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As a keen COARSE/FRESHWATER angler I find I can't get some of my prefered tackle in Australia so I have to buy it online from the UK or make it myself, so as promised I will share some of my favourites over time in this set of posts... FLOATS... I am addicted to making floats, I love giving them away to people who fish like I do and HATE losing them. Most of my floats are wagglers, straight or bodied, as you can see from the photo they are all slightly different depending on what they are for, or where I am fishing, some can be used in saltwater for Gar and Tommies etc as well as in freshwater. The bodies are made from balsa wood which I turn on a small lathe, but you can also easily whittle then to shape with a sharp knife or stick them in a drill chuck, I always finish with fine sandpaper and fine wire wool. Carefully one end needs to be drilled to accept the stem, which I make from peacock quill or even better native reed stem (I always use the type of reeds that have the fluffy top and the stems are like mini bamboo, there's masses on most river banks (must be dry and brown not green) Always cut at a node so the tube is buoyant. I superglue this into the balsa body. At the other end I glue in a short piece of bamboo skewer ready to have a safety pin eye whipped on and the whipping superglued. To strengthen the main shaft, as you can see from the photo I do some decorative whipping nearly to the top, this does strengthen it considerably, we are now ready to apply a base white top (cheapest way is to get some flat white acrylic paint, a sample pot from Bunnings is ideal) The florescent top is just a can of that Hi Vis stuff they spray on the road to mark where they are going to dig holes etc. I shake it well and spray some on a bit of paper or the like a use a small brush and paint over the flat white base down to almost the end of the white.. it dries very quickly! Now all you need to do is varnish the whole thing, any varnish will do as they are not exposed to the weather much, I use a stain varnish (walnut) as this gives me an attractive brown effect. As you can see all the floats are different, it's good to experiment and see what suits the type of fishing you want to do, they are so cheap to make and work much better than bought ones. Hope you like that.... have a go, it's great to catch a fish on home crafted gear as I did today a 17+lb carp... any questions please don't hesitate to ask, and if you ever meet me on the bank please ask for a FREE float I will be only too willing to let you have one.

Fishing , the outcome of the game will be publicised, watching it won't change the outcome. Fishing is like sex, every time you miss out on it you never catch it up Cheers Yorky

Hi mate. Marketing is a wonderful thing when it comes to fishing gear and we all get sucked in to it, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you are confident with the lures or SPs that's half the battle. For me these days I've always got my nose in the bargain bucket looking for what I think might work in any fishing situation I might find myself in. Cheapskate. So to answer your question I have a selection of go to's that I trust, and cheapies that I think and hope will work. I get a real buzz from catching fish on the bargain bucket lures. A few pics of bargain bucket catches. $5 lure which I hoped would work up North. First ever Barra! First Jack, same lure. Sooty, same lure. PB Barra, last year, same lure. $1 packet of SPs Same SPs Bargain bucket HB lure. Todays purchases 2 x $5 lures. One for up North and one for the local Bream etc... Hopefully get a successful pic with one of these in the near future.

You don't need corrupting... us poms were brought up MATCH FISHING.... sometimes hundreds of anglers in a match, light lines, small hooks, burley/ground bait essential and small hooks. when we all invaded here, we kept to the same methods but because the fish had never been caught before you could go heavier with line , bigger with hooks and simpler ground bait, I remember my first match on the Torrens I fished 2lb line 14 hook and small straight wagglers... I got smashed up about 10 times, didn't take me long to wise up, I can tell you. At intervals I will let the guys know how to make bank sticks, keep nets, plummets, cage feeders, bite indicators for use with bite alarms, disgorgers, bread punches, sit on tackle boxes, tackle box carrier, rod tube holder and what ever else I find in my tackle box that I have made! All the best mate...

