zmk1962 Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 (edited) G'day Raiders, Given many of us are experiencing lockdown keeping us from our favourite pass time, I thought I'd put up this report to keep the fires stoked. Some of you may know that Maria has arthritis issues in her hands and has already had one surgery, so getting her to even contemplate the prospect of fishing in 50-60m grounds on cold winter days is somewhat challenging. So a few months back I hatched a plan that for her birthday I would equip her with a small electric reel+rod combo that would ease her struggles. Here's the gear: the electric reel and 10-15kg rod weigh in at just over 700g .... compared with 980g for just the Penn 950SSM reel she struggled with previously. So the next step to getting a YES, was to propose we do gentlemen's hours for winter's days. So the Thursday 8th July session was a very respectable 8.30am departure from home, heading to Parsley Bay and then out to Barrenjoey Wide (strictly observing all of the COVID regulations current at that time). She was so stoked with the new fishing arrangement she even took the helm as we left Parsley Bay leaving me free to set up all the rods, bait and gear. 10am saw us out at our favourite 50m drift, the conditions were mildly bumpy but settling by the minute. Good bait and fish readings on the sounder so in went the lines...we'll in went Maria's electric as that was the first one baited up ... and before I could get a bait on mine let alone get it in the water this happens: So first fish in the boat, a barracoutta ... excellent, plenty of fresh bait, should be a great day .... But then along comes a run of whales, many humpbacks, a southern wright and several false killers. Two hump backs swimming side by side, each back easily bigger than my BARRYCUDA heading straight for us, 3 boat lengths out they dive, luckily all lines were in, Maria and I grab the rocket launcher rails and brace.... nothing... wait ... nothing...breathe... still nothing... they're gone. Phew. Back to fishing. Nope.... more whales .... here's the cheeky bugger that hung around for 15min ... tail slapping the full time... apologies for poor camera just using the iphone here. Anyway, back to fishing, cause I guess you all want the fishing report ...so fishing 10.00am -1.30pm we caught 6 flathead (45-57cm), 3 x tailor (35cm), 1 pike (50cm), 1 barracutta, 1 squire (released), a 4ft mako shark (bitten off at boat - took snapper lead, plastic and hook), a 4ft Port Jackson (released), and 1 horse yakka. ...and before anyone asks Maria caught 5 out of the 6 flatties, the mako, the pike 😳 ... YES the electric is a hit ! Raced back to the ramp to clean the fish and we were done and dusted heading home by 3.00pm. Kept fillets off the pike, yakka, tailor and barracutta to salt down for future bait. Here was todays flathead fillet lunch Hope this keeps the passion alive. Tight lines raiders. Cheers Zoran the mako, the pike Edited July 12, 2021 by zmk1962 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 Thanks Dave. All the best with your knee. All we can do is keep going! cheers Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 That,s one top report love the photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey05 Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 great report as always. I could just imagine the look I would get if I got my mrs a rod and reel for her birthday with the offer of a fishing trip haha... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlvbw Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Brilliant mate - cracking mixed bad. Awesome work on the electric. Would make dragging a ray up 50m much more pleasant! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Fabulous result, she will have many good fish in the boat with that set up. I made 2 electric reels from vehicle windscreen wiper motors once for a friend that lost an arm, looked ugly but worked a treat, I had a spring loaded switch that was foot operated and when he was on the down stroke it would wind in the line and for the lift he would take his foot off the switch, he caught many good fish with it but sadly they were both stolen from my shed and doubly sad he has since passed on. Frank 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Zoran. I looked up the specs on the reel, as I wouldn't mind one for myself, for health reasons. Is the specs right that it will only hold 200 m of 5 kg line ?. And IF I got one I would make a longer handle for it, it looks like it is a tab short and awkward to turn, a longer handle would improve the action ( my thoughts ). Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Great report and Super photos. Love the reel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutsaboutfishing Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Rey05 said: great report as always. I could just imagine the look I would get if I got my mrs a rod and reel for her birthday with the offer of a fishing trip haha... Rey why don't you try it. Worse comes to worse I've got a spare couch 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Great Report Z - some good looking fillets there too. The whales do give a good adrenalin rush - especially when they get close enough to make you need a fresh pair of undies ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 4 hours ago, Rey05 said: great report as always. I could just imagine the look I would get if I got my mrs a rod and reel for her birthday with the offer of a fishing trip haha... Whaaa ... I'd expect her to be pleasantly surprised and very excited ! 😇 3 hours ago, dlvbw said: Brilliant mate - cracking mixed bad. Awesome work on the electric. Would make dragging a ray up 50m much more pleasant! Thanks. Yes ... it (and Maria) handled the Mako with ease. I was very surprised but then it does have 10kg of drag. 1 hour ago, nutsaboutfishing said: Rey why don't you try it. Worse comes to worse I've got a spare couch You mean for when she grabs the new rod+reel and then also takes the car and boat out ... and Rey has to find somewhere to crash..... right? 