Bob9863

The ugly stick will last a long time and handle a lot of abuse, a good reel to look at would be Penn fierce live liner. Brilliant bait fishing reel.

If your looking for distance in a baitrunner then I'd recommend a Shimano baitrunner long cast medium, I'd say it's a 6500 size. Has a great baitrunner system, holds a lot of line, has about 15kg of max drag and casts really good and it's not very expensive at just under $300. It can't hurt to have a longer rod then strictly necessary, that way when you fish spots that need a little more distance you will still be able to fish successfully. I've lost count of the amount of times I've caught fish when others couldn't because I could get an extra 20ft distance because of my set-up. Also when the wind isn't in your favour a longer casting outfit will still get you in the zone wh3n the wind reduces you casting distance. For over hand it's definitely hard to beat an Abu Garcia Ambassador, look after one of them and it's with you for life. They cast great and can be bought of easily modified for super long distances casting. If you really not in need of long casting, I would get either a the Ambassador or a baitrunner style of reel, I th8nk shimano makes the best but other companies make some really good ones too.

I'd also add fuel doctor to the fuel, it helps keep everything clean and running smoothly. It might be worthwhile getting the carry cleaned too, the low speed jet could be an issue, but if you get it done then that's one problem that won't creep up on you in a hurry. I often put on new lines too when I buy a 2nd hand motor, especially if it's sat around for a while.

Sounds like it should handel most things, there's nothing wrong with going heavy with a trolling rod, stiff is usually best as its resistant to bending when the fish strikes and that can give you a much better hook set.

Looks like your having a bit of run, and there's nothing better then catching a monster when everyone else has given up.

They are definitely looking pretty well fed.

For that kind of coin I'd get full cabin cruiser of some sort set up for fishing and have a floating hotel so I could stay out a few days if I wanted and head well off shore. You could get one with a fishing tender and use the big boat as a base camp. Otherwise and usually the best option is to use what the locals use and it doesn't matter if it's big game boat or a kayak, get what gets other people onto the fish. But something semi flat bottom might definitely be worth looking at, up to around 4.2.-4.5m.

Celtas, trout pattern lures and bait are the go to for streams, the tassie devil spoons are good too. Worms under a float or at the head of streams with the lightest sinker possible also work great. Floating live crickets, grass hoppers and Christmas Beatles also works brilliantly as well. Try close to the bank as trout in streams love to cruise the bank.

Usually not winter because for a couple of months they go off to spawn. But early spring and end of winter they are pretty aggressive. I'd say September/October is the prime time. But it also depends on how and how much water is being released. Late autumn is the best time to catch them at their heaviest right before they spawn.

Popped down to the river for a fish a couple of arvo this week to see if the trout are back from spawning yet. It looks like they are, I managed a few between 6lb and 8lbs so with any luck there might be a nice fat 10lb finally in my future as the average size is pretty damp good ATM.

Now that's a pretty damn good haul.

Some very nice solid bass there, that was a pretty decent day.

Sounds like a good boat, looking forward to some picks.

I've owned both brands in similar sizes and both are brilliant, the Evinrude motors are super reliable IME and the Yamaha is a bit smoother, quieter and user friendly. Both should be great motors, I'd focus more on the boats themselves.

I'm a fan of using the same reel on multiple rods, a really good reel is expensive but by matching it with some different rods for different fish and conditions it gets a bit cheaper because it does more. But you don't need high end gear to catch fish, I just love using top tier gear as I love the feel of precision equipment. My whole life I used whatever was decent that that would do the job at a good price, but now I like using the best I can afford because I can and I love super smooth reels and rods that cast like a dream. They will also be with me for years to come if I look after them and that gives me more memories with each particular bit of gear.

I set up some carp rigs today and popped out for a bit, the rigs worked good, better then me anyway. I only landed one and lost too, but I was testing out my rod for thailand at the end of the year. A Pe 6 rod and 80lb braid is a bit heavy to fight a small fish, and with the drag still set at 10kg it had no give in it. I think I will remove the sinker from the rig, and I will wind the drag out and then set it again before I go overseas. The bait I uses was just corn attached under the hook, and the burley is a mix of polenta, creamed corn and breadcrumbs.

That's why I love punts and small tiniest, they can go places other boats can't, don't need much water to launch or float and are nice and stable. Had something very similar you as well, a catch power with a 2.5hp Yamaha behind it. Definitely very flexible and awesome fishing platforms, you should enjoy yours a lot too.

I'd be taking a deer with the bow and give yo on the fish. But then venison is my 2nd favourite meat after Rabbit.

I do like the big snapper, that knob definitely let's you know when you have a big one on.

I've used it a bit,a lot of people down the river use it too, especially red for getting that reluctant bite. But 90% of the time if I need to colour a jig head I either heat and dip it in a jig head powder or use spray paint if I'm in a rush. The jig head paint last the longest, but if you loose them at a respectable rate then paint is fine if not the hardest wearing. Nail polished however is great if you want to change colours to match or contrast jig heads. I do the same with lead fish, any of those methods work pretty much the same.

But I thought global warming or climate change, whatever they are calling it this week was raising the ocean levels?

They make spring loaded killers for small pigs ect that would work as a bang stick that doesn't need any licensing. But I'm not sure how that would help me, as I like to let the big ones go.

V6 all wheel drive is great for towing and on maintained dirt roads but not for tracks. That being said from the look of the road on YouTube I'd drive a Rav4 down there. I wouldn't drive much past the end of the track unless it was good conditions and I wouldn't take any risks. Just don't flog the truck and remember it's your ticket home. I'd definitely take a compressor, tire deflator, sand trax and a snatch strap to get you out of any trouble.

The arapima are funny, I find it best to target along the bank for them, a lot of parks don't actually like you catching arapima as they are a little delicate and a big one is worth a year's salary over there. So they only like them to be caught occasionally, that can make rhem seem a lot harder to catch then they are. Sight casting when they rise can be very productive but you have to cast fast and accurate and guess what direction they are travelling so you can put a lure in front of them. But if your ever heading over to Bangkok then I know a park that specialises in them and I've never not caught one there, actually the least I've ever caught there was 3 of them and they actually prefer using live bait. As to the carp, apart from the catfish I've never really targeted the vegetarian fish,so this should be a change. I just ordered a couple of Shimano baitrunner long cast surf reels just for the bait fishing over there. Ordered a heap of gear too specifically to fish for them. Now the wait until it arrives and I can put some rigs together.

Sounds like a brilliant day and it's great to get the kids out keen and interested in fishing.