Croydon

Have a look at grays online there is an ex fisheries tinnie, with a 25 yamaha 4 stroke going for half that price. It closes in a few hours............

Is it possible to fit a decent combo sounder/gps in the area occupied by the old sounder and the charging port to the left? Or possibly put a blank plate in to cover the navman hole and then mount a new sounder on the dash to the left of your gauges? Cheers...... Dave

Hi Rah, Kegging is the only way to go I reckon. Hell of a lot less stuffing around and generally full proof...... How are you sealing the wert while it's fermenting? Is it possible something got into it during the process? Possibly got a bad can of Cerveza?? I'd just chalk ti up to bad luck and brew another.......... Good luck with it. Dave

The makos would have been there eating something. It can frustrating but fun. Sounds like your sounder is set up pretty well as it is. Good luck I'm sure we'll see that trophy photo soon. Cheers Dave

Hi Brett, Yeah it's been pretty good down here lately. The coast out the front of Batemans Bay is pretty featureless, unlike Browns etc. We've picked our spots by having a look at decent navionics maps, looking for tight contour lines where you'd expect to see steep drop offs etc. Places directly east of a decent river system are also worth looking at as the mountain ranges, valley's, water courses will generally continue well out to see and over the shelf. Worth having a look at your maps around Wollongong and then just go prospecting. We've found some productive new ground this way. A decent sounder helps a lot too. Good luck with it and hope you get it wired. Cheers........ Dave

Top fish is a Blue Eye Trevalla, middle is a pink ling and the bottom is a collection of ocean perch. Cheers........ Dave

Righto will do, thanks................

Thanks Mrs Swordy, I don't have a length or weight though............ Dave

Hi folks, For one reason or another I haven't posted too many fishing reports lately. So it's about time I changed that. The last few weeks I've been taking advantage of the good weather, calm seas and slackening off shore current. With a few mates I've been heading out east of Batemans Bay and using the electric reels to deep drop in 400 - 500m of water. The results have been pretty consistent, with excellent table fish hitting the deck on each trip. Here are a few recent photo's. I didn't get a chance to weigh the Blue Eye, but it had to have been at least 20kg. The best I've pulled so far off Batemans Bay. The ocean perch have been very thick and at times it's hard to get past them to get to the blue eye and ling. Lucky they taste so good.............. Hope you enjoy the photo's. Cheers Dave

Consistent numbers of blue eye, ling and ocean perch have been caught in the last few weeks from Batemans Bay to Bermagui. Cheers Dave

No worries, know what you mean. It's been a few years since I was up there, buy early July things have gotten a bit quieter after the run off madness. If you can get onto a charter operator I'm sure they would sort out something to suit your needs. Good luck and hope you have a ball up there. It's a great part of Aus........ Dave

Hi mate, There used to be a guy I knew who catered for this style of fishing but he has since moved on. I can't recommend anyone else but if you are there and have your own gear, why not hire a boat and take yourselves out. There are numerous companies that hire 4m - 6m aluminium boats fully decked out with sounders, safety gear etc and the rates are very reasonable. Hope this helps, cheers...... Dave

Hi, Yes you can, that is the sarca anchor referred to above. Cheers.......... Dave

