DerekD

Hmmmm.... but when changing lanes you have to indicate and give sufficient time to make the change safely. The rules are very clear that they have to turn into the left hand lane(s) when turning into a new street unless directed by guidance lines. The fact it is a 3 lane road complicates the original guideline as there is a secondary rule which comes into play.

Hi @Snapped Hook Thanks for that. The car shown turning left is shown as only being allowed to turn into the two left lanes and not the third as the car in the video did. Based on that I believe I'm still in the right in the event of an accident (yes avoid at all costs) as the next lane change by the other driver was the illegal one as it was not safe to do so. I've still got a rule book from 1990 (after I did my licence) so I cross reference when checking what rules have changed. Got to get my hands on the new book. I try and refresh my knowledge whenever they make rule change announcements. Regards, Derek

Some additional information. This is from the NSW road rules when turning left into another street. https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/stopping-giving-way-turning/indicating-and-turning Specifically: The car coming from the other side did not keep to the left side of the road they were turning in to. Once they are there we then refer to the rule regarding lane changes at which point we are both on the same road and that person is required to give way to me and that would be my argument. From the NSW rules: I've not found the rule yet about multiple lane changes but the following describes the issue nicely (this is also not from NSW rules): Realistically though, any time there's traffic, changing multiple lanes without pausing at each step to make sure the next lane is clear is likely an unsafe maneuver. Since safety is the threshold, it would be a violation, even if the law doesn't spell out that multiple lane changes are prohibited. Hi @Snapped Hook I was aware of the car behind the truck which is why I eased off at the lights - to give time for the truck to clear. We give rooms for the trucks to swing wide and then move into the centre (next to dividing line) lane but the cars shouldn't be moving straight across into the far lane as per the rule about turning onto the left side of the new road. What caught me by surprise was that she kept swinging across at speed even though I got there first but at a slower speed. I've been using this intersection for years but realised the rules are unclear on this scenario. Furthermore, on the trip home several streets away I hit the same situation but in this case I'd be in the other cars position. Something to ponder. As I said I'm writing to the transport for NSW for clarification but thought it was an interesting topic for discussion as I believe it is not clear and should be something added to their documentation. Regards, Derek

Then there is this driving school which says you can turn into any lane you want to but I've seen driving schools get rules wrong before.... https://rightwaydriving.com.au/driving-tips-rightway/Road-Rules-Turning-refresher

Hi all, Just put my car into the smash repairers today for a love tap that happened back in early November (seems they are pretty busy). I almost had an accident yesterday which would have resulted in far more serious repairs. This is the incident: I'd like to get other people's thoughts about a road rule which is not clear in the Transport of NSW website. Probably because working out who as at fault involves looking at one or two other rules. I know that if two cars are coming from opposite directions on a single lane road intersection and turn into the same road the car turning right has to give way to the car turning left into that same street. Been a clear rule since I got my licence several decades ago. What I don't know is what happens if the car turning left comes from a single lane must turn left road into a 3 lane marked road without turning guidance lines and decides to take a racing line and swing across several lanes in the one movement. Again from my understanding of the rules each lane change should be done individually and use the indicators each time. If the car had hit me and you were the insurance assessor who do you think would have been at fault. I've put the information into the attached word document to try and make it visually clearer. Left turn right of way.docx I'm trying to get clarification from Transport for NSW. This is the second time it has happened recently and the other time the person coming from the other side was rather angry with me. I'm of the opinion they should have turned left into the closest or even middle lane but not straight across into the third lane. Regards, Derek

Apparently multiple names... https://getfishing.com.au/speciesid/snook/ https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2550

Some more from the 50th birthday.

Hoping your next outing is a bit more positive. When I head out I usually have several options within easy travel of each other. If one is not working for say wind direction or too crowded I can easily switch to the other. Trick is to shift before the hindrance gets under your skin.

That would sometimes be me when I'm trying to get some exercise swimming in the surf. Trying that with a life jacket would certainly get the heart rate up but I'd lose any fluidity through the water that I still have.

What was also impressive is the fact they had a translator (pretty sure Chinese speaking) to cover for the language barrier and to ensure information did not get lost in translation.

