sbarnden

Well my Dad is taking his cruiser out to KI and for a change I'm going with him since works is slow and they want me to use up my leave balance.

Taking my fishing gear along, mostly light stuff with the heaviest outfit being a solid fiberglass rod (Original Travel Master Multi-Rod from when it first came out) with a Shimano 4000 Baitrunner using 20lb braid.

Got a list of the various best places / species (The KI Fishing Locations by Shane Mensforth) but have no idea where we will be sailing exactly when. Leaving this Friday and we need to be back by next Friday so there is a bit of time to get various places.

Anyone got any tips/advice/marks for this time of year? The boat is a dedicated sailing catamaran, no fish-finder and not very fast unless the wind is behind it, so all fishing needs to be done at anchor, during a very rough cruise/drift or from the dingy that drops off the back.

Will also have the 5 and 8 weight fly rods with me so if anyone has done any fly fishing there and could give some tips/advice would really appreciate it,

Well lets look at the statistics by your own risk management then:Chance of encountering a shark while swimming - ConceivableExposure - FrequentConsequence - FatalityObviously we should stop swimming near the ocean right? Maybe only swim in area's 400m inland away from the coast to be safe.Chance of crashing a car while driving - Remote PossibilityExposure - FrequentConsequence - Multiple FatalitiesOh no! We should all stop driving! Cars should be banned!The point I raised is that the increased risk from shark fishing activities is so negligible to be undetectable. There has been zero fatal casualties of swimmers within 400m of jetties in SA. Zero. There was one in the shark attack file with a swimmer going into the surf hitting a shark with a piece of wood and getting predictably bitten on the hands. All the rest of the 'incidents' near jetties have been shark fishermen not handling their catch correctly.On the other hand there have been several fatal incidents and injuries on surf beaches nowhere near jetties. Which is strange considering that shark fishermen have been fishing and burlying off of those jetties since they were built while the open beaches have not (at least nowhere near as much).But I guess working in the public liability risk management field you have a different perspective of risk. I mean I bought a chair recently and was told by the warehouse manager he couldn't help up carry it across the street to our car because of Occ. Health and Saftey, insurance wouldn't cover being hit by a car in the DESERTED back street between the warehouse door and the car, parked on the other side of the road. Plus all those councils being sued for things such as footpaths that were a whole 2cm above level creating a tripping hazard. Because obviously its the councils fault for people not looking where they are walking.It exactly that approach to risk management that pisses everyone off because ultimately risk cannot be averted. Ever. You can spend as much, regulate as much and ban as much as you want. Risk cannot be taken to zero. But how much does it cost, inconvenience and piss people off to reduce a nearly non-existent risk to a nearly non-existent risk? What is the reduction in risk to the cost of action? Because considering zero fatalities of swimmers near jetties over the history of the state that is a pretty non-existent risk and there is no statistics or otherwise showing that banning shark fishing in an are would reduce it further, compared with the inconvenience caused to all people who enjoy shark fishing and the costs in enforcing a ban on shark fishing.

Common sense says that you separate two activities that are potentially risky.There is one area along the local coast where lifesavers protect swimmers. I am asking for a 400 metre separation.If I could trust that shark fishers would only use single baits and not heavily berley the area I would have less concern. The problem is in the last three weeks heavy berleying with tuna oil and fish parts has occurred on several occasions. This i not hearsay I have witnessed it on one of the occasions and there are others who have directly witnessed it.I have already said the neither party can prove whether or not sharkfishing increases the risk and as a trained researcher I know that designing such a study is well nigh impossible. The precautionary principle says that if there is a chance of a high impact risk and a possibility that a behaviour will increase the risk that the behaviour should not occur or should be separated from a high risk area.

@ smokeykebab - CARP!?!?? Was it healthy??? Bit of a concern one surviving in a saltish water environment....

So with this long running debate I'm wondering how long its going to take till someone gets some juvenile kingfish and releases them one dark night into the lake just to prove a point. :whistle:

For whiting the rigs I use are:Normal paternoster rig with a pyramid sinker or berly sinker with 2 hooks attached to the line on the way up to a swivel that is then attached to the main line.

