noelm

I have eaten them, and they are OK, but hardly top shelf (in my opinion)

That’s a “Red Bigeye” distinguished from the other closely related species by what I believe to be small, light yellow spots on the dorsal fin, which appear to be present in that one. edit……they are reasonably common in summer, and almost pests in warmer water.

You can also get “multi fit” rims, that suit either Ford or Holden, which are probably a bit more handy in case of drama. Seeing as you are converting over from the ones pictured, probably best to stay with 13” so you don’t run into clearance issues with bigger diameter wheels.

Impossible to say what the axle you have fits, far better to buy a complete axle with hubs and new wheels (plus a spare) those ones you have are kind of OK, but can be trouble if not cared for. You will need to find out what bearing will fit (most had early Holden) if you want to get spares.

Bait collecting (for me) is entirely free (unless I am boating) but worming, pippis, nippers, mullet and everything else just involves some time, minimal effort and a bit of fun. I rarely buy bait, unless I am going crabbing, and then it’s a packet of servo prawns because fishing is not the main objective, it’s just a short “fill in time” waiting to pull the lift nets.

I am not knocking anyone’s plan/equipment, I have done lots of camping, car topping, caravanning and so on, it was simply a question about how you find packing all the gear and unpacking, nothing more, nothing less.

Deal “sealed” our house if officially for sale, moving/settlement 28th March.

I guess if you’re staying somewhere for a few days or more, getting everything ready is OK, but, for a “quick” fish, maybe simply oars might be sufficient to just get around? It’s impossible to have everything, we all want a 50’ caravan with a 20’ boat, and a tinny, and a kayak, and a motor bike and a tent………you just have to sift out what you NEED and what you can handle together.

Are they definitely Toads and not Jackets?

It’s common for big fish to swim with schools of bait, “somehow” the bait knows they are not feeding, but “somehow” the Kings will just “turn on” and the bait will scatter! Have you tried a live bait under a float? At times a struggling bait (hooked to your float) will be the switch to turn the Kings on……or even a popper cast out and retrieved to create a splash will do the trick.

Do you find it a big deal to get everything (including motor/s) in and out of the boat when you need to “topper” it? Then storing everything you need to go boating/fishing? I have done a bit of car topping (sometimes it’s the only possible option) tried various boats, including folding and inflatable, and (like always) everything is a compromise. Automatic loaders have certainly taken a lot of the hard work out of it, probably my best setup was a tinny, modified to be completely flat on the top, so there was nothing to “catch” when upside down, but that was a manual loader and required rolling upside down, to put on or off the roof.

Yep, agree, I have seen lots broken on jetties and so on.

I can assure you, no amount of watching videos can teach you how to catch worms, they are very tricky, lightning fast, and the waves never work in your favour…..but, I like worming, it’s great fun. I am certainly no expert, but I get enough for bait (sometimes) if I lived up that way I would be more than happy to take you….not too sure how much you would achieve, but we would have some fun!

Yep, I'm like them cool too, but…….when the boats washed and put away, and they are just cooked, nothing beats a couple still hot, in the shade with a cold drink or two! They are fantastic when hot.

Never knew that, but then, I have never looked for the limit either……most times I would get about 10 or so to use “just in case”

Lots of meat in a Blue Swimmer, like all things, once you work out how they are “made” getting the meat out is simple, there is nothing better than a hot crab, just out of the cooker, and the big lump of meat on the swimmer leg is fantastic, as is the nipper bit that joins on to the body, don’t know why, but those two pieces of crab are about as good as it gets.

OH and the Toads can drive you nuts…….hate them.

Best guess the “small Whiting” were Red Spot? Easy to get a decent feed if they are thick, a bit of time filleting, but they taste OK. The Gurnard is also fair to good eating (not a Latchet, but a Gurnard?) the Rock Cod can go back (not getting into that argument again) the Mowie…….they are a yes/no thing, I eat them now and then, but mostly just give them away or toss them back.

Best filleted and used as a standard strip bait, can be used whole or with the back bone cut out.

I tossed an old Chilli bush (those small red hot ones) on the ground to “clean up later” 3 weeks later it’s got new Chilli’s on it……just laying on the path, no dirt, no water. I use those ones for my Chilli Crab, open them up, clean all the seeds out then cut them up, you get the Chilli taste without burning your mouth.

Fish don’t have fancy charts and tables, they eat to survive, certain species might feed better with a falling tide, lurking along a drop off, waiting for small bait fish and shrimp to leave as the water drops (Flathead) other fish might sneak right up in the very shallow water at high tide, looking for small Crabs and Worms (Bream/Whiting) others might feed along the edge of weed beds as the tide rises or falls depending on the food available. Fish when you can, and in locations that suit your intended species, adjust your tactics to suit the conditions.

Just to add, for fishing minded folk,, when at a gathering, get a baitcaster or a small spin reel and place a bucket at set distances and see who can land a weight in the bucket, on the full……it’s fun for fishers and great practice.

There is quite a lot of “science” involved in getting good distance, simply raising the rod, stopping, then using the rod to throw a lure does not create long distance, for extra distance, you need to “load” the rod up on the “back swing” and use that stored energy as well as the motion of the rod to cast the lure. I know it sounds obvious, but in reality it’s quite difficult to achieve. To get the timing right is an art, like fly fishing, it’s not just swishing the rod back and forth, it’s timing, practice then practice some more. All this science of course relies on the gear being used to be suitable, rod, reel, line, lure and skill all need to come together in that instant, a too heavy lure, too light, thick line, half full spools all are distance killers.

Water will be still warm in March, should be Whiting on the flats and beach, Flathead lurking around any drop off or weed bed edges. Pump some Nippers or get some Beach Worms for best results. Not too sure of crabbing rules, but it would be worth crabbing if it’s legal (I’m pretty sure it is)

Never had issues growing chilli’s of any kind, they just grow and produce copious amounts of fruit.