DerekD

While ok I would strongly recommend avoiding this. Best off taking the time to learn a joiner knot as you will probably end up doing so sooner or later so it may as well be sooner. With the light gear and a 10gram halco silver twisty you have an opportunity for relatively long casts to reach out to the schools of pelagics which frequent the bays and harbours in the warmer months. I often find the faster you retrieve it the better your chances of hooking up and especially in the case of bonito. If you are slightly distracted and not watching the swivel coming in then the sound of a swivel hitting the top runner is soul crushing. Cracking the carbide in the runners creates a razor like edge which can damage braid. In my case at the end of each session the rod goes into a protective case and the reel into a bag. I have no issue in running a joiner knot through the guides. A swivel is a bit more of a pain trying to get it through the runners.

Hmmmm..... I'll have to test that. I liked the paint jobs so much I bought the pink and gray ones.

Hi Bob (and Neil), Thanks for an amazing day yesterday. The drive up there was worth it alone to see a section of greater Sydney I've not seen a lot of in the past. Then when I arrived it got even better. A lot of fishing related chatting. Making sinkers. I got close and personal with one of Bob's pets he has raised from young (hopefully photo to follow). The trip to his lure making friend Greg was a great learning experience and I got some lovely photos of some amazing looking lures. See below. I liked the paint job on two of them so much that I bought them with the understanding I'd probably never use them. Then a fish on his dam and then later dinner and the opportunity to meet Bob's lovely wife. Memories are made from days like these.

Someone also suggested Mr Incredible and once I saw it I haven't been able to get it out of my head. This was when I had a little more hair along the centre strip.

If you need more information then just reach out.

Hi Mattg, In short I'd be suggesting a 7 foot to 7.5 foot graphite 2 piece rod with 2500 Shimano reel or similar size from other brands. As my retrieve technique is rod tip down I prefer a short butt so the butt doesn't hit against the meat of the forearm. You want all graphite as it is lighter and a bit stiffer than the fibreglass or semi-fibreglass rods which means that every twitch can get transmitted down the line to the lure. You also feel the bites too. If you are really on a budget then look at the Shimano Sienna Quickfire 7 foot combo with 2500 reel. This retails for about $99. If you are happy to mix and match then as a rod I'd suggest a Shimano Raider 762 2-4kg 2-12gram rod which has been going for $80 as there is a new series coming out. My preference these days is the Atomic ArrowZ AAS-270UL which has a 3-10lb line rating and 3-14 lure rating. Generally around the $130 but have seen them for $100 on special. If budget is an issue for the reel then consider the Shimano Sienna 2500 but if you can go a bit more I'd suggest the Shimano Sedona 2500 (RRP $99). You will feel the difference between the two. Before you go out from the shop check the rod for damage and operate the reel fast and slowly to check for rough spots. They are a fantastic reel for the price but they are still mass produced and not their premium range. Don't use mono as it has about a 10% stretch compared to the claimed 1% of braid. It doesn't casast as far as an equivalent rated braid and you lose some sensitivity. For braid I usually recommend PowerPro or Berkley X5 in the 4lb or a skinny 6lb like Daiwa J braid or Shimano Kairiki as I am familiar with them. Even if you use another braid (make sure it is woven rather than fused) have a feel of these to get an idea of the thickness we are looking for. The line should be spooled up so it finishes about 1mm shy of the lip which is why backing is needed and I suggest the local tackle store. Braid cost $20 to $32. The backing and leader should probably be 8lb (another $18). Lures are another story. D.

I'd love to do that. I've got another couple I've been mentoring for a while and they are both really enjoying it. She has actually been doing better than him overall. I've threatened to cut off his fishing lessons till he gets his first fishing report in. 😄 Just avoid buying any new gear till you have met up with me and understand the "why"s of the gear. I have guest gear I use to teach people which is a good baseline moving forward.

That is correct. Bass and carp too. Took my latest group of mentorees (don't like using the word students in this case) two weekends ago. Double hook up on the bass on Rublex Celta Spinners in size 3. Two carp on sweet corn and a third one dropped.

And so it starts... Congratulations @Denisfisho and welcome to the club. First of many more as you get better. Offer still stands to show you more if you make it to the lower north shore down the track.

