Great Fishing Attitude

[Ranger 48]

A good read! Possibly a little on the short side, but hey, nobody's perfect. Optimax, welcome to the site and thanks for the read. With the name Optimax, are you just a big Mercury fan, or are you employed within the marine engine business? You obviously aren't a newcomer to fishing, so you no doubt have a lot of experience to share, and I hope you're not backwards in coming forward with that knowledge. Questions about anchoring, sounders, structure, and boating in general are common, and most would welcome any advice to help them get on to more fish.I'd be interested to hear a whole lot more about your boat (I'm a big cat fan who owns a little monohull), your fishing experience and your knowledge of local waters.Now I have to put my official cap on for a minute!In regards to what happened/happens on other websites, that is none of our concern here, and I would ask EVERYONE to save that sort of discussion for those other websites. Ask your questions or air your grievances there where it happened, not here. It's not relevant here, we do not want a sh*tfight from another forum brought here, and I certainly do not want to waste my time deleting irrelevant posts or locking the topic down, although I will if I have to.Everyone is welcome here at Strikehook, and everyone gets a fair go here as long as they do the right thing and play nicely.Let's discuss the fishing and the post in question instead of getting off track and worrying about what goes on elsewhere.

[catch-nun 2]

just read part 1, part 2 tomorrow I get the gist of everything now looking forward to all future posts opti.where did you originally post this report opti ?? there wouldn't have been a local forum in 1996US forum or a fishing mag ??

[adrenalin 32]

Yorke, you must be one of those lucky ones were the grandparents care to have your kids! Not everyone in Australia is that like mate! KGs, as I call them in short, are my favorite fish. Of course I enjoy jigging for Samson, or trolling for Tunas, or chasing the odd Big Red, but these are all activities that I do now and then. KGs over a kilo are my most priced catch. My best is a 1.54 kg fish but I have actually witnessed a matching pair of almost 3 Kg each!!! They were almost a meter in length!!! At the time I was shown them I had not started fishing, we were in Kingscote holidaying and I knew well a very famous Pro there called Nigel Buick, he is now dead. He had a fairly big Cray export business already in the early 90s. I went to get some Spiders (Cray heads, all from cray of 4-5 kg +)and we were going to enjoy them in Flinders Chase, after a half day trial bike riding through KI. While he was getting the Spiders organized, he said to me "came with me mate, I 'll show you something!", he then opened a Big walk in freezer room, went in and came out holding these 2 huge baseball bats, that's the best way I can describe them! And then he said, "2 Whiting, 6Kg, what you reckon?" ...... to tell you the truth I did not appreciate what he was holding there, as I had not started fishing in SA and I had only seen cooked fillets up until then. But now I know that out there, somewhere, there must be an almost 3 kg whiting with my name on it! I have seen 2+ kg at Emu Bay boat ramp caught by locals a few times! They are a very appealing fish to chase, in particular off shore! Near land they are a bit easier to target, in particular on local waters, but they are generally very/too small. When you start catching them on 8/0 hooks or ganged 4/0 while targeting other species!!! :woohoo: They are also the right size to chase a decent number, nowadays the limit is actually a bit restrictive for us, so we have to start looking at alternative species or consider 2 days trip down to KI to make it worthwhile, but in the old days we would come back home stuffed of catching them! I remember the first time I took Vince with me to KI he reckons that the all night while in bed sleeping, he kept striking fish and waking up the wife! With Snapper I only like taking home 1 or 2 of the smaller ones. Giving fish away is not my thing, I rather leave them swimming in the water. Whiting once filleted lasts well in the freezer between trips.Another thing I love is when the tide starts ripping in Investigator and the whiting are there but most people can't catch them! I love seeing the expression of the newcomers on my boat when I keep getting them and rubbing it in while they keep loosing cockles and missing them!Thanks for the welcome mate and I am sure we shall chat again soon,Opti

[adrenalin 32]

I wrote it originally for Shane Mensforth for the SA Angler in 1996. Do not remember if I got around to actually give it to him or not, and if I did, I don't know if it ever got published, as that year I also moved back to Italy, where I am from, and the last few months things got fairly hectic for me. I have not seen Shane since I have been back in 2003.Opti

[matt01 0]

Wow OptiI lost track how many times this was reposted & deleted!Happy Fishing & Posting! Hopefully your posts wont get deleted !Matt

[adrenalin 32]

It was never deleted here mate! but I know what you mean!Cheers,Opti

[rocknev 2]

you will fit in well here....

