Huxstang

As in had to pay all the bills myself - yeah. Could always lean on the old man since I was a kid but when they moved off the canal no more boat, my work life took over as well. I didnt want to be that guy with the boat in the yard that never moved so I was not owning until I could justify that I would have time to use it. Retirement is looming, I will soon have time to reinvest in my passions

A mate sent me this as well. I mean seriously at what point would you not have gone, wow my fuel tank is only 100litres and I have put 230l into it….or WTF all I can smell is petrol.

Paid my deposit for a new boat this afternoon. Formosa 525 side console ordered, plenty of other stuff to sort out like sounders and trolling motor plus a Bimini before its delvered Fortunately got some good contacts to get a full custom travel cover made at the right price. Build slot is March with a June delivery expected - or July. Perfectly ready for snapper season

A workmate (now retired) bought one (595) when he finished….loves it. Serious fishing boat, no issues with quality. Easiest thing would be to go and load up the family inside and see what its like for space. 5 fishing in a boat under 7 metres will be very full on I think. Formosa is nice and beamy though - 595 is over 2.4m so its not going to be too bad inside just lots of lines in the water IMHO. You could look at Seatrail trailers at Hemmant if you are in Brisbane.

I think you are spot on - climate change - the eastern current is warming and population increase will naturally bring all things tropical further south like the iryakangi (sp?) that are being found in increased numbers at Fraser Is recent. Difference to the 1905 report and now is the massive population increase of the possible food source….humans. 1905 all of Aus had @2-3mil I guess. Now there is more than that just in SEQ and our past time of swimming and surfing is somewhat more advanced. I bet the croc gets harsher treatment than the sharks

Had 5 of them now. Great hunters, can be a bit strong willed and the energy levels are next level which makes people think they are dumb (probably the opposite) - it just needs to be focussed through hunting exercise (doesnt have to be real hunting) just the stuff that they are wired for - scenting and running. Do that and they are pretty placid around the house.

1F9FEF04-0546-4885-827D-277FF4D40D93.MOV 1F9FEF04-0546-4885-827D-277FF4D40D93.MOV The reason I am happy to see the arse end of 2022….lost this awesome girl in August to an unknown disease that destroyed her liver and lungs in only a few weeks. Pure bred German Short Haired Pointer, would hunt anything that moved. Used to kill snakes by the dozen until she got a bit older then left them alone. Would catch and release toad fish in the shallows at Nudgee Beach, and if we were up visit parents at Bribie she would scent the schools of bait fish in the ocean - best thing I never got a video of, was a pod of dolphins had penned a small school of bait fish against the beach on red beach….she was straight in and swimming with the dolphins until I could get her out (worried about any sharks that might have been in for a cheap feed).

Cracker of a fish…another one for the southside eh?

So closing off on this. Digitaka is a Japanese online tackle seller. Some of the stuff is significantly cheaper than Australia. EG this reel landed was sub $400 rather than the $650 that is the norm here. Shipping was with DHL - very quick. Ordered last Thursday or Friday arrived yesterday so about a week. No additional duty. really well packaged, sealed box item. Just tried this on an old Loomis GL2 but I think it might have to go on something a bit more modern….maybe an Expride or a Samurai - not sure but should be a great casting reel. Not sure what line I will go with - maybe Suffix 832 - anyone got any views on best casting reel braid?

So need to update my baitcasters into something low profile, I was thinking of trying a DC braked reel but there seemed to be a flood of them on the market which makes me think the DC whirr I gets annoying. And anyway I have no need to cast 100metres and no how to control the spool. Anyhow I got caught in the hype of the release of the new Shimano Bantam which is available here but at a massive premium, so trying Digitaka. Got my shipping info so will be interesting to see whether it gets hit with GST….only @$350 shipped so its under the value but not sure if they should be registered for collection. Should save @ $300 on buying local. It will be a big step up from my old Calcutta’s and Abu’s….I bet the new braking systems are amazing.

Since you appear to be travelling, have you thought about the Bone Voyage (4 PCE rods). BVSH734MH would be a decent boat rod. $280 from Tacklewharehouse here in Bris. Pair it with a Shimano Stradic 5000 and you have fairly solid outfit. I have a Voyage Salt Water Finesse and its a sweet little stick. Great for lightly weighted plastic (what I bought it for).

