BFB

Decided to go with fishing with my eldest son yesterday at Botany Bay. Hit the water about 8:30. I do not believe in cold early morning starts. Went outside the heads for a bit of a troll but nothing appeared through schools of bait did appear on the sounder. We then tried numerous places in the bay using both bait and plastics without any luck. We packed up about 2:30 with no success at all. It was a great day to be on the water just no fish. Being new to Botany Bay could someone tell me of likely places to fish just outside of the bay. I have numerous GPS marks for everywhere else but clos to the bay. Any help will be greatly appreciated as I am getting sick of going fishing but not catching any fish. How did anybody else go yesterday?

Bearings will not always give a sign before they go. I would heck and re-pack them every year. It does not take too much time but gives great peace of mind. It is one of the worst jobs in the world to change wheel bearings on the side of the road especially if it is at night and raining.

It is regulations that crossing any bar all people on the vessel must be wearing life jackets. The Crookhaven bar is generally easy to cross. Best thing to seat abck and watch over boats before going yourself. You do have to be careful on this bar in regards to the channel as it does get narrow. The indicators installed on the land to guide the larger vessels will show you the channel. In regards to signing on with marine rescue, just give them a call on the radio. The first time they will ask you all the details in regards to your boat and after that you will only need to provide trip details. Best way to give them details is to go visit them, Even better join them as it only costs a few dollars a year and then you know you are covered.

I have entered for a great day of fishing and a lot of fun. A chance to support a worthy cause is also a good bonus. See you all on the water.

Part of the problem could be the trim of the motor. I know that if my motor is not trimmed correct the steering pulls like hell at full speed but trim it correct and it drives like a dream. Try to trim the motor out a bit and see how that goes.

Garry what size boat are you taking and what is your tow vehicle. The kioloa boat ramp can get very tricky as it is exposed directly to the sea with a little break wall. To launch/retrieve a boat from it you could do with an extended draw-bar. When I was on holidays down there I used to tow the boat to either Ulladulla or Batemans Bay as I did not like to idea of putting my boat in at Kioloa. My tow vehicle is a holden ute and the boat a 17' fibreglass. Some good fishing if yu can get your boat in. Be careful of the marine park around Brush Island.

There have been reports of huge trout in Warragamba dam. Years ago the Waterboard employees used to hand feed them. I have known of people who attempted fate and fished the dam. They got good catches of trout but they also got caught themselves. Needed up with no fish but large fines. I am sure some will get washed over the dam wall.

As with all things boat related the place I would start first is Craig at Huett Marine. I am sure if he does not have them he will have contacts for them and I think you will find his service hard to beat. Other places are Whitworths, Bias, etc.

I have never had to pay CTP with my trailer regos and all of my boat trailers required rego inspections.

I think salt away is great. I am not sure how well it works in the motor as I have not had to pull the motor down to check but I use it to wash the boat and I can tell it breaks down the salt on the boat down and makes washing the boat boat a dream. I have used it when the windscreen is covered with salt. I have just sprayed it on. Left it for a couple of minutes and then rinsed of with fresh water. All the salt had gone. Makes my life easy.

manufacturers put a maximum HP rating on their hulls for good reasons. There is no way that I would try to second guess the manufacturer and go beyond the maximum HP as recommended by them. I have seen some horrible problems caused when outboard boats are over powered. Going beyond the maximum HP would not only affect insurances it would affect the legality of the boat.

Geoff you will not pick up with the naked eye, unless you are very good, the difference on the distance to the caviation is only 1/4". The difference between the 2 props is the 15 and 17. In theory a 15" prop will move 15 inches through the water for every one rotation where the 17" prop moves 17 inches. Therefore a 15" will supply more low down torque and the 17" will provide ahigher top end speed. Just like changing gears in a car. Hope this helps explain the difference

You can not get a normal boat to turn like a race boat. Caviation becomes worse in a boat if you are trying to pull skiers or tube in a tight curve. It is actually the drag of the skier or tube causing it. Another reason why a lot of ski and race boats are inboards with the prop coming out under the boat in the water.

The longer it takes to pull a skier out of the water the harder it is for the skier. It makes it especially hard to learn as the skier needs to be dragged through the water a lot longer before enough speed is gained to get on top of the water. This is why most ski boats have large motors so that the speed can be gained quickly. As far as the speed goes whatever your boat can do will have to be enough. I have skied up to 100kmh. Hope this helps

A 70hp will pull a skier. It will take a while to get the skier out of the water but it will do. You can drop a prop size, I used with my 60hp, to help but you have to be careful that you do not over rev the motor. It is worth trying and a lot of fun. Good luck

I see a problem here with how this thread is going. If someone had a 60cm kingfish is it alright to keep as it is just a bit under the legal size. I think everyone would agree "No", then why would it be alright to tow the trailer just because it is a "little bit" over the allowed weight. The rules are there for a reason. I am sorry but I have to say that if the rego and compliance plate on the trailer states that it weighs more than 250kg then you should not tow it whilst on "P" plates. Also if you where to be involved in an accident, it would not matter if it was your fault or not, the insurance company would wipe you straight away and from then on it can get very costly. Remember if you have an accident and you are over the legal alcohol limit it does not matter if you are in the right or wrong your insurance is null and void. The same would go with this.

Hi Brunny23, I have been trying to get onto some good reds for about 3 years and have not had any success. I think you are doing great.

I decided on Port Kembla. Conditions were pretty choppy. Only caught some rubbish but was fun anyway.

You need to buy yourself a lottery ticket. You would have to be one of the luckiest people I know. Best of luck in fixing it.

Hi everyone, happy new year to you all. I am looking at going fishing tomorrow and tossing up between Botany Bay or Port Kembla. Can anyone tell me what the fishing and crowds have been like on Botany Bay?

Dave, before you purchase check out what Huey has at Huett Marine. I am sure we will give you a good price and information as well.

Just needing to get some opinions, how much anchor rope do you carry?

Hi Bob, Give Craig (Huey) at Huett Marine a call and I am sure we will be able to offer you some advice.

The sharks have always been there. For the amount of people who swim, water ski, etc in these areas compared to the number of people taken by sharks I do not think there is too much of a problem. There are more people involved in boating and fishing accidents each year then taken by sharks. Will we give up fishing and boating? Get out and enjoy yourself, life is too short.

To check the amount of rust on the springs and axle get a wire brush or file and clear of some of the rust and see how deep it goes into the steel. If it is surface rust it will clear off relative easily. If it is only surface rust clean it off. Apply some anti-rust paint and away you go.