slinkymalinky

G'day Nursie, That's a really good question and to be honest, I have no idea. I've never really thought about whether lubricants have a use-by date. I've never seen any of the lubricants I have in my service kit change in any way so maybe they don't degrade or at least if they do, it's so slow that it makes no difference. All I'd do is pay close attention to the lubricant and if you ever see is change in colour, texture or otherwise, replace it. Maybe there's an engineer on the forum that might know the answer... and perhaps whether there are differences in longevity between the different kinds of lubes. Cheers, Slinky

G'day Gary, Comes from spending too much time around each other

Over the years since moving to SE Queensland it's fair to say that a certain amount of friendly rivalry has developed with Jewhunter (who lives the wrong side of the border). Now state of origin can be brutal on the footy field but its nothing compared to the underhand tactics that JH will employ in our regular fishy state of origin clashes! Today he tried to sink my boat. With a cracker weather forecast and good tides, JH convinced me to drag my boat over the border to launch through the Kingscliff bar. "I checked it out yesterday... it's easy... plenty of water... no sea". These assurances from a man who didn't want to use his own boat owing to it still being in recovery after he tried to drive it up a channel marker! But thinking him (wrongly as it turned out) to be a man of honor, I took him at his word and duly picked him up at around 4.45am and drove the 15 minutes to Kingy. The water did look pretty docile in the pre-dawn dark. Being a conscientious river pilot type, Jewhunter walked me out along the wall and gave me detailed directions. Maybe I should have twigged when he double checked that I had lifejackets on board but the instructions were given in detail... "up the left side to that marker, then cross to the other wall, then follow the wall to the mouth, etc, etc. So once we had a bit of light, off we went. I gave the Kingscliff VMR some entertainment when I logged in. It's been a while since I went outside so they got to check out my butt as I hung upside down over the bow to read my registration number. I couldn't hear them laughing but I'm petty sure the tower glass fogged up. After carefully following Jewhunter's VERY SPECIFIC directions I then gave them another laugh as I tried to remove the skeg from my motor on the rocky reef I'd been directed onto. Things could only get better. And they did. We spent about an hour exploring some reefy edges close the bar, all the time surrounded by working Bonnies, heaps of bait and some good shows on the sounder. We picked up a couple of bonnies and JH landed a hefty Tarwhine, all on plastics. They weren't the reds we were hoping for but the sun was coming up on a flat sea and a ripper day. Once it got a little higher we left the shallows and worked over a couple of marks we'd been given (obviously from another New South Welshman since there were no fish on them). So finally deciding to revert to a spot we'd previously found ourselves that more or less straddles the state border (neutral territory) we found the fish we wanted. As we started our first drift, JH announced that his first cast was going to land "right on the head of a 4kg Snapper". It didn't... it was only about 3kg. Niiiiice. While I might have lost the game, I can claim a moral victory since the boat was, despite JH's earlier best efforts, still afloat. In state of origin terms JH then took me to school, landing a couple of nice snapper and losing an absolute honker while I pulled up flowerpots and pike. It was nevertheless great to see some nice fish coming over the side. Our only regret was not heading straight to our tried and true spot at first light because we only got around half an hour of good fishing until the rising sun put the good fish off and the sounder went from 'stacked' to 'sucks'. It was a great session on the water and we were back inside before 10am. One of the highlights as always was Jewhunter's company. Sharing time on the water with such a polite and gentlemanly companion is always good and as those who know us can guess, quiet respectful and contemplative conversation was the order of the day (sadly we both forgot to read the orders). Good day, good fish, great company, great day. Cheers from the SE corner (or NE for all you Sydney-siders) Slinky

Went out yesterday for a look at a new bit of water in behind Coolangatta airport. Coabki Lakes. Whisper on the grapevine was that it has been firing for big hauls of flathead. After a pretty quiet day it just goes to show what I've always known... The very best time to fish for any species is... yesterday! Oh well. Had a great day on the water with fellow fishraider, BrownDog. The sun was shining, Cobabki was clear of the mad crowds that infest the waterways closer to home (the Gold Coast broadwater and Jumpinpin) so all in all it was a very relaxing few hours. BrownDog managed a couple of smallish flat things and for a while I pulled out the long wand (called something a lot less flattering by Jewhunter) and connected to an average 40cm fish (Mrs Slinky's brekkie this morning). The wild orange/pink fly is tied with some new material that was shown to me called Water Silk. It makes awesome flies. Cheers, Slinky

