Huxstang

Consider a Mooloolaba Pick anchor https://www.whitworths.com.au/mooloolaba-pick-anchor Thats what all the boats have on the swains that I have been on. Shackle to the top then lay chain down the shaft and heavy zip ties to what you would normally attach to. If its stuck you just pull back over the top and it snaps the zip ties and you then pull the anchor up from the head. Mate bought a very expensive version of one (cannot remember the name) but it uses a sheer bolt to hold the fins in place and all you do it drive over the top and it sheers the pin and the fins collapse. A guy up in Mackay makes them. Very neat.

Latest generation Stradic (FM) is so close to the latest generation Shimano Sustain in smoothness it’s not funny. Hard pressed to justify the increase in cost, except the Sustain is sexy black and maybe a bit lighter thanks to MGL rotor Handle goes in just as easy as any of my other Shimano’s - just need to wind it against the thread to settle it into the lead and then wind it in.

Mate just bought a zing extreme v3….very impressive rods for the coin. I drooled on the new Oceans legacy inshore rods at tackle warehouse on thursday. Also very nice and within $50 of price of the Samaki- both much nicer in feel to the Nomad Seacore range. I am with everyone else…Get a lighter 6-12lb rod with a 2500/3000 size reel and then a heavier for jew etc. I think 10-20lb or 10-17lb is more than enough for anything we get in the Brisbane river in the Jew/Thready classes.

Looks amazing. A great adventure. How do they get your boat on and off the ferry or do they just tow it under a bridle? Be an awesome 4 or 5 days I bet - but how the heck do you camp with eskies and ice these days - I am so stuck on 12v and a fridge its not funny.

I’m intrigued…..what is the blank and why so different? I have an Edge 704 spin for soft plastics which is pretty nice but also use a much softer tipped Shimano Tcurve Premium 732 which I also don’t mind.

Chris Britton is getting some Snyder blanks still I believe….he is on the web and down at Redland Bay. Nice bloke too, did a Swains trip with him. But if you want something more current its hard to go past the Wilson Venom’s for a composite blank.

A few fish and gastro…epic trip. I think everyone is sick to death of the BOM and their very rough guesses on what the weather is. Mate and I have decided that instead of taking the kit out for say reef vs fishing lighter around the shallow areas we will just take everything - head out of the river and make a decision based on what is actually happening rather than relying on the BOM’s - 5knots, .5m forecast being 15knots and 1.5m observations.

Nice work Hamish. That snap would have been a very tasty addition to the plate and at 60cm they put up a good account for themselves. We went out yesterday. Not much run = not much fun. Hit Harries and thanks to the benefits of livescope could see there was SFA of any size around at least two of the wrecks. Went down to Peel west and nothing on the artificial and then had a look at the wreck just near the channel marker - probably 6 or 7 fish over a metre swimming over and around the wreck but they werent tempted by anything. The only thing biting all day were bloody grinners. At least it was a nice day.

If you have Navionic mapping this might help. As Brian said the coffee rock runs up the beach line. My old man used to love this spot which was just off the outlet pipe from the marine centre at the northern end of Woorim. Havent been there for 20 years but essentially its just in that coffee rock reef area. Once you head over towards Moreton you can head through the inner Freeman channel and in @ 10m there is a vast expanse of coffee rock reef. Never caught anything super large there but usually plenty of bait hanging around. North of that @ 2km is the North Moreton artificial. Last trip got donuts but good jew hanging over the structure. Other times good sizes grassies and cleaned up by unstopables. Also you can get some schools of yellow tail kings. Just a matter of seeing if any bait is holding over the structure. Haven’t tried Wild Banks artificial yet - its not a very old artificial but from what I have heard hold pelagics. Then north off Cape Moreton is Hutchison Shoals and others structures to the south (Smiths Rocks etc which run down the outside of Moreton Island). Quite easily reached in your Bayliner on a half decent day the only tricky part if through Freeman Channels although you can go the long way through the marked channel and then west. One section of green zone at southern end of Hutchies which is exposed and breaking and often you see dive boats anchored. 14-35m is the general depth….usual reef species. Have gotten some nice pearl perch there and some good schools of Kingy’s at times. Ultimately these days I just go to general areas and then sound around until I see something, otherwise you can just drift through and see what you can get.

