Plectropomus

great write-up. Those big ones are true "crocs". Speaking of.....how log is the biggest bluespot you have seen reliably measured?

are you selling some of those shiny metal jigs?

marvellous!! Hope to see some posts on here of your adventures and a review of the pros and cons.

what model did you choose?

beautiful picture>

do they "boof" at the surface? Like salmon or barra?

damn pretty fish. Loads of variety down there. Do the dusky flathead get that far south?

I was doing alright this arvo….. until the tax man showed up I was thinking "shark? ....down there?", but it looks like Sammy the Seal. I really like oily fish, and well remember having some marvellous battered 'coutta and chips down at Queenscliff (?) in Victoria. Yet most folk seem to loathe them as wormy line-cutters. Sounds like a great fishing location!

Amazing! I never knew the whiting ate crabs, and had wondered how they accessed them. They used to be named "Helograpsis haswellianus" ( think?). I love your posts with the gut contents and sharp observations. What else do you see at night on the samphire flats?

moon phase maybe??

I live in FNQ, and did go to my local tackle shop. He reckoned he bought some sort of automotive gasket material and uses that! Can't remember what it wass and cannot get it any more.

I read a lot of debate online about the use of drag washer grease (a "wet" drag system). One school of thought was that "wet" washers (greased and then grease squeezed out/wiped off) were the way to go for smoothness and lighter line. Another opinion was that "dry" ungreased washers were better for a heavy drag setting, but sometimes the "take-off" was not so smooth. Then a common opinion was the carbontex dont need grease!!! The comment I liked best was that the old Blue Shakespeare Series spin reels had the smoothest drag out at that time -- and they were made from felt! I wore out

That's one of my questions...how do I find out what thickness is needed for my 2 types of reels? I could measure the existing washers, but they have been fried and perhaps (??) made thinner. There are at least 3 thicknesses on the market -- maybe 4?? I guess I could count the washers, including the metal ones, try and calculate the depth of the housing for the washers and then divide the depth by the number to get possible thicknesses? In a pinch I punched out some washers from the thinnest part of old leather rigging gloves -- but they were too thick.

Hi Folk, I have some old reels that are my workhorses for big fish. Two 1990's Shimano Speedmaster TSS IV spin reels, and an early 1980's Shimano Triton Mag Mark 111. The drag washers need replacing but spares are unavailable. They get overworked on speedsters (spanish mackerel) and sluggers (shark bycatch) I have 2 questions: 1) how does one work out what thickness to buy in Carbontex sheets when the original felt washers are very badly worn (and presumably thinner than original) 2) is there any material anyone can recommend (such as gasket material or the red stuff

Amazing how far these flatties (duskies) will track down a lure. Some good lessons too -- fish sand patches in the seagrass at high tide, drainage channels as the tide drops, and weed/structure patches on the sand at low tide. Swap the school mackerel for salmon trout and one could be in nthn Gulf St Vincent!