Moro Mou

Hello Anthony, My mate has one and swears by it. Beleive it works in same or similar depths to a normal sounder. It works well for checking out markers/moorings etc. Sorry but that is the limit of my help. Cheers

Firstly thanks to the Raiders for the tips we received. We tried most of these and had some sucess but still did it pretty hard. We arrived at the dam on Wednesday a little after lunch and no sooner did we have the boat in the water the rain hit. Well the fish were already wet so we braved the conditions and started with a troll session. We had 1 lead line out plus two normal spin rigs loaded with a mix of tassie devils and small bibbed minnows. We stopped a few times and cast a mix of hard bodies and plastics into the drowned timber however despite a few follows we could not get a hook up. There were clearly fish present with plenty of rises however some buffoon left his fly reels back at camp!!! Anyway with the light getting the better of us we trolled our way home and managed a consolation small rainbow on a rainbow pattern minnow. The next day was a cracker, bright clear skies and this time a bit of heat in the air. We tried a similar strategy to the day before and at least this time we were getting the odd hit. I also worked the shore line with the fly rod but could not raise anything so we basically stuck to trolling. We dropped one fish near the boat but ended up landing 2 rainbows, 1 26 cm and 1 38 cm. Again nothing to really brag about but a fun morning none the less. We were off the water at about 11 as the wind really started to pick up. Friday it was absolutley pouring so we decided to call it quits. So not a great deal of fish but a couple of nice days out of Sydney.

Thanks Bustoff and Matt for your very detailed replies - much appreciated. This is my first trip to Eucumbene however understand we will use the ramp near the dam wall to launch from. Thanks again. Cheers Moro Mou

Hello Raiders, I am heading to Eucumbene for a couple of days next week and would apprecaite any tips. We will have a boat + down rigger as well as fly gear for walking the banks. Any tips or advice in terms of lure or fly patterns would be much appreciated. Cheers Moro Mou

Well done Wacko top C n R

great work dogtooth. Out of interest did you try livies or just stick to the jigs?

Nice fat yella Pappy. Lures or bait?

Tried one a few weeks ago however it was donated to the leatherjackets

Hello Reysor, There are different schools of thought on this however i understand that a fish will get rid of a hook from as little as 24 hrs to up to a week depending on type of hook (gauge and type of material, ie bronzed) and where hooked (Ie if in the gut the saltwater and stomach acids do a pretty good job of coroding it quickly). In my opinion if a fish is "gut" hooked it is far better to snip the line as close to the mouth as possible as opposed to trying to get the hook out. I am sure another raider will give you a better description of actual time it takes to break down a hook but i hope the above helps. Cheers Moro Mou

Nice one Hodgey. You certainly have the knack with the lizards. Cheers

Hi Nanook - i love my fly fishing and my only gripe is a bit like Slinky i do not use fly more often. I love my trout and Tassie and NZ have been the best places i have fished for them. Sydney Harbour for Australian Salmon is fantastic however i am yet to catch a king on fly from the harbour. I had a great day in Iceland recently and attach the report. http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=49031 Cheers Moro Mou

Hello Mick, I have had success with Jackal's. I prefer dark colours even black. I have not tried SP's or Spinnerbaits. Hope this helps. Cheers Moro Mou

Slinky, I agree with the softly softly approach when you land the fish! and when you don't i beleive in the skull dragging approach and vice versa. The old should have could have . . . No seriously i like the softly softly approach especially on kings. A mate once landed, albeit a rat, king of about 55cm on 4lb. It was just pinned by a little sinew on the jaw. Bottom line is if he went hard he would have pulled the hook. Good topic though so apart from kings, bream and jacks what other species can we add? Cheers Moro Mou

Nice report cruisecraft.

Nice work pappy. If i get a chance i might give burrendong a go in a few weeks.

Thanks Guys: Hodgey - yep they do pull well and despite looking similar to a trout in my opinion they fight differently. Dog Tooth - ah yes Frequent Fishing Miles - unfortunatley they have a used by date which mine are fast approaching. Slinky - it was magic and for anyone interested it was in the "Rift Valley" which is between the Euroasian and North American continental plates that are slowing pulling apart. It was also very close to where Iceland's first Parliment was established.

