Fishie

Here's some pics of containers these two are running across the container both ways.
 

 

 
 
Here's another container with a school of snapper sitting next to it.
 

Here's some pics of containers these two are running across the container both ways.
 

 

 
 
Here's another container with a school of snapper sitting next to it.
 

There's plenty of containers throughout St Vinnies Gulf from out off Cape Jervis through to the top of the Gulf.  Most were sunk by pros' many years ago and a lot have slowly sunk into the sand or corroded away.  Some stand up to 1 or 3 foot above the bottom and still hold fish.  There also used to be a bloke employed to shoot holes infloating containers with a shottie so they would sink.  GSpot area was supposed to be made up of 100's of pallets as mentioned.  I have something like 30 odd marks for that area alone but most seem to be just coral bottom.  I won't know until I drop the GoPro down for a look.
 
Here's a couple of images of the GSpot area... the spikes clearly show it is porous coral as the porosity confuses the  algorythms of the sounder
 

 

The shipping containers off Ardrossan ....errr...
Container ships don't even go anywhere near Adrossan,maybe its containers of some form or another but shipping containers? Could for all money be a load of ice cream containers ,and from what I"ve seen of some of the people that frequent that jetty more than likely Hydroponic  pots.

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

DAY 1

In the first week of school holidays, a Kangaroo Island trip was a great way to settle us in thanks to one of my best mates (John) and his family, who are one of the biggest deaf families in Australia! We arrived on a beautiful day with nothing but blue skies and crystal clear water. As soon as we got off the ferry, we were straight into the fishing! I spotted a few good schools of tommies so I chucked on a small hard body to see if I could tempt a few.. After landing a couple, a tiny squid appeared to be attacking the lure! Hooked up to it but dropped it. The next cast the same thing happened but this time I landed it. It was only small but there were quite a few hanging around it so I quickly chucked on a jig. First cast with jig, it was smacked by a nice squid on the drop. Same with the second, third and forth cast!   I realised how many there were but we were only keeping a few for bait and the rest were released. For the next 1 and a half hours we caught close to 30 squid, sharing around a single rod!    John, his two brothers and mum all landed their first squids which they were stoked about!   




 
It was time to head over to our shack, which was in Hanson Bay. We unpacked and set off for a stroll to the second beach, carrying a couple of rods. We found a very nice gutter and whist John chucked a bait out, I was flicking metals and soon hooked up within the first few casts! After a couple of solid runs, it spat the hook but another one took it closer in! Once again it spat the hook but again, a school chased it into the wave breaks and I saw the hookup through the wave! This one was one of the larger models which took me for a huge run and spat the  hooks again!!!! It was one of the biggest salmon I've hooked and I was spewing!! I even saw it in the wave with another 4 fish following it and clearly, this one was the biggest.   

For the next couple of casts, I had no interest in the lure but once the sun started to go down, plenty of big tommies and small salmon trout were hitting the lure. I landed quite a few big tommies while John only had bites on the baits. It got dark and cold so we decided to call it quits. Fortunately, the alarm was set for an early start the next morning!   
 
DAY 2
 
6am, we got up and had a quick breakfast. Walked to the river in Hanson Bay which I believe is the South-west River? The scenery was beautiful with the early morning fog creating a blanket over the top of the river. At the first accessible spot, I had a practice cast which resulted in a hookup on the Ecogear SX40! It was only a small bream but a good sign!

 
We made our way up the river flicking at every spot we could access. Before it warmed up, I landed another 3 fish with my mate getting donuts, it was his first time using lures which was understandable but I showed him quite a few tricks! 


 We made our way up to the very top of the river where I had plenty of casts in a small pool, on the 10-15th cast, I had a solid hookup! This one felt bigger and almost got me into a snag. After a good fight, I lifted it up to the ledge and boy was this bream healthy!   It measured 30cm and after a few pics it was quickly released. 

 
 
We went back to the second bay after lunch where we landed plenty more tommies, salmon trout and loads of pesky wrass! 

 
We got bored and went back to the shack to get the kayaks ready for a relaxing paddle in the river. But knowing me, I had to bring a rod along.    I followed behind John with the SX40 being trolled behind me. It wasn't long before I got hits, and lots of them! At the first bend in the river, I managed to land around 3 small bream. We made our way all the way up the river where I had no hits at all so we decided to go back down. As soon as we hit the same bend, I had a heap of hits. I hooked up to a few fish which spat the hook. This time I only landed one before sundown which was just legal. A quick photo and release.

 
DAY 3
 
The next day, we went to Kingscote jetty. It was pretty windy and cold. We had plenty of tiny bites on the baits but no hookups, it was really slow. After an hour, John hooked up to something huge on my rod! It took a rather large squid tentacle and screamed off straight under the jetty. After a quick 20 seconds, it busted him off on the pylon..    We reckon it was a big salmon, small kingy or possibly a snapper. I tied on another rig which had no interest other than the odd small nibbles. In the last few minutes, I decided to try for squid. It was hard casting with the wind but I managed to land 2 small squid before we left. 

