Anti-Carp

Here are the options I'd look at: 1) Drop down to 2lb fireline or stren microfuse (I very much doubt it breaks at 2lb more like 6), but it cast a lot further than 4lb fireline. 2) Fireline Exceed in 4lb. Awesome stuff it hasn't let me down. 3) Sunline Castaway 0.6PE apparently it's a 10lb IGFA line but still very thin and cast well. One thing I'd suggest you stay away is Nanofil, although it cast extremely well overall strength and knot strength has a lot to be desired for.

I have absolutely no faith in the bail arm assembly of the stradic. I use to own a 1000 FI stradic for bream and bass and it didn't last 3 months. The bail arm got clunky and the reel lost all it's smoothness. If it can't handle bream and bass I doubt it'd stand up to the rigors of jigging. For the money (and you'll probably have cash in hand still) get an Okuma V System these reels have an awesome dual force drag system, the bail arm assembly ain't going to let you down and most of all they are one heck of a solid reel. You also get a life time warranty and i've only heard good things about the after product support from Okuma.

Why would you need a baitrunner reel for a reel that size? Even on the lightest baitrunner setting any thing you are most likely to target will feel the weight of the baitrunner drag and drop the bait even if you've got in positioned it in horizontal rod holders and a super soft rod. I reckon you'd have far more success fishing with an open bail arm and letting line out or after you have cast have a rubber band on your rod grip just infront of the spool and tuck line underneath it and pull out a metre or so of the line off the spool fishing the reel with the bail arm in gear. In my opinion baitrunner's have their place but only while fishing live baits.

Unfortunately this is the case on every wharf in Sydney. Sadly it's only a matter of time before all wharves are off limits to us. Perhaps to balance cleanliness with fishing they should take a leaf at what they do in some of the rivers and make the wharves around Sydney Harbour lure fishing only.

Thought provoking and a great post Trapper Tom !! There's a lot of emotivity around large flathead and they ain't exactly rare if you know where to target them. The idea of large flathead being breeders is a myth. When it comes to fertility, it's a bell curve with an optimum age & size. Therefore fish younger or older than the peak will be less fertile. People who advocate the "big breeder" myth need to look @ the facts DNA Decay's and you only have to walk to your local suburban mall and see who are the more fertile. I would dare say it would be better for the flathead fishery overall to release or limit the mid-sized fish in the 45 to 60 cm bracket as they would be closer to this reproductive peak. Generally I release the vast majority of my fish not because I appreciate and respect the fish.

Dioxin's accumulate over time in a fish a fish that's over 45 cms is like to be a very old fish and would probably be swimming the harbour at the same time they were pumping agent orange into the harbour. If you were to read more about what dioxin's do, do a google search of bioaccumulation of dioxins.

A tow point and a couple of good trebles

I'd be more worried about boats and jetski's running you over than sharks. I wouldn't believe every thing you hear about shark attacks, the last fatal shark attack in Sydney happened in 1963 @ Sugarloaf bay. I've only had one encounter with a shark near cabarita. It was only a little one around 4 to 5 foot and i spooked it while it was chasing some mullet on the surface.

Live yakka's have got to be the most overrated bait for jewies to the point where I'd say they are like brussel sprouts to a kid. Yakkas are great fodder for chopppers and salmon but jewies find them too much of a hassle getting down as they can be spikey little buggers. In my opinion garfish are a better option for jewies. I'd rate a fresh squid or a butterflied slimey a quantum leap above both baits though these days I can't be bothered tying on anything else except for a plastic or blades when chasing jewies.

Almost all of my fishing is finesse fishing however I hate 1000 size reels as they don't cast very well. My preference for reels are shallow spooled 2500 sized reels in daiwa we're looking at the 2506 sizes and in shimano it's a 2500S.

Blades and plastics are the best places to start for flatties. One thing you need to keep in mind is to keep the lure in the strike zone by trying to bounce the lures off the bottom. If you're regularly getting your blades in weed your in the right territory but you might want to consider your lure choice. Ideally plastics and blades that have trailing assist hooks like the ecogear zx are ideal as they are a lot more weedless and snag resistant then other blades that are running trebles. Location wise when you're fishing from shore look to fish drop offs and weedbed corners as that's where the fish will be likely to hang out. Hard body wise any lure that hits the bottom or is close to the bottom will do the trick in 2 to 5 feet of water look for lures that look like poddies and shrimp work the best in these kind of depths also in terms of color I find translucent colors work best.

I'd suggest you wait. Shimano are bringing out new model stradic's and sustains soon and the prices of the old model stradic will more than likely drop.

Mate, with that Avatar you gotta agree with me on the MULLET LOL !!

The humble mullet pound for pound they go the hardest.

$2 glow in the dark squid jig or razor backs at night. Usually between the 1.8 and 3 inch sizes, which has had a bit of the lead keel trimmed so it sinks horizontally. During the day I prefer yamashita egi'o's on a drop shot rig.