Croydon

Hi JLS, Congrats on the new boat. I have a drum winch in my 560 barcrusher and love it. There are a couple of aussie made drum winches out there which are great quality and are making them in smaller sizes to fit a small anchor well. Have a search you will find them. I've been using a chain sock for a while and it really reduces the noise and well worth the cost. The main issue is to make sure you have big enough batteries to run them. They are hungry on the power. Ensure your cable size is up to the task and the batteries are in good condition. I installed a new bow sprit and changed from a sarca anchor to a standard reef anchor for my snapper fishing. I anchor in some rough country and the reefie was just easier to get back when stuck hard. One of the best things I ever installed in the boat. Cheers.......... Dave

No worries good luck with your new rig. Cheers..................

That's a great snapper off the stones, well done. Certainly worth carrying home..............

That's a cracker, well done...............

Oh well, I guess you will have to make do with the marlin, dollies, snapper, jew, etc etc...........Cheers

I grew up in Beresfield and have fished that spot a few times with some Anna Bay locals. You are in a very special part of the world Scratchie!! Well done..... Dave

What a great session, and a feed which is hard to beat. Love the photo's............ Dave

They say the bigger fish lead the charge, but having said that, a couple of hours earlier another boat had a large school of 40 - 60kg models under his boat. So who knows, just as long as they turn up. Cheers...\ Dave

Cheers guys. Had it on ice over night neil and starr to butcher it this morning. Some great meals for family and friends. The fish were 55k offshore so well within reach for decent trailer boats. Should be in sydney after this next blow if the water forms correctly. Dave

Hi guy, With the good weather we've had the last few days, I decided it was time to head offshore and see if the tuna were on their way through yet. Picked up a couple of mates and set out from Mosquito Bay at 7.30am. Nice to be leaving at gentleman's hours after all the early snapper trips lately! Plan was to head out to Moruya canyons and try our luck on the blue eye and perch. The sea was less than a meter with a little westerly puff, which had a slight bump on the water. Headed the 30k offshore and had a couple of drops, but the current was too strong and we didn't get a bite. I'd heard the long liners were working around the 1700 fathom line so we set a course and headed another 20k's north, north east. As we were getting near our target area, we got a call that another boat had hooked up on a large school of 40 - 60kg bluefin in the area we had just left! What to do, turn around and high tail it back or stick to the plan?? We'd found the long liners and the bait was forming nicely and the water temp was hitting 19.6deg, so we decided to stay. We trolled the general area for a couple of hours when the shotgun goes off. It had a little 6" purple and black jet head, the smallest lure in the spread. By the way thanks to Garry at Seriously Stainless, your shotgun pole worked a treat. The 50 starts screaming, when the 20,000 stella with a swimming garfish also gets nailed. The spool starts emptying at a rapid pace, so I grab the rod, as my mate Adrian had the 50 and just held on. After a 90 second run the leader gives way and my fish is gone. Bugger!! But to cut a long story short, Adrian fights his fish for the next 4 hours, during which the plaited double is is within metre's of the rod tip but we just couldn't get the damn fish any closer. Eventually as the clock just about hit 5.30pm, we finally sink two gaffs into the fish and haul it aboard. We knew it was big and thought somewhere around 80kg! After the mandatory high fives and a beer or two, we set course for home which was about 55k's in the dark. Thankfully it was an uneventful trip home and we were damn glad to see the boat ramp. After cleaning we set the fish on ice and made a plan to weigh it in the morning. After a fair degree of mucking around we finally got it weighed, 90.5Kg, a new record for my boat and we were damn happy!! Sorry for the long rant, but at least the fish are on their way and with any luck will be in Sydney soon. Get out there guys, they are on!! Cheers......... Dave

No worries. If it's propped right with a suitable horse power motor, set at the correct height, you shouldn't have any issues other than moving the weight around within the boat to suit your load and conditions. Hope you enjoy the new rig. Cheers...........Dave

Hi Luke, I think trim tabs would be a bit of overkill on a 4.2 tinney. Perhaps a sand bag or similar weight to adjust around the boat would do the trick. What's the boat doing which makes you think you need them?? Cheers....Dave

Hi mate, i have a TM260 and Furuno sounder and get readings down to 6 - 800m while drifting without an issue. I don't have much experience with lowrance sounders, but they are good quality and should get you those depths no problem at drift. I think you will have to go back and revisit your transducer setup and sounder settings. What are your readings like at speed? Does it only loose readings over a certain depth? Sorry I can't be of more help but I'm sure a bit more work on those things and you will get there. Good luck............. Dave

