Angus

Well I am back and may edit this post as there is SO much to cover... The trip was amazing and so much more than I hoped it would be. Baia is simply phenomenal offering so many river and bluewater opportunities. The lodge itself was top notch and the fishing was out of this world. Way more surface action than the last trip as well which is always a highlight. Sef, Henry and myself headed to the furthermost river for our first days foray to cast up some blacks... The blacks were there in good numbers and so were a lot of quality jacks... On the way to the Torio there were also some good bluewater captures including mahi mahi and yellow fin... The next day we hit the Pandi which turned out to be a river we frequented. This river is ALL about the surface with log jams and lay downs everywhere making throwing diving lures tough. Although there were plenty of blacks at the mouth, this river was home to tonnes of monster spot tails as well... After spot tail mania we had a fairly so so day in the Langa Langa river. Awesome hits but conversions to big bass were a little slow. In saying that we did have some fun out the front among some birds hooking into countless trevs, queenies and mack tuna. So for our last day we decided to once again concentrate on the Pandi River. More spot tails abounded but you have seen enough of those, I will out up however Henry's beast and the biggest for the trip. If things were recorded this could easily be a world record as Henry caught in on a 8/14lb Nordic Stage Cheater with a 2500 sized reel and 16lb braid. Just unheard of over there. The guide said not only was it one of the lightest rods he had ever had in the boat... It was the largest spot tail bass he had ever seen. It measured in at 36.5lb (not a guess actually weighed). After the trip had officially ended Henry and I were lucky enough to stay on for two more nights as guests of Riccard the owner of Baia. We headed up into the headwaters of the Kulu river on the first day and caught a collection of JP's and Spot Tails on bream sized gear (actually our new prototype Nordic Stage Loki rods). This was heaps of fun and ended in a blow up mattress ride back down the river selectively ignoring the warming signs... Our last day was spent bluewater and snorkeling. Some good trevs and doggies were hooked with smaller ones coming in. I was grossly under gunned for doggies but it was fun to give it a crack! Snorkeling was just world class. And that was that! Back to the real world! After a few early inquiries it looks like I will be doing this again in 2016 so feel free to contact me if you are keen to get on board. Cheers. Angus

Sweresy thank you. Seriously those links are inspiring and about exactly the same level I want to achieve at Straddy. Cheers! Angus

Ask me again after June Straddy trip! Going to get a small one and try dart and tailor fillets Angus P.S. I will look forward to sifting through this thread for tips later!

Have heard it causes impotence as well Angus. Have you eaten any of it? :evil: :whistle: I would have thought a kingfish sashimi loving angler would be more concerned by this as at least in cooking it I know... But thanks for the info guys. I will make a better effort to preserve the meat (not that I don't already I guess with ice etc) but may need to accept the associational failure outside my control. Angus

Lucky I have not eaten it. Literally cannot stand the texture on the tongue. But that is extremely interesting. I guess it is just a total case of hit and miss then? I think I will be releasing a lot more kings as I don't like the idea of hit and hope. Angus

Yes I would usually do this. Its remarkable with kingies as they seem affected more than any other fish I have experienced. When they are good, god damn their amazing. But when they go mushy It is border line inedible. I think if dinner is on the cards and a few hours is going to be invested an esky may need to come down the rocks with us. I hope this is the issue considering no slurry was used the two times the flesh was perfect. That is why I thought it might be related to killing of the fish (I usually bleed and brain spike). Anyway food for thought (literally). Angus

Ok big question for anyone in the know... We have caught kingies off the rocks 4 separate times and have had a literal 50/50% success rate. The first time we kept one we were warned they go mushy when cooked but it turned out amazing. Then the second time it did back fire. Then another batch was good and the 4th time was awful again. To be honest I love eating fish when it turns out well, but in the case of an awesome sportfish I get a massive case of the guilts when its spoiled. we have been theorizing what makes the flesh mushy... * Lactic acid in the muscular tissue? * Not put on ice quick enough? * Did we wash it in fresh water? But we cannot find anything consistent between the failures and successes to draw upon. Would love to hear anyone's thought on this topic so when we do desire a feed, we can do an awesome fish justice. Angus