>               Hook>               \>                \>  Sinker -- / -- \ -- swivel>           />          />          Hook

>  Hook -- split shot -- sliding sinker -- / -- swivel>                                         />                                        />                                        Hook

Hook -- split shot -- sliding sinker -- swivel

I guess the extended closure had a good side effect for this years season then!Might need to look at making a trip down there this year myself.

What makes you think they are a protected species?http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recreational_fishing/protected_speciesDoggies are not on the list and are internationally in a 'least concern' status so I'm pretty certain that they are not protected and can be kept if you want at any size for whatever reason.Why you would want to is another question since they are tough as old boots and no good to eat by all reports.The quote was "The best way to eat a Pt Jackson shark is to cut it up, put two pebbles in a pot, wait till the pebbles go soft, throw away the shark and eat the pebbles" Their hides might make interesting leather and souvenirs though but that's all I would think they are good for.

Last time I went out (last week) I tried the Outer Harbor viewing platform since Largs was dead then too. Put out a lot of burley there and didn't get anything. I think its just been very quiet in the salt.

Well since there was not many responses in the very short time-frame I had this post up I decided to roll a dice to decide where to go.Ended up down Grange jetty for a donut. Not even a nibble. Even the people down there crabbing were not getting anything. Moved to westlakes at trimmer parade for a quick try there on the way home for nothing as well.Anyone else out fishing for the evening and actually catching anything?

You would think that but last 2 times at largs, even with heavy burleying, produced zip.Doesn't help when the seal is hanging around though so I thought I would try elsewhere for a change.

Well I'm getting a couple hours off from the wife and bub tonight to go fishing so I'm wondering where to go.Normally I would head down largs jetty for a while to see if anything is biting and then head to westlakes for bream is nothing is happening there.Just to make things different I'm thinking of heading to one of the other metro jetties. Looking for Tommies primarily, anyone have any recommendations?

I've read that drying is best done with fish that are not to oily. Oily fish do not tend to dry as well and are best smoked.I haven't done fish before but I got a sunbeam dehydrator for making beef jerky so you might be best off getting something like that. (Homemade jerky is the best. Far better than the plastic tasting store rubbish. The Barossa Fine Foods stall in the markets also has decent beef jerky for $60/kg too)You would need to fillet the fish into very thin slices to dry using it though. Squid would probably work very well in it.If you want to dry whole fish / thick fillets you would need to have access to something a bit more substantial like an oven or something.The idea with drying as opposed to smoking is to have continuous airflow of dry air and it is best and safest if the air is also hot enough to heat what your drying to at least 75deg C internally.One recommended method is to have a oven set on a low heat setting with the door propped open at the top and preferably fan forces. This allows hot air to constantly flow out of top and cycle through the oven space.Drying time for thick fillets and whole fish would could be in excess of 24 hours though so the oven would be going for a very long time.Drying thin slices in the dehydrator I have (its basically a fan heater that forces the air through a stack of trays continuously) took about 8 or so hours for beef. I think fish might be slightly faster and squid slightly longer.You are best marinating the fish first with a high-salt marinate (or even plain brine) or a salt based dry rub. The salt helps draw out some of the deep moisture and speed up drying as well as improving flavor.Good luck trying it and I would like to hear how you go. Next time I go out catching something worth eating I might give it a go myself.

Was on the bus home today heading down Port Road I noticed a big sign on the new Tackleworld shop there advertising Staff Wanted.Could be a good opportunity for someone who knows their fishing so I though I would bring it up here in case there are any keen fishers looking for some work in retail selling tackle.

Still happy with my Shimano Telescopic 6' and 10'.I wouldn't say they are for long term or heavy duty fishing but for convenience of travelling, not having to worry about separate pieces and low price of them they are great for casual, fun fishing on the go.Plus the ones I got came in a neat carry bag.Thinking of maybe even going up to the 12'. Can't beat going off somewhere and pulling a surf rod from your overnight travel bag and heading down the beaches.

