Captain Spanner

Probably something to do with the noréast swell and end of the run out tide

I would highly recommend holding each of them in a shop, preferably with the same model reel as yours (or your reel attached). Get the shop person to load the rod up so you can feel the action and how much it hurts you when they fully load it up.

I have two Crucis travel rods. The 71047 and the 7244 models which are like 5-8kg and 2-4kg or somewhere near there. The quality is good and some have guides like k guides and some don't. Regardless of that, i would get an Aerowave Graphite. The three piece is so much easier to store and transport and the action is not effected at all. There has been quite a few similar questions to this over the years (such as below link) so do a search on here.

The two piece models will either be the old graphite series or the Composite Series (range under the Graphite Series). The graphite ones will probably be lighter and have a more aggressive (faster) taper, they may be more brittle but i don't have an issue with this as i don't use mine as a hockey stick on the rocks. The other major difference is that the graphite ones have K Series Guides which i think is a massive plus. They tangle alot less when casting and whatever they are made of is very corrosion resistant. We have one of the older series composites and love it. It is great for smaller to medium strip baits, is light in the hand and can handle big fish without hurting the angler.

i agree it looks like filler/adhesive to join two molds. On another matter from your photos, you may want to seal up the hole where the wiring loom goes into the hull/transom with something flexible and removable like clear silicon. I would avoid sikaflex for this application as it will set too hard and too strong to be removed if you need to work on/replace/updgrade/move anything in that hole. We just use marine grade clear silicon. We used to get alot of water splash in that hole once the rubber gasket came out. You do not have a rubber gasket either.

I second that. Just pick the model to suit your application. I have the three piece 13 foot heavy model and it is still light in the hand, casts big or small baits/weights easily and has heaps of grunt. If you don't need to throw big heavy baits then one of the lighter/smaller models would probably be more versatile for you. The 11 or 12 footer would be fine.

Nice one. It would be interesting to know what that remora came off.

They don't like to travel very quickly and will often spin and misbehave if you go too fast with them on a jig head. They seem to go best with a small nose cone style sinker on an offset worm hook (like a weedless rig). The sinker is really just to help it track straight and protect the nose of the plastic from being slid off the hook by the water pressure. Rigged properly they should survive up to about 3-4kts speed so can be run in conjunction with bibbed minnows or stickbaits/poppers or chromies. I run it behind the other lures in a shotgun like position and when one of the other lures gets hit and you stop to fight the fish the sluggo/slapstix will slowly sink down through the school and often get grabbed by one of the other fish. This is why you have as smaller cone sinker as possible so that it doesn't plummet to the bottom away from the fish and to get snagged. You can fish them without the nose cone sinker but they won't troll as well any faster than 1-2kts. You can also do this slow trolling livebaits or downrigging.

Rick I think it is time you upgraded. Message me when you are selling one of your HDS 5's.

You generally get beach worms at surf beaches. There would be different types of worms living in amongst the nippers, maybe tube worms or squirt worms or similar but less likely to be beach worms.

Try Wanda although i'm not sure how dizzy they will be after this weather and surf. I don't think there will be any in the Bay as mentioned above. I

Arrows don't mind the water a little bit dirty so you also get them further up the river. I've caught them at Captain Cook Bridge. But i have found that the green eye squid like it very clean

I think that they are primarily sight hunters and that you catch more squid when the water is cleaner/clearer. It is generally dirtier after rain so less active squid. I also agree they don't like fresh mixed in so try the bottom of deeper holes where the salt will be.

I've been tempted to get some for a while but haven't yet. If you google them you will find some suppliers. I think they use light colours in the day and dark colours at night and in dirty water because a dark colour casts a better silhouette. The Killalure Jewie 150mm are popular too but i think the Croakers are more in fashion the last few years. They are definitely in alot of north coast photos. Good luck out there. Especially if you are able to get out after this rain. I would get a couple in case you cast one or two off with leader knot trouble. I find my leader knots can always pick a favourite lure and know when to catch on a cast.

Is it a Croaker?

I can't find the Jinkai stuff anywhere online, just have a look in the shop in the game fishing section next time you go. If you type "Bonze Zap Seal" into google you will find the Bonze Zap Seal Zinc Anode Tape which is exactly the same i assume. It is normally used on game lure hooks. You put a strip on the hook.

