DerekD

Hi MCF. Have seen this many a time and I have an easy solution. As you have noticed the leader wraps on the mainline but what you probably haven't worked out yet is that the mono or fluorocarbon doesn't wrap on itself too often. My solution is to have the sinker a bit more than halfway down the leader. So if your leader is 1m long from mainline to hook my sinker would sit say 40cm from the hook. I loop my leader 3 or 4 times through the sinker locking it in to place with friction. If you insist on using a running sinker you may have to rig a leader to a swivel and then sinker and remaining rig.

I fished Crystal Fireline for years as it was the best braid for the price I could find when starting out on soft plastics. I found the issue with it was that it is a fused braid rather than woven braid so over time (depending on how often you fish it) the line will start to fluff up and weaken. At this point if you don't trim it back or end over end it you may start losing fish. One of the guys in the fishing shop put it on the test bed and found that the 4lb would break at 10lb. For $5 it is a really good buy though - really test your leader knot every time you have to re-tie it.

Some luck involved but I've landed enough on light gear (4lb PowerPro with 6 to 10lb leader depending on where I am fishing) to know it can be done. As they are peeling off line gradually tighten (a few clicks at a time) the drag to slow them down without panicking them - lift then wind to get line back and the runs should get shorter each time. You can feel them settling in for a run and when this happens you can change angle of rod a few times to throw off their rhythm. If they are heading towards structure you can flick the bail arm and free spool till they swim away from structure. It feels wrong but works often enough. Danger point is when you get them close to where you are. When they see the boat they will usually run again - I back the drag off a few clicks before this point to reduce the chance of breaking the line. If you are on the shore or a wharf identify potential bust off points beforehand so you can keep them away as best you can. When they are close I take a few winds on to get the rod tip close to the water which means I can quickly put some pressure on by lifting the rod. Keep them off balance by turning their nose by pulling sideways with the rod. Don't let them get the momentum up for a straight run. If you are not on stupidly light gear then see if you can get enough of their head out of the water so they can't get as much oxygen through their gills. Ideally you want them exhausted before you get close to structure. Shore based landing 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 of every king hooked is about the norm for the group I fish with (this includes pulled hooks and bust offs).

PM sent.

BTW don't forget to loosen the wing nut inside the pump at the end of the day so the rubber washers don't compress permanently over time. Good habit to flush the sand out too. I hold mine under water at the beach before finishing at the end of the day and operate it for the full stroke a few times. Water will suck into the internals through the air breather hole in the handle and then I lift it out of the water then flush the sand out through the same hole. I find this method easier then removing the washers and flushing.

As far as brands go Alvey or Wilson would be my first choice. I've had my Wilson for over 30 years now. If I haven't used mine for a while then I can get blisters during some big sessions. These days you will see some with neoprene on the handle which will protect from blisters. If you don't like bending down then consider an extra long pump. It shouldn't affect you for a long time but please note that the material for the washers is slightly different and there appears to be a minute difference in diameter. I can't use Alvey washers in my Wilson as it does not retain a vacuum. Wilson were kind enough to send me a replacement washer from Queensland last time I had to replace it.

Hi Mike, I enjoy reading your reports just as much as the actual fishing sessions we have had together. I'm a little upset to have missed this session but really happy to see that your effort in learning the various techniques has been paying off. To achieve a king like that in what has been the worst season I've seen for over a decade is a really excellent result. I'm seriously hoping the kings will turn up in numbers inside the harbour in late October as they did last year and then it should be way shorter till your next king. Regards, Derek

Hi, Apart from the obvious (travelling) what are you looking for out of this rod? How compact does it need to be? What line rating are you thinking? What sort of fishing (bait/lure/both) do you have in mind? I've handled a few telescoping rods over the years but never been impressed enough to consider buying one. I find they often have less guides than I like (I look for 1 per foot of length plus 1 more. For example, 7 foot rod = 8 guides or more) which results in a poor bend in the rod when they load up and the guides have a tendency to get a little twisted if you don't lock the sections up properly. You can catch fish on them and they are compact but I didn't enjoy using them. Also found them to be a little heavier than my normal gear. I have a number of 2 piece rods which I keep in after market travel cases and which fit nicely in the boot of my car. I also own several traveller rods from the Shimano Raider series (1 Bream, 1 Snapper & 1 Barra) and a 4 piece 7 weight fly rod from Composite Developments which all came with a travel case and are all small enough to fit in a suitcase. As they are all graphite and well designed they are a pleasure to fish with. The Raider travellers have cost me between $120 and $140 depending on how nice the salesperson was on the day. Regards, Derek

There were now "No fishing" signs on both of the pontoons near the rowing club. We used to use the one which didn't have a sign.

