steeevooo

A valid comment, plenty of grubs out there. For this reason we lengthened the driveway for the boat to be kept there instead of it being parked on the street! Now kept 5m from the house, in a very quiet street, with several locks, and usually parked in by a car also. I'd be devastated to have it stolen after 2 month of spending every spare day working on it and the pricey addition of the new motor.

Cheers Jimbo! Yeah interestingly even the wreck at Clareville was delivering nothing, We counted about 8 boats there, no action. 2 boats downrigging squid and trolling around us also with no luck. Valiant was our plan to try some microjigs at, and the little reef off Avalon headland, but once we got out there we didn't like the look of the wind and swell. It wasn't huge, but just wasn't as calm as predicted and didn't want to test my luck with new ride yet, so turned back.

First proper weekend of boating & fishing with my new ride. Recently bought a 90s Stessl runabout which I've been fixing up, and new motor (60hp Suzuki) was installed last week so it was time to go! Day 1 - Saturday 30 Nov: Set off from Roseville around 6am, initial plan was to go for squid and yakkas around dobroyd head then cruise the harbour but after reaching there realised the wind was already picking up and would have made for an uncomfortable ride back. Probably could have soldiered on as it wasn't THAT bad, but wanted to be gentle with the new motor and get used to the boat in calmer conditions first. Decided to spend the day around middle harbour instead. Got onto some yakkas and then trolled a livey with a downrigger around moored boats etc. Sounder did show a few schools of bait and what was probably kings around them but no strikes. Spotted some surface action at one point with kings feeding on tiny little baitfish but they disappeared pretty fast. Wind was getting worse and worse so we headed back to the boatramp. Day 2 - Sunday 1 Dec: Headed for Pittwater this time. Launched around 6am, and with nicer weather predicted for the day, wanted to try some of the little reefs near the headland with microjigs. But the weatherman was wrong, plenty of wind again... once we got out there the conditions were quite unpleasant and we turned back to spend the day inside Pittwater instead. Spent a while trying for yakkas around west head, heaps of other boats doing the same but no one having any luck. Then the rest of the day was spent between trying for squid around the shallows, (plenty of follows but they seemed shy despite us having a range of jigs) and fishing with bait (pillies and store bought squid) around the drop offs and deep holes. Tried some of our usual spots from the past, plenty of boats there, plenty of different approaches/baits/techniques, but bugger all action. Packed it in around mid arvo. Day 3 - Monday 2 Dec: Back to Middle Harbour. Weather was predicted to be super windy, but thought we'd give it a go anyway. Tried a few spots around Seaforth and near Tunks hoping for yakkas. Ended up just dealing with loads of annoying pinkies. Wind was getting worse, headed to Bantry Bay, burleyed up and used up the rest of our bait, not much happened apart from the occasional bite. Wind became unbearable and we called it a day. So 3 days of zeros! Zeros apart from yakkas and pinkies anyway. But a fun weekend regardless. Managed to put about 13 hours on the new motor. Curious to hear how others went this weekend! Now patiently watching the weather reports for next weekend, hoping we'll get some better conditions...

Agreed, it's amazing how they truly do ignore what the majority of voters actually want. Another insulting aspect to consider with water restrictions is the desalination plant! Our taxes paid for it to be built ($2.3bn), and ever since then it has cost the average Sydney household an extra $90 on their annual water bills to pay for it to sit there inactive. Now that it is being turned on, that will add another $30 per year onto everyone's water bills. Once again thanks to our glorious Liberal leaders, who handed it over to a private company 2 years after it was built... What a joke! Boggles the mind.

Nice on Zoran, I think that's exactly the info we all needed to know Seems flushing motors is still ok, and rinsing the boat & trailer down for up to 10 minutes also. Level 2 water restriction rules:

hehe as long as you have rain!

Yeah I see your point, I'm undecided if those marine park changes were good or bad, but in this case it's not one of the direct things to impact low water levels. Selling off our water to foreign companies before that water reaches river systems plus opening up new mass scale unsustainable logging which impacts weather patterns have probably been the biggest local contributors.

Good point, I didn't even think about washing the boat itself and the trailer. Would be a pain in the butt to have to go home via a carwash every time you go for a fish if you want to wash and maintain your setup...

I think they have to filter and re-use their water. Otherwise yeah makes no sense at all!

Just wondering, anyone else concerned about possible implications of new water restrictions and flushing our motors after saltwater use? https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/premier-announces-toughest-water-restrictions-in-a-decade-20191120-p53cix.html Thanks to the glorious liberal/national parties we're set for very dry conditions ahead, meaning water restrictions will be here for a while. (not interested in a debate on the matter btw, here's a handy list of how they can be held responsible: http://situationtheatre.com/features-2/climate-election-government-record) Have water conditions in the past ever affected flushing boat motors? Or is it generally left alone and considered a necessity, like water use for cars? Wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this. Do we need to start thinking of backup plans, such as a big bucket of fresh water kept in the driveway or something along those lines? Hopefully worrying unnecessarily but thought the topic could be worth some discussion...

Cheers for the tip, perhaps we were only around seagrass. Any advice on where it is more kelp than seagrass? The only area I'm familiar with is near West Head, but assuming there are more kelp beds around?