Hi @Mr.Wang Really sorry to hear about this. It is one of the reasons I keep most of my favourite fishing spots quiet. I don't like crowds when fishing and especially when they started expanding into other people's personal space. Also the reason I start looking at secluded locations and to be honest the exploring is also a fun part of fishing for me. Regards. Derek

I'm guessing the larger fish was a Long Tom. Super vicious teeth on them too. Glad to see you are starting to get some successes. It should fire you up to get out more and then get more successes. Self fulfilling prophecy.

Hi All, This isn't really a fishing report as such but it is a report related to rock fishing - an initiative put together by Surf Life Saving, the DPI and other groups. It was held at Little Bay easily over 100 attendees and families. We were split into four groups (A, B, C & D) and there were four presentation halls through which we rotated. In one of the presentations Hadi from Team Kingies presented information about actually rock fishing, the gear they bring, the outfits they use and practical safety. The next presentation involved discussing life jackets, types, issues, under what conditions they would be used. They also demonstrated a self inflating one. Third presentation for us was by the DPI and went into further information on rock fishing safety and preparation. The fourth presentation was related to life saving and the challenges involved in rescuing people, especially in fishing related incidents. They also discussed reading the weather reports and what to look for before heading out. The four topics combined well into a overall introduction as to the hazards and controls when rock fishing. Lunch (pizzas) was provided. We then went with the life savers down to Little bay to discuss practical water safety (emergency calls, looking at water conditions, etc.). They also demonstrated a couple of emergency rescues - one assuming an unconscious person and the related difficulties and the other with a conscious person. Final stop was the fitting of the free issue life jackets. While not an expert at rock fishing I consider myself capable and safety aware. There were still some excellent learnings to be had by me. If you get the chance please consider booking yourself in for one of the coming ones. Could save your life or that of someone close to you. Derek

Straight from camera. I did cheat a little and use the vivid mode of the camera to bring out the colours a little more. The lighting before was even better but I missed that moment in the time it took me to race (or at least lope) back to the car to swap the rod for the camera and change from the prime 50mm lens to the zoom lens. I also used a longer exposure to soften the look of the water in the evening shots. Here is one with a shorter exposure time.

Hi All, This one is going under the topic Dusk. Was fishing at Blackwattle bay with Fishraider @HenryR and another gentleman and the setting sun was lighting up the Anzac bridge beautifully. I had the difficult decision of continuing fishing or getting the camera out. Taken with a Canon RP and 24mm to 105mm lens. These are some of the results.

Hi All, Throwing this one under the category: Nightlife I had the privilege and pleasure of shooting a Pirates & Sirens themed 50th birthday at the Cauliflower hotel (used to be a cauliflower garden on the site where the hotel was built). There were several performers there with some spectacular costumes. I luv, luv, luv, this champagne glass dress and costume designed by https://www.instagram.com/dieseldarling_/ and modeled Absolutely Fabulously by https://www.instagram.com/kingthedragqueen/ The attention to detail is brilliant. Champers anyone. Hope you enjoy the second set of photos. I was running two cameras that evening. A Canon 80D with 18 to 135mm lens and flash for group shots and a Canon RP with 50mm lens and LED panel for portraits.

Hi All, Throwing this one under the category: Nightlife I had the privilege and pleasure of shooting a Pirates & Sirens themed 50th birthday at the Cauliflower hotel (used to be a cauliflower garden on the site where the hotel was built). There were several performers there including "Snake dancer lady" aka https://www.instagram.com/dieseldarling_/. Each of her costumes for the evening were amazing and were also designed by her. She is a performer talented enough to have won Miss Burlesque Australia. Worth seeing if you ever get the chance. Hope you enjoy the first set of photos. I was running two cameras that evening. A Canon 80D with 18 to 135mm lens and flash for group shots and a Canon RP with 50mm lens and LED panel for portraits.

Yep I used that. Explained I wanted someone who had failed NIDA for overacting as an explanation on how to work the bent minnow.