1 hour ago, GoingFishing said: Great Report Z - some good looking fillets there too. The whales do give a good adrenalin rush - especially when they get close enough to make you need a fresh pair of undies ! Cheers Sam... Maria will tell you she didn't quite recover from the pair that dove under us ... she was fine up to that moment, but that episode unsettled her and she was queasy for the rest of the day .... Beautiful creatures though .... why would anyone want to hunt them in todays world is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 3 hours ago, frankS said: Fabulous result, she will have many good fish in the boat with that set up. I made 2 electric reels from vehicle windscreen wiper motors once for a friend that lost an arm, looked ugly but worked a treat, I had a spring loaded switch that was foot operated and when he was on the down stroke it would wind in the line and for the lift he would take his foot off the switch, he caught many good fish with it but sadly they were both stolen from my shed and doubly sad he has since passed on. Frank You're a true legend Frank.... and modest. I can imagine with your craftsmanship skills they didn't look half bad and did 100% of what they were meant to. I hope karma caught up with the b*stards. Maria used the pump technique as well, both hands on the rod for strength, the 10kg drag held for the upstroke and the reel automatically wound line on the down stroke. made short work of a 4ft mako. 3 hours ago, frankS said: Zoran. I looked up the specs on the reel, as I wouldn't mind one for myself, for health reasons. Is the specs right that it will only hold 200 m of 5 kg line ?. And IF I got one I would make a longer handle for it, it looks like it is a tab short and awkward to turn, a longer handle would improve the action ( my thoughts ). Frank I think you have misread the specs. The specs refer to PE (braid line thickness). I spooled Maria's with around 400m of 40lb multi colour braid. Re handle. The handle length looks correct. Very much in proportion compared to my Penn overheads. I think what you are observing in the videos is Maria's first attempt at using an overhead and also the fact she has a weaked grip (arthritis). Her end game significantly improved through the day ... keeping me busy unhooking, ikajime-ing, etc etc Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Ct Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 great stuff mate. Always good to keep everyone interested even if certain things restrict them. Keep it up zmk1962 your doing an exceptional job with your misses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Zoran. Thanks for clearing that up for me about the line capacity. I have no idea about modern technology and fishing terms, I am an old fashioned fisho and still sometimes think in lbs and to a point in Pounds shillings and pence , yeah I know time to grow up !! . No reflections on Maria's technique just the handle looks short to me, just my way of thinking. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutsaboutfishing Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 1 hour ago, zmk1962 said: You mean for when she grabs the new rod+reel and then also takes the car and boat out ... and Rey has to find somewhere to crash..... right? From the sounds of his missus, i was thinking more when she chases him out the door beating him on the head with her new combo! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 3 minutes ago, frankS said: Zoran. Thanks for clearing that up for me about the line capacity. I have no idea about modern technology and fishing terms, I am an old fashioned fisho and still sometimes think in lbs and to a point in Pounds shillings and pence , yeah I know time to grow up !! . No reflections on Maria's technique just the handle looks short to me, just my way of thinking. Frank No worries Frank ... I was fortunate that I had part of my schooling in imperial and the other part in Metric ... and as part of my engineering degree we had to work in whatever units the available data tables were developed .... The introduction of braid to fishing certainly added a new parameter to become familiar with - along with the number of strands or plaits - 4s, 8s, etc. Thanks for picking up on the handle. I'll certainly keep an eye on how Maria copes. If it continues to be an issue I'll try a longer one. Cheers Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Worked out very nicely for both of you. Good day out and a good feed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveBM Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Awesome report. My right shoulder is packing it in early (in my view, being 47), and arthritis emphatically sucks. Unfortunately, you are not my husband. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Great pics (as always) Zoran and love that new electric set up. The tea looks yum too (yours or Maria’s). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 22 minutes ago, Pickles said: Great pics (as always) Zoran and love that new electric set up. The tea looks yum too (yours or Maria’s). Thanks Bob. The tea was a joint effort - don’t worry we both had a plate each. Tight lines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey05 Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 On 7/13/2021 at 11:06 AM, nutsaboutfishing said: Rey why don't you try it. Worse comes to worse I've got a spare couch great, ill bring the boat, and we may as well get an early start out your way 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordoRetired Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 Well done on getting the wife out. I have only ever once managed to get mine out fishing and that was when we were dating, so over 20 years ago. The first thing she hooked was a mutton bird, which I got off the line and away if flew, but that put her off and she has never fished again. I wish I could get her enthused to give it another try 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 I have taken Val out into the lakes a couple of times and she sits back in a relaxed mood and reads a book, she did catch an ocky once. Frank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 15, 2021 Author Share Posted July 15, 2021 28 minutes ago, frankS said: I have taken Val out into the lakes a couple of times and she sits back in a relaxed mood and reads a book, she did catch an ocky once. Frank That's great Frank .... btw Maria calls me an octopus at times as well ....🤣 Cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted July 15, 2021 Author Share Posted July 15, 2021 1 hour ago, GordoRetired said: Well done on getting the wife out. I have only ever once managed to get mine out fishing and that was when we were dating, so over 20 years ago. The first thing she hooked was a mutton bird, which I got off the line and away if flew, but that put her off and she has never fished again. I wish I could get her enthused to give it another try 🙂 Maybe buy her an electric combo ? .... I have heard somewhere that it works for some. 😇 How have you been Gordo? Staying well and safe I hope. Cheers Zoran 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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