yellow door 1

I get the 300m spools and just topshot my reels with 100m of braid - At the time I was buying it it was around $8 on ebay (Its since gone up to $12 for the 300m spool) - and it passed all my tests - so it turns out to be a very economical braid thats nice and limp.

I tested the 8lb most thoroughly and with the way I test my lines - it breaks at 75%+ when dry and using a uni knot - but if you pass the line through the eye of the hook twice before finishing the uni, it will break slightly above stated breaking strain.

If I tie an FG with 8lb Kast king braid to 8lb Vanish leader - the line breaks at the lure out in the field

And the 30lb Flourokote I use for Jewie leader breaks around 35lb with a standard uni knot.

I did have some unexplained breakages on the 6lb braid but all the other classes above it have been very well behaved.

As you might have guessed I like looking for cheap stuff that works good - In my experience - Kast King lines and Sunnies fit that description -

But as you know - this is just what happens when I use the line - results can and do vary based on who's tying the knots and the testing method.

 

Here that diy method I mentioned

Thanks Yellow, 
I'll be slide baiting with grapnels. 

I rarely use hard bodied lures these days but I used to use them flat out for bream - towards the end of that era I was beginning to become dissatisfied with Owner st36ers - and that was on 6 to 8lb leaders. Too many bent and snapped trebs for my liking. I had a suspicion that quality control had dropped or the last few packs I'd bought were from a dud batch.

Then I got a batch of lures that had BKK trebs on them and I remember being very impressed with those. But this was a long time ago and I didnt test them with scales like I would these days.

I've got a mate who is still an avid HB user and he doesnt buy owners any more - he's completely switched all his trebs to BKK. If you give them a crack, just make sure you dont accidentally buy the fine wire version, They're similar to the ultra light owner st-11 ul
 

I rarely use hard bodied lures these days but I used to use them flat out for bream - towards the end of that era I was beginning to become dissatisfied with Owner st36ers - and that was on 6 to 8lb leaders. Too many bent and snapped trebs for my liking. I had a suspicion that quality control had dropped or the last few packs I'd bought were from a dud batch.

Then I got a batch of lures that had BKK trebs on them and I remember being very impressed with those. But this was a long time ago and I didnt test them with scales like I would these days.

I've got a mate who is still an avid HB user and he doesnt buy owners any more - he's completely switched all his trebs to BKK. If you give them a crack, just make sure you dont accidentally buy the fine wire version, They're similar to the ultra light owner st-11 ul
 

Hmmm thats weird. They were our biggest selling trebles at my old work and have never seen anything like that before.
Bkk trebles are pretty good to for the price. Super sharp and seem well made and constructed. I believe the Nomad guys use them in Qld for all there big species with no dramas.
 

Since I bought this $7 set of digital luggage scales - I test all my tackle to see what it can handle so there are less surprises out on the water. Its better to break a product during testing than on a fish

I test braids, leaders, jigheads, snaps, trebles, drag settings etc.

Its very comforting to know exactly how hard you can pull and what your tackle can do.

There will still be some surprises out on the water like crushed hooks - opened snaps and unexplained breakages - but if I know I can dead lift a 2kg fish out of the water but a 3kg fish will max out my jighead - it saves some heartache

There will be a point when you know you're taking your testing too far😉........

Since I bought this $7 set of digital luggage scales - I test all my tackle to see what it can handle so there are less surprises out on the water. Its better to break a product during testing than on a fish

I test braids, leaders, jigheads, snaps, trebles, drag settings etc.

Its very comforting to know exactly how hard you can pull and what your tackle can do.

There will still be some surprises out on the water like crushed hooks - opened snaps and unexplained breakages - but if I know I can dead lift a 2kg fish out of the water but a 3kg fish will max out my jighead - it saves some heartache

goes well, i've had no problems

Yeah mine is half way between fresh and jerky

if you give it a crack - I've been told not to use iodised salt - apparently fish dont like the taste of iodine
 
 

Do you salt it down or use it fresh/frozen
 

Yeah thats one of the things I love about- when the little snapper and flatties are tearing pilchards to shreds - you know those carp fillets will survive the onslaught
 

Yeah the second video was shot on a very slow bight - we had squid, pilchard, red mullet, silver whiting, a king george whiting head and salted carp out.

The only 2 baits that got eaten were the king george whiting head and the salted carp.

Re snapper eating anything when they are hungry - you got that right😉

The question of carp as bait or burley came up in the thread about Snapper fishing lessons.

So I figured I'd ask around - who's used it? and what do you reckon?

I'm at the stage where I dont leave home with out it when chasing snapper - but I havent given it a long enough trial to see if its as good as I hope it is

Here's some of Vids of the first couple of trials
 
 

The question of carp as bait or burley came up in the thread about Snapper fishing lessons.

So I figured I'd ask around - who's used it? and what do you reckon?

I'm at the stage where I dont leave home with out it when chasing snapper - but I havent given it a long enough trial to see if its as good as I hope it is

Here's some of Vids of the first couple of trials
 
 

Yep working again, it was a Youtube issue.

Thanks for that - the links are working at my end at the moment
 

First time I took it out on a mates boat he was like - "You are not bringing that stinky crap on my boat"

second time it was "Ok it doesnt stink and the pinks like it"

Third time I caught  him sneaking a couple of pieces on to his hooks instead of Pilchard  😉

I've only done a couple of tests with carp versus pilchards as bait - and it performs well by comparison on little fish.

I salt mine down so they last the season and use smallish chunks on flasher rigs - beats playing mushy pilchard roulette with the frozen baits.

Heres one I cut up last week - it would be great fresh but I need mine to last, so it has to be salted.

It lasts forever and can be refrozen multiple times - some blokes dont even keep it in the fridge and say it lasts for a couple of months

First things first - I'm no pro at this but heres how I do it

I use 1kg of supermarket salt on the fillets from a 5kg carp - I cut mine up into 3cm x 5cm x 1.5cm chunks.  The chunks are put in a snap loc bag with the salt. Then I shake the bag until everthing is evenly coated. It usually takes a day or 2 for the majority of the water to be sucked out of the chunks. I hang my snap loc bags upside down - with a slight crack in the seal - so the water can run out and the flies cant get in.

I've thought about collecting the juice for burley but never done it.

Guys who are serious about salting bigger volumes of bait buy a 20kg sacks of pool salt from the hardware store for about $7 and use 20l buckets with a bung to drain out the liquid.

 

I've only done a couple of tests with carp versus pilchards as bait - and it performs well by comparison on little fish.

I salt mine down so they last the season and use smallish chunks on flasher rigs - beats playing mushy pilchard roulette with the frozen baits.

Heres one I cut up last week - it would be great fresh but I need mine to last, so it has to be salted.

It lasts forever and can be refrozen multiple times - some blokes dont even keep it in the fridge and say it lasts for a couple of months

I've only done a couple of tests with carp versus pilchards as bait - and it performs well by comparison on little fish.

I salt mine down so they last the season and use smallish chunks on flasher rigs - beats playing mushy pilchard roulette with the frozen baits.

Heres one I cut up last week - it would be great fresh but I need mine to last, so it has to be salted.

It lasts forever and can be refrozen multiple times - some blokes dont even keep it in the fridge and say it lasts for a couple of months

Cut out the shape you want with a dremel or angle grinder - then blast with the heat gun until it gets floppy - then shape with gloved hands - hold it in place and run cold water over it to set quick and you're done

ahh and you'll need a pvc pipe sheath for the points, so you only stab things that you intend to stab