The absolute best thing I have ever bought for keeping something hot or cold is the Mountain Designs 900. https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/hydration/water-bottles/mountain-designs-hydro-900-insulated-bottle/BP90166863-black I bought it to take out on Swains this year and I would make tea in it to take out and it would be scalding hot until I came in at lunch time. I now use it for cold water for golf - the small top on teh spout can be a bit touchy as with regards to being fully closed but it keep stuff super hot.

Ps give you $50 for it yeah i dont think Sustains are offshore reels - they are a lot smaller than the SW series reels and i think Shimano actually call them as inshore reels. Not sure about plastic foot as they are alloy cased reels not Ci4. Check Shimano Aus web page for service - i have to send a gosa in after i fell into it after a stuck anchor let go and i went a over t. From memory service charge was not that high and i saw parts prices online and they aren’t high at all for most parts.

Have you considered the Sustain? I struggled to feel the difference between a Sustain 5000 and a TP 5000.

I think Shimano say the Sustain is the first step into the premium reels. I put the Stradic, Vanford, Sustain and Twin Power on the counter and had a feel of them. You could definitely feel the difference once you got to the Sustain. I struggled to feel any real difference in the Twin Power that would cause me to spend $250 more! Really looking forward to loading this baby up on a decent fish or three. If anyone wants a tip on this scam…let your wife retire and you keep working. You have no time for fishing but they feel sorry for you

Went with that YGK X Braid Pentagram….30lb but its super thin…its actually painful to do a line to leader knot its that fine, I need stronger glasses I think! I use the YGK Leader, its very supple for its weight class - Tom got me onto it a while back, but this is my first time on their braid. I gather its one of the thinnest for line class.

Only fish heads would get this - its birthday time and my good wife said I should just get something or tell my mate what I want and he could get it for her. Since I have a decent relationship with the boys at Tackle Warehouse at Coorparoo I went in on Saturday to check out an addition to the gear collection. I wanted to take it up a notch and really wanted a quality rod that would work for plastics on snapper most of the time and also Barra when I finally get a chance to get up north again. As usual they steered me right, make sure you get something fishable and not over powered for what you will use more of the time than not. Ended up with this lovely new combo - Sustain 5000 and an Edge First Strike MBR704. Hopefully will get a chance to load it up tomorrow night if the low holds off and we can get out and fish the through the low around Mud.

I agree OS. I find Tacklewarehouse at Coorparoo either competitive on price or a bit negotiable or better than places like BCF. There range is also amazing and better than just the run of the mill mid range shimano and Diawa offerings. So far my preferred shop although I will buy some gear at Anaconda when they have the big discounts on. BCF does have a few tacklerats working there so you wont get steered to far wrong just they dont have the range of rods to drool over

I’m with the others but think you first off need to work out what your primary use is….6’6” is good for general boat but would seem a bit short for long casting and have a feeling it would be a TD unbalanced with a 10000. I have a Livefibre 8kg spin that is @7’6” which is a nice general purpose rod with an old Penn Spinfisher 850SS. I have same rod as Neil - it casts miles with a saragosa 14000. My recent experience is that a modern quality carbon rod will cast really well but they are so thin compared to the rods like a Livefibre that the bigger reels sit funny on them.

Venom stickbait with a Saragossa 14000? They cast really nice. I am super impressed with the drag - I have a 6000 and 14000. Landed a 10kg mackerel on the 6000 on a Ocea Offshore 7 footer and it didnt have a problem.

Next year….maybe, mate was talking about Melville Island or one of the Barra camps for something different. We will see…plenty of time to think about it I guess. The red was in @ 45m…..holding on a small pinnacle in the 50m zone.

