DerekD

Hi Fab1. I'm trying to find stuff that requires minimal care and was hoping someone had seen something. There are sufficient materials out there that suffer corrosion less. I'm trying to find something which moves away from the steel based products. For example, alloys or aircraft grade aluminium. Maybe something with bronze or brass inserts. Having a non-rust coating or plastic even if they make it rigid enough. Mostly I use it just to handle and unhook fish when it is a bit risky for my fingers, for example the jewfish which had swallowed it down the mouth far enough that it could still be reached but not so far that it was going to result in a far worse injury to the fish. Regards, Derek

I have a set of the top ones for my offshore game fishing. Haven't rusted yet - mostly because they have hardly been used. That is what I am thinking of but without the split ring tips at the end. I'm seeing Aluminium, tungsten and silicone grip ones which look promising. I found one YoutTube clip where a guy revitalised his pliers each year using a calcium scale and rust remover (something similar available for us at Bunnings for $15). Here is the clip: I'm thinking about it for existing ones but hoping to avoid this altogether.

Thank you for that. Most of those look like forceps. Does it damage your fingers if the fish is jumping around. I had a jewfish on a soft plastic once that had engulfed it. It was still reachable but I had to carefully get my hand and fingers past the teeth to do so. I wrapped my fingers in a rag but got it out and then watch the fish swim off shortly after. PS. I love the Mustang quote in your signature. I laughed out loud.

Hi all, A little problem someone might be able to help with - non rust needle nose pliers. I have gear which gets treated very well (e.g. expensive reels which get a wipe over every time they get used) but I have other stuff which gets minimal care (e.g. bream rods or 2500 reels). That is not to say they get abused (resting on rocks, dumped on sand or in water) but as they might get used several times in a week I consider them to be a consumable rather than have the hassle of spending time after each session carefully wiping them down. My fishing knives kind of fall between the two as I want a sharp edge on them so I touch them up with a wet stone and give them a wipe over with food grade Inox. Got a little side tracked there but I just wanted you to understand where I was coming from. I fish from the kayak fairly frequently. Due to the confined space there are times I use the needle nose pliers to remove the hooks from some of the toothy pelagics or if there is a risk of getting a hook in me when the fish is jumping around. Every set of kayak pliers (including the stainless steel ones) I've had has rusted to a degree or another. I've been around people in the stainless and carbon steel industries long enough to work out that stainless is not rust proof (rust resistant yes) and that it can jump from carbon steel (e.g. hooks) to stainless. After a session I really don't want to spend time oiling up the pliers to make sure they don't start rusting. Has anyone found any alloy or other material pliers which require minimal care? Preferably not the split ring ones. Length about 7 inches (175mm). Regards, Derek

Thanks Ryder - those last ones were getting to me. No wonder I thought 19 (Invisible man) looked like Illya Kuryakin in the man from Uncle. Same actor. Well done on the others. Don't think I've ever heard of Quark. Looks like only 4 to go.... #14, 18, 34 and 35.

Fame Trivia. Our host in Mosman works for them and the mixture of questions really suited our team (combination of younger and older, overseas and local, some very well travelled). She suggested our team mate talk to the boss and the rest was history. I like the picture sheets they use and do pretty well on the music questions (e.g. song, artist, year) for pre 2000s. I stopped listening to commercial radio thereabouts as I got frustrated with all the talking instead of music. I used to do another in Willoughby at one stage but they used a jeopardy format I didn't like. The best team were not necessarily the winners. End of the night you could chose to bet any portion of your points on a final question. If you were doing badly then bet all with the chance of doubling up. If you'd been killing it then strategically bet enough to pull ahead on a correct answer but still stay in the prizes on a wrong answer. Our Mosman host has a penalty for anyone caught using a smart phone. She can either send any message she wants to anyone in the phone or show the most embarrassing photo on the phone around (or something like that). The team mate now hosting is English so there have been some items lost in translation. Trying to explain Countdown for example. What is a music show here was something with letters and numbers there. She has a good sense of humour and takes it in her stride and really owns it. On a downside everyone can be a critic. One night she said that everyone got stuck into her, even her old team.

Considering I was born in 1970 I'm reaching back into the childhood to drag some of these out. Admit to having to use the internet to verify some of these but I knew enough to know where to look for most. Would love to join your trivia team. My own one fell apart last year after one of our members decided it would be fun to start hosting them in the pubs. She is doing an excellent job but I hate trying to find unpaid parking in Surry Hills so I stopped for the summer.

