ShimsMan

I don't use a lot of braid so i'm no authority on it (I use bonded nylon thread instead, ha!) But if I were to recommend something it'd be the Platypus platinum braid in natural white; mainly because it's the pure, non dyed line and is more limp and arguably stronger than coloured lines.Not many other companies sell braid natural but i think Tasline and ATC do, and Ray Annes stocks ATC last i saw on the site, but the platy stuff is made here so it's a winner! Only problem is you'll more than likely have to order it in...LINK

Wishing, the knot in the pic works well with thicker lines i've found.Anything thinner than about 15lb mono and i finish the knot off by putting the tag end through the loop instead. Also, make sure you pull all 4 lines to tighten, then just the main lines to seat it; you'll need to pull it almost hard enough to snap the knot if you wanna trim real close!

New to all this line joining knot tying. How much better are these knots than a double uni knot? Is it really going to matter what knot I use as long as I tie it well?

The knot being tied well is certainly important' date=' what type of knot you use is up to you and personal for some...I've tried the double blood, uni to uni, slim beauty, improved albright and bristol and settled on the bristol as my favourite; It's very strong, easy to tie (even with cold hands at night,) and has a nice low profile that slips through the guides almost effortlessly!Pic for reference:[img']http://i.imgur.com/MyHC2z7.jpg[/img]Dab some superglue on the finished knot and make sure the leader is long enough to wrap around the spool 4-6 times and you're golden!

I use the bristol for all my line to leader connections, except instead of a bimini in the main line I just double the line over then trim both ends once the knot is done.It's a little touchy with how many turns you use too, tying a 40lb leader onto 15lb mainline i think i only need about 5-6 turns, otherwise the knot won't fully seat itself. put on a drop of superglue and you have a very strong knot!

From the PIRSA site:"The Port River Mud Cockle fishery has been closed to all commercial and recreational fishing activity since 1 July 2011 due to ongoing concerns about the sustainability of fish stocks.The fishing closure has been extended until 30 June 2014"Pretty sure there's no closure on Razorfish though, it should, in theory, be a very good whiting ground though; much like the flats just south of st kilda channel.

Sounds really good punisher!I'm mostly a bait fisho but i'd have some confidence with plastics out there of all places! I've got some zman grubs, some clear green sparkle kokoda swimbaits, blades and topwater divers to try out still!If i was going with baits, i'd probably use unweighted pillies for ST's and worms or gents for the smaller stuff; hopefully will do the trick!Also, how likely am i to see sharks in the cutting?

Yeah I thought there would be a chance of flatties on a dropping tide, on an incoming tide would the cutting flow north?Where would you position yourself and would it be on a falling or rising tide callop?Thanks for your input so far!

Was looking at doing some fishing in the yellow tack area in the map.top side is st kilda, bottom is OH channel at the first bend.What species should i expect and what tides do you guys think would work?

unless the bend is affecting your casts or fighting fish i'd leave it to be honest.You don't want to weaken the resin by trying to reset it with heat, the directionality of the rod comes from the weave of the cloth and rod blanks are often bent opposite the spine slightly to start with, if it were bent in the opposite direction of the spine or laterally i'd start worrying then.If you really must, leaving the rod in the sun with the bend facing up might correct it somewhat; heat gun will possibly cook the resin if you're not very very careful and will weaken the rod if it gets a hot spot (rods are baked in an oven to set them for a reason, not spot heated with a gun.)if it's a very pricey rod and you absolutely have to have it straight as a die, give ross or rob a call and see if anything can be done.

There may be more than one prize (if there is more than one fantastic design) and it will end in 4 weeks or as soon as I decide there is a outright winner(s)I will run with

I think there's a little while to go still Plankton, finalizing a product design is a lengthy process and i'm sure Komodo will let us know when he's picked a winner!Can't wait to see what he turns out actually, would love an alvey option too in the final design.Unless it's an interline... could you imagine?

Was wondering if anyone knows much about how Wrapped leather grips are made.I'm familiar with stacked grips like this:But i'm interested in making some grips like these:And these:I have plenty of access to bovine, kangaroo, fish and ray leathers; so that's not the issue.The main issue is how to secure, and more importantly; terminate these kind of wraps.Any insight would be appreciated, I've been experimenting with some hardcore leather waterproofing solutions and am curious as to how the wrapping is done.Thanks in advance,-Shimsman

Des,Tried out your new finesse rig off the beach and got myself a 37cm fat sand whiting! Slow day but it was a nice fish that made it all worthwhile.I can confirm the smaller pest fish attacking the lower hook; I had puffer and ST either nipping the trailing part of the worm or eating the bottom hook only! Cast weight of a 10g bean sinker worked nice this time but might try go down to 8g if it's calm enough next time!Do you think that the sinker kicking up sand as it runs along the bottom helps or hurts your chances with whiting?

