p-ziller

Yeah buddy!!! Great report and good on you for rubbing it in to your brothers face! Hahah Well done! Cheers, Paul. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

G’day Raiders, On Friday arvo by the magic of fish raider, I was able to organise a fresh water session with a fellow member. Quite sometime ago I put the feelers out to see if anybody would be willing to take me out to catch the elusive bass and one of the responses I had received was from Matt aka ‘mattfinn’ akaka ‘The Bass Whisperer’. Now, before I get too into the details I would like to thank this dude for being a straight up legend! From the advice he had given me on tackle to technique to his general nature. One of the smartest most humble people I have met and he just turned 18! (Happy Birthday for last week). So, after being unsuccessful at leaving work early and some general other complications I met Matt just after 5:30. I pulled up in a rather suspect off road car park to see this guy in an Akubra holding a fishing rod. Matt was direct from the get go saying that he thinks we should travel deeper up the creek and believed our chances would be better, so without any hesitation our journey commenced. As a general saltwater fisho the hardest part of the day for me is either waking up or reversing the boat in the water. Yesterday it was walking along the muggy river bank, crossing the occasional log and fence and of course the walk through the dense foliage trying to not collect every single spider with my face. With all this said we arrived at our destination. Matt started casting his crankbait nailing where he wanted it perfectly. I on the other hand was using the girlfriends rod and reel with a light spin bait I had made snagging it into every single tree branch and piece of structure I could find. We moved a little further up the river and my casting started improving, I could feel the spinner working as I slow rolled it back to the bank when I received my first ever bass hit!!! I didn’t hook up but the flash of silver that I had seen made the heart rate accelerate, It was business time! Not long after that I got smoked by what I believed to be a monster bass, which in reality after being landed was only about 15cm over all. Even though it wasn’t the biggest bass it was my first and I had a grin from ear to ear. I WAS STOKED!!! We followed the creek up, talking and casting, shortly after catching my second bass, we were on a roll. After a few more casts, Matt decided to change his set up. He advised me to fish a bit further up and to go on without him while he rigged up. I ended up in the middle of this little clearing with big over hanging trees and a lot of structure. After a few casts I had nearly been smoked by a monster right at the edge of the bank but was unsuccessful hooking up. A few casts later and I was onto a monster! My heart was racing and the only thing I was thinking was “Don’t loose it while Matts not here he won’t believe you!” haha. As he stepped into the clearing I landed it, this guy went 35cm to the fork!!! YEWWWW!!! As we proceeded to walk further up the river bank and matt changed his set up to a spinner bait. A few cast after this we had a double hook up!!! THIS WAS FANTASTIC!!! After landing some smaller fish we called it a day at 8PM. All in all we caught 6 bass and I had a unbelievable time!! A massive thanks to Matt for taking me out, I had a awesome time dude, can't wait for the next session!!! I hope you enjoyed the read. Cheers, Paul.

Well done, what a cracker of a day! Must have been a heap of fun on the blades! Cheers, Paul.

Good Job Matt, Shame about not hooking up though, glad to hear that they are about! Cheers, Paul.

Unreal!!! So good viewing the footage too! Looks like it was a corker day out. Cheers, Paul.

Ginko, I too heard about this on the news, hope you are well mate! I really hope this guy/s get caught. The news report said you were facing injuries a lot worse than minor, any clarification? Thanks, Paul.

Cam1970, That sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of!

Well done mate!!! Great results and a great looking spot!

Unreal fellas!!! Killing it once again! Paul.

Well done mate! Glad to hear you had a success day. Cheers, Paul.

I once made the mistake of welding a car chassis with the battery still connected, didn't end well! Keen to see some photos mate. Although most of my sub floor will be welded together it will be completely removable for ease of cleaning and (touch wood) repair if it ever comes to that stage. Good luck with it all and keep me posted. Paul.

Thanks fellas! Messages and responses sent! Cheers, Paul.

And in all circumstances when welding, disconnect and remove all batteries, motors and powered accessories from what you are welding to prevent failure of these items..

Squid Marks, To answer your question mate, Ally in a heavy gauge will still be less stable than most other sheet metal types as it is light weight. However this will not effect its durability. I work in a sheet metal factory in Western Sydney and can gladly state that we have never had any accidents of any type whilst using ally apart from the occasional burr cutting a finger. I am soon to be refurbing my boat too and i am opting for a similar approach. However, I will be making floor bracing with appropriate gussets out of ally SHS 25 X 25 X 3 or 20 X 20 X 3 (depending on availability) and laying carpeted and sealed marine ply on top. i will be doing the same with the fuel and battery enclosures and casting deck. If you would like any help send me a PM, but i would advise getting a qualified trades person to weld it up for you, there is an art to welding aluminum. If you could design it and have it ready to weld, give the old gumtree a visit and search for a welder. You are bound to find somebody that would help out for a small cost. Hope this helps! Cheers, Paul.

Raiders, Anybody interested in doing some landbased fishing in either of these areas? I am still yet to crack a bass and would appreciate somebody teaching me a thing or two! Cheers, Paul.

Awesome job Yowie! Good variety. Glad you bagged a feed. Cheers, Paul.

Good to hear mate, well done! I will hopefully be fishing that same stretch over the next few weeks.

Well done mate! Bad luck on the photo front, would have been a good one for the album. Cheers, Paul.

On ya Scratchie! Killing it as usual. Would love a day out like that!

Looks awesome mate, Enjoy it!

Words of wisdom as always mate!

Sweet as! Thanks for the info.

Im still confused! Do people really wash their boats in the DIY car/truck wash stops? I had a joke with the missus that we should do it, i hope i can haha! And if this is possible do i avoid the wax? lol Paul.

Its a painful experience but i believe its the right one... within reason obviously. Id rather they chew me out now while not alot was happening rather than ruin my day during a good session! I hope you did well and that you didnt get fined. My thoughts exactly. I was honestly happy enough to just take in the scenery.

If the weather holds out on Saturday I may see the both of you there!