deckie 3

LOL...Little Flattie, Well I was talking about many years ago.....................the thing that amazes me about the place is that every, and I mean every time, I have been down there, you can smell "fish kill" at night...ie mullet that have been chopped...whether its tailor, jew, or tuna (and don't laugh I have seen 10kg Macks up in Apple Tree Bay), well its a fishy area

Try again through the week after all this rain.........same area................just a thought

Its a bit expensive but get a hold of Grant's "Fishes of Australia"....one of the better books around re Fish.... Your fish above (as all our fellow Raiders have correctly called it) is a Blind Shark, listed as Brachaelurus waddi (for those of us such as Bluecod that want a definitive answer...lol).................... Better fishing next time pal

We had the same problem at a prominant Nth Sydney FCA club, years ago. Easy answer.. all fish weighed must be weighed in tailed....end of story...........

Hi Lesta, Late reply but............As a kid/teen through the 70's, we used to ride our bikes down Somerville road to Crosslands, walk the tracks towards the ferry and smash oysters of the rocks at low tide, and collect small black crabs. On the rising tide (especially late in the afternoon), we used to flick the unweighted crabs out on a 1/0 and wait. Worked well for us with the local bream. Smashing Oysters these days might be frowned on, but by gees it was a great way to berley the fish up. As a by the by, as a 14yr old (1974 yikes), I caught my first flathead on a lure down there on of all things a Mister Twister look a like. The guys (Toddy & Ray Chessor et al) at the old Asquith Marine swore by them! If you can flick a bait or a soft plastic underneath the boats at the marina on the Galston side you could do well to...just pick a weekday when its overcast. Read above about a guys Dad fishing for Jew. I assume he was talking about the western side of the Ferry. If you have the patience to fish a rising tide at night give it a go...some big Jew occasionally get caught there but use either live poddies or very very fresh squid. Cast out towards the Nth East corner (assuming that you are on the Galston side of the Ferry and right near the point). Good luck Lesta

Nice fish, I fish with soft plastics regularly down in Lake Macq. If you love catching big flathead head on down, though after the last Flathead classic up at the Gold Coast...theres some damn good fish up in those water ways. Though I haven't fished it in years the river upstream of the Macksville bridge also holds some surprisingly good lizards Cheers

I regularly fish Glenbawn but this is a funny time of the year to fish it. Normally fish in a boat but mates have done quite well spinning at the boat ramp and Ive seen some good fish come in on worms from the shore directly in front of the main camping area (down from the cabins and north of the kiosk)...find prime time though to be October through to earlier Dec...not sure whats happening this time of year especially from the shore If you can get in there, try walking the shore line in Boat Harbour to.....Good luck and don't forget the thermals All else fails...head for the Vineyards

Sorry I missed the day Bluecod..... Thanks to Stelform Eng for the sinkers by the way...lol "using 2 kilo pieces of steel tube for sinkers on what was meant to be break away rigs" What went wrong?...Not that old Diawa again!!!!...that will teach him to not service it Sounds like a typical Cap'n day mate....He needs his deckies in force to make it happen... What was the temp and colour like wide off Brown's....that big blow last week spoilt a heap of current lines Local Lake Macq report... 17 Flathead on Sunday morning ...375 to 870mm all on Kokahoes - chatreous colour. Mate caught 6 nice bream to 420mm on bloodworm coloured sliders underneath the jettys around the 16' yacht club, and another colleague trolled the lake drop offs for 600mm+ green back Tailor

Not sure re flies Swoffa, but give them a go on soft plastics - Shads about 5" long (Silver black pattern)

Prime time is usually around the Queens Birthday long weekend Blue Cod. Pick a night with a rising tide, the normal freezing cold, and we should be right!...lol

Cheers Allen, Thats another good thought re low profile.....I'm of the opinion of using bigger diameter guides...... The rod is 2 yrs old...the latest similar GLX 3's have the same issue I think you can come up with all these U-beaut leader knots but we need to remember that most of the time they need to be rigged quickly and in situ, no time for lovely Stren tapered and glued knots. I feel worried that I might be the only one with this issue so I'm naturally looking at what I'm tieing and what I'm doing. Thanks again for your thoughts

Thanks Swoffa I'm using a good albright, 600-700mm of 8-10lb (sometimes 12lb) trace....its not damage to the guide per sae...the action of the knot going through the guides stresses the top 3 runners. Being of a light single foot design the runner actually starts bending and eventually the foot stresses, cracks and breaks (I do fish this gear hard and regularly)....... its the action of the knot hitting the small guides on the cast that causes the problems .................. I'm a lure caster and this exascerbates the problem!!!! Standard runners would solve the issue, except that its at the expense of a stiffer rod and more difficulty in casting the like of Minn minns, unweighted plastics etc etc thanks for reply though

Absolutely brilliant!...Well done..... What did the trip set you back Ben???