If you're not after a cabin to sleep in, and at 5 - 5.5m in a cuddy cabin, there isn't a 'lot' of room to speak of, why not look at a 'walkaround ' style of boat. Offers the protection you want from the elements, but also the benefits of being able to fish right around the whole boat similar to a CC. I have a 560 barcrusher, and love the versatility, the ride and layout. I can throw lures for bream up the river and chase the Marlin on a good day. Besides, it get pretty cold on the south coast in winter and it's nice to stay warm and dry. Just something to think about. Good luck..... Dave

All the usual reef species are available through winter, snapper, pigfish, mowies, flathead etc are all still around. Kingfish are there too, not in as big numbers but the size is usually larger. With the shelf not too far out at Bermi, there is always the chance of an inshore tuna or two! There are some great bream and flathead in the river and nearby Wallaga Lake, winter is still pretty productive so I'm sure you'll find a great feed. Cheers............ Dave

Hi Warnie, When you get to Bermagui drop in at the tackle shop just to the right of the bridge, on the town side of the river. They are very helpful and will point you in the right direction. If you do a google search for gps spots in Bermagui, you will find pages of info which you can download. They are very accurate and pretty reliable. Live bait can be found around the rocks to the east of the river mouth and generally good squid along the ocean ledges as well. Good luck and hope you have a great time. Cheers...... Dave

Neil is right, all the usual species are still around and need to eat. Flathead are a little slower, so look for those warmer patches of water with some structure which hold bait as well. Work the plastic a bit slower and you will find fish. Schools of tailor can be found in places like the Clyde River, Durras, Tuross etc. If their feeding on bait schools, try and get a plastic through them and below you will find the flathead waiting for an easy meal. Look at the recent fishing reports on here, some good jew have been caught over this last full moon and it's been pretty cold!! Good luck and rug up warm. Cheers... Dave

No worries Brett, get in touch when you come down and if I'm heading out we will try and get you out for a run. Cheers........ Dave

Sounds like you've got the bug! That can be expensive............ For me I find the traditional game rods/reels are more versatile and better suited to the job. Spin gear can be real hard work on big fish, but good fun. Each to their own. I'm out fairly often off Batemans Bay game fishing etc, so if you're looking at coming down send me a pm and I'll let you know what's happening. Might even be able to meet up out there one weekend. Good luck and hope the fin turn up in numbers, it's been a few years and we are due!! Cheers........... Dave

The guys are right, if you are serious about chasing some game fish invest in some heavier gear. Look at TLD's 50's as a minimum. Even better a couple of second hand tiagra 50's and matching rods. But before all that, if you are really serious book yourself on a charter with some mates and give it a go that way. Game fishing is hours of boredom (and fuel) for minutes of madness. You will learn heaps from a good charter operator and if you like what you see, then start getting yourself prepared. Then start reading as much as you can about game fishing, how to tie knots rigging lures and baits etc.It's a fun learning curve!! But most of all, buy the best quality gear and terminal tackle you can afford and make sure your boat and boating skills are up to spending all day 30k offshore. Cheers.......... Dave

Hi mate, You looking at fishing shore based or from a boat? What sort of fish do you want to chase? Cheers........ Dave

Have heard the pro's off Ulladulla have done well this last fortnight getting good numbers of 50 - 60kg yellowfin, inside and just over the shelf. Also a good late season marlin bite in the same area yesterday. I found one on a bait ball late yesterday arvo, out of Batemans Bay, but no luck. The Bermagui Yellowfin Tournament is on at the moment. A couple of marlin, spearfish and one yellowfin around 50kg caught while listening to the radio. Hopefully the tuna are not far off and should be heading through Sydney soon... Cheers..... Dave

No worries Neil, any time you like. The kings are here all year round, but the next couple of months is generally pretty good. Any time your down the south coast let me know, more than happy to take you for a run. Good luck in sydney and hope you tick off a few species while you're there. cheers.......... Dave

Neil, If your travels take you along the south coast on your way home, drop me a line at Batemans Bay, and it would be a pleasure to take you out chasing a kingy or two. Might even fit in an evening on the Clyde for a jew.......... Cheers Dave

Thanks guys, off to Bermagui this weekend but the weather doesn't look too promising. Hopefully those tuna will turn up soon. Cheers.......... Dave