 
Just after dark, we made our way to Vivonne Bay jetty. it looked very promising with tommies swarming the lights. First couple of casts, we landed a couple of tommies on plastics! They were solid tommies going 28-30cm. After landing around 20, I hooked onto something that peeled line!  After a decent fight, I lifted it up and to my surprise, it was a nice Silver Trevally! A couple more tommies were caught and then I hooked up to another slightly bigger Silver Trevally! We were getting loads of tommies and before we were about to leave, I hooked another Silver Trevally which looked a lot bigger! It fought extremely hard and spat the hook before it broke the surface. Oh well, we landed a nice feed all up! 


 
DAY 4
 
After a long night, we woke up tired but we didn't want to leave the place without landing a big salmon, so we walked all the way to the third beach, both casting metals into the surf along the way. We both managed to land a few salmon trout each, nothing big and were released. We made it to the third beach which didn't look as good as I thought, the gutters were really shallow and we didn't get a single hit. On the way back, we flicked metals at the end of the second bay, next to the rocks. First cast we both had hits. We hooked up to some good fighting salmon trout but we both persisted through the smaller ones. After I had a talk with John about why persistence is crucial in fishing, we both hooked up to a big salmon each, at the same time!!!   Mine was doing plenty of heart stopping jumps but they both stayed on! We were so excited and shared an amazing experience together. Both salmon were our personal bests with mine going 55cm and John's going 51cm. 


 
We threw them onto the sand and our lures went straight back in, hoping for another 'real' salmon. This school moved way to quickly and we didn't hookup to anymore solid fish.. After another couple of hours flicking lures and catching salmon trout after salmon trout, we called it a day and what a day it was!!! 

 
After hard work scaling and filleting the fish, they made a lovely meal! This was when I realised how good they tasted fresh from the surf! 

 
DAY 5
 
It was an early start for me as I had to leave. Lots of hand shakes and hugs went around as I left. I arrived at Penneshaw jetty a few hours early which gave me time to fish! It was windier than the first day but it didn't stop the squid from biting! First cast I hooked up to a nice squid, followed by more.

 
I ended up catching and releasing around 20 and decided to try catch something else. I chucked on a Zman 2.5" grub to see what was hungry. Casting into the reefy shallows, I had a solid hit, quickly retrieving the lure in, it was followed in by a wrass which smashed it! They actually fight hard which was a surprise.  After a pic it was released. 

 
And of course! Here's the video!! My longest video yet, please enjoy  

 
What an amazing experience I had! MASSIVE thanks goes to John and his family for the awesome time. 
I would also like to thank a few Strike and Hook members that helped me get familiar with Hanson Bay! 
 
Cheers guys. 
Alex. 

Those spider crabs with the big claws are good eating... there's plenty of meat in the big claws and you'll find it a lot richer than bluey's. 

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.

"Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat"
Green ginger wine was also good for cold nights fishing.

I am actually a chef by trade and this is one of our faves

Hi, this is a link to the popular fishing target  Estelle Star, or also commonly  referred to the Estelle Reef.
 
She was a converted ex Sydney Ferry, which sank a fair way of the coast of Arno Bay.  Mod, Please share in the correct forum, for the guys on the West Coast, if you do not mind.
 
All the best.
 

 
 
Savy

Here's bacon I made in mine.
 

 
 

Well yesterday when I was floating around in the middle of the gulf without any food on the boat my mind was thinking about food 99% of the time and fishing 1 % of the time. I caught a nice rugger and visualized it turning into a delicious crispy skinned Thai dish. I almost had to turn the bilge pump on I was salivating so much.  Anyways I looked up a few recipes which were all confusing and normally required loads of different ingredients.  So here is my simple Crispy skinned red curry - Free range snapper.
 
Ingredients - See photo
-  Valcom authentic Thai red curry paste
- 1 lime
- 1 Red onion
- 1 Tomato
- Packet of coriander
- Chilli flakes
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 Small snapper  ( You can leave head and tail on if you desire )
- Plain flour.
 
Method
 
- Chop onion into slices and tomato into rough cubes and fry in a small saucepan until onion is lightly brown.  Once the onion is brown add the tin of coconut and about half the jar of red curry paste. ( More or less dependant on your taste.) Squeeze half a lime and then let simmer while you attend to the fish. ( That is the sauce done. )
 
- Slice the fish down its side three times ( evenly spaced for appearance sake . Put some flour into a dish and press the fish onto the flour covering both sides evenly.
 
