rickmarlin62

I would be up for a trip next week

most people stick with mono for billfish..if in a club they use pretest line to comply with gfaa and igfa we fish for fun now and use braid with a 70mtr topshot of mono it gives a stretch factor which negates the violent headshakes and jumps..braid has nil stretch and fished straight to trace can be very hard to stay tight to a beakie.... I personally have copped a couple of floggings when they jump close and shake there head..still fun but not advised for newbies...good luck with the new outfit,,rick

boat or landbased

go with the 15kg rod..a little bit softer and easier to keep a bend in when fighting a fish...the 24 will be too stiff if sticking with 15 k line..rick

possibly but most telltales will flow harder once thermo reaches temp and opens my yammy takes 1 1/2 mins from dead cold...rick

you may have sucked some sand or mud in..it sometimes balls up under the thermostat..your telltale on johnno will run faster after a minute or two once the thermostat opens..you can remove it yourself and clean and test or replace they are not difficult...rick

that's a 146 I had a 166 for years and fished out of a 186 open windscreen model many times..great hull ..deep v entry good travelling hull flat deadrise compared to some so very stable at rest..they were made for quite a few yrs..as easyrider then bought by xatal nautiglass manufacturers on the central coast for 4 or five yrs after that...the windscreen models handle better than halfcabs as they are better balanced...enjoy the 186 they are a great hull...rick

haven't seen yakkas caught in tuggerah or lake mac for that matter...maybe someone has spot in woywoy or gosford..only alternative is newie harbor..plenty in there..maybe small mullet might be better alternative

Winnie bay/avoca/wybung/frazer park/moonee/nth catho/sth catho..need I go on...most decent spots hold yakkas ..where do u want to fish would be easier

you have asked a small question with large answers..every different waterway has different sps that work better..i use 5 and 6 inch grub tails in lake Macquarie but use smaller sizes in port stephens..jig heads vary in size as to size of lure .current.drift speed.so many variables that its hard to honestly say use this one particular sp..everyone has favourite colours...we can have three guys fishing in one boat with three different colours and all catch fish...you havnt said where you are fishing..some good colours at the moment im having success with are...nuclear chicken/satay chicken/pumpkinseed/watermelon/hot pink/then some no name sps in browns and gold fleck natural colours also clear or black and gold prawn imitations..as neil said technique is the major factor in instigating a reaction from fish..if you ask on here im sure there would be a raider in your area willing to show you the ropes...good luck

seen an article in other media of large amounts of cod hatchlings in lower darling....some small hope for the species...rick

plan is to fish washes first then shallow reef nth of sisters or nth rock..cheers for heads up ..seen a report on another site

spent 5 hrs yesterday spinning for flathead in tuggerah lake and the entrance channel...donuts...tried all my fave sps I use in lake mac but no takers...one flattie just bigger than the prawn style sp and an undersize tailor..after talking with two locals they seem to think the same as me that the fish are full of prawns as they have been moving of a night....next trip brouhgton hopefully

wow that's compelling viewing but upsetting at the same time...its hard to imagine just how many fish didn't survive this sad event...hopefully some decent size fish have survived in the system to maintain stocks..rick

good luck on the cod neil..I hate this time of year xmas parties and fishing club pressos are stopping me from chasing my faves...a couple of small bass last weekend keeps the flame burning..goin for a fish before xmas come hell or high water hopefully I can put in a good report..rick

I have a 4.8 vsea and fish fads off Swansea and port stephens...15 nm so long as u watch weather and have safety gear there is no reason not to..i have taken mine to the shelf off swr and Minnie waters..i also have many years experience in the pro fishing industry.gamefishing and general fishing outside...you have to start somewhere so pik your weather windows and travel with other boats if possible to glean knowledge from other fishos...it sounds like you will have a few offers from other raiders so go forth and fish...rick

check your guides for cracks and the roller on your bail arm to see if its rolling or stuck or has a groove in it

scratchie you go past coffs nearly to grafton then bak to the coast ..wooli has a bar crossing.minnie has a beach launch into lagoon type water behind rocks ..suss google..nth solitary close sandon shoals close more reef than u can imagine trag in quantities that will make your jaw drop.reddies on tap and big..50 mtrs plus reefs hold sambos pearlies are everywhere yuddah yuddah yaah...just go there ...rick

We fish wooli and minnie waters the reddies are insane..jew kings mackerel cobes wahoo list is endless i wish i was there now

if I wasn't so busy I would jump at the chance..maybe tee a trip in new year

thanks scratchie the fishin was way hard over the wknd..it seems everything that swims had lockjaw on Saturday with that sw wind blowin .hopefully il get a shot at broughton in the next two weeks..cant wait..then I have to decide between cod and big reddies..lifes a bitch...bahahaha

ended up fishing lake mac and outside Swansea...hard going all weekend...a couple of salmon fri arvo a dozen bream up to 41cm..two flathead 60cm and 72 cm..1 small reddie and two mullet..not a lot for a whole weeknd on the water..i did 71nm on gps..I won our local comp but it was a very tiring weeknd in the boat...oh well cant catch them on the lounge....rick

Thanks mate we fish open ground nth of sisters and slay them usually might try a bit of wash bashin..will report over wknd on fone cheers

Late decision to head to broughton is this arvo or early morn..any news from the area...scratchie maybe ??

Not long now cant wait to hit territory like this