Hey folks! Anyone had any luck with squid in Pittwater recently? Was very quiet when I was out last 2 weeks ago. Tried a few of the usual bays and around The Basin etc but to no avail. Wondering if they have become a bit more active yet. Or maybe we need to try some other spots...

Hmm reading into it more it sounds like relocating the battery can have other drawbacks. Voltage drop over cable length seems to be the reason batteries being kept close to motors, which can be overcome with bigger gauge cable, but potential impact on top speed and fuel consumption if relocated to the front. Plus potentially shortened battery lifespan from banging around in chop. Maybe I'll leave that until last, and see how it sits on the water and how easily it gets onto plane once new motor is fitted and bait tank running.

Thanks for the input folks! Smobaby, not a bad idea to test weight. A valid point about weight at the rear also. I really would prefer the bait tank somewhere near the rear though... I did consider relocating the battery to the front but was told by someone it's best to have battery not far from the motor for cranking purposes, not sure if this is correct? If not, perhaps I'll relocate the battery. New motor is being installed in a few weeks, so now would be a good time to move it. The more I think about this, the more I'm considering it may be best to have 2 rear boarding steps welded on, then I can have the bait tank resting on top of one of these. Could be the best option for both saving space as well as for plumbing the tank.

Here are pics of the inside & outside:

Hi all, I'm guessing this question may have been asked, but keen for some experienced input on the topic. Recently built a livebait tank out of an esky and bilge pump. Haven't had a chance to test it out on the water yet, but testing it at home it circulates water well. The plan was to sit it towards the rear of the boat in front of the transom, sitting on top of a frame. Inlet hose from bilge pump coming in higher than outlet hose, which then drains out over the back. However after some handy input from another Fishraider member (cheers Frank), I've come to realise that having the bait tank up high like that won't be ideal as the water will slosh around, (plus I did have possible concerns around the impact of higher centre of gravity). So my question, for installing a bait tank lower down on a runabout, probably removing and replacing one of the rear seats, or perhaps just under it and the seat on top for when its not in use, what advice do people have for the outlet of the tank? My plan was to just have the outlet gravity fed, draining out the back as the outlet was higher than the transom wall. But if the tank sits lower than the wall, how does the water get out? Is it essential to drill a hole? Haha not so keen on drilling extra holes in my boat... Or maybe having a 2nd bilge pump could be an option to pump water out but seems a bit unnecessary? Or would I be best off mounting something externally to the rear of the boat, where it can then drain out on it's own accord? Keen to hear everyone's thoughts on this Any advice welcome! Boat is a 15ft Stessl, aluminium runabout.

Hey Frank, Whereabouts are you located? Sydney? I'd be keen to chat about getting a baitboard fabricated, and a rear step also if that's something you can do. Bought a 90s Stessl runabout recently that I'm fixing up Aaaaalmost there. Sorry to hijack the thread Berleyguts, hope you found a solution.

PM me for details of a harbour charter. I think his prices are good value, and nowhere near the prices mentioned above You won't be on your own, as the boat takes 6 people from memory, but regardless you'll have a great day out on the water!

Cheers noelm, Yeah I took a mechanic buddy with me and all seems ok. Carbies recently rebuilt, new water pump, and serviced not long ago with new plugs/filter/gearbox oil. Seems fine, taking it out for a test run tomorrow. The hull is immaculate, not a single ding or scratch A few things to fix up (as always haha) like some sloppy wiring where someone added a stereo. See how I go

Hi all! The time has finally come to upgrade from my little tinny and move on to something a bit more capable. Fishing harbours & estuaries has been fun but I'd like to get outside the heads etc. Or at least out towards the opening, I don't feel too safe doing so in my current 12ft quintrex from the 70's haha. Wondering if anyone has experience with 90s model Stessl 4.6m runabouts? Or knows anything about them? Can't seem to find much online... I'm looking at one that is for sale, overall seems good. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of with these boats? This particular one has a 55hp Suzuki which has been repainted and has recently rebuilt carby. Perhaps some raiders on here may recognise that model outboard and have some comments to make on that also. I'm not expecting to go way out to sea, but I'm keen to get out into places where my tinny simply just can't go. Any advice welcome. My budget is around 6k, and looking at runabouts from the 80s/90s. Prefer aluminium over fibreglass.

Good to know! The rods we're planning to take have 20lb braid on them. Hehe see how we go!

Legend, thanks Cossie! Any suggestions for what kind of jigs to take? I'll buy some here before I head over

Hey guys, thanks for the info! Not a surprise that I wasn't finding much online about fishing in the Adriatic Sea then hey! Good thing the fishing will just be an added bonus, I'm heading over for a holiday and a week aboard a yacht with some friends. We'll take a few small rods with us, like 2-5kg gear with 15lb line and see what happens :) Might pack a 4 or 6lb option too going off SquidMark's advice. Trolling hardbodies is a great idea, we'll be spending a lot of time cruising from one spot to the next anyway! As for a local tackle store, it's more just to buy some local lures, we'll take everything else with us.

Heya folks! Have any of you fished the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Croatia? Heading there soon for a week on a yacht with a group of friends Planning to take a few rods with us, but have not much clue of what to expect. Anyone have any ideas on what sort of lures may be the go in that part of the world? Any tips in general? We plan to hit up a tackle store when we fly in to grab some lures locally, but always good to have an idea of what to go for

This place looks stunning, would love to get down there one day!