Red

Rob, you can use an outfit like that for sure. Its perfect if you like eggies. I use T-Curve 400's and Thunnus/Spheros reels when baitfishing for good jews in structure. Its hard to fish heavy braid effectively with longer sticks. Go for it Red

I love baitcasters and the very best outfit i've had is my current 7ft Daiwa Battler stick and Shimano Scorpion reel. I can not imagine life without this combo Cheers Red

Excellent post. Heres hoping he enjoys the pleasure of fishing with you. Well what choice has he got now.....lol Regards Red

Top fish mate. Congrats on your new PB Cheers Red

Too right Dave. The Yamashitas are hot jigs. Been using them for a good 10 years and they kick butt too . Love the funky new colour patterns. The current Yammas are the best finished jig on the market IMO! Cheers Red

Top kings guys. Congrats! I'd prefer kings like those over standard 30kg fin any day. Awesome catch Cheers Red

As you guys have said, its all in the way that you use it. Knowing the sink rate of your jig and line is the name of the game. Its that simple. Went bait gathering late last night with my brother in law. I used my trusty mangled pink Yozuri 3.5 and he chopped and changed at least 5 times. Finally tally - Red 18, Brother in law 2 Yes it was a carve up but he did get the largest one for the session . Truth is, i have a passion for gathering jew baits and have been doing it for years and the BOL has only been squidding for a year or two. Now, was it my trusty jig or was it technique? Me thinks the latter but in saying that, having confidence in your chosen jig plays a role. Regards Red

The Wattos jigs sound pretty good. I could not recommend them purely because i have not used them. My local store gives me the latest Yozuri 3.5 for $15 so i aint complaining. However if there's a product that is as good, at only a fraction of the price, i will pull my head out of the sand and give it a go. Calamari can be stupid, suicidal creatures at times and will take anything when in that sort of mood. Regards Red

If i was only allowed to choose one jig for the rest of my life it would be a pink Yozuri 3.5 This jig has become a firm favourite for calamari and i always have a few backups as you can sometimes lose jigs through snagging in heavy kelp. Mind you i've taken them on all colours including black. Its the singer not the song. Getting to know how to work a jig properly is more important than brand, size and colour. Try and take several jigs with you if you intend to fish for 5 days. You will need them. Regards Red

What species of squid are you after? Arrows, Southern Calamari? And what sizes are you likely to encounter? What sort of depth are you fishing in? This info will greatly help in jig selection. If its decent size Southerns i like large number 3.5 to 4.0 sized Yo-zuris in Pink, Orange or really any colour you like. Action and free fall time are way more important than colour. If you are after Arrows, then i have no idea Only ever caught them by accident and never specifically targetted them. Cheers Red

Thanks guys, i've had almost every sized ABU from the 10000CL down to the 1500C Thankfully i've held onto a 7000 Heard good things about the Daiwa Sealines too but not overly keen on a high speed reel for the task. Swordie, i'm very keen to beachfish with you but the little scallywags limit me to fishing weekends or late starts midweek. Grant, i'm so excited at the prospect of nailing a good jew off the beach. I'm sure it will be a most satisfying and memorable event. Regards Red

G'day Raiders, can anyone suggest a good overhead casting reel for beachfishing? I'm thinking of having a go at a beach jew this winter and intend on using 20 or 30lb braid. Is that the go? I've never beach fished in my life and looking forward to the experience. Cheers Red

Give that man a new! Great post and great read. Stewy, you must be so proud. Regards Red

Kantong, in my opinion, the 7ft Saltwater spin is the worst rod in the T-Curve range. I think from memory its rated at 5-10kg. Its more like a 4-6kg stick and not a very good one at that. The Kingmack on the other hand is awesome. Rated 8-12kg and pefect for 10kg. I bought one of these sticks as it was the best factory rolled 10kg spin stick i have seen. Not a fan of the texxie for the $$$$. Had the 7ft 8-15kg model and sold it in a flash. I found the texxie to be very heavy in weight, had cheap componentry and too soft in the tip for my liking. The Kingmack was a little cheaper but twice the stick in my opinion. Excellent blank and quality Fuji Silicone Carbide guides to boot. Take a look and i'm sure you will be impressed. Cheers Red

