Graz

mate fishing sydney rocks for kings is generally draining, long days for little runs. At the moment on the boat we are finding success on kings almost every visit down towards longi and working those areas. However I almost always grab a live yakka or squid and down rig along north head for LITTLE success.... There are options for kings on the northern beaches but they are limited. PM if you are starting out and need some help. Graz.

ray.....i have recently been using the okuma v power system with the 80SA (high speed) the reels is so far very strong and smooth with the drag. These are fairly well priced reels and are towards the top of the okuma range i think for value. However, like sammy said Shimano is generally the go if you want long last qual gear...i went out on a limb buying the v power after my terrible experiece with a okuma epix aka seize master... If the v power dies..i'll never go okuma again. My mate was using a shimano spyeros or something like that....its a lower retrieve rate but it seemed to handle the load well with no reel flexing...only small kings but.

secki, your boat reminds me of one of a laugh i had one day when i saw a guy with a boat very similar but he had converted is back to a tiller steer. Cracker watching him drive along... probably not super safe but!

Hi Huey, Just for the record, I'm glad etec are in the business and i don't have anything against them, i actually had etec on my shortlist along with yammie and suz but didn't go with it in the end for varying reasons. I don't think we are talking about the same person, I discussed this on another website with him...could be but i don't think so. The good thing here is we have a choice....and and i mentioned to luringbream, he needs to work out what he wants from the donk, if he chooses etec and it works for him...great. Happy Personally i think there is more benefit is choosing the best dealer of the product rather than the best engine as they are all very good these days....a good dealer is especially important when propping comes into the equation. Graz.

No offence taken Huey, although i'm a little suprised by your comments. See my comments below in bold.

luring bream, good luck with your engine selection, it's a tough gig i went thru only a few months ago. Prior to sellecting your engine you really need to determine what you want from the engine....ie. offshore trolling, fast acceleration, top speed, efficency, low speed plaining offshore, etc as most engines can't give you everything. For example, I heard of someone that had a etec fitted to their boat, but after only a few outings had the engine removed as the tourqe curve of the Etec made the boat dangerous when crossing bars and would not provide a good offshore plaining speed around 3000 rpm. However this may have been great for a ski boat?? So my advice is do your research on your needs, potential engines and props and hand over your hard earned cash when your ready.

hey guys, good thread. where are you guys getting these $20 pie warmers????? I check Dick smith electronics and the only thing i could find was a cooler / warmer that says it gets 20.c above the ambient temp. http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefro...duct/View/M4504 That's not hot enough i think. Can someone give me the good oil please on where to get one like pictured above.

don't forget that single hooks usually also have a lower hook up ration. try giving your trebbles a really good sharpen with a diamond file.

healthy debate mate.....no mole hill. if these guys dosen't realize their scales are RS and are overcalling fish then he'll never know any different.

i hear what your saying about your scales and understand how you got to your conclusion but i have serious doubts that fish is 18 kg's, i think it's much closer to 8, maybe 10 kg. check out my mates longtail pic....it went 15.6kg on registered certified scales, yes he's a smaller guy...but he's not a midget. I'll let you be the judge.

mate its a weekly report and it's not always accurate i can assure you.

happy you boys got a fish and had a good trip.........but that fish isn't 18kgs, think you have your pounds and KG mixed up.

come on Phar Cue.....that fish is heaps closer to 8kg than 1.5kg.... be fair mate.. good onya for getting your first bluefin mate. It's a shame it would have burnt most its energy before you got to set the hook.

hi guys, i came across a VDO Map7 monochrone unit on sale the other day as it a discontinued model. It's now $499 but was apparently $1200 once. I think the unit is definatley a few years old but still in box. It takes the Cmap NT cards. Adn will have a 2 year warranty. It has a large 7 inch display screen so i don't doubt the origin price tag. My question is: Does anyone know this brand / unit and how well they work / user friendly? Is this a good price for the unit? Is it a good buy compared with a new colour navman 550i for about the same price. I mainly use my 5.75 m boat for offshore use so mapping is essential. I also have a hand held non mapped unit as a back up. Any comments appreciated guys. Graz.