Squid Inc.

So I wanted a sand spike/rodholder for a beach trip I have coming up, but after looking at the prices for prefab ones, I thought I'd have a go at making one myself. My main requirements were for it to be sturdy yet lightweight.
 
Materials;
50mm x1m PVC pipe
25mm x 25mm x 1.4mm x 1m aluminium angle.
~60mm hose clamps (x 2)
~60mm bolt with wing nut to suit
 
 
1) cut the pvc pipe in half
2)position it in the groove of the angle and attach with hoseclamps.
You could leave it here if you wanted it but I did a few extra little things.
3) drill holes to push the bolt through both sides of the pipe - towards the bottom. This way the butt of the rod will sit on the bolt rather than letting it rest on the reel at the top opening. You could drill a few holes and easily move the bolt to suit rods with smaller butts (hence the wingnut for easy removal)
4)attach a bit of rope so you can sling it over the shoulder.
5) cut the bottom of the aluminium angle to a point to allow it to push into the sand easier.
 
Here's the finished product.
 
 
 
If I did it again, I'd use thicker aluminium (3mm or more) or steel angle. I aimed to keep the weight down as I need to carry it a fair distance to get to the fishing spot.
 
 

Always enjoyed photography and have been bumming around taking some photos off late. A couple of my pictures from the last few months,that l have taken around the place.
 
Cheers WILDA
 

Just a follow up as I said I would put up a post win, loose or whatever.  Well it was whatever.
Got 8 squid but no KG's. That's fishing but on the positive side, great to on the salty H20 with Darren and his 2 sons and of course Sonar.
 
Did not take any fish pics of the squid or the crabs we caught on the rods.
 
SONAR hiding from the cold

 
The sun came out and so did Sonar in his Parker. (toughen up princess)

 

 

 
Got some plans in place along with the worm run and with lots more photos.
 
Cheers
 
 

Well the maiden voyage was a success, the canoe went well, although all those weirdos that were 8 to a boat with no fishing gear to be seen going back and forth were a bit annoying 😜😜 Thanks for the heads up, I didn't see any signs about not eating stuff though. What about the fish (making a huge assumption that I'll actually ever catch one, pretty ordinary fisherman😊) can you eat them?

Yep fought well but even better fight on this fish

Just got and automated email from strike and hook with reference to a salmon comp. Thought I would post a pic from this mornings catch down south. 3 fish over 60cm

Here;s another one the right way round I hope
 
 
cheers
snapps
 
 

Hi Guys
 
Ive been giving the Hobie a work out again and thought that seeing I have stumbled onto a spot with a few decent salmon around I would show you another one that I just caught on my latest trip. I have been getting one or two every trip and in a creek they are one feisty fish and watching them tail walk with their gills flared only metres from you is the best thing to see, I absolutely love it
 
I have been getting them on both soft plastic and un-weighted pillies with a few snapper up to 51cms as a bonus.The salmon I just caught fell to a pillie and kept me busy for nearly 10 minutes it just wasnt going to give up and several times I thought I had him beat only for him to charge off again. The fish went 65cms and I am yet to get one under 60cms.
 
I can see me getting a go-pro so I can capture some footage while I am fishing as my phone is to hard to use while you are attached to one of these beauties
 
 
 

Q: How much does it cost to start fishing?
 
A: Not much.
 
    .... But it will cost you a lot to stay fishing   
 
Cheers, Des

So I picked up a Wilson Supergraph Big Water Bream Rod for an absolute bargain of a price. The only Downside is the Butt end is very short and isn't comfortable to put under the arm. So i will be having a crack and constructing my own Extended Rod butt section. 

 
I took the rubber fighting cap off and used a set of verniers to measure the inside diameter of the blank. I then found an old broken rod blank that would slip into the blank and be tight enough to bond the two blanks together with resin. 
 


 
I cut the old blank to go up the blank only to below the Reel seat so it doesn't effect rod action and weight. The piece of blank i used once fixed to inside the Supergraph Rod I will then Tape it all to make it even, add sand grit tape then add heat shrink over the blank to tidy up to make it look like it was ment to be apart of it. The final touch will be to add an EVA Foam grip on the bottom just to finish it off... In the end it should look something like this but neater.. (was a mock up i test fitted)
 


 
It's just a little project inbetween rod builds while i'm waiting for parts for my other rod builds. Keep an eye on this space.. Will Post updates as they come to hand.