Good thoughts Floatman. I've only used the light line for last 2 sessions ... one of Sullies rocks (so overhead casting) and second, out on a boat with lofty64 (mainly side casting or just dropping the float and letting the current take it). Both O/head or side casting received the "odd" tangle. I'm yet to get out on the jetty (this Monday hopefully) so see how it goes and will all be under arm casting. Food for thought. However, having the indicator further down (past the length of the float), can also cause a tangle, so could cause more headache lol. Hopefully a jetty session might be ok as that is the main place I use a float - fingers crossed.

oops - heres the vid (I've also cable tied the steel bar to the side so it tips better

That makes sense Floatman and with different sizes and slightly different lightness in each float (weight), they can be used for a variety of fish I'm sure. I have a different type of homemade float that uses some dowel (as a pencil float) and a champagne corked (carved to a small ball) that becomes an 'indicator'. This best for Gar, as with any slight movement on the 'indicator' then you know the Gar are there - other fish (eg Tommies) will just take the floats under like any other float. Although lately, after re-spooling the reel with lighter line, I am getting a few tangles - so got to sort that out Courteous of Google

That video is why i use lures.

Well done Mate ... I reckon I might stick to buying them also however

I was dry wreching just watching the video think I will stick the buying them

Hey just a thought , put all of your fish frames , in chicken wire , like in a roll , frames in chicken wire ,roll the chicken wire up , like a tube , when they have been blown , wrap in news paper , and bury , take out and shake the maggots out …...EASY , most of the fish stays in the mesh , shake , shake and put the SH&t in the neighbours bin . not Rocket science ……….…………. and you don't need a Vernier, to measure , fish don't go on size ……..of maggots …….? and the science that goes into …….. maybe catching F%^k all .

Yeah before the sorting process I was congratulating my self on how well prepared I was I had my rubber gloves on - I'd already dug a 2ft pit for the scraps - I had the hose ready to rinse the maggots in a sieve - I had the bran all ready in there storage container My plans of a smooth operation flew out the window when the stench set it - from then on it was a mixture of panic and rash decisions Trying to pry open the head, to get all the maggots out, unleashed a smell worse than Satan's bung hole and thats when I started to panic - after that I was cutting my losses and trying to get the stench underground - collecting the maggots became a secondary concern

Well that was a freaken night mare Here's some stuff I learnt about using carp for maggots There is a heap of moisture in a carp as it breaks down - so you would either need a bucket with a drain to let it out - or about 10 times the newspaper I used If you dont use enough newspaper it will break down and turn into a sludge - a maggot infused sludge that is very difficult to pick maggots out of. Also dont use the head - they just burrow in and hang on when you are trying to shake them out End result was a hell of alot of mucking around and I lost 2/3rds of the maggots in the sorting process. The ones I salvaged are in a sea of newspaper, guts and scales - its almost enough to dampen a mans enthusiasm for breeding his own At least I'll know what to do next time

Did knock up a few years ago,more commonly known as bucktails. (Waitpinga salmon)

So with some really nice weather and conditions coming up over the weekend, the burning question is - watch the Grand Final, or take the boat out? Must admit, I'm struggling a bit!

Tricky with the timing for me, but would like to go fishing after a long winter and zip fishing. Not a huge footy fan but watch most of the crows games and usually the grand final. Those who are keen could follow Lofty's advice or a laptop with one of those tv antenna software things or streaming on your phone like david, or stream it through phone on to laptop. Some may even have the big marina boats and enjoy the best of both worlds, big screen and a line over the side, perhaps a shardy and crayfish sandwiches lol I wish Cheers Rod

I wont be out fishing Saturday, so will watch it and hoping GWS thumps the Vics BBQ and beers are the go

Crazy but i have to attend a birthday party that starts at 2pm! He can't stand footy - will be interesting to see how many people attend! I for one will be streaming some of the game on my phone Not that i support either team but still an important game

Would you believe before I used Zman grubs when I first ever touched a plastic I used it totally wrong . A $2 special out of the $2 bin at bcf very much like a grub dark green . Bream loved them my first 38cm fell to it using it wrong in the Pat . Only issue every small fish would strip it to the hook

Spot on Yellow. I have already re-rigged my whiting, gar, tommies and shark gear. My usual snapper spot carries all these from time to time, as well as snook, squid, sweep, trevally and on one occasion sampson fish. Its not a bad spot, close to shore and 7m deep. Mind you on at least 6 outings I have hooked legal snapper on my gar hooks!!! Guess I'll have to throw them back -- but at least there will be no barotrauma.

