big Neil

If ever anybody deserved some compliments, Derek, it's you. I have had the pleasure of being 'shown the ropes' by you and want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the capture and the great story of your journey. You are an excellent tutor, not only explaining what to do but why. You give information freely and (no doubt) get some reward in doing this. To me, that's the sign of a genuine person who has a lot to share and is very willing to do so. A trait that is not always evident in today's society. I wish you every ounce of good fortune in your search for the holy trinity and hope to catch up with you again sometime down the track. Cheers buddy, bn

Thanks to everyone for contributing to the debate...much appreciated. I had heard that E10 fuel was not good for outboard motors so have always used unleaded fuel. Cheers, bn

Hi Frank. How u doing mate? Will do, u sending me something? Looking forward to when we can catch up again. Hi to Val, too. Cheers, Neil.

Thanks for your reply noelm. This is the longest that I have ever left the boat (and fuel) unused and I sort of half expected there may be a problem starting it up. The fresh fuel mix started the motor as it normally starts so I am making the presumption that the fuel had deteriorated. I have never used anything in my 2 stroke mix before but heard that some people reckon that the fuel can be prevented from deteriorating in the tank during long periods of no usage. I guess the easiest and most effective solution is to try to keep fresh fuel in the tank. Looks like I'll be keeping the left over fuel for the garden implements, which incidentally. start easily with the older fuel. Cheers, bn

What a great Dad you are Jon. Amazing that he would want to head out offshore when he has seasick woes. Top stuff that you managed to put him onto such a great fish in such a short time. Hope that he remembers the 15th birthday spent with his old man and the "big Kingie" that he caught. TOP STUFF, bn

A golden day on the water and one which you will never forget too. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the post and the pictures cement the reality of a top effort all round. Keep it up, look forward to more of your successes being shared with us. Cheers, bn

Now that's a top effort PP, especially on the light gear. Great description of the event too. Just about sums up why we all love fishing...you just don't know what's gunna happen. Cheers, bn

G'day Raiders. I had the opportunity to wet a line the other day but couldn't get the motor to start no matter how hard I tried. Normally it starts first pull but I haven't been able to use the boat for such a long time. Ended up emptying the fuel out and putting another 5 ltr of fresh petrol/oil in. It started easily then. I'm after info on whether anybody uses additives to maintain their fuel. What do you use and does it do the job? Is this a recommended practice for 2 stroke motors? Look forward to some feedback as it's quite likely to be a while between trips, at least in the foreseeable future. Cheers, bn

Thanks TAZ. I spent a nice few hours on the Bidgee casting lures and spinnerbaits around the stumps. 2 other boats out but nobody got so much as a touch. Had a few issues with the boat but that's for another post. Good luck mate. bn

U might have to hurry TAZ. The season closes for Murray Cod (1st Sept -30th Nov). Just heading to the river (Murrumbidgee) now to see if there's enough water to put the boat in and chuck a few lures around. Have almost forgotten what to do. Good luck, bn

What a pristine environment Jon, captured with skill aplenty. Cheers for sharing with us. bn

What a top result Keith, catching such a variety of fish. Even more spectacular that you still have your Mum at 81 wanting to go fishing with you. What a great relationship you have. Cheers, bn

I, too, thought that BGA was prominent in the warm/hot months. Also aware of the links to chemical runoffs from agriculture. Never a good thing to have in any waterway and very hard to get rid of. It would be wonderful if a cure for MND resulted from any research, that's for sure. Thanks for the report TAZ. bn

A well-constructed set of points that you make Noel. Thank you. bn

This post has caught my attention!. I cannot imagine the economic or social impact that such action would have on the commercial AND recreational fishos that frequent these highly productive (Snapper) areas. We have fished several places and provided good support for SA charters for quite a few years. We have always caught plenty of good Snapper too, many in the 90 cm+ bracket. IF this proposal were enacted, I suspect that recreational anglers would be able to target other species. However, we all know that the same methods used for other species would lead to Snapper being caught too. They would HAVE TO BE RELEASED for the programme to work effectively. Commercial fishing would be a different proposition though. Their activities would have to be locked out entirely as most fish caught using their methods do not survive anyway. I'm sure that any decision made will take ALL factors into consideration... IT CERTAINLY NEEDS TO. bn