AuusieDave

mullet are very good eating fish if processed properly, I scale an fillet my mullet within 1 or 2 hrs, when at the beach I keep my fish in a canvas bag attached to my rod holder  with a small amount of salt water in the bag it work like a water bag this stops the fish from bruising  I also kill the fish by bending back the head , when filleting if you like a milder flavour skin the fillets  also if you cryavac the fillets skinning them makes a big difference for long term keeping.   my pet hate is to see fishos chucking live fish into a empty bucket to thrash about an die or through the on the sand 

Hi guys,
 
I had the day off work yesterday as I had an electrician at my house replacing the meter board and after he left I went down to Yamaha Pitmans Marine on Main North Road to see if they could help me with some alterations to my offshore life jacket.
As my biggest fear when out on the water is losing contact with my yak, if this ever happens I want to make sure that I have my PLB and handheld VHF radio with me, what I wanted doing is some straps sewn on at about the collar bone to hold my marine radio on my left collar bone and my PLB on my right collar bone and for these alterations to be robust enough to handle the salt water environment and be strong enough that they don't break if the air-bag ever goes off.
I was directed out the back to talk to the guy who makes/alters their canopies who kindly did the alterations and all he wanted in return was that I catch a 30kg SBT from my yak so I said I'd mention his great service online.

A strap with velcro on the left to hold the PLB and a strap for the alligator clip of the handheld VHF on the right.

All set to go, well when I go offshore I tend to wear my normal life jacket under this one as my normal life jacket is as much a utility belt to me as it's a life jacket so they'll sit a little higher.
Dave

Well I'm all done apart from the battery mount. Thinking about getting one of them Hobie hatch battery holders, I'm guessing Brink's will have them? Just hope it fits.. i reckon I saw somewhere that there only 150mm wide and the lip on my hatch is wider..

Cuttla pics.



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The black cord you can see in aussieDave's photo of his/our anchor set up is a piece of bungee i.e. drop the anchor, tie it off on the buoy then clip the bungee onto our anchor trolley (in your case onto your yak).  If you need to follow a fish unclip the bungee from your anchor trolley (yak) and you can then come back to the buoy and clip back on. The idea of the bungee is to act as a shock absorber thus you will not need chain or a larger anchor to hold bottom.
This set up is perfect if you have been burleying up your spot or you are fishing a specific piece of structure (rock etc.), i.e. you know you are exactly back on your spot.  In your smaller yak you can probably get away without a anchor trolley, you can see mine in the previous photo I posted.
Steve

Reckon i'll go with the hatch mount... It's out of the way of my feet and if i change my mind i'm sure i can get  a new hatch cover to replace the one with drill holes in it.
I'll have to reach forward if i want to play with it, But it's pretty basic and not much to change apart from mark a spot, other then that once it's on it will stay on the sounder screen 99% of the time.

I hear you with the ram ball, that's why I have mine in a recess on the side of the Outback. I'm a roof-topper too so I like nothing penetrating the flat surface of the top of the yak when not set up.

Cheers guys.. anchor is next on the list. I'm about to head to Jaycar and get a battery, just finished gluing the TD in and I think it went ok

I want the mount to be below the side of the yak So I can't rip it off loading it upside down onto the racks.. I'm a short arse and car is huge and I have no real control getting it up and down... Just winging it.

I wanted it between my legs but I'll have to drill a hole into the yak to run wires, mate reckons it to wet down there anyway. (First pic)

Second pic is where he has his, I'll only have to drill into the hatch cover to mount it and run the cable. Then I'll mount the battery in the front hatch which should keep it all together and neat. (Second pic)

Only issue I have with that is clearance for the plug, why I thought about a ram mount to help lift it up a little, but if I keep some slack in the wire I should be ok to plug/unplug it when I take the unit off at the same time. (Third pic)

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Anchor setup like this is what Lure's talking about.

You should no issues charging the battery with a normal charger if you're using one like in Lure's post above, I use a standard car charger for mine.
I use the ram ball and a spring loaded connector to my head unit, it works well.
I also use the Hobie, I don't know what it's called, plug thing to pass the cable through the hull, it allows three cables to be passed through and comes with multiple sizes of grommets to seal it.

Anchor setup like this is what Lure's talking about.

You should no issues charging the battery with a normal charger if you're using one like in Lure's post above, I use a standard car charger for mine.
I use the ram ball and a spring loaded connector to my head unit, it works well.
I also use the Hobie, I don't know what it's called, plug thing to pass the cable through the hull, it allows three cables to be passed through and comes with multiple sizes of grommets to seal it.

You may be able to save a couple dollars by shopping around or you could simply go to Jaycar and get the battery and charger.
 
Pros and cons for both. 
Using the original mount adds no additional cost, keeps the sounder lower and out of the way. Higher may make it easier to read and adjust but it may also be more likely to get in the way. Also consider which side you prefer to enter the yak from and mount the sounder on the opposite side imho, especially if you intend to launch into any sort of sea (shore break). I like to keep the left hand side of my yak free/uncluttered i.e. ease of getting on-board and remount if you happened to go arse up. KISS = keep it simple steve
 
 
Have you sorted out a anchor i.e. in the above photo you can see the yellow crab buoy and cord, which has a folding anchor attached to it i.e. Tackle World Metro sell the buoys. Most of use that go to see use these, although in a smaller yak you may prefer something smaller than the buoy we use.
Suspect you already have a life jacket but if you haven't may I suggest a kayakers vest type especially if you intend to go to sea, i.e. aussieDave and others will back me up on this. The yoke inflatables PFD's are ok for protected waters (West Lakes, Murray etc.) but even then if you can get use to wearing a proper Yak vest life jacket you will be better off imho i.e. S&H Kuerschie uses a kayak vest type Life jacket, even on the Murray.
Steve
 
 

Let the fun begin


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I use the set up that Lure has posted above except I use the 9AH battery, it's a cheap consumable part for me, I'm lucky if they last 12 months before the salt water environment corrodes the terminals away but they're fairly cheap and readily available.

