Langa

Is that more hiccups or hookups!

I've heard it said that alchol was invented for the Jew fisherman Cheers, Langa

Reminds me of a mate who was driving to Cairns with his new wife for their honeymoon, at the wedding another mate decided to make good use of the prawn cocktail heads and tails and hid them in the hubcaps of the newlyweds car. Apparently by the time they reached the Queensland border the smell was getting stronger and the weather hotter, no amount of searching could find the source of the offending stench so multiple air fresheners were used without much success. Somewhere further up the Queensland coast after a big night out and with the temperature in the 40's, wouldn't you know it a flat tyre, Mark got out to do his duty popped the hubcap off and this thick liquid muck came out and splashed all over him.... then the smell hit him, it was over 100ks to the next town and much dry retching was endured before they got to a shower and high pressure hose to clean out all 4 wheels. Strangely neither Mark or Shauna appreciated the humor of this well executed practical joke like we did.

Cherish the moment, I caught one of those 18 years ago and those years have been all the richer for not releasing her! Congrats, Langa

Hi I've always thought Phosphorous meant no fish but recently I caught over a dozen mullet floating bread on the surface when there was heaps of phosphorous around. The mullet didnt seem to be deterred by it and it was spectacular when a large one was hooked and took a good run and jump. Cheers Langa

Hi all, I was fishing the other night, in the cold, wind and rain. I'd been at it 2 hrs without a touch, my numb hands were having trouble opening a beer. Under the bottle top of this particular brand of amber are printed pearls of wisdom from different philosophers and luminaries, this particular one had the quote 'There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot' . I packed up and went home. Cheers Langa

Hi Roberta, I enjoy your reports and photos, always informative. Do you mind telling me how you manage quick lure changes in your yak, especially when you change from HBs to plastics, do you tie direct to the leader each time or do you use a wire snap connector and if so do you use a swivel, it doesnt look like it from your photos. What ever you do it always seems to work a treat. Thanks and cheers, Langa

Hi all, I am going to Palm Cove in April and am wondering what fishing is available. Am only going for 4 days and cannot get senate approval for an off shore charter so am therefore restricted to landbased. I have been told the water is very silty this time of the year, you cant go on the beach at night because of crocodiles, the water is alive with stingers, and Denghi Fever is rife! Am I wise even going at all let alone will I catch anything? Any hints would be apreciated. Cheers, Langa

Hi all, I have recently weened myself off Gulps, replacing them with poppers which I have been using almost exclusively with mixed results, most opinions I hear are that top water action slows in winter and most don't even try. Is there any point using poppers as the months get colder or should I pack them away untill spring? Cheers, Langa

Your reports are never boring, they are always to the point and informative and the pics are great, please don,t cut back my dose of Hodgey lizard luring! Cheers, Langa

The dam was stocked about 5 years ago with I think about 1000 fish, you'd think a few have survived and grown on some since then.

Hi all, I read a small article in Sunday's paper about a sighting of Maquarie Perch in the Georges River, the first since 1894, does anyone know anything of this? I also wonder how reliable a 'sighting' is, how can a fish be positively identified, was it caught, or just seen from the bank, and being such a rare fish would many people even know what it was? I would be interested to hear other peoples thoughts. Cheers, Langa

I catch some of my best fish in dreams!

I went fishing with a mate on Friday night, he doesnt fish much and was using the same bag of prawns he bought at a servo about 2 years ago, with rusty hook, 4kg sinker, on his $20 ***** combo. All he really wants to do is talk and drink. I'm using my light rod and reel, loaded with braid, nitros and an assortment of plastics, gulps, blades and hardbodies. By the end of the night he's caught 3 Whiting, the largest over 40 cm and I've got zip. Think I'll go back to bait. Cheers, Langa

Went for a quick session on Thursday in the howling wind, couldnt cast my usual plastics in the conditions so I decided to give the new blade lures I bought a go. 3 casts in and I've lost the first one to oysters, so I am a bit more cautious with the next one. I used a retrieve like a speeded up plastic retrieve, a couple of jerks then a slight pause. I noticed the blades give a very satisfying vibration which varies depending on which hole the leader is connected to and the speed of the retrieve. I didn't get a touch using them and I am wondering if I am using the right retrieve or should I be retrieving with a steady wind to keep a constant vibration going. Any comments on preferred retrieves would be greatly apreciated. Also has anyone used these blades at night with success? Thanks, Langa

Great report and photos, in the words of Jed Clampett 'that sure is purdy country'.

Hi, try a nofrills brand of tuna cat food, (the cheaper the better as its more oily), punch half a dozen holes in the can and attach a long piece of rope to it and throw it into the water where you are fishing, I have found this to work very well. Remember not to tie the loose end to your chair incase a big shark decides to take the lot! Cheers, Langa

I have a bad Gulp habit which with all the Leatherjackets around is costing me a fortune! I have bought myself a couple of blades which hopefully will last a lot longer. Cheers, Langa

As a teenager fishing in a small tinnie with a couple of mates in Cowan Creek one night, it was pitch black no moon, a turtle surfaced a metre or two away and exhaled loudly we all nearly jumped out of the boat it scared us so much. I later found out they were common there at that time (35 yrs ago).

Wow its a good thing you dont get to fish very often if you keep 22 fish in a short session, leave some for the rest of us!

Somebody once said "Alcohol was invented for Jewfishermen"

Hi all, I recently had some gulps turn to liquid in the sun in the back of my ute, and have also had problems with them drying out over time, some have also become on the nose causing fruitless searches for dead rats in the garage and some strain on the marital bliss. I'm wondering if they might keep better in the fridge, has anyone tried this? Cheers, Langa

Hi all, was chucking a few plastics around on Fri night at Bobbin Head after flatties and bream with only a few enquiries. There was plenty of surface action, the slap of Mullet re-entering the water after launching themselves aloft, the gentle slurp of bream sucking insects off the surface and occasionaly a patch of water would erupt as hundreds of bait fish desperately tried to escape hungry predators below. I threw plastics into the boil with no success, so I grabbed my 5' creek rod with 4lb braid and a popper tied on and proceeded to work it accross the surface. I kept this up for a while without any luck untill with the popper in calm water and stationary it got smashed from below, it was such an explosive hit I got such a shock I nearly fell in! I thought I hadn't hooked up because there was no further action but when I started to retrieve there was resistance and some fight which ended in a 40cm Salmon, my first. The surprising thing was after the initial hit the ensuing fight on the light gear was more like a bait caught lizard than the powerhouse Salmon I have heard about, he was cleanly hooked but maybe he was tired from chasing all that bait. Anyway the adrenalin buzz from the first strike in the moonlight had my legs shaking for a while and made the evening. Cheers, Langa

Hi all, does anyone use plastics on surf beaches, I have used them at night at Pearl Beach with success but it does not have a heavy surf (most of the time) just a shore break. I'm wondering how they would handle on more traditional surf beaches, is the surf too strong such that you could not retrieve with the correct action or could you compensate with a heavier jig head. I' m interested to give it a go Cheers, Langa