Charter Trip - Swains Reef on Big Cat Reality. Gear Taken: My primary rod was a Shimano Ocea Offshore 732 spin with Saragossa 6000 with 50lb Nomad Braid. Secondary spin rod - Live Fibre 8-10kg spin with trusty old Penn Spinfisher 8500 with 20lb mono. Trolling and heavy bottom - Live Fibre 15-24kg Overhead with TLD20, 50lb Daiwa J Braid Jig Rod - Oceans Legacy Elementus PE2-3 with Ocea Jigger and Shimano Ocea PE4 Stickbait Rod, Venom Stickbait with Saragossa 14000 Shimano PE6 I had trolling lures, plastics, vibes, stickbaits, lighter poppers and the usual terminal tackle including @ 75 7/0 Gamakatsu circles. My past charters on Swains were all bait fishing but the crew going were a mix of bait and sports fishing including my two mates who were all keen to mix it up - hence the variety of rods and reels taken. Day 0, arrive at Burnett Heads and caught up with the group - 21 and we all were connected in some form so vessel was ours. Quick lunch and a few sherberts at the Burnett Heads Lighthouse Hotel and we were on board for the 3pm briefing. The ocean looked perfect and the crew were super excited with good weather predicted with nothing more than 15 knots expected. Big Cat (MV Coral Seatel) has a bit of age on her but the interior has had a full recent refit so its nice and clean and modern. Tenders were the plastic 4.2m tiller steer dinghies fitted with Garmin 7” GPS/Sounders and 60HP Yammies. I will share more about the boats later. 7 tenders and 21 fishers meant 3 to a tender and none left on mothership. Departed @ 6.30pm after dinner on board. Most of us had been up since early to get to the boat and after the usual banter it was time for the bunks. Now at 195cm I am taller than most but they had enough bunks that long for us tall guys, sadly they were all on the top which was less than fun for my aging late 50’s body, but by the end of the trip I had a technique sorted. Day 1. Arrive at Lady Elliot Reefs and tenders all unloaded. Sadly all of the weather predictions were off by miles, overcast and blowing a solid 15+ knots. But out we went. We boated a few nice red throat and a trout but it was a tough fish, we couldn’t fish light due to the wind causing way too fast a drift over shallow grounds. A few disappointed boats with some guys recording zero legal fish. There is a learning curve for shallow reef fishing. Day 1 finished with tenders reloaded and an overnight journey to Swains. And it was rough. I either reacted to the pork curry for dinner or got seasick but I wasn’t the only one. A sleepless night with the old girl working her way through rough seas. Day 2 Day 2 and we were anchored at Sweetlip Reef and another windy day - just a tad worse than Day 1….15-20 with gusts over 25knots. Ohh and showers. I was so happy I had bought a new Burke marine 3/4 jacket but regretted not buying the big and brace pants. It was cold, rough and those plastic tenders were WET WET WET boats. Hard work trying to find fish generally but the crew worked hard and saw a mixed bag of sweetlip, trout, cobia and a Spaniard. Personal tally was lean, and getting the right weight to fish the bottom meant lots of practice tying SC knots with new leader on the braid. What our boat experienced was not much quantity but good quality. Day 3 Day 3 was again at Sweetlip - lots of discussion about moving on early. Weather remained foul…shower and strong winds. The tenders may be wet but even heading out to entrance of the reef with swells way over 1.5 m and we felt safe - just bloody wet. Everyone was starting to find the tempo….it was still hard fishing but it was about finding the zone fish were holding in then setting a decent drift pattern over the ground. We were averaging 1 keeper every 2 or 3 drifts so it was hard work. Early on I got a decent bonito on a squid head….thought I had a nice eater - but instead got some nice bait. Overall a decent mixed bag of job fish, mackerel, red throat and trout.but not really the quantity that people were expecting. Day 3 debrief and it was decided we would relocate towards Gater Reef the next day with the tenders following the mothership. Day 4. Again foul weather, we had lost all expectation of easing weather and had to toughen up and do our best. We trolled down following the mothership with one tender boating a 1m tuna and we got a hookup and drop in the same zone. Big Cat was sounding some ground as she went and found some nice holdings. We continued to troll towards the ground and as we came up out of 30m to 8 metres I got a stonking trout on an Elliot’s Mackeral Mauler of all things. The drifts over the sounding area was great with nice trout and BIG sweetlip right up until the taxman arrived. After getting busted off a heap of times with sharks we anchored for lunch at a nice little reef half way to Gator, just in time to find another charter vessel had gone into Gater….so much for that plan. We stayed at unknown reef for the remainder