Ran across this on a US news site.Described as a Texan Sleight Ride!Seriously, would you take your 9 year old son out catching a shark larger than he is? Good catch and release though.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44273443#44273443

Ran across this in the news today:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-25/mulloway-fish-swim-murray/2855254Some of those fish definitely get around a bit.Interesting to see some from Victoria swimming all the way to the Coorong which we know is a major breeding ground for them and then back again.Remember, if your fishing, always look out for tags and alert fisheries when you find them. That information is gold for stock and habitat preservation as well as for information on species habits.

Looking at the numbers a 7 gill or bronzie wouldn't really be possible (they grow far too large for anything that could be considered hobby sized)They might survive for a while a juveniles but would outgrow the tank very quickly (maybe a year or two?).A Pt Jackson or gummy shark on the other hand could be done at home. You would need a aquarium of somewhere in the range of 4000L+ and a lot of dedication to maintaining the water quality. As well as a shaded or indoor location that could have that size of aquarium in it.If you were really serious about trying it you would probably have to look at constructing a tank somewhere in the vicinity 2.5x2.5x1m size or larger in a shaded or indoor location (like a large shed) with gently rounded corners that would prevent the shark from getting stuck nose first.It wouldn't be able to be glass so you would have to look at moulded perspex or something. (unless you constructed a solid tank with glass windows along straight siding components)You would need some heavy duty filtering and conditioning equipment to maintain the water health and a chiller so it doesn't get too warm in summer.Given the amount of space in it you should be able to have a gummy or pt jackson (or maybe even one of each) as well as a range of other active cold water fish that should be able to avoid being eaten (especially if you keep your sharks fairly well fed) but there would be a massive cost in time, effort and consumables such as electricity, food and water treatment chemicals.Gummy and Pt Jacksons would also adapt better to tank feed since they tend to scavenge bottom feed naturally.

They could always see about making a user paid jetty like I posted about encountering in the US.Given the tight-fisted nature of most Australians around here it would ensure only the most enthusiastic fishermen went up there and forked over their cash for the right to fish off it. Its not like it would be taking anything away from people given that currently there is no right to fish off it.Plus that way it would raise money for its maintenance and insurance (which I think the council is concerned about) and allow strict controls over people taking their catch home to make sure bag and size limits are adhered to. Could even put stricter limits on the jetty itself to maintain its fish stocks and health (eg: all fish over a certain size should be release to grow larger and breed)

You would need a quite large ROUND tank.Square tanks don't work for sharks as they hate getting stuck in the corners and can drown if they can't keep swimming and getting water over their gills.I would say you need a tank with a radius of one and half to two lengths of the shark you want to keep in it minimum. You would want to talk to a marine biologist first since sharks are pretty specialized for aquariums and you would want some pretty specific advice.It would also be a lot of work keeping the water clean and aerated for it.

Some pretty conventional recipes there Boys Day Out, but thanks.Was more after tales of the more unusual fish and seafood based dishes people have encountered. Doesn't necessarily have to be carp.

So I was flipping through the channels yesterday and came across Iron Chef on SBS.Iron Chef is a great show to watch and it was interesting that the ingredient of the day for the Chinese style cook off was Carp. The chefs were both so excited to have such great carp to work with and were comparing it to snapper for style and quality. The carp was nice, fresh and swimming (as with all Iron Chef cook offs they often provide the seafood ingredients live and have had things such live octopus before)They served up some interesting dishes such as:Carp SashimiStewed CarpCarp Terrine on RiceFried Carp on Fried RiceSweet and Sour CarpAnd some slightly more interesting such as:Carp with Foie Gras wrapped in fat lace and deep friedSteamed Carp Fins (The pectoral fins of the carp steamed and flavored. To eat they suck the jelly of the fins off the harder spines)A dip made with carp livers and other assorted entrailsCarp scale chips (The whole large scales from the carp, deep fried and then served with a sweet sauce over the top)So what are peoples most, how should we say, unusual?, unconventional?, vomit inducing?, fish and seafood recipes?