Excellent on the braid. If you have good casting technique then you should see some dramatic improvements in casting range. If it hasn't improved dramatically then we are giving you a casting lesson if we are able to catch up. 😃 Everything seems to hit the grubs and I think they are an under-rated lure. My first flathead over 70cm was caught on a grub while using 4lb braid and 4lb leader. I like the minnows as they match the baitfish profile and for me they are very effective on the pelagics with a retrieve I worked out several years ago. With the jigheads I use I can cover far more ground than I can with the grubs. The problem with minnows is they don't have that built in action of the grubs, paddle tails and wriggle tails. You have to create the movement to entice the fish but when you nail it they look seriously good in the water with a darting retrieve (usually referred to as walk the dog). They compliment each other which is why I have both (well actually all four types but those two are my go tos) in my kit. I'd like to see you learning how to each of them during a session as you don't know what will be working on the day. Part of your fishing will be making a decision based on where you are and the time of year. Example, the big schools of kings and salmon are usually moving into Sydney harbour at this time of year. They will be followed by bonito and mack tuna if you are lucky and then frigate mackeral. They will be feeding on small silver and slightly translucent baitfish which I have been told are anchovy. Over the next few months these baitfish will grow from several mm long to several cm long. If I get down to the water and see schools busting up and feeding on the surface then I know where the fish are and out comes my minnow profile and I try and fish the full water column. The grubs are probably more likely to get you hits if you slow it down and let it hit the bottom and then use small hops. If you have them already then start with them but don't be afraid to cover the area with one and then switch to the other and work that same area again. Once you have worked an area then move along as suggested by several others. With this gear and a small travel pack you have a lot of mobility. Cover ground and you are more likely to catch fish. Learning to use soft plastics, slices, blades, spinners, squid jigs will be like giving you a set of tools but you have to decide which one for each task. Probably start with the 2.5inch watermelon flake grub and 1/8oz jig head then see if you can switch to your 3.5 inch motor oil with a heavier jig head to cover some distance (I usually do it the other way around to try and get a bigger fish and quicker). Target species: Flathead. Mix up your hops with singles and doubles. It has to be a flick to get that bait fish darting off the bottom. Watch Shroom's video (it is an simplification but the basics are very clear). @XD351 did a really nice map of Pittwater explaining the covering ground a bit further back in the post. Biggest thing. Have fun. Enjoy even just casting out and watching the line float down towards the surface of the water. Watch the rod tip for bites and you will also feel this. If a fish hits your lure don't assume it will keep eating but give it the smallest of flicks to fool the fish into thinking its meal is getting away and force the take. They will often have several goes at a lure.

BTW - what brand of braid did you end up getting?

Good luck but be careful with the ultralight lures. If you do not wind them on under tension then there is a risk of birds nesting. I keep a couple of pins in my tackle box to sort this out. I went through this learning curve when I started. The braid back then was a fused rather than woven braid and had a tendency to grab as it started to fray. If starting out I generally suggest not going much lighter than 1/8oz with the grubs as it will allow you to get a reasonable casting distance and minimise the bird nests. If you are fishing 1/18 then slow it right down. The hang time should be fantastic but I'm guessing casting distance will be 10 to 15m. Be patient to let it hit the bottom. You have to fish the area where the fish are most likely to be on the day. If I am new to an area I start off with a not subtle 1/4oz and 3or 4" minnow or larger grub. I try for what I call the easy flathead. It is purely covering ground. Flathead are less concerned about subtle. I then go lighter and lighter while I cover the area and then move along.

Hi Denis, 150m of 6lb braid should be covering that backing totally so I'm surprised you can see it. My suggestion is don't stress. Fish it and have fun. Learn the limitations of the gear and in a few years you will be addicted enough to spoil yourself with an upgrade and this will be your spare reel. Lets get you out there catching fish. I would love for you to find the joy of this style of fishing. I expect you to get out there tomorrow for a little while and see the casting range improve meaning more ground to cover. If you can start with something like a 1/6oz to get a feel of what it is capable of. There is a degree of subtlety with plastics which takes people a little while to grasp. One of the expressions I use when teaching is "little kid, little steps" so with a small grub do small hops.

BTW when I say local tackle store I usually go to the shops that do fishing stuff only rather than the outdoor chains. Their knowledge is generally a little better. Not all the time as I've met some very knowledgeable people in the chains but generally.

Technically it is probably not less braid lengthwise but it is thinner which is why it won't fill the spool as much. Again something not unexpected if you drop from 15lb to 6lb. This was why they are supposed to put backing on (that is, partially fill the spool with mono) - the guys at my local tackle shops are very good at judging it correctly. To be fair it looks like they put some backing on but I'm not 100% certain either. I'd ask them how much backing they put on it - it looks like it needed about another 2mm of backing. For that model Sienna I think 30 to 40m of 8lb backing is generally required but don't hold me to it. I'm usually pedantic about it so in the past I've put the braid on first then put the 8lb backing on and then stripped it all off and end for ended it so the backing then goes on first. When I finally lose too much braid I strip the braid (but leave the mono backing) and then replace it with the exact thickness and length of braid I used previously. When I've done it for the last few times I've had several reels of the same so I set one up with braid and then backing on top to get it to what I consider is optimal and then wind it onto the other reel so I end up with the braid on top. I would not stress it too much. While not optimal it is not too bad either. It will make a huge difference on your casting. By the way, any chance you could make it to the lower North shore of Sydney in the next few months. Feeling your pain and think we can shorten your learning curve dramatically.

Soft plastics - firstly the straighter you can rig them the better. This can be a bit of a challenge with the zmans. They are durable but I find them a pain depending on the jig I am using. One of my mates suggested that a claim to fame signature I could use on my Fishraider posts is that "I once rigged a Zman plastic on straight". While flathead are a little less fussy the better you can rig them the better they will swim and the better your chance of hooking up. Ideally the soft plastic should look right when rigged. Having the hook coming out near the tail on a grub is not too much of an issue. However on the minnow/paddle tail/wriggle tail style lures I like it if it comes out at what would be the shoulder of a fish. To give you an idea: On 2 to 2.5 inch grubs I us Gamakatsu 211 ball head jigs in size #1 or #2 (the difference in the hooks is the gape size). On 3 inch minnows I use the TT bullet head tournament style jig heads in size #1H. Weights in 1/8, 1/6 or 1/4oz depending on if I want hang time or casting distance. On 4 inch minnows I use the TT bullet head tournament style jig heads in size #1/0H. Weight 1/4oz.