No secret I have become a fan of higher end reels. Unlike some elitist however I would never try and persuade a new angler to spend 900 bucks on a reel. I believe like any sport, hobby etc it is just a decision you make when you get more involved and interested in the gear itself as well as the actual art of fishing. With this in mind, and with my stella 1000 in service I thought I would give a little Symetre 1000 a run on the weekend. Honestly could not fault this reel. Still nice and compact, light and nice drag. Will it stand the test of time considering how much I love pushing the hell out of light gear? I do not know but for an entry level 1000 size I would highly recommend these.

Went to Minnipi Park lands to look for them the other day and was dissapointed to find big no fishing signs. With all the ducks getting fed there and the fact it would have over flown from Bulimba creek I thought this would have been a no brainer. On that note ended up down at Bulimba Creek behind Carindale and saw not only several schools of tillies (with red fringes on their tails clearly visible) but one of the biggest carp I have ever seen lolling on the surface. The bugger was they would not touch bread or prawn. Any suggestions for these apparently non feeding fish?

Mate I try and avoid giving stuff "blatant" plugs as I don not want to put business interests etc in front of an honest review. However with this product I find it easy simply due to quality VS value. In short most hulls of this quality are going to set one back more than the total buy price (more than likely by several hundred). So considering that you get all the above mentioned extras, it is a no brainier really! Really looking forward to getting back into some proper skinny water action. Angus

A brief review of my new yak. I was out of the yak game for ages and hesitated greatly on what to get. Ironically it was a kayak upgrade that ended my kayaking career. My very first kayak was a cool little espri (RRP about $900) which I really did like. However, the eyes are bigger than the stomach nature in me led me to upgrade to a much larger heavier and apparently "better" kayak. In short my skinny water yakking was over and the effort to just get it out there (especially solo) increases. My plan getting back into the yak world was to never again bother with a massive, offshore worthy kayak. If I want to fish the bay Ill use a boat! After much looking around it was actually Davor from Freak Sports contacting re sponsoring the site that led me to find the perfect yak. I have been a bit skimped saving for business projects lately so when everything was included for $525 I could not say no. More than happy to support a new sponsor as well. Product: Freak Sports "Fishing Assassin" Kayak Colour Range: A few camo variations. Mine is "Desert Cam". Handling: Like a dream. Cruises along faster than expected (although speed was not my concern with skinny water fishing) and easy to lift onto car. Can actually carry it by one of the handles one handed. Quality: Seat, rod holders and paddles exceptional quality. Hull is a typical plastic mould and cannot fault it yet! Value: For $525 for everything just try and beat it. One of my favorite little features. So simple yet so useful and still leaves the front hatch available for a gear bag. Standard features: Kayak Lenght: 2.83m, Length: 0.83m, Height: 0.36m, Weight: 20kg High quality Exonn Mobil Rotational Moulding Resin UV8 stabilised LLDPE which complies with AS.4766 4x Flush Mounted Rod Holders 1x Adjustable centre mounted Rod Holder 2x 6” Twist Lock Storage Compartments 1x 6″ Tackle tray for handy reach of lures, hooks, sinkers, etc Rear Compartment with Bungee Straps for Tackle Box Front and Side Carry Handles with bungee strap for paddle Online store but based here in Brisbane so easy to pick up: />http://www.freaksports.com.au/product-category/kayaks-and-canoes/freak-assassin-fishing/

Pipi's are my fave as a bait to hold, but bury a net bag on the beach if over at stradbroke island for a few days. The smellier the better, it cannot be to rotton. I will try and get some images/film this weekeend although the above vids pretty much cover it. The other massive piece of advice is this... You could watch 1000 awesome worming videos and it will do little to assist you. I lost dozens of worms on my first go before getting one out. It requires time, patience and them some more time and patience. The feeling of the worm, what you need to wait for and what they feel like pulling away is just not something (in my opinion) that can be out into words or even shown in film. You need to be in the sand, a wave hitting you, feeling the bigger between thumb and forefinger to really understand what you need to know. Angus

Considering the long tail are starting to turn up in numbers I thought it worth bumping this post!!! Angus

Do they still do the changeable bibs?

