Ed.

Hi Kat, try this, Product: Fishing Log Designer: Ken Fox Postal: 29 Braeside Avenue, Seacombe Heights, SA, 5047 Voice Phone: 08 8298 4527 Email: kfox@ozemail.com.au Found this on an old post dated about 2011, so not sure if it is still valid or even available. Cheers Ed.

I usually stay away from Shimano gear as a rule but I made an exception in this case.

Hi @Kimtown, found a Youtube link to some guys fishing for Bluefin tuna in Victoria using the Anthem SW rods.

Yes, you are right, 230gm is a lot but it is spec'ed to handle lures up from 90gm, I made a heap of 20cm poppers and I was surprised that none went over 150gm, averaged around the 120gm weight and I used large 4x trebles, (probably because I used a very light Silky Oak wood). 230gm is about 8oz in the old parlance, I am not sure what the weight of store bought poppers/lures are. The reason I chose that particular Anthem SW as that seemed to be built right in respect to my reel, I looked at about 6-7 rods and when I fitted my reel on them, the first guide on most of them was too small, too close to the blank and or too close to the reel seat, which would mean that there would be a lot of line slap against the first guide. The diameter of the large spool and distance of the reel from the blank, would have too great a line angle coming of it causing the line hoops hitting that first guide and the casting distance would be reduced. My GT popping rod is too long and too stiff (as it is a PE8-10) to be used as a jigging rod as the leverage against me would be quite bad, but I do have other and shorter rods which I use for jigging, so a 7ft one or lighter PE rod would be better, but I only bought mine for GT popping (distance and heaps of grunt). You should take your reel into a store and try it out on any rods that you are interested in to see if it suits and if the rod bends the way you want it to. Don't forget to check the rod guides alignment with the blanks' backbone before you buy any.

Hi Kimtown, what weight lures are you thinking of casting? You could have a look at these: Shimano Anthems SW rods, there is an Anthem SW 692 medium to heavy spinning rod 60gm lures and 30-50lb line for under $300, that Anthem SW model range has 12 rods in it both overhead and spinning. I have the heavier 792 GT popping rod (under $350) which does PE8-10 and lure weight 100-250gm, I have the Penn Spinfisher SSVI8500LL reel on it, these are 2 piece rods which join at the butt, so easier to transport. Demon Blood 792XH PE5-6, 90-230gm, 2 piece spilt at butt, about $240-320 (just checked again and it may be sold out) Ugly Stik USBW-SP 701H 15-24kg 25-120g, I piece about $165 Cheers Ed.

I much prefer the gimbaled rod belts, they spread the load much better especially when using heavy drags

Don't forget to take a decent rod bucket/gimbal belt with you, it will make it so much easier on you if you have to skull drag fish up from the bottom.

It is much easier to add a rod tube that is 5'6 to flight luggage, than one that is 7-8ft, I have a 7'9" Shimano popper rod that is 2 piece and it breaks down to 5'3" at its longest, so even just sticking it in the car to travel with is so much easier than if it was a single piece rod. If it is a small plane you are going in, a small 5'6" tube should be no problem to fly with. Postage wise, I think that anything over 1m will be too long but Couriers aren't a problem.

Hey Greg, here are some links for you to look at, the first is the Crewsaver 165N manual activation at @ $109.95, these are the type I that I bought for myself and the missus. https://www.whitworths.com.au/crewsaver-crewfit-165n-sport-manual-inflation-lifejacket and the second is the Marlin 150N manual activation @ $59.00 BCF Club price, however there were a few major issues from customers purchasing these from BCF, read the reviews. https://www.bcf.com.au/p/marlin-australia-inflatable-adult-explorer-150-pfd/M564026.html?dwvar_M564026_color=Black&cgid=BCF0120#start=1 I just rang Whitworths with a general enquiry and they said they will do them in the Brisbane stores ranging in price from $50-80, I am assuming it might also depend on the brand/model. However at that price point I would rather get a new one or do it myself.

Sorry I can't help you with where to take them as I did my own, not hard to do just a bit fiddly to fold the bag back the same way it came out. Give it a go.

Personally I haven't fished with one of the Ugly Carbon rods but I did ring the distributor and was told that these ones are not made like the traditional Ugly Stiks and so you can't high stick them like you can with the older range. So they will be more fragile than their predecessors, similar to other typical graphite rods.

