Andrew_P

Thursday at 03:56 AM

Hey @Sylvathorn any feedback from your 15-24kg popping rod owner? Was thinking about your build as I was doing my latest.

flattyfan4573 · Wednesday at 12:05 AM

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.

Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)

BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"

Andrew

AUS-BNE-FISHO · May 6

1 hour ago, mangajack said:

About 12 years ago i caught my first legal nanny off Redcliffe, there had been small models about for about 5 years before that that I know of. I have since caught 3 more legals and maybe around 10 undersized models.

They are definitely becoming more common. My decky caught one at Clara Rocks in February...undersized but still surprising.

who needs to find a wonky hole when they are sitting on a beacon in the middle of the river!

mangajack · May 6

1 hour ago, mangajack said:

Good work Andrew.

Nice selection of components and finishing.

Thanks MJ. I use a range of high quality blanks and components from various companies and Australian retailers. For this build the Samurai blank/Fuji components were preferred. At AFTA last year i was able to pull on the SB6 (PE 4-6) and SB8 blanks as well as fully built Samurai rods built on the same blanks. I'll be building the SB6 for my own use soon, matched to a gosa 10k and 40lb tasline. i'd be well over the 100 rods built since i started in 2020 - as they say, the first 100 are the hardest!

Sasha Hess · May 6

2 hours ago, Neil Stratford said:

Very nice work on the binding and components , those saragosa’s are a tough reel ,pity they’re so dam heavy

Website says 960g without braid so definitely around the 1kg mark

Ive got a 6k (first SW model) and a 10k (latest SW model) and they are tuff as nails. much nicer to use than the old Penn spinfishers!

crazywalrus · May 6

24 minutes ago, crazywalrus said:

Bloody hell, they must be epic sized mackerel to use PE 6-8

Not the target species but would come in handy on reef edges which he hits once a year. The tip is soft enough to keep the hooks in a Mack I reckon.

My mate believes in the “one rod, many purposes” theory. I have actually seen him tee off with a putter…

Rebel · May 6

36 minutes ago, Huxstang said:

Very nice. Throwing 100-200gm lures for a few hours will certainly give his shoulders a good work out

More of a case of coming across a school on the surface and having a few casts while out wide trolling for marlin. The rod is actually quite light overall - it’s the reel that will be a killer - weighs almost as much as a Nokia 5110

Ed. · May 6

Hi guys and gals,

I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

GregOug · April 20

Update: Seasickness makes sense now - I’ve got full blown gastro !

Bretto77 · April 18

Felt like 40 miles Brian but a 40cm + pearly was definitely a surprise for the close reef we fished!

jeezus your video says it all

Rebel · April 18

Had today booked for a rare fishing trip with my brother in Yewgary after seeing the forecast earlier in the week. We kept a close eye on the forecast sites particularly BOM MetEye which showed very fishable conditions. Woke early and checked the observations. Wind, swell and a few showers but with the forecast promising we decided to go.
well we punched out 1/4 the way there and it was gross. BOM totally smoking the reefer! We changed plans and stayed in close drifting some broken ground, waiting for the weather to improve.
things were slow for me but my brother managed a fish on each of the first 3 drifts. I picked up a small grassy on drift 4 and then we decided to inch out a bit deeper. Well it was windier and rougher as expected and I wasn’t feeling great. Been crook a couple of times at work on boats but this was next level! Still managed to fish and got smoked out here before picking up another 2 grassies. Next drift my bro changed lures and got an instant hookup on a freight train - straight into the reef! Bruised battered and busted up we called it a day. Limped home with our tails banged up to our ears and a few fish in the box. Got back on dry land and the sea sickness remained. Battled the nausea home and into bed with a bucket, woke up 4 hours later with a cracking headache, aches and pains and still feeling like praying to the porcelain pisser!

ellicat · April 15

Extra points if he was spinning with his alvey!

Rebel · April 4

The most reasonable explanation is a mulloway with a normal head looking odd when photographed after being on ice for 6hrs.

hybridisation is definitely the least likely reason for a funny looking mulloway head. Black Jew and mulloway are in different genus (Protonibea vs Argyrosomus) to each other so even more unlikely.

Rebel · April 4

Unreel efforts there wazza. Jew and tuskies pull as well as they taste!

I reckon that’s a small largemouth nanny, aka saddletail snapper.

ellicat · April 2

Just checked the US east coast red snapper season regs and they are far more severe. The 2023 “season” was 2 days! July 14 and 15! Plus every fisher is required to register their catch via a survey and have a release weight on board.

AUS-BNE-FISHO · April 2

I came across this article on a US website and found it very interesting. US west coast fishing regs

it shows how complex and restricted US recreational fisheries are for only one type of fishing, for what many of us would consider non-target species (rockfish = various types of scorpionfish and cod).
imagine dropping the tinny in to wet a line when it’s closed from the shore out to the 50fathom line!

I’m not sure what is driving stock reductions but population must be a major influence. Also shows how good we have it over here!

April 2

Go see Peter Flor he builds bluebone bangers which are priced similar to the venoms

ellicat · March 22

Don't expect it to fish like Fraser and you'll be fine. Headlands are a good chance for a snapper at low light and pelagics (tuna and mackerel) during the day. The jew seem to turn up with the tailor but it has been blowing foul for months here so anything can happen. Benno's trip reports are up there with the best for info, images and intestinal fortitude (camping with kids!) so read and enjoy them. Look forward to hearing how you go @Tim Foster

Old Scaley · March 19

This is our opportunity to have a say - i encourage everyone to at least read the proposal

crazywalrus · March 5

I am sorry for hijacking your thread Ted. I will edit accordingly.

I look forward to seeing your future posts

ellicat · March 4

Unreel effort there @crazywalrus it’s one thing to swing some fillets to your neighbours but putting them on to trophy fish… wish I lived next to you!

ellicat · March 3

I’m trying to imagine the feeling of victory when a fish of that calibre hits the net. In surfing, the best waves are often the ones where you think you have no chance of making them. But when you do….

GregOug · March 2

I don’t really have any theories but like the others I’ll fish places with lots of current on the neaps and avoid them on springs. So more about fish ability than knowing fish will bite.
putting my science hat on I know there are interactions between tide and moon phase which are difficult to untangle, but fish and crustaceans display different activity levels depending upon moon phase.

February 15

When i was researching for an electric everything pointed towards Minn Kota - performance, durability, spot lock accuracy. it was the most expensive but it has been 3 years and not one problem yet. The new owner of my boat (my brother) has used it at least once a week for the last 12 months (sometimes 3 times a week!) and it has never skipped a beat. All electric motors are subject to some pretty rough treatment being on the front of your boat doused in saltwater - i have heard the Watersnakes and Motorguides tend to have more issues than the MK.

If you are on a budget look at transom mounting a trolling motor - that would be the cheapest option (but no spot lock capability)

Remember you will need to pay for suitable AGM battery, wiring/andersen plug/fuses and potentially a mount for the electric and battery which can add up.

There are a couple of threads on here about electric installs and issues.

Good luck!

mangajack · February 15

Hi guys and gals,

I watched this video on YT and found it very informative and interesting. Thought i would share!

link to rod factory tour

Andrew

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