Tim

Those penn combo's seem like pretty good value to me. I've been on a bottom bashing charter before and that was the gear they used. The charter operator said he'd had them all for over a year and they all seemed to be going fine. I think a rollered 15kg rod is overkill for bottom bashing, but each to his own. I'd be looking for 6-8kg no rollers.

What about using bore water for those of us who have it? Would that do more harm than good? It's a little bit pongy and I don't know, but maybe it contains a lot of minerals or whatever that could harm the engine. Do any of you guys know about this and whether it's safe to use?

How can I get one of those butt caps? They look cool.

What blank are you using?

I used to drive a 1973 LJ GTR torana. It was a beautiful car and had a good bit of grunt too. I sold it last year so I could get a boat. If only I could afford to have both. Never raced it on the track, but certainly enjoyed driving it.

And I appreciate it. Thanks!

Yeah, if you don't mind. I'm thinking about building up a luderick rod for boat fishing. I don't think I've heard of steel head blanks before. A bit of info? Cheers Tim

Hey Saqa, If you don't mind me asking, what blank did you use for the blackfish rods? Cheers Tim

I disagree. I've found these reels to be very reliable. I'm not talking about bream reels either.

People always want to bag out Okuma for some reason. Maybe a lot of the guys who do this haven't owned one and are only going on what they've heard from others in the past. So the reputation lives on. Maybe these stories were all started by Daiwa or Shimano reps. I own a couple of okuma reels and I haven't had a single problem with them. Not one. And yes I do use them regularly. And like the other guy said, it's got a 5 year warranty.

Hey Coast Bloke I think you got my boat's little brother! I only got mine recently too, and am keen to add a t-top before next summer. Would be keen to know if yours is adjustable/removable. Reason being is that the top of my console only just sneaks under the eve of my carport as it is, so I can't have anything taller on it. Mine's a 5metre fishmaster, but they look very similar. I'd attach a pic but the file is too big. Cheers Tim

Hey Ian You can get squid there some of the time. Definitely worth trying. Good luck

The rocks at Avoca are okay. It's very easy to get to, which I think is partly the reason it gets so crowded. People do get good fish there, but when you're competing for space with 100 other fishermen, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. Spinning off the rocks there will get you tailor, salmon, kings, & bonito. There are always blokes there fishing heavy gear with livebaits, but I've never seen any tuna hooked. Did see a big cobia there a couple of years back though. It's a very productive spot for blackfish aswell. You can also catch drummer & groper there. Fishing the bottome will get you a mixed bag of rubbish fish, but can also get snapper, bream & flatties. Be patient, and the fish will come, but it's not the sportfishing paradise that some make it out to be. One last point. Take all your rubbish with you, and pick up a bit of others' rubbish aswell. A lot of inconsiderate people fish this ledge and leave all their rubbish behind. It can get pretty feral at times. Cheers Tim

20 years. Most of it in the last 7 years though.

I think they're going to have to work together and make comprimises if they want to achieve anything. It makes sense.