SquidMarks

holey monkey! $20 for a 2kg block?! Hunt around, you should definitely be able to find a 2kg block of pillies for around $13-14. A good place to get IQF pillies in bulk is your local fishmonger at around $6-8/kg. Ask them to sell you a 15kg box still frozen from the back when you see that they have the pilchards on ice in a size you like, and of course, ask for a discount as you are buying the whole 15kgs at once. (This is a bit seasonal and you do need to check sizes as sometimes the pillies are huuuge). (dont buy the ones sitting on ice, they are the IQF's that have been defrosted).

100% Agree with dmck, I am a huge alvey fan but i am also the first to admit that they do have their limitations. For certain purposes (like surf/rock fishing) you will be very hard pressed to find reels that will outlast alveys in their price range (or even double their price rage!). Many people have alveys which are still catching fish decades after they have been acquired (my first alvey was bought new in 1998 and is still my primary reel when surf fishing, functions as well as they day i bought it with minimal maintenance. I have bought older used reels which are just as capable). Having said that, they do take a little while to get used to (but its like learning to ride a bike, it all becomes second nature very quickly). They are also comparatively heavy when measured against other reel options. I personally would not use alveys off of a boat or when spinning/casting lures, you are just giving yourself more work here, compared to, say a spin reel.(but i know people who do).

No familiar with Yamaha carbies, but in my experience, when engines with carbies need choke to run it usually means a lean mix (too much air/too little fuel). I would say that the jets have not been cleaned properly, but i wouldn't also dismiss a possible air leak from a damaged gasket as the carby was being reinstalled... Give that carby a proper clean and go from there.

The fish will never take that!!! ............... he forgot to garnish it with some fish roe! 😀

here you go mate, i did this a while back. let me know if the link no longer works and i will get it sorted.

You can still order the magbream blanks from Wilson tackle (they bought the mandrels from Snyder when they went belly up). I have bought and built new rods blanks from Wilson selling the Snyder blanks (I have built the MT series rods and the magbreams). They are not quite the same as when snyder made them but are still good. From memory,they did gouge you a bit with the cost of the blanks... around $120 for the magbream blank... But you don't build rods anymore to save money anyways...

I have a pair of Kato fishing pliers that look almost exactly like those mustard split ring ones (but no split ring tip). The jaws and the cutters are replaceable (unscrew with allen key) About 20cm long in total They are great, I can't find them online anymore for you thought...

Snell some hooks into the rope connecting the trap to the bouy. Listen for the wails as they slide the rope though their hands lifting up the trap. Its a great deterrent.

Mr Cruncher, you opened up a can of worms.... Yes, CO2 is plant food, but we are making it far faster than plants can take it in, and the problem is increased with deforestation. That extra CO2 floating around is whats causing the greenhouse effect. https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/ https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/ data is not subjective.....

I dont see anything wrong with that pic..... clearly the bloke anchored on a spring tide and as the water receded he came back to find it on the ramp, ready to be picked up.

I think i may have answered my own question with a bit of googling... http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/rfsa2016199/s4.html " In this Act, a"high risk rock fishing location" is a naturally occurring rock platform or other rock formation exposed to ocean swell within a declared area. " Oh dear....... Its as i feared.... any naturally occurring rock platform exposed to swell............. its essentially ANY rock platform

Fair enough, stakeholders come together and make suggestions. Im more asking on how is the consensus reached for said locations? In particular, what data is taken into account when determining if a spot is dangerour or not? Please tell me there is more to it than a room full of stakeholders hovering over a large map and circling areas left right and centre saying "rocks here, probably a dangerous spot, risk of slipping... lets just circle it anyways just in case"

Is it me, or do the maps essentially highlight ANY shore location with adjacent rocks as a high risk fishing location? (as opposed to genuine high risk/low risk rock fishing locations) (I can comment on the sutherland shire/bate bay map, there are certainly areas on that map which would not be high risk, eg: northen end of jibbon beach and the rocks adjacent to bundeena warf, which would only be remotely dangerous in severe weather with a specific swell direction, and even then, the rocks at the northern end of jibbon beach would be safe!). BTW: I am a supporter of life jackets when rock fishing (i wear my lifejacket and suitable gear when im out there).

600a - bream and whiting 650c5 - drone fishing (spooled with 300m of 20lb line) Also included the powerrod as its on of the few rods that i didnt build myself for my alveys but still gets used regularly (i cant kill this thing, i think if the guides eventually end up going i will give it a full resto).

finally got around to taking a photo of all my reels (in 3 different locations). 2 x 6500bcvrr (one for jew, one for tailor and salmon) 1 x 700c5 kingfisher (silent anti reverse) - second jew rod 1 x 50 a5e (blackfish/bream and whiting). 1 x 700c5 surf champion (noisy anti reverse) was given to me, not in use 1 x 650a5 rock fishing 1 x 650grbc - spooled for tailor 1 x 500b - just sitting there, waiting for my son to be old enough to start using alvey reels 😉

good job mate.. that kingy sure looks like he was starving!

they are split between sydney, the central coast and jervis bay so it will take me a while to get a photo of all of em together but i will persevere! My father has the 651c5 for those sharking sessions...

looks like the 50 A5E is a keeper then for when i decide to dip my toes into the dark art of blackfishing (or bream fishing using the alvey!). PS: Im a big fan of alveys, own (and use) a 700c5, 650a5, 650c5, 2 x 6500bcvrr, 600a, 550a5 and a 650grbc. (though i must admit, the grbc feels a bit like you are winding up an air raid siren, but once that inertia is overcome, the line starts laying on thick and fast!)

on a side note, are these rare at all? i have one at home and have never gotten around to using it (have not seriously tried fishing for blackfish yet).

Give me red rock cod any day....... there is a reason why they are known as 'poor mans lobster'

I have managed to catch a legal snapper on a squid jig, almost caught a fairy penguin too! (little bugger came up with the jig in his mouth but managed to spit it before he hooked himself).

Thanks savit, thats a great start, still looking for pictures of tube and squirt worms.

Though i can always stock up on beach worms, i never really tried going for blood, squirt or tube worms. I have pumped some really fat red worms with hairly 'legs' from an estuary before but i had no idea what they were (broke easily into a lot of pieces). Can anyone help with a photo of a blood, tube and squirt worm (google results show too many different kinds of worms for each of those so i dont know what im looking at). Also, a photo of their respective holes and areas found would be much appreciated! (hopefully this becomes a 'worm' sticky once the info is here!) Thanks!

Chris, I do a fair bit of worming at your mentioned beaches. Its good that you caught the bug and want to give it a go, but can i suggest you wait till summertime? It takes a fair while to get your first worm (is a bit like riding a bike), and nothing saps your morale faster than watching worms continually slip through your fingers while you are freezing cold. Having said that, i worm year round when im up there and im happy to show you the next time im there. I use my fingers and my technique is a bit different so i wont go into too much detail as i know all different information can confuse (and frustrate) a newcomer to worming. I actually find it a lot easier to catch worms with fingers than with pliers (plus i believe that with pliers, any escaped worms have a smashed up head which essentially means that any worms you may have missed might be dead soon!). Good luck with it! I might be up there i a few weeks if you are still keen!

That you dabbling in the nudist area eh Rick?!? 😄 Seen any big 'beach worms' round there!!!??? 🤣 All jokes aside, there are big worms there! Agree on the big bream at Hargreaves, especially this time of year. Funny thing is most folks are going for salmon when in fact there are quality fish there if you change up the bait and rig.