In earth orbit satellite S.I.D. from TV series U.F.O. CORRECT Space Battleship Yamato or Argo from Star Blazers CORRECT Liberator from Blake's 7 CORRECT The Phoenix from Battle of the Planets CORRECT The Swinetrek from Pigs in Space. The Muppets CORRECT (Ryder) Viper from original Battlestar Galactica series CORRECT Lieutenant Starbuck as played by Dirk Benedict Battlestar Galactica CORRECT Wonder Woman CORRECT Man from Atlantis CORRECT Commander Adam Quark - Quark CORRECT (Ryder) Captain Apollo from original Battlestar Galactical Series CORRECT Cylon CENTURION from original Battlestar Galactica series CORRECT Spaceship Eagle TRANSPORTER from Space 1999 CORRECT Imperious Leader from Battlestar Galactica NOT ANSWERED 6 Million Dollar man Steve Austin played by Lee Majors CORRECT Super-Voc from Robots of Death from Dr Who CORRECT Logan from Logan's run the TV series CORRECT Lucifer from Battlestar Galactica NOT ANSWERED Dr Daniel Westin - The Invisible Man CORRECT (Ryder) Dr Jaime Sommers, Bionic Woman CORRECT (Ryder) Tardis (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) from Doctor who CORRECT Spiderman CORRECT Cylon Basestar from original Battlestar Galactica TV series CORRECT Colonial Shuttle original Battlestar Galactica TV series CORRECT Leela (from Dr Who) CORRECT Maximillion the dog from The Bionic Woman CORRECT (Ryder) ROBOT K1 from Dr Who CORRECT Dr Who as played by Tom Baker CORRECT K9 (from Dr Who) CORRECT Dalek (from Dr Who) CORRECT Security Chief Urko from original Planet of the Apes series CORRECT SHADO Interceptor from U.F.O. TV Series CORRECT UFO ship (alien) from U.F.O. TV series CORRECT Dr Stephen Strange from Dr Strange NOT ANSWERED Diana Prince from Wonder Woman NOT ANSWERED Captain America CORRECT Buck Rogers CORRECT Bruce Banner CORRECT Twiki from Buck Rogers TV series CORRECT Ship (Spindrift) from Land of the Giants TV series CORRECT The Incredible Hulk CORRECT Colonel Viper from original Battlestar Galactica series CORRECT Earth Directorate Thunderfighter from Buck Rogers CORRECT The Battlestar Galactica from the original series CORRECT Wilma Deering from Buck Rogers TV series CORRECT Another Starfighter from Buck Rogers CORRECT Ralph Hinkley from Greatest American Hero CORRECT Maya from Space 1999 CORRECT Mork from Ork (as playe by Robin Williams CORRECT John Koenig, commander of station in Space 1999 CORRECT Cylon Raider from Original Battlestar Galactica CORRECT More to come and some to backfill. Just getting the quick ones out of way during lunch break. Really is a flashback from memory lane.

SPOILER: Well done to everyone who contributed. We don't have a list from the people that put together the drawing so I've compiled a list based on answers that fit the best. List is open for discussion but this is what it looks like to date. Eye of the tiger - Survivor 1982 Man sweeping and biting dust: Another one bites the dust – Queen 1980 Blue Monday – New Order 1986 Girl on drums: She bangs the drums – Stone Roses 1989 Guy dreaming: Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics 1983 Girl lying on boy: Probably “(I just) Died in your arms (tonight) – Cutting Crew 1986 or less likely “on his lap” : Jack and Diane – John Mellencamp 1982 Man jumping: Jump – Van Halen 1983 Two urns: Ashes (think the cricket trophy) to Ashes – David Bowie 1980 Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel 1986 Gold – Spandau Ballet 1983 Top with ME written on it: Spin me round – Dead or Alive 1984 3x ghosts in a city: Ghost town – The Specials 1981 The magician: Either Abracadabra –Steve Miller Band 1982 or Its a kind of magic – Queen 1986 or Its magic – The cars 1984 Video Killed the Radio star – The Buggles 1979 (release date) Road to nowhere – Talking heads 1985 Storm trooper with Superman symbol on chest: Super trouper – ABBA 1980 Radioactive symbol at Pond – Radioactive – The Firm 1985 Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits 1981 Bird crying: Doves Cry – Prince 1984 Raining on the African animals: Africa – Toto 1981 Walk like an Egyptian – Bangles 1986 The henge: Stonehenge – Spinal Tap 1984 99 Luft (or red) Balloons – Nena 1983 Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves 1983 Living on a prayer – Bon Jovi 1986 The whole of the moon - Mike Scott and the Waterboys 1985 Total eclipse of the heart – Bonnie Tyler 1983 Monkey goes to heaven – Pixies 1989 Heaven sitting on earth: Heaven is a place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle 1987 2nd and smaller heart - Higher love – Steve Winwood 1986 Another possibility: Bottom half of the earth: Down under – Men at work 1981

Hi 61 Crusher. Well done. The whole of the moon is the best answer I've seen come up for that one. Higher love is the best answer for the second and smaller heart to date - also well done. The answer we are using for the larger heart is Total Eclipse of the heart by Bonnie Tyler. I'll put up the full list as a spoiler as pretty well every song has been covered. Regards. Derek

That was the one we agreed on. Well done on the Super Trouper. Still only a few to go such as the hearts (two songs there) and the moon (there is a better answer). I'll post the list we worked out a bit later. I don't want to provide the spoilers too early.

