MainframeJames

Thanks Pete

Very nice! Thanks for sharing

I don't normally worry about looking cool while fishing, but I do take your point. It looks very out of the ordinary.

Hi Raiders, I came across something called boat collars today. They seem to be low cost and high utility, but I haven't seen any around that I can think of. Wondering if anyone has one or if they've been in a boat equipped with one and what do you think?

Having said that, it looks pretty similar to this old Quinny https://goo.gl/images/PJswk9

I'm not sure how long Quintrex have been doing the stretching, I kinda thought it was a more recent thing...more recent than the age of that boat would seem to be. Happy to be educated. Looks like a very cool old boat though.

99% of my time on Fishraider is via iPhone too

I see you're getting acquainted with the "Full English".

That's fair enough. Nobody's asking you to give up state secrets, we're just curious.

I don't have any suggestions but I'd like to register my jealousy. Previous experience in the area was that it's hard not to catch fish around there, but that might be overstating. Good luck

That's a pretty good accomplishment! Lots of patience and a little luck. Very nice.

Also think its a Dusky. Very nice colouring!

Better to cut the hook so you can push it thru without the barb... Still hurts like crazy though.

I’ve made a couple sets of ganged hooks for myself. I prefer to chain them together with wire. If you leave the loop of the wire just a bit oversize, then when you crimp it down it acts similar to a swivel except you don’t have to add swivels. I make the bottom hook one size larger than the top 2-3 hooks. Due to the flexibility of the wire and the loops, it makes it much harder for the fish to get enough leverage to spit the hooks or open the eyes. The wire also means it stands up to toothy fish without worries. Depending on what kind of fishing you’re doing, you can also thread on some lumo beads or tubing over the wire as you go. I use straight shanks because it's a bit easier to get everything to line up properly without twisting in the water but I’m sure if I wanted to fuss with it a bit more the offsets would work just fine.

Monster carp!

Very first flathead I caught, I went to pick it up. Mate said careful of the spikes, I said yeah I know. 3 seconds later, spike to the knuckle. I think it must have hit bone, it hurt for at least 4 weeks afterwards. Couldn't believe it!

That’s quite a good story.

My advice is get the cheapest kayak that will do the job for you and spend the extra on a really good, light paddle. You're gonna swing the thing thousands of times in a fishing session so comfort and lightness matter a lot. The kayak you can replace with a more specialised model as you get more experience and a better idea of how you use it, but if you buy a great paddle to begin with, you’ll be able to use it with any kayak.

This is the method I use, again probably not the proper way but it works and it's really fast and easy.

That's a good point. (No pun intended.) I was thinking about how they’re similar in shape but you’re right that octopus hooks don’t fully set themselves. Good catch

The taste wasn't bad. I think most people consider them trash fish but I didn't think it was offensive. Maybe it had something to do with them coming out of a pretty clear river? I have never filleted one before and there’s a row of bones I missed which was rather annoying. The flesh was a nice colour and had a firm texture, had enough fat in it to be nice and moist even though I was dry frying it. Had a more fishy taste than some but I wouldn't call it fishy if that makes sense. I had a little bit of hot sauce with me and it really made it. Talked to another bushwalker who said he eats it all the time, just gives it a bit of spice and its great. I certainly didn't feel it was a hardship to eat it. Reminded me a bit of catfish actually. In the States catfish is quite popular and they also spice it a lot. Would I order carp over whiting or flathead? Probably not, but I’d give it a 6/10 overall.

I went bushwalking this long weekend with a mate and took my light spinning rod along with a few spinners and SPs. Only saw a few small trout, all but 1 of the 20+ streams, creeks, brooks we came across were bone dry. Coxs River was low but jam-packed with fat carp. They were a lot of fun and we even fried one up. Never really fished carp before, I couldn't believe how aggressive they were with the spinners. Followed them in long lines like a parade and didn't stop trying to suck in the lure until they were hooked.

Used this trick over the weekend. Fishing for trout and a stonker of a carp hooked up and rubbed my braid on the rocks. Got myself re-rigged much faster.

I noticed the sign as well. While we debated, one of the locals came down and started fishing from the wharf. He said don't worry about it, but it does say no fishing. To be fair, it's a very small wharf and you only get about 5 meters of extra casting distance, which you don't need because the fish are probably up against the rocks anyway. I know it's illegal to cross tracks outside of designated crossings but I don't know what the minimum distance is from the train lines if you're just nearby. Googling didn't turn much up. Anyone know?

Hi Raiders, I'll be bushwalking the national park this weekend and I'm considering taking a light rod and a couple lures to try for some fish along the way. Any suggestions? Is it worthwhile? What lures should I take?