I got my Crewsaver 165N inflatables from Whitworths about 18 Mths ago, on sale at $85 each, and have seen them on sale a few times since, so they might come up on sale again.

I just pulled it apart into pieces and binned the bits, when my other current one expires I will just buy another one. That way I get the latest tech on the spot and no hassle waiting for it to come back, the difference in price between a new unit and the cost of sending it in plus the price of a new battery, will not be too much.

Anesthetics? You been visiting the medics again? You do know that they don't mix well with mixed drinks! you should stick with one or the other! Wine or Beer.

Obviously he's done that before! Hey, whatever works.

Hi Neil, I just rang GME and the automatic voice message quoted me between $199-229 plus cost to send it to them. So I don't know what they are doing to your unit as I can't imagine that they would give you a free battery.

Any of the areas up north will hold Barra, so it would depend on how much of a scenic drive you want to do and if you want to visit/fish any of the areas going up there as well. Obviously, the less populated the area, the more chance that it won't be overfished.

Neil, are you sure they don't charge for the battery, or is it the service they provide free with the battery cost on top? When I enquired a few years back it was like about $200+, so I figured it wasn't worth it and will just buy another unit when mine expires.

Just saw this bit of bad news, which may help your decision. https://7news-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/7news.com.au/news/nsw/search-underway-after-trio-fail-to-return-from-fishing-trip-off-wollongong-c-3305233.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a6&usqp=mq331AQIKAGwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From %1%24s&aoh=16253846414418&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2F7news.com.au%2Fnews%2Fnsw%2Fsearch-underway-after-trio-fail-to-return-from-fishing-trip-off-wollongong-c-3305233

Forgot to mention, I think that unit doesn't have the GPS locator in it so your search area for anyone to look for you will be huge. Actually reading a bit more about it, it doesn't support the 406Mhz frequency that the satellites require so useless. Bin job!

Sorry Kat, but no easy decision, that EPIRB you have is too old I think. I am fairly certain that they no longer use the frequency that it puts out so pretty much useless, plus I would think that the battery would be on it's last legs anyway. Without the HEX ID you can't register it anyway. As I said ideally you should get both, an EPIRB and a PLB at least that way you will be able to have one on our life jacket even if you are in the water, it is like insurance, very handy to have when you need it as your life will depend on it. I know it is an added expense but an extra $300 approx for peace of mine and it could save your life, the smaller the boat the more essential it becomes, as it is generally easier to flip a small boat over than a big one.

As for the age of the unit, if there isn't any date on it, you could ring AMSA and ask, they probably will require the HEX number of the EPIRB which should be on the side of the unit.

Having it in a bracket comes with both pro's and con's, as an example, if in the bracket you will always know where it is, downside is if your boat is flipped over in rough seas, then it will still be in the bracket and you will have to dive under the hull or try to reach it from the sides if it is a small boat to retrieve it from its bracket, then swim out from under the hull whilst hoping that you won't get tangled underneath or bashed in the head by the hull which may be heaving up and down, don't forget you may be in really big waves which may have caused you to flip over in the first place. If in a grab bag, you need to be able to grab it before you get hurled out of the boat, you may also lose sight of it and it may float away from the boat in the time it takes you to register what has just happened and you may be in a bit of shock, especially if your boat is flipped. These factors become much worse if it is dark and in rough seas.

Hi Kat, first of all, when you get a EPIRB you have to get it registered with the AMSA department (no charge to do so) even if it is second hand, https://beacons.amsa.gov.au/registration/index.asp you provide all your details and it is valid for 2 years which you have to renew each time (again no charge) up to the life of the battery. The EPIRB units life is determined by it's battery life anywhere from 7-10 years from new. Once it has reached it's end of battery life it is probably cheaper just to buy another one rather than sending it away to get a new battery. I keep mine in a float grab bag next to the passenger side seat, on my previous boat I had 2, one in a grab bag and the other on a bracket next to the door to the cabin, only took a few seconds to get it out of the bracket. If yours is taking that long then there is something wrong. Ideally an EPIRB and a PLB, just in case you get tossed out of a boat before you can reach the grab bag, or activate the one in the bracket, that way if you are floating away, you can always activate it as it will be tied to your life jacket, and readily available to activate. Also on the subject of safety gear, I make a habit of not putting the fire extinguisher near the motor, because if there is a fire it will most likely be near the engine/fuel tank and you may not be able to get to it because of flames.