NickN

Got a chance to grab a few quick snaps of this beautiful old girl at Mascot today. I am really happy with the angles and how it turned out, not bad for just over a minute to get the shots in.

Thanks for the great feedback guys! For the record I got no fish but it was dead low tide. I have some great spots in mind for this weekend I am going back for more.

All my trolling has been with an outboard motor, it never seems to put the fish off at all. Any water depth between 3ft and 12ft works best over mud flats and drop offs. The key was to cast the lure a LONG way behind the boat and then troll.

I'm quite surprised there isn't some sort of Fisho's Anonymous set up. Buying tackle is an addiction far worse than pokies. Now if only I could invent some sort of Fishabate patch, to help ween Fishos off their addiction i'd be rich!

I want first dibs at doing a photoshoot when the boat is on the water Toaster Boy!

I have never put in alot of time around the area and I'll be up there this weekend. I did some scouting and had a small flick around Wisemans last week for not very much at all. Does anybody have any good landbased spots around Webbs Creek? I am keen to try there this weekend. Regards Nick

I have been putting alot of time into the flatties in the last few weekends and have found that moving up the jighead weight to 1/4oz and using 5" Jerkshads in Nuclear Chicken has worked well. Anything under 1/4oz hasn't done so well, even in shallow water. I am going to put some time in up around Wisemans this weekend and will see how they go up there.

Just out of curiosity is there a reason you won't consider an overhead outfit? Bottom bouncing, trolling and jigging are really the domain of an overhead setup. Whichever way you go the T-Curve is a good choice. Daiwa make a Freams/Capricorn 4500J (Jigging) series which may be worth a look or if you want something bigger a Daiwa Sealine Bull 6000. If it was me personally I'd match a Daiwa Saltist to a T Curve and have a blast.

This stonker was picked up trolling an SX40..... and he went like the clappers too!

Took a few shots while up at Wisemans doing some fishing on the weekend. Had a great day, hopped across the river on the Wisemans Ferry then drove and fished my way through to Gosford.

Good advice there from slinky. I also take my 2 piece rods apart after use and store them as such with rod wraps to keep them secure.

Mate you have discovered my absolute most favourite way of chasing bream by trolling HB's. A mate and myself have had a few massive sessions on the Parra and in some have landed over 50 bream in a morning on the troll. There is a bit of an art to it but we used mainly SX40's, SX48's, Attacks and Chubbies. There are a few hot spots if you find them your on a winner. Great report mate and well done.

You'd have to troll a live human as bait to get onto something like that! That thing is a whopper. I bet he'll be sick of eating tuna in a few months time. 1 hour fighting time to land a fish like that is good going for a 14 year old, i'd be puffed after 10 minutes.

Surely that is against some sort of International Health regulation. Dumping bodies in a river would cause all sorts of outbreaks. I do feel sorry that people have to do such things.

Thanks mate. Unfortunately some white flesh fish taste like the toilet I was hoping to know specifically about Maori Wrasse.

You actually nearly made me shed a tear you spoilt brat LOL Shame to see her go mate but the casting arms wants what it wants. We'll just have to get used to seeing you holding up pelagics instead of breambos! You'll have to go back to shorebashing it from now on!

My father-in-law and myself found this great rock ledge down the coast which produces HUGE numbers of absolutely massive Maori Wrasse. Some which would go a kilo or more. I never thought they were any good for eating and we always threw them back but it turns out they are actually quite nice to eat. Does anybody have any ideas on the best way to prepare these for eating or any special requirements when caught i.e. bleeding them etc. / special ways of preparation. We are off down the coast in a few weeks and I'd love to get some of these cooked up.

Go the turtlebacks!

I have a quick question, whats that fish at the top right of the photo with the stripe down the size and the red. I catch thousands of them and never knew what they were or if they were any good to eat.....

There are oyster leases not far upriver from town and that whole area including the leases fishes well. If you don't mind some travel there is a great black bream population upriver on offer to you. I have fished the Clyde on 3 separate occasions (as part of the ABT BREAM Series) and all three times it has been a bit slow but that is with lots of boats racing around and the area copping a flogging from the pro's and their nets before the event. I am sure you won't find it hard to pull a nice bag of flatties and bream on your trip, there is lots to explore down there.

Dogtooth, I own a 2000 Luvias and I can vouch for the quality and performance of the reel. It has been used for rack fishing with locked drag and pulled 40cm+ bream out of the sticks with ease, it has also landed a school shark in QLD and done plenty of work on harbour bream and flatties. The Luvias, along with most other Daiwa reels now have the Real 4 technology which makes it easier to wind while the reel is under pressure from line tension. My model is a number of years old now but if you live near Sydney you are welcome to come past and pick it up and take it for an outing to see if you like the 2000 size. Regards Nick

