakwall is well within an estuary fed by 3 substantial rivers; Tide was ebbing and the water was very green; the sun had well & truly set at the time of hookup; The cobe took a whole squid set for a jew firmly planted on the seabed; the nearest assistant was clueless with the gaff, to the point that the angler hands over the rod (after numerous near-disaster failed gaffing attempts) & gaffs his own fish! No camera, so no photos but news of this capture will make the local media & tackle shops for sure. Anyone heard of similar cobe behaviour ? PS another recent notable capture here was a 525kg Tiger shark on 15 kilo!!! Bloody lucky it didn't die on the end of the line.

Your suspicion is right, RPL that's a cattie. Easy to tell fron the spinous dorsal fin & short rounded adipose fin. looks like a threadfin catfish Arius armiger one of the most common species of cattie in northern Aust waters. Most end up in crab pots for something really worthwhile. That's what they're best at.

click the link below for a hilarious interview on ABC radio. This guy is a crackup http://mpegarchive.abc.net.au/reslib/20070...7013_415097.mp3