Sputnik

That's a simply sensational fish - one that anyone should be proud of. Well done, Mr. Fishrunner! Shame you didn't get the other one to the boat. There's many a fisherman who'd give his casting arm to get a fish like that in a tournament... Congratulations. P.S. I love the "elbowslapper" photo - no one could ever doubt the size of a fish based on that!

I have a servo-driven (Digital) 82lb motor - and the motor doesn't turn at all when I take my foot off the pedal. I'd give the guys at Motorguide Australia (I think they're part of Mercury here) a call and see if they can offer any advice - they were incredibly helpful when I called them prior to buying mine.

Which model did you get? And was it bought new? The spinning you talk about doesn't sound right at all. I have a new 82lb MG on my boat, too, and have had no problems (touch wood), other than the fact that the shop that installed it didn't tighten everything up, which made for an interesting first trip out! Like I said, the spinning around isn't the right thing at all - might be worth getting that checked out pretty soon...

That's also the day of the ABT Hawkesbury Summer Session (launching from Bayview), so there'll be plenty of boats on the water (not sure if you'll be able to get them all to join in, though, seeing as they'll be fishing a Bream comp).

As Ken says, I'm not sure how competitive their prices are, but their service is fantastic - I order one day, and it arrives on my desk the next - and I'm in Sydney and they're in Queensland. You can't say fairer than that. Hope that helps.

Nice one Mark, Phil. That's an absolute cracker of a Sambo, mate! Did you keep a couple of the Kingies? Got to be my absolute favourite fish for sashimi. Well done on breaking the Kingy duck, Mark - they can only get bigger and better from here...

Jack (Wacko) and I have been talking about a Cowan excursion for ages. But the last time we set one up, guess what - it blew too hard, so we cancelled. Another journey was set for Sunday, so you can imagine how delighted I was when I looked out of the window on Sunday morning and saw such things as dustbins, cows, and spots blown off dogs flying past. Bugrit. However, we decided not to call the whole thing off until the umpires had another pitch inspection later in the morning, so I was delighted when Jack called me and told me that the wind had backed off a bit up his way. I now know this meant that the trees were still bending in half, but at least they weren't breaking now. On arrival at Apple Tree Bay, I was actually quite encouraged. Sure, there was the occasional gust of wind, but nothing to bother us too much, so off we went. I think we'd got about 500 metres before we came across the wind (it had been waiting in ambush). Wow. However, it did give us a really good impression of what it must be like to be on a really fast Bass boat! But still we weren't about to give up, and spent the next few hours looking for some calmer shores. There weren't really any. As Jack pointed out, a Westerly simply wraps itself around all the bays and points in Cowan, leaving you with just about nowhere to hide. Somehow, we still managed a couple of fish (well, Jack did - my contribution to the afternoon was getting bitten off by a Tailor). This Sambo was the highlight of the afternoon - Jack called it for a King at first, it went so hard. A couple more Bream followed later on after the wind died off a bit, but it was a really tough afternoon. However, it's done nothing to spoil my enthusiasm for Cowan. Thanks, Jack - I can't wait to go back!

Nice one, mate! Lovely fat, healthy-looking Bass. Nice combo, too... Do I win a prize if I can guess what it took?

Nice one, Chris - one day you'll have to show me how to do it!

Way to go, Ken! That's one for the diary, I reckon. I remember about 2 years ago heading out into the harbour with a couple of mates and Dean Hayes and coming across a massive Salmon school busting up like that - there's nothing quite like it, is there? But what is it with Strudwicks? I've picked a few up in the tackle shops and always thought that they felt like top pieces of gear, yet I've heard of a number of rods literally shattering recently. Have people been giving them more stick than they were meant to withstand, or is there a more fundamental problem here? Just a question. Once again, nice work, Ken - let's hope it's the first of many...

Nice one, Joe - great report, too. I've got to get me one of them Bass one day - roll on Summer and cicada time, I say! Well done, mate. And yes, the old chrome dome does seem to suit you - are you going to keep it that way?

Hi Weiry, I haven't tried the new rods (didn't even know they were coming out, to be honest). However, I do have to say that although I have a heap of Sage fly rods (which are all on holiday in Tasmania until I can get back there), I've found that some of their new "ultra high modulus" graphite rods have been just a little TOO fast for me. The action is all at the tip, and while that might suit some people, it always seemed to make the casting a bit too "hurried" for me. However, fly rod selection is the ultimate "horses for courses" - have a flick and see what you think. If you're looking for a rod that loads fast and is good for flicking small flies in tight cover, or making "reaction" casts to pods of boiling fish, the very fast action might suit you down to a tee. However, for a day of steady loch-styling and putting in a lot of steady, easy casts, it might not be what you're after. Apart from anything else - let us know what you think after you've tried one - I'd be very interested to hear about them!

Nice one, Jewel! I had the same experience yesterday. I suddenly thought to myself; "hang on, single bloke in small vessel, moving fast, heading straight up the harbour towards the Kittyhawk..." Turned left into Neutral Bay pretty smartish as those big, angry-looking birds came buzzing across the water towards me! Fantastic fish, mate. I so nearly decided to hit Iron Cove yesterday. Wish I had now...