I use the set up that Lure has posted above except I use the 9AH battery, it's a cheap consumable part for me, I'm lucky if they last 12 months before the salt water environment corrodes the terminals away but they're fairly cheap and readily available.

Try the beaches at West Lakes. Tirana Reserve for one has mullet often. Simple paternosta rig with two hooks and a basic mince and semolina mix. Just a light sinker with berley cage or attach a berley cage to the sinker. Bread in the berley cage is all you need. No need to cast far either. Simple fishing.
 

This is for rivers and still water scenarios

I do 99% of my mullet fish from an elevated position, like a jetty. I Berley them up to the surface so I can watch them eat the bait

I use them for livies, so I want to get 20 really quick.

Small 3mm squares of chicken or prawn on a size 12 long shank hook. And I use a "Flatty Flicker" or just hold the hook upside down really firmly and 9 times out of 10, the mullet will wriggle off the hook, so I dont have to touch them and mess with their slime coat.

I wouldnt catch many at all without a bread crumb and canned cat food berley - I mix it with water in a bucket so its just sloppy - And add a 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, once I've got the school to my feet. I try to time my bait landing just after the half teaspoon of berley hits the water. I keep it unweighted so it sinks at the same rate as the berley.

If there is no wind - I dont use a float but if the wind gets up, the float is mainly there to add casting distance and stop my unweighted bait being dragged around by the wind.

I have found a gently sinking bait is much more effective in an active berley trail - A static bait sitting under a float, can be all but ignored, while a moving bait will be doing all the damage - So I keep my bait moving by raising it up and letting it sink. The mullet I chase love a moving bait.

Even pulsing it back like a soft plastic, can help get the schools attention. They seems really keyed into movement and when one chases it, it fires up the school and they compete much harder for the bait.

Finding a spot where they naturally hang out is also very important to my methods - If I get things right - I can have the school at my feet in under 2 mins - some days it seems like they were watching the first spoon of berley flying through the air

 

This is what I use.
A lot of yak manufactures have copied the Hobie hatch and as such the Hobie bracket fits them also i.e. battery clicks in the holder and the holder sits on the inside lip of the hatch.

 

Some yakkers  also use these but I'm old school.                                                                        https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-DC-12V-1800-20000mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Li-ion-Lithium-Battery-Pack-AU/273408461305?hash=item3fa86a09f9:m:mkWzZDW_uf6ZSpJttoQ8d4w:rk:1:pf:0
Steve
 

Leave it to cure mate and cross your fingers you got it
you won’t know till your on the water anyway
its not as hard as we make it sound
mmmmm I want a yak again 😂

Sorry hard to get a decent pic, must be the camo.

There is a valley that runs down the guts that i reckon it would sit ok in. Looks like people use high density foam to make a surround from then fill with silicone. Reckon it would be ok in that valley? I guess I'll have to put something to weight the foam down to mould to the hull shape when drying.

The other option is the 4th pic which is to the side of the yak, will it affect the reading if that part of the hull is not always under water?


Yes there is swarf in there... No I won't be sticking the vacuum in there


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Yeah that valley looks fine mate
also agree with the foam 
I stick my foam down first, then filled with silicone then pushed my transducer into the silicone and put a weight in it till it cured
just got to make sure no air bubbles then it will be all good
im fairly sure I have some pics of my AI install somewhere, I will try to find them and put them up

I'm a big fan of a shoot through transducer set up myself unless you have a side scan one.
I had one on an arm that I originally got with my kayak but it'd kick up all the time.
I just find shoot through so hassle free, all I have to do is connect the battery and the head unit and I'm away.

Yup in be mounting mine in the hull.

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Hi all,
This is my first post about fly fishing as I have only recently been introduced to it and taken a liking, so by all means please comment with your thoughts.
I am interested in both fresh and salt water fly fishing but am limitted by my gear at the moment. I have a 7wt rod topped off with 8lbs fluoro that I intened to use for a salt water set up.
So after a few days of practicing my cast spread across the last fortnight I decided the trip I already had planned to the yorks would be the perfect chance to wet a fly for the first time. The beach we were staying at has a low water level for about 150 meters so I put on a pair of waders and started covering some ground. I worked my fly in all sorts of spots of differing depths and structures but the fish were very thin. I recall only seeing one sizable fish but quite a bit of small bait jumping around at times. The afternoon tide was a bit dodge at this beach and as the sun started to go down so did my hopes. I was about to call it quits as I lost visibility but then one of my mates kindly offered to run and grab me a head torch so I decided to give it another few minutes... and luckly I did. After turning my light on and walking back out it was about 5 minutes before I got my first bite and I was hook up. After a short struggle and alot of splashing around I landed a small tommy roughly 15-20cm long. Not a monster but you always remember your first 😉.
I was a little surprised that I didnt see or catch more fish as I know its a quiet area that doesnt see to much pressure. I was hoping that some of you could offer me some advice or tips (e.g do people use burley?) for future trips, or even if someone would be keen to head out some time with the fly rods.
Keen to hear some feedback, Cheers,
H.