If you are not fishing off a boat I wouldn't bother. Back in the 80s (and probably way before then) it was very popular for people to use floats and ganged hooks off the South side of the island (most often for tailor). The problem is that the weed and rock structure goes a fair way out underneath the water level. In short unless you are using a float it is likely you will get snagged up and lose a lot of tackle. I have wondered why people stopped fishing off the island but I suspect some of the rules may have changed since then. I believe there were some no fishing signs along some sections of the beach but the last time I looked it wasn't particularly clear cut.

Fab1, I feel your pain. It must hurt deeply to know your beloved is now damaged goods. Even taking the time to fix what is now a blatantly obvious problem in your life might not be worth it as it won't be the same beauty you fell in love with. You will always be wondering if you had done something different would you now have this problem. Once you resolve the situation will you do things differently in the future. Have you learned anything?? All that wondering will start to distract you at work. You'll be talking to your mates about it when you probably should be dealing with the issue directly. Their conflicting advice will leave you even more confused. You will likely lose focus and direction in your life. I think you need to have some more time fishing to help you get things back in perspective at which time you should be able to make a well balanced decision on how to proceed. Ideally take a few mates with you to ensure you don't do anything overly impulsive in a kneejerk reaction during your time of grief. Oh I almost forgot.... You mentioned something about the missus but I skimmed over that part till I got to the important bit....

Of course as before any big matches there was some pre-match banter. I came up with: You have to respect the Queenslanders as they have performed strongly in the past but you are only as good as you are on the day. We have a young fit team balanced with experienced players (read I am 47 but refuse to believe that age is slowing me down). This puts us in a good place for the win. It will be a match for the record books. Blah, blah, blah (running out of ideas at this point). Darren came back with: "this will be the greatest origin of all time" and "this is the closest matched teams ever assembled". He also pointed out that: "I am under an injury cloud after 3 days off sick with a virus this week but will dig deep like a true Queenslander! I'll need some good ones for our Origin 2018. I'm thinking of something along the lines of acknowledging the fans and how it wouldn't be the same without them but I'm open to suggestions.

Yes Donna it was Martin Salter - well spotted. He was the friend of a friend of a friend and his Australian fishing education started when he first arrived and started fishing in Mosman with my usual group. I am almost certain I put him on to Fishraider as a starting point for local information and then he took it in leaps and bounds from there. The bugger used to borrow the squid I'd put in the hard yards to catch. Actually he was good company and was also part of our quiz team. I'm still jealous of the Lox rod he won at the Fishraider get together. Being English he was very much into his coarse fishing and early on tried to use a lot of his standard techniques here (e.g. casting out a mini-burley bomb attached to his main line). He got into the luderick and drummer fishing as it was a nice transition from what he was used to doing. He made a comment years ago which still ruffles my feathers. He invited a few of us around to the area he was living for a fishing session and pointed out a section of water and mentioned something along the lines of this looks like a very good area for blackfish. To clarify - I'd chased luderick successfully for years before he'd arrived on these sundrenched shores. I'd also fished that particular area before. Seems afterwards that he told his missus something along the lines of now he was showing the locals how to do it. To me it was like promising to teach someone how to catch tuna and marlin and then pointing outside the heads and saying that is where they are - now you know.

