big Neil

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

A very well-constructed account of your day with Derek and your first Bream on topwater. I will look forward to reading your posts and seeing your progress develop, down the track. Tight lines, bn

Great posts James and gang...top video too. That location with the messages on the stones (where you got the big Flathead), I failed to land 2 MJs. Yet to land one though I have been dusted 4 times in total. They certainly are mean critters and you did very well to land that one on light line. Very well done James and gang. bn

Super photo quality in your post. Thank you. bn

Good onya Bob for managing to get on the water and catch a few fish too. Hope you recover from your cold symptoms quickly. I'm back home now after a somewhat chaotic week on the MNC. I'll let you know if I get a chance to come to Sydney. Good luck with the dog trials. Cheers, bn

It seems to me that you have researched your fish species well and know what you are doing, as evidenced by your pictures. Always remember that the session where you catch nothing is a session to learn from, BUT there is never a guarantee that the fish will be biting all the time. Good luck with your fishing and keep taking those quality pictures. bn

You're certainly getting around Albert. Offshore, Cod and Yellas, harbour sessions. You are keen, that's for sure. bn

Jewies are beautiful beautiful looking fish Bob. Good session with the buddies, well done. bn

Mention of the Stumpjumper lures reminded me to comment on their underestimated capabilities. Many years ago they were the gun lure for Cod and Yellas, great for trawling behind the boat or casting. Fast forward to the present and they have become outdated in many anglers' eyes. So many replacement lures, and the hype that goes with them, have seen the humble Stumpjumper relegated to the lower end of the table of preferred lures. I like to keep things in the memory bank though and, complete with their choice of bibs, rate them highly. They have a 70-degree gait when swimming and a well-defined side-to-side plane. Still well worth keeping a few different sizes in the tackle box. Cheers, bn

I enjoyed reading your report Birdy. You appear to be very passionate about fishing and methodical about doing it. You also seem to be persistent and have been rewarded for your efforts. It's quite interesting for an old fart to read the journey of somebody young and keen to try everything. Enjoy the journey mate, it will be a good one. Oh, and keep us all entertained with your posts. bn

Great report Steve. I liked the way you think the issues through and arrive at a solution that works. Great result. Q: How is the water flow in the Peel River? Running very fast here. Cheers, bn