Croydon

Hi Donna, There isn't too many for the batemans bay area, I can add a few if you'd like to include them in the gps section. Cheers Dave

Hi Shakey, I will get some today for you. What type of fishing are you looking to do, where launching from, how big is your boat etc? Cheers.............. Dave

Thanks Frank, heading out in the morning so will give it a test run. Thanks again, I really appreciate you taking the time to make the catch and then provide the follow up advice. Hope the fishing gods are kind to you and make sure you look us up on your next trip to Bermi, it would be great to meet in person. Cheers............. Dave

Recently I saw a post regarding a boat catch system made by a member; FrankS. Afterwards I got in touch with Frank and asked if he'd be interested in making one for my Bar Crusher. To my delight Frank was more than happy to make one up for me and even offered to travel to Batemans Bay to fit it for me! I sent Frank some measurements and a rough drawing and within a couple of days it was made. Frank was'nt able to come down so he sent it in the mail with a full set of instructions. The boat catch was made of heavy duty stainless steel and very easy to fit. It is a very high quality product in deed. Frank only charged a very modest fee for his work and i was extremely happy with the outcome. Thanks a heap for your help Frank, you're a real gentleman. Cheers Dave

Hi Yowie, The pro fishermen I know on the south coast have also had a poor season and school prawns have been in short supply due to a lack of rain earlier in the year. I went out to North Durras a couple of nights ago for a scoop and picked up 15 prawns in 3 hours. It was a tasty but very modest lunch the next day!! Dave

Hi Baz, At least you had a go. The 'bus bar' is a terminal block where your earth (negative) wire from the battery terminates at the helm. The negative side of all your switches are then connected at the bus bar. It is just a common earth for all your wiring such as lights, bilge pump etc. You cant test the nav light switch by swaping the wires to a switch that you know works. If the nav lights come on then it's the old switch which can be easily replaced. As for the helm seat try some inox/lanox. Cheers............. Dave

Hi Baz, The boats 12v wiring system is fairly simple and with a bit of patience and a couple of ales most problems can be tracked down. Are your nav lights LED or do they have globes? If globes, the contacts can get a bit of corrosion on them, give them a light rub with some fine sandpaper. Did you loose both side lights and the anchor light? Most times the side lights and anchor light are on separate circuits/switches. If on separate circuits/switches and both are out, then most likely the switches are OK but may be worth checking. Check the earth on your bus bar make sure it's clean and tight. As for waterproofing I've been using a spray used by Boeing on their aircraft. It's called Boeshield t9 and you can get it online. It works great. Hope the above helps. Cheers........ Dave

For years I've been running a Furuno FCV585 and Furuno combo GPS which has served me well. Recently a pin had corroded off the rear of the 585 so had to take it to a marine electronics technician for repair. As they are getting to the end of their life span I asked the technician what he would replace the current electronics with. This guy sells, installs and repairs all brands of marine electronics to the weekend warrior as well as the local commercial fishing fleet and has a good reputation. Bearing in mind I fish for jewfish/flathead/bream in the river to marlin/blue eye cod offshore and everything in between this was his advice. The technology changes every few months as does his advice. He would currently go with a Raymarine MFD and TM275C-LHW 1kw transom mount transducer which has a constant 25deg wide beam. He was a fan of the Simrad units but has seen about 20% of them coming back for repair. His advice was specific for my fishing needs so may not be relevant to all. Hope the info helps. Cheers Dave

I recently did a rewire on my barcrusher. During the research I found some great how to info on a site called New Wire Marine. Its a US site but informative and easy to follow. Worth a look. Cheers Dave

Some great shots there, I've often thought about it for spotting schools of travelling/feeding bluefin on the surface but don't know enough about it. A very interesting idea though. Cheers............ Dave

Got a couple of Albacore 40k's east of the toll gates yesterday. A few good bluefin were also caught another 15k's north east of us, so they are certainly on their way north. Cheers.......... Dave

Hi Jon, I've had the bar crusher for 12 years now. Had Century marine batteries in it when I bought the boat, about two years ago, I upsized with the same brand and still going strong. Never had to charge the first lot as the boat was being used one or twice a week. Hope I get the same run from these one's. Cheers............ Dave

Thanks guys much appreciated. Dave

A mate caught this today off Batemans Bay. After a photo it was returned to the water. Any idea on an i.d. perhaps a juvenile black rockcod? Cheers Dave

also done

Hi Macca, April is right in the middle of the peak runoff fishing for barra in Darwin. The place comes alive with southern fishos and as such, most guides are booked up 6 - 12 months in advance,so may be hard to find someone to take you out. If you google Darwin boat hire there are a few options to take yourself. I will pm you a company that hires a 7m stabi craft which you can self drive or have a skipper take you out, they may be available. Good luck and hope you catch that metre barra........... Dave

The PR knot tool or bobbin is a tool used to help tie the PR knot, and keeps the wraps of braid tight around your leader. It is easy to use and ties excellent knots, reportedly maintaining 95 - 97% knot strength. I saw some guide's in N.Z. who chase XOS size kingies, using them a few years ago. They swear by them so I bought one and have found it brilliant. Google the PR knot tool there is plenty of info out there. Cheers.......... Dave

Hi Zoran, I have owned a 150 Merc 4s for three years now and I am very happy with it. I have had 400 odd hours of trouble free ownership. It's on a 560C bar crusher and has more than enough power for what I need. A mate also has the same motor on a similar model Haines to yours. He has about 600 hours on it and is very happy with it's performance and economy. I'm not sure what prop he's running but it pushes his Haines along without an issue. Cheers.......... Dave

I've just come back from a charter off Exmouth W.A. to the Montebello Islands. We caught a few fish that size, colour and style. The crew referred to them as Estuary Cod, with anything over a meter having to be released. I caught one which would have gone 50kg easy. I did have some great photo's which would have helped with the I.D. but my phone got damaged on the last day. Google the w.a. fishing rules for estuary cod, which may help you out. Cheers............ Dave

Hi Jeff, Once you are happy with the position of your transducer and achieved the best readings possible I'd mark the location. Between the stainless steel transducer bracket and aluminium hull fitting, I use a cut out of a polyethlene cutting board to separate the two metals. If using 316 stainless bolts use polyethlene washers, nylon nuts and tef gel. Or go with the large aluminium rivets with aluminium mandrels. Also remember to re-paint all screw holes before fixing. Hope I'm not telling you how to suck eggs. Cheers.. Dave

Thanks Fab certainly something to keep in mind. I had been told this but now I know why. Never too old to learn, cheers...... Dave

Can't help with any first hand information, but you might try the Braidwood Fishing Club who are on facebook or meet at the Servicemens Club in Braidwood. Hope this helps. Cheers......... Dave

Looks like it's had a recent refurb, but well looked after. I've been in similar and as they are light feel a bit like a bobby cork but certainly capable and easy to maintain. But I think the Carribean in your other post would be a better sea boat. Cheers...... Dave

Hi Mate, Before you go changing props it may be worth checking that the outboard is set up correctly. What are the problems you have now? Is it at the right height? What is your maximum rev range at the moment? Are you achieving the manufacturers recommended rev range at wide open throttle (WOT) for that model outboard? As for a spare prop, it's great to have but probably not essential. Hope this helps........... Dave

I've been looking at a Aussie site called Fish Ranger, which has been pretty good.