Rob81

I usually set my drag a little lower and then hold the spool when I want it a little tighter. This method allows the fish to run without me snapping my line. Also the main reason why hold the spool and not tighten the drag, is that you can feel when that fish will take that hard run, where if you tighten the drag, by the time you realise and loosen the drag, there is a good chance its too late. Its a good practice to get into.

Although the police are there to find your boat, this isn't something they would drop everything just to do. Help from the community goes a long way and I believe a lot of boats and cars are found with the help of the community. I take that this post is for that very reason.

Use the momentum to perform the lift. Allow fish to run around if you have to just to get the momentum going. Dead lifts is where you'll have the potential to snap the rod. Ideally you would want to bring it up where the distance required would be at the very minimum possible.

The issue has always been the staff to police the cockle collection. I mean the main issue with the cockles was people taking well above their limits and the way I look at it, if they didn't care about about the limits before, they probably wont care now that its dropped. Its only when they get caught they probably will care and hopefully cop a worthy fine or community service.

Depends on the beach Noelm. Have you seen the size of some of the Sting rays in Botany? they were wider than the boat I was in when I saw it. I was shocked, itll easily cover the SUV I drive. Regarding the rays, best bet is to avoid fishing the bottom. The higher up your bait sits, the reduced chances of hooking up to a ray but not 100% guaranteed.

squid light or bait light all the same. I find they attract the tiny fish which then attract either squid or yakkas or pike.

AGPS requires mobile towers to determine your location. GPS will still work and determine your location. However, what you can do with that information would be limited due to no mobile coverage.

Look into Quadlock or Spigens Gearlock. Quadlock has more optional accessories if you choose to just put it on other places besides the boat. These where more marketed towards bike riders but you can use in many other applications, which is where I have. Just use your imagination. You have the option of getting one of their cases to fit your phone make or you can just get the stick on part of the lock for your own personal phone case. But my opinion would be to get theirs, if you have the option for your phone, as it'll be far more secure over a stick on. Direct makers site links as follows: https://www.quadlockcase.com.au/ https://www.spigen.com/collections/gearlock-bike-mount

You should take a look at NS blackhole AMPED II rod range. Roughly similar price and a nice rod to use. When you running gear that light, I don't think length of rod will make too much of a difference, you just need a rod that is able to cast the weight range you want for the line class you're using.

Winnie is famous for being busy during the warmer months. I've only been a couple of times and have been lucky that it was quiet, but I tend to expect the worst due to the warnings.

Prolly change of hook if anything.

These days you can buy these hooks with velcro on them, theyre actually designed as hooks for baby prams. The hooks are pretty large in size that you can put your rod on them. I believe my car still has this on there, but i stopped hanging them these days. On long trips it can get annoying especially on the stop go portion when the rod moves forward and backwards sometimes hitting the front window (depending on rod)

Personally I'd go the 12' rod if I am using baits (or longer if you like). As they will sit in a rod holder and the line angle of a longer rod sticking up allows to avoid more of the breaks. If casting lures then the 9'6 is all you'll need. Worry about the reel after you decided on your line and rod. Its the least important out of the two.

You gotta get lucky these days. Last time I saw them in store was a few Months back and that's cause the store didn't realise they had it in a box out the back. Sold out pretty quickly.

The issue with rods, so there are soo many out there and soo many brands for them. Personally I like the Sensor surf as my beach rod. But have used/tried others which arent too bad as well. I cannot offer a proper recommendation on them as I've used my sensor surf for the last 5-6 years. Prior to that I had a finnor, but forgot the name of the rod itself. I would probably suggest, if you're not in too much of a rush to purchase, is to visit as many tackle stores as possible and get a feel of the rod (and ideally with the reel on, just so you can see how it balances), as everyone will have a different opinion on these things and it all comes down to personal preferences. Alot of ppl dont actually like the sensor surf due to its long butt designed, but I have heard of ppl cutting it shorter (as it was designed so that you can cut it), but this isnt something I've done myself. Also the reason why I say visit many tackle stores, is that you'll find alot of them may/will sell rods others do not.

