Cargo05

Opening a can of worms here, but why blue? Your setup looks smick.

Great idea Fab.

Gold. Great session with 3 of my favourite fish. Great video as well.

i have the 60hp 4 stroke Yamaha on a 450 Top Ender. it is a great motor. i have no experience with the Honda, but by all accounts they are a good motor as well.

That is a great deal of light rexaway1234. How about a photo of the mounting?

Nice cod. Was that just on the magic metre mark? Looking at your baitcasters, it looks like you crank left hand. Are you right handed or left handed?

Good photos again Neil. Looks like it still has a bit to go until normal levels. Irrigation demand will soon be on in earnest so levels may drop dramatically in the near future. It’s been a long time in between fishing opportunities. I am tipping there will be good numbers of natives caught this season.

I was in a similar position to you about 3 years ago. I had a 430 Escape with a 40hp, 4 stroke Mercury. Whilst it was great for inshore, river, and estuary bait fishing, it wasn’t ideal for flicking lures. I spent a lot of time researching a new boat and finally settled for a 450 Top Ender SC with a 60hp, 4 stroke Yamaha. I chose the Top Ender, rather than the Renegade, because I liked the Blade hull with the flared bow, it had a few more features, and I had the same concern as you with the transom. The 450 Top Ender has a maximum capacity of 5 people. Personally I reckon that if you are flicking lures/SP then 2 is the limit. Any more and you are in each other’s casting space. I fitted a vertical rod holder (capacity of 4 rods) to the side of the console, and a horizontal one on the side pocket on the port side to get the rods out of harm’s way. I also fitted a 55lb Minn Kota which is ideal for flicking lures, but if I was doing it again I would get the 80lb, 24 volt (2 batteries). The 55lb struggles in fast tides and strong wind. I should have ordered the EPIRB and fire extinguisher bins to get these safety items out of the way, but still have them readily accessible in case of an emergency. Overall I am very happy with the purchase, but, unlike the Escape, if there is a bit of swell/waves and a head wind you will get a bit damp.

PaddyT I use a cover on the boat when travelling for a number of reasons: · Safety, to prevent anything flying out whilst travelling. I have seem blokes tie down seats to stop them coming adrift. A cover takes no more effort and secures everything. · NSW Police have rightly targeted trailers and utes carrying a load and not covered. The next logical step would be boats. · To stop low-lives from easy, opportunistic theft of fishing gear, sounders etc from the boat when paying for fuel, or getting ice, food etc. A cover will not stop a determined thief but may make a few reconsider because they can’t actually see if there is anything worthwhile taking, and it increases the time required to steal the contents. · To keep out dust and rain whilst travelling. FWIW I’ve had a cover on my last couple of boats and have never had a problem when travelling. On a long trip I stop after travelling for 30 minutes or so just to check that everything is secure. (I live in the bush, so 30 minutes could be 40-50 km down the track). A well made cover, from quality material, rather than the cheap Chinese rubbish with little UV protection, will last for a long time.

Hey, nice new look. Very modern.

Once again we have scum taking what doesn’t belong to them. Much easier than getting off their butts and get a job to pay for their requirements. Great news that Polaris have replaced the buggy. For each low life there is at least one decent human being in this world.

I gave away watching ifish a long time ago. It has way too many sponsors ads, disguised as fishing information, he has way too much self-importance, and it really annoys me when he is telling a local guru how it fish. I much prefer to watch Guesty.

Brazen bastards. They seem to think that the world owes them something.

It’s getting to be a common story. Warm weather + SP = nice flatties.

Some nice fish there blokes.

As the saying goes; if it was easy it would be called catching, rather than fishing. Always good to spend time fishing, no matter what the result.

So Neil, looking at the photos you must have put the boat in and cruised around a bit. Couldn’t resist? Wanted to see if the boat still knew how to swim? LOL. Has the river level stabilised yet or is it still rising? With the amount of water across the state it may be around for some time yet. At least it will give the system a good flush, and hopefully provide a good breeding habitat. Filling the reservoirs has to be a good thing for the irrigation farmers as well as giving plenty of river flows over the coming couple of cod seasons. Got to feel sorry for the farmers who had decent crops for the first time in years, only to have them flooded. Farming is a tough game.

Tragic mate, sorry to hear your sad story. I can’t imagine how much grief this must have caused you over the years.

And so it begins... Adictive, expensive, hugh fun. Another convert.

Great flattie mshuangchao. Bring on the warmer weather and the flatties. What were you using?

Yes moon phase and tides do affect fishing success, but the absolute best time to fish is when you are able to go.

Good carp that. Although they are a pest species, and to my mind inedible, they are a good sport fish on light gear. Just don’t return them to the water. Another good bait to try is worms. The CSIRO are testing a Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), to help eradicate, or at least curb the number of carp.

Hopefully the floodwaters will recede soon to allow access to the freshwater river systems when the cod season opens at the end of November. The upside of the floods is that it may produce good hatching of Murray Cod and Yellowbelly. Be careful with fish identification, Trout Cod are an endangered species and must be returned to the water. There is a lot of good information on the net regarding lure choice. A boat is a definite advantage, but not essential.

That is a great catch. What were you using?

That’s a nice bream. Although you may hear about it for some time to come the up side is that you may have just found a great fishing partner. You may both catch the bug, then it will be on. Good first post jackyboy, welcome.