Now that we have covered the all important fishing rod, lets move onto the issue of reels. Again lets reiterate that there is no ACE reel which is better than all the others and no ACE brand. Many brands on the market produce high quality reels which are available in most price brackets and which suit most budgets. The average size soft plastics spinning reel will normally be between a 1000 and 2500 size reel and be loaded with 4lb or 6lb braid. Depending on manufacturer those sizes vary slightly and the designs are remarkably different both aesthetically and internally. What is important is that the reel feels smooth, has a sufficient drag system which is capable of functioning to a satisfactory level and which is as light weight as possible. Obviously more expensive reels feature lighter components and in most cases do end up being lighter than the cheaper alternatives. Don't let this fool you into thinking that they will work much better, they are just lighter. As with fishing rods, I would encourage any angler to buy the best they can afford (without the Mrs killing you). If all you can afford is a $100 reel, then make sure that is the best $100 reel you can find and that it will be braid friendly. Technically a more expensive reel will feature better componentry and technically SHOULD last longer with less servicing. However, don't think just because you have a shiny new Stella that it will look after itself, ALL reels need care and that means at least washing it properly after each outing. I have used alot of reels over the past 6 years or so and I have to say that I have received just as good service from reels that cost me $300 as I have from my Stella which obviously cost nearly 3 times as much. Nothing can possibly surpass good care. What should your new reel feature? Well in basic terms..... bearings, lots of them, and good quality bearings at that. Again there are exceptions to the rule but good quality anti-rust bearings are an anglers best friend and if kept well serviced will last a lifetime and provide smooth performance. If your budget doesn't allow you to buy a reel which features these bearings or which only has a minimal amount of them overall it doesn't mean you have purchased a bad fishing reel, it just means you have to be vigilant and keep an eye on them for any signs of rust or corrosion. Most importantly, if you do see signs of rust or corrosion act quickly and replace the bearing immediately. Bearings are normally cheap and easy to replace. Your reel should also feature some sort of alloy spool. Alloy spools are great as they tend not to warp or bend and these days just about every decent reel on the market has an alloy spool. Some have drilled holes, some dont, some have fancy markings or designs some don't. Panic not, last I checked drilled spools didn't attract any more fish than ones that didn't. They just look fancy. The only real benefit of the drilled spool is that by removing some of the alloy manufacturers can reduce some of the spool weight and therefore in SOME rare cases decrease the amount of inertia require to set the drag off. Alot of reels coming into the market nowadays feature something called a waterproof drag. This could probably be better described as a water RESISTANT drag. Pouring buckets of water over the thing isn't going to stop some of the water pressure bending the rubber seal back and allowing some form of moisture into the drag and taint your grease. However, if you are fishing in the rain, or running around in the chop and your reel cops a spray it does help to keep out moisture meaning less time spent changing drag grease. If you find a reel in your price range with a water resistant drag, strongly consider the option. To keep your reel performing at its best, you are going to need 3 essential lubricants. Grease, fine grade oil and something like Inox, if not Inox itself. Inox is a vegetable based spray which acts as a lubricant as well as dissolving salt and disspating water. After washing your reel a VERY LIGHT spray of inox will keep any corrosive elements off the reel and keep it safe until your next trip. DO NOT USE WD40 OR PETROLEUM BASED PRODUCTS ON REELS. Petroleum based products like WD40 strip oils and grease from your reel and do more harm than good. If you have used WD40 in the past, get rid of it and move on. Daiwa sell a great reel grease in a small consertina style tube which is a dark blue in color, chances are if you have been to a tackle store you have seen it. It is great for bearings, drag systems and cogs, gears and internal drive components. BEWARE, too much grease can kill..... the performance of a reel. Clogging that little beauty up with a tonne of grease will turn your smooth investment into a sloppy one. Use grease sparingly, don't gush it all over everything. If you have to find a small paint brush and work a small amount of grease through the bristles and paint it on to the parts very thinly. Even your bearings only need a small amount of grease to operate well, they dont need to be packed tight like car wheel bearings. Oil is another important thing to have. I highly recomment sewing machine oil or other fine viscosity type of oil. DONT use car oil PLEASE, and don't use that crappy Castrol "Handy Oil" in the white bottle either. They are far too thick for fishing reels. After each out a small drop of oil on the bail roller and maybe in that little slot where the handle meets the reel arm and thats it. Please don't flood the reel with oil it's not a 5.0L V8 motor. Now that we have covered all thats lets make a list of what we need to keep in mind. Our fishing reel should: *Be the best we can afford without breaking the bank *Feature at least a decent amount of bearings (4 or more will do) (Anti-Rust bearings if possible) *Feature an alloy spool which is braid friendly *Be between a 1000 and 2500 size To add to this we should have the 3 lubricants listed above for when we get home to keep the reel in shape. I'll again reinforce the fact that you should NOT play the brand game or take recommendations as gospel. Go to your local tackle store, see what they have to choose from and if necessary take your soft plastics rod with you and try the reel on it for balance and weight. Again I encourage you to seek advice from your forum friends, put up a post if you have narrowed down your selection at the tackle store and are having a hard time making a final decision but always remember it's YOUR reel not someone elses and YOU should make the final decision. I would also encourage you to visit your local outlet and put together a shortlist before asking for suggestions on the forum. Good luck and have fun shopping. Nick

I use the Titanium Braid which is a Hi Vis Blue and it hasn't made any difference at all. Before then it was yellow Fireline. As the guys have mentioned, use a sensible length of leader and all will be fine.

Just use a 4 turn uni knot.

Those rocks at the Zig Zag at Milperra hurt, we hit them at 100km/h in a Haines ProStrike, ripped the stainless prop to shreds and bent the internal shafts which meant a rebuild. I have always found the area up around Milperra, the Newbridge Rd bridge, the zig zag etc and the shorlines in between to produce good number of fish. The area down around the Nat. Park can be a pain sometimes and harder to fish due to the increased boat traffic down that way.