of the day. Drifting off the reef edge was productive but not exactly a crazy bite, right up until the taxman moved in again. Time for Guinness on the back deck. Day 5. Windy windy windy. A brisk 20-25 greeted us on deck. Day 5 and we worked around the reef and then followed Big Cat into deeper water and it was rough and big seas - one boat got a nice Red Emperor and a couple of jobbies but then the taxman moved it and most of us had just gathered more bruises to bodies and ego’s. Tough fishing but we got a decent tally considering the weather forcing everyone to fish much heavier than anyone would like in these reefs. Day 5 finished with tenders loaded up for an overnight transit to Fitzroy Reef. A fairly rough night but no issues for most as far as I could see. Day 6 Fitzroy reef. Maybe the best weather day with the winds dropping through the morning down to 10-15 knots. Yep that was a good day. We worked outside the reef on the western side and I boated a couple of decent sweetlip @ 50cm. Big cat went and sounded some deeper water in the 50m zone that showed fish. We all went over but with the wind and seas it was hard to get down into the zone. We retreated back to the northern reef edge after the taxman moved in again. AS we did the weather eased and with the tide going out we were getting some relief from swell and wind causing the crazy chop of the morning. We ended up doing a saw tooth drift from reef edge out to the 28m line which was producing hussar, iodine bream and juvenile sweetlip with the odd keeper red throat. It was pleasant and relaxing after the previous days of getting a solid bashing out in the tenders. After lunch we continued the same pattern just enjoying being out there with mates with a couple of after lunch beers. And then I finally got what I was after - a nice job fish in the 20m zone and next drift a solid 8kg shark mackerel. Then got badly taxed on a huge red throat landing a nice head and then mate had the same on a cracker parrot. Then we all got hook ups on sharks and with 4pm on us it was time to call it done. Our charter tally was only 280 fish but with a few big fish in amongst them we all brought home enough fish to get us through a few months. Fish prep by Big Cat is first rate, nicely filleted and cyrovacced before snap freezing. As we all know the weather is one of those things you cannot control. Did it affect our catch - for sure. Did it affect what we hoped to do with sports fishing - absolutely. The combination of wind and waves killed any hope of casting stickbaits across shallow water. Could Big Cat have changed that - nope. I was certainly disappointed to not get to do some more general sportsfishing but there are always other opportunities. I fished heavily with the Ocea spin rod, it outfished the others in our tender significantly, it was a much lighter rod than most were using and IMHO the action converted more bites to hook ups. Sadly the main shaft on my Saragossa 6000 was bent after mate and I both went arse up trying to get the anchor off the reef. I was able to push it back to workable but it will need replacing. The 6000 was IMHO perfect, it had more than enough drag and line capacity. It balanced so nicely on the Ocea 732 and although I had it loaded up like a banana on the big Mack I never felt like it didnt have the guts needed to acquit itself. My rig dropped from 60lb leader to 40lb leader which helped reduce the number of SC knots I was tying. Most guys were running 50-80lb leader. The Nomad Panderra 40lb was nice and supple and fairly resilient to the coral. I didnt keep a tally on fish, but was happy enough with my daily catch. I was more than happy to get my first trout on a lure and a nice job fish which was my first. We had a great crew on Big Cat with the guys and the team from Reality. Seb (skipper), Frankie (#1 deck hand and as it turns out was a deckie on Grey Scout out of Gladstone back in the early 2000’s which was my last Swains charters) , Freddy (the chef), Barry (also a chef but working as deckie) and Kealan were all great guys to have around and shared a lot of laughs. I will try and edit with some pics when I work out how to upload them on the ipad from One Drive.

Van/Camping or hotel? Its been a long time since I was up there - we always stayed in the van park as you head north towards the airport. We stayed at one - for a night first time - it was sort of the middle of the town and it was hot - no breeze and had more big scotch greys than we could bear…..most hit you back when you slapped them. I think the names of them have changed - we used to stay at the Sea Breeze I think. Best hotel in town and location wise is the Sovereign. Good feed at RSL and Bowls club….. Mate is going up in July to build a airbnb on his block up near Grassy Hill, so next year I will have a better place to recommend. He is taking up one of his tinnies to leave as well - so perfect for my next visit.