Jack.

I reckon you are out of luck with that one Im not aware of any such places that hire boats along our shores.Many years ago they did at St Kilda maybe the marina at West Beach but I think you are whistling Dixie mate.cheerssnapps

With the weather looking good today' date=' i went to Outer Harbour about 8am with nothing really particular in mind what to fish. My plan was fishing down the end of the breakwall but i only got half way as my leg were hurting. Didn't waste my time, i setup my rod and start fishing with squid head as a bait. Five minute later, something grab my bait and it was dog shark... and again and again and again... five dog shark in a raw?!. Really annoying but they really give a good fight. With just dog shark taking my bait, i just wanted to go home but when i about to pack my thing suddenly seeeesss...seeeesssssssssssssssss... my reel running very fast. Grab my rod and let it run for awhile but when i realised my line getting short i try to give it a fight. Really heavy. My mind start debating "is this ray?" but it running very fast. It probably a mulloway too. After fighting for maybe 3 or 4 minute, my 10kg line snapped and the fish escape . Lesson for me (use much bigger line).Upset but satisfying at the same time as this is the first time i fight fish that heavy. Even if i managed to land the fish, thinking of how i get there i will have to release it . So that it for me today. I didn't catch any fish but surely I'll be back :cheer:[/quote']Bloody Legend MILMO mate! I was debating a hoon through outer harbor, but heard it was a bit rough once outside the walls :ohmy:Wonder how the snapper crews did out the shipping channel this a.m.

I love this topic Jack as for the past two years I've been keeping a very detailed spreadsheet of Snapper captures that includes not only my own captures but any reliable capture data that can help show a pattern to their movements and feeding habits. The moon phases are most interesting but also the Snappers ability to be at the same time or within a week or so is Impressive all driven by spawning or following food sources in the gulf. Unfortunately I dont gut to many big fish any more so I'm unable to know with any certainty what they've been eating' date=' but over time I will be able to determine best bait choices.Bottom line is it will make catching big fish that bit easier and consistent. [/quote']Im always confident right, but last Saturday I said to stu "this is opening day for our mully season )Not being a smart arse or anything, after 5months of no mulloway, stu hooked up to a huge run 30mins later than we expected!!!! 10mins later one was landed! Incredible, the tide stage, moon, water temp, date and weather had us certain.... And we were not wrong.... Well er he wasn't anyway, all I got was a big salmon and a dogshark :laugh:To prove that this diary shit works, I will guarantee you guys I will post a predawn mully capture by Saturday arvo :ohmy: (and give me heaps if I can't back it up )

your a funny yet cruel man Jack lol :lol:I dont fish for mullys or snapper regularly' date=' but me and my mate have certainly started noticing a pattern with snapper at wallaroo jetty.. they do not like full moons or anything near..we've found less moonlight the more they are inclined to bite, tide heights dont seem to matter that much either.. Although im embarrassed to admit we haven't landed one yet (apart from some undersized), had some awesome runs and break offs though! one nearly pulled my mate over the rails lol, and it wasnt a ray..kingie maybe? who knows, but we're determined to land "whatever" this summer [/quote']I really like how protatics mate put it how the moon is like a cup, ;)Like when it's full there's no fish until it slowly pours em out into yer boat/ onto your jetty :)Very cool.... shame it's not exactly that easy lol, but true I think non the less.

Deliberately posted here, to fire some thoughts re thinking outside the square with bait and tackle.I've heard people refer to their boats as their most expensive piece of fishing tackle ;)But how about the most important? Perhaps the ole noggin :laugh:Well, since we re out there wetting a line, it ought not be too hard to jot down the date and time of captures. As I've found out fairly recently, even this info can really help!even if all you have is a digital photo, you can do the rest at home.Heres an example; I caught a 101cm schoolie on 5 November 2011 @ 10:05 am. (I know this from the info captured by the camera).By hopping on BOM website, I can then see all manner of info relating to that time of day, just prior ti the full moon, dodge tide, 18degree low and 35 degree high temp... Etc, etc.Now I've been keeping a diary for some years anyway, but if I had not say kept the wind direction, and reckon that might be important, I can go back and add this. You get my point yeah? Even if ALL you have is photos, nothin is stopping you making a detailed diary ;)Here's where it gets good, because I have (with my wife's help) just loaded a shite load of data into an excel spreadsheet :silly:Excel then can plot all sorts of graphs to easily visualise patterns that granted you thought may be there, but WOW, it's something like awesome to confirm.. Whats more its easy... Piss easy.WHAT THIS MEANS:This means I can't share what I've concluded its so deliciously tasty that im goin to have to encrypt it :P But seriously man, how many times have we heard from other people that fishin the slack, or fishin this moon or this low pressure change or after a blow, or on a high tide... With yer own information, there is ZERO dispute! Fishing is ALL about confidence, and there's no confidence better than good hard first hand proof... Seeing it with yer own eyes Hope this is of interest to anyone keeping a diary or thinking about it. :)Cheers all (P.s watch me hit a DONUT this weekend

