the skipper

Hi Hookerbruce, Mate we got amongst some nice flatties and hit a huge school of tailor that stayed up for nearly 45 mins gusting themselves on whitebait. Cheers The Skipper

Gentlemen , gentlemen please take a chill pill and do not read too much into my post. I was just trying to do the right thing and convince myself it was ok to go fishing which I did both things. Apart from all the interpretations of the restrictions the police made it plain and simple to me. - two people per boat who reside at the same residence of which you must have proof. - your intention is to go fishing not just pleasure cruising. - be aware of the 1.5 distance rule at all times these are the rules I followed and we did not have any issues even with having a visit from maritime and police on jet ski during the day they to were really good and again just doing their job. So get out there and have a fish it sounds to me like you all need to wet a line. Cheers and tight lines ! The Skipper

Thanks Jeff you hit the nail on the head I was feeling the guilts about just turning and in my mind I did the right thing. As far as the fishing was I had an awesome day with son with a creel full of flatties and an awesome session for around 40 mins throwing some metal at a huge school of tailor. Anway mate thanks for your clarity on this and look forward to Easter when we can hopefully do that fishing trip. Cheers Paul

Hi Raiders , I sat back like a lot of others contemplating life without wetting a line for several months when the restrictions were originally put in place which I have no problem abiding by. The hardest thing for me is not being able to see my kids and cuddle our gorgeous grand children but as the old saying of " absence makes the heart grow fonder " I am just so glad they are all safe and well during this horrific time in our lives which we should all take stock of and change the way we do things everyday. After the minister included fishing as a type of exercise I thought long and hard about whether it was the right thing to go and wet a line. It eventually got the better of me but instead of just rocking up at the boat ramp I did a recon drive, without the boat , to the ramp at Foreshore Drive where I found a police van and the army had taken up residence in the car park. I went over and spoke to the police who were really helpful and explained the restriction requirements for fishing. There were about twenty boat trailers in the car park and the cops said that everyone who put in that day had complied with restrictions and no fines had been issued to date. So I decided to get back on the water which we did one day last week and had a great session guilt free. It appears that the fishos are doing the right thing so far so lets keep it going so we can all enjoy one of life great joys. Tight lines The Skipper

Well my timing could have probably been better but I splurged out on a down rigger just in time to not be able to use it so I will have plenty of time to read the instructions ( maybe). I got a Cannon 10STX manual uni troll model which has a good amount of features without being to complicated and easy operation. It is probably mid range as far as price is concerned so I am hoping it will give us some consistant results. Spoken to a number of fishos that use down riggers and the common opinion is that down rigging live bait for kings is the best option and much better feel for the fish once hooked without the extras weight of a big sinker between you and the fish. Would really appreciate your opinions good or bad about this style of fishing. Cheers The Skipper

At the ripe old age of 17 I bought myself a 6 1/2 inch Alvey side cast reel matched with a 12 ft Len Butterworth beach rod that was in 1975 . Back then as an apprentice I saved my spare pennies and after a couple of months I was able to afford it. Since those days I have bought more expensive set ups and cheaper versions but for me it is about how you maintain your gear regardless of the quality. One thing I would say is to try and stick to name brands as the quality of their cheaper range are good value for money. My reels of choice are Shimano but that is just a personal thing for me. I am approaching 62 years of age and still use my Alvey beach rig quite regularly and would back it to land a fish every time. Tight lines The Skipper

Hi Fishraiders, I am looking at trying my hand at down rigging for kings. Never done it before but have seen some good catches of my favorite sport fish caught this way. Need some advice on which to buy I have done a bit of research and it looks to me like that the Cannon brand have good reviews and they appear to have a reasonable range at different price levels. The idea that I can put a live bait in front of king at a certain depth consistantly is an exciting prospect. I have been marking what appears to be good size kings on my sounder but it is hit and miss with the depth I run my live bait and repeatedly frustrating not hooking up after do hard work to locate them in the first place. I would appreciate any opinions and tips. Cheers The Skipper

Great pics ! I do not know too many other things that kids do these days that would put a smile on their faces like those.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and I agree with alot of what you say. It would have probably saved a lot of anks if security , a contractor, had an answer like it is clean up the foreshore day etc. Yeah I use that ramp a lot on weekends and must admit it is a very rare problem but for others who are time poor these days are trying to have a day out fishing in their pride and joy have no patience and I find this is when the problems start. Personally , I think it is a good facility considering the amount of boat traffic it handles. Cheers The Skipper