Rock fishing in Australia can be very rewarding and exciting, however at the same time very dangerous. If you plan on doing rock fishing, I would suggest maybe watch others (if you cannot go with others), and see how they behave along the rocks. Also, the first thing you should invest in, before the rod/reel & line, is safety gear, especially a good set of comfortable cleats. Remember to always watch the water. Regarding rod/reel/line, it would really depend on how you plan on fishing, Eg. Casting baits or lures. Baits I personally like a heavier setup with roughly a 12ft rod, 8,000 sized reel (in Shimano) or 4500 sized reel (in Daiwa). Line I tend to get heavier with around 50lb. I like to use braid even though isnt all ideal with rocks with sharp edges. For lures, I like the rod around 9'6 to 10ft. Reel & line also depends on target species.

Yakkas are easy. Shallow pan fry with a bit of salt on top, but try without salt first in case, I just like saltier foods. been eating them now and then since childhood and I think they make a good breakfast fish

Yes the certate LT is also a very nice reel and the 2020 models are LT range where they change their number sizing. Comparing the two, TP FD 5k & Certate LT, there is only 35g difference but this could be due to the knob on the certate. The only difference between the normal model and Ark models is the knob. The certate LT feels very close to the exist LT, and many ppl have choosen to get the certate over exist of this reason. Both have same gear ratio's, however the certate pulls in just that little bit more line per crank. It also has 1 more bearing and on paper has 12kg drag over 11kg of the TP. Regarding rods, there's too many options on those these days. I've heard ok things with the Colt Sniper but havent used or felt one to know much more. Anywhere close to the 100cm mark on line retrieval I think is ideal. too fast and sometimes the fish cant hit, too slow and sometimes you snag on the lower ledges of some rock fishing locations. All the best with your purchase. New toys are always exciting to play with.

NS Blackhole Amped II are nice rods to use, depending which model you want, they're roughly under $170.

The Twinpower SW isn't a 2020 model I believe. The 2020 model is the Twinpower FD. The SW would be more heavy duty compared to the FD. Also weight wise, the 5k SW is around 420g, whilst the FD is 260g. The catalina 5000h is probably the heaviest at 605g, but in saying that, the 5k size Daiwa is significantly larger and not really a fair comparison against those other reels. What you're probably looking for, in the equivalent of the shimanos size, would be the 3500h catalina. Between both TP's (SW/FD), either one would be suffice to do that job. The decision between either would depend if you want heavy duty or something lighter. Personally I look for a seabass setup, where the Twinpower FD would be ideal. However, seabass setups are typically 10-50g lure weight range but even then, casting metals you'd be look at around the 20-35g weight range, which probably lower for what you're looking to cast. This type of setup would allow you to also cast SP's. Currently I've been using 1/2 jigheads on mine, but again it all depends on the setup you end up with.

Striped Trumpeter

PE scale is more about the thickness of the line rather than the braking strain.

Its more related to the line rating than it is the reel rating. You'll find more rods and reels would measure towards the line. so 8-10kg rod, the ideal line would be 17-22lb line rating. When looking at gear, I tend to lean toward looking at PE scales. This gives you a better idea of the rod and reel you would match it with, combined with the intended use for the setup. Also, as green hornet brought up, the type of rod might determine the actual reel you match it with, which is probably more around the Reels physical weight.

I would probably base it on yourself tbh. If you're going to fish often or fish regularly, I would go the Salty fighter. Reading the specs its a lighter rod and you'd probably be able to achieve the action you're looking for with those specs. If, you rarely fish and its something you do here and there and you do not plan on fishing more regular with a tight budget then go the cheapest setup of the one you are looking for. This is because its basically irrelevant if you had the worst setup or the second worst setup between the two. From what I can see online its probably only a few dollars difference. Regarding how long the gear will last, its really up to you. Both can be destroyed within a month or last 5+ years if you plan on using it for that long without upgrading by then. As long as you take care of it while in use, maintain and clean it after use, it'll last.

Its funny, I'm primarily a landbased fisherman and often chase squid. I find they're either there or you just have to wait til they're there. Action and colour tend to make a huge difference landbased. However, in saying that, I also fish off a boat now and then, and in all the locations you mentioned I get squid there too. What i found with boat is no action works better than with action. Basically I just either drop it down or cast it out and drop it down and then just leave it. Doesn't matter if Im on top of weed or not I got squid. Only thing I was careful about was when over reef cause I didn't want to lose my jig. Also didn't matter if I was running 20lb or 50lb line. I suppose my advice would be to give a few goes, say around 4-5 cast in a couple of different areas, and if you get no takers, move on to the next location, dont waste your time. The squid move around, in some locations they move in circles taking around 1-2hrs before reaching the same point of the circle again. In large bays like Botany I'm not too familiar with the patterns just yet.