WhiteBait

I've got a honda 4 stroke 2hp outboard -- 2006 model, but very little use. It's just started to kick back when it's pull started. Anybody know the fix or the cause of this annoying problem?

I'm guessing it was a big swell, which often is accompanied by either a strong current swinging either North or South -- in your case, South. I check Willy Weather and don't fish in swells approaching 3M because of currents -- and besides I don't have any luck -- but some of my mates do. Largest sinker I use in strong currents (usually in swells 2m upward) is a number 3 Star. Other than that on 15lb mono line I just use the lightest sinker that can hold. I really only carry and fish with 2 types of sinkers. You actually don't even need the light sinkers at all unless you are specialising in bream and whiting. You'll even get bream with the big sinker, but whiting are a bit more touchy -- even some bream. I'm guessing you were night fishing for jews. They like a deep hole with some sand-bar structure around as they are an ambush fish, and look for some white water. Gutters at Stockton run all along the beach, so unless you are on a bar that comes almost up to the shore you'll be in some kind of gutter. Just pick where the waves are breaking about 30 or so metres out with a gutter between the bar and the shore -- and with white water rolling over the gutter, and you'll be laughing.

Here's a photo of my actual crab pot, which I've nicknamed the 'Hotel California' because to me it looks like the crabs can "check out anytime they like".

I suppose what I'm really asking is do crabbers actually cut the pvc poles so as not to stretch open the exit holes too much?

Gutters run parallel to the shoreline -- simply, the deep water quite close to shore. If you can walk out a distance on a beach -- like where they swim between the flags at Manly -- then there are no gutters there and it's pretty useless to fish in spots like that. The real trick is to fish on a known beach-fishing spot, and the gutters will run all along the beach, so you don't have to look for them at all. Ironically the beaches where people often drown -- like with a gutter close to the shore and a shore dump are the best fishing beaches. The waves on any beach will break when they hit a sand bar in fairly shallow water. Ideally, you pick a spot where the waves are breaking out about 30 metres from the shore -- that spot has to have a deep water (doesn't have to be too deep) gutter between the outlying sand bar and the shore. And the best spots are where the white-water rolls all the way into the shore (even over the gutter). Fish like this cover and the breaking and rolling surf stirs up all their natural feed. I would forget about acquiring great casting skills. Just lob into the gutter -- big bream and whiting, and even tailor are often close to the shore in a nice gutter. I know a girl who has just started beach fishing. She can't really cast at all, she just lobs into the close-by gutter and often catches more fish than her husband.

I've just rigged a 4-entry crab pot -- with the hard plastic closing entry pieces (this plastic is the same as the crab-bait holder plastic) Once the pvc pipe struts are in place the crab entry holes are way too big on the EXIT side and even a crab dumber than me could swim out. What am I doing wrong?