Hi @Madkanu I enjoyed reading that report and looking forward to more of them in the future. It was a pleasure meeting you and welcome to the world of lure fishing in Australia. What we went through the other evening was a teaser - the diet version so to speak. These days the full course of land based fishing can fill three days so we have a way to go yet. Hopefully I don't leave you a quivering wreck of nerves overloaded with information. Years ago I took one gentleman through the 1 day course and we covered a lot of ground metaphorically, physically and practically. During the day he also watched me respond to questions from interested bystanders. At the end of it he sat down for several minutes processing and absolutely shell shocked. Then he looked up at me and admitted he'd never realised how much information there was behind what I was doing. Cast out a lure and retrieve - nope. There are nuances behind what we are doing that many people will never realise. I got into topwater fishing several years ago when the kings were being difficult so I wanted to try something different. An article by @Niall inspired me to learn something new and while I'd had success previously I wanted to become competent at it (if not master it). I was fortunate enough to run into Niall early on and get some pointers. In the times since he has shown me the subtle movements that I hadn't worked out myself. We still have a lot more ground to cover and I hope you get a lot of pleasure out of it as you try new things. For those that are interested in topwater: This is the video he links to which inspired him: This is the follow up article by Niall

You are doing better than me. Usually one or two pieces is my goal unless I conveniently go past some other stuff. I am heading out for a fish after all. There is also limited space on my kayak. You have my respect @JustJames

Hi again @HawkesburyParadise Your question intrigued me so I did some further research and came across this article relating specifically to Gulp http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/Articles/Display/8620-Gulp-Safety-Questions I also found similar articles relating to the impact of soft plastics.

Overheard in a fishing shop - "I wonder what fish ate before we invented soft plastics". Hi HP, Here is my take. Unless you are using bio-degradable and edible lures such as Berkley Gulp yes we contributing plastic and other rubbish to the environment. It is only a little bit at a time but then rivers, lakes and oceans all form one drop at a time. Experience shows us it takes a long time for most plastics to breakdown. They have even found a Frozen themed balloon at the bottom of the Mariana trench: https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/sustainability/manmade-horrors-lurk-at-the-bottom-of-the-mariana-trench-the-deepest-part-of-the-ocean/news-story/750c3cfafe1cf383278da9777f8e256a Considering Frozen was released in 2013 it has only taken ten years to get to the deepest part of the ocean. I'm not going to stop fishing them but I have a way of making the environment a little better. In golf there is a tradition on the green that if you create a divot due to your ball hitting it then you fix it and try and find one other to fix (at least that is what my dad told me when we used to play together). When I go out fishing I always clean up fishing related rubbish I find but I also try and pick up and dispose of one piece of rubbish (e.g. plastic bag or plastic bottle) every time I head out. I may have contributed to the rubbish stream but I've removed even more.

Hi mate, That introduction was a pleasure to read and welcome to the forum. In addition to spending some time reaching out to others it is worth going through the articles library and past posts using the search engine. There are plenty of articles that have helped kickstart fishing skills in a new direction. Looking forward to seeing more from you on the site. Regards, Derek

Worth every dollar (especially considering the "what you get" for around $160) and thank you for showing it too me.