I've got mates catching the odd big one (80s and 90s) and I've another mate that has seen a school feeding in one of the bays but my feeling is that they have not moved in in numbers yet and it is all a bit sporadic.

Thank you. With people like @wazatherfisherman @JonD @Niall @pscarey and many others putting in carefully constructed and detailed posts they have set a high bar to follow.

Oh and we are not going to be using burley as your friend was doing. 😃 Part of the joy of lure fishing is fooling the fish. Part of doing well at this is covering ground as stated by several other people on this thread. The quality of fish will also go up as you get better at it. More on this later.

@Little_Flatty You beat me to this one and very well said. Oh and thank you for your faith in me. Alright @Denisfisho This is what I was expecting and we have potentially made a huge step into getting you on your way. Your rod and reel are fine. People have a tendency to go heavier than they need on their mainline and I suspect it is because they are putting down insurance against hooking the big one but how many of us do each time we go out. First thing is that most braids will overtest and potentially to double of the line rating (probably to factor in knot strength). In my case I use Berkley X5 in crystal and 4lb USA rating but on the box it also mentions it breaks at 6.4kg (14lb) under European guidelines. One of the demonstrations I use is to get students to gradually load it up (not shock load it) till they break it before cutting themselves - no one so far has done this. It is stronger than people realise. One of the people I mentored a while back was recently fishing the sandflats on a kayak with a 4" Holt prawn on 6lb mainline and 10lb leader and accidentally hooked a king which he landed - it went 93cm. if you learn how to fish the light gear and take your time you can land really good fish. If you are using 15lb braid or thereabouts it is costing you casting distance and if you hook the big one then the load that braid can put on the guides is likely to damage them (I've seen this before). I'd like to know what jig head weights you are using and how far you think you can cast them. On my gear with a 1/8oz I think I am getting around 20plus m and with a 1/4oz I think I am hitting 40m (need to actually measure this one day). After we get some feedback from you the first step is to get down to your local tackle store and get them to respool that reel. I usually recommend PowerPro or Berkley X5 in the 4lb or a skinny 6lb like Daiwa J braid or Shimano Kairiki as I am familiar with them. Even if you use another braid (make sure it is woven rather than fused) have a feel of these to get an idea of the thickness we are looking for. The line should be spooled up so it finishes about 1mm shy of the lip which is why backing is needed and I suggest the local tackle store. The guy in the shop set up my Freedom day present to myself (Stradic 2500) with braid. He did an amazing job bringing it right up to the inner lip as per photo below - I would have gone a millimetre or so less. To be continued.

Wildlife - found this young tawny frogmouth hanging around with its parent outside my dad's place. It was curious when I was in the area but didn't appear agitated and it was still sitting there after it was nice enough to let me take these photos. Check out the eyelids in the second photo. Please note that these were taken with a telephoto lens to minimise disturbance to these lovely birds. And the parent....

Hi DF. Sorry to hear you are struggling. I find the July to September months are a little harder work. There are good fish out there but you have to mix it up (e.g. blackfish on fly) and put in the time. Can you please tell me the gear you are using? Rod length, line and lure rating, reel size, braid and leader strength? I mentor several people each year. The first thing I do is ask them to cast. If the basics are not right then it makes everything else a little harder. We then go through the gear. Over the years I've had several people tell me that plastics don't work and then I check their gear out and realise they are handicapped from the start. When they have a go of my gear it is usually their first aha moment. Once they are casting to the point I am happy with it (this has taken anywhere from a few minutes to several hours and in the case of complete beginners, several sessions - we do get them casting fairly quickly but it is the little tips and tricks which combine to get further distances out of the gear that takes a while) then we start going into the retrieves that can be used with various plastics. What plastics and jig head combinations are you using? To be continued. Regards, Derek

I picked up a 44cm recently on fly but unfortunately due to the angle of the camera the photo with measuring tape on it makes it look smaller than it actually was. Damn parallax..... My fault for not having a brag mat to lay it down on.

If you are on a budget suggest Shimano Sienna Quickfire 7' 2-4kg 2500 Spinning Combo at $99. I've put several people onto these as a starter rod. They are a little heavier than I am using these days but I have been pretty impressed at the bang for buck. Throw in some backing/leader for $16 and some braid $20 to $32 (Power Pro or Berkley X5 or Shimano Kairiki 8 or Daiwa J braid) and we are still in your budget.

It sounds like it will be more balanced but I also guess the rod he sold you is rated around 5-8kg with a 15 to 35 lure rating. What does it say on the rod. I'm not familiar with this range. I'd also ssuspect that you are overgunned for your needs. Yes you will land the fish but it will probably feel more like winching a fish in than playing it.