michaelrdoyle@gmail.com

wow - nice work! Mike

Same here - I have really enjoyed them. Expensive when you lose gear - but a nice solid rig. Caught flatty after flatty on them, as well as double hookups of kingies. Haven't actually caught Snapper on them - but then, I haven't targeted snapper yet on them! Mike

That is indeed sad news. My prayers are for his family and friends during this sad and difficult time. Mike

Sounds like an awesome day. Water looks as flat as a lake - or do the photos deceive? Mike

It's not brilliant - but there's stuff there. Had a mate fished it in Jan - lots of blackies, and small snapper. Just walk down from the road at the headland - easy as. Mike

awesome work! Very very nice set up!

Really? Do you think that's the GPS on the iphone? Or the map itself being wrong? Or perhaps some bug in the application? Might be worth checking the support forums (if there are any) - cause that's a fairly major flaw! Mike

Wow - I'm convinced. All I need now is an iPhone. I don't think this is the killer app that will convince the wife! Mike You know - the more I think about it - the more amazing it is. It's the official Navionics Gold Map. See their website about it here The iPhone store link is: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore...693075&mt=8 To buy the navionics Gold map for your chartplotter, it costs $400. Oh - and you need to buy a chartplotter - $1000??? You can buy the iphone app for $80. I suppose you need to buy the iphone to. But it seems incredible value. Mike

whilst we're on the topic - why are furuno so good? All the pros reckon the others just don't come near. They are significantly more expensive. So why are they so good? I can't find anything on the web that compares them.... Mike

It's a special at the moment, and it is absolutely the whole coast for $395. I'm not sure I'm allowed to mention the store publicly - so if you want the store, PM me. I'm spewing to - when I bought mine it was $395 for just the east coast. Mike

Not sure about "Dual Beam" - could be the same as "Dual Frequency". "Duel Frequency" - means the transducer will work on two frequencies. This is because different frequencies work best in different circumstances. As you've already pointed out, most duel frequency sounders work at 50khz and 200khz. If I remember right, 200khz is best for shallow water - up to perhaps 100meters (check that). 50khz works best at very deep depths. Angles: The angle basically measures how wide the beam is. The wider the beam, the more it shows you, but the less effective it is at greater depths. The 200khz beam has a wider angle on the sonar beam. The 50khz is narrower. So the 50khz is better at big depths, but will only show you what is directly under the boat. Since you will be on a kayak, you want single frequency - most likely around 200khz (not sure what the options are). I reckon colour is awesome - made a big difference when I moved from B&W to colour. Good luck. Mike

Would love to see some screenshots (Can you do that on the iphone?) Mike

Unfortunately - there's no easy way around it. If you want a map of the bottom - you need to pay the big bucks. If it helps - I'm told that most of the money goes straight to the Australian Navy who mapped the bottom for us. Of course - that could be just what the sales person said to make me feel better. According to a catalouge I just receved, you can get the whole Australia Navionics map for $385, or Crowdy Heads to Sydney, or Sydney to Lakes Entrence for $285 each. If I were you - I'd go the $385 and all of Oz. good luck. Mike

Dude - what am I looking at in this picture? I'm finding it hard to interpret. Mike

make sure it has the right maps. Mike

You know - it's about time we started with serious issues around here! On the King front, I reckon: <65cm = Rat 65-89cm = Kingy 90cm + = Hoodlum Though I wonder if the Hoodlum should start at 100cm. Mike

What a day! Awesome!

Sounds like you had a great day! And sounds like the Banks are firing again - tell me, was the current running from the North or South? And what was the water temp? I was down there all Jan - but it was very sucky out there - fishing wise! Mike

thanks for the update - glad you got a few. Mike

Crookhaven Heads launch ramp, right next to Crookhaven Heads, 15km run to Banks main hump. Watch the bar crossing at bottom tide during a heavy NE wind. Mike

When I see a squid follow my jig, I stop retrieving, and allow the jig to sink. Almost without fail the squid then goes for it. Mike

A cheap bush option would be Honeymoon Bay on the Beecroft Peninsular. Only a few dollars a night. Camping only. Port-a-loos. No other facilities. North side of Jervis bay - awesome area. You can launch the boat from the beach, or at Callala Bay ramp, and moor it next to the bay (for free, on permanent moor sites). Great access to the entire bay, great fishing, heaps of squid, lots of bushwalking, swimming, etc etc. Only downside is lack of facilities and not close to a town if you want non-outdoor activities. Mike

awesome. Footage from here is also cool (different incident) Mike

In January the current was running from the south (normally it runs from the north) and the temp was a tiny 19.5 (ish). Plenty of sweep, and rat kings, but overall, very very very disappointing. I don't know what it's like now - with any luck the current has changed direction, and the temp is up, and the fish are on. Mike

Let me suggest gloves - don't want to get your hand cut in two. Mike