Cargo05

I see many anglers on Wallis Lake bagging out on Whiting, day after day, and keeping a lot more fish than they can consume in the short term. Whilst this is a legal catch, it puts a lot of pressure on fish stocks. Anglers who regularly fish places like Karumba often recall catches from times gone by, and then talk of the numbers of people who go home with more than one fridge/freezer stocked full of Barra. Thankfully, many anglers are aware that fish stocks are not inexhaustible.

All cheap insurance in case something goes wrong. Also think about logging in with Marine Rescue prior to undertaking the trip.

Interesting topic.

Well done, but be aware that it is a very adictive form of fishing. Before you know it you will have enough jigheads and packets of SP to start your own tackle store. LOL.

There are still anglers who persist with set lines, keeping undersized fish and exceed their bag limits. This is particularly destressing with iconic fish such as Murray Cod. Thankfully this illegal activity has diminished significantly over the past few decades. Those who keep “fish of a lifetime” are also on the wane. A lot of anglers now have a much better attitude towards fish conservation. It wasn’t that long ago that those who practiced catch and release was received poorly, but now it is common practice in many angler circles. Fishing clubs for example often now require digital photos, rather than physical proof of the catch. It is every ones right, providing they have the appropriate fishing licence, to keep fish which are legal size and within bag limits. Thankfully though greater numbers of anglers support catch and release, or keep just enough for one feed.

It is very distressing to see the tragic effects of black water on these iconic fish. Such a waste of life. All the great conservation work undone in a very short period of time. The trouble seems to occur as stagnant water from flooded land returns to the rivers. I am not sure what the solution is, as it would be almost impossible to introduce the black water into waterways more slowly.

I have been waiting on your cod season opening report Neil. Unfortunate that the drop in river level coincided with the opening. The Bidgee looks inviting, hopefully a good season coming up. Unfortunately there is often black water after a big flood. That is one big carp.

I guess it depends on the value each person puts on their life.

Great lizard. Informative first post.

I have a 55lb Minn Kota on a 450 Top Ender. If I was doing it again I would get the 80lb.

Great days fishing mate.

We like Oar Gee and Predatek lures, for yellows, and TT Switchblades in red for redfin.

i am another fan of the Stradic Ci4+

For fresh water fishing, cod and yellows, my go to lure is Oar Gee Plow, in either Colour RG or Colour H. For salt I favour SP (estuary and river fishing) and regularly use Berkley Gulp Minnow Grubs.

That’s a nice flattie Gill'T. SP fishing is very addictive, and a lot of fun.

LOL. Great post. If it makes you feel any better my wife often out fishes me as well. The worst bit is she isn’t that interested in fishing.

FWIW we use SP and hard body lures exclusively when estuary and river fishing. The Berkley blood worms are great for whiting when drifting across sand flats. Jighead size is dependent on current and depth of water fished, but using as small a jighead as possible will get results. We have also caught bream and flatties with blood worms SP. Good luck.

Welcome to the forum. Nice flattie. What did you catch it on?

For a long time I used swivels, and as Savit said they are great for quickly changing lures or even jigheads. You do need to be mindful of selecting the correct swivel to suit the lure you are using. Too heavy will have an adverse effect on the lure swim characteristic. As with everything, you get what you pay for. Many of the cheap swivels can fail under load. Not what you want when hooked up to the fish of a lifetime. As most of my fishing is in daylight hours, or under a light on a jetty, I have migrated to using the Loop knot, or sometimes called the Rapala knot. http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/rapala-knot for lures, and use an Improved Clinch Knot http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/improved-clinch-knot for tying jigheads.

i have not tried fishing for Luderick, but, like you, I love having a crack at the Bream. Are you using weed for the Luderick?

Welcome iceman191. Great first post, and a great flattie. What a way to christen the new boat. What boat did you get?

I have a mate who has been to Croker Island, off the NT coast, for the past 4 years. He has booked to go again next month. By all accounts the fishing is off the planet.

I have never been into fly fishing although there is definitely and art in tying flies. Great attention to detail. I imagine that there would be added satisfaction in landing fish on flies you have created yourself.

Great fishing.

It could happen to any of us at any time. Logging on with Marine Rescue, and wearing lifejackets at all time certainly help tip the odds in the anglers favour.