Ranger

Get a copy of the Adam Royter DVD: Berkley Soft Plastics.It's packed full of very helpful information which will explain more than we could ever put into a post. It covers lines, knots, reels, rods, techniques, jigheads, plastics, and more. It's cheap, and it's available at most good tacklestores. I'd recommend it to anyone just starting out.

Get a copy of the Adam Royter DVD: Berkley Soft Plastics.It's packed full of very helpful information which will explain more than we could ever put into a post. It covers lines, knots, reels, rods, techniques, jigheads, plastics, and more. It's cheap, and it's available at most good tacklestores. I'd recommend it to anyone just starting out.

Get a copy of the Adam Royter DVD: Berkley Soft Plastics.It's packed full of very helpful information which will explain more than we could ever put into a post. It covers lines, knots, reels, rods, techniques, jigheads, plastics, and more. It's cheap, and it's available at most good tacklestores. I'd recommend it to anyone just starting out.

Calcutta CT50, Wilson Sovreign, 4kg Finns Braid.An overhead/baitcast outfit certainly isn't required for whiting, but I have a ball playing with this teensie lil outfit over a range of different species.I'd suggest the largest threadline outfit you would need for whiting would be a 2500 sized reel, and for whiting a slower tapered rod a little longer than normal...maybe up to 8'.

Calcutta CT50, Wilson Sovreign, 4kg Finns Braid.An overhead/baitcast outfit certainly isn't required for whiting, but I have a ball playing with this teensie lil outfit over a range of different species.I'd suggest the largest threadline outfit you would need for whiting would be a 2500 sized reel, and for whiting a slower tapered rod a little longer than normal...maybe up to 8'.

I've always boiled crab, until a member from the site (Hoopsy) introduced me to steamed crab at his Crab & Gar day at North Haven last year.Shell, clean and half the crabs. Just a little saltwater in the bottom of the crab cooker, stick em in the basket and let it steam away for about 15 mins.I'll never go back to boiling!

They haven't made that braid yet.All light braid will get wind knots occasionally. The way to minimise this is to ensure it's tightly spooled on a braid friendly reel, and to retension it at regular intervals by winding it back in under pressure between your fingers.

As many seem worried about using such a reel from the beach......How about the Saltiga Surf?Cheaper than the standard Saltiga, and especially designed to handle all the beach can throw at it!http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=199

I wont imagine they will taste "bad" but Salmon would be "better" if first bled.I stick my fingers in their gills and snap their head backwards to sever the backbone and bleed them out as I catch them.I imagine they were also in an ice slurry in the esky to keep them fresh.Scale them, gut them, and then butterfly the whole fish to open them up flat. Use a toothbrush to remove the bloodline down each side. Soak them in a brine for 1-3 hours. Dry them out thoroughly, sprinkle the flesh side with brown sugar, and pop them into the smoker for around 15-20 mins.Smoking is all about experimentation. You can wet the smoking timber with water or wine to improve the flavour, you can use any type of herb or spice, you can vary smoking times, and just keep playing around until you are happy with your own method.While smoking your fish, also consider throwing in some chops, sausages, etc, to impart a real smoky flavour to them prior to chucking them on the bbq. You can even try smoking a bit of cheese for something different.

jharli wrote:Depends which end you are trying to get going! Smoking is one of my favourite subjects.Sawdust is very expensive, so if you know a woodcutter or similar you will save a packet.Only use quality hardwoods, and avoid treated timbers or pine.I'm not too fussed about the type of sawdust. Connoisseurs will all tell ya their favourites, but I really cant tell that much difference.Soaking the sawdust in water or wine will mellow the flavour, and that's good fun to experiment with.The fish must be brined (8 parts water/1 part salt) for 1-3 hours to extract excess moisture from the flesh, and you can also add brown sugar to the brine to sweeten it, but I like to sprinkle my fish with brown sugar when it goes into the smoker to give it a sweet glaze. Once the fish has been brined it needs to drain and dry before going into the smoker.There are now two choices in smoking.Cold smoking: Takes a long time. The fish is preserved and dried, so it will keep.Hot smoking: The fish is cooked as it is smoked. It retains moisture, but it will only keep for a few days.I'm a fan of hot smoking, and I've bought an Anuka electric hot smoker. These things are made in New Zealand, they are fantastic and convenient, but they are very expensive.Oily fleshed fish such as Tommies, Salmon Trout and Slimey Mackeral is the best for smoking, but ensure you bleed the fish immediately upon capture.Good luck with smoking. It's all experimentation so have a play, try different herbs and spices sprinkled onto the fish, and ensure you have a quality Boags Premium or ten on hand as the perfect compliment to freshly smoked fillets!

As many seem worried about using such a reel from the beach......How about the Saltiga Surf?Cheaper than the standard Saltiga, and especially designed to handle all the beach can throw at it!http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=199

About all I can add, is when you are quietly paddling your kayak around in one foot of water and minding your own business.....BEWARE!The sudden appearance of a wing breaking the surface into the air on each side of the kayak, and the water all around you exploding can really scare the living bejeesus outta you me when not expecting it!

If I've read and interpreted it correctly it's the St Kilda/Chapman Creek Aquatic Reserve, and certainly off limits to everything except "Hand, crab rake or hoop net for the taking of blue crabs only."http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recreational_fishing/closures/aquatic_reserves_and_marine_parksI trust the other fisho you gained this information from has the registration number of the vessel and photographs?

