Juzza

I was gonna go down there today...except i dont have the car.. thats what you get for living 45min away. If only i lived as close as you Peter! 35cm. Thats still 2cm bigger than my PB!!! Oh yeh, i went down last sat and caught 12 fish too =D + alot of 27cm ones which were just thrown back Justin

uni snell? O.o = Snell first then use the end to tie a uni knot? Wouldnt it just be better to do the improve clinch...ah...i dont know..ill try it out Justin

doesnt it depend on what you want to catch as well? Justin

While practising this new knot of 4kg line, I find that my snell knots are much weaker compared to the improve clinch (This was done experimentally for every knot i tied). 1. Snell (7-8 wraps)- Always snapped near the eye of the hook - required less force to snap (subjective) 2. Improve clinch (4-5 turns)- always snapped somewhere in the line - required more force than the snell (subjective) Is this meant to be right or...am i just tieing it wrong. (i learnt the snell from the fishraider knots page) Justin

Yes i have caught a few groper on them =D But i find the 'real' red rock crabs are really hard to catch...unless i feel like going for a swim...or sacrificing my hand to those insane green eels with fang like teeth. Well, its happened to my uncle once when i was up north with him fishing for groper...he went for the crab...and the eel came up for his hand...and Guess what happens next...Endless flow of blood! Was still flowing when we finished our groper session, which was about 6 hours Heres a pic of one i caught 3 months ago while groper fishing...it was a monster ~80cm caught on half a crab. Usually i just cut the line...but my uncle said they're really good to eat, so i let him keep it. Personally i wouldnt go near the thing, let alone put it in my mouth

Doesnt look like im very stressed =D im on uni holidays afterall =D Justin

I use these to catch groper =D...these are the red rock crabs right? But what are the crabs that are red that look similar to green and black crabs that run really fast? Justin

Yep its a leathery, called the fan-bellied leatherjacket/fan tailed leatherjacket. Nice catch, i never caught one of these before. Justin

Great work luke, i went down today...they were quite small, biggest i got was 33cm which is actually my new PB. Nice bag of fish you have there! Justin

yum, blackies! Just finished the last of 8 fish today! Nice work Peter Justin

Unbelievable, they only just figured how to blackie fish yesteryday...when they came to fish with us O.O. Probably see them down there a bit more now =D (more berly in the water, more fish to catch!!!). I said i wouldnt go down there...for a while...after yesterdays catch, but, that 44cm fish just makes me want to beat my PB again and again and go down for more (is this the blackfish bug/diease?). Oh well, back to uni work! Justin

Heres the pics, i have yet to get a pic of all the fish together...because i went to someone's house to give them some. But they have the picture, hopefully i get it up soon. Heres my PB 32cm + FAT - Heres the fillets of 8 blackies (other 5 i gave away) - Justin

Got to the lake and saw Peter already getting into them, soon the action picked up. But you know what! Pete took the time and effect while the fish were there to teach some of the children there!!!!! Now thats some fishraider spirit. Anyway i ended up with 13 blackies all well conditioned FAT but all 27-32cm...and you know what... I dropped at least 9 right in front of me while i was trying to net them and quite alot of hooks pulled...most or almost all the fish were lip hooked. Maybe i would i had a full bag =\ if i had more experience and a longer net. It was an unbelievable session, i was getting so many downs...and the people standing next to me were not even getting touched very much!!! Maybe im doing something right, or im just lucky =] But thanks to Peter who has taught me and given me a massive boost to improve my blackie fishing. After 2 and a half months, look what i have accomplished =D Justin

good to know that they're down there and a decent size, maybe ill beat my PB soon =D. Nice work Peter Justin

Thanks for the info slinky slinky. Just another question for everyone, do you think there is a possible rod that will suit fishing from the rocks and estuaries? i know that the ones on the rocks are generally longer in length. Justin

Right now im using a blackqueen with a 2500 spinning reel. The rod length in the blackqueen is quite short...and not suitable for wading...my reels always gets dunked into the water. After a few more sessions of blackfish im gonna go shopping for a dedicated blackfish outfit. I just need some help with the outfit... looking at a Synder glas MT144, 4W ,3.7 meters, 40 gms, 3-5kg or something else (alvey rod)?. The reel is more of a problem, iv never used an centerpin nor a sidecast before...though i have read alot about them looking at the alvey 455B its a centerpin reel.. Anyway, your help would be appreciated =D Justin

I think its really up to you. And also depends on the length of your rod and how deep you fish. Since i only use a 2.35m rod i find it quite annoying having a long trace and trying to cast it while im standing in 1m of water !!!...it gets tangled up, so i have it about 30-45cm. On a positive note the longer trace...your splitshots are more evenly spread apart and gives your bait more 'life' =D Justin

Sunnies will help next time too =D, also i find them very helpful when wading...you wouldnt want to step in a big hole with/without waders on Justin

Thanks everyone! Oh yeh, i broke another one of my records!!! caught a blackfish ~5-6cm foul hooked under the chin. Boy did that little one fight for its life =D. Too bad i dont have photographic evidence! Looks like im gonna have to start to learn some rock fishing for blackfish since narrabeen has shutdown for now =[. Hmm somewhere safe...think i have some sort of idea. Justin

Went to fish narraben lakes on friday and sat for blackfish with my new blackqueen jarvis walker rod with a 2500 spinning reel loaded up with a 3kg trace. Ill let the pictures do the explaining =D, all fish were 27-30cm nothing bigger + alot of throwbacks =[ At least i have room to improve!!! Fridays catch Sats catch Attempted filliting Oh and...the lake entrance is almot closed up due to the recent storms. Which means...a very quite lake very soon. No run no fun right? Hopefully the council opens it up again. Justin

i picked up 3 yesterday and 2 on friday, will post a report sometime soon Justin

hey baz, did you end up going yesterday? I was one of the 7 people fishing there! Justin

Unbelievable stuff! I was looking forward to going down there today!...had everything prepared the night before...and.... disappointment disappointment there was traffic on the way back, could even make it for 1 hour fishing time. Sigh*. The waiting begins again. Justin

Thanks guys, if you guys need any help on fish husbandry im happy to help, theres been countless years of research gone into that area. You have a good point steve. We wouldnt want to destroy our lovely aussie habitat!!! Ok, so, my next goal...find a native species and try. Well, i do have a salt water tank setup and could probably culture weed...but its not really worth the effort. Many marine aquarist have various 'green' plants including stringy/cabbage/ and Capulera! which are all very efficient at removing waste from the tank (in the form of nitrogen). All you have to do it grow it, harvest it, and throw it away! But for example Capulera, is a highly invasive plant, little fragments that break off can generate new ones, tolerates a wide range of temperatures etc...And guess what...they're a very common noxious weed in Australia, transported here by the aquarium trade!!!!! Though more prominant in the northern parts of Australia. Furthermore...most aquatic animals dont eat it Wow, look at the great weather, cant wait for another blackie session!!! Justin

So, whats a fish tank without FISH?! Heres just 2 of the species im keeping, and NO, i am not growing/breeding my own live bait =D. In the first picture it is called a congo tetra originating from africa and growing to about 3 inches, its got pretty colours especially while its in 'breeding mood' (Oh, did i mention the perfect size and colours as a soft plastic and the best 'action' . Second picture is called a red line torpedo barb, originating from the fast flowing streams of india, they grow to 30+ but mine dont seem to be growing fast at all. Just to show you another ones of my passions besides fishing. Side view of tank Justin