ko76

Hey nice muddy but I thought you arent allowed to take any invertebrate from sydney harbour. Maybe someone who knows better could clarify? I thought thats why you never see crab pots or people pumping nippers in sydney harbour or its tributaries but see the hawkesbury get smashed.

I sprayed mine with industrial strength lanolin applied with a normal air power spray gun. The dust sticks to it a bit so doesnt look shiny but its still greasy/sticky 6 months later. Water beads off it.

Some cuttle fish dont have the two long 'attack' tentacles that squid have. This makes them much harder to catch even though they are very aggressive creatures. My guess this was your case as both will come in from the side to attack and just keeping the same speed of retrieve will usually be enough to jag the squid. This is not the case for cuttlies though.... need a lot more patience and have to strike a bit harder I find. Cheers, Ken

Yeah, the ink isnt a problem as long as youve got fresh sea water pumping through, it might take a while but it will clear up in the tank. Also as the ink gets purged out with the excess water it makes a great burley!! Same as the other posts.....Ive never had a yakka attack the squid but I know that a squid will happily eat a yakka. Cheers, Ken

Hi ya Raiders, Was hoping to pick your brains........ I have a Penn Fathom Master downrigger and want to make a swivel base for it. The Penn bases are expensive and hard to get so if any raiders have made a swivel base or have any good ideas Id love to hear them Cheers, Ken

I was out there on Friday also... not sure if I saw you...were you in a blue boat? It was unbelievebly dark. I couldnt see 2m in front with the fog until the sun started rising. Ive caught kings there before but not so prolific like Syd Harbour, and you have to move around to find them. I landed a 50cm tailor but no Kings that day, I guess I should have ventured further up rather than trolling the lower reaches. The water was very muddy and no bird/surface activity. Cheers, Ken

If you cant be bothered making or tracking down the missing bracket.... the two big boating warehouse stores sell transom brackets for sounders, some of which have height adjustments on them should you need to beach your boat. Cheers, Ken

i cant speak for the reel but Ive got the Shimano Squidgy Spin Heavy 702 and its a good rod for the price. Its a tad heavy for getting into lighter estuary fish(bream whiting etc) but it will tackle a good Kingie very well. If you want to flick soft plastics with finesse then it might be a bit to heavy to get a good action out of a small lure but I only use mine with SP stick baits or normal bait fishing and it works great. As for the Fireline.....Im not a fan of gel spun lines in the heavier classes. I think its very wirery compared to traditional braid. I recommend any good quality brand traditional braid. Have a feel of the two types once they're on a reel and youll see the difference. As for reels..... you cant go wrong with just about any daiwa or shimano and you get what you pay for. Cheers, Ken

Hit the water around 5:30 this morning from Brooklyn. Tried for squid in Pittwater but didnt have much luck with a strong westerly blowing over the water. Once the sun came up we had a look at the heads and realised it was quite nice on the protected side of Barrenjoey Spent the day drifting around bottom bashing for a heap of flathead and pinkies, also a few rubbish fish like wrasse and sgt bakers. All up we kept 7 flatties 45 - 55cm and a whopper 45cm+ leather jacket. A nice day on the water once the sun came up and a good feed for tonight. Sorry, no photos this time. Cheers, Ken

Last time I checked you cant take any invertebrate(nippers included) from anywhere in Sydney harbour or attached waterways. Hawkesbury is OK not sure about Hacking or Botany. Cheers, Ken

Acetone is available in all hardware stores and is the same chemical as nail polish remover. Be carefull not to leave it on the rod for too long(ie dont soak it) as it could eat into the paint or fibreglass of the rod. Cheers, Ken

I have mounted my Penn D/Rigger 90deg out to the side for a few reasons; 1) Its just a bit further away from the prop than mounted out the back. 2) If I get a second D/R on the other side it will be even further away from it. No tangled bombs. 3) Side mounted gave me better access to the winder(handy when fighting a fish by yourself) The main downside is that if trolling shallower water the bomb cant be seen on my sounder. Other than that Im happy with the position, although i wouldnt mind one of those swivel brackets $$$$! Cheers, Ken

I usually use my Kingie set up rod as I dont have much boat space. 20lb braid on an 8kg rod for SPs. I know its over kill but I dont get many drops. I use a constant and reasonably fast wind. If I use the lift-wind technique or retrieve too slowly the squid will usually drop off when they pulse. Just my two cents worth!!

I would say another squid for sure. They seem to like the reefy areas just outside north head. Nice catch by the way.

Fee goes to council. NPWS and local rate payers still have to pay!! Again, Bayview is a great ramp. heaps of parking, good solid ramps, but no table of motor flush.