Several years ago a gentleman rather high up in one of the UK fishing organisations was out here on a sabbatical. He got involved in the local fishing scene and from all the reports had some great opportunities and had a fantastic time. He genuinely could not understand why the carp was so despised by the Australian fishing community. I went on to explain at least my view on them which was: They often displace the native fish As a filter feeder they silt up the rivers and smaller streams In my experience they are not a big lure taker (yes I have caught them on bread fly but it is a lot of work and often unrewarding - give me a Ozzie bass any day) With some cultural exceptions they are not considered to be a good table fish About the best thing I have found about them is they can grow to a reasonable size so can be fun on light tackle. Doubt I changed his opinion but hope I clarified the Australian viewpoint. Derek

Hi, I haven't fished Manly dam for a long time but I used to get carp there and bass and redfin. Also read somewhere that at one stage it was even stocked with trout. We used sweet corn with some success. A few lines out about 3 or 4 kernels on a hook and then let the carp do the work. Looking forward to hearing your report. Regards, Derek

I believe there is a slight correction regarding Carp catch and release rules. In NSW you are allowed to return the carp to the waterway but it is preferred that you dispatch it humanely and remove it from the ecosystem. See the following rules for NSW waters: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/pests-diseases/freshwater-pests/species/carp/groups/recreational-fishers I can't find the full link but in Queensland I believe that the fine for returning a carp to the waterway used to be about $200,000. Not kidding. At the very least see the current rules: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/fisheries/pest-fish/noxious-fish/carp The rules in other states are a variation of the above two scenarios. Found the ruling on the Queensland fines relating to carp. I was wrong it wasn't $200,000 - it was $220,000. https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/about-us/news-and-updates/fisheries/news/sell-pest-fish-online-and-net-a-fine

State of Origin 3 As it was the decider, Daz and I allowed for a 4 hour session shore based last Saturday. A beautiful morning with slightly more breeze than I like but nothing to put me off. Bream gear only, lure only, same scoring system as last time (read previous posts) and I decided to dress for the match with my bright blue Pirtek fishing shirt with lots of fishing brands listed. I was kind of disappointed not to see Darren in a Maroon coloured top – he thought about it but didn’t follow through. 10am start and we send out our first casts from a jetty. About 15 minutes later I hook up and the line goes tight. Oh crap – a snag. Lost both lure and leader and spent some time re-tying. About 10 minutes later Daz hooks up. Again a snag and he had to put on another lure. He switches to a blade and then soon afterwards feels some weight on the line. Turns out to be a bait sized squid. Good news for me is that it doesn’t count as it is not a fish. Bad news for squid is that Darren and I plan to chase kings this coming weekend so it didn’t go back in the water. A few minutes later Daz hooks up again and there is some weight on the line. Not fighting like a fish so I called it as a squid or a plastic bag. Turned out to be an old plastic cup. Score is still 0-0. Location change to the next jetty. Fished this hard but no joy. In fact I haven’t had a single hit about an hour and a half into a session. I was trying grubs, minnows, blades and so was Darren. Not often we fish this length of time for no results. After really working the area we decided it was time for the next spot. Back of the bay which is usually sure to result in a flathead or three. Darren started near the marina and was doing some gutsy casts into structure. I hear a whoop of joy and there he is landing a nice little silver trevally of about 18cm. Points on that fish at that time would be 1 point for the fish, missed the 1 point for the legal size but pick up the bonus 1 point for biggest of that species. As it was also the longest fish of the day so far he was also lined up for the bonus 2 points for that too. In short I was on 0 and he was on 4 points. The fun part this scoring system is things can turn around dramatically with just one or two fish. Worked the rest of that section of the bay for no further fish. I’m not doing well. We decided to skip the channel near the marina and head for the ferry wharf for the last hour and a half. About 15 minutes in Darren picks up a 30cm flathead and I am still on nothing. He was now on 2 points for the trevally, 2 points for the flathead (missed the 1 point for a legal flathead) and 2 points for the longest fish of the day giving him a 6-0 lead. I was feeling a little despondent but still having a ball. In the area we were fishing we can usually pick up a grinner so I tried for them to get some credit back. I switched between a number of lures to try and turn things around. I was even prepared to risk some of my more expensive hardbodies in areas where there were snags just to give me an edge. Darren, hoping to repeat the kingfish hit from previously was fishing a white Rapala. Unfortunately for him he found a mooring rope – lure didn’t come back. With about 50 minutes left on the clock I realised I only needed one legal flathead to turn the whole comp around. Out comes the pink 3 inch minnow with a 9gm jig head just so I could cover some serious ground. Ten minutes later I feel a solid hook. With ferry passengers watching I bring it close to the wharf and it looks to be a legal flathead. I risked lifting it up as I could see it was solidly hooked. Out comes the tape measure – 42cm. Darren no longer has the fish of the day or the biggest of that species. His score has dropped to 2 points for the trevally and 1 point for the undersized flathead. I am now on 1 point for flathead, 1 point for being above legal size, 1 point for longest flathead and 2 bonus points for longest fish of the day. It is 5-3 in my favour. With 40 minutes left on the clock I am nervously waiting to see if Darren will do what most Queenslanders do and finish strongly in the dying minutes. I know my chance is as good as his but neither of us was in a comfortable position. If he’d hooked any other species he had a minimum 2 points and a draw sitting there. Clock winds down and on the buzzer any lines in the water count till they are retrieved and any fish hooked is still in play until it is landed or lost. One slow retrieve later and I was out. One even slower retrieve later Darren was out. A NSW win and hands shaken, big smiles on our faces and looking forward to the next session.

