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After some negotiation with the owner of Gobblers Lures, my wife and I have purchased the small business. We will be taking it over in early July and manufacturing from home. (Just in time for me to make a few lures for the Kimberly trip coming up in end of July). It will take a few months to find our feet and then hopefully we can start making some small changes to improve the Gobbler experience. Predominantly my Julie will be manufacturing the lures while I be doing marketing, development etc. I'm sure there will a special for AFO members when we are sorted. This is why I have been quite on the forum for a little while.

For a long time now I have been wanting to build my own deep drop electric fishing reel as I am sick and tired of rebuilding the standard off the shelf electric reels. A few months ago I decided to just get in and do it and so far I am very happy with the results. There is no roller bearings in this reel as they always seem to rust and seize up and there is no drag washers to burn out or go lumpy. The drag system is electronic and should just about last forever. Each part of the reel is modular and runs its own circuitry so in the event of a failure, I can quickly change out any damaged parts, even when out on the boat. All I need to finish now is the mounting frame to fit it in the boat, get the switch panel face plate made and spool it up with 1000m x 400lb braid. So far nearly everything has been drawn to CAD so I can make some more once this one has been fully tested to its limits. If all goes well, I am hoping to take it out to the deep water in about 2-3 weeks time and give it a hard flogging before I make a second one.

Hey All, Looking to put together a combo I can use for stickbaits and poppers on the reefs just off Yeppoon. We do an annual trip there for 2 weeks a year, but I also want to be able to use the rod through the year for various applications around Moreton. Thinking a Demon Blood V2 792 XH and pairing it with a Saltiga 15 5000H. This would give me a rod I could throw medium to large stick baits on and still fish for Tuna, Mackies and Snapper on (maybe a bit heavy but could do it). The reel would be light enough (though still powerful) to use around Moreton but is it too light for Yeppoon (do I need to go to the Expedition 6500?) Most GT's you might hit up that way are 10-15kgs so while I recognize I might be light for a 20-30kg pelagic I am not overly concerned about that. Guess what I am asking is for some confirmation this combo will cover both my needs or any feedback on why it won't and what you might recommend instead

I emailed Jarvis Waker this question, person answered but was not able to provide an adequate answer. Does anyone have an empty 12, 15, 25 Lb spool of Jarvis Walker Bulk line as sold by BigW and can tell me what the empty dispenser weight is in grams measured on digital kitchen scales to gram resolution? Reason I ask is so I can calculate line used/remaining before trying to fill empty reel spools to know if enough remains. I will also be able to calculate the amount of line on each reel. I have recorded the original full dispenser weight of the line so this can be calculated.

As some may be aware I have been a Gobblers lure sponsored angler for last few years however, I resigned on Friday. I'll still be a customer of Gobblers Lures and continue to use them because they are a great lure in my book.

