Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

Valid point Rod. What they're doing is anything but "recreational"

on ya Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
I enjoy hearing about people involved in illegal fishing activities who get caught and pay a hefty penalty for it.  Go for it I say, take their boat and their car if it is being used to fish illegally for profit.
However, as a recreational fisher I don't like the fact that these low lifes who rape and pillage our seas, get called 'recreational fishers'
To my mind, once they cross the line from accidentally having an extra fish, to seriously abusing the limits, they become criminals and should be named as such, not called recreational fishers.
eg If someone is jogging along taking handbags would you call them a jogger or a bag snatcher?
If someone is driving a car that they have stolen, would you call them a 'motorist' or a car thief?
If someone goes in to a store and removes goods without paying for them, would you call them a 'shopper' or a shop lifter?
etc
So why punch us law abiding recreational fishers in the nose by calling these marine poacher scumbags 'recreational fishers'
I find it very offensive, please use an appropriate term
Cheers
Rod

G'day
You can download a free program called gps babel that will convert gps files if necessary.
There's a standard format that can be transferred across all the brands called GPX.  If you get the files in this format you should be able to upload them direct to the lowrance
If not convert them to a lowrance format USR from memory which I think is now up to version USR3 but any that your unit has the software version for should be ok
Cheers
Rod

Bjorn, I've found the perfect solution for you
Cheers
Rod
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk

using the same skills as Chief I knocked this up out of an old pallet
 

Heres a start for a friend of mine
I did the rod rack and drawers along the base...

He then put his lockable roller shutters around the whole set up
Lure rack is an aluminium extrusion screwed to a back panel
 
Cheers

Bjorn, I've found the perfect solution for you
Cheers
Rod
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk

Bjorn, I've found the perfect solution for you
Cheers
Rod
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLBHXp5OBk

As with alot of things in fishing it is dependant upon 1000001 variables.
 
A very "wobbly" rod, that is to say it is softer in the tip, will cast lighter weights such as those used for the species you've mentioned further than a "less wobbly", that is to say a stiffer tipped rod could. This is because the softer rod will "load up" with the weight, and use the loaded section to propel the bait/rig further.
 
However, a slow tapered rod, meaning the rod blank bends a long way down the blank,almost all the way to the grips, can be more of a liability than a help in casting and especially hook setting.
 
You see, in the lower end range of rods and fibre glass rods the softness extends throughout the blank. This leaves the angler with minimal punch or hook setting power, therefore they are hindered in their ability to sink the barb through flesh and they miss alot of bites.
 
The "perfect" rod would have a fast taper or Extra fast taper yet still have a sensitive tip. The sensitive tip allows the angler to cast light weights accurately and detect bites easily, while the fast taper allows the hook to be set far more easily. Unfortunately, the bulk of rods like this are made of Graphite, and the better rods tend to start from the $100 mark.
 
I tend to find if using monofilament a stiffer rod is required to compensate for the stretch, while braid can allow you to use a softer rod due to its lack of stretch.
 
So to answer your question. It depends on the situation. A wobbly tip would be better for casting in your situation (assuming you go with a glass rod, graphite generally regains its shape quickly) but the rod cant be slow and soft all the way through as you wont be able to set the hooks.
 
If I were in your situation I would look at the "Royale Gold" or something like that series in Kmart. The rods are cheap but they are light and they are far more crisp than similarly priced rods. This would probably be your best bet on a compromise between "wobbly" light weight casting rods and "stiff" hook setting/heavy weight casting rods.
 
An example; I have a Daiwa 6 peace travel which i picked up for $25 at the Boat Show one year. I can cast unweighted bread and light hard body's a mile with it. But i cant for the life of me set the hook into Redfin when they strike and when I strike a carp I've got to hit it like I'm striking at a bloody shark! Its a massive trade off and now i only use that rod when I want to have a bit of fun in the Murrays backwaters. Would i use such a soft rod for gar or YFW? HELL NO! I just wouldn't set a hook, I'd cast out to them but would never be able to hook them up over distance. I now much prefer relatively crisp graphite rods as the tip is sensitive and able to load and flick out light weights, but they have hook setting power unlike any glass rod I've ever used and are able to quickly turn the fishes head.
 
Honestly mate, if you get right into your fishing you'll want to upgrade in no time.
 