Be interesting to see what the Onka fish have in there guts. Don't know if Jimbo has ever even taken a single one! ...but I can't get over how feral out Port fish are. Bit of purple and silver but with a brozie coffee stain to em... Jimbo's fish are all pure sparkling silver... Same as Sambomans Westlakes fish generally seem very clean and crisp silver... Maybe just sand living fish vs vs the Our feral dirt creek and industrial structure fish ? they look heaps different though... And rarely beaten up and scarred either.... Must be a hard life being a port resident :cheer: :ohmy: And yeah' date=' that crab looks a bit red from cookin in the juices' date=' but geees that'd give you a belly ache :silly:[/quote'']I have a feeling that all Mullies caught around the State bar the Far West Coast are of the same population Jack,with the West Coast fish seperate and localised to that area .A guy whos on this forum tagged a mulloway from the Birkenhead Bridge and it was recaptured right up the Onk ,above South Road bridge from memory, about 12 months later.Also there is documentation of 25 kilo + fish tagged at the Murray Mouth being recaptured in the Port River, pretty sure the recaptures of the big fish coincided with the bloodworm run,and visa versa fish tagged at the Port have been recaptured at the Mouth.Shows that they must have an inherited abilty to migrate to different areas based on availability of food sources.Also Murray Mouth fish have been recaptured in the Barwon Estuary in Victoria.The colours ect may be based upon the environment they are living in at the time,a Port fish that has moved to say a YP surf beach after a short while may go a nice clean silver for example.Cheers

Thanks mate, that is very interesting.Really highlights why im so keen to get a heap of tags in this summer. Would be terrific to have the feedback on recaptures! What you are saying makes alot of sense and it's not really that far to travel (mouth-onk-port) for good food supply.Cheers

Heres one I pulled out of a schoolie ' date=' why I took a pic of it I dont know but here it is.[img']http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c97/scummm/100_1111Large.jpg[/img]

Cant find the one of my flathead with a chicken bone it ate ATM unfortunateley :S Hope you wiped the wifes kitchen bench off well afterwards Cal :whistle:

Be interesting to see what the Onka fish have in there guts. Don't know if Jimbo has ever even taken a single one! ...but I can't get over how feral out Port fish are. Bit of purple and silver but with a brozie coffee stain to em... Jimbo's fish are all pure sparkling silver... Same as Sambomans Westlakes fish generally seem very clean and crisp silver... Maybe just sand living fish vs vs the Our feral dirt creek and industrial structure fish ? they look heaps different though... And rarely beaten up and scarred either.... Must be a hard life being a port resident :cheer: :ohmy: And yeah, that crab looks a bit red from cookin in the juices, but geees that'd give you a belly ache :silly:

I tried some plastics a while back, pretty satisfying fooling a fish with yer own creation :)How've you gone so far, and what kind of cost is there in setting yourself up to do a few??Look awesome by the way, I reckon it'd be great fun getting the colours all custom you YOU want rather than what the shop THINKS you want...Never forget a few years back when I was right into bream on lures, I paid $29.95 for a really cool looking blade... Waited all week to cast at a bridge pylon in West lakes... First cast, stuffed it up and snagged next to AAMI bridge :silly: :ohmy: may as well have opened my wallet and just chucked cash in the drink not the first or last time of done a lure first cast

We all know what fish will eat, since that's what we go back to for bait yeah.So anytime I get to take a fish, im always keen to see what else is in there. Garbage guts snapper can be full of all sorts, and last few I've taken for a feed have had plenty of crab in em ;)But I've only ever been involved in the taking of 3 mullies. First one had been eating prawn.Second had two whole salmon trout inside... Makes sense yeah, here's a pic of the partly digested STs that had been cookin in mully gut juices And now here's a picture of my mates fish from this mornings sesh... Well it's gut contents anyway :cheer: Maybe this Jewie was raised by a pack of wild snapper poor little bluey wouldn't have known what hit it!

What do you Rate the best on the tooth??for me theres a few that rate high...From the Salt' date='Cobia Flat headLeather JacketsGummy Sharkdont think id ever say no to catching a good feed or being offered a good feed of these guys..in the freshRed Fin.[/quote']Flathead for me by far my fav :)Do like the sweet sweet yellowfin whiting too.The only real freshwater I like is Marron, more a freshwater Cray, but no doubt you've had a few of these on yer journeys Del ;)When I was in W.A. I just about lived on Flatties and Marron... Yum :)

Nice reel mate, never heard a bad word about them must.be super popular for.a reason heyLook forward to your upcoming trophy fish reports :)

Not quite as light as you boys but got an 82cm on 10lb mainline and 20lb leader on Tierra 2500' date=' matched to a berkley drops hot 2-5kg the other week.[/quote']Yeah, my best is similar, except 80cm 10lb braid, 20lb mainline on my 2500 Sedona and Et special 2-4k.Wasn't deep though, say 5m and fished a whole king prawn... The line would be okay deeper I think, but I wouldn't chance that rod o mine in 20m, it was okay on a running fish, but.no lifting power :ohmy: but maybe I've got plenty to learn in that dept.

