JustJames

Below your price point, but I really like Shimano Sienna reels. Good enough to feel like a quality reel, inexpensive enough that I don't need to fuss over them. Post fishing I tighten up the drag and give them a fresh water shower...and that's it. Every now and then I contemplate buying something a bit more flash and then decide not to bother because I don't see what I would gain.

If you sign up for the DPI Newscast, you will get the changes emailed to you, which makes it very easy. Google "dpi newscast" or use the link below. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/about-us/publications/newscast

One of the things I enjoy about this community is that I can learn how little I know. Derek's points about inflatable PFD's are valid and good, and well taken with regard to rock fishing. For boating though, I stand by my inflatable PFD's. FWIW, they do also have a manual inflate. Failure to inflate when being swept off and over rocks would be catastrophic, but probably manageable if one fell out of a boat or a boat disappeared beneath one's feet. Next up...kill switch lanyards...

I've just looked out for the best deal on a 'manual' inflatable PFD. They sometimes get as low as $50 at the usual suspects, but if you are in a hurry $60-$70 should see you sorted. Some brands have a sticker saying that they don't need to be inspected for the first 5 years of their lives but in NSW, you will need to carry out an annual inspection. Check for fraying, inspect CO2 canister for corrosion and check that the PFD stays inflated overnight. If there is a risk of getting splashed, you do not want the auto inflatable version.

From a quick bit of google-ising it looks like a 40hp outboard is quite a bit heavier than a 25. If it were my boat my concern would be about the additional weight rather than too much power. The throttle can be controlled, gravity not so much. I'd trust the marine place over faceless forum experts. (Dammit! I resemble that remark.)

I don't think there are any fish worth catching left in the Nullarbor. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Nice pic. Looks like a blossoming romance between Rosie and the dog next to Mrs P.

Glad Ellie is OK. And yes, BC's are renowned 'one person' dogs. Bantry Bay is my neck of the woods...I like your plan very much, but I will wait until it's a bit warmer before I try it!

The post above was a timely reminder. The sad story in the smh link below is pretty much the result of doing everything except what is recommended: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hasti-s-family-hadn-t-got-their-fishing-lines-wet-when-a-wave-swept-them-to-their-deaths-20230816-p5dx22.html

You can make an extension to the kill switch lanyard using the curly loopy plastic from key tag thingies from the big blue stationery store, which will let you get around a boat's deck area quite easily. Also: One hand for you, and one for the boat!

You do need a licence to operate a VHF radio BUT (blinding statement of the obvious) if you are in serious strife, you don't need a VHF licence to call for help. My new boat has a VHF radio but I don't have a VHF licence. There are vids on YT showing how to use/operate VHF correctly. Until I have a licence I am maintaining radio silence, but monitor my VHF radio while on the water.

Kudos on taking only what you need. Even bigger kudos on having a hot feed on a 'yak!

Well that's, erm funny. I've only just noticed that Quintrex decided to badge this (and similar) as their "Millenium" hull. Now, please don't interpret this as a slight on Quintrex hulls or their owners, but really, whoever came up with that name really should have cracked open a dictionary. Millennium (note, 2 n's in the middle) means 1,000 years. From the latin words mille (one thousand) and annus (year). But with only one n in the middle, as far as I can tell, this family of hulls becomes a celebration of 1,000 anuses.

For that volume of oil it's unlikely to be from a carb. The fuel in the carbs will be 1-2% oil to the fuel, so if you had a leak from the carbs I wouldn't expect to see more than a thin film of oil. My money is on spilled oil (and there's no point crying over spilled oil). As others have said, clean and monitor.

If you're prepared to risk ruining that record, when summer comes, troll a couple of Rapala XRAP15 Magnum lures (I like the Blue Sardine version) behind that boat, near the cliffs around Sydney And learn to roll sushi rolls to use the bonnies that you will catch.

That looks like a really nice, fun boat. Are the bungs in?

Hellz yeah! They are absolutely my fave fish to catch, love 'em to bits. Hard fighters, no discernible scales to bother with which makes them easy to clean, great eating and the leftover bits make good bait.

We didn't see as many whales as we saw around 6 weeks ago, but 2 weeks ago we didn't see any. It seems that the southward migration has now begun, so the highway should start to get busy again soon. From what I have read, there are likely to be calves on the southward migration, and mothers with calves swim closer to the shore.

I'd be interested to know why you don't think the Merc is for you Antony. Reason for my question is that I recently bought a new-to-me boat with a Merc 150. I wanted a boat with a 4 stroke, but didn't have any preconceived ideas. I have been delighted to discover that the maintenance requirements of the Mercury are as simple as could be, and well within the capabilities of an owner who is happy to twirl spanners. For that reason I have become a big fan of the Mercury. That said, I understand different people have different requirements, and have zero intention of starting an internet stoush over this! But I am curious to know your criteria.

