Surf_94

Nice to see I'm on the right track. Being a lover not a fighter, I only gave him a stern look from the camp and after 5 minutes he returned to his spot 200m up the beach which by the way was where the trouties and mullet were caught, by me, two days earlier. Tip.... not in the gutter but on the sandy flats close to shore! So it's official.... 100m - 200m for most and others the further the better.

I was wondering what would be the perceived ettiquette by all in the sense of what distance one group of fishers should be from the next when fishing along the beach at Salties? I would think if there is plenty of beach available then 3 maybe 4 dunes or 150m-200m apart? I think this would be appropriate in case a sizable hookup is acheived.I'm just venting.... just because I experienced one person who thought 15m was was a good distance to flick lures onto a berley trail (my berley trail).

this is what I think..... I fished salties between christmas and new year (5 days) and the baits I took consisted of; fresh mullet caught at Parsons, fresh squid caught off Myponga Rocks,fresh salmon trout caught by a mate,pillies I buy from the wholesale fish shop by the box (which I bag into 1kg bags and vaccuum seal),a total of five legal mullaway were caught ranging from 12lb to 28lb. ALL were caught on... you know what...."pillies"! So never underestimate this bait and don't leave home without them!

Ahhh I call it an annexe. I made it myself and it rolls into the luggage rack. Th luggage rack has two extendable poles off the side and one from the middle with two tent poles placed at the back of the rack and two at end of the annexe you form the tent shape. Both sides can be zipped up at once or stretched out with the back rolled up. Very wind resistent especially at salties and plenty of shade when all open. Makes it very easy to live out of the back of the car. Takes about 30mins to set up.

thanks for that. fox wing in my avatar?? What's a "fox wing"?

I always try to use an oil based berley when fishing for either bait fish or mulloway. I too am a firm believer that IF the fish are around then you have a far greater chance of landing something by using a berley with an oil. I have always used a fish oil of some kind but this season I have experimented with different oils as tuna and fish oil are now making it an expensive exercise. I believe using a fish sauce or a molasses oil can do the same job. Have used both these of late with my last few outings searching for bait fish and have been successful on all of them. 40 mullet on one, 36 mullet, ST's and tommies on another and this sunday got another 23 mullet and tommies. What I had noticed was that baits were being smashed when berley was fresh in the water, but not so intense were the hook ups when the berley was not being used. So here you can assume that my oil based berley is doing its bit. I use the same process for mulloway (salt creek) but more for the bait fish, so catch the bait fish, transfer to bigger rods and so the cycle should go round. Summing up; I use the bait for berley (minced mullet, ST's, pellets and oil) to catch the bait (mullet and ST's) and then the bait to catch the mulloway. So the theory that smaller fish will bring larger ones is how the food chain should work. I can't say how these oils will work for snapper and such, one can only experiment with them, but I can certainly say it works in my system.

Not a tight arse at all Cooki. I use a garden mulcher that belongs to a fellow fisho of mine and find that it works a treat, although I do agree that they tend to make them a more purue (mush) style of berley. I also incorporate some pellets through the mulcher as well and then freeze. As I only do beach fishing using a frozen block (berley layered into a 20lt bucket making about 5 blocks) they last quite awhile.They are safe enough if you treat with respect. Turn them off and disconnect the spark plug lead when or if they become jammed (larger heads and frozen stale baits tend to do this) and you have to clear the blades. A good wash out at the dam is essential after the exercise and the trout love it.

Agreed.....circle hooks, don't wait for second run, don't strike hard they will generally run hard enough to set the hooks themselves.

:woohoo: :woohoo: WooHoo!!:woohoo: :woohoo: well I can say that i'll be heading for Yalata on thursday and returning next tuesday.Booked a campsite today, so we are on ourway!! Shall let you all know what the fishing is like in april on the beaches!

Nice job! Great fish, enjoyed the vid immencely! Keep the partnership going and it's bound for greater success!

Fished Carrickalinga Head last week and got smashed by what I thought was a ray, ran like Kathy Freeman round a rock ledge and snapped the line. Took a full salmon trout bait. Spotted 4 big black rays that day. Was there today in the wind and spray and saw 2 big black rays for no reward.