Hope that makes sense. AR1

G'day
I can't post a pic right now but will try to get one over the next week
I've got an old laminex kitchen table in the shed where I pre tie rigs.  I used to keep all the terminal tackle in plastic boxes, some spare stuff still is but I recently stumbled on a great find.  Outside my local supermarket I noticed a cadbury display rack which looked like it was left for disposal.  I asked if I could have it and the manager said YES!   It's very strong and in excellent condition, it's on wheels and has about  8 adjustable shelves (4 each side) roughly 500 x 200mm with little rails around each one.   So I've stacked it with all the leader and hooks etc in species categories and used other shelves for random other stuff.  It's great
Keep your eyes peeled 
Cheers
Rod

I have made designed and made a wall mounted rack and a floor rack on wheels.  I had everything I needed lying around
The floor rack was the simplest. 
cheers
Rod

The West Coast tends to hold alot smaller fish than the York Peninsula, yet the fish buyers have always payed good money for these fish even though they pay transport costs from say Thevenard and have to be at the Central Bus Station first thing to greet the Bus . The people who have posted on this topic know  why.

From what I've heard from different people, I believe its definitely related to water temperature (and the bait with it). El Nino definitely has an impact as it is associated with sea surface temperatures in the certain parts of the Indian & Pacific oceans. Apparently the barrel tuna like the colder water which is unseasonally closer to our southern coastline for this time of year. Some reckon these fish are on the way back, but in normal years would be in the colder water of depths of 2000m or so out of range of boats. It has been ridiculous how many barrels have been caught this season (have heard 1000). Something that probably needs some regulation in the future...?

DAY 1

In the first week of school holidays, a Kangaroo Island trip was a great way to settle us in thanks to one of my best mates (John) and his family, who are one of the biggest deaf families in Australia! We arrived on a beautiful day with nothing but blue skies and crystal clear water. As soon as we got off the ferry, we were straight into the fishing! I spotted a few good schools of tommies so I chucked on a small hard body to see if I could tempt a few.. After landing a couple, a tiny squid appeared to be attacking the lure! Hooked up to it but dropped it. The next cast the same thing happened but this time I landed it. It was only small but there were quite a few hanging around it so I quickly chucked on a jig. First cast with jig, it was smacked by a nice squid on the drop. Same with the second, third and forth cast!   I realised how many there were but we were only keeping a few for bait and the rest were released. For the next 1 and a half hours we caught close to 30 squid, sharing around a single rod!    John, his two brothers and mum all landed their first squids which they were stoked about!   




 
It was time to head over to our shack, which was in Hanson Bay. We unpacked and set off for a stroll to the second beach, carrying a couple of rods. We found a very nice gutter and whist John chucked a bait out, I was flicking metals and soon hooked up within the first few casts! After a couple of solid runs, it spat the hook but another one took it closer in! Once again it spat the hook but again, a school chased it into the wave breaks and I saw the hookup through the wave! This one was one of the larger models which took me for a huge run and spat the  hooks again!!!! It was one of the biggest salmon I've hooked and I was spewing!! I even saw it in the wave with another 4 fish following it and clearly, this one was the biggest.   

For the next couple of casts, I had no interest in the lure but once the sun started to go down, plenty of big tommies and small salmon trout were hitting the lure. I landed quite a few big tommies while John only had bites on the baits. It got dark and cold so we decided to call it quits. Fortunately, the alarm was set for an early start the next morning!   
 
DAY 2
 
6am, we got up and had a quick breakfast. Walked to the river in Hanson Bay which I believe is the South-west River? The scenery was beautiful with the early morning fog creating a blanket over the top of the river. At the first accessible spot, I had a practice cast which resulted in a hookup on the Ecogear SX40! It was only a small bream but a good sign!

 
We made our way up the river flicking at every spot we could access. Before it warmed up, I landed another 3 fish with my mate getting donuts, it was his first time using lures which was understandable but I showed him quite a few tricks! 


 We made our way up to the very top of the river where I had plenty of casts in a small pool, on the 10-15th cast, I had a solid hookup! This one felt bigger and almost got me into a snag. After a good fight, I lifted it up to the ledge and boy was this bream healthy!   It measured 30cm and after a few pics it was quickly released. 