Bob, With lithium voltage is not a good indicator of capacity as they hold voltage much longer. Only way of knowing capacity is using a shunt that measure state of charge (enerdrive and victron for example). I just had a look at history off my Victron shunt in the boat….after a long day out in salt water using the leccy, my lithium bank for the electric was sitting at 13.31v and had consumed 39.8Ah which represents as 80% State of Charge at 100% state of charge it is 13.35v. So important to consider low drop in voltage is not representative of the batteries state of charge with lithium unlike FLA batteries. Out of interest, a Landcruiser forum I follow had a thread today on issues with the itechworld lithium rated for under bonnet use. They cut out at 60* at the terminals and wont come back on until returning to a static lower temp. These aren’t a hybrid like you are talking about but something to consider if they do have an overtemp condition. (That said I think a TD 200 series underbonnet is significantly higher than your Suzuki!!) I do think you will find a 40l Waeco consumes only @ 2.5amps once cool and when its cool they cycle much less (at least my 40l Engel does). So with it running off solar during day and the battery recharging (you can normally get @ 8-10amps out of a solar blanket) in sunshine) the 60amp lithium which can run down to 90% capacity ie 54amps should give you roughly 21hrs as a minimum without charging. Throw in a slim 100amp lithium and its more like double that.

Invicta are a great brand…7 year warranty on straight LIFEPO, says a lot. The new hybrids I have not looked at sorry but like all compromises - its a compromise :-)) Personally I say run a separate LIFEPO for your camping etc and safeguard cranking for just that. 100ah with say a 40l Engel (2amp draw) is 2 days without charging as they run down to basically 90% capacity.

The 2007 should still be aussie made not chinese so it will be a lot better built. The aussie made ones had a great reputation with owners. Does seem a bit expensive but a new 200hp 4 stroke is a fairly large chunk of that money.

Shimano Saltiga or is that Daiwa Saltiga? I thought there was Shimano Ocea? I have the Ocea braid on my Ocea Jigger 2000. They are lovely reels. I buy all my reels off the japanese stores now - the savings on the Ocea Jigger is not as signfiicant as with some other reels. My Conquest 300MD was about $400 less than price here. Digitaka.com and Japanlureshop.com are my two favourites. Sadly they rarely have any line in greater than 300m spools. So far bought about 10 reels through them for myself and friends without drama. Did you see there is now the Ocea Jigger LD (lever drag)….not in stock at either of those two stores yet but looks the goods.

Yep some good buys on marketplace for rods and reels I think. Picked up a Sustain 3000 on a Shimano T Curve Premium for $200…and a basically brand new Sustain 2500 for $200. I found an Edge First Strike rod on Gumtree for a mate that was essentially brand new for $250 ($600 retail rod).

I know you mainly fish fresh but those squidtrek in the smaller sizes are demons. Just drop it down just above the bottom and stick rod in rod holder and drift along. Catch fish and work a plastic on another rod.

Not here to defend Shimano but I thought Shimano was on 4 year release cycles anyway? I mean there is the 20 Twin Power (D) and the new 24 Twin Power (E) and seems non SW Stradic was 2019 and 2023 release. They do seem to do variant releases in between though…Curado 200 DC in 2022 then Curado 200 M was 2023. Try golf clubs….they update every two years and each new driver is apparently 10 yds longer than the previous. On that basis - since I have been playing for 47 years I should be hitting drives over 700 yds. I know Garmin runs a 4 year cycle on marine electronics. Personally I think 4 years is reasonable - there should be a continuous drive for improvement by engineering departments and its why todays Stradic is probably as nice to use as a 2 series old Stella.

Well done. Well I didnt go, fortune favours the brave and I was a coward. Fortunate as now heading up to Caboolture Hospital to check on me mum who has had a turn of some sort. No rush - shouldnt be out of the ramped ambulance for 3 or 4 hours. Keep telling my folks - if you live on Bribie your only hospital is Caboolture so stop complaining about it.

This far out Sunday and Monday look like a bit of wind drop. Probably need a couple of days for the swell to ease out at bit? Anyway I am 5 mins from a ramp and even getting out for a couple of hours is preferable to doing nothing - too wet to play golf

I am over it….I think I might put on a rain jacket and just go out and get some salt air. Forecast on Weatherzone was rain 6am-midday now showers 9am rain then midday heavy shower. I am pretty much thinking they have an idea there could be rain but who knows. At least if it rains the boat gets an easy wash.

Sort of same price as https://japanlureshop.com/daiwa-21-freams.html at least jls is legit - just JDM stock and usually cheaper than Digitaka - my other fav japanese tackle site

Good work Hamish…keep at it and keep learning.

4 different models from PRedictWind. Southern Bay looks ok on most models….5-10 but it being a southerly it will definitely not be that kind further to the middle and north. The ECW…is the most conservative model so I default to it when planning

Everything on Boating and RV shows as out of stock when you click on it. I might duck up the road and see if their shop at Tingalpa is open. Its only 2 k from home.

No idea what a 21 Freams is worth on Amazon or at BCF but if you look at say Japan Lure Shop they are @ $130 plus shipping if you get it from Japan…I have no idea if that is good or bad. https://japanlureshop.com/daiwa-21-freams.html

Picked up on a FB group where some poor soul is $7k out of pocket after paying for a Garmin trolling motor online from Bias Boating. Bias is also Boating and RV when you see that it was formed out of former managers when Bias went under in 2014.