Green Hornet

That’s awesome Noel, thanks for sharing.

I think it really depends on the lure. If you feel comfortable tying directly to a split ring, that’s your choice and if you remove the ring and tie directly to the tow point, expect some, or even full loss of action in the lure. @XD351 raises a good point about the construction method of the tow point and possible sharp edges. Another method I’ve used is a uni knot direct to the tow point and left the loop part of the knot slightly open to aid in the action of the lure. I stopped doing it as even with a few extra turns in the knot, it eventually slid down tight and after opening it up a few times, weakened the knot significantly. Remember I said previously I use lighter leaders than most and every ounce of strength is critical.

I always fish the lightest leaders I can get away with so I don’t like mono/fc straight to the lure simply because I haven’t found a loop knot that is strong enough to compare with a blood knot. Tying a clinch style knot directly to the tow ring retards the action of a lure, particularly those around 50mm and under. I always remove the split ring before adding a clip, therefore I’m not altering the nose weight enough to make any significant difference to a lure’s action.

I cringe every time I see someone tie a lightish leader directly to a split ring. Too many sharp edges for my liking. Personally, I like to remove the ring and go with a snap. When I’m feeling pedantic I crimp the catch down on the snap so there’s no possible way it can come undone and retie with a blood knot when swapping lures. I have boxes of lures with crimped snaps already attached. This is just when using hard bodies of course. For my metal slugs and jigs, a small crane swivel to the ring gets me by.

Welcome @telescopic_rodd there’s plenty of good info on the gear you’re looking to purchase in the Library/Articles section and don’t overlook using the search function as well. Post anything more you need to know for a good unbiased opinion, something that seems to be becoming hard to find elsewhere on the net these days.

Nice @R E G I C Y C L E great to see you’re happy with the Vanford and good tip about the rear treble on the bent. I know some guys run a couple of assists on the rear, but your idea sounds better.

He sure has mate. The magbreams are a highly sought after rod and a great all rounder. Very generous offer @XD351, may good karma come your way.

The flies look great Mike. I really like how the assist hooks sit, it wasn’t what I first envisaged at all to be honest and good luck throwing them. Catching something on one of your own creations is more satisfying than landing the fish, as you’d know.

That’s some good fishing Mike. Guess I should give a Slippery Dog or two a try as well. I’d be interested to hear how the disco shrimp goes with the assists. Sounds like a great idea as long as they don’t foul while casting.

@Birdy I have a couple of magbream blackfish rods, one is 11’4” which is the original length of the blank and the other is extended out to 13 foot. While they aren’t the lightest rod going, I certainly wouldn’t call them heavy and they are strong enough in the butt to lift a decent size fish. To source a mag bream these days mightn’t be too easy. Another good option is a Gary Howard Ocean Blackfish rod. He makes one on a GP3145g blank which has a graphite lower section, blending into a 1 meter fiberglass tip. I have a 2 piece rod and it is very nice to fish with. Light, but still plenty of lifting power in the bottom end. I’m pretty sure he also makes a full fiberglass model if that’s what you prefer. His rods aren’t all that easy to find in the shops, but are more prevalent around Gosford and Newcastle. He’s from Queensland and I just contacted him directly and got mine couriered to the south coast. Message me if you’d like his contact details.

I grew it in a plastic container and at first it was just free floating, as all I originally planned on doing was trying to keep it fresh for longer than the rolling up in newspaper method. Some of it eventually attached itself to the sides of the box and started growing from there. After that my plan was to find some weed growing on a rock and place that in a tank, but I never got around to it because I’ve since found a good source of naturally growing stuff.

I originally started using Leaf Grow, an aquatic fertilizer at half strength and found although it kept the weed growing well, it paled in colour significantly. I changed to a product called Chateo Grow, still at half the recommended strength and found the weed quickly returned to a lush, dark green, similar to the colour it was when I first collected it. I must admit though, there was no recognisable difference to how the blackfish reacted to the bait with either fertilizer.

