wise one

20lb braid over an 8lb rated rod. Probably the weakest link would be the hook knot on the flouro trace. I use an FG knot between the main line and trace which is a 90%+ knot

Paitience absolutely. An old but true statement is that the time your line breaks is when your patience runs out. With a poweful fish on light gear if you can survive the first long runs the fish will generally settle down and you can up the pressure. I also use judicious finger pressure to the side of the spool to increase the drag carefully during the pump and wind. The biggest concern with a long fight is the trace wearing through or the hook hole wearing larger and the hook dislodging. Use of quality trace line and smooth angling help to prevent these occurring. Hopefully this tuna was not “alone” and a few other Fishraiders may get get lucky over the next couple of weeks!

Yep, real glad I invested in quality gear - the drag on the Stella 4000 got a HUGE workout!

50 minutes of the rod bent like a piece of spaghetti. Running 20lb braid and a 30lb flouro trace to an 8/0. Not brave - just sporting ?

Absolutely! We catch them regularly at Port Stephens but this is a first for me in Sydney Harbour and especially that far upstream!

Fished livies for kings at Seaforth Bluff this am. Unfortunately no kings but after a torrid 50 minute fight on an 8lb spin stick managed this lovely longtail tuna!

Maybe, although I only ever seem to get 2 or 3 Redfin per session so they don't seem to be in plague proportions in Manly Dam?

Quite a few bass in the dam too. Biggest to date 40cm but most are 20-25cm. I target them on tiny hard bodies cast and trolled from my kayak. Nice relaxing hour or two and over the last 2 years I have only had one trip with no fish. Not sure why there are no big bass in the dam... Also, all the redfin seem to be 10-20cm long - again you would have thought some would grow bigger?

turtle?

Sashimi (somewhat surprisingly) is actually really good too. Especially a smaller specimen that is bled and iced then consumed 12-24 hours later. +1 for the smoking Also good for Thai fishcakes!

A few reports over the last couple of weeks of gemmies but not blue eye. There are back eddies forming in the SST charts, so you may find that the current is OK to drop. Sunday & Monday weather forecasts look OK for a trip wide.

The problem is not that this beast will take more fish from the oceans (because the quota is not being increased) but rather it will make strong economical sense for it to take them from as small an area as it can (to save fuel and time). So local depletions are the real problem, the size of the vessel just allows it to keep fishing (potentially in the same location) while it fills its quota. Can you imagine the damage to recreational fishing and the economy of Port Stephens if it decided to net The Car Park? And why wouldn't it? Its obviously going to go wherever the largest aggregations of small pelagic's (bait) are. At times the volumes of slimy mackerel holding there are huge. The volume of small pelagic's around the Australian coastline is such that this quota is unlikely to have a major impact overall, but the threat of sever local depletion of stocks is very real and a huge problem!

Finally managed a decent sized bass from Manly Dam. No measure so not 100% sure of size, but given the spool is almost 6cm across, the bass would be at least 30cm. Not a monster but satisfying given the number of trips in my kayak to find one!

Lord Howe Island Great for some serious kingfish (very reliable) and at the right time of the year the wahoo and yellowfin are around. Also some serious marlin (but less predictable) Your better half would love the island No visa's, no long distance travel, no currency issues - but you feel like you are in a different world!

Nothing on softies near the wall but I suspect I needed a heavier jig - it's pretty deep there! But I managed a slightly larger bass (30cm or so) from a patch of reeds half way up the dam. Lessons learned so far include the need to get the lure right next to or even in the lillies / reeds. Might need to look at a weedless rig and fire it right into the thick stuff. Second I must get a GoPro so I can snap the next larger specimen. Third a sounder would be handy to see just how deep the dam is near the wall.

Was using a Matsuta Shad 40mm and perhaps 1-1.5m depth? Trolling and casting near the lillies and reed beds. I'm going to give softies a go, perhaps in the deeper water near the dam wall.

7 bass on Saturday - all 20cm models. I did lose something that felt much bigger... I'll keep plugging away and hopefully will put a lure in front of a larger specimen soon!

I'm guessing no replies as no-one has experience of them. I've seen them at BCF and they look OK but are a very basic "shell" so you will need to do a fair bit of customisation to turn it into a fishing yak. Hope it goes well and maybe you can do a review of this for others in a similar position to yourself.

3 more bass this AM. Again no size to them. A guy baitfishing of the dam wall caught a circa 2kg yellowbelly!

Managed a couple of 20cm bass and also 2 redfin of maybe 25cm from my yak on Saturday morning. All caught near the Lilly pads on the North side of the dam wall. Will keep searching for the bigger bass that are surely in there somewhere!

First short outing with a rod on Saturday Managed 2 bass and 2 redfin from Manly Dam Ni great size but still happy to get a few fish ob the first attempt.

Anyone have any tips on where to find bigger bass in Manly Dam? I've caught a heap around 20cm... Nothing bigger but surely there must be a few bigger fish in there somewhere Thanks

Looks interesting and well thought out. Things to consider: Suitable for calm water only - not suitable for the bottom end of the harbour Weighs 60KG - twice the weight of a regular 12foot kayak - you will probably need a small trailer for it If the above are not issues for you, then it certainly looks worth a review - ideally you need to test paddle it somehow - not sure if that would be possible via BCF... You could also consider this one

Well here is my new toy: Took her out yesterday for a "shake down" paddle on Manly Dam. Very impressed - easy to paddle, exceptionally comfortable seat (with inflatable lumbar support) and very stable. A bit more practice and I will add a rod and see if I can catch some of the bass in the dam!

Well - did the long drive out to Penrith yesterday and ordered a Cuda 12. Horizonline were great - I trialled the Cuda 12 on the lake there and it lived up to expectations. So - will get it delivered this week and be out on Manly Dam (nice calm water to start with!) this weekend. Cheers for the advice.