Mr Mullit

Just a quick g'day and condolences to all the raiders that got f'd by the cyclone/floods. I know a lot of you copped it in the last week and are having a c of a time at the moment. I hope you guys can keep your chins up and know that it'll come out in the wash (Pardon the pun). Special shout out to my bro Grant (jewhunter) who i know got a bit wet. I know you guys are probably a bit down at the moment but I know you can come back even stronger than before. Chins up, Matt

I use poddies on gangs at the beach a fair bit as I very rarely buy bait and while they are no pillie they do work quite well.I fillet one side for one bait and use the other side spine in. This provides a bit of "berley" and it stays on the hook better. Thin strips of slimey fished on gangs or singles are my favorite bait if I'm after tailor and salmon though. Matt

Spangled emperor are a much more common catch that far south and in inshore waters. Plus the blue spots. Any more photos with the fins up?

Fan bellied jacket and a spangled emperor by the look of it.

Boneyard. Bombo

Try some bird netting or maybe get a gun license. You don't have to cover the whole dam. Just provide a fair bit of cover. Cover in the water works well to. Chuck in a couple of branches with heaps of twigs on them until the fish grow a bit. Can you see the bottom in your dam. If not have you tried catching the fingerlings you stocked a couple of years ago? If they were silvers there could be a couple in there and you wouldn't know. Bass are a bit easier to spot but a few could be in there. I've caught quite a few fish in dams that " birds ate all the fish". Matt

G'day Dan, I've put the full on distance casting down for a bit until I complete some work on my abu. I'll have a proper crack at that once I get geared up. What I have been doing is pendulum style techniques to lob baits and lures with less effort. I'm looking a bit unco and need alot of practice but it does seem that I'm on to something. Still not quite out to my usual distance but I'm assuming that will come with improved technique. Wondering if you do any of this type casting or is there another technique for gaining distance with less exertion? Also do you know of any single handed distance casts. I can't seem to find any. Thanks mate Matt

Looks like a blind shark

Nice work on the fish mate. I went out looking for snapper too today but didn't do as well as you. I'm a little bit further south than you recurve and I got out in my yak for a couple of hours before lunch. We didn't have much wind down here. Bit of swell but no chop. Didn't do any good good on platics not even a sargeant baker but managed a small fish on the old unweighted occy leg out the back trick. There here! I'll be getting out a much as can. You're setting the pace. Matt

No dramas mate . But this was about losing the hardest fish to fight. Not the hardest fighting fish pound for pound. So with 15+kg carp out there that get angry when you hook em. There is no comparison. What area do you bass fish in man? I do a fair bit on the south coast and in the hunter. Take it easy. Matt

Carp are no kingfish but name any southern native that pulls much more than 10/15m of line. 8 kg carp will pull any bass backwards.

Caught a few salmon on small yakkas off the rocks. Pain in the ring when you're after bigger fish. Not the bait I'd target salmon with though.

Mangy tailor was originally kept for bait to chuck out when then tide picked up and the lake started to run a bit. Don't worry Grant I did listen but as I taught you Obi Wan. F*** RAIN! Should have stuck it out but my wets were at home and I wasn't coming back out. I'll get tomorrow. Take it easy bro

No dam for me at the moment, I'm on the coast. My mullet were kept in a tank. I did live at a couple of places with approx.1/4 acre dams stocked with bass and silvers though. The bass really used to smash the insects and mosquito fish and you could get the silvers to smash bread off the surface. I caught both species on just about every lure I owned. Had some mad arvos at those joints. Why don't you catch some fish and put them in there if you're a bit short? That's how the bass got into the dams at one af the places I lived at. You should easily be able to keep 10 or so in a pool sized dam. Matt

G'day Chris Once you've caught them try putting them in a feed drum filled with salt water and introduce fresh water over a week or so. You'll need an aerator. Keep it to about 10 fish and you should be right. If you can get a drum with a tap on the bottom use that to drain the water. If not syphon the water out so you remove waste. If you can get one of those 1000l tubs on a pallet and you can have more fish. Once they settle down they'll eat pretty much anything but I'd get pellets. I found them to be a nervous fish and not that easy to keep without them bashing themselves up in the tank. Had to put a towel over the front. It'll be interesting to see how they settle down in such a small dam. Good luck Matt