Guys I like the way this is shaping up already and may offer diversions on those rainy days I have just added to disclaimer to the first post which I think makes sense in an effort to keep it true and honest. Sponsored/Afililated Anglers: In an effort to keep it real sponsored afilliated anglers are discouraged from reviewing their own goods but may review whatever else. For example, I will never review a Nordic Stage rod, but may review an Eco Gear lure or whatever. As previously stated if there is a product that receives several reivews a front page review may be built from it using input from several points of view. This would be a fairly unique and benefical tool for this community. Angus

Ill have a think mate. Valid point. After the success of threads like "Show Us Your Hook Up Shots", "What Have You Bought Recently" etc I just thought a rambling thread of informal but honest product reviews could be cool... So maybe discussion is ok? Imagine signing in for the first time and finding 20 pages of relevant interesting discussion As long as each post maybe quoated the original so we knew what was being disucssed? If one product seemed to be take up significant air time we could maybe split it out into a review thread of its own?

An example using a tried and tested favorite... These reviews do not need to be positive. In fact reality will lend more credibility to this section. In saying that, no malicious personal attacks will be tolerated Product: Damiki 3 Inch Armour Shad Type: Plastic Colour Range: Medium Preferred Colour Thus Far: Skin Blue Price: Under $10 Quality: Excellent Action: Typical minnow style plastic. Experience: These have been my favorite plastics to date. They have been called "to soft" by some as they do get mauled by fish. However the fact that fish maul them causes me to care only a little. I have used these for everything from rock fishing to shallow reefs in the bay and even the tuna love them. Probably no good for deeper reef but the 5 inch models should be good for that. Pictures:

Ok a new concept for the Tackle section... We all love product reviews as they offer an incite into the new toys we may be able to play with in the near future... However product reviews in any off the shelf magazines are not much better than advertorials. Many magazines will not actually publish reviews unless they are specifically for the product of a paying customer. I 100% completely understand the reasoning for this, however it does lead to a relatively skewed view of what the product offers, and what other products are on offer! In short, I would like this sticky thread to consist of "real" anglers, first hand experience trying new products. This his will hopefully give members a true incite into what new products are out there, where they can get them for the best price and what they should expect... Sponsored/Afililated Anglers: In an effort to keep it real sponsored afilliated anglers are discouraged from reviewing their own goods but may review whatever else. For example, I will never review a Nordic Stage rod, but may review an Eco Gear lure or whatever. I thought a simple table would assist as a cut and paste but feel free to add more as some products will require different fields (rods over lures for example). The details I have given below are more for lures. Also, members feel free to counter review, offer cheaper options for purchase etc as this information may be critical in someones purchase. Product: Type: Plastic/Hardbody/Chrome/Spinnerbait etc. Colour Range: Limited/Medium/Expensive Preferred Colour Thus Far: Price: Quality: Action: Experience: A brief account. Pictures: Optional... Look forward to seeing some usage! Angus

Man I really need to try and make it all the way to Cairns for that end f year road trip

I will have to get a new photo of gear together... It has been a while and there have been some new improvements... I might wait till after my birtherday as I am pitching towards a new toy...

Yeah I am not a fan. I love Sashimi but have tried with the Mack Tuna and it didn't really turn out that well. Long Tail Tuna and Yellowfin are my obvious pick tuna wise. I have heard even Bonito Sashimi better than a Mack Tuna but I have never tried. Angus

Ill get some pictures up tonight of the Nordic family and their kids all called Stella

Def thought this thread was worth a bump with the impending tuna social Angus

A few guys are still ironing out the find points but dates and general info here: http://www.australianfishing.com.au/community/events/viewevent/132-afo-social-fishing-comp-moreton-bay-longtail-tuna?groupid=92