Tinker

Claiming it as my best day fishing ever!Which is a BIG call for me.Heading down to locks well and a MASSIVE school of salmon sitting in a gutter about 40m out.Grabbed my favourite lure Duel Adagio and proceeded to cast for hours on end until my arms were sooooo sore!Normally these schools hold fish 1-3kg but ended up hooking a donkey of a fish!New PB salmon from the surf for me went 5.8kg.Few sharks hanging out the back and kept the school of fish right there. didn't really want to hook a 10ft bronzie but when you foul hook a salmon I suppose it's easy food for him.Thank goodness got my lure back!awesome fun! went back the next day with my whiting rod 6lb line but the school had moved to far out the back to cast

Congrats and well done Alex.Totally deserved and well earned mate.

That's awesome PP.An even better way to admire the bling.Hope you don't mind if I pinch your idea, but I am getting fed up with my split butt rods getting caught up in my plastic rod holders that I thought were okay until I saw your handiwork.Gives me something to do while I wait for my car to get fixed, coz I can't go fishing!Got the tools and timber to do it too.Cheers for sharing that with us mate.

Congrats Alex, the vote was quite even amongst few of the reports due to the high quality of entrants , but you got over the line, Kudos.Now be sure to wear the StrikeHook T shirt during the filming of your next video!!!

Finally got round to making a better and safer place to store the fishing rods. Works for me!

Hi Savagelip,We are still working on our baitworm culture research, unfortunately setbacks get thrown at us and these things take time to get around/over.We are currently on hold awaiting the outcome of a request to change details of our next 'chunk' of research funds.We are hoping to get back into the full swing of things by mid next year, the plans are still the same just the timeframe that has shifted.Latest news is that we have had talks with an industry partner interested in culturing our worms as part of a waste mitigation initiative on their abalone farm.All is still good on the baitworm culture front just not going as fast as we would have hoped.Sam

Catching a bag or 2 … or 6! of Yellow Fin Whiting has not been a problem recently. There are always plenty around in the right places.However I have struggled to land many of the better size fish. I have had my share of bites, even plenty hook ups, although I was not happy with the hook up rate. And lastly and most frustratingly staying hooked up. I have had some big blistering runs, from big bruising YFW on light tackle in the shallows. Only to find my hooks pulled. Yes they are definitely YFW and not Flathead. You can tell by the distinct differences in their head shakes. The Flathead thrash and swing their heads from side to side whereas YFW tug their heads downwards trying to get back down to the sand. And on occasions I have seen their tell tale silver flash. They are nearly always hooked on the longest cast when you do not get much of a chance to see colour. I have never landed the best of the Yellow Fin Whiting that I have hooked.Well I can find them. I can get them to bite, although with a poor hook up rate and when hooked up my hooks would pull once we were into a fight. I had to have a rethink about what I was doing.
 
I paid a visit to a congenial veteran of the tackle industry, Trevor Rea at Gotcha Tackle on Magill Rd Stepney. Trevor has extensive experience as a land based fisho with many an unbelievable tale. There has been plenty of tales of monster size YFW, but Trevor is the only person I know that can look me in the eye and tell me he has caught a 55cm YFW. Albeit a while back. And a mate of his has had 60+ cm fish, whilst fishing along side him. When he digs up photos, which I am urging him to do I will scan & post them up. Well you cant buy that experience and it soon became apparent.
 
Trevor listened intently to my problem, then quietly walked down along a display shelf, returning with a packet in hand saying “This is what you need. Give up the long shank hooks” In his hand was a packet of Gamakatsu #4 octopus hooks. He looked at me and said “stop thinking Yellow Fin Whiting and start thinking Bream” Big Yellow Fin Whiting behave more like Bream than whiting. The penny dropped. I have always inspected the stomach contents of the fish I catch. I find the bigger YFW always have, apart from worms, crabs, nippers, prawns, whitebait, and even a baby octopus. Below a pic of stomach contents from a previous catch.
 

 
Exactly the type of food you expect a Bream to eat. So they could be expected to attack your bait in a similar manner to bream. I once had a huge YFW attack and hang onto for a while a whole pilchard on 3/0 hooks intended for Flathead. I described my current trusted and very reliable rig (below) to Trevor.
 

 
He said “you are assuming it attacks the worm from the bottom” Well yes! He was challenging my hard and fast assumptions. Great! I was getting a fresh look at what I was doing. This is the rig he suggested and assured me from his own experience, of changing his own technique, that my hook up rate would double. This is his suggested rig;
 

 
I have tried this rig out in my last 2 sessions. On the first session it was very windy and the big YFW that normally hang around the shallow nipper beds are not around in these conditions. I did finish with a bag of YF between 30-34cm It was interesting to note all the bigger YF took the top hook and I doubled my hook up rate. It was only small YF and Puffers that took the bottom hook. Yesterday the weather was looking good and I headed out with great anticipation. It was on the first 2 casts that I found a couple of 31cm YF. From then on I tried to avoid them. There was an easy bag of fish for the taking, in the 29-33cm range but my focus were the bigger specimens. So I focussed on areas that hold less but larger fish. The rig works well! I did not lose a single good fish today and probably only missed one great bite. I kept 15 fish 31-40cm.
 

