DrRaymondSnapper

Just talking to a guy at Stockton and he said weed hard to come by at the moment. He suggested rock platform south of Merewether Beach and also rocks around Susan Gilmore Beach. Apparently some blokes have been removing tons of weed from around the area.. Pretty selfish not to leave some for other fishermen to use. It may take some searching to find the right type but that`s the fun [ ? ] part of the hobby.

You are welcome. Hope the weather co-operates.

Flathead spines do not function to inject venom and are not coated with any biologically active compound that causes coagulation problems. The danger from the spines lies in their ability to cause significant soft tissue injury which can lead to severe pain and potential infection. The excessive bleeding that results from flathead injury is also due to the traumatic damage from the spikes. It is unknown why some people report improvement in symptoms after rubbing the infected area on the the fish`s belly. There is no scientific basis to this theory and it has the potential to make infection more likely if the wound is large. I suspect it is an example of the placebo effect but research continues on the subject I am sure that many Fishraiders can comment on the procedure and some will swear by its efficacy but , personally , I have found it to be a waste of time [ or slime ]. Standard first aid measures apply - clean the wound / pain relief / monitor for infection etc.

Agree about the river flow. We used to catch a few Silver Perch and Yella but the carp were in plague proportions. We used to shoot the the big ones from the bank of the creeks on the property. We used to have great fun catching yabbies in the dams too but found that every flood spread the carp until they were in the dams as well. So much fun for a kid in those days. Except for the catheads and Noogoora burrs

That brings back memories of growing up in the Pilliga and fishing the Namoi River. Especially the European Carp. Western NSW will always be home. Your video made me feel like moving back to the scrub. Such a great life in the bush. Thank you for the reminder.

Exmouth or Karumba

Try bait string to tie them on. It can be fiddly if they are very active but seems to work.

It takes character to admit to making mistakes when knot tying or casting into structures. Don`t worry , we all still do it , no matter how much fishing experience we have or how much we try to deny it. . The trick is to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them in the future. Unfortunately , errors will still occur , but it just means there will hopefully be less of them. Losing fish and fishing gear is all part of the " fun " of the sport. Don`t forget , the more you fish the more you learn. Congratulations on the first of many tailor to come.

That octopus was 8 " feet " long

Yes Mike they are lousyjacks aka Apostlebirds

I love Harrington. So much to offer for a keen fisho. Lagoon , beach , breakwall , river flats . Sorry to hear about the lost crab pots. People who steal crab pots should be used as bait in them.

You can try Naru Beach or Salts Bay if you want to spin for flathead or drift for whiting and bream. I don`t know how to download a map for you so just use google maps. I have caught some nice flathead there.

I also think that the blue stuff on Kiduk`s line was not from an octopus. Their venom is not blue and is only secreted in minute quantities. Also , unlike Box Jellyfish , pain is not a feature of octopus envenomation and is more purely neurotoxic., causing muscular paralysis. The pain from a Box jellyfish or Irukandji is another story and is sufficient to cause cardiac arrest. Possibly the most excruciatingly painful experience ever. Sorry to sound like a know-it-all but toxinology and envenomation is a major field of interest for me.

Hey Zoran , I believe that vinegar is used to prevent jellyfish nematocysts from firing and helps in the first aid treatment of box jellyfish envenomation only. . I also believe that it is ineffective in treating bluebottle stings and hot water is the best first aid measure these days. The Blue Ringed Octopus does not possess nematocysts and secretes its neurotoxin via the beak rather than via the tentacle. The beak is so small that most people do not know that they have been bitten until they start to show neurological signs like respiratory paralysis. An average sized octopus has enough venom to kill about 25 people I think. They are seriously dangerous creatures and you need to give them a wide berth.

And forget about it on windy days.

Try around Swansea Bridge and the small breakwalls that jut out from the Salts Bay beaches. I`m not a luderick chaser but see lots of guys fishing for them from that area. Be careful on the rocks too. Speaking from painful experience.

Rings are very prominent so its not happy at all.

Red-winged Parrots are gorgeous in the wild and that`s the biggest Echidna that I`ve ever seen [ and I`ve seen a lot ]. Oh , you were fishing too. Sorry , got carried away by the wildlife. Its a shame that some tour guides are more into exploitation than providing people from overseas with a great experience. Thanks for shoring up AUS-US relations.

Thanks for the input everyone. Time to make some enquiries.

Does anyone know where I can get reels cleaned , serviced and basic repair work done in the Newcastle / Lake Macquarie area ? The reels in question are Shimano Stradic and Stellas ? There doesn`t seem to be anyone advertising online and most require shipping to Sydney to have work done. I would prefer to use someone local if possible. Thanks in advance for the help.

I realise that this topic has probably been done-to-death by now but I was curious as to the opinion of fellow Fishraiders.. There is a confusing amount of information available about various fishing topics , a lot of it is contradictory. It is hard to judge how new gear will perform and just going by available printed data can be misleading I was interested in real-world information from experienced anglers so Fishraider is the obvious place to go. Consider this situation . I am walking along a sandy beach / estuary like Lake Macquarie. I am casting vibes and soft plastics out around weed beds and onto shallow sand flats. into clear tidal water . The target species is flathead for a feed. mmm flathead There could potentially be large fish around up to 80cm. If price was not a limiting factor then what gear should I be using ? A ,,,,,,,,reel attached to a .......rod and spooled with .........line throwing ....... vibes and soft plastics. I would be interested in your opinion on a commonly encountered situation.

I`ve got a 7'6 Taipan in 6-10kg Its a handy all - round rod for just about anything except flicking lures that need a bit of movement or finesse. Its crude in comparison to graphite but is strong enough to lift boat motors. I use mine with a Saragosa for live baiting and it works well. Price is very good too. Don`t expect the performance of a high priced reel but its excellent for general bait fishing or even throwing metals off the beach when combined with the right reel.

As a Veterinary Surgeon , I can`t number the fish hooks and lures that I have retrieved out of various parts of a dog`s anatomy. The worst thing that you can do is pull on a line with a hook attached that is not visible in a dog`s mouth or lip. You will " set " the hook in your pet instead , most likely the oesophagus or stomach. Retrieving a hook from the oesophagus is extremely difficult and dangerous. . And expensive. Watch your dog around baited hooks at all times. They can , and will , do the unexpected when food is involved.

You`re welcome Edward.

+1 for the Saragossa suggestion Ken. Awesome reel. Will handle anything that swims. Great price too. Would be my choice and handy if something large takes the bait [ or plastic ] .