Kevin, are you talking about the Shimano T-Curve Bluewater Spin 7ft 6"? If so, yes they are unreal for factory rods. The 7ft T-Curve Kingmack 8-12kg would be a better choice for a 4500 Baitrunner in my opinion. Sweet stick Cheers Red

Mate, you will struggle to find one outfit that will throw SP's, Hard bodies as well as livies. The baitrunner is a very good choice for baitfishing but will hurt you when using it for luring. I do a fair bit of this style of fishing in the cooler months and carry three rods. A 10ft overhead brutestick with 30lb braid for baitfishing. A lighter graphite 10ft overhead with a small baitcaster and 20lb braid for Hard bodies and a 7ft baitcaster and 10lb braid for SP work. Carrying three outfits is a pain but its the best way to go. Regards Red

Good evening Donna, a swap and sell auction would do well, as would be a good bream/bass presentation. We are fortunate enough to have some competative bream and bass fishos on this site who may want to chip in. I reckon Stewy and Fishfinder Tony amongst others would have lots to input A talk on kingfish would work well too. Even a presentation on squidding would be interesting. Gotta love fishing! So much to talk about Regards Red

Here here. I've used an Alvey Reef Queen and it was good but a good electric reel is the ants pants. Rod and reels such as TLD's, Tiagra's and the like are much too painfull for this sort of work. You won't enjoy it. Cheers Red

Well done Chris Solid looking jew you got there mate. Here's hoping the Minn Kota behaves itself from here on. Hope the calamari were nice Cheers Red

Yeah mate, they are great. Really good quality. Having them pinned on your shirt is so handy and best of all, your mates can't pinch them I've gone through several sets of scissors over the years but these are almost impossible to lose. Cheers Red

Braid scissors for sure. I bought a pair of you beaut Daiwa ones that you pin on your shirt. They they come with a spring loaded retractable line. Great idea as they won't go walkabouts. Cheers Red Daiwa Petit Scissors

Good advise there Stewy. A pair of big sharp hooks are the way to go. Sure baitrunner works and some swear by it but you will miss a few here and there and thats frustrating. Just leave the reel in gear with heavy drag, watch the rod buckle and listen to the sweet sound of braid howling through the guides. Awesome! Cheers Red

G'day Raiders, personally, i thought it was great to have Lowrance attend last nights workshop. I've been a happy Lowrance customer for 16 years and we currently have 3 units in the family Dad's got an old X-48 which will be getting upgraded come Father's day and my brother has the X-135 in his bay boat. I started off with an LMS-200, then moved up to a LMS-350A and now living with a superb LC-X15MT which has made my fishing finding so much easier. I have nothing but praise for Lowrance products and their after sales service which is why i've stuck with them for so long. Happy days. Regards Red

Cheers guys, this thread is not about me (i'm no hero) as i'm sure any raider would have done the same thing. This thread was inspired by the totally enexpected generosity that i experienced yesterday. I now have lots of admiration for our Chinese Australians and i'm sure that these two gentlemen will be the first to rescue a stranger should the situation arise. And yes, I do believe in Karma and i'm sure a 20kg jewfish on a hardbody will come my way this winter Bring it on! Regards Red p.s. Laredo, i didn't ask if they had the safety gear on board as you tend to expect a charter operation to have all this stuff by law. Won't be making that mistake again....lol

Pete, the Water Police were too busy checking boats at the 3rd runway. I couldn't believe my eyes. Rod, it was a fuel fire. Fuel leaked and burnt the motor, the tank, floor, seats, wiring etc The 4.5m tinnie was a mess. Ever seen a black yamaha? I've had one small fire on my boat that was luckily contained very quickly. Developed a bad habit of carrying a spare lighter in the glovebox but this formed some rust and seems did not shut properly after i lit a smoke. There must've been the slightest of flames left but it was enough to burn the maps and melt the glovebox. Never again will i use a rusty lighter. Regards Red