Without having seen your casting technique it is difficult to say if you are doing something wrong. Due to the very light weight of the lure and the fact it has to pull line along behind it (wind resistance) improvements won't be huge. What line rating are you fishing? For me the stiffness of the rod often has an effect on the casting technique. I like the Raiders as I can really punch the lures whereas with some other softer rods I have to use a long sweep. As you live a suburb or so along from me (I'm in Lane Cove) it might be worth heading down to the water and seeing what is going on. I usually have to tweak the casting technique of people I introduce to soft plastics. It is not that they can't cast but there are little changes that can help here and there.

Hi Again, Thinking back over the fish you lost. What was the reel. Is the drag smooth. Does it have an aluminium spool or a graphite or plastic spool. I agree that breaking line at the reel is not usual. What I am working my way towards is that if it is a decent reel with no burrs or sharp edges it might be a cheap braid which is your problem. What braid are you using. May be worth pulling about 20m off the reel and checking it for abrasion and strength. I had some fused braid years ago which I kept on the reel longer than I should have and when it started fluffing up I started losing fish I would normally have landed. While I think the baitrunner concept is fantastic and really don't want to discourage anyone from buying new fishing gear I suspect you have to be a little careful with your budget. Just want to make sure you are approaching your issue from the right direction. Derek

I have two older Shimano Baitrunners which I have had for years and are still fishing strong and I don't see the need to update them. Once every few trips I give mine a wipe over with some Inox and they get a service every few years depending on how hard they have been fished. Just had a look at the specs for the two you mentioned and both should do you nicely. Your big decision now will probably be working out if you want the 4000 or the 6000. The beauty of them is that you can check the fighting drag by hand beforehand and then switch over the baitrunner drag for when it is in the rod holder. Just remember to back both drags off at the end of each fishing session otherwise you will compress the drag washers over time.

Most of the fishing shops can fix the guides but the tip is the cheapest to replace at about $10 to $15. Unless the rod has sentimental value I'd be looking at another rod.

In the group of people I fish with we land between 1 in 2 and 1 in 3 of the kings we hook on this type of gear. As we fish from wharves it is the last minute runs into structure which gets us. The Salmon we rarely lose. We chase our jewfish elsewhere most often with big baits and we don't lose many of them. If it is purely as a secondary line and a sleeper at that I'd be looking at a baitrunner reel with a 6-10kg rod of about 7 foot (in your case you can look at some of the fibreglass based rods (less expensive than graphite) but then spend more money on the reel.). I'd personally go 20lb braid but probably suggest 30lb for your scenario. Probably stating the obvious but not all the braids are the same. I've been fishing a German brand for years and have been very happy at the balance between strength, suppleness, durability and price. Please consider that you are fishing a harbour with 1m plus kings, stingrays, sharks and some other fish you won't be able to stop. Don't sweat it. If you gear up for that scenario you likely won't get a fish very often which will test your gear. Your other option is start fishing so you only target big fish. I work with a guy that if I talk about a 60cm salmon he talks about live bait. He chases marlin off the rocks (I've seen the photos of the one he landed) but also has gone heavy on all his gear.

