big Neil

Sorry to hear that you're struggling a bit Frank, but great to see that you are still keen to pass on some of your hard earned expertise to some newbies. This is probably the first time that the heat and humidity has got to me. I'll be glad when the cooler weather arrives and I will feel more like fishing again. Keep in touch mate. bn

YKS.....................understand? You seem to do alright Dave without the knowledge. bn

So, apart from the flash flooding and the strong winds affecting the opportunities for you city dwellers to wet a line, has anybody noticed how quiet the site has been recently? I, of course, have a totally different reason for not going fishing. It's too flaming hot. I can't afford to get any more heat affected. Been drinking so much water the river has dropped another foot this week. Anyway, I thought I'd pass on my observation... anybody been doing anything interesting during the fishing doldrums? Here's a question for somebody to answer. Why do we need to have the change to PE for rods and line? Wasn't it easy enough for us to understand either lbs breaking strain or 4-8kg one piece rod? Where did this come from and why was it necessary...or was it? bn

Well what a great post Henry. The fact that Derek knows his stuff and can teach it effectively is emphasised in your report. You have listened, learned, and put it into practice... and a great result. I hope that you manage to get out fishing more often and you can learn even more technique as you go. The journey of the angler is never finished, there is always something else to learn, to practice and to perfect. Good luck, I will look forward to reading about your adventures. bn

Solid specimen jaybez. Bet your mate was stoked with that. bn

Obviously your tackle needs to be in good shape cos these fish are strong and smart. If there's structure around they will try to use it to their advantage. They seem to react to what you do, so moderate control for a longer period is usually best. They possess stamina and often take a while to tire out. In summary, I would say "take your time". Don't be too discouraged if you hook and lose a few, everybody does. Make sure your line is sound and the reel drag is set where you want it. Good luck, bn

Have fun Zoran while the rest of us bake in the midday sun. Looking forward to your reports when you get back on the water. bn

There's a lot of positives in your report Donna. The excellent outcome of the diligent work Stewy put in to setting up the outfit so that you could get out there and live the dream. I trust you will have many, many future trips and lots of great times down the track. The lovely places you are getting to visit and relax in comfort, no doubt some lovely people who you are meeting too. Alas, the one thing missing is the decent fishing. Your searches through local forums, seeking a bit of camaraderie/local info have been unsuccessful. Look forward to your posts as you continue your travels. bn

Thanks for your post jaybez. As an avid reader of posts on Fishraider and other sites I had noticed the same thing and can substantiate the same experiences in Freshwater fishing. I have no concrete reasons for this phenomenon either, but it is definitely the case. There is enough expertise on this site to contribute to solid opinions on the findings that your DPI contact has established although a definitive answer may not be achievable. Thanks for sharing the information. bn

Very well done Tarik, great result. I have never fished for Mahi Mahi but I had some for dinner recently (courtesy of Hoods) and it was fantastic to eat. Looks like your freezer is going to be well stocked for some time. Hope you consider putting more of your posts on here for us all to enjoy. Cheers, bn

Fishing is often a bit of a gamble... trading off the number of bites to the number of fish caught and the amount of gear lost. It can be great fun (and rewarding) to land something exceptional on light gear. One of the benefits of fishing is the challenges we set ourselves to get a fish landed. Looking forward to seeing how your experiences end up. Cheers, bn

Well done Aussiefisherman. One of my favourite types of fishing is chasing Bass with all manner of lures, though any topwater action is definitely my stand-out favourite. Good report, bn

Well done Robbo. It's easy to do the wrong thing with these powerful fish and come unstuck. I know from experience. Well done for dealing with it in text book fashion and reaping the reward. Probably won't be long before you get a legal one. Cheers, bn

Pretty good haul there. Would be a great feeling for your son to christen a rod that he made himself, good on him. bn

How's the fishing down there? bn

Top stuff Donna and Stewy, You might as well lease the house now cos you won't be spending much time there. I love seeing people getting their immediate future sorted after working a lifetime to be able to do it. Good onya. I would like to wish you both all the best for your future travels, you deserve it. bn

Great to catch up Andrew and Ben. The Mahi Mahi was absolutely brilliant for tonights dinner. Only you and Blackfish got one of the official mugs. Keep in touch mate, bn

Nice sized Flattie, good of it to cooperate with the catching process (LOL). Are the high-rise buildings in the background in Parramatta? bn

Looks like a reasonable amount for a feed Dave, though not up to your usual standard. Never eaten Blue Swimmers, is there much meat in them? bn

Great to have a bit of fishing faith restored Hilly. We get used to disappointment when chasing Cod as they are not always cooperative. Doesn't take much to please us river nuts, a decent fish, or even a good one that got away. Keep up the good work and I'll enjoy reading the reports. Tight lines, bn

Sure does work Bob. It swims very well, easy to cast, and doesn't get snagged up as much as the lures with 2 trebles. Oddly the silver and black one outfished the orange striped and yellow striped models. Will have to get some more next time I head your way. Hope you're over your cold/flu. bn

You certainly live in a beautiful area Gordon and the people are typical Country folk. Friendly, easy going, and not rushing around any more than necessary. Living the life eh? bn

Thanks Frank. Trombones last year, Sunset Strip this year, no idea what it is next year??? bn

So after the couple of days fishing with Blackfish in the Hastings River I travelled South to Taree and caught up with Hoods. Conditions continued to be very poor, but we went out for the day on the Manning River. Hoods son (Ben) joined us and we tried numerous spots in the river. Very windy and a big tide meant it was going to be tough, but we managed to get a few fish aboard and a couple of nice Flathead joined me for the trip home the next day. Andrew was good enough to give me some Mahi Mahi which he had cryo vacced in the freezer. Intermission was spent at the Coopernook Hotel where we took respite with some quiet ales and a nice pub lunch. It was really nice seeing Hoods again and luckily he was able to take a bit of time off from his busy work schedule. We had a good chat with some of his friends at day's end and a couple of cold ones. Many thanks to you and Ben for taking me out on the river. The next day I left and spent the night at my daughter's place in Orange. She had been in Sydney all day but we managed to head out for a meal. A 4 hour drive home the next morning and the MNC trip was done and dusted. The COW performed well and averaged around 8.5l/100km. Cheers, bn

Many thanks for your hospitality, Gordon. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up after so many years. Though the fishing was tough we gave it a shot and didn't end up fishless. It was really good to get away from the mundaneness of day-to-day routine here in the Riverina. With Pennant Bowls starting next week it was always going to be a bit of pot luck weatherwise, squeezing the trip in. Hope you put the FeralCatt lure to the test when you get the chance...strange design, but they definitely work ok. Cheers, bn