Got to agree with Ken, and say that I have never broken a rod on a fish. Seen them shattered by overhead fans, snapped tips from car doors, seen them run over, watched incredulously as a mate snapped an original 10kg Ugly Stick by jerking it hard to try and get off a snag...but never ever on a fish... Bit like Jethro, I use and perhabs abuse them by throwing them around a bit but never a breakage. Biggest issue that I have (especially with the single foot runners such as those on light spin gear), is that the leader knot causes some damage and I'm forever replacing runners. Any thoughts ..... Jethro your a breamo....do you use wind on leaders or what...How do you prevent this damage? (I'm using 2kg fireline with 4-6kg Maxima trace, - the Rod is a Loomis GL3 matched with a Shimano Sustain 2000.).

Ken, It sounds like my last 3 weeks at Hinchinbrook......Guess we might just have to look after Mums this weekend ...weather down here sounds just as lousy though cold and wet as well.... Out of interest..was chatting to Sawnok in Rockhampton (returning the few odd Sunfish tags/reports from Hinchinbrook on our way back to Newcastle). The bugger managed to get access to St Lawrence area (the Army training ground). He reckons that it was some of the best Barra, Jack and Trevally fishing that he has experienced in a very long time........You have to wish that it was opened up to the public but I guess that at the very least the area remains a healthy fishery for some time to come. That in itself could be a good thing

As BlueCod explained, take the old Pac H.Way up to Karuah, Turn left at the lights just before the bridge, (opp the club) theres a wharf down the bottom (with a good cleaning table)!!! Just head upstream about 3kms..... Now thats underneath the new bypass bridge ignoring the first racks you come across. After the bridge keep travelling upstream and the river makes a severe right hand turn (racks on the Nthn cnr look brilliant BUT don't seem to fire). Keep travelling about 1.5kms and you will come across a large creek on the right with oyster racks all through the mouth and a little upstream. Start working that area.... Its worth a look guys...April May seem to be the prime months

Just for the local Newcastle guys....my fishing buddy (Yanko Serifi of ANSA Angel Ring fame) reports that the Karuah River Oyster racks (above the new bridge),are firing. He and a colleague fished the racks on a falling tide last Sunday with 3" Bass minnows (Colour didn't matter) for 14 bream up to 42cm, 6 Flathead to 60cm and 2 Whiting ...... all released.... He claims that they were busted up with many more bigger fish. Does anyone now the area and fish it??

Just on Changa's response........a mate in Sydney just rang me up yesterday.....fished wide of Browns Mtn on Sunday....they were trolling large lures on 37kg gear....they saw a very big Blue come up and hit the a short rigged lure......mate reckons he was spooled in no time at all........they appear to be a tough fish!

Deckie 3 plus 1 Tyrone Look forward to it

You blokes just wet my appetite....leaving Newcastle for Hinchinbrook this Saturday for a 3 week trip...Have fished it before and always look forward to it. In the past we have had a ball fishing the front of the island north of Zoe Bay, just casting at luderick heads..... some of the GTs that come out for a look are awesome. last trip I sent a popper out on 4 kg fireline..the smaller 2-3 kg GTs were barged out of the way by a giant GT..(hands still tremble thinking about it)....needless to say the hookup and run was spectacularly brief! - the 4 kg out fit promptly spooled and put away for another day. Also had a lot of fun fishing the drains around Deluge...some very nice fish Barra along there...at the time they had a liking for Chatreusse coloured Kokahoes (of all things).....I can't wait!

May 1 sounds great....count me in to...haven't fished there for years

I'll have a stab at Moonee Creek - just a stab.

Hi Jocool, The list of installations can be found at the following site.. http://members.optushome.com.au/ansansw/do...ife%20Rings.doc Since publication a number of other rings have been installed including 4 last Saturday between Mooney Beach and the main platform on Catho Rocks. There are another 2 located on the old mine site headland, one facing due east and the other on the North Western Corner towards the old coal loader. A further two have been installed on Birdie Beach....now that was an interesting installation....(just north of the nudist beach section...YIKES! (and all old blokes up there - not one good sort- probably just as well we wouldn't have finished the work and with all the old blokes following us around it made us doubleour efforts to get the things installed and get out of there!) Anyway the list of installations are being continually upgraded and I understand that a sum of money has been released to procure more rings. (these rings are also funded from your fishing license fees) - its the carting in of all the gear - concrete, posts, kangas etc and all the work in installing them that is volunteer work....more hands the merrier, and the more guys that can keep an eye on them and report any damage or missing rings - well thats whats appreciated.

Well I'm going to hopefully knock over a Tailor or two at Blacksmiths/Redhead or Dudley, ...the other 2-3 ...installing those Angel Rings To all...have a great and safe Easter weekend