caranx

It works well. I have used whiskas canned stuff..pilchards and anchovies and its pretty good. But it can be messy and smelly. If you use the dry pellets all they do is feed the gulls as it takes a while for them to sink. What works just as well and less messy are the large sausage rolled shape dog food in the fridge at the supermarket. They are cheap and easier to cut up and chuck out.

I found mine in Myers , so they should still have some boxes of the rolls. You can usually use the normal zip lock bags as well. You just need to adjust how long you seal them for. Mine does those without any issues and I pipcked up my sealer off ebay.

The gulps that come in juice have to be kept in a liquid otherwise they will dry out and become useless. You will either need to get the replacement juice or use something else.

The 850s are strong reels, but they arent the best for spinning metals long distances . The spool design doesnt lend itself to those applications as good as other reels. I have the same issues at times with mine, but as long as you put some tension on every so often you will be fine. So far my reel has not failed and it has a had life rock fishing.....

Were you using a baitcaster/overhead reel or a threadline as you mentioned a penn 850 ? Im guessin a penn 850 , and generally you would get wind knots , not birds nests. Wind knots are usually down the main line somewhere..either in the guides or after it leaves the tip and the braid goes out as a clump. Birdsnests are when you are using a baitcast/overhead and the line overflows onto itself around the spool and your reel jams up and you have to try and un pluck it from the spool. If you have overfilled it would cause that, and since the lure you are using is quite light , the braid isnt packed on tight when you retrieve. You need to pinch the line before the reel every few casts and make sure its wound on under tension. Or you could use a heavier lure.....

Use the nannygai as livies, and if no takes, then you take the livie (which becomes a deady) home for dinner.

Im not sure if you have the right one - is that the Surecatch one that has brown leather and black stretchy stuff. They arent really that good to use as the leather is too hard for casting and gripping. Look for finger guards on this page, as the guard is a better quality leather and does not impede your finger moving. http://www.ownerhooks.com.au/owneraccess.html How heavy are the lures/sinkers you are casting...? The poppers and metals I use are anywhere up to 180 grams . Best thing to do is duck down to the local park or sandflats with some of the casting plugs and practice casting overhead. Sidecasting has its applications too, but for me its only with very light weight lures or SPs and trying to get them amongst snags etc.

I hold the line in the crease of my index finger, never against the rod. You get better control in my opinion as it wont slip if your rod is wet or slimy.

Owner and shimano have finger gloves made form leather that work a treat.If you are using heavy braids /leaders and casting heavy weights with an eggbeater it makes it much more comfortable. Most tackle shops have them in stock and they wont fly off when casting as it secures around your palm and wrist.

Damo, go for a drive to Taren Point and you will find some good gear at the shop down there.

I think I might be able to swing it...

Is it mainly trolling ? Or cubing +lure casting as well?

Karma !

You can get a daiwa monster mesh ...but is 8'3 when put together. I would have to find a tape measure to see what mine is when pulled apart into 2. It has the usual butt connection, but not sure if that will get you into under 5 foot still. That rod has plenty of grunt with 11kg drag rating and 200gram casting weight. Shimano have a GT rod that is a beast too, or you could go a saltiga dorado, though that is a lighter stick at 15-24kg. But all have a length of 7'6 to 8'3 range. I will try and find a measure and see what mine are once split. Note, that the threadline rods have big stripper guides so you may not be able to get as many as you want in the rod tube.

Scotty, it can be done...just a bit of hard work. You need to mark out the holes from underneath and drill through. The problem with those boots is the rubber is thick and you cant use the normal bolts from cleats that have a flat head. You need to get longer bolts from the hardware store with head as flat as possible, and then put those insoles over them so they dont dig into your feet. Once you have drilled the holes , pass the bolt through from the inside of your shoe and bolt up.

On low sandstone rocks covered in green slime, cleats work best as they cut through better. On other rocks, those rockhopper boots with metal spikes work a treat. It comes down to the type of rocks you are fishing on. On the hard rocks of the south coast , none of the above are good and a good pair of sneakers,hiking boots or old fashioned volleys work best .

Nilsmaster diving minnows in the larger size come standard with 3 trebles. Singles help to stop a fish throwing the lure, but the hook up rate can be less. Note that when swapping trebles for singles on lures like x raps, minnows etc it affects their action , and in some cases quite a bit. Not a problem with metals. Best hooks I have found to swap out to are Decoy jig hooks.

Capricorn J is about $289 or so. Stradic 4000 about $248 or so. I haven't played with the new stradics as yet, mine is the version prior in the 8000 size. I would rate the 'J' over the other version of stradic but would have to check the new ones out .

Actually reading back, I didnt check the rod you were going to put it on. The 6-8000 will probably make the outfit unbalanced. Put them on in the store and see which feels better like John said, as the 4000 may feel better if casting plastics. Else a 4500 series reel like a capricorn J might go nicely.Lots of grunt in a smaller sized reel.

Get the 8000... its the 6000 with a bigger spool basically so then you will have more than enough line for anything else.

In my opinion, save your money and buy something like Tuf line, Fins , Daiwa etc....

Duel or Owner pliers are good. If you are using big split rings then the tip needs to be solid and thick enough to open them. The little penn ones are only good for small rings.

I dont know the names of the stores but there are some there. I had my brother go to one , but he found it from someone he was working with there. If you want to work out rod shipping, have a look at a site like Plat as they have rods. I think you will be looking at up to $100AU to get it here if its a longer rod.

Be careful with harnesses for spin reels. You need to make sure they aren't applying pressure to the wrong spot or you could see your reel foot being snapped off.

Both great reels. My torium has been pimped with carbontex drag and a different top plate on the drag stack . It can whack out alot more drag pressure now and smoother too. Im pretty sure the saltist has cast control and that is well worth it. The torium can be a hand full if spinning lures and you dont pay attention, so if you are spinning with it, probably go the saltist.