- Place oil in a frying pan to the level that you would normally do when shallow frying.  To check oil temp put a cube of bread into the oil, if it browns in 10 seconds its ready.
 
- Add your fish to the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. I like to spoon some hot oil into the gut cavity to ensure it cooks properly.
 
 
Presentation
 
Once the fish is cooked place it onto a plate that has a bit of depth. You will be adding sauce so you don't want a flat plate.  Pour your sauce and place the cooked onion and tomato evenly over the fish.   Chop your coriander and chilli and sprinkle it over the top stand back and admire hell even call your wife over and get her to pat you on the back
 
Eating
 
Put a napkin over your shirt, get a cold beer and devour it in front of the cricket.

Here's bacon I made in mine.
 

 
 

That bacon cure was given to me from my local butcher for showing him how to use his GPS.
 
 
 
I now use this recipe below.  I leave out the pink salt as the bacon gets consumed pretty quick.  seal it all up in a vacpac or ziploc bag in the cure and place in the fridge.
 
MAPLE-CURED SMOKED BACON
This recipe is for a sweeter bacon. There should be some sugar or sweetness to balance the salt, but if you prefer a more savory taste, omit the maple syrup. If you like black pepper, add it to the cure. Seasonings can vary infinitely, but it is the curing and the smoke that make bacon one of the greatest flavors on earth.
THE CURE
2 ounces/50 grams kosher salt (about 1⁄4 cup)
2 teaspoons/12 grams pink salt
1⁄4 cup/50 grams maple sugar or packed dark brown sugar
1⁄4 cup/60 milliliters maple syrup
One 5-pound/2.25-kilogram slab pork belly, skin on
Combine the salt, pink salt, and sugar in a bowl and mix so that the ingredients are evenlydistributed. Add the syrup and stir to combine. Rub the cure mixture over the entire surface of the belly. Place skin side down in a 2-gallonZiploc bag or a nonreactive container just slightly bigger than the meat. (The pork will release water into the salt mixture, creating a brine; it’s important that the meat keep in contact with this liquid throughout the curing process.) Refrigerate, turning the belly and redistributing the cure every other day, for 7 days, until themeat is firm to the touch. Remove the belly from the cure, rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry. Place it on a rack set over abaking sheet tray and dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. Hot-smoke the pork belly to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F./65 degrees C., about 3 hours. Let cool slightly, and when the belly is cool enough to handle but still warm, cut the skin off by sliding a sharp knife between the fat and the skin, leaving as much fat on the bacon as possible. (Discard the skin or cut it into pieces and save to add to soups, stews or beans, as you would a smoked ham hock.) Let the bacon cool, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate or freeze it until ready to use. Yield: 4 pounds/2 kilograms smoked slab bacon
A slab of pork belly should have equal proportions of meat and fat.
To cure bacon, the salts, sugars, and spices are mixed and spread all over the meat. The bacon can be cured in a pan or in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag.

Here's some smoked cheese that I made. 
 
The charcoal lump I had in with the sawdust for a low heat caught alight and got a bit too hot.
 

Pastrami is easy.... Buy corned silverside or corned beef from the Supermarket and coat liberally in cracked black peppercorns and crushed coriander seeds.  Leave overnight and then smoke for 8 hours or so.
 
I also do the same with pickled pork instead of beef.  Another simple recipe is just to smoke the pickled pork without the coating.

Here's bacon I made in mine.
 

 
 

Had to change the leader as the braid had some frayed areas near the leader.
 
Heres a pic of one of my FG knots with half hitches after a year & half of fishin for snapper
 
30lb braid to 70 leader, the 70 lb leader is used for fishin around razorfish beds.
 
 
 

 
 

gday all been messing around with recipes for awhile now and have finaly nailed it
 
give these a whirl u will be impressed
 
major key is too buy ur favorite snag instead of plain sausage meat
 
700g sausages de-skun
2 carrots
1 onion
2 tb s sweet chilli sause
1tb s tomatoe sauce
1tb s crushed garlic
1 tb s wostishire sauce
1 tea peper and 1 tea spoon salt
4 pampus puff pastry sheets
 
Prep...
mix chopped onion and gratted carrot into sausage meat
mix all other ingredince together in small bowl add  sausage meat and mix in well
 
now to get ingredince even divide mixture into 1/4s one for each sheet
 
once made egg wash with 1 egg and 2 table spoons of milk (roughly)
 
cook on 220f for 30-40mins or until golden brown
 
Enjoy as i know u will

I've been using this version on the tuna this season. It hasn't let me down but it seems if you don't get those first few wraps correct and tight it won't work.  It's then finished off with the half hitches.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk7uWUa4z6Y
 
 
 
I've also been making my own wind on leaders with hollow braid but the FG knot for braid to mono leader is by far a lot easier.
 
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/Fishnut1/windon_zpsd7a376c9.jpg