Croydon

Hi mate, I use the Furuno 585 and tm260 1kw transom mount transducer and it works great. Good reading in 500m of water. Cheers....... Dave

Bar Crusher make their own 'branded' bar catch, I got a quote last year from them, can't recall the price, but it was a fair bit more than the 'generic' catch systems generally available. Hope that helps........... Dave

I have the airmar TM260, transom mount and find it great.......... Dave

Hi Frank, I have a Furuno 585 with 1kw transom mount tranny and it is a great bit of gear. I wouldn't be worried about it spooking fish. I've left it on when I'm in 20m of water burlying for snapper, bottombashing etc and haven't noticed a difference in catch rate. Good luck with your new bit of kit. Cheers........ Dave

That's a great catch, I'm yet to tick a blue off the bucket list! Spent all day out yesterday off Batemans Bay in magic conditions for all 0's. Gotta be in it to win it. Well done on the blue, you guys deserve it. Cheers.......... Dave

Yes typical Reese, weekends blow, mid week is paradise.............. Dave

HI Folks, Well after a few fishless trips, missed hook ups and an embarrassing knot failure, we finally tagged a nice little stripped marlin this season. I took a mate out off Batemans Bay yesterday, the sea was a gentle 1m swell, and a light breeze. On getting out to the 80 fathom mark, around 8am, we found nice blue water of around 23deg, stacked with bait. We jigged a few full strings of slimmies and set out a couple of skip baits. As we trolled south about 9am, a nice little stripped marlin comes up and darts from the short rigger to the long rigger eventually scoffing down the little mackeral. After a few short runs and some nice acrobatics, we had a stripped marlin of 70 - 80kg at the boat. A few pics and off it swam, non the wiser. We trolled the area area for the rest of the day but the bait had gone deep or to parts unknown and it was our only bite for the day. Just great to be out there and finally have everything come together. If anyone is contemplating coming down this way for a fish, the main bite seems to have moved to the Eden are, with one trailer boat raising 13 fish and tagging 11 I believe. That's pretty hot fishing. Cheers..... Dave

Been fishing the Durras area quite a bit lately. A few rat kings in close on lures around the headlands, but pretty hit and miss. The snapper fishing has been slow but early morning has been best and the flathead are still on the chew in all the regular spots. Good luck............ Dave

Very few marker buoys in the whole marine park Reese. Grab a map and have a real good read as they patrol the zones heavily. Drop me a pm before you come down next and I'll give you an update on the local fishing if I've been out......... Dave

Hi Stanton, Six months ago I went through the same questions when I re-powered my bar crusher. I looked at all the brands, e-tec, suzuki, honda, yamaha and mercury in the 115hp to 150hp bracket. The cheapest deal I could come up with was an e-tec from Huey. But as I live in Batemans Bay it was a long way to take the boat for fit up and no real local options for servicing. I ended up going with a 150hp merc 4 stroke from my local mechanic/dealer. The merc is the lightest 4 stroke on the market in the 140/150hp range. I've done over 140 hours and it's been fantastic. But these days all the brands are good with their positives and negatives. I would go with whatever brand you like, that you can get at a good price, with good back up service and a dealer you trust. For me, I spend a lot of time fishing and trolling so the 4 stroke was the go. But if I was doing a lot of water sports, I would probably go with the e-tec in the largest horse power you can legally and safely fit to the boat. Good luck with the search and I hope you find the motor of your dreams. Good luck........... Dave

Tennant reef is a great spot for kingies, but unfortunately it's now in a sanctuary zone. Grab a map if you do come down, the fines are huge. Good luck......... Dave

Hi Reese, Batemans Bay is fishable year round, just gets a little cooler in the winter. But as you said, not as cold as Canberra. The water is warmest here from now through to April and then starts to cool. The marlin have been very good this year and this should continue into autumn. The kingfish have been pretty much absent so far this year but should make an appearance any time soon. They hang around all year normally, with greater numbers and smaller size in summer. As winter comes along they tend to be a bigger run of fish but not as numerous. There are plenty of likely spots both off the Bay and Moruya which hold fish most of the time. The closest area is to the north of Batemans Bay off Richmond Beach. Head east of the beach into about 45m of water and sound around, there is a pretty big reef which isn't too hard to find. If you sound around you should be able to find the fish on the sounder. There are good live bait grounds on the north east side of snapper island on your way out from the marina. As for snapper winter is generally the best time of year to target them. The cuttlefish come in to spawn on the shallow reefs and then die and the snapper just love them. If you can find one floating on the surface, try some soft plastics around it and there is a good chance the snapper will be there. If your coming down, drop me a line and I'll let you know what's happening, as I usually get out once or twice a week if I'm lucky, Good luck and I hope you do well. Cheers.......... Dave

Sounds like more thank luck, you guys are having a go in the right areas at the right times and most of all putting in the hours. Good luck and hope you get a few. Cheers........ Dave

Hi Billy, You're obviously doing a lot of things right to raise that many fish. If using lures, make sure the hooks are razor sharp and perhaps gun the boat a bit harder on hook up to try and set the hook. With lures I reckon I drop 7 out of ten. But if you really want to increase the hook up rate, try switch baiting, skip baits or livies, with circle hooks. Seven times out of ten, the hooks will pin them in the jaw and usually stay connected. I'm no expert, just what I've found over the past few years. Hope you stay connected to the next few. Good luck............... Dave

Nice one Damo, I'm heading to Grabine on Sunday for a few days. Hope I will find a few to play with as well. Well done and thanks for the report.......... Dave

That's very tidy! Is your rope/chain going onto a drum or free falling to the anchor well? If going to a drum then a curved roller may have helped. Either way you do some great work, keep it up........... Dave

Hi John, Probably a bit late now to be asking these questions! Have you taken it for a run and if you have how does it go? Probably not so helpful but I hope it all turns out for well for you. Good luck....... Dave

Well done Paddy. I must have hooked and lost seven fish before I finally tagged one. To do it on your own, in your own boat is just bloody fantastic. That's one to remember. Cheers......... Dave

Yep understood mate, thanks for that. Great news on the health side of things get out there and go get 'em........... Dave

Hi Paikea, Bad luck on the fishing. Just goes to show you can miss out even in paradise. How did you find the charter? I'm heading over in April next year with a group of 12 guys to fish with the same people. Hopefully we have better luck. Hope you catch a few at home to make up for it. All the best........... Dave

My guess would be a habanero chilli. Very hot................ Cheers Dave

Yes mate, but I think they were using all the usual jewie baits, livies, squid, fresh fillets etc. I expect the Clyde will be pretty dirty for the next week or so. Cheers......... Dave

Hi Tulz, Some mates fished the Clyde this past weekend. A few good jew to 8kg cleaned was the best, at night on the tide change. However, with the rain we've just had it may throw a spanner in the works. Good luck.......... Dave

For the past few years, I've been using a Lansky knife sharpening kit with three grades of diamond stone and a jig which maintains a perfect angle each stroke. It's not very expensive, portable, easy to use and works a treat. Good luck.. Dave

Hi mate, your rego papers will have an exact expiry date and your rego expires midnight that date. Cheers... Dave