adkel53

I got spiked by at the base of my index finger by one a couple of years ago. I couldn't get my hand into hot water for about 45 minutes. The pain was next level. It took hours for the pain to subside. I ended up with an infection in the wound site and on a course of antibiotics. If ever I catch one again it will be cut off with the hook still in it. I never want that experience again.

Thanks Frank. Budget an issue for me too. I have a Quintrex455 Coastrunner. 50 hp Mercury 4 stroke. Will need the 60” shaft. Will use a lithium battery to keep the weight down I think.

Has anyone used a Watersnake Geo-Spot 65lb electric trolling motor? If so, how do you find it's performance? https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/watersnake-gps-electric-motor/ Reviews seem good and the price certainly is a lot lower than either of the Minn Kota or Motorguide models of similar specifications.

Can anyone tell me whether the slimy "snot weed" that was around in Botany Bay in early December is still prevalent? It made crabbing impossible where we put our nets and traps at that time and I am wondering whether it is worth the effort of driving for an hour to try again.

I totally agree. I reckon that NSW Fisheries should have upped the minimum size of flathead to 40 cm when they recently changed the upper size and possession limits. Whiting 30, bream 30, snapper 35, luderick 30 too. It would only take a couple of years and we would all be catching better quality fish as a result.

Let’s hope so. First three landed yesterday went 72, 60 and 55. The 58 came later. That snot weed is a pain though - you can feel it load up on the jig head. Makes crabbing impossible.

Took a mate this time. Between us we boated flathead measuring 72cm, 60, 58, 55 and three in the low forties. Worked hard for them. Unfortunately brown slimy weed put paid to our crabbing efforts. It simply covered the nets and traps we set before beginning any fishing. Seems that there are a few quality flathead about this year.

Thanks Chris. Great information for others to put into use. I haven't used Navionics much but have it on my iphone. Possibly screen a bit small so will try it on the ipad we have. I will need to re-activate my subscription to get the overlays you mentioned. Some of the washes further south drop quite quickly into 20 meters of water. I often find nice bonito in close around them in autumn/winter. They should be good ones to target reds with plastics early in the morning or late in the day. Any good wash is probably worth a throw though. Back in the 1980s I used to target reds off the rocks on the south side Jervis Bay. I didn't catch heaps but did land a 4.5 kg one and a 5.5 kg one on successive days at two different locations one summer. I still remember them like it was yesterday! Early starts and spectacular sunrises were the norm.

A great report and a cracking snapper Chris. I have had a few half hearted attempts to catch a snapper in that area but no success. This has inspired me to try a bit harder. Do you just look for bait on the sounder and fish around/under it, have some specific marks or just drift around reefy areas and take pot luck? I have the marks for some reefs close in around there (Maccas, Red Rooster to name a couple) that I have tried. Have you tried fishing in the washes down along the coast a bit further too?

It was my first time using them and I did the same as I do with the 3" Minnowz. Hop, hop and drop to the bottom. Have a look on the Tackle Tactics website for a video on using them. I get their weekly newsletter which I find very informative. I have just purchased two packs of the new Zmann Prawnz. They look the goods for flathead , bream etc. Looking forward to trying them out.

First flathead luring trip for this spring and first report for a long time. I had to drop my wife at the airport this morning so decided to hook up the boat and have a fish too. I left Mutch St ramp at about 8.15 and had a lure in the water by 8.30. Hooked a 43 cm model second cast, followed soon after by a 39 which went back. After 20 minutes I had another 43 (kept) and a 40 (released). They were on fire! Then I brought in a 79 cm model. Cheering!! All these on a Zmann 3" Minnowz in the black gold colour. A small tailor then bit me off so I swapped to my second rigged rod which had a Zmann Baby Goat in the watermelon colour attached. A 55 and a 52 soon joined the two in the ice box, then a 70 cm model decided to jump on for a tug of war. It was released at 9.50 am and then it was as if someone turned off the switch - not another touch. High tide was at 10 am and it was big one of 2.0 metres. It seems as if the bite shut down as the tide was about to turn. I persisted for another hour and a half, trying another couple of locations but no dice. I was fishing an area that had a nice drop off from a sandy area into 2-3 metres of water and using 3/8th and 1/4 oz jigheads. The fish were close to the edge of the area where the drop off began. Hard to get a decent photo when fishing solo so I haven't included one.

"normally only get enough for 1 meal for the family so not sure if they freeze ok for food". There are many who believe that freezing them makes them more tender. Not sure about that but frozen squid is excellent to eat.

The snapper flasher rigs baited with either squid strips/tentacles pieces or fresh bonito if I have been able to troll one up work really well on flathead off Marley Beach for me. I won't fish for flathead without one now having proved to myself that they are very effective and often get bites when standard paternoster rigged baits don't. Just my experience.

Just wondering if anyone has experience using electric reels for deep dropping offshore. If so, what brands do you recommend and what line class would be needed when spooling one up?

Fish from 1-50 metres in estuaries, close in shore and mountain lakes. Garmin has two charts - navigation and fishing. The fishing chart looks to show more detail (closer contours) than Lowrance chart does. Lowrance uses colour variations to show depths. Not sure if this is on Garmin.

I am looking at replacing a 7” Lowrance Elite Ti with a newer 7 “ or 9” combo unit. Have narrowed down (think) to a Lowrance Elite FS9 or a Garmin Echomap 95SV ( or the 7” equivalents depending on space). Can anyone shed some light on these models? Things such as sonar quality/display, charts that are included, any relevant pros/ cons for either. Garmin a bit cheaper I think but not a game breaker.

Have ruled out the Watersnake. Anyone else run a Motorguide xi5? They get a good review here: https://www.boatsafe.com/motorguide-xi5-review/ UNTIL you read the comments at the bottom.

I am thinking of putting a trolling motor on my Quintrex 455 Coastrunner. Do any members run a Watersnake Geo-Spot? If so how do you find it? The alternative is a Minn Kota Terrova. Pricewise it is something like $2000 vs $3500. They both have the same basic features (spot lock, path tracking etc). Quite a difference so wanting to know if the Minn Kota is really worth the extra cost.

I am considering adding an electric motor to my Quintrex Coastrunner 455. One installer is suggesting a lithium battery at $900 - brand unknown. I have found some a lot cheaper on ebay - $450 or so. Chinese made but three year warranty. Also found an Australian made brand (Giant) at $579 with 5 year warranty. Just wondering if anyone has experience with lithium batteries and can share it with me.

Great stuff. Inside the harbour or close in outside. It is a long drive for me so any bit of assistance helps a lot to make the trip just that bit better!!

Been a while since my last post. A mate and I had our first lizard bash of the new "season" in Botany Bay this morning. It was pretty slow going but the quality of the fish caught was good. I started with,a 70 cm model, then we both caught undersized ones. Some time later I landed a 73 cm one. We then landed a 50 cm one each to take home for dinner. The big girls were released. While we fished we had crab traps out but only one male and a berried female (released of course) found their way in.. Sorry, but no pictures available. Hope to get out again next week

I reckon bonito might like this too (given that they like small white plastic squids with a barrel sinker inside them and trolled fast).