Hi all, People ask me why I fish when I don’t eat fish. There is a myriad of reasons (the places I get to see, the gear to play with, the lottery aspect – chase a flathead and then hook into a king, life balance – cheaper than a psychiatrist, something I can do by myself or with others, and so on). A really big thing is the people I meet over a simple question or an offer of some help. I’ve made friends through fishing both on Fishraider and out in the wild that I hope will last me to the end of my life (and may that be a long, healthy and happy one too). There is a bit of history behind this fishing report. Years ago (probably over a decade as time flies when you are having fun) I was boating with some friends on Pittwater and one of the belts on the engine failed. We contacted Marine Rescue for a tow and I hopped on the rescue boat to direct us back to the mooring. Here I met Zubin. He was from India and had migrated to Australia with his wife. He owned a couple of boats and after getting help one day from Marine Rescue he decided to volunteer with them as his way of contributing to the community. It was early days and he was still in training and we started chatting. Coincidently (I promise) the subject of fishing came up and I was my usual over-enthusiastic self in talking about it. He wanted to learn more so I swapped numbers. That was the beginning of a friendship which has bought me much joy. He got introduced to the gear, techniques, a different way of thinking when it comes to fishing. We went out on trips whenever our schedules permitted. He has a musical laugh when he is happy which seemed to happen a lot when we were fishing. He sold the boats and got into kayak fishing. Over time his successes grew and he threw a line in the water whenever he could. My phone would beep and I’d open a text message from him to see his latest catch which might be a flathead, jewfish or Murray cod. At times I refer to him as a blonde Indian as he forgets stuff we’ve discussed previously but the nickname is meant with affection. Zubin has a wonderful family, a lovely wife, two good sons (and the dog of course). This fishing report is about one of those sons, Gustad. Gustad, also likes fishing but had gone the bait route as all attempts at lures were not the joy they can be – he found it a lot of hard work with minimal returns. Due to geography and conflicting schedules he’d never had the chance to come fishing with me. For Gustad’s birthday this year Zubin wanted to give his son a new fishing rod and called me for advice. After some discussion I pointed out that the potential of the gear wouldn’t be realised without some instruction and offered my time to take him through the DerekD course of lure fishing. I was invited recently to Zubin’s 30 year wedding anniversary celebration (of course I bought along the camera to capture some memories as my gift to the family) where I got to discuss fishing with Gustad. He’d bought along some of his gear and demonstrated his casting. His casting technique was very good but the gear was super clunky. This included a Shimano Aquatip with 2500 sized Sienna reel and 12lb braid. No wonder he wasn’t enjoying the experience. The gear was perfect for bait fishing and a lot of what he did but it would have been tiring when casting all day, he would have struggled to get distance on casts and he would have missed the responsiveness of a suitable graphite rod. Zubin’s birthday present to Gustad was this voucher and all the time and gear mentioned within it. Seems at some time I’d picked up a knighthood. Maybe Zubin is Indian royalty.... Australia day was the first of our learning sessions. While it has some negative connotations Australia day is also an opportunity for people with different backgrounds to come together. We picked the inner west and I asked Gustad to bring along his existing gear for a comparison and to demonstrate why it was handicapping him. I asked him to tie on a 70mm sugapen and then cast and slowly retrieve it a few times while trying to give it some action. Credit where credit is due he got some distance and there was some vague imitation of movement. I then asked Zubin to cast out the same lure on his lure rod and Gustad was taken aback about the substantial increased casting distance. We then put away his clunky gear and used my outfit and the gear I was recommending he choose as his birthday present. Gustad has casting ability but there were some refinements to be made to make it more effective. Over the next hour we adjusted his casting to get more distance and accuracy out of it. He admitted he is an over-thinker (I am too) but in my eyes for what we are doing it is a good thing. During the session he latched on extremely quickly to the thinking behind some of the concepts I was trying to teach him and articulated them when he had an aha moment. It was a real (reel) pleasure watching him grow in a new direction. We switched to a light metal and the distance he was able to cast with that gear was mind blowing for him. The gear was light and easy to use. The tight walk the dog retrieve I use is a bit of a challenge to learn as you use the arm muscles in a way which is not natural but he was gradually getting it – usually it comes together and becomes natural for people by the third fishing session after which you are wondering why you ever had difficulty with it. This is me working a topwater lure: We stopped for a quick lunch and changed to another sandflat. This time we were concentrating on actually catching fish by long casts and covering ground and really trying to work the lures. I also bought out my latest toy, a Crucius 7’8” rod (I blame @Little_Flatty) and 1000 reel with super thin braid which I bought for sandflats fishing which increases my casting range. Gustad could really feel the difference between the three light lure outfits and had the opportunity to switch between them. I also demonstrated the subsurface walk the dog retrieve I often use which absolutely blew him away as he didn’t know how it was possible to get this sort of action from a simple plastic lure. For those that have not seen it this is what I am talking about: His understanding of the benefit of the lighter outfits really hit home and it will be hard for him to go back to the other rods he owns. Unfortunately we didn’t catch any fish but I did have 3 really good hits on my topwater lures. The new locations I introduced them too were beautiful to visit. Gustad has now covered casting and topwater and during this Sunday’s part 2 of the course we will cover plastics, slices, vibes, squid jigs, etc. In more detail. It was a pleasure fishing with Gustad and his father, Zubin and I’m looking forward to our session on Sunday and I think that fishing voucher will end up being a bigger gift than you realise. Here is the backside of the fishing voucher. Regards, Derek