[matt01 0]

You have some nice boats

[adrenalin 32]

Thanks mate!

[gardy 0]

After a very uncomfortable manual pulling from 35 metres depth we were surprised to find what we certainly had not targeted with our effort even though it was still a pleasant surprise. Inside the pot there were 2 snappers, 1 undersized that we quickly released, the other took us a good 10 minutes to get out and what an experience that was risking to get bitten by a very green 8-pound snapper as we attempted to remove it from the pot. After putting him on ice we directed ourselves onto the other pot and now we had very high hopes

:ohmy: better not let the fisheries read that only allowed to hook snapper not net them

[adrenalin 32]

From memory we put him on ice because we had to kill him first to get him out of the pot! Once out and now dead we put him on ice. Later on we realized we could not keep him and chucked him back! I did not mention the all story in the article! ;)Thanks for having given me the opportunity to clarify this, really appreciate it, I owe you one,Opti

[shane 0]

Hi Opti I think we all know how you feel fishing around Adelaide And if I had the money to buy a 35 footer I would be there I myself have had people Achor around 10m to 15m behind my boat just about dropped the Achor on my prop Like you said you spend the time find the spot then burly up just to have someone spoil the night or day for youHad another bloke a couple of months back, go flying past at around full speed missing my Achor rope buy around 1m, it was very close and there were no other boats around for kms And yes you are cruising over a lot of fish, as we all do But it sounds like you found Paradise so what’s 80 Nautical Miles anywayLoved your post and enjoyed the read keep up the good work

[adrenalin 32]

Thanks heaps Shane for the great feedback!I had a guy in 2004 following us all the way from Adelaide to KI. He had a Kevlacat 3000 with inboard. He was chasing us via his Radar 5-8 NM behind and as it was blowing a bit, 15 knots southerly, we could not see him visually. But I could see on my Radar someone following us. As we cruise quite fast I knew who it was, as he had been hanging around my boat every time we returned from KI asking questions, checking our catch, etc. If I slowed down, he would slow down, If I'd go faster, so would he. Simply unbelievable!As I got a few miles of my spot I stopped. He then assumed we had arrived, so he came close and said Hi to us, as if nothing had happened. I gave him a disgusted look and went into Smith/Emu bay, which wasn't my intention, in particular has I had my brother over from Italy visiting and looking forward to fish with me in Paradise!We still managed to get some nice whiting and snapper on several spots I have in close between Smith & Boxing Bay. We then spent the night in Emu Bay on a mooring. He was anchored in Emu when we got there and I was already worried about having my following day spoilt too. Instead next morning at dawn he came close to us and said he was going into Wirrina as he has some good spot there and he wasn't doing well on KI! I don't need to tell you how disappointed we were to see him go! :woohoo: We had a great day as planned on several Paradise spots and got back home very happy!He sold his boat less than a year after that saying that it wasn't worth having a boat like that for catching little fish or having to go all the way to KI for 36 whiting! What a bad attitude mate! I have been in Adelaide almost 20 years and I have never been in the Casino in North Terrace, never played a Poky machine either, never placed a bet, never tried lotto! I would rather throw away whatever I can afford in Fishing/Boating, and I stress Boating! I love battling the waves, when I am on the road I am limited to drive at the correct speed limit. When I am out at see I have nobody limiting me, just my common sense and experience! Skippering a boat is what I enjoy the most, understanding the weather and predicting the conditions, having a rig that always performs as you expect and if something goes wrong knowing how to cope with it as best as possible! Fishing then is "the cherry on top"!It doesn't matter what size boat you have all of the above still applies proportionally! Somebody my drool over my boat, I my drool over somebody else bigger and better than mine, but in the end if we have the right attitude we can all enjoy and love this great hobby of ours in our own way! My $0.02Opti