Rod wise I'd get a Sabre or check out the Texalliums (can't spell) .Used to use my mates sabre a bit.until someone taxed it Can't help you with the reels, cos I've never had/fished a spin reel with 15kg drag, only overheads. My guess would be a large Saltiga on a Sabre or the Tex, try a few out for weight and feel. Depending the depth you're looking at, might be worth considering what ratio is going to suit.

Eagle ray

No, but the plastic slides are pretty smooth. I don't use fireline in the heavier class though, proper braid goes well. Only mention fireline because I like it but only use it under 10lb and not with slides.... That stuff does fluff a bit and maybe a slide would make it worse ?

I try to use flurocarbon leader whenever I can afford it.I use braid exclusively. For my light fishing I tie flurocarbon directly to the main braid. That trace is generally 2-3 rod lengths so does wind on the spool a bit. Nowadays I use this same approach for lures and bait. Ie lures soft or hard then swap to a size 00 ball sinker running str8 to a hook for bait. simple and effective natural presentation for heaps of species mainly bream YFW and salmon. My mully/snapper combo I only use upto 1 meter of 40-60lb fluro. Main braid runs an ezyrig slide, then swivel, then the fluro with two shelled 6/0 - 8/0. I use the fluro for natural presentation, ie the fish cant see it, but more importantly for the abrasion and shock resistance... I've never had a problem with it, not suffered breakage, seem to have a good amount of bites so long as fish are about, and I feel confident that im using good quality stuff at the business end. There is probably an arguement that it may or may not be worth it, but like I say about the confidence, confidance is priceless when it comes to fishing. Forgot to mention, when fishing big plastics, I use a slim beauty knot to help the 60lb fluro slide through the guides better, and I don't use quite so much, more like just over a rod length so haven't tried "winding it on" .Cheers

hey mate ' date=' if your looking for a good value for money graphite rod you cant go past the rovex airstrikes. there around $60 and theres about 4 different classes. Ive caught big snapper on mine and a couple of my mates use them over higher quality gear.[/quote']I bought an 8kg Rovex Airstrike from GotOne on main nth road. Very lightweight rod, graphite and perfect for chucking big plastics at snap and mullies. It's an absolute ripper and only $70. I have the 2500 Twinpower reel on it lol, that little reel has monster drag! Anyway, yeah, love that Airstrike rod!

Release has my vote... :ohmy:

We actually ate the whole thing in two nights!! Lol. Three families hoeing in the first night... The flesh was crisp and white inside.... Ugliest fish ever though on the outside.

Where is that? Rings a bell' date=' just can't put my finger on it!![/quote']Our fearless mod "Ugly4life" took that shot out the front of his shop at Nth Haven boat ramp, thanks Nick, just a shame I never got my snapper picks off your slacker cousin . Good people at Tackle&Tucker Nth Haven and St Kilda... And Robyn is the nicest fisho friendly lady you will EvER meet

I used to have a tackle box, then that got huge lol. Then I had a RAPALA thing with big trays in it and cool pockets and a shoulder strap... I liked that, but when I was a good 12-18 months without a boat I got smart and started taking a backpack. then I started to NOT take everything including the kitchen sink with me :cheer: So now I have an assortment of tackle trays and have big ones than remain home and try to take only essentials. (Try )Same as rods, I used to cart around up to five rods... for just in case lol. Like a 2-4 kilo bait rod, a 2kilo sp rod, a 6-8 kilo heavyish rod, plus a 6kilo plastics rod and a heavy overhead for floating a balloon :ohmy: Now though, I generally only take two rods (even in the boat). One heavy and one light.For the trip I.take only what I need for.the days target. IE, 6/0 hooks and little size six baitholder hooks. Upto say 5 snapper leads and a few 00 tiny sinkers. PliersNailclippers (for the braid)Tape measureLipgrippersCamera. Little box of.suitable plastics jigheads and HBs The only line I take is spare leader. The night before, im always carefully to pack light and.sensible, but.that backpack is always.a bit.heavier than it should be lol.BtW, it's cool to pack a v light backpack with lures only (soft&hard) a drink and a bit of leader for a trek out st Kilda, or on the flats or up a trout creek.... Awesome on foot with one rod in hand having a good ole crack

Lol, Kingsley, dieing to read it... Any out at the local newsagents yet???There's a sneak peak on the WILDCOAST site :)Ah well, shouldn't be too long and a big 116 page treat this issue :woohoo: