Ed.

So how edible are they?

I filled up mine today and paid $2.26/L for Shell Premium at Pialba. 81L later, I am going to have to ask the bank for a loan! Ampol was $2.32/L

Hi Greg, have you checked the cables leading into the back of the unit? My last Simrad Combo developed a nasty habit of having some of the cables come loose occasionally. Apart from that, I got nothing! Cheers Ed.

I can definitely stick my hand up for that one!

So it looks like this happens regularly then amongst fishermen?

What, didn't see the sand bank or did you just have a snooze and woke up to find the tide had gone out?

Went for a walk along the jetty today to see if the water had started to clear up a bit after all the rain we have had, and saw this guy in the boat on the sand nearby, with the tide going out, might have to wait a while for a fish! . The other guy in the water had a better idea. Although in all honesty the boat had "Research" written on the side so probably working or something, but it just struck me as funny. The water is finally starting to clear up a bit and some baitfish are now turning up. It has been months since I saw any bait there because of all the rain and mud going into the bay.

Yes, quite easy to bend, MIG wire generally ranges from 0.6mm to 1.6mm, I have a couple of rolls of stainless MIG wire, a 1.6mm S/S and also a roll of 1.0mm S/S, I use the thicker 1.6mm for making larger lures.

I am also a newbie!

Hi Riceoppa, hard to tell as there is another similar fish, as the mouth is not closed and the tail is not fully open it is a bit hard to tell from this picture, having said that I don't think it is a Perch. If you extend the tail and it is sightly veed then its a Teralgin, If it has a paddle tail or straight edge on the tail then it would be a Mullaway, at least that is what I think. The dorsal fin is pretty much the same in both fish and the head shape is slightly different from each other. My guess is Teralgin. Cheers Ed.

As I see it, no one setup is going to cover all the size fish you will hook in the salt water, it really depends on what the majority of the fish are in where you are fishing. Obviously the bigger the reel the more line you can spool on it, but also the more effort it will take to continually cast due to the size and weight of the setup. Firstly, I would check to see if you are actually getting the drag on the reel that you are supposed to. If your reel is advertised as having a 12kg drag and the max you actually get is 6Kg, then that will greatly effect your ability to slow down that whopper you just hooked, get the reel fixed. If the drag is OK and you want to target the larger fish that turn up occasionally, and you also want to upgrade to a larger sized reel then check what models have a line and drag capacity that you would like, and it doesn't have to be the same brand, unless you really, really like that brand. Different brands label their reels differently, so a 4000 size in one brand/model may not be the same capacity/physical size as another manufacturer's model 4000, also even in the same manufacturer's range. Short list the ones that fit your needs and then go to a store and feel them as they all look good on paper until you stick them in your hand. Then you have something physical to compare with. If the majority of the fish in your area are going to be Herring as an example, then pointless using a 6500 or a 8000 sized reel. However if you want to catch a Mullaway or a Trevally that feeds on these sized fish and is also in the same area then you will most likely have to have a second larger setup in the water at the same time. Murphy's Law will also come in to play here, in that the larger predator may bypass the larger setup and still go for the smaller setup or you will hook up a smaller fish and the larger fish scoffs it as you are reeling it in. So choices are, fish for the majority of fish with what you got, and get smoked occasionally. Go larger and be more tired if casting continuously. Get a second setup and leave baited in the water whilst you do your normal fishing (Live Liners/Baitfeeders are good for that). A lot of fishermen have 2 or 3 setups in the water when fishing for that reason. Smaller hooks on the lighter gear and a larger hook on the heavier setup. The larger hook usually will not hook smaller fish so you will just be feeding the smaller ones but it might tempt the bigger fish as you will put on a larger bait. It's all a compromise, just my opinion.

Happy Birthday Kat, Enjoy your trip and catch heaps .

I wonder if you could put a "Private land -All trespassers will be prosecuted" sign at the entrance or on both sides of the creek/river, or will this be another legal can of worms? It could be enough of a deterrent for most people to keep out even if it wasn't legally enforceable.

Well, that to me is about as clear as mud! I would send an email to that department with a map and location of the river/creek on it and ask them to put it in writing in a simple yes/no answer. Don't expect an answer though.

I vaguely remember someone on here looking for some Everol reels for their man cave but couldn't remember who it was, these came up on Gumtree when I was doing a search. Not my cup of tea but might suit some one, very pricey though I think, however they may suit someone. Their condition doesn't look too bad hence the high price. The 12 size is $1400 but for an extra $90 I would get a MK-130 if I wanted to get a jumbo sized reel but that is only my preference and finance wasn't an issue. https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cornubia/fishing/everol-fishing-reel/1294922712.

Hey Bob9863, isn't the Vanford 5000 a spinning reel, if it is, how do you preset the drag or am I missing something? As for the line breaking way before the rated line capacity, I have found quite a few lines that really have a strength way less than what is listed on the spool, the other thing to consider is if the line was nicked or had been put into a pinch point such when you cast and then the line gets tangled mid air and comes to a sudden stop. I would be inclined to think that the line is probably a bit dodgy. The worst line I have ever come across for breaking way under line spec., was the WTF Gliss lines, the ones I had were a shocker for breaking, I ended up thowing them in the bin, even new spools and all the lines on the reels were replaced.

Generally all my rods can handle the line weight, but if it gets too close for comfort then I just point the rod tip towards the fish so then the reel is taking most of the strain, haven't broken any rods doing that yet! If the fish is straight under then I back the drag off a bit. It really depends on what type of fishing you like doing and what gear you use. If you are using spinning reels then you can't set your drags, so it only becomes an issue in that you don't know reliably how much drag you have on when fighting a fish and it becomes a guessing situation. Lever drags on the other hand get preset so when you hit the lever into the strike setting then you should pretty much get the drag that you set it at, and the drag only varies if the fish suddenly does a 90 degree change of direction at speed in the water or you have heaps of line out, ect., so you have to compensate by backing off the drag a bit.

I usually set my drags using a fully loaded spool reel only and a bucket of water containing various amounts of water (ie: 1kg per litre plus weight of plastic bucket). Using a rod adds some extra drag depending on guide types and rod angle so I just don't use one in setting the drag, I figure that once the drag lever is set to the strike position, then I will have at least that amount as a minimum. All my lines are stronger than the max listed reel drag so only a mild concern should I have to push the lever up to sunset or if a large amount of line is off the reel. Realistically I am not too fussed about it, so long as the strike drag is set roughly in the ball park, then I can live with it.

And also removing chlorine from town water, I used to use it in my aquariums.

Thanks Chris.

Thanks for that info. Cheers Ed.

Hi Old Scaley, ideally just a day trip hopefully on the northern side of the Island.

Hi Christophagus, this reply is a bit old but just wondering how did you go on the Princess 2, where did the boat take you fishing and how was the boat trip? I have moved up there recently and looking for a charter boat in the area. Cheers Ed.

Coincidently, we were driving home to Hervey Bay on Friday afternoon and a 4WD ute coming towards us on the highway heading south, blew his front left tire. Fortunately for him he manged to steer his vehicle between the Armco barriers on the shoulder of the road. There was a gap of about 10M between the two and he managed to stop about 5M down the embankment. Very lucky as it was a long way down to the bottom. Changing the wheel would have been quite problamatic since it was a steep incline. It was quite spectacular the way the tyre blew apart and fortunately no one should have been hurt as he didn't hit the barriers. Would have been a different outcome had he hit them at that speed as it only took about 2 seconds but don't know if he had any warning prior to the tyre expoding. Not a nice experience.