I buy my pillies from the fish munger around the corner at edwardstown. Costs me $88.00 for 15 kilo. then I bag them into 1 kilo bags and freeze. They are just the normal pillies but alot fresher and better sized than the shop ones. Want to see if I can get them from St Marys where they box them up. Not sure who they are though.

definitly dangerous for me. I'm either in thermals or wetsuit pants, both will keep you warm when wet, but thermals are much easier to change out of.

Thanks for the heads up, I shop there a bit and now you will be pretty close to Boots Camping where I fill the gas bottles!

A reminder to all that the southern end of the coorong park will be closed from 6pm sunday 18th until the 23rd. That includes 28 mile right up to tee tree crossing, so there is no access to the old coorong road for next week. Information can be seen on the parks site under "parks, tracks and trail closures." Let's hope they don't get too cheeky and start the annual beach closure early this year. (or should I say "earlier") Heading down myself this weekend, only thing I can suggest apart from all that has been suggested is go in via tee tree and ease yourself into the 4x4 driving. Good luck, have fun.

I use the Petzl Tikka XP. This is IMO the best all round head torch. I do alot of bushwalking and have tried many over the years and nothing compares. You are right in saying that you get what you pay for and these are not cheap, but they will last a lifetime and give you hours of bright light. Everytime I fish people always comment on how bright they are. Take 3xAAA batterys. Btw: Dubs I tred to accept you as a friend but something went... well I just don't know where it went!!

Dubs The Tackle Man wrote:

hey surf not sure if you can get them down south, we,ve heard that not many people have them, which is silly rwally because live worms are now a thing of the past not many diggers left digging. Samantic01 we have them here at Salisbury Tackleworld

...thanks Dubs but It's not a place I visit regularly. Have to call in there next time I have a job up that way. I might try to pop out there on saturday some time, got plenty in stock?

....can I get them down south as home is in this area?

.....woops sorry about the double post.. I honestly don't know where to buy block ice these days, and the 2lt's of fresh water has come in very handy on a few of occasions.

I bought a 70lt Big Chilli Ice Box on ebay a few years ago and think it is one of the best investments I have made. I paid $130 for it including frieght, and as an example, I took it to salt creek (as I always do) a few weeks ago when the temps were in the 40's and with two bags of ice I was able to keep cold 18 bottles of beer, nearly 4 kilos of frozen bait and food for the trip for the entire 3 days I was there. I left Adelaide on the saturday arvo and left salty late on the tuesday arvo and there was a half bag of ice still solid in the ice box. Beers were still cold along with food and some of the bait was very much on the solid side. These boxes are a very good investment. They are all made with the same materials so it becomes just a matter of personal choice on which brand you want to buy. I did put a third stainless steel catch on it just as a personal thing and you can always prolong the life of the ice by using a wet towel draped over the box and always keeping it in a shady and air rated position. I have not used the bubble packs but I might look into them. I have used 2lt cottees cordail bottles filled with frozen water and these act like block ice, but they take up some room. On the plus side , when they become unfrozen you have 2lt's of fresh water. Buy yourself one, you will not be dissappointed

When I put the grapnel into the carton, I make sure that the pins are as close to the sides as possible so that when you tear off the carton the pins are visible and can be bend out to act as the anchor. As the berley defrosts you can adjust the pins as needed. I would post a pic as I have some but posting pics for me is like trying to mix water and electricity.

....come on guys I can't give away everything!

I've just started a new technique where I take a clean one litre square cardboard milk carton and fill it with my favourite berley mix, then put a grapnel sinker into the middle of it and freeze it. When I'm ready to fish a beach I cut away the carton and tie a small gauge rope to it and let it rest in the breaking surf.It slowly defrosts in the surf and the grapnel sinker holds it in the sand. Only tried it once so far, but it worked a treat for a 2hr session. Will be out again this sunday morning at Parsons for the dawn session to try it again. Any kind of carton would do, Ice coffee maybe? By freezing the mix I find I can get the most out if a smzll amount of beerley mix. Might be a bit too much preparation for some, but if it works I reckon it's worth the effort

I use the snell as well, but lately have turned my hand to the albright with no problems yet. I find it easy to tie for 50lb line.