You are knocking them over @Berleyguts. The Hammer was a pretty popular hit with a pretty clever and slightly weird video clip but aren't most of them. The Starwars character has a second popular culture reference on it. I was feeling really smug when I came up with an answer there. You might need to zoom in slightly for that aha moment. Not Ghost busters. It ties in with the buildings behind it. Excellent guess on Radioactive by the Firm. Not sure if it ever made it downunder - I had to google it. My first guess was dark side of the moon but I believe that was an album from 1973 and not actually a song. There is a better answer. Well done on Stonehenge. Abracadabra is probably the best fit but I came up with Its a kind of magic by Queen and someone else thought of Its magic by the Cars. I've put together a list of the best answers that also feel right which I'll post later. I thought we would have had a lot more guesses from other raiders.

Hi Undy. Some nice thinking in there. There are some better answers for some of the ones you came up with. I have put together a list of the best answers to date and am including some good alternatives. Keep going. D.

That is an excellent start. Keep going. I've had it a bit easier as I have a computer to check the image. There were a few false starts in the group I did it with before but I think I have the full list now. Some were outside my listening tastes so I had to look them up.

Hi All, This was put up by one of my school friends for a bit of fun. Can you work out the 30x 80s songs referenced in this drawing... We think we've worked them out but to date we don't have an official list. Hope you enjoy it.

Hey Will, Just thinking out of the box here but are you only buying the rod to try fishing for Murray cod and Murray trout?? Is this something you plan to do a lot of? I suspect you are on a budget. The problem is that this is one situation where you should be spending the money to get a good entry level reel. Years ago I looked at the Shimano Chronarch and Curado and went the Curado as I couldn't justify the extra $100 for the frequency I'd use it. People who chase them regularly such as @big Neil please feel free to chime in on this train of thought. The advantages of the baitcaster is regularly stated as being the pinpoint accuracy (can thumb the spool to land the lure), their line rating for how compact they are (the spool is supported from both sides), the light weight if you are casting all day. From personal experience I will use my baitcaster for a sugapen lure as the shorter rod length (than my snapper raider) and the grip I use makes it real easy to get the walk the dog action I like. For most other stuff I go back to the spinning rod. Why not try it with your Snapper Raider first. It has a 5 to 8kg (you said you'd already put a 15lb braid on it) line rating and you can up your leader to say 40lb for abrasion resistance but use the FG joiner knot. You can cast lure weights to 45gm by rod rating and larger based on how you load the rod up when casting. By practice or feathering the line you should get pretty good at placing the lure. Yes you might lose a couple of fish but no assurance you would have landed them with the baitcaster either. If you find you love it then save the money for a decent set-up so you won't need to upgrade down the track. Regards, Derek

Thank you, thank you, thank you.....!!! Luv your work Donna. Hope the caravanning has been going well.

Well done. I'd say the learning about the reel's internals and the satisfaction of fixing it would far outweigh the $50 it would have cost to replace it. There might have been a burr or splinter on one of the gear teeth.

Hi Will, Because of the drag system (metal and felt or carbon washers in the top of the spool) turning the spool by hand is probably not a good indication of your problem. Unless you have the drag totally locked down the spool should turn but the resistance will vary depending on how tight the drag is. That you can't turn the handle implies it is an internal issue with bearings or gears. When you say dunked are you talking completely submerged in water and more than once?? If that is a yes then I'd be pretty confident that is the root cause of the issue you are now seeing. Regards, Derek

Hi Will, Considering the Siennas can be bought for $50 I wouldn't even bother about taking it in for service. Still worth taking it apart yourself as a learning exercise. If you repair it you've saved $50 if you stuff it up then you have learned something. Regards, Derek

Hi Phil, Short answer is I don't think it matters at all from a saltwater fishes perspective. Longer answer - what are your science and math skills like. I raised this question from a theoretical worst case scenario and did the math a few years back. This was the resulting post: Try the numbers and then convert the pressure to inches or mm of water column. The daily tides and wakes we see in the water system would have a more noticeable impact than the pressure changes. I think you were in the right place at the right time. Regards, Derek

