lakelad

Well done, great to see the persistence pay off and hear of your good times with mates. A well written report also, cheers!

Thanks for all the advice here guys, some great tips which I hope help the next guy. I resolved my issue in the weekend, I looked over everything previously posted and replaced the wear plate and rubber pickup tube. The old pickup tube was on the engine side, and I think it may not have been lined up exactly with the pickup from the water pump housing. To clear up the questions above, regarding overheating the engine was getting warmer every second in idle going from running temp at 30% on the gauge slowly over 45 seconds to 100% of the gauge. This video put me onto the pickup tube, good for anyone with a similar motor, I notice a lot of these old Mercury's still going out there:

If it's overheating next trip I'll review and take a video for advice on the telltale.

Thanks @Smobaby and @Zoran, I haven't managed to get back on the water as yet, but I did pull the leg off on the weekend and review the impeller, not sure I have the rubber grommet you refer to though, see photos below? Since I had a spare new impeller and was clutching at straws I replaced it as well as the two rubber washer/bushing which I had not replaced with the previous impeller. Only thing worth noting is the slightly used impeller (2 half day trips) has a slightly roughed edges as per the photo, will see how it goes now when I get a chance to hit the water. I put some silicon grease on all the rubber also this time.

Thanks for the trouble shooting tips guys, here are my answers to the questions: It seems OK, not dribbling but running solid, not racing like under full steam. I bought this kit: https://www.outboardspares.com.au/ossk32o Mercury Mariner 50-60hp 2 Stroke Service Kit with Oils (OSSK32O) The thermostat has the same markings as the old one which worked OK, and they both functioned OK when I put then in a pan of water and heated it up so I think this is OK. New one opened slightly earlier and a bit further but that would make the engine cooler right? I can't fin a poppet valve Noel (50hp 2001 3cyl Mercury 2 stroke), I'd be happy if the motor had one I could service, but not sure it has one? Not sure I have a poppet valve on the 50hp mate? I will take some photos of the gasket and thermostat with cover off and post here..

Hi All, I'm after some tips from the community as my Mercury 2001 3cyl 50hp outboard is overheating when in neutral? Interestingly it does not overheat when on the hose at home (more water pressure I assume), or when moving along, it only gets hot when idling in neutral. Water appears to be coming out fine from the outboard, as long as I don't sit for 30 secs at idle it still runs well have done many miles in it since noticing this. Now I've recently done a service, so either I buggered something up or this is coincidental timing.. service involved new impeller, gearbox oil, spark plugs, thermostat/gasket. Have tested old and new thermostats in hot water, both seem to work OK. Impeller looks the same size as the last one and fits OK also. Googling has led me to "poppet valve" related issues these symptoms, but those appear to be with larger engines, I'm not sure my 50hp has a poppet valve? My pdf service manual doesn't mention anything related to a this. Any tips??

I'll second platypus mono, never had an issue with it, my preferred mono. Regarding braid I've been running Daiwa jbraid for 6/8 pound setups, power pro 20lb/50lb for heavier gear (bottom bashing, live baiting, trolling etc.). Happy with these brands. I have also had some 30lb Chinese braid on an overhead for bottom bashing and it's amazingly strong, got caught on the bottom the other day and needed a lot of force to break it. If i could remember the Chinese brand I'd buy more as it was much cheaper than the power pro and seems comparable after a couple of years using both

Have you read this thread @OttoVu? Worth a read if not for a braid overview:

Well done, sounds like a fun session. I haven't done much salting @Wildcat I thought salt was used to preserve the meat, but if you're headed out the next day what are the other benefits of salting? Also, how much salt roughly is needed for that amount of salmon so I can give it a try? Those pelicans are getting braver and closer each time, they must be doing alright with the amount of salmon being cleaned at that table! I snuck out Sunday also with the old man for a fish out the heads after a gentlemans start (11am), we trolled a couple of divers around moon hoping for some hits but didn't get any (13cm yozurri and a 15cm halco which have worked well before). We stopped off moon to get some yackas but only managed a variety of other species on the bait jig after half hour of burlying with pellets and old bait (any yakka tips would be appreciated here guys!). Then when headed off to a further reef we stopped a few miles out to check a GPS mark I had on the phone and heard some "clunks" from the engine so we turned back to look at it in the safety of the channel. Turns out when I just did a service I attached the gear shaft back up in a shorter position when putting the leg back on.. it was spinning forward a bit in neutral, lesson learnt for next time and a couple of beers later in the driveway the boat was clean and tuned up. Still a nice day with the old man.

Seems to me the council is focused on the small day to day operational issues, not the big picture benefits a healthy lake system brings (economic/lifestyle etc.). I'd have thought this tourist destination this close to Sydney would benefit tremendous economic value from a healthy lake system - let alone the locals who pay their tax for it!

I thought this also until I read into spiking lately, the RSPCA actually advise that ice is not a humane method to kill fish: https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-a-fish-intended-for-eating/ However it's recommended for crustaceans: https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-crustaceans-for-human-consumption/ I've ordered a spike and will give this a go, great thread!

Nice work @PaddyT, bugger about the one that got away, good luck with the macks and marlin next week! I recently found trolling to be a good way to get flatty's, for me a very slow troll (2-4knts) in shallow water (2m to 0.5m) has been working. The brain spike/ikijime seems like a good idea for fish. For anyone interested I found some good info here as I wasn't familiar with this process: https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-a-fish-intended-for-eating/

Thanks @rickmarlin62, great info, I love Fish Raider and the knowledge shared, I'll post for others when I put this advice into action!

@Adzyideal I'm not a Sydney local and if you try sending some PM's to those posting fish in Sydney I reckon you'll get some tips for areas to get started. I can see the first photo here doesn't have any land in the background so perhaps try around the heads and keep an eye on other fishing boats and if they're hooking up when you head out.. these tips have worked for me in the past. Also, good work on the squid and yakkas, half the battle knowing where to get these quickly!

@rickmarlin62 whats the proven approach for green eyes off the rocks with regards to jig size, retrieve style, cover/walk a larger area or wait for them to come? I've done ok in the past drifting in the lake for arrows, but I haven't seen numbers in lake mac yet

Great shore based session! Do you put the hook through the tail or head of the nipper and what size hook did you use? Also, can any fellow raiders around Lake Macquarie PM me some places to pump a few nippers?! I imagine Swansea way might have some good spots?

Nice bunch of fish 😃. What species are the red ones on the mat?

Mmm squid... I haven't gone squidding since before the colder months, do you guys target them all year around and in the same locations all year around?

Great session, photos and write up! 👍 How'd you get the poddy's, a trap that folds up for the kayak or on line? What was your setup for hooking the livies? I've been looking to do this and was considering a single size 4 through octopus through the top lip and small sliding ball sinker sinker to keep the bait fish down..

Ah, the drone of summer cicadas is almost upon us. Nice work, looks like a fun way to fish!

Great post, glad everyone is ok they can buy new gear. Those waist life jackets look good for rock fishing. I've snapped surfboard leashes before and gone from comfortable to very uncomfortable in an instant, let alone being next to rocks in heavy wet clothing.

Nice work! Top fish, that's one fat flatty 👍

But how can you measure the 3m flatty's on a brag mat? 😁

What's your technique with the plastics @Formosan, anchored or drifting and casting ahead of the boat?

A timely reminder @blindmullet, I wonder if they are completing follow up testing as recommended by the professor?