AquaticResearch1

Very nice fellas, inshore snapper are alot of fun when you have the chance to get onto them.

Absolutely ripping browns mate! Some very healthy fish there.

Cheers Plankton, maybe it is the heavier line. When I spooled up the stock reel it was very bottom heavy like Alan Hawk described, but unfortunately I found when i used the two thin adjustment washers as opposed to the single thick one the drag clicker didn't function.

Would really appreciate it if you could just try one or two adjustment washers minus the single thick one and see if the clicker works for you?

Nah I mean how evenly it spools and what happens when you adapt it.

A good way to spend the dough Plankton, the Finnor Lethal definitely feels like a work horse. Let us know how you go spooling it up, assuming you are doing it yourself (winding it on).

Cheers

Of the two Streaky, but only cause its closer to Smokey Bay. If your really looking for the small town feel without being inundated with tourists. Fishing there was phenomenal.

Not found a commercial one that works against mozzies in the really bad areas, but I have used some of the spray from "Raid" and the like. The stuff kills any bugs and the like that touch its residue on hard surfaces and seems to keep off the bities. But not Sure if you should really let it be in contact with your skin for overly long, doesn't say not to so mweh

Ripper fish mate!

Spot on

Doobie, I was in an Hills Tackle shop yesterday and they had the 1-4kg and possibly more in the range Shimano Raider rods on sale for $60 or something ridiculous. It would be well worth it to start off with one of those rods. You'd be kicking yourself if you upgrade 3 months on and the rod costs you $120 odd.

Just a thought.

No worries

As with alot of things in fishing it is dependant upon 1000001 variables.

A very "wobbly" rod, that is to say it is softer in the tip, will cast lighter weights such as those used for the species you've mentioned further than a "less wobbly", that is to say a stiffer tipped rod could. This is because the softer rod will "load up" with the weight, and use the loaded section to propel the bait/rig further.

However, a slow tapered rod, meaning the rod blank bends a long way down the blank,almost all the way to the grips, can be more of a liability than a help in casting and especially hook setting.

You see, in the lower end range of rods and fibre glass rods the softness extends throughout the blank. This leaves the angler with minimal punch or hook setting power, therefore they are hindered in their ability to sink the barb through flesh and they miss alot of bites.

The "perfect" rod would have a fast taper or Extra fast taper yet still have a sensitive tip. The sensitive tip allows the angler to cast light weights accurately and detect bites easily, while the fast taper allows the hook to be set far more easily. Unfortunately, the bulk of rods like this are made of Graphite, and the better rods tend to start from the $100 mark.

I tend to find if using monofilament a stiffer rod is required to compensate for the stretch, while braid can allow you to use a softer rod due to its lack of stretch.

So to answer your question. It depends on the situation. A wobbly tip would be better for casting in your situation (assuming you go with a glass rod, graphite generally regains its shape quickly) but the rod cant be slow and soft all the way through as you wont be able to set the hooks.

If I were in your situation I would look at the "Royale Gold" or something like that series in Kmart. The rods are cheap but they are light and they are far more crisp than similarly priced rods. This would probably be your best bet on a compromise between "wobbly" light weight casting rods and "stiff" hook setting/heavy weight casting rods.

An example; I have a Daiwa 6 peace travel which i picked up for $25 at the Boat Show one year. I can cast unweighted bread and light hard body's a mile with it. But i cant for the life of me set the hook into Redfin when they strike and when I strike a carp I've got to hit it like I'm striking at a bloody shark! Its a massive trade off and now i only use that rod when I want to have a bit of fun in the Murrays backwaters. Would i use such a soft rod for gar or YFW? HELL NO! I just wouldn't set a hook, I'd cast out to them but would never be able to hook them up over distance. I now much prefer relatively crisp graphite rods as the tip is sensitive and able to load and flick out light weights, but they have hook setting power unlike any glass rod I've ever used and are able to quickly turn the fishes head.

Honestly mate, if you get right into your fishing you'll want to upgrade in no time.

Hope that makes sense. AR1

nice work mate... do you think a bread fly, tied to some light fluro would work on spin gear?? wouldn't mind getting my trout outfit out and chasing some mudmarlin.

I'm not Kuerschie, but personally I've got carp on some really dodgy bread flies using a handline. Sometimes a slow sinking fly will catch fish when an outright floating fly won't. This was on a boat so casting distance didn't really matter. I'm sure you could do similar with light spin gear.

They must be kidding. And if the government allows that to happen I will give up completely in the government. If people are that determined to "improve" the system for there own agenda while completely retarding the environment it astounds me.

We as fishers generally benefit when an environment is at its peak, functioning, generally, as nature intended; and as such we don't ask for procedures which would jeopardise the environment.

Surely the most sensible solution would be to give SA Water a kick in the ass and get them to release some heavy environmental flows from Clarendon.

To sand bag Adelaide's largest open mouthed estuary system would be utterly deplorable, especially since it is in direct contact with a sanctuary zone.

Grrrrrrrrr

Good to know you got it sorted mate. Always a bit easier when the decision is made for you, no more it's or buts.

BTW I approve of your username, has to be one of the best on here haha.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I8rb7qvwvWc

I knew they did it, but never would have thought somebody would catch it on camera! Can just imagine how hard the heart would be pumping!

Well done southie! Hopefully the hours have paid off and your rod lives up to the blank's potential.

If I may ask, what is your special touch going to be?

Nice man, great alternative way to bust a few midsuckers

Mines an utter mess as well ATM. But when its organised...

Rods that don't get used each week generally sit in pvc "rocket launchers" rigged and ready to go. These point toward the door so I can just quickly grab one and get to the closest dam. The rest sit in a Pelagic brand rod holder, which is in the corner of the shed.

I've got a designated table for rig tying and general fiddling,on which sits any spare/crappy reels or similar.

The tackle I use frequently sits in multiple (about 4) flat pack tackle boxes. 1 saltwater terminal gear, 1 saltwater lures and jigs, 1 double sided light freshwater another of assorted terminal gear. The rest of my stuff, generally spinner baits, big minnows, random things that have just popped up, go in a multi stack tacklebox which sits in a cupboard.

It starts like that, then over time is strewn allover the place until finally it gets put back and the cycle repeats.

Honestly I know people who have eaten fish out of the port and westlakes, even fish like big dark resident snapper and they still have all 11 fingers. But I wouldn't eat anything but Salmon Trout and gar or similarly migratory species.

IMO its not worth the risk to eat resident or large species like Snapper, Mulloway, Bream and even flounder etc.

Handy that you've got some big glow sticks floating around. It is a pain trying to detect bites at night, but from apart from running flood lights around your fishing gear there isn't alot you can do.

Depends on the size of the fish and conditions. Little fish and calm conditions a bell is good, although they are really annoying when fighting the fish. Salt Creek and Pounding surf/currents and weed then i'd use a glow stick on the tip and fit a "powerful" glow stick to the blank just above the fore grip or even fit a light onto the rod stand. That way you can tell by the angle between the glow sticks and also slight illumination of the real as to wether you've been hit or not.

That's pretty poor from Shimano. Certates are very nice, would take one over a stradic in a heart beat.

The flex would definitely annoy me, the one reel I have that did that is now a big paper weight.

Oh, the juice also toughens them up a bit, which is handy. Although that may be an age thing. Do you know if they get gar up there? Don't think I've seen them mentioned in the flats reports

Great little session there Alex, really like the floating live well. Didn't see any more whiting?

Those worms work alright don't they! I mixed up some diy gulp juice to keep them in, almost 7 years since I bought the packet (geez I was little when I got them)and they are still like new.