 
 
We went back to the second bay after lunch where we landed plenty more tommies, salmon trout and loads of pesky wrass! 

 
We got bored and went back to the shack to get the kayaks ready for a relaxing paddle in the river. But knowing me, I had to bring a rod along.    I followed behind John with the SX40 being trolled behind me. It wasn't long before I got hits, and lots of them! At the first bend in the river, I managed to land around 3 small bream. We made our way all the way up the river where I had no hits at all so we decided to go back down. As soon as we hit the same bend, I had a heap of hits. I hooked up to a few fish which spat the hook. This time I only landed one before sundown which was just legal. A quick photo and release.

 
DAY 3
 
The next day, we went to Kingscote jetty. It was pretty windy and cold. We had plenty of tiny bites on the baits but no hookups, it was really slow. After an hour, John hooked up to something huge on my rod! It took a rather large squid tentacle and screamed off straight under the jetty. After a quick 20 seconds, it busted him off on the pylon..    We reckon it was a big salmon, small kingy or possibly a snapper. I tied on another rig which had no interest other than the odd small nibbles. In the last few minutes, I decided to try for squid. It was hard casting with the wind but I managed to land 2 small squid before we left. 

 
Just after dark, we made our way to Vivonne Bay jetty. it looked very promising with tommies swarming the lights. First couple of casts, we landed a couple of tommies on plastics! They were solid tommies going 28-30cm. After landing around 20, I hooked onto something that peeled line!  After a decent fight, I lifted it up and to my surprise, it was a nice Silver Trevally! A couple more tommies were caught and then I hooked up to another slightly bigger Silver Trevally! We were getting loads of tommies and before we were about to leave, I hooked another Silver Trevally which looked a lot bigger! It fought extremely hard and spat the hook before it broke the surface. Oh well, we landed a nice feed all up! 


 
DAY 4
 
After a long night, we woke up tired but we didn't want to leave the place without landing a big salmon, so we walked all the way to the third beach, both casting metals into the surf along the way. We both managed to land a few salmon trout each, nothing big and were released. We made it to the third beach which didn't look as good as I thought, the gutters were really shallow and we didn't get a single hit. On the way back, we flicked metals at the end of the second bay, next to the rocks. First cast we both had hits. We hooked up to some good fighting salmon trout but we both persisted through the smaller ones. After I had a talk with John about why persistence is crucial in fishing, we both hooked up to a big salmon each, at the same time!!!   Mine was doing plenty of heart stopping jumps but they both stayed on! We were so excited and shared an amazing experience together. Both salmon were our personal bests with mine going 55cm and John's going 51cm. 


 
We threw them onto the sand and our lures went straight back in, hoping for another 'real' salmon. This school moved way to quickly and we didn't hookup to anymore solid fish.. After another couple of hours flicking lures and catching salmon trout after salmon trout, we called it a day and what a day it was!!! 

 
After hard work scaling and filleting the fish, they made a lovely meal! This was when I realised how good they tasted fresh from the surf! 

 
DAY 5
 
It was an early start for me as I had to leave. Lots of hand shakes and hugs went around as I left. I arrived at Penneshaw jetty a few hours early which gave me time to fish! It was windier than the first day but it didn't stop the squid from biting! First cast I hooked up to a nice squid, followed by more.

 
I ended up catching and releasing around 20 and decided to try catch something else. I chucked on a Zman 2.5" grub to see what was hungry. Casting into the reefy shallows, I had a solid hit, quickly retrieving the lure in, it was followed in by a wrass which smashed it! They actually fight hard which was a surprise.  After a pic it was released. 

 
And of course! Here's the video!! My longest video yet, please enjoy  

 
What an amazing experience I had! MASSIVE thanks goes to John and his family for the awesome time. 
I would also like to thank a few Strike and Hook members that helped me get familiar with Hanson Bay! 
 
Cheers guys. 
Alex. 

I have made designed and made a wall mounted rack and a floor rack on wheels.  I had everything I needed lying around
The floor rack was the simplest. 
cheers
Rod

I have made designed and made a wall mounted rack and a floor rack on wheels.  I had everything I needed lying around
The floor rack was the simplest. 
cheers
Rod

knocked this up the other weekend out of a pallet, have a go
 

 

 
will make a double row next