They work. Old mate got 26 carp in total fishing right place at right time on waggler. Also must mention his groundbait which does help tip the odds in his favour. Learning about the floats. Learning about groundbaits too. You Poms might be corrupting me mate. Sent from my SM-J120ZN using Tapatalk

And heres the sinkers https://youtu.be/JT8jgYIrfGE

There are definitely a few different designs out there!

That’s must be the same spot as mine David C , different tides , moons seasons means different fish , crazy ay Wadey

Yeah I've seen a metal pot with a hinged bottom activated by a vertical steel rod - the rope you lower the pot with is attached to that verticle steel rod - you lower the hole thing gently - then give a sharp tug - the raising of rod, trips a latch that releases the hinged bottom. Ill try to find the vid - I think it was an English shark fisherman who used it - it looked pretty ancient

Yeah Unfortunately I'm a few years too late and a poor second cousin to the real deal. Fast forward to 2:15 for the "Secret weapon"

You should enter yourself to the "Shark Tank" ... could make millions

Looking good Floatman - thanks for sharing

Hi again DOOBIE, As you say lighter line can cause tangles, with my floats if I DON'T keep the shot bunched under the float, instead of going out like a dart it will cartwheel, then you get the tangles. So you need the bits of that rig spaced as is, otherwise it won't work, maybe you will have to work on a different cast, something gentler, under arm cast or sideways or let the tide/flow take it away from the boat. I have caught lots of Gar but I'm not an expert by any means... like your set up, you've obviously put a lot of thought into that, I hope you can cure the problem? Regards...

Haha - Yeah I didnt throw anything but lures for 10 straight years - but a switch has flicked and now I'm stuck obsessing over baits, Imagine giving the same level of thought, you have poured into lures, into your bait presentations - then going back and thinking about all the times you could have cleaned up, if you had known what you were doing as a baito. I cringe at some of the opportunities I pissed away as a Young fella - alot of them dont even exist to a lure fisherman anymore But a crafty lad with a punnet full of maggots - he might be able to rewind the clock 30 years - those big old bruisers are still there - but they are way too smart for a lure

Yeah I sometimes question my sanity, with the lengths I will go to to work something trivial out - especially when its already been worked out before - by 100's of other people - and its not even that important in the first place But I'd be lying if I said I had not lost sleep wondering how to breed maggots better under the parameters I have set

Here's a big tip that should not be repeated also .... When you have a supply of maggots/gents and have put the container of maggots/gents inside another container for a short period of time ......... Do not, I repeat, Do Not forget they are inside the other container and put that container in the freezer The maggots/gents do not like it

Here's the last footage I got before harvest - at this stage there might have been a slight chance to separate them from the paper - but by the next day - it had turned to sludge

Thanks for the tip Lofty - I like the way you think I think I'll move away from anything a maggot can grip onto for my next batch - that means skinned carp fillet. What I noticed with using a can of cat food was - separating the maggots was a piece of piss - as you start adding heads and frames - it gives the maggots something to hang onto - this means you will be tempted to shake them out and splatter your legs with some of the foulest smelling bits known to man. It also adds time to the part of the process you definitely dont want to add time to Theres alot to be said for the scientific approach if you are trying to achieve the ultimate results - I've tried 2 different approaches, and from those, I have a much clearer picture of how it should be done - a little from column A and a little from column B, should make future batches much easier. But you are probably right about the calipers - I may have taken thing 11.28mm too far

I don't know much about it. There is a couple of clubs you can try here in South Australia. SAFFA - http://www.saflyfishers.asn.au/SAFFA_Welcome.html SAFWAA - http://www.safwaa.org/

wow, lesson learnt. I know with even small fish heads it is a pain getting them out, so can just imagine what you just went through But gotta to try to see how things work out.

