myocard

That's the attitude!

How many years would this take?

I just push mine off the trailer onto flat grass. Doesn't hurt the boat, just leaves some minor damage on the lawn. Definitely wind it back on with the trailer detached from the car and definitely do it with the help of a mate. Much safer.

Don't feel too bad bream111. I had a go at servicing a shimano reel as well. I started to follow slinkys post, but I decided not to place everything carefully to one side and instead of fancy tools I did everything with pliers. I also decided to open the clutch assembly despite advice to the contrary. Apart from those issues, and the idea of using a clean workspace, I followed the advice to the letter. Here is how far I got I also used a plastic container to store the parts in. Although the container I chose was much bigger than an ice cream container

If you look after the squid well you can either eat it or freeze it and use it next time. Freeze them in zip lock bags. Don't wash or clean them in fresh water. There is nothing wrong with using dead bait for jews. People will tell you jews prefer dead baits anyway & butterfly yakkas rather than live baiting. I never keep yakkas or tailor. Prefer to use them fresh.

Same story in the Hawkesbury. Plenty of yakka's, nothing went for them. 1 flathead and two blue swimmers was the result of many hours fishing. Six traps, 2 crabs in one, none in any of the others. All in the same vicinity.

Well I have a couple of options. I can risk it and not pay. I can park on the street and risk it again. Or I can pay, even though I think it is a bad deal. So I choose the third option. Occasionally. What I also do is choose elsewhere most times I go out. Avoiding the place permanently is not a bad idea though. As I mentioned - local business will suffer. But who cares - as long as the carpark is empty it is a job well done.

$20 in parking fees to go fishing is a ripoff. The Council collects enough in rates to cover these sorts of basic facilities. Fining you $88.00 because you avoided the parking fees is petty & unnecessary. The general idea of parking meters was to ensure turnover in high traffic areas. (eg) main streets. This was for the benefit of businesses - customers need to be able to park, shop and then be encouraged to move on. Time restrictions and meters worked well for this. There is no need to encourage parking turnover at a boat ramp. I go down there during the week - still have to pay, even though the carpark is basically empty. I don't go there often and these charges are the main reason for that. If that is the aim of Pittwater Council then it is probably working. Does nothing for local businesses who might sell ice/food/fuel/beer if the council is providing disincentives like this.

I have some neighbours who like to fish. These two seem to adhere to size limits, but there is no limit on species. The ugliest reef fish you've ever seen make it into their esky. Np species is off limits, despite some very painful looking injuries that have been sustained from being spiked. I've seen some great bream and flathead in their catches as well. All with the worst looking bait I've seen - those cheap black prawns from the asian fish shops. We've spoken about foreign bait, size limits, species to throw back etc. What more can you do than offer decent advice?

A transom mount electric motor would do the job.

Return them if they have eggs. This is very noticeable & very easy to check. Conscience does not come into it - if they are not full of eggs you can keep them. Just comply with the size & bag limits.

Hinton?

A bloke was killed in Sylvania in 2007 for watering his lawn. The papers labelled it a water-rage attack. There are some nutcases out there. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/its-unbelievable/2007/10/31/1193618975569.html

The fish at Berowra are breathing a sigh of relief. Glad you left some for the rest of us.

Does anyone know about third party property damage insurance for boats? Your tinny may not be worth insuring, but you can still be liable for damage to other expensive craft and people.

I pack my old bearings in grease and then put them in a zip lock bag. Will be useful for me, or someone else on the side of the road one day. I can only imagine the relief if someone pulled up next to a bloke with a failed bearing and handed him a greased set to get him home.....

That Berowra haul is impressive & frustrating. Tried there on Monday, run in tide, for nothing. Hardly lost a bait - not even the usual rays or catfish would take a prawn or squid. Berleyed hard with bread & pilchards & prawns. Tried Sp's,HB's, even trolled a deep diving lure. The water was weird - not running as you'd expect and there was a lot of floating debris from Calabash Bay to Berowra Point. Glad you caught some. Anything at all would've done us.

Yes. Particularly public wharves & pontoons etc next to boat ramps. I was thinking more from a fishing perspective than this sort of thing. Add to that people who fish across a boat ramp - see this all too often at Berowra.

Does anyone really believe that people on wharves with hand held lines of any description are an issue?

Why are outboard prices so hard to come by? There are no retail prices online, it is always a case of "ask the dealer".

The rules of the government/bureaucrats of the day aren't the "rules of fishing".

And don't worry about it. It is one rock cale. When you see something you are not sure about cut it loose for your own safety. A lot of fish can sting you very badly. Better to be safe. Cut the line.

Can always count on them going for the low hanging fruit.

I am not keen on circle hooks. Whether using them with baits or lures I get less hook-ups. That's without striking. Mustad & Gamakatsu hooks work & last well. Those carbon blackmagic hooks are very sharp, but expensive and disposable.

Good luck for a speedy recovery. Great to hear things are going well. Very clever getting this done in the off season. cheers.