In short a size 3.0 will be ok, you just need to make sure you keep it moving so it doesn't snag. A size 3.0 jig will get to the strike zone faster than a 2.5 but the downside is it will be there for less time before it goes past the strike zone and into the snag zone, or you need to jig/wind it to bring it back up away from the strike zone again. If it is less than 3m deep you are probably better off with a 2.5 unless it is windy. A 2.5 or even a 2.0 wont cast as far and will take longer to get down to the strike zone but it will hover in the strike zone longer before snagging. You can buy deep and shallow versions of the different size jigs if you want to look into that. If you like a bigger jig you might look at a 3.0S (Shallow)

If you're clever enough to keep the silicon join small enough, clean and tidy i reckon that will be the go. I'm not so i use superglue but i do think the superglue is to brittle for the vibration and bashing it cops. Silicon might be a bit more prone to catching and holding salt/dirt/grit than super glue. None of those guys are friends of the tackle tray. On a side note what i have started doing now i have more jig heads and lures loose in trays is putting the Jinkai sacrificial anode stickers on the inside of the tray lid to hope it helps prolong the life of the jig heads. I have found some hooks like the berkley elevator hooks die quickly (I think there are too many different types of metal next to each other with the hook, split ring and jig head and maybe the hook steel isn't so crash hot). I think the nitro HD saltwater jig heads and also the TT range last well if looked after. Chemically sharpened hooks i keep in packets if brand new and keep in a seperate old packet if they have been used, rinsed and dried. I carry fresh water in a bottle to rinse before packing away or at least lick the hook clean of salt and wipe it on my shirt before packing away.

I use superglue too, but more than a dot, i put it on all three edges of the divider. It's not always strong enough for when larger snapper jig heads fight with each other or get excited driving to the spot but for your lighter objects like split shots should be good. The bubble wrap is a good idea, i use bits of foam in some of mine for that purpose. And also to stop pretty little poppers and hardbodies fighting with each other or getting a rash from the tray.

Could be a light socket or for an antenna (if it's wired under the gunwhale), could be for a springer, could be for some other type of spigot base. But whatever it is the hull doesn't like the metal that the base plate is made out of, you can see the blisters from the electrolysis.

Most of the places we fish will have ribbon weed on the bottom and be 2.5-5m deep so the jigs should tear through it if you pull smoothly enough (i fish 10lb braid and leader) there are times where you will lose it no matter what. If you are land based then you can fish lighter jigs as you do not have to combat drift speed. I would have a couple of size 1.8-2.0, a few 2.5 and 2.5 deep. If you are drifting then i would mostly use 3.0, 3.0 deep and 3.5 as they suit the depth and drift speed the best.

You won't like this answer but it is my experience down there. I have caught them on all colours there at different times. In saying that i have had days down there where they would only hit one particular jig and nothing else, until i cast it off because of a wind knot and then they hit nothing. I think you are better off having a jig in each size moreso than one in each colour as getting depth/sink rate right for your drift is the most important thing. Whenever i pull up anywhere i always start with a white sparkly jig (lumo or white base) on one rod and a dark natural jig (red or gold under foil) on the other. I only give each jig a couple of casts or one or two drifts each and then change them one at a time if they don't get hit. I do like natural green colours and golds better than bright pink/orange but use everything at some point. This advice is relevant for everywhere. JB specific i would advise against using a scented spray like egimax until you have confirmed that there are no leatherjackets around or they will eat all of the cloth off the jig if you are lucky and bite the jig off at the leader if you are unlucky, either way you lose a good jig. If your rod tip is bouncing a bit like a fish bite, nibble or peck then wind in quickly as you are probably being jacketed. You have to move to a far away spot, they will find you if you don't move far enough.. Beware of Green Zones down there as there are a few around the main squid spots.

I think you will find that the lobster limit of 2 is a possession limit and not a daily take limit. Meaning that if you caught 2 on saturday and they are still in your fridge/freezer you need to eat 1 before you can catch another 1. Or eat both before you can catch another 2. What is in your fridge/freezer from last week is included in your bag(possession) limit. Some species have a daily take limit and a possession limit that are defined separately. I think for most species the bag limit is actually a possession limit in the fine print anyway these days. See below where i copied out of the link above. Bag limit: The maximum number of fish or invertebrates per person per day. A maximum daily bag limit of 20 applies to any fish or invertebrate not included in the tables below. Protected and threatened species cannot be taken. * Bag limit comprised of any single species or a combination of listed grouped species. Possession limit: The maximum number of fish a person is allowed to have in their possession at any one time. This includes fish that are also stored elsewhere e.g. in fridge/freezer. For the following species or species groupings; Australian Bass and Estuary Perch, Bream and Tarwhine, Flathead species (except Dusky), Tailor, Luderick, Trevallies and Blue Swimmer Crab, the possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. For all other saltwater species, including Dusky Flathead, the possession limit is the bag limit.

I don't know anything about smokers but they did have them at Aldi on Saturday. They may or may not be any good for fish but if someone who knows stuff can comment that would be good.

Just wear more lead