 
The best sizes were; 2 @40cm, 2@38cm and 2@36cm
 

 
Taking up the whole shelf of the fridge while chilling down before filleting.
 

 
I thought I was doing pretty well, but there is always room for improvement. Listen, review and have a rethink. Well it is satisfying to have changed my rigs with great results.Now a 50+ cm Yellow Fin Whiting can realistically go onto my bucket list! Cheers, Des

caught this beauty recently on a safwaa dam. she went 71cm ,5.1kg

Methinks he may be talking about the marina.Never heard of anybody fishing the North Haven Basin before, or even mentioning it.Would make it easier if folks doing fishing reports could be more specific and precise, and name their locations correctly.Ugly 4 Life might have some more info.

Hey everyone,Thought we could do with some more good info threads on S&H, so it's time to post one! I'll be focusing on smaller, tastier, land based species: Tommies, Mullet, Salmon Trout and Garfish mainly. This is a guide for Land based fishing from wharves, jetties and breakwalls etc. and is mostly for the newbies, but hopefully some of our forum members can get something out of it too!Let's get it started!It all starts with the rigs, it pays to keep things simple but versatile if possible, So I use 2 hook paternoster rigs; made from quality terminal tackle:Attention to detail helps a lot in rigging for smaller or spooky species in clear water, in this case; good quality fluorocarbon and very sharp hooks are the main areas I spend money on. I use mono for main line and terminate it with a small snap swivel so rigs can be changed without any tying.To make my rigs, I tie a surgeon's loop in the line and 2 dropper loops using a dropper loop pegboard (pictured in the video.)The rig is a regular double paternoster except that I cut one of the “legs” off each dropper so that it's no longer a loop, then tie on the hooks with a blood knot.At the sinker end I leave about 50cm and tie on a snap swivel so that sinkers can be changed as needed. When you're fishing over rough ground, you can take the sinker off and use a clip on float; but I fish the bottom for these species 95% of the time, so the float is an afterthought.The sinkers pictured are 1/4oz(7g), 3/8oz(10.5g) and 3/4oz(21g) with 3/8 being the most often used; I wouldn't recommend anything heavier than 3/4oz, as this style of fishing seldom requires much of a cast, if at all. Hooks are Daiichi suicide size 10, short shank; any smaller and you're going to end up with more gut-hooked fish!http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5sLQH_N3BM Bait is maggots most of the time for me, I've noticed long life ones are often a bit more lively and worth the extra dollar or so over the bran packaged ones. with the maggots, I thread on enough so that I can only see the barb of the hook, they last ages this way and you can fish for longer without re-baiting.Worms are a bit too expensive for me and I personally only use them when chasing whiting, though you can harvest your own if you're time rich and can get the technique down.Pilchards are a great universal bait, but as far as smaller species go, I use fresh frozen (not brined) pilchard cubes unweighted on a fluoro trace and 4/0 suicide hook for Salmon Trout and it works very well for me.Mince is a great bait for mullet, regular beef mince thickened very slightly with wheat bran or breadcrumbs and some curry powder, garlic, aniseed or 5 spice mix added in works well; squash it into a ball shape on the hook and gently cast or drop it in and you're good to go.Lots of other baits can be used for these species: cockles, prawn, squid etc but these are my “go to” baits and they get me good results.Burley is a must for these smaller species and can make the difference between going hungry and home made fish 'n' chips on most days. A mix of pellets and small burley log in a plastic burley bucket just below the surface of the water works very well for me and the fish normally show up within the hour, depending on the tide. Arguably the best burley I've used is from Arthur at betta price tackle, so that's where I get mine!First thing I do when I get to a jetty, breakwall etc is always to get the burley bucket in the water and tied off; then set up and get some bait in the water within about 15 metres downdrift of the burley bucket. Most of the time I'm aiming for tommies, sometimes gar if there's weedbeds around; occasionally I'll drift out the unweighted pilchard cube for salmon trout instead of the maggots. Tommies are my main target a lot of the time as they're not size restricted, so they're great for use as bait and burley and make good live baits.As soon as the first usable fish is pulled up, it goes either on a squid jag or is used as a livebait (depending on what jetty I'm at.)Tommies make decent livebaits but squid love them, so if I'm at a squidding jetty it goes onto the squid jig instead. I rig my livebaits using this technique:4/0 hooks are used and the mouth hook is only threaded on the line instead of tied, the end hook snelled; this ensures that the fish can swim freely and can be adjusted for any size fish. until recently I was using a single lip hook, but I missed out on a lot of good Snook as a result (they seem to love striking at the belly of livebaits instead of the head.)For chasing landbased snapper or big salmon, I kill the first fish and use it whole on a pulley rig with the same 2 hook config as above, using up to 6/0 circle hooks if the bait is big enough.So that's my usual game plan for a day's fishing. I hope there were some helpful bits in there!Thanks for reading,Shimsman.