So,

I get home from work with some holidays booked and keen as to get away for some time to unwind with the only problem being where to go, tossed around hooking up the boat for a river trip but when in I walked in to the shed and seen the surf rods that haven't had a run in close on 8 months my mind was made up a over nighter to Goolwa .


Thursday morning with last few items throwen in I hit the road at 6.30am. Pulling in to the beach car park around 8.00 am, I set about dropping my tyre pressures via the strawn's. It really drives me nuts seeing 4wd still running road pressures chewing up the beach for no reason. Anyway after a easy drive to the mouth, I spent some time watching the dredge working and at the unbelievable numbers of seals around . I picked out a nice little hole set up camp and had the rods in by 10
 
With the 1st rod loaded with a st fillet

 
2nd rod with a pilly and a popper

 
The first bite came around 1pm and  soon had a beautiful salmon on the beach ,bled and in the esky .

 
A long wait till the next bite around 5.30 and was surprised to have caught my 1st salmon on a popper

 
After missing a huge hit on a whole squid head, the cold and poor footy game I decided to  pack it in around 9.30pm and climbed in the swag.
 
Friday morning rolled around still bloodly cold but great conditions I had the rods back in by 6.30am. I fished hard again all day changing bait every 20mins till the next bite around 1pm again, this fish didn't fight very well the reason eviedent with a trace and hook coming out through the gills. I don't know how long fishing line needs to be in the water for the growth on the line to get to that stage but it couldn't have been pleasent


 
Come 3pm and I packed up for the drive home , with 20 hrs of fishing for 3 fish not the best, it was great to get away and enjoy some great weather and camping.
 
A quick pic of tea, fresh salmon patties yum yum

I know jack about fishing the "dark side" (sun comes up later and tv stations are different to Adelaide and my side) So yes Nokia I think the berley is the trick which I was shown by Hoopsy.
So if you want get a mulcher  and recycle left overs.
 
Cheers

Did a quick dish of cockles with squid and pasta (toooo much I think but nice) All left overs will get recycled through the muncher as berley.


 
Cheers

I had this youtube site sent to me last night to checkout the footage taken from a drone in several areas in the North of Tassie, Mersey Forest Rd, Merseylea, Kimberley etc.
well worth watching..
 
cheers
Adrian
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCauCVemWS2FdMidOVqiwb6A

Here's one for the trout fisher's...      
 
cheers
Adrian

I hadn’t had a surf fishing trip for 5years, not since our last lads KI trip and before the young fella came along. The whole concept was beginning to feel like a nostalgic part of the past.  The idea for a KI salmon trip this season was optimistically discussed but fruitlessly realised. Not quite, but almost out of sheer desperation, brought a lower Yorkes fallback plan.
 
We had visited Yorkes numerous times but not for a few years, basing ourselves in the quaint Corney Point. This gives good access to the beaches of Berry Bay, Gleeson’s Landing, The Dust Hole, numerous rock fishing options and sheltered wading around Corny Point. All providing shelter from prevailing S-SW winds
The objective of this trip was to break in my mate’s new Seajigger, which had been unused and collecting dust since its purchase months ago.  More specifically; to have a solid crack at some surf salmon, possibly some rock fishing, wading and maybe even a lazy mullet session. Tinker had provided some options past Edithburgh, if the weather turned and blew from the NW.
 
Two weekends were chosen, to be selected at the last minute pending weather, in June, rather than later, hopefully to pick up any straggling mullet.  The first fell through and then the second looked doomed after my entire family succumbed to some nasty flu like virus. It was touch and go for a while but with some begging, we finally had a trip, only with a later departure of Friday evening rather than Thursday, returning Sunday night.
 
 
Friday
 
Even with express packing we didn’t leave until 1830 for a relatively uneventful drive other than a quick detour at Pt Wakefield when my mates ‘dinner’ of chips & iced coffee needed to break free . Onwards in the dark, we turned into Minlaton to be pulled over by the local constabulary. I'd noticed they eyeballed my mates old VN as we passed the servo, assuming likely bogan occupants up to no good . Any way mate blew zero, rego & licence check all good and he wished us good fishing!
 