On Saturday I ventured off shore with SWMBO, primarily to find whales, which we did. Pro Tip: Watch where the whale watching boats go! After watching whales for a bit, we headed back inshore, and en route to the cliffs south of South Head, both trolling rods went off in quick session, with what turned out to be 2 bonito. No pics or measurements, but I estimate they were in the 40cm range. So that was a sushi starter sorted for Saturday evening. I've always thought of bonito as a summer fish, so this was a pleasant surprise (although I have seen on here that others have been catching bonito through the winter). These two were caught around 2km out, maybe even a bit more, and I saw that water temps where the whales were cruising were a full degree C warmer than closer in shore. I am hoping that bonito will continue to be found further out, 'cause I am hoping for more whale spotting trips. Drifted around the artificial reef for no action, and then anchored up closer in shore where I caught: An undersized trevally (caught on a small complete and just alive squid that one of the bonito puked up). A wirra cod A rock cod all of which were thrown back.

That is my understanding - happy to be proved wrong if I have gotten it wrong through.

I bought some cheapies from the 'bay because I like not having to give a stuff about how I treat them. They are comfortable on my face, which is the only real consideration. Sunnies are all about the marketing. Polaroid is a brand name, but there are other polarising sunglasses where you aren't paying for the name. Almost all sunnies use polycarbonate for their lenses, and polycarbonate cuts out UV, so no brand will cut more or less UV than any other. That said, if anybody wants to spend bigly on sunnies, go for your life, you'll get no arguments from me.

That should be mandatory, not unusal. Nothing like a hot coffee and a croissant (or similar) with jam in the early morning cool. I know from the recent 'cooking on board' thread that there are those for whom a handful of gravel and a mug of sea water is an adequate fishing snack, but I am not one of them!

Following on from big Neil's thread on "So what's you favourite type of fishing..." thread, I thought it would be interesting to see what surprising/unusual things Raiders take fishing. Mine are boat-based but I am also interested to know what land based Raiders and yakkers take fishing. Mine is a pair of bolt cutters when I am on the boat (until yesterday I thought I was alone in this). They are there because if I ever get a hook or worse yet, a treble, stuck in my person I figure cutting it will make removal of the rest easier. And if I can't remove the rest of the hook/treble, I figure it will be less uncomfortable. I also have the Sabikinator 9000, which is really just a length of electrical conduit with a cheap reel cable tied to it, and a slot so that I can reel sabiki lures into the inside of it instead of having them get tangled and hooked onto everything else nearby. Possibly not so unusual, I have an inordinately large number of caps on the boat. Whenever I can, I remove floating litter (which to date has yielded me many, many caps, a half full bottle of Nifti and a pool noodle). The caps get put through the washing machine and then kept on the boat as just-in-case caps. Over to you...

As somebody who has only been boating for about 3 years, I understand your anxiety (if that's the right word). So here's another 5c... 1. You have every right to be there. Not rushing is just fine. Anybody who takes exception is just being a d!ck, and this prolly won't happen...people can see when you are working at doing things right. There's a big difference between not rushing and being "that guy". If you're launching and retrieving solo, people will cut you some slack. 2. Pre-preparation... Instead of a lock on the trailer wheel, consider using a tow hitch lock, because that you can't forget that. Put the bung/s in the night before. And then check, re-check and double check. Again. 3. I have only ever had winches with permanently attached handles, but you could consider adding a wrist strap to your winch handle, so that you can't forget it (as log as you remember to use the wrist strap). 4. As others have said, avoid starting the motor dry. If the battery has enough juice to raise the motor, it prolly has enough juice to start the motor. 5. I keep a plastic tub in the garage with all my on-boat stuff. It always has the boat key, at least one life jacket (which is the reminder to take other PFD's if I will have company on the boat), sounder plus other odds and ends that I don't want to keep on the boat. Before leaving home, I check that I can see the key and proper number of PFD's on the boat. 6. If you are worried about theft, stow stuff as un-obviously as possible. I use a cleated shock cord to attach my rods to my boat. It's hardly theft proof but it will make it impossible for somebody to casually remove a rod as they walk past. 7. Make as much stuff as routine as possible, so that your steps become, well, routine. Don't over think this. We do it for fun. One of my very favourite things is the few quiet-ish minutes after setting off from the jetty in the early dawn, with a day full of promise. Balm for the soul! Atiila allegedly said "Every Hun has a purpose, even if that purpose is to show the other huns what not to do." Don't be one of the other huns, but you could always take a folding chair and some snacks and go down to the boat ramp for a morning and be entertained, and also educated.

Ever since discovering them, I've been a big fan of circle hooks. As per the article, they are good for fish because they minimise gut hook-ups. They are also good for fisherman, because they allow the fish to hook themselves. No more hovering on your rod/handline wonderng whether it's time to strike...and then ripping the bait out of the fish's mouth. Watch your rod, and when it starts waving around, there's a fish!