Quite correct, chaps - mine's the Edgetracker, Snag's is the Stacer. Nice rig, too - got livewells you could swim laps in and a dual console so your non-boater stays dry too. From memory, the only slight issue is the length of the rod lockers in the Stacer (I think they were 6' 6", but I'm sure you could ask to get them extended), and I don't know if there's anywhere to put a "stand up" rod rack to keep the rods while you're fishing. If you want an opinion, why not drop Snag a PM, Russ? (Unless, of course, it's him that's selling the boat!).

Nice going, guys. A wonderful day to be out soaking plastics while some of us were in endless meetings! Great Blurter, too, Mitch. They sure do give you the run-around, don't they?

Ahh, yes - I remember hearing a boat going past with a full onboard disco... Does that sound like you, Jimbo? (By the way - good going, mate - nice work if you can get it!)

That's me, mate. I have to confess that I've been really slack and haven't got round to getting myself a Fishraider sticker yet. I'll have to fix that! Which boat were you in, mate?

Me too, mate. We'll have to get that outing together set up sometime, seeing as we missed out before... Drop me a PM sometime.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. To answer your question, Mr. Cool, I always try and post anything worthy of note (even if sometimes it's a lack of fish), but I'm only human, so I do tend to put in a bit more effort when the results have been good! Swoff, Ken - I can't say you don't know what you're missing, becaused I'm sure you've read a few reports lately. As Pukka so rightly says, the Parra is going great guns at the moment. Let's just hope the Pros leave it alone long enough for this to become the rule, rather than the exception! See you on the water...

After yesterday's rather ordinary showing (only redeemed by two fish on the last two casts), I felt like I had an itch I needed to scratch today, if you know what I mean. It was the missus' birthday dinner last night, so my first job this morning was to escape the vice-like grip of the duvet. This done, I headed for the water at a very civilised 7:30. Started in Five Dock Bay. Worked the flats on high tide for a while, but nothing doing. As the sun finally put in an appearance, I decided to hit the hulls, and started to find fish almost straight away. Most were either undersize or just on size, though. Finally got to a boat that's produced some good fish for me in the past, and after a quick twitch of the bloodworm Bass Minnow, I got walloped. A couple of good runs and a nervous moment with an anchor rope later, I was joined by a nice fat 38cm Bream. Shortly afterwards, I got smoked by another fish from a different boat that actually didn't feel as heavy as the one I had on board, but had obviously been doing some gym work lately. A couple more small fish followed. I decided to pull the pin and head to Hen and Chicken. I don't know why, because it was shut down like an English pub after 11pm. I did have a couple of good solid hits, but they were "teflon" fish (wouldn't stick). So, given that I'd promised th missus I'd be back "early" today (off the water by 12), I headed back to Five Dock. No sooner had I pulled up there than I started getting fish again - mostly just-legals. So I thought, "ah, what the hell", and hit the same hull I'd caught my 38 from not two hours previously. And wouldn't you know it, I pulled in his twin brother! A great way to finish the day (and the third time in a row I've finished in Five Dock with a fish on my "last cast"). Here are the twins (and another first for me - self-timer photography):

Mate, I've caught Bream at almost every time of day - from dawn to dusk. It's all a question of finding where the fish are. Now, this may not be the most scientific method of doing that, but, as a fisho I ran into at Hen and Chicken once told me: "think of Bream as being like people - when it's cold, they want to be somewhere warm (the shallower water), when it's sunny and hot they want to be in the shade (under boats, pontoons and wharves), and, just like us, they'll never turn down a good feed (up on the flats when the water's high enough to make nice tasty worms and shellfish accessible). He didn't mention oyster racks, but then there aren't any on the Parra. I've found that advice invaluable. The other secrets to catching Bream on lures are fishing the right lures the right way - what have you been using? And on what kind of tackle/leader? Stick with it, mate - the fish will come. I went through a really tough patch earlier this year, when I couldn't even buy a Bream, but with the help and encouragement of a few fishing mates, it seems to be coming good now (I just know I'm going to head out this weekend and catch bugger all now, but there you go...) We'll have to arrange to have a fish together sometime - you can't be that far away from me (I'm in Drummoyne). I'll drop you a PM.

Funny, isn't it - Saturday was actually the day when I caught more fish! However, I think Sunday was probably more satisfying for me, as I found some brand new spots that held some really nice Bream. Shame you couldn't take me up on my offer, eh?

Have you managed to give a run to any of the Juro Pygmies yet, Ken? They're supposed to be a dead ringer for the SX40 - but at a much lower price. I haven't fished with them yet, so just wondered what they were like.

I tell you, the lad's got too much tackle... Swoff, weren't those the new colours that you picked up about 3 gross of the other day?

Agree with you about the SX40s, Ken - you've got to love their consistency. Have you tried any of the new colours yet? If you have, are there any new favourites?