 
Saturday
 
Plan was to pick a gutter in Berry Bay for a salmon surf session on the rising tide. After a lazy breakfast we were off. North Berry had 6 blokes fishing one gutter   but the entire beach south was clear with a sweet looking gutter smack in the middle. Luckily there is access near the middle as well as the southern end, so not too much walking. Closer inspection the gutter looked promisingly. It was deep in close but also had a fair swell cranking a current up the beach plus some solid sets of waves rolling in.
 
For my standard salmon surf fishing session I usually bring two outfits; one for bait (Penn Prevail  1202MH, Penn Slammer 560, 30lb braid) and the other for flicking lures (9ft Samaki Allure,  Slammer 260, 15lb braid).  This time I opted for 3 outfits, the two mentioned and one heavier (Beach Basher, 850ssm & 30lb mono) for anything bigger (shark, ray, mully)
 
I dropped my gear on a flat rock and grabbed the lure stick. I ran a 20lb mono leader via a FG knot to a snap swivel, perfect for 20-40g metals and the occasional large soft plastic. Starting with a 20g Raider into the promising water, then switched to a 28g Lock casting jig and was immediately impressed with the added distance. Nevertheless, without a touch and my usual lacking patience, I rigged up for bait.
 
I run a pretty standard paternoster rig, consisting of:
Snap swivel on main line 30lb or 40lb double paternoster twisted droppers (I buy these as they are tricky time consuming to tie) Loop on top and snap swivel to the sinker. Loop if the sinkers are molded with swivels, but I find snap swivel easier regardless. 2 snelled 4/0s on one dropper, baited with a whole salted pillie & tail tied on with a bit of bait thread. Surf popper on the other Star sinker to conditions. 3-6oz , breakaways if conditions are rough. I started with a 4oz star.
 
Swivels at both ends  minimise line twist, as the rig gets knocked around in the current plus facilitate easier rig & sinker changes. Twisted droppers hold the popper and bait more perpendicular than the simpler dropper loop rig, so are less likely tangled. Surf beaches regularly hold sand crabs which can quickly demolish pilchard baits. The popper will stay there and bob around enticingly when the bait is all gone .....Funnily enough, I had yet to catch anything on popper!
 
 
Back to the fishing......
 
The 4oz was holding well but with unpredictable wave action I decided to hold my rod with rather than place it in the rod holder. I could feel the telltale picking of crabs after a matter of minutes, checking bait to see it half demolished. Re-baited and back out. Tap, tap, lift and I’m on. Unsure what it was, certainly didn’t feel like a salmon? A bit of work out of the side rip revealed a nice mid-30cm Blue Spot and on the surf popper too! A double first for me: 1st flathead in the surf and 1st fish on a surf popper !
 

 
Just about to cast out again and my mate’s seajigger is finally getting a bend as he’s working a decent fish, some 80m up the beach.  I left my rod in the holder to give him a hand, landing a solid 60+cm salmon . No pics as my camera & phone were in my bag and the fish was released.
 
Those two fish were about it . The swell was getting uncomfortable where we were, pushing us up into the rocks at the base of the cliffs. Being a little concerned of getting trapped in the rising tide we packed and moved down the coast to the beach south of Pt Annie.
 
We targeted a nice hole, butting up the rocky point, with a few added reefy bits to keep us honest . Similar approach, baits out to the taps of smaller fish then wack, the distinctive tussle of my first salmon.  It proves difficult to land with the steep beach and side rip but is eventually up in a wave surge. Easily my biggest salmon for a number of years in the 50-55cm range, released.
 

 
Next couple of casts yielded snags; the loss of a sinker then a whole rig . Then I noticed a loop in my spool so pulled the line out only to get a massive mess as it blew down the beach, tangling with seaweed and inventing its own wind knots . I crack the s**ts, cut out 20m of line and switch to flicking lures! 
 
Metals weren’t getting any hits so I tried a SP (5in Jerk, ShadZTT Headlock 1/2oz, 5/0XH).
 