[Guest boys day out]

It doesn't matter what size boat you have all of the above still applies proportionally! Somebody my drool over my boat, I my drool over somebody else bigger and better than mine, but in the end if we have the right attitude we can all enjoy and love this great hobby of ours in our own way! WEll put enjoy what you have :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[shane 0]

I drool over any boat and the volume increases the bigger the boat getsThe other week I took the boy to Garden Island for a walk and it was blowing a bit And at that point in time all I wanted was a yak lol I have to agree it’s all about attitude, it’s not really about going out and catching your bag limit of fish every trip in my case, but that might change if a was travelling 100 odd km’s I take my lad out just about every weekend, we tend to only go for whiting and we try a couple of new grounds every trip and we are happy coming home with ½ a dozen fishThat keeps us in fish and we get out and have some fun

[adrenalin 32]

It sounds like you have a great attitude too, Shane. I do something similar with my lad and generally when we go out from Adelaide locally it is when we take a few kids out. Best fan we have with them is Crabbing, and then we try catching a few whiting.Of course because of the distance we travel we like to catch our limits but the fish I enjoy the most catching is the first of the over the limit, that I kiss and say "See you next time mate" and release him back. It has now become a regular event on my boat! Everyone has to do it! Catching the limit is also a way of keeping us challenged. We need to do things well, anchor correctly, fish correctly (in whiting terms where we fish, is mainly about avoiding the side by catch), etc. Also once we have our whiting limit and if the weather is right, I can concentrate on hunting/finding new spots, another of my favorite hobbies. Opti

[khany454 0]

im only new here aswell mate, reasonably green aswell!but anyway welcome! you seem very dedicated an love what you do. (i know theres a particular word im looking for it but i just cant spit it out right now!)its also not everyday i see a trailer boat that absolutly dwarfs an 80series cruiser either! love it!!!

[ausea 4]

Yes that’s interesting to see the difference with size of boats.Opti has a BIG boat and can get bag limits and can only go out so many times a year due to running costs.I/We have much smaller boats and catch less fish with low running costs and can venture out once a week.Deciding which is better,I think once a week would probably win.I think.But then.Now I’m confused.

[adrenalin 32]

khany thanks for your welcome, is the word you are looking for "passionate"? I know what you mean with the 80series cruiser looking very inadequate!!! Today I don't tow my boat any more and I think I would not be allowed either. Back then I had a special permit with nominated routes, days and times of day. I also had to have Wide Load sign at the front and at the rear! I will tell you another hilarious story. The 80 series would only manage 120 km range with Full Tank and SubFuel towing my boat. That means 140 Liters if my memory serves me right!Opti

[adrenalin 32]

Ausea, I see where you are coming from but I think there is more to it. It is not all about costs! In fact we could still alternate local weekly outing to the far and few long range trips down to KI and manage both. The reality is that, in order to do that, you also need something very special .... "time"!To me going fishing is something very special that I like to share with very special friends. These days it is becoming harder and harder for all of us with growing families to be able to leave everything behind with the wives. We all have kids playing district sport and when you have more than one, one playing at Morphet Vale and one at Gawler or Port Adelaide, it is impossible for the wife to manage alone and unfair to ask other parents to do it for you! But also I enjoy spending time with my kids too! As they are growing though, I can start to see "fishing light" at the end of the tunnel, and I feel that soon I will be able again to start doing more fishing!In conclusion, I would sum it up as "The bigger the boat, the less the time to fish"!Opti

[afishyfish 4]

Waterboy wrote:

Just one thing though ----- You should've warned us to have a beverage on hand for the read Mark

LOL WB.His posts actually beat yours in length :dry:

[adrenalin 32]

That is why I have moved into Videos, otherwise I am goint to star getting blamed for having members ran out of drinks in their own homes! Check my video channel outhttp://www.youtube.com/user/adricistyou might have to organize a "boys night in" soon, as I am planning on uploading lots more soonOpti