[Portable heaters]

I am old and soft, but you would be amazed at how good the old school hot water bottle is at keeping warm.

[Ahhhh - hook in my head]

Ouch

I have in a rule in my boat no sunnies or cap no fishing a cap saved me once from a similar incident.

Cheers

[What was your first catch on a lure]

Bream on a Wonder Wobbler about 40 years ago - Reckon I still have it somewhere (Don't know if this is the original but its the same as) Still works too, caught a bream on one of these winding it back through the shore break at Shoal Bay a couple of years ago and loved it.

Cheer Blood Knot

Flathead for me on the old Wonder wobbler still got 3 in the taclke box

[Port stephens help]

You can launch from the beach at Boat Harbour it is protected but i have seen people get stuck in the sand.

As Geoff said around tomaree head yakkas and slimeys.

There is 3 visitor moorings at Duchties although I think you have to stay on the boat overnight.

Cant say much for outside as I dont go a lot but inside jewies are turning up around Middle Island and there are heaps of flatties at the back of Soldiers Point and in Tilligery Creek at the moment.

Enjoy your stay and good luck with the fishing.

Also worth flicking plastics or blades on the run out tide from the beach at Duchies.

[Easter Long Weekend at Port Stephens!]

Well done :thumbup: amazing catch

Cheers

[Crab]

Thanks for your follow up work Hodgey another reason this is a great site :thumbup:

Maybe I will taste the next one.

Cheers

Gibbo

[What's your plans for Easter?]

Can only fish Friday or Saturday hoping the forecast improves.

Good luck to all and stay safe on roads.

[Crab]

Hi Trapper,

I checked the photos and only 2 antenna

Andy's crab looks the same I often find blue swimmers colors vary depending on where caught ie muddy bottom dark , sandy bottom much lighter and brighter andy's may have been in a muddier area as the one I caught was fairly sandy area.

This may explain the black nippers

Thank you Hodgey for submitting the photos

Cheers

Gibbo

[beginners fly tying]

Good onya for having a go with the flies keep at it I'm sure you will get something decent soon.

I was out today off ducties and corlete pretty miserable conditions got a few bonies including a couple of leaping ones first for me and a couple of just legal tailor.

Cheers

[beginners fly tying]

Thanks for the reply and the advice mate I'll try them out. I cast up and down the shore at taylors beach for a few hours but with no success, my casting improved heaps too. I was having fun just watching the loops fly off the end of the rod. My presentation land is pretty disgusting though

I have tried taylors quite a few times with not a lot of success with poppers do try dutchies at dawn I'm sure you get something.

Che

[Crab]

Sand Crab?? (Ovalipes australiensis)

http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/mdc/Species%20Register/crabs.htm

Thanks could be sand/surf crab, although caught about 18kms upstream from nearest beach......

[beginners fly tying]

Hi mate,

Nice flies if your at the break wall and the bonito turn up I would be tossing one of the pink flies at them.

Also try them at dutchies on a hide tide where bream maybe feeding on the surface

Good luck

Cheers

[Where to fish in nelson bay/Shoal bay]

Hi mate ,

Try dutchies beach next to Nelson bay high tide at dawn or dusk take some soft plastics and hardbodies cast over the weed beds for flathead,bream,whiting you will find too many swimmers there during the day.

Good luc

Cheers

[Broke off the bottom part of the leg on the outboard]

Hi mate,

I have done the same I had a local welder fix it although I found the piece on my driveway

It took about a week to do as he didn't want put to much heat near the gear box .

Not sure what about making a new piece though.

Cheers

[Crab]

where'd u get him mate?? no idea what sort of crab he is?

Lemontree Passage in a witches hat got nothing else in the other 4 hats.

[Crab]

Hi,

Caught plenty of blue swimmers and mudies over the years but never caught or seen one of these, he was released.

Cheers

Gibbo

[Nelson Bay tips]

Mate there is plenty of bonito in the port between Corlette and Soldiers Point

Try drifting along Duchies for flathead blue swimmers have been scarce last couple of week you could try Tilligerry creek

Good luck

[Broken Bay - Brisbane Waters]

Nice feed mate wish I had slow times and come home with 5 good bream

Well done

[My 1St Muddie]

Nice muddie going to start trying for them this weekend myself.

[Whats The Oldest Thing In Your Tackle Box?]

Found these couple of rareities in my tackle box, have to put them out and see if they actually work

the small one is "halco tuna"" , and the big one is "smiths jig", can you still buy these??

cheers snr

Back in the 70s lost count of the number of stripeys my old man would have caught using the smiths jig

Cheers

[Monster Flathead]

:1yikes:

Well done

[Stonker Of A Blue Swimmer Crab]

Well done I haven't seen those sort of numbers in a long time.

Enjoy your feast

Cheers

Gibbo

[Muddie]

Hi all had a cousin stay with me for the weekend I promised him we will be eating crab Saturday night.

A bold promise since the crabs have been even slower than last year which was the worst for many years.

Hit the water about 8.00am headed from Lemontree Passage to the upper raeches of Tilligery Creek

Dropped 10 witches hats down first pick up 4 small blue swimmers and a shovel nose all went back , next pick up after being down for about an hour average blue swimmer and mud crab things looking up first muddie for about 3 years.Third check I start to bring some witches hat in the boat to move Grant thinks we got another shovel nose in third or forth hat I coundnt see the hat then he says I think this is why we are here and lifts in the biggest muddie I have ever caught and drops it on the floor and it starts doing a tango next few minutes chaos the crab was just in the one he was caught on grabed another i was going to move,the radio,destroyed my racing guide and tube of sunscreen.

Deciding to clear the decks and threw the 2 witches hats out along with my non floating knife jump up on the seat grab a gaff and started jousting with it then realised we had drifted very close to an oyster lease threw the anchor out for round 2.

Got him into 30 litre bucket with some handing work.

Arrived home asked Grant to put him the freezer came up with new idea to get him ready for the pot half a bag of party ice on him then 6 beers and other half of party ice drink 3 beers each and buy that he should be asleep worked a treat

All up finished with 2 muddies and 5 blue swimmers in about 6-7 hours.

Cheers

Gibbo

[Brisbane Waters]

:thumbup:

Nice catch again your on a roll at the moment well done.

Wish I could fish on a Thursday

[Narooma]

Good looking bream there, sounds like good trip all round you just have to put me on them bream now now