Hello Raiders, After deciding my NZ trip wasn't enough extreme fishing to give me my fix for a while I embarked on another adventure but this time in Iceland. Unfortunately I was going to be too early for the salmon however Iceland is very well known for its mega brown trout and abundant arctic char fishing. So after a few days sight seeing with the cheese and kisses a guide was organised and on Friday 28th I headed for lake Thingvallavatn - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eingvallavatn This is the largest lake in Iceland and it supports some extra large browns (a 10 pound plus fish is common) as well as a very healthy population of artic char. It was the char that were going to be the target for the day with wet flies. I was picked up a 8am by my guide and we made our 50km journey from Reykjavik. The outside temp was 8 degs C and there were a few clouds but otherwise sunny. These conditions were not ideal but the guide was confident. We were both going to fish and use nymphs with a small hares ear as the point fly. We had a 15 - 20 minute walk around the lake before we came to the first fishable location. The water temp was about 4 degs C so I was pleased that I had my thermals on under my waders. My guide advised me that the average size of the char was about 30 cms and a fish of 50 + cms was considered a good catch. Anyway we started fishing and my guide was lucky enough to hook up on his first couple of casts but unfortunately did not land it. I plugged away for an hour or so for zip before we decided a new spot was in order. The only saving grace for me from this first session was that I did not get one wind knot which at least meant my casting was ok. The next location was a little deeper and with the breeze on our backs casting conditions were perfect. It didn't take long and I had a very soft take and then came up solid. Initially I thought it was a little fella but once the fish realised what had happened it took off. As I saw the fly line disappear and then the backing start pouring off the reel my guide made the comment that this was a good fish. It then slugged away and I slowly worked it in before my guide did the work with the net. They are good eating so it was knocked it on the head and I donated it to my guides tucker bag as I was leaving the next day. No official measure however fish was 50 - 55 cm. After fishing for a little longer we decided a lunch break was in order and stopped to take in the mountain views with a couple of sambos and coffee. My guide explained that it would be unlikely that we would get another fish of this size but hopefully we would pick up a few smaller or average size ones. Soon after lunch and in the same spot I was in again and to make a liar out of my guide it was a exact repeat of the previous fish with a soft take and then a good run pealing 30 odd yards of backing off. My guide was indeed surprised but even more so when he saw the fish and realised that it was bigger than the first. The fish was safely netted and this time 55 to 60 cms so a very pleasing result. This one was released. We continued to fish this spot for another 30 mins or so before moving again. We fished some more beautiful water however between the two of us but didn't manage anymore fish. There was still plenty of daylight left (21 - 22 hrs sunlight per day) however I had certainly had enough by about 4pm and we walked back to the car. My guide summed up the day by saying "it was a day of quality and not quantity". Hope you enjoyed the read and a couple of pics. Cheers Moro Mou

Firstly i agree with both Slinky and DerekD. For my personal viewpoint i tend to buy towards the mid priced to upper end of the spectrum on reels and mid priced to lower end of the spectrum on rods. By saying this i do love using good quality rods however i tend to be extremely hard on gear and in particular rods. Whether it be car doors, or just bouncing around in a boat i find that i damage rods often. As a result when i bust 5 inches off a rod i paid $50 bucks for over a rod i paid $150 for it doesn't make me feel so bad. Anyway like anything in life good quality equipment that is looked after will last a lifetime. I only wish i followed this advice myself sometimes.

Thanks for all your posts. I am still smiling. tonyt - did my shoulder earlier in the year and finished physio a few weeks before the trip. Everything was in order thankfully. Dogtooth - enjoy your trip and given you have already had great success in Australia with big kings i am expecting some rippers from you. Welsh Dave - Russel is a great spot and i was often wishing for flat water . . .