Reproduced from latest fishing world. Fish facts: Is barbless best? By Dr Ben Diggles | 8 April 2019 Comments 0 Comments image: http://yaffa-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/fishing/images/dmImage/StandardImage/Injury 3 550.jpg Barbless hooks are safer for both fish and anglers. MOST anglers have heard about barbless hooks in various writings in the fishing press from time to time, but when you ask around its surprising how few anglers have actually had any practical experience using them. For those who are not familiar with what I am talking about, I am referring to the process of manually removing the barb from a fishing hook for a particular purpose. This is done to smaller fine wire hooks by crushing (or crimping) the barb down with pliers, which in todays modern high tensile chemically sharpened hooks usually results in a quick “snap” as the offending appendage is removed. In the past most hook patterns had relatively large “ski jump” barbs which we know in hindsight reduced hook penetration quite a bit. Even as recently as 25 years or so ago, all top anglers knew that part of the art of serious fishing was honing ones ability to develop sufficient dexterity with a file or sharpening stone to sharpen the hook point so that it would meet the time honoured criteria of grabbing onto a fingernail, rather than sliding off (thus being more suited to holding in the hard bony mouth of a large fish). Furthermore, back in the day many insightful anglers went even further, spending extra time to reprofile the barb to reduce its size and/or add cutting edges in order to improve hook penetration. With the hook technology available at the time, such attention to detail could make all the difference when chasing large hard mouthed jumping gamefish such as marlin. Interestingly, when the reduced barb approach was also adapted to other more mundane species, it worked a treat, and many switched on anglers found they could eliminate the barb completely and not experience a drop in catch rates. Today, familiarity with this sort of detail is no longer required due to the modern engineering applied to the almost ubiquitous fine wire chemically sharpened hooks, which also possess much reduced barbs to aid hook penetration. These advances in technology have in turn bred a whole generation of anglers who do not need to regularly sharpen their hooks and therefore who may also be less likely to think deeply about the barb vs barbless subject. Barbless hooks provide obvious improvements for angler safety. If you are fishing in remote locations that may be many hours or even days travel from medical treatment, the decision to make all your hooks barbless should be seriously considered. This can save a lot of trouble, pain and even a lost fishing trip if someone in your group is unfortunate enough to hook themselves up with a barbed hook. Barbless hooks embedded in a finger, hand, arm or leg will come out easily the way they went in, with minimum trauma allowing the angler to continue on without major issue (keep those tetanus jabs up to date though…). However, with almost any sized barb, you are forced to either (a) push the hook through the impaled appendage (so that the barb can be accessed and crushed down or the hook cut off at the gape), or if pushing the hook through is not possible (b) seek medical attention, or (c) utilise a friend to help try to pull the hook out the way it went in (usually achieved using some fishing line tied to the gape of the hook). The latter process risks causing significant damage depending on the size of the barb involved and the skill of your friend. Of course, there are other reasons why barbless hooks are worth consideration. They are better for fish. There are several scenarios (breakoffs and biteoffs being the main ones, deep hooking while using bait is another) which may see you leaving a hook in a fish. Recent studies of lure shedding in various fish species (including northern pike in Europe) have found that fish shed the vast majority of lures over the first 2 days, and nearly all lures within 2 weeks of a breakoff, but that lures with barbless hooks are shed much faster, maximising survival rates. We all know that all undersized fish must be returned to the water as soon as possible, and research has consistently found that if you can’t quickly get the hook out, survival of released fish is much higher when the line is cut close to the hook rather than damaging the fish and increasing its air exposure time by conducting surgery on it. Hooks are cheap and should be considered as disposable items in such circumstances. Studies conducted in the Caribbean on bonefish, in the USA on bluegill and by NSW Fisheries on yellowfin bream have found that around 50% of ingested hooks are usually shed within 2 weeks, and over 70% by 6 weeks. In all cases, if a released fish can shed an ingested hook, their survival chances are higher, and in all of these studies, ingested barbless hooks were dislodged much more often and much faster than barbed designs, leading to improved survival rates. It seems at least some of this is due to the fact that barbless hooks corroded up to 9 times faster than unmodified hooks (due to the loss of the barb), however other factors that influence hook corrosion rates inside fish included the hook material (i.e. wire material, diameter, and coating), the position of the hook in the digestive system, and whether the fish was in freshwater or saltwater. Such information suggests that if you are leaving hooks in fish, avoid stainless hook varieties as these will not corrode, and will tend to stay in place for longer. So for these various reasons barbless hooks are the default situation for me. Barbless is better for me, and better for the fish. I make it a general rule of removing the barbs from every hook I use, especially when fishing catch and release, and I leave the barbs on only if there is a specific need for it - which usually involves jumping pelagic fish like marlin, or specifically targeting fish which I will kill anyway for a feed. So barbless is best for me. What about you ? Read more at http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/fish-facts-is-barbless-best?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter+-+8419&utm_content=Newsletter+-+8419+CID_6f6e21d1264792db5647b3ecd843b4a9&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=barbless+hooks#8GGpSSGSlU3AP3cU.99

Hi guys i would like to know where a good place in brisbane to fish is.

Hi, I am new here. Are there anyone have any information on this Daiwa Phantom Surf Rod? So far I only manage to gather this information. Is this rod available in Australia? Thank you. SIZE 450-SD 15 Feet SIZE 480-SD 16 Feet X45 BRAIDING X HVF – HIGH VOLUME FIBER GRAPHITE BLANK FUJI O-RING GUIDE FUJI REEL SEAT SHRINK RUBBER BLANK PROTECTION PREVENTS SCRATCHING AND WEAR RING 7 CAST WT 150 – 250 g LINE 20 – 50 LB MADE IN VIETNAM