I've grown saltwater weed successfully in the past. I was constantly picking at it for bait only (not berley) and after 12 months it was still good and had doubled in size. You just need to give it 50% sun, aerate it every 2 or 3 days, feed it once a week and top up the evaporated water with rain or distilled water. I found it rally helped to replace half the tank with "new" water, gathered from the same place you got the weed, every month or so.

….and the clandestine techniques of gathering green weed and telling nobody where you where you found it.

In that case you’ll be looking at a rod around 12 foot/3.6m in length and a reel a little larger than the Steelite may suit you better. The Alvey that @big Neil suggested is a good option, as is one of Alvey’s 47 Float reels. Second hand you could look for an Alvey 475a or similar if you wanted something cheaper. The larger, heavier reels suit the longer rod and the larger diameter will increase your winding speed a little. I don’t fish the rocks these days, but when I did I was quite happy to use a spin reel loaded with braid. The spot I mostly fished required long drifts and the higher retrieve rate over a centrepin meant I spent more time fishing and less time winding. My spot was also quite low to the water and if I saw a dodgy wave approaching, I could wind in quickly and get to higher ground. With the spin reel and braid (which floats by the way) there was no need to strike when your float went down, just a couple of quick turns of the handle was enough to load up the rod.

Welcome to the group @Birdy, great to see you getting into blackfish, but please let us know if you intend to spend most of your time chasing them from the ocean rocks or the estuaries as there is subtle differences in the rigs and gear used. @noelm is on the money in saying start out with a spin reel. They’re so easy to use by leaving the bail arm open while drifting your float and controlling the line coming off your spool with a finger on the spool’s lip. There are a lot of good blackfishermen out there that use a spin reel by choice over a centrepin. That being said, if your heart is set on a centrepin, apart from the excellent advice other members have provided, you could also look on some of the second hand websites for something like a Steelite reel. They are quite cheap at around 20 - 40 bucks, depending on condition and the reel so many of us started out on.

I took my brother down there early one morning under torchlight. Had to piggyback him out he was shaking so much when he actually saw the drop off beside the track.

Don’t know if you know the spot, but this was at Eaves Ravine out Currarong way. The way in is a goat track at best and not for the faint hearted. Two of us carried this fish out and we were absolutely exhausted by the time we got it to the top. After that we made up a jib type of crane that we could use that got our gear etc down half way. Still needed 100m of rope just to get to there.

Sadly I don't have too many photos from my LBG days because when carrying a backpack down vertical cliffs with a 80 and 50 International inside, There wasn't much room for a camera or anything else that weighed a bit. This 87.5kg model was by PB yellowfin from the rocks caught back in 1985 on 15kg line and taking 2hrs and 45minutes to land. Sorry the photo is crap as its degraded over the years and was taken in low light without a flash. Landing that fish was one thing, getting it up the cliff was a story in itself.

That’s awesome Mike, nothing builds the confidence more than getting out and doing it on your own. Good luck with the Disco Shrimp once you tie one up.

Why not just buy yourself a decent quality battery charger and charge your battery at home? l used to run a sounder plus an electric motor on a 3m tinny and get around 4 hours trolling, with the sounder on, out of a 15 amp (I think) battery.

Great vids @DerekD, they bring back some terrific memories. My heavy LBG outfit had a Penn International 80 with 900m of mono (no braid in those days) hanging off it and I was spooled twice, by large sharks I suspect. Whoever said lock up when you have a few wraps left on your spool and you’ll get your line back when your leader knot breaks is a liar. Both times my line broke just outside the roller tip LOL.

Ah, the highs and lows of a bream comp. Great report and through your words I can sense your enthusiasm. Pity about that dropped 3rd bream (that’s fishing), but the first one was a beaut and one you won’t forget in a hurry, I bet. 12th place is a respectable result and congratulations in that regard. Good luck with the next comp at Tuggerah after restocking the tackle box.

They almost look as though they’ve just moved in from ocean they’re that shiny. Good to see plenty of healthy fish getting around.