 
It cast surprisingly well but proved tricky working it between the big sets of waves. Finally one lift it gets slammed. I lose a bit of line then have similar trouble landing it as before. Another reasonable fish a bit bigger , and my 1st surf salmon on SP !
 

 
Around the same time my mate is bowled over in the backwash then receives the next wave right over the top and down the waders . He’s drenched and luckily we are sheltered from the breeze and the water’s not super cold anyway.
 
Again,  not much after those 2 fish , so we headed back up the coast for a bit of rock fishing.  With nothing noteworthy (smallish wrasee, sweep, tommies etc) we called it a day.
 
Mate had a hot shower and into dry clothes, I clean the flattie. We share the 1 beer .....ive been experimenting bottling homebrew in sodawater bottles which works well...... so 1 beer is really 4x330ml (great one to tell the missus "I'll just have one beer" ) ! We um & ah about wading the early morning low tide and decide it will be too dark and cold. Then seal its fate by downing a bottle of red and decide to have a lazy mullet session instead.
 
Sunday
After half packing the shack, we head to our pre-chosen mullet spot in close to Corney Pt. I tried to drop an onion bag of burley with ½ a house brick but even here the waves from the swell prove too much and smashed it into the rocks. Big baits out for any passing rays yield nothing other than snags on the only bit of rock around! Finally the mullet show in the last couple of hours rising tide and become increasingly aggressive with a few double headers. Most are only average but a few around 30cm. They loved slivers of deer heart I had been conscientiously saving for a mullet session.
 

 
Just as the novelty was wearing my mate hooks something far larger to reveal a lovely flattie, his PB at 55cm.
 

 
We decided to leave on a high, pack and hit the road for home.
 
Even though there was nothing spectacular always great to get away and focus on just fishing. A beautiful part of the world and just enought of a tease to come back for the salmon schools next trip.

Well rotare if he is only 14 or 15 he's probably so mesmerised by your avatar he's completely forgotten the question.
                              cheers nereus

Here's a few pic's of some decent size redfin perch...
 

 A Bullen Merri monster..
 

 48 cm redfin
 

 Solid redfin..
 
 
cheers
Adrian
 

I'm using the light weight breathable waders now days and have done for the past four years, the ones I use are Redington Pro Sonic with the stocking foot. I also have the Korkers wading boots with the interchangeable soles which are great.
Both the waders & wading boots are light weight and since getting them I've been able to cover a lot more distance on the rivers. I wore the heavy PVC Hornes waders with the rubber Blundstone boots for 10 years, they were very good but just so hot & heavy plus there wasn't any grip on a slippery rocky river bottom.. I can now cover around three kilometers of river in a four hour spin session as whereas before I could only cover around 1.5 kms max with the heavy PVS waders. Then there was the walk back to the car as well after fishing..The breathable wader I use weren't cheap but by hell they were well worth spending the extra $$ to buy them. I now have 2 pairs of each as a spare pair is essential when trout fishing the rivers 4-5 days a week during the open season. But I'm just going on river fishing here in Tasmania, not beach or boat fishing as many of you guys do, so you wouldn't need to go for this set up..
 
cheers
Adrian
 

Redington Pro Sonic waders..

Korkers wading boots.

I have the felt studded & rubber studded soles as well as plain felt & rubber soles, the latter come with the boots when purchased.

Tough day on the Meander River.. much better with the light weight wading gear that's for sure..
 
 

Here's a handy item to carry with you when wading too, it's a UV glue that's will dry instantly in the sun, so if you get a small hole or a seam starts to leak, just put some onto the leaking area and it will dry in a matter of a minute in the sun.. 

Hi all,
 
Now this is a bit out there and no I not going to ask for a spot to fish but any help tips on setting up a dam for trout. I had one shot at it but due to lack of rain in the last few years it has dried up. Where I live we have no mains supply so
it's our garden and stock water. So I am after any tips or ideas for setting it up again if and when we get some more rain

As sad a story as that is, where would the culling end Panga ?
Totally disagree.
It's bad enough they drum fish for them over there.

Sitting in the departure lounge waiting for my flight so excited!!🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

You two are rock'in today...