Oldfella

Hi Trigunner; Another thing to remember is not to get any tiny pieces of bait on your line. The jackets will go for that too. A bait just big enough to cover the bend of the hook is the way to go. Jackets are beautiful eating but cook them simply. Shallow fried or grilled. An ideal fish to feed the kids as there are no loose bones floating around. Eat one side, pull out the backbone and keep going. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi Rick; Honestly what can you do??? Even down here in Tassie the forecasts for Sydney mention Strong winds ,big seas etc etc. Before moving here I fished most of my life off the rocks on the Northern Beaches. (Mona Vale ,Turrimetta, all along the peninsula.) Bluefish in those conditions you would have to be nuts!! There are (or were ) multi lingual signs there Unfortunately there are certain ethnic people that simply will not be told! You find it at many spots. The seas are dicey and you tell them it is too dangerous to fish and you are ignored or the language barrier goes up at supersonic speed .As Short has just posted you could not get a worse set of conditions to even think about fishing Bluefish. I would think twice about fishing the edges of the platform at Mona Vale pool in that lot Just heard a second fella went in off Cape Solander. Another Bastard of a spot in crook seas. Unfortunately the noisy minority - handwringers will kick up a stink and make it harder for the regular experienced guys to put a line in. I am afraid it comes down to the old saying. "YOU CAN'T EDUCATE BILLYGOATS!!!" Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi Guys; Personally I would NOT swim in Pittwater this time of year anywhere that was not netted. The Basin is ideal for swimming behind the net. Also behind the net on the flats is a good spot to chuck a lure if it is not crowded. Over the years I fished around there before moving to Tassie I have seen numerous sharks. One year I was in my boat in Towlers Bay spinning the flats on the south western side in about 2 metres of water and there was a Tiger shark on there of rather large proportions. My tinnie at that time was 3.5 metres and there was half a metre of shark either end of me!! It frightens me the amount of people that take their kids to McCarrs Creek reserve and allow them to swim. Ideal bronze Whaler water. Still, deep and plenty of food. Also remember that the Mullet are now starting to school up to run to sea. The Noahs have known about this for a few thousand years and I don't really think they will change their minds now. Cheers. Roger.

Hi Fellas; To clean reel I always use Shellie. Removes grease and oil and does not leave a residue. The ice cream container is ideal along with a toothbrush. To get into tight areas I use a babies toothbrush. For general degreasing Karcher make one that is water based and works a treat. Best of all it does not stink!! Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi mate; Might be wrong but the shelves in the box may be made of plastic which is not UV proof. Had a couple of small boxes myself which look the same as that. Just keep it in mind and keep it out of the sun as much as possible. Hope I am wrong. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi All; A bunch of Blue Ribbons to The Boss Lady!! One for catching two ripper fish.. And the other one for releasing two big breeders. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi Snatcher; Before I moved to Tassie I fished the Lake for many years. Could I offer a couple of suggestions? The secret of the lake is to fish light. I used a maximum of 3kg for spinning and 2kg or so for bait. There are basically only two spots in the lake that has a fair run in it. One is at the entrance and the other is around Pittwater Road bridge. The rest of the Lake has minimal to no run. So it is essential to use the lightest sinker you can I used the smallest ball sinker I could find (size00 I think.) No trace and just a piece of red Plastic tubing above the hook and the sinker above that.. This also works in a run as the bait is not anchored.. Sometimes you may be smashed up on this gear as there are some strange beasties in there. (Also big ones!!) A light rod and matching reel with a good drag is the way to go. Hope this info will help you enjoy a prolific but quite difficult place to wet a line. Cheers. Roger.

Hullo All; I have just joined up and I can see why the site is so popular. No "Legends in their own lunchtime" with highly inflated egos. An example; A previous site I was a member of there was a young fella asking questions about fishing the Bayview area in Pittwater wading the flats. Comment from one of the above was "it's a big secret I won,t, tell you." That area had been my stamping ground ever since I was a kid until we moved to Tassie. What I did was put a reply on open forum and near told the young bloke what strand of weed to cast to!! He caught fish. Good luck to him!! You should have seen the abusive emails I received after that post. Example two same forum; There were a few of the above "experts" slagging off at professionals. I put a polite reply on the forum pointing out that if pros fished to the letter of the law they are primary producers. That went down like a lead balloon. These "experts" were patting each other on the back boasting how much cash etc. they had won in bream tournaments. My reply to that was "If you are fishing for gain or reward that makes YOU a professional>" Guess what?? I was barred from the site. That is the reason I have joined here to enjoy a waffle on. Cheers All. Oldfella.

Hi Bluefin; Main reason is that unless you spend an arm and a leg on stainless self tappers the metal in the normal ones is not the best When you work it out there is quite a strain on what ever you have on your feet in those conditions .Also they are not designed to do anything like using them like that. Over time metal fatigue and rust set in and they break off just under the head.. For my money a good pair of plates with a couple of hefty bolts holding them on is a heap better. Trust this explains things. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi Savit; Get onto Google and bring up the Ryder & Bell site give them an email, They will have what you want for sure. They have been making plates for years. Would not be surprised if they are a lot cheaper than the " Designer" brands. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hi Guys; I have used Kaydees for many years. Great for the low ledges with good plates. NOT self tappers. If you can still get them buy stainless steel plate. Bore holes in the shoes for the bolts. Stainless, bit more expensive but great. Tighten down the bolts and either go to Supercheap or such and buy some Loctite. If you have a friendly mechanic go and smile at him. You only need one drop per bolt and they will never move. I also have a pair to use walking around sand flats spinning. Nice and light, cool and stops you treading on broken bottles ,oyster shells or those small stingreays you find in Summer. Kaydees are ? were made in New Zealand so a bit of a look on Google may help. Cheers. Oldfella.

Hullo All; My name Is Roger and I have Just joined up with you guys and girls. Before moving to Tassie a few years ago I lived all my life in Mona Vale on the Northern Beaches. Fished Mona Vale, Little Narrabeen etc, for Luderick since I was a kid. ( I am now over three score years.) Also fished Pittwater ,,Narrabeen Lakes and other spots with soft plastics for many years. Back in the days when we had to import them ourselves from the USA. Have been looking at this site for a few months and like what I see. No over inflated egos from "legends in their own lunch time." ( Was barred from one site for upsetting one of those.) My posting name is Oldfella. Hope toave an enjoyable time on here which I am certain I will. Cheers for now. Roger.

Hi Fellas; Personally I do not like 2 piece rods off the rocks. Remember a 1 piece rod is a very good arm extension if anybody goes in the drink. I know they are antiques now but I have and use a Sportex 662 for normal blackfish and a Sportex 541 if there are any pigs around. Both these blanks are in the old 12 -13 foot range. Regarding reels< I have both the centre pin and sidecast Alveys. both excellent. Over the years I have worn out (read corroded0 About 5 Avon Royals. Magic reel but the salt does finally get to them whatever you do. I believe there is a chap up the NSW North Coast (Kempsey comes to mind) that makes a replica of an Avon Royal in corrosion resistant alloy. Only seen a couple of them but they are a beautiful job. Not cheap mind but your Great Grand kids would be still using it. Hope this bit of info is of use. Cheers. Oldfella.