Just got back from my first extended trip away with a crew from SEQ Flyfishers. I joined a FF club to get back into what I grew up doing in Tassie. We went to a place called 'Uncle Billy's' near Ben Lomond in the New England area of NSW. It's not flyfishing like I grew up with but I had a great time with some great fishing and great company (and awful weather!!). While the trout are stocked into dams on the property, they behave like wild fish so aren't a pushover. The main water is full of the sort of shallows, drop offs, aquatic life and so-on of any 'wild' trout fishery and the Raibows (and Browns and Brook Trout) behave accordingly. I managed to crack a very specific pattern on the first afternoon. The same pattern completely failed on the second day but I managed to suss it out again. And this morning, neither pattern seemed to work and I wasn't good enough to manage to work it out. Along with some great fishing, I got to see some awesome fly fishers in action. In fact, I was positively intimidated. The crew I'm now hanging with includes a lot of seriously good Casting Instructors, guides, and so on. Throwing a line next to some of these guys can make a person feel very inadequate. Thankfully, they're also like any other fishos... generous, welcoming and ready to hand grief on each other mercilessly all weekend. Needless to say I seemed to fit in and the fishing was complimented with lots of belly laughing, blue language, tasteless jokes, outrageous tales, red wine and great food. For the weekend I managed some nice rainbows that were in awesome condition. My best went just on 2kg but in any other lake it would have probably been 1.5. But like the others caught on the weekend, it was fat and full of roe. A couple of fish were caught by some of my companions, well over the 3kg mark. The flies that worked for me were an Olive Green BMS on the first day and a big, flashback stonefly nymph on Saturday. It was great to go back to my roots and bend a fly rod on some trout. The 'farmstay style' accommodation was fantastic, comfortable and well set-up. Can't wait to go back next year. Cheers, Slinky (this last pic was after a lot of running around photographing my best fish with hats, sunglasses, a knife and a bunch of other stuff when I couldn't get mobile service to check the 'Fish of the Month' item. Thankfully, I finally managed to get on the site but not until after cleaning the fish)

Maybe a Pfleuger Trion or Shimano Raider. I don't know the reel but if it's suited to 8lb line then you want a rod it the 2-4 or 3-6kg range. Now for the bad news... fishing plastics and small hard bodies for flatties and particularly bream really isn't a job for a baitcaster. No baitcaster can efficently and comfortably cast any kind of distance with the light weight jig heads and lures you'll often be using. A Daiwa Pixy, ABU 1500 or ABU Revo MGX can cast 1/8 oz ok but not a long distance and you need to be really on the ball with your casting. I use 1/8oz spinnerbaits for Bass with a baitcaster but the reel and rod together are around a $600 outfit and I'm only casting into structure from usually 10-20m away. Baitcasters are awesome fun to fish with, particularly if you're casting tight to structure, but for the kind of fishing you're talking about stick with light spin outfits. Cheers, Slinky

I sometimes have had problems with my bait tank pump. A blockage or crack in the hose from the pump can lead to leaking and when that happens I also get water when I pull the bungs. Cheers, Tony

I own half a dozen T-Curves. All of them are very good... but not awesome. They're worth the money, made from good quality blanks and components and are a pleasure to fish with. The only reason that they don't rate a bit higher for me is that compared to some of my other rods like my Berkley Venoms, they're just not quite up there for performance (but the Venoms are much more $$) SLinky

That's an awesome Bream and some top fishing to get him out of the racks, Roberta. Wow Cheers, Slinky

Great report and beautiful fish, Caddis. Sorry to hear about your daughter... hope she's feeling better. That buck is big but the best thing about it I think is it's markings. Fantastic Cheers, Slinky

Great pic Jani. Looks like he's got some sort of highly advanced, ceramic barrel on his hunting rifle! Cheers, Tony

Great day on the water, boys. Some great looking fish and plenty to go around by the looks of it. Cheers, Slinky

Well done, Roberta. That's a whole lot of informative, entertaining and often chuckle-generating contributions. I love reading your posts and checking out your pics... Best wishes, Tony

Sounds like a fitting way to end the Tuross lifestyle... just reminding you what you'll be missing. Although surrounded by Cod, I'm not sure that you'll be too homesick! Great report and pics, Hodgy Good luck with the relocation and may any challenges be small ones. Cheers, Slinky

Can you post a couple of pics?