Hey Shimsman' date='I have the supergraph you are referring to, from memory marked "Heavy Surf 12 ft". I don't like it very much, feels too soft, doesn't handle heavy weights at all. I am used to fast action rods though.[/quote']Thanks for the heads up knackers,would you take a rod based on the regular 8144 over the 8144/2C then?

personally...with an 8144 I wouldn't chuck any more than 6oz max........5120 or ideally heavier for an 8oz lead ....otherwise you wont get any distance.

Thanks toney,Will take the jump and get the 8144, 6oz should be more than enough for what i'm doing but if not, I can just use a grapnel.The real challenge now is to find some grapnels with wires that won't rust when you wag some salted samboys at them.

id go 8144 if 6oz was on the cards and big baits

The rod I'm looking at is the heavy surf, would that be capable of 6-8oz casting?I'm pretty sure 8 wraps could handle that kind of abuse, but wanna be sure before I take the plunge and buy one...

Thanks Cal,Do you know much about the casting ability of these blanks at all? That's the main reason I've been looking at these rods, was also looking at the Wilson Seacoaster but not sure if it's heavy enough of a rod for the job..

I'm looking at selling off the trophy Live Fibre 10.5' and getting myself a Wilson Supergraph.Anyone know much about these rods? The live Fibre is a great rod, but my style of fishing has changed and it's time for something heavier. The rod looks the business and well made like all of the Wilson rods, but i'm unsure of the cast weight; rod is the heavy surf 12' low mount model and is based on the MT8144/2C blank.Anyone have any experience with these rods or the blank itself? I would be looking at casting about 4-6oz or so but want to know if it's up to the job, the wilson site doesn't really give any specs so I'm stumped!Any help would be appreciated guys, thanks in advance!

Heya lex,I tie the droppers with a jig, so they're pretty constant in length; 15-20cm works well for me with most lines up to about 30lb (final length with hook tied on.) have never seen the need to go longer really...All you have to do is tailor the line to the weight of the bait, if you're using heavier bait like half pilchards, use 20lb or so; if you're using gents, 8lb is enough! The heavier, stiffer lines (especially fluorocarbon) let the bait sit out from the main line a bit more so that's what i use. If they try to wrap around the main line while fishing, just shake the rod left to right and they'll free themselves, provided they're not too long!If i'm using something like a full pilchard or bigger (including livebaits), I just use a pulley rig: it's strong, reliable, casts a mile and is excellent for fishing rough bottom. Might do a tute on how I make these soon too.If it helps, here's a pic of my tying rig:the 4" nails are spaced 160mm wide and 70mm deep, I used heatshrink over the tops to protect the line from touching metal when tying, threaded rod and wing nut are 3/8" and just using a leather backed wood washer to keep it down (will replace this with a fender washer soon.)Ignore the 19mm holes, they're for dog mounting on my bench to keep everything still!

Good old carp are always fun on those stinking hot days!Is Corinne using white braid?

Thanks guys, can't wait to see more footage from the kogan!One question:Where did flaps get his headgear? I've been using a military shemagh but wouldn't mind one of those too!

Shims' date=' I tie a slim beauty normally for a leader knot onto 14lb hard rock fluro. Reel is a 2500 daiwa. Yozuri live or Daiwa Sephia jigs connected via a small egg type snap.[/quote']Beats me then... everything you're using is pretty good quality!Some of the stiffer braids might resist line twist and throw less knots, but i'm not aware of what brands though.Hopefully someone with good knowledge on the subject will chime in!Best of luck mate.

Hey hugo,What kind of leader knot and reel are you using?Also, are you using squid jigs that have free spinning swivels? I had a dud one once that spun when I Jigged it, line twist built up and I ended up with a severe wind knot!

Thanks Ugly4life,I didn't even know some of these cams existed! Must plan a trip to Port Elliot, Knights beach looks awesome!

Anyone else haveing trouble with the web cams site ' date='keep getting told the site is being decommisioned error 404[/quote']Hey waspy,The cams have been moved from Transport SA website to the DTEI siteHere's the link:DTEI Cams

Hey Poppa,I've used droppers with pre snelled hooks before like you mentioned and I can see how you could think they're less sensitive; when you thread the loops together they can still slide on each other a bit and the rig might feel a little less rigid, (never noticed it too much myself) but the main reason i cut the loops is so that I can use the hooks that I want.By cutting the loops, you do get choice in hooks and (maybe) more sensitivity; but as a tradeoff the hooks do sit a little closer to the main line instead of sticking out due to the stiffness of the dropper loop.The rigs stay free of major tangles so it works out pretty well all round I guess!You have a good eye for detail Poppa, keep experimenting and be sure to let us know if you discover some nifty tricks!