Me too, cheers Fab it's a great read and very informative..... Dave

Hi Bezz, Is your question more about how to anchor on your chosen fishing spot? If so, it's really a bit of a practice thing. After sounding out the area I want to fish, I pull up to get an idea of the effect the wind and tide is going to have when laying at anchor. When happy, I slowly motor into the wind/tide, the distance from your fishing spot will depend on the conditions. They say about 3 to 1. So if the spot is 10m deep, head 30m up wind/current and drop anchor, if rough you may have to put out up to 8/1 to be safe. Watching your sounder/gps and marking your fishing spot will really help. In reality and depending on conditions, you will not have to go so far. Lower the anchor with your switch until you hit bottom and have moved back to your chosen spot. Let the boat settle and see how you ended up, making sure the anchor is holding. The beauty of an anchor winch is you can up anchor and move with ease. To retrieve, slowly motor forward until directly over the sarca anchor, this will cause the 'd' shackle to slide forward and lift the rear of the anchor and then winch up. If stuck, and it does happen, you may have to slowly drive off and pull from a slight angle to dislodge. But be very careful, this can pull the nose of the boat under which is not a good thing in a swell. Also be very aware of where your anchor rope is to avoid running over it and cutting off/tangling with the prop. This could also drag the rear end of the boat under. Just make sure everything is done slowly and carefully. I am a fan of the sarca anchor and they work well, but like any anchor they can and do get stuck. Over the years I've lost two, and due to the conditions it was safer to cut the anchor rope than continue to wrestle it loose. The last six months or so I've gone back to a traditional reef style anchor and this has been working well, but when I am fishing up river or over a lot of sandy spots I change back to the sarca. Hope this helps and good luck with the new Bar Crusher. Cheers........ Dave

That's a great result Steve, one you can never forget......... But it doesn't help the addiction, oh no, now I need more lures, better rods, even better reels, bigger boat, ahhhhhhhh got to love it. Dave

G'day John, I have a 2011 MN triton manual 4wd. Bought it as a demo and have used it ever since for towing a 6m barcrusher and the wife's been towing a dual horse float with it. It's a bit too small for the horse float and two large horses so she now uses a 200 series landcruiser. So far it's been a good thing with just the usual little dramas you have along the way. I've towed the boat all over the place and I'm quite happy with it. However, an unknown number of this model both auto and manual, have had an issue with over heating. Apparently there was a 'tooling issue' on the assembly line, regarding the 'head' and this has seen a recall as many motors were overheating and failing resulting in complete replacement under warranty. I've even heard of the replacement motors suffering the same drama and being replaced again. All that aside, I've done 130,000k's and this hasn't been an issue for me (yet). If you are looking at this model have a look at the newtriton forum and do some research. If you would like to discuss it more, or want to have a look through the car I'm at Batemans Bay and I'm sure we can meet up somewhere. Cheers... Dave

Hi mate, All depends on your budget and intended use................... Dave

Well done BN, that is a cracker of a read, much appreciated. Dave

Plus one for outriggers direct. Garry has great gear at a very reasonable price. I've got his shotgun pole and it works a treat. Get a fully rigged set of his outriggers and you won't look back. Cheers...... Dave

Hi Jim, I found my Furuno was out by a couple of degrees. Checked it while I was out against a couple of other boats and a commercial fishing boat. Went into settings and calibrated it to match. Has been good since. Hope this helps........ Dave

Nice catch mate, some good eating size reds there. Shame about the kings but I'm sure they were good fun. Cheers........ Dave

Hi Finin, You make a lot of good points, but not all us boaties are offshore from Sydney. This is a big wide country and we go boating in all sorts of locations, some of those with very little population. All the safety tips you point out are probably practiced by the majority of boaters, I know I do those things you have mentioned. And yes, radio's, phones, sat phones, v sheets, flares, whistles, waving arms, mirrors etc all have their place. And I think the majority of people will use those methods first, but if all else fails and I'm stranded with no other option, I know what I will do and that is set off my EPIRB. Each to their own I guess. Good luck with your boating and I hope you never have to use yours. Cheers......... Dave

The one on the left looks good. Top shot the one on the right with mono, then reverse it so you have the braid on the top, if you know what I mean. I use an electric drill and empty spool of line to make it quicker. Cheers....... Dave

I've owned a 6m barcrusher for over ten years and love it. It's caught everything from bream to marlin and I;ve been out in all types of conditions. It is a safe, comfortable riding boat which is light to tow. I've also been in many similar sized glass boats, some have ridden better and some not so good. A lot of that is to do with the driver. But I still believe a well made, quality glass boat of a similar size which is driven well, handles better than my ally boat. Good luck with you're search for a new boat. Take the plunge head down and sea trial the boat to make up your own mind. It's a small investment which may pay off hugely in making your decision. Cheers....... Dave