I though I would report on a interesting comparison that I made during my trip to Jacksonville in Florida when we decided to visit the beach and go for a walk along the pier.First of all, when we got the the pier there was a big gate and sign saying what you can and can't do on the pier. (No jumping, leaving trash, or shark fishing apparently).Then in order to go on the pier you have to pay. $1 for pedestrians, $4 for fishing. That I found a little strange coming from Australia where pretty much all our jetties are public use. But hey, I paid my dollar at the shack and got let through the gate.One good thing I noticed about this system was there was a shack where you had to pay to go through. Naturally in order to cater for other requirements it acted as a small shop for drinks, bait and tackle right at the start of the pier which looks really convenient.The other good thing I noticed about this was that the pier itself was in excellent condition, well maintained, with plenty of covered rest shelters in the middle with benches. And best of all bait cutting and fish cleaning stations with big cutting boards and running water. These were positioned at fairly regular intervals along the pier.And it seems the price doesn't put many people off. The place was fairly packed. Lot of people fishing with live shrimp and poddy mullet.Down the end was a heap of people fishing for cobia. The fact that they almost never caught cobia and pretty much always caught sharks was just a coincidence since shark fishing was completely banned. Sharks just happen to keep going for the large baits they have out for catching cobia.They used an interesting setup to set their baits too since all the baits were kept high in the water so they were nearly floating. They had one rod with a heavy sinker (not sure if they had another bottom bait on those lines as well) cast out as far as they could manage and used a second rod with a floating clip to run a second line down the first so the bait floats near the surface anchored by the guide line.There was one disadvantage to this and that was there was a seabird seeing all these floating meals. So every time it started diving toward their baits all the fishermen had to shout out and makes lots of noise to scare it off.Saw a couple of catches while I was down there along the pier length.First catch we saw was a small stingray.Second was a guitar shark (ray?).Saw a few people with those nets which at fist I assumed were crab nets but apparently need to be used since large fish are regular caught which are too heavy to reel up on the line.So what do people think about user paid fishing jetties? I can't fault the quality or convenience but somehow I think it wouldn't work so well over here where there are so many free options and lower quality fishing (we don't get anywhere NEAR the size or variety of fish from our jetties).

Please note that theese carp in the video are NOT Eropean carp BUT asain carp completely differant species' date=' [/quote']Its also interesting to note that Asian carp like those observed are not the same as Asian carp in Asia.The Asian carp in Asia don't really jump that much and they find it strange the amount the jump in the US. The leading theory is that ones that first were released were a extra jumpy strain which have spread.So they are the mutant Asian carp in the US.And a very popular food item in the Asian community (who likely first released/allowed to escape since they like buying their fish very, very fresh straight from the holding take) and growing as a food item in the US. They are still regarded as a poor fish throughout most of the US community though so the bulk of the catch goes to fish-meal production for things like petfood and fertilizer.

Having looked into the numbers and design for the desal myself I have zero concern about the brine. The rate it diffuses and position and design of the outlet deals with it so that further than 20-50m from the outlet it is practically undetectable from normal natural salinity variations. Pretty much all the experts I've heard from don't have a major problem with the brine.The biggest concerns that I've seen the experts worry about is the cleaning chemicals that are used to treat the water and equipment mixed with the brine and dissolved metals that it picks up passing through the machinery. But that can be managed by rigorous water quality testing and treatment. The other really big concern is the inlet sucking up large amounts of larvae from crabs/shrimp/krill and other juvenile stage sea life. Again, good design of the inlet so it has minimal intake velocity and is placed in a zone with minimal spawning characteristics.My greatest concern is quite simply efficiency. Salt water desalination is EXPENSIVE. It is one of the most expensive ways to get fresh water in both capital and energy.However you can blame you average suburbanite for it. Because everywhere they have tried to introduce treated storm-water and effluent as a water recycling method to secure supplies cheaply and efficiently there is a backlash against it on the unfounded concerns of "our sewage and waste was mixed with that at some point". Hence why politicians go for the expensive, but more politically and emotionally palatable option, of salt water desalination. Plus currently treated storm-water is a political hot potato due to the potential risk for heavy metal contamination.Hell, it would be cheaper more efficient just to pump the treated effluent and storm-water through the desalination plant and would produce just a pure water, but again, people vote with their hearts and not their heads.And no politician is willing to take an avoidable risk or face public backlash from their cotton-swaddled suburbanite constituents.