Hi there, heading out tomorrow to mainly test our boat as the fuel pump has been replaced. We will be out on the water about 11am can’t go earlier unfortunately. I know this is low tide .. will we be okay to launch at Snowden beach at low tide and head down the port or should we go to north haven to be safe ? Would rather Snowden though. If we took it easy and kept an eye on depth would it be okay ?

I stopped following football once i left school, however i never liked watching most sports on tv, i often went to games at the MCG with school mates and loved the atmosphere, these days it's a no brainer if it's suitable to be on the water that's where i want to be

Yes it begins That is going to smell I'd be wrapping that in newspaper and then burying it under soil or sand Hope you get lots of fat ones though.

Even better beats , the week end rush and lots of Wankers to put up with .

You may need a doctors appointment , the answer is FISHING lol , listen to it on the radio , best of both worlds .

I won't be watching the grand final. [emoji6] Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Thats a silly question I know what id be doin

Best bet is to go pop in and say g'day to the team at Compleat Angler at Wallaroo or Moonta. They are a great bunch of people and will sort you out with where to go and what you'll need!'

Hi Guys, Headed up to Wallaroo in Nov with the family and doing some land based fishing. Probable hit the Jetty once or twice, pretty sure I heard it was open all the way now. Wondering if anyone can offer some advice on Point Riley. I've been told to go off the rocks with a surf rod. What can be targeted there, rigs and bait. I've not really done a lot of rock fishing but I have heard for Sqiuid just run a Jig underneath a float. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Usually the Abu 5500 size doesn't have a ratchet, but all the 6500's will. Although for livebaiting I would also strongly recommend the Penn Squall 12 which is about the same size as the Abu but comes with magnetic braking which can be quite handy when casting lighter livebaits. It also does away with the levelwind which is unnecessary on a bait reel IMO. Both reels are excellent casters and have smooth, reliable drag systems. You can't go wrong either way!

I understand that different occasions call for different styles of plastics. I was more going off what i feel comfortable using... Never really liked flick baits or what ever they call them, just feels like i'm throwing out a bit of plastic and towing it back in, Sure you can work them to get more/the action you want but just never done it for me. Same went for Paddles but i did enjoy using the Slim Swimz today.... Still not a Grubz tho.

Different actions work on different species at times, try using all types, my collection of sp's although not wide does include many tail types, although i often feel i need more paddle tails, lol of course the action we provide is often the key to enticing the fish to bite, i watch many youtube videos on fishing and i often come across a method I've not seen before, colours are another thing you will struggle with, again try different colours, different shapes, i was given a few packets that included different coloured prawn/yabbi styles great for bream at a guess but why wouldn't a nice big red bite on them? They will be part of my sp arsenal over the next few months chasing snapper out in the channel Another youtuber uses a pink and white flick bait, he drops it down next to his yak and uses it like a jigging lure but not as fierce, he often hooks up in seconds, another was Nigal from AFN on a video used for promotion by zman using sp's to catch spotted/spanish Mackerel offshore, i love bait fishing, but sp's and hb's have come a long way over the years and im hooked

The Strike Hook Footy Tipping Comp for 2019 is setup and ready to go. An email should have been sent to those who have participated previously. For those who haven't received an email or haven't signed up yet please click the link below to join. Address http://www.footytips.com.au/comps/strikehook Password tipping Good luck everyone Sponsors and prizes will be added throughout the season and updated in this post. Note Any issues with logging in or signing up to the comp on the Footy Tips website will need to be directed to the Footy Tips website as we don't have any control over the site we are just using the sites facility to run the competition.