Hi Aardvarking, My response comes down to two schools of thought. Go hard or learn to play them. I own about 25 plus rods but probably do 80% of my fishing on two of them. A bream raider Finesse 2-4kg 7'6" 2 piece 3-12gm lure weight with 1500 Symetre and topped with 4lb PowerPro braid. The other is the Snapper Raider 5-8kg 7'6" 2 piece 15-45gm lure weight with a Shimano 4000 (I swap between Stradic and latest Sedonna) reel and 15lb braid all the way (300m no backing). I've picked up 12 kings so far this year. On the Snapper Raider 7 shore based with Slapstix lure and one was on the kayak trolling. The other 4 were at long reef on heavier gear. None legal but I have landed legal kings up to 80cm on this rod. I also picked up a 73cm mulloway a few weeks ago on the same rod. I use this rod both for lure and baits (yellowtail, squid) and it is stiff enough and light enough for me to work lures without getting stupidly tired. If you intend to use really big baits (whole salmon) then I would go a bit heavier - in my case my go to is a 6-10kg rod with a 4500 baitrunner reel and 20lb braid - on this gear my biggest mulloway was 104cm and absolutely no problem. I wouldn't waste my time with lures on this rod unless I am trolling. I'm not sure how big the Bonito are that you are talking about but on good years when they have been in Sydney harbour I have had a lot of fun chasing them on the bream gear. It just takes a little longer. Anyone can winch a fish in but in my personal opinion I'd rather go lighter with a better chance of hooking up more often and having a bigger buzz playing them. BTW for the record - I'm not sponsored by Shimano but I have had a lot of joy fishing with their equipment. Hope the above helps focus your thought process a little more. Regards, Derek

If I was to have to buy one again I'd still go with the 2-4kg just because I like the option to go the slightly heavier lure. I use 2 inch grubs and 3 and 4 inch minnows as my go tos. When I first fish an area I try and go for a quick easy flathead so I use a 9 gram jig head with either a 4 inch or 3 inch plastic which will kick it over the 10 grams. I want casting distance to start as I don't think the flathead really care too much about subtle. I also do a lot with halco twisty's in the summer and I like being able to punch them out. Once I have covered the area I then try and go a little more subtle on my lures and finish up with the grub. I generally won't go less than 1/8th as I find if I do I get more bird's nests (the lure weight helps line go on spool under a bit of tension). BTW I run a 1500 Symetre on mine but anything up to a 2500 should be fine. Just has to look and feel right. Balance point on mine is just a little forward of the cork section you screw down to lock the reel in. BTW just don't get too heavy on the cork when screwing it down as I have heard about people damaging them that way. I've fished my raider for over 8 years and usually weekly and it is still in pretty good condition. In truth I don't think it would matter much which one you choose. They are close enough in spec that you would have to fish them side by side for a day and I am not sure if I could tell the difference between them. I fish mine off the boat but I have to be careful with the length and I put it away carefully when not in use (either in rod holder or a case). If you do buy any rod I highly recommend getting a case as I think more rods get damaged through transport than fishing mishaps.

Before you buy something at least have a look at the Shimano Bream Raider 7'6" 2 piece 2-4kg and 3-12gm lure weight. I find it long enough for good tip speed and casting distance. Strong enough through the main section (don't high stick) to land good solid fish (biggest so far kingfish and flathead both 70cm - still took a while though). Stiff enough in the tip to get the little twitches I like with the smaller soft plastics. A short rod butt so it doesn't bump against my forearm. The RRP price is usually about $120 to $130 but I have seen it often enough on special for $100. I fish mine with 4lb PowerPro which I believe over tests. I once complained to Ian Miller that if he hadn't designed the Raider series so well I wouldn't have had to buy so many (own about 7 now - bream, snapper, barra, traveller versions, etc) as I love the way they fish. BTW my first rod in the Raider series was the 1 piece bream as I took the advice of a friend that had had more lure experience than me at the time but 1 piece is just so cumbersome to transport that it lives in the garage for years now. With the 2 piece check that the pieces don't start to slip apart when new after lots of casting. For the one rod it has been a minor issue I just rubbed candle wax on the tip of the bottom half to assist with the friction lock.