Here's a couple of batters I quite like:Tempura Batter1 egg1 cup ice cold water¾ cup flourPinch bicarb sodaBeat egg and water, add flour and bicarb. Do not overbeat.Beer Batterin a bowl combine plain flour and 1 stubbie COLD pale ale. (must be cold) make a cream-like consistency, add salt and pepper to taste, and Vegeta seasoning. (for those of you who havent heard of it, its available from most supermarkets near the chicken salt) Beat together and add 3-4 ice cubes and put in fridge for about ten minutes (this ensures when the batter hits the hot oil it will stay crispy and golden) Pat the fish dry and flour lightly. Dip in Cold batter and straight into VERY hot oil. Fry for 1-2 mins turning about half way through cooking.There are many different types of batter, all of them quite simple. Carbonated water is an alternative to beer, but the secret to any batter is to throw in a few ice cubes to get it really cold, and dont make it too thick.I also dust my fish in rice flour (lighter than normal wheat flour) prior to dunking in the batter. Rice flour is also an alternative to plain flour in the batter if you want something a little lighter.If you like spices, try a mix of sea salt, white pepper, chili flakes and chinese 5 spice. It's also suitable for items such as salt and pepper squid which is floured prior to cooking. It is also good to mix in with anything crumbed.For very delicate flavoured fish such as KG Whiting or Garfish, I wouldn't use a batter at all, but instead just a light dusting with flour, lightly fried, pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon. Save the batter for hardier flavoured fish.

Here's a couple of batters I quite like:Tempura Batter1 egg1 cup ice cold water¾ cup flourPinch bicarb sodaBeat egg and water, add flour and bicarb. Do not overbeat.Beer Batterin a bowl combine plain flour and 1 stubbie COLD pale ale. (must be cold) make a cream-like consistency, add salt and pepper to taste, and Vegeta seasoning. (for those of you who havent heard of it, its available from most supermarkets near the chicken salt) Beat together and add 3-4 ice cubes and put in fridge for about ten minutes (this ensures when the batter hits the hot oil it will stay crispy and golden) Pat the fish dry and flour lightly. Dip in Cold batter and straight into VERY hot oil. Fry for 1-2 mins turning about half way through cooking.There are many different types of batter, all of them quite simple. Carbonated water is an alternative to beer, but the secret to any batter is to throw in a few ice cubes to get it really cold, and dont make it too thick.I also dust my fish in rice flour (lighter than normal wheat flour) prior to dunking in the batter. Rice flour is also an alternative to plain flour in the batter if you want something a little lighter.If you like spices, try a mix of sea salt, white pepper, chili flakes and chinese 5 spice. It's also suitable for items such as salt and pepper squid which is floured prior to cooking. It is also good to mix in with anything crumbed.For very delicate flavoured fish such as KG Whiting or Garfish, I wouldn't use a batter at all, but instead just a light dusting with flour, lightly fried, pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon. Save the batter for hardier flavoured fish.

Rapid Bay camp ground.safe camping @ $6 each person . has a toilet block.caretaker on-site (or nearby) and regular security patrols keep the yahoo's away.kids will have a ball on the nearby jetty catching gardies, tommies, squid.will be packed on long weekends though.http://www.strikehook.com/forum/24-the-great-outdoors/22355-rapid-bay-campground

I thought the tyre reefs were put down as "recreational" fishing grounds......am I mistaken?

I thought the tyre reefs were put down as "recreational" fishing grounds......am I mistaken?

Traditionally rollmops are made from herrings (an oily fleshed fish), but I cant see why Garfish couldn't make a good substitute. Any small bones remaining would also be softened/dissolved by the vinegar.Here's a very simple recipe:Method- Fillet the herrings Garfish very thoroughly.- Sprinkle each fillet with a few peppercorns and a little salt.- Roll them up tightly and pack into jars.- Add 1 chilli and a few onion rings to each jar.- Cover with white wine vinegar.- Leave in the fridge for about 5 days.- They are then ready to eat.- Delicious with sour cream.

Projoe has been using them for quite some time now.Maybe he'll provide his opinion on them.

Projoe has been using them for quite some time now.Maybe he'll provide his opinion on them.

I dont use sabikis because they tangle, they are too light, too small, and have too many hooks.Even cut down to 3 hooks they tangle up and are a pain in the bum.For slimeys I just cube my first slimey as bait, stick a cube onto an unweighted hook and send it down the burley trail.Slimeys come aboard thick and fast when a school is around, so I've never even bothered using a 2 hook rig for them.You can pull them in, rebait and have another hooked in about a 30 second turnaround, so a single hook has always worked fine for me.....at 2 per minute, and with a second angler doing the same I can have all I need (about 20 fish)in 5 minutes flat, and all the extras I butterfly, brine, and chuck in the smoker, as we get some pretty large slimeys around the metro area.

Offshore winds always provide the calmest conditions. SE-NENorwesterlies can get pretty uncomfortable, and a SW is generally an indication of more weather coming.In your Quinnie, winds up to about 15 knots (any direction), and seas to 1.0 will be fine....always keep in mind that wind gusts can be up to 40% stronger than predictions.Sometimes you will even find conditions better and waters calmer as you get out into deeper water. For beginners and smaller tinnies, always look for under 10 knots and seas under 0.5m.As for the fishing. Always good after a blow which stirs things up. Apart from that, we get out when conditions allow and time becomes available.....cant afford to be too choosy!