Hi Will, We have been catching the redfin on bream gear. 1000 to 2500 reel with 1-3kg or personally I'd go a 2-4kg as you can use it for your other Sydney fishing and it will fill in the slot underneath your Raider Snapper. Also personally I'd go for a 7 foot to 7 foot 6 inches rod as the length translates to extra tip speed and casting distance. I'll PM you a link for a Shimano setup worth looking at. We bought 1x for @JahmonW and I was so impressed with it for the price point that I picked up another for a mate at work and then another 2x for my nephews. Match it with some 4lb Power Pro or 4lb Berkley X5 or super thin 6lb Daiwa J braid or 6lb Shimano Kairiki. Don't forget to put some mono (say 8lb) underneath to get the braid to fill the spool to the optimum level. If you get some nice clear mono (e.g. Platypus super 100) then you can use the rest of the spool as leader material. Regards, Derek

Hi Jahmon. It has been an absolute pleasure showing you and Josiah some of the world class fishing that Sydney has to offer. The grin on your face when you catch a new species is contagious (of the good kind). We'll have to start concentrating on the mulloway (jewfish) soon as that might take a few outings. I can target them but I am nowhere near as proficient as some of the other people on this site. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the fishing checklist goes and now that you are likely to be in Sydney for a lot longer there will probably be a few other species that will get added to the list. Regards, Derek

I used the double uni for years as it was the one recommended with the Berkley Fireline when I first started out on braid. I then found out that doubling the braid over (the double double uni) made the knot stronger. I tested them both against a mates slim beauty and the normal double uni lost but the double double uni was strongest. My reason for not switching to the FG was I couldn't find a method to tie that I was happy with (rod in holder, keeping tension on the line, standing on one leg, on a Monday...) and the line wastage. Then one of the Raiders posted a method which could be done between the index finger and the thumb with minimal wastage - it was posted again recently. I was now happy to use it as the line wastage was only a little more than the double double uni and almost as quick to tie. I'll disagree with you on the thinner comment. I think it is almost physically impossible to be slimmer than the FG knot. All joiner knots I can think of require a doubling back of at least one of the lines somewhere. Lets take a 15lb braid (say 0.18mm diameter) and 30lb mono leader (say 0.55mm). The design of the uni at the mono part of the knot requires a loop and the mono to pass through the loop with the braid also passing through this - essentially at its thickest point you have 3x mono (3 x 0.55mm = 1.65mm) plus 1x braid (1x 0.18mm) for a total diameter of 1.83mm. For the FG the mono is straight through so there is 0.55mm diameter but the braid has alternate wraps around the mono so it is a single thickness on one side but has a double layer on the other where the two parts cross over and where finishing whips begin. Theoretical diameter becomes 0.55mm + 3x 0.18mm = 1.09mm which is way less than the 1.83mm diameter double uni in equivalent line ratings. At this time of night I don't feel like sketching it up and scanning it in but feel free to substitute your own line diameters and then do the maths.

Hi fellow Fishraiders. My first introduction to @wazatherfisherman was when he complimented me on one of my advice posts on kingfish. When you see the quality of the articles he writes it was high praise indeed. When @big Neilwanted to try some Sydney fishing I spent some time talking to Waza to see what could be organised. At the get together I got to meet Waza, @frankS, @savit and a few others. Since then I have called Waza on a weekly basis about fishing as he can’t get out as much as he would like and I can at least share my weekly fishing experiences with him. His breadth and depth of knowledge is amazing and I just enjoy talking to him. A few months ago he reached out to me. His computer was slower to get started than a hibernating tortoise and was on its last legs. I know enough about computers to get by so I did some quick research and sent him some relevant information so he could get up to speed. A quick trip with Waza to a store recommended by a mate and he had a brand new laptop with accessories. Took a few minutes to set it up for him, transfer his data, download a few suitable pieces of software and now he loves it. Several weeks later and I was reaching out for his help. My mother bought me a generation 1 Raider Snapper 762 as a birthday present over a decade ago and one of the bigger runners went. No, it is not one of those stories - my mum is still well and with us but that rod has sentimental value to me for a number of reasons and I don’t want to retire it yet. I could have taken it to a shop but I was concerned that because it is a business for them they would turn it around as quickly as possible with parts that were not quite right. The thread colour on the Raider series rods looks to be their own line and was going to be a pain to colour match. Amongst his many talents Waza is a rod builder and I knew that he could and would take the time to make it look as close as possible to the original design. I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be spot on but if it needed a second glance to realise it was a little different then that was enough for me. I also reached out to Ian Miller the designer of this range of rods and he was kind enough to respond to my query on binding thread colour. Earlier this week I picked my Raider Snapper and another rod with a damaged runner that he was kind enough to fix. Took it for a fish this afternoon and it still puts a smile on my face. Thank you Waza for the care and time you took to repair them for me. You have earned that Gold Member badge you received recently many times over in my eyes. Sincerely, Derek