Hi I have read around a bit on this and another forum looking for a rod and reel combo for fishing on holidays. It will mostly be used in East Gippsland around Paynesville area for land based fishing of Flathead and Bream. Kids would like to do a little fishing on our summer holidays, I thought why not get something so I can join in as well. I haven't had a chance to fish since I was a kid. May also have the use of a kayak for fishing as well. My ideal rod would be 7ft /2.13m 2-5kg travel rod paired with 2500 reel as a decent allrounder. I would prefer a travel rod as driving to holiday destinations with a wife and two kids in a 2 door hatchback doesn't leave a lot of room, also means I can pack the rod and reel when visiting the grandparents in Tassie when we fly. My choices have also been limited by looking for something that is tough and can take some abuse. In all likely hood a pure graphite rod is going to get too many bumps and fail pretty quickly when trying to fish with two youngish children. Ugly Stik Rods seem to have a reputation of surviving some rougher treatment. I am a realistic parent as I'm sure the fishing rod will be used as a light sabre as soon as my back is turned . As with all things in life it will be a compromise solution, otherwise I would just buy a Shimano Raider Travel Rod or a Pfluger Transcendent travel rod. With the Ugly Stik been a bit tougher I may be able to get away with a two piece rod and manage to squeeze this into the roof pod on top of the car. When the kids get older and a bit more responsible then I can look to upgrade the gear if we all still enjoy fishing together. I'm looking at the following: SHAKESPEARE UGLY STIK GOLD Travel Rod 6'6''/195cm, 3-6kg line weight, 4 piece Action : Light/Medium - price around AUD $100 SHAKESPEARE UGLY STIK GOLD Spin Rod 7'0' / 210cm , 2-4kg line weight, 2 piece Action : Light - price around AUD $80 Could either of these rods be used with soft plastics or will these be just bait only rods? Would these be usable for my intended use of land based fishing with maybe some kayak fishing as well. ? If anyone has used either of these and has some feedback on them in use it would be fantastic. Thank You all for helping a novice out in advance. Regards The Spook.

Hi, Is there any different between the OLD Sensor Surf IZM comparing the the NEW Sensor Surf (2018)? The only thing i can see different is the shrink tube different pattern. Thanks.

Hi just enquiring if anyone has upgraded the handle knob on there stradic c14, (3000, 4000) just wanting to know what is a direct replacement and where to get them from thanks.

I’m looking for Rhino Stik’s!! I know they don’t make them anymore, but maybe someone has a few just sitting there!! Will pay 3 times what there worth!!!

Hi everyone, Just asking for some help on picking out some lure (hard/soft) for flathead or bream. I'm fishing around the canals.

Hey guys, Please bear with me because this might be a long post. Essentially, I’ve been going fishing for bream about 8 weeks in a row at the hawkesbury river. On the boat, my old man will fish with a hand-reel (Cheap one you can buy from the local store), some cheap line and will still catch some very good, legal sized bream. Meanwhile, me and my brother have spent about $280 on a new rod and reel and much more if you include the braid and such…Yet we can’t catch anything unless we use a hand reel as well. I don’t get it. Clearly, we’re doing something very wrong. Below I’ll outline the things I use and how I go about it. Just a few things, I mainly use the rod with bait fishing. I only recently started using soft plastics and I realize the reason I probably don’t catch on soft plastics is because I haven’t really mastered the learning curve yet and that it will take a while, nonetheless I will also tell you my soft plastic hookup. Rod – Shimano Raider Bream, 7ft2 Reel – Diawa BG 2500 Line – J-Braid grand 6lb Leader – We use about 40cm of Sunline FC Rock (4lb) Needles – Mustad Big Red Suicide Hook 2/0 Sinker – Just a small running sinker (You can recommend a Size, I’m not too sure about our one), think it’s size 1 Bait – I stick to mainly chicken breast but have used prawns. Essentially we do the braid, put a running sinker, swivel and then 40cm of leader then the needle. When we do soft plastics, we tie the leader straight onto the braid using an alberto knot and use Soft plastics – Zman GrubZ at 2.5” (Recommended all over the internet for bream so we got these). The boat is generally anchored close to the shore and we try to cast closer to the rocks however we’ve tried casting just about everywhere, we rarely get any bites. Regardless, I highly doubt it’s positioning as the old man doesn’t seem to have a problem and just laughs at us and tells us to change to a hand-reel.

