ggg

I am pretty lucky. I will grab offal from my local fish monger and combine it with the ‘stripped’ chicken from my work (I work at a chicken store). The chicken and bones release much oil and the mackerel skins and prawn shells release a lot of smell.

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Hey mate. So sorry for the late reply. I actually went fishing on Friday with little luck. I did catch bait for next trip though! For next time, a simple tip is to just throw a net at the Tingira street boat ramp, We always catch bait there. If not, throw a net off creek mouths and points. You will always get bait. If you are time poor and can't look for fish, just anchor up on one of those yellow buoys. There are always fingermark and I have caught some grunter there. We found some structure just in front of a buoy full of fish. Try fishing the leads too. Time is much needed to find fish. 'Snag bashing' may produce some good fish but is a waste of time. It's too inconsistent.

Good stuff mate. Great little session. You would get some decent meat of a 48cm flattie.

Thanks.

So true. I have had experience with an ugly stik and they are fantastic. I will certainly be happy to build this rod. As school holidays start in 3 weeks or so, I will probably complete it then.

I am a big fan of my Calcutta's. I own the 200B and the 400B. I have a custom G-Loomis on the 400B for live baiting and trolling (it's a shorter rod and a bit stiffer). The 200B is my casting reel. I love the traditional shaped reels. I haven't had any problems and the reel was one of the first Calcutta's ever produced. I purchased the blank for only $2 (at a garage sale along with 5 other blanks) and I had the idea of a light bream/ estuary rod or a new baitcasting rod. I chose the baitcasting rod as I have no need for another estuary combo.

31 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

You should only snap it if you misuse it. Personally I would have gone 6 to 8kg for the rod, but it looks like you have bought the blank already. You should stop most things but with that weight braid you will need to be a bit careful how you manoeuvre fish out of the snags. With the greatest of respect , why ask the question after you make the purchase?

Hello everyone,

I have decided to build myself a baitcasting rod for my Calcutta 200B. I want a long rod (I already have a shorter one) for flats fishing and landbased casting. I have gotten myself a 7 foot blank. It's a lightish action and rated for around 4-5kg. Will this rod be able to pull in a sizeable barra or good size fish in the snags or will it just snap? I will run 25-30lb braid on this setup and a 40lb leader.

Great stuff.What combo do you use?

3 hours ago, tiotony said:

got nothing; as soon as I had fish in the burley trail the bullys were coming in and smashing them. Then 15 minutes to get fish burleyed up again, only for the sharks to come in and disperse them again

Do you just use fish frames for burley? I want to start doing burleying my spots.

47 minutes ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi Jaz44

Ohh, you are talking about wooen reels. When I read hand reels, I thought Hannah6 was referring to handlines, like these ones from BCF - 

I guess if you like the more traditional reels though, then you would be on the lookout. 

Cheers Hamish  

I believe he his Hamish. I was just comparing wooden handlines to traditional shaped baitcasters. Sorry to confuse you.

2 hours ago, tiotony said:

I'm too lazy to drive out to False cape so really got no idea. 

There's bullys early morning at the top of the Barron too (as usual) - sunday morning at Kamerunga, as soon as I got fish feeding in the burley trail the bullys were coming in and smashing them up. 

How did you go Tony? You always seem to catch at least one stonker each trip.

I think it was a yellowfin. The pikey is too dark coloured. In a few months, I will have to fish False Cape and see how I go.

6 minutes ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hey Hannah6

I don't know about wooden ones, but like said above, if they aren't made anymore just keep your eye out in garage sales, second hand shops, Ebay, Gumtree, and the likes of that. 

Is there a performance difference between the cheap plastic ones from BCF and wooden ones? 

Cheers Hamish  

 

I don't believe there is too much of a difference. It's like round baitcasters and low profile ones. I have 2 Calcutta's as I like the traditional style and they feel better for me. They aren't that much different from the Curado's and other high qualtiy reels I service. It's just the shape. The wooden ones are more 'traditional'.

Maybe try your local wood-working club or  men's shed and ask them to turn some on a lathe for you. I don't think it would be free but you are supporting a local cause. All the men in these sort of clubs are really nice and some will be happy to do for you for a carton of beer or possibly for free. I think it's worth a shot. At least you know it's going to be the best quality possible.

13 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hey Jaz44

Yes, the sudden cold front we have had down here (a week or so ago now, but I caught mine quite a while ago) brought me 3 or 4 good sized bream at the local park where they are normally a rarity!  35cm is a good PB too, they must be Pikey Bream that far up North? 

Cheers Hamish  

I think so. It was't a very dark coloured bream though. It was rather shiny and silver. Sorry, but I don't have any photos. I quickly released it thinking it was undersize (as a fish that size up in FNQ is small for us). Little did I know it was legal! I would have kept it for afternoon tea knowing their meat is so nice.

Once again, Tony is 100% right. I just fished the Barron that weekend it really cooled down (a few weeks ago now). I caught a new PB bream at exactly 35cm. The water was really cold though and I couldn't catch any live bait. Some boys next to me lost a good salmon. Do you reckon I could fish False Cape (landbased) and be able to catch fingermark or barra?

That is perfect. We use on of them to cook toasted sandwiches for dinner. Just make sure you won't melt any fibreglass resin or wood on your boat.

Thanks, I will definitely read them.

Hello everyone,

Once Yarrabah opens up, I will be trying my luck on it's headlands. I was just wanting some advice. Does anyone know of landbased barra, fingermark, jacks etc. been caught of False Cape or near it? I have seen some films fishing there but nothing but grunter and little fish. I will be throwing soft plastics and bait fishing. I cannot cast net off the rocks but will be throwing the net near the Yarrabah boat ramp. Should I be throwing my baits and lures as far as possible or just put them near the rocks. I do know for a fact that a headland right next to false cape (Kings Point) is a gun fingermark spot. This can only be accessed by boat though. Thank you for all your help.

I have a few tips:

1. Prepare for the worst- I was night fishing in 3 knots and it blew up to 15 knots all night

2. Use 2 anchors- Put an anchor on either side of the boat. That way, if one loses hold, you will have a backup

3. Find an island, bay, reef or something to shelter you. In the case it blows up, you don't want to be trying to re-locate the vessel. Be prepared and you will be able to come back home in one piece.

Good luck and happy fishing- the monsters come out at night.

Good little session. Do you catch Spanish Mackerel there?

What are you guys thoughts on disposing of the catfish in Tinaroo? I catch dozens rapidly. I caught 12 huge ones (50cm+) on my spot in half an hour. Should I be killing them? Are they good bait?

I don't believe those screws were holding the pinion in. I drilled them out just to take the little cover off that was over the bearing. The pinion has a little bit of movement but the bearing won't budge. I will have to try and remove the little ball bearings inside the bearing and lever it out after applying heat. I can't push the bearing through because I only have half a millimetre of room between the gear and the bearing. I tried using a nail to push it but it won't sit properly. 

Looks good mate but I am don''t want to purchase anything without having it in my hand first. I also don't want to risk posting it due to having it damaged or 'lost'.