For you or for anyone who is interested in a very special place to stay with someone very special... it's hard to think of anywhere more memorable. Bucket list location for sure!

Just got a pair of Korkers wading boots that have New England Gorge Country written all over them!! Hopefully better than the sock-based approach to wading and walking the rivers.

In the forest on the shore of Boonah Dam on the Sunshine Coast is an escape to inspire poets, painters, lovers... and fishermen. Secrets On The Lake is the dream and passion of a couple who have created accommodation that looks and feels as if it has grown with the forest itself. Timber tree-houses perched high among the tangled old-growth trees. Every door, floor, bench, and walkway is a work of timber art with countless hours of carving and care going into every bespoke piece. I just enjoyed a weekend of wood fires, rich food, tranquility and even some fishing. One advantage of a long relationship is that by the 24th anniversary, going fishing for a couple of hours doesn't precipitate world war 3 so with a borrowed outfit and in one of Secret's old timber dinghies, I rowed out onto a glassy calm Boonah Pocket Dam. The afternoon sun left long, shadowed stretches along the East facing banks so I slowly moseyed along plinking a 1/4oz black & purple Bassman spinnerbait into likely looking cover. In that dreamy state where a lot of casts has turned into a hypnotic pattern, I was woken up with a sharp hit. No luck! Now some casting with more intent but no other customers came to visit. Eventually, I began to row for home thinking I'd missed out but feeling incredibly relaxed for an hour or so of listening to nothing but frog song. A deep, rocky stretch still golden in the late sun caught my eye with thoughts of maybe a Yellowbelly enjoying the warmth to be found. My first cast fell short into 'no-man's land' but on the second, the metal and rubber landed with a splish hard against the sandstone between a small tangled snag and a lily bed. Two cranks of the handle and 'bump'! Another 2 and the rod was wrenched in my hand. Line peeled... is there a sweeter sound than that? Whatever this fish was it wasn't very happy being interrupted from its usual fishy business. Each time I felt I had the upper hand and I might just get to see what I had it made another bulldozing dive for the weedy bottom. Eventually down deep in the murky water the low sun flashed on scales. Not yellow as I expected from the weight of the fish but green. And then it was there on it's side beside the little boat... a beautiful Bass, fit and thick across the shoulders, all sheen and flashing bronze and gasping from his fight. Thumb in his mouth, I carefully lifted him from his home and lay him gently on the rear seat of the dinghy and I just sat for a moment admiring his size and handsome design. A quick measure thanks to a hastily downloaded 'ruler' app on my phone... and a quick photo from same... and I had the extra joy of seeing him swim free in perfect health, with I'm sure the body language of annoyed puzzlement at this unwelcome intrusion into his routine. All this for just one fish you ask. 46cm and my best Bass and because of the circumstances, the location, the little dinghy, the music of frogs, the absence of other people and because of one bronze, fit, magnificent, Secret Bass... one that will be forever filed under 'special moments' and worthy of a little excess in the telling. Slinky

I used to catch squid a lot in Sydney and found that Squidgy S factor and also Ultrabite seemed to work as well or better and was a whole lot less expensive. Cheers, Slinky

Sounds like a couple of nice days on the water. I'm very envious. Cheers, Slinky

Good on you, Swordy Slinky

Sorry I missed this post, Swordy. Happy Birthday you old bugga Hope you had a great day and left some juice in the tank for WA. Cheers, Tony

My very first 'hard body' was a browny/pink flopy that I treasured and took trout fishing when I was about 8 or 9yo. Like you, I wish I still had it... not to fish with, just to keep in a special spot on the mantlepiece! The first fish I ever caught on lure was a Slimy Mackerel on a silver halco slice at Eddystone Point in Tasmania spinning from the rocks. Rod was an old Jarvis Walker Black Queen Deluxe and the reel was a green Ryobi something or other. I would have been 5 or 6. Isn't it amazing how some days on the water just lock into your memory! Cheers, Slinky

I think #2 might be a Gracilis Wrasse Cheers, Slinky

Done. Best of luck with the assignment, David. Cheers, Slinky