I'm just starting to get back into some fishing after a number of years. Years ago I always made up rigs to suit as needed and tied and snood all my hooks and was able to do this in the dark. I still make up my own rigs but because of these old eyes it's becoming more difficult so my preference now is to make up my rigs beforehand and use snap swivels to connect to make it easier. I never used any type of snap connectors back in the earlier days but nowadays I just want to arrive at the destination and decide on the rig I want to attach. I don't want to tie knots in the field if I can avoid it. I want the ability to pass a No 12 (or 14) swivel tied to the end of the line of the reel. Connect reel to rod and feed it up through the guides. The top tip guide is large enough to pass the swivel through ok but not the snap part. So I guess I would need to have a snap on each rig itself which is ok I think. The other issue is attaching a running sinker that runs down to the swivel. I want the ability to connect various weights of pyramid or star sinkers but have some arrangement where this can be attached using a clip after it's all been threaded through the rod guides (and removed at end of fishing). I have seen plastic guides where these can be attached to the line and have a clip to attach your sinker of choices but seems this has to be done before tying the swivel on but I did see one brand where the plastic runner has a slot and clips onto the line but I think most don't have this feature? So basically I want a running sinker coming down to a swivel which is then attached to a hook of my choosing. My hooks will be tied using say 300-400mm of line to a split ring. As I've not done a lot of fishing in recent years I've not kept up with the latest fishing methods and tricks. Hopefully I have described what I want to do well enough and see if any of you guys can suggest anything that might suit.

Hi all When I travel with my rods, I've usually got a lure or jig head on and of course they snag everything on my vehicle, plus if I carry them on a boat the same problem. Is there anything locally you can get that wraps or snaps around them to prevent this problem when travelling. Cheers john

Hi all, back in Oz after 12 years away from fishing .. now I've been looking at these bait release systems to aid casting. I've actually bought several packets of Gemini genie rig systems and they are a fantastic little device .. but .. they are very limited on hook size. So to that end, I'm trying to look at other devices that are available. There are a number of sinkers on the market but they are advertised in the UK .. does anybody know of a supplier here in WA that sells them? I've also looked at the "imp2" but according to several forums/complaints, they cannot handle anything beyond 5oz sinker ... so i'm open to suggestions .. what's good, where to get them ..

Hi, Found some OLD lubrication in my garage, I think is from the 90's. The lube seem still fine, not freeze up or turn color. Anyone have any idea where this lube is from and can still be use in today reels? Attach here some photos of the lube, price tag still attach but can't see the price anymore lol........

looking for old clapped out daiwa saltist lw50ha over head for parts. contacted daiwa and have been told parts I need they do not have. any help would be great. gold coast qld area . marcopollo

Thinking of selling some of my rods, looking for expression of Interest 1 x Black Queen 2 x Bonnie Doon 1 x Mansfield Will add photos on request, in good condition, will need minor work, eg black queen needs 2nd from top runner replaced, others need runner binding taken off and rewound, mostly minor items.

Hi, I am asking about the Spinfisher VI 7500 (15.8kg) & Long Cast 7500 (11.3kg). Why both reel have different max drag? Both are same size from Spinfisher VI family, is there a wrong print specification? For surf fishing, is Spinfisher VI better or Slammer III? Thank you for all inputs.

Hey all, Recently I've been finding a bit of time to get back into fishing and after really getting the bug back I would like to get a nice new rod and reel. I'm interested in fishing off the beach and rocks around SE Tas. Mostly Tasman Peninsular with the occasional trip up the East Coast. I was thinking of getting an Alvey direct wind reel and a 12 or 13" rod with some mono line but now I'm wondering would this be overkill for the area? Any thoughts on whether I'd be better aiming for something lighter or more of an all rounder? Would mostly be using bait and silver lures. Budget would be up to say $300 for something nice and good quality. Appreciate any feedback. Cheers!

Hey guys, Just wondering if anyone has ever used or caught anything with something like this? Tempted to get one but Ye idk:/ https://www.fishbeachsurf.com/products/fishing-slingshot Any input much appreciated Cheers

Happy weekend everyone Trying to minimize the amount of gear I have as it’s just getting to the point of being overly cluttered. So instead of throwing out some gear, I figured I’d give it away for free. There must be a youngster out there or someone knows of a young fisher that would appreciate some gear. It’s not much, and not the greatest quality but I’d rather see it goes to use rather than go to waste. The lures need new trebles ive got a tackle box, a few small hard bodies and a few blades, rod, small overhead combo and a well used brag mat.

Hi guys , Am interested to hear , if anyone here , has or still uses old fishing rods , the solid fibreglass type , and old side cast reels ,? There my favourite type of fishing rods , and the sort I grew up with and used on the Edward river , love to see what everyone has in the vintage type rods , or am I the only one who still thinks there great ,