Morning to all ! Found some time yesterday morning to drag the boat out for a fish with my son on a cracker of a day that was until I got the boat ramp at Foreshore Drive where we parked in the right turn bay for around 15 mins as it seemed a lot of other fishos had the same idea with the weather being on point. It wasn't until I actually crept into the line of boats waiting to put in that the problem became obvious for the hold up. There would have been at least 50 cars parked without trailers in the parking bays for boat trailers which caused a huge problem and some heated exchanges between boaters and security who clearly did not care about the issue this was causing. I approached the security guy but his defence was that it is a public carpark and anyone can park anywhere. At the south eastern end of the parking area there is a section that has a sign that reads cars only parking where the gate was open but no cars were parked in there. I travel good 45 mins sometimes longer to use this ramp as I think it is good facility and it easy access to a wide variety of fishing grounds in and around Botany Bay. Do not know what can be done to remedy this but if security had simply stopped the cars without boats and directed them to the cars only section then it would have gone along way to it not becoming an issue in the first place. Apart from that had a great morning on the water hooking into a school of bonito inside the bay. Cheers The Skipper

Nice job Pickles . Was this Sydney Harbour or the bay ? The skipper

Mate no better feeling than being the skipper of your own boat and a wise move taking someone experienced with you. Regardless of how many times you put it in the water you will always find different things that need to be done and that you will learn to do things your own way. You can listen to everyone who will give you advice on how things should be done , and there will be plenty of those, but for what it is worth from me listen to what they have to say and make your own decisions on what you think is best for your and your crew. I hope it brings you as much fun and enjoyment that I get out of my setup with my family and friends. Stay safe out there and tight lines. PS. happy to meet up when you are ready to share a day out on the bay. Cheers

Nice bag Scratchie.. looking forward to Easter> The Skipper

Mate, I have bought two boats from Qld and towed them back into NSW . I had to hand the plates in before I left QLD which then deregistered the trailer so I had to get a permit to tow it back which only lasts a couple of days and you cannot diviate from your trip otherwise you need to get another permit at around $40 a pop. When you get it back here you then have to get a blue slip for the both boat and trailer before you can register in NSW absolutely ridiculous it is like we live in a different countries as nothing is recognised from one state to another. I had a road worthy certificate on one of the trailers I bought that was done by the previous owner in QLD which was done the week before I bought it and RMS NSW would not recognise that hence the blue slip which are not cheap. You also need to register the boat in NSW where you have to take it to licenced inspection person to check all its number etc cost around another $200 plus. Absolute bullshit this country !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once you start to use your electric motor you will get addicted to it and a normal battery will not cut it and may leave you stranded. Keep your battery as close to the electric as possible to also save amps. Do yourself a favour and invest in a deep cycle 100 amp or better and only use it for the electric that way you have a solid back up if your main battery goes down. With me if you are going to set up a boat with the bells and whistles do not skimp the pennies on the important items.

Mate regardless of what hook you use I would always flatten the barb . I find you get more hook ups and less trauma to fish you need to release. I do not use long shank hooks on dropper / paternoster rigs and still hook good catches of flathead etc. The Skipper

Hi Raiders , I am shooting up to Lake Macquarie on Saturday to wet a line has anyone got any numbers / GPS marks they would be willing to share ? The Skipper

Nice reds Jeff ..

Mate, I was married in 1980 and coming up for 40 years September next year. We have four grandchildren who will never experience what I did as a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's. As a kid I would ride my bike everywhere without any worries of road rage or getting caught using my mobile phone while riding. I actually feel sorry for the kids of today as their life is constant video games and social media bullshit! Yeah I am old school and proud of it and would not change a thing in what we did bringing up our kids but as sad as it is to say it will be lost on their children. However the 80's was a good era to raise your children and I am very proud of how they have turned out the rest is upto them. Anyway enough of this crap get out there and take your kids fishing it is one thing we can all share together. Tight lines.. The Skipper

Hawkesbury prawns are in stock.

yes mate they take some getting use to but I am a fan at the moment.

I have my dream boat but it now needs to be the bigger version a Sailfish S8 Platinum but I do not have $250k which mind you I would pay in a heart beat given the opportunity so I will settle with my 6m Reef Runner. On top of that there is the cost of the truck to tow it Dodge Ram or F250 so throw in another $120k plus the mods I would make to the boat and call it a cool $400k there we go, done and dusted For those who have not experienced a twin hull once you do you won't go back in my opinion.

Nice Reds Jeff I will get up there one day soon this summer. Cheers Paul.

I have found that 6lb is a good all round leader as you have a better chance of retrieving those snagged up expensive lures but that is my preference but always two rods with the second one having 4lb just in case. The Skipper

I will make a call today from where I normally get mine supply which I buy direct and let you know . The Skipper.