Hello Raiders, I have just returned from NZ and despite the ordinary weather I had a fantastic trip. Hope you enjoy the report. Tuesday My mate and I arrived Auckland on Tuesday afternoon and after checking in at our hotel we made a dash for the tackle shop for those last minute "must have" items. The exchange rate was good so the blow was softened with our purchases. I spoke to my NZ mate who organised the trip and the weather reports were terrible and there was a high chance the trip may not even happen. Wednesday We were picked us up, a little bleary eyed, at 830 and we commenced the 5 hour drive north with one of the other guys in our fishing crew. We took the scenic route and had a great lunch at Russel after a visit and tour or the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club. This area was made famous (to the game fisherman anyway) by Zane Grey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Grey#Fishing A beer stop at Waitangi Game Fishing Club and a few yarns with some colourful characters who re confirmed that the wind would make things tough for our trip. We arrived at Manganoui at 6pm, boarded the vessel (A 53 foot craft Powered by twin 500hp Yanmar diesel engines. Is capable of 24 knots although a cruising speed of 10-15 is more the norm) and met our skipper for the trip, and his two deck hands. The remaining 2 members of our team arrived at about 7 and then we received the good and bad news. The forecast was terrible (read as 30 knot + winds and 3 - 4 meter swells) but there was a chance we could get a window to fish the 3 kings. If this failed we would always have snapper off North Cape. Dinner at the pub at Manganoui and we were bunked down by midnight. Thursday We set sail early am and once out of the harbour we knew this trip was not going to be for the faint hearted. I was a little worried about getting crook but fortunately survived. The weather report came in about lunch time and it was confirmed that we could have a shot at the 3 Kings area if we wanted. The decision was unanimous despite the conditions and we were all pretty pumped. After lunch we received our first taste of fishing in NZ when we stopped for a quick jig off North Cape. Water depth was about 180 metres so jigging with 500 gram jigs was hard work. We hooked a couple but only one was boated of around 75cm and released. We continued our journey north and when we dropped anchor at the 3 kings later that evening we were all relieved to have made it with all meals still inside us. A few drinks and off to bed to be rocked gently to sleep by the swaying boat. Friday Our first solid day of fishing and it started well with the bait gathering session. We started burleying and the Koheru (cowenyoung) started to arrive .... along with 3 - 4 kg trevally and 60 to 80 cm kings! It was a race to get the Koies hooked before a trev or rat (by NZ standards) grabbed your bait, jig or soft plastic. I managed to boat a few kings (in the 65 - 85 cm range) and trevs each after fairly long battles on light gear. This was awesome fun and gave me a slight insight into the fun that lay ahead. Once we had about enough bait we became the slug to the king bank. It was an interesting ride but when we were all lined up on the starboard side of the vessel with livies deployed for Marlin the weather was temporarily forgotten. The action was slow but on our 3rd drift I finally had a take and hooked up to something that chose to head towards the surface at high speed. I was expecting to see a Marlin burst through the water however the battle was short lived and when the chewed off leader was reeled in it was confirmed to be a mako and not a marlin. One of the ballooned livies was next to go but yet again he was bitten off after a short lived fight with another mako. As a result stumps were pulled and we moved to have a quick bottom bash in 200 m for bass and hapuka. The bottom bash was reasonably successful and a few of the Kiwi boys kept some bass for the table. They were not huge fish but tasy eating. My Aussie mate caught the biggest at 22kgs. The next stop was we came for, "big kings", and it wasn't long before we had rods buckled everywhere on both livies and jigs. We all had some fun boating some good fish but unfortunately lost the battle with others when we either pulled the hooks or the fish found the bottom and busted us off. The biggest fish boated was 129 cm to the fork. All kings were tagged and released. This was a great session and the tough journey back to the anchor point at 3 kings did not dull the smiles. Saturday This was to be our last day fishing as the weather was getting worse and winds of 40 knots + were forecast to arrive on Sunday. Despite the conditions this day proved to be one of the best fishing sessions I have been part of. From our anchor point we headed to the Princess Islands for a combined session on big kings, big snapper and big trevally. The interesting part for me was this was all available at the one location. You either sent livies to the bottom for kings, used plastics or bait on the bottom for snapper or worked plastics (or fly) mid water for trevally. I opted to first send a livey to the bottom for a king. However after about 15 minutes of seeing trevs and snapper hitting the deck made me think strongly about a change. Thankfully I persisted and shortly after my rod buckled and I was locked in battle with what proved to be my fish of the trip. When the 135 cm 23.5 kg fish came aboard my smile was impossible to remove. I managed another 118 cm to the fork before I swapped gear and had a crack at the trevally and snapper. I did not manage any snapper but certainly made friends with the trevs and had a ball on light gear winning most battles but also losing a few. Best for me was a 6.5 kg model. We moved to one last spot but despite bagging a trev and getting tangled with a few sharks the deteriorating weather meant we had to pull stumps and commence our 8 hour haul back to North Cape. Now this was an experience and at times the movie "Perfect Storm" came to mind. Crashing waves caused by the swell and high gusty winds made this journey tough on all crew but more our skipper who had to navigate the boat. Being airborne in our bunks was funny at times but downright painful at others. We all slept well that night even though the anchor pulled a few times because of the winds. Sunday Our final morning and we were braced for a repeat of the night before for our long journey back to Manganoui. In the end while the trip was far from pleasant it was nothing compared to the night before and we were relatively unscathed when we docked at 3pm. Catch highlights for me as follows: 4 Kings over a metre all tagged and released bar 1. Lengths 1.05 to fork, 1.12 to fork, 1.18 to fork and 1.35 overall. Also managed about 6 – 7 trevally in the 5 – 6.5kg range. A couple of pics.

Had a fish on Saturday and went lines started coming up stripped clean in a matter of seconds i thought the worst . . . . leatheries. For those that like to chew on the odd jacket they are a pretty good size and as always easy to catch when you find them. Try near middle head.

If it was me my top 5 options in no particular order: Freshwater 1) One of QLD's barra dams (as Roberta mentioned). I have never done this and want to. 2) Lake Mulwala - Murray Cod (remember season closed Sept, Oct & Nov) Saltwater 3) Kangaroo Island (snapper and King George whiting) 4) Jervis Bay 5) Port Stephens Some of the above require a fairly long haul dragging the boat so need to consider fuel costs. However all spots have camping/caravan park options that have pretty reasonable accomodation cost wise.

They are not as nice as the Fishraider ones however NSW Fisheries do sell sell them. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/saltwater/catch-and-release/mat

Re Jackal's to be honest i don't know what we used. They were not mine and it was the first time i had used them as i normally use bibbed lures or spinnerbaits. My mate caught his on a dark green colour while the other blokes caught all of theirs on black. The only other bit of i think useful info is the other guys were trolling with the electric and had alot more hits than us trolling with the outboard. For freshwater, well cod and yellas, i think the slowest possible troll speed is the best. I am sure though you would be all over that tip. Off to NZ next week on the hunt for monster kings . . . . so no more freshwater expeditions for a while.

Hodgey i can confirm that they were very tasty and not muddy at all. As a side comment I reckon yellas around the 2 - 3 lb mark are the best to keep for the table and anything outside this range i usually release.