Not wrong there, most of the lower end Shimano stuff just doesn't know when to quit.IXs. Sedonas, Siennas, Exages, etc, you don't need to blow your budget to get long life reels.I've got a crush on Siennas at the moment, very dependable reels, and less than $50And available in rear drag, if that floats your boat, which in my case it does.Just don't go swimming with them......

So yesterday I headed off to West Lakes to see what was happening. A massive school of salmon schooled up near the steps and there was a dude who caught one every cast! Sadly I didn't bring a rod but, he had 2 rods but there was too much happening to use both so he let me use the other rod! He was a great bloke.After the school had moved on, I had landed 3 decent 35cm+ salmon! He had at least 20 so he gave some away. He gave use 3 more so we had a nice bag of 6 salmon. I really thank him a lot because if he wasn't there, we wouldn't get a nice feed. Cheers to him!

Can i just bump up the site and add that the organiser of this fantastic event is going through a few personnal issues at the momentLets get behind the lad and lets make this years event one of the biggest we've had. I know times are tough and economically we are stuffed but please dig deep. go fishing for the day with the family, and support a fantastic cause.As a sponsor for the comp, a mate, a fisherman and someone who has suffered the impact of childhood cancer I am at liberty to comment on thisKeep up the fantastic work Mark You are an absolute legend!StuartTacklebusters Discount Fishing TackleAustralias largest mobile Fishing tackle shop

So ive been aske d several times to throw my hat in the ring re tackle comps to support the siteThose who dont know me I own the KOMODO fishing brand and the show store TACKLEBUSTERSOver the past two years I have designed and been very succesful in the sale of fishing tackle both interstate and locally. I have even been picked up by an international company who distribute my tackle. I design over 100 rods and 60 reels that I have made overseas by the same companies that produce mitchell abu garcia and shakespeare to name a couple of the major well known brandsI am looking for a fishing rod design that is not avasilable in the usual market place - last year I designed a 9' light surf for ladies teens and oaps which was lighter, made from carbon but with some glass for flexibility but with a short handle rather than a 3' handle and it rests on your hipSo... the comp is come up with an idea, design a rod, drawing, actual physical examples are better with a description of how and why it works better than whats availableSpecial consideration will be given if it suits local conditionsPrizeI will put the name of the designer on the rod and reference them in marketting (which may lead to better things) and I will make a run of 100 rods to be sold locally. The designer will get a selection of 10 of the rods for himself that he can keep sell donate or useThere 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 So thats what you,ve asked for.... go to it guys :whistle: I can be pm,d messaged or emailed at komodofishingtackle@gmail.com or on here through the site

Fishing SA Magazine issue 31 Oct/Nov 2013 is completed and due for release in the next week.In this months issue:[ul] [li]Mangrove Bream[/li] [li]Get more from lures[/li][li]Gar dabbing[/li][li]Electric Fishing - Hapuka & Blue-Eye[/li][li]Victor Harbor Offshore[/li][li]Yorke Peninsula Reefs[/li][li]Beach Beasts - New research unravels mulloway mystery[/li][li]Latest comp results[/li][li]Boat, outboard and tackle reviews[/li][/ul]

:silly: Just catch a big carp on light gear and shut your eyes.... :silly: :silly: :whistle: :whistle: I call them my Mud Mullies..... :whistle: At least they are easy to catch!

I wouldn't sleep too easy there Pauly - At this stage unless nothing changes the Jetty will have to be removed as part of the remediation of the site.There are a lot of misconceptions about the waters around the Port Stanvac site, it is Not a Sanctuary it is an Exclusion Zone. This zone exists as a safety measure and has only been maintained (more accurately extended) because work continues on the wharf. This is why with the permission of the company certain people have been able to fish off of the platform in the past.The area faces difficulty to become a Marine Park Sanctuary Zone as it does not fit within an outer Marine Park Boundary and these are not up for review for 10 years anyhow. Possibly it could become a reserve (like Aldinga reef) but if the jetty is removed as per the current agreement then there will be little argument for conservation of a severely damaged area.Given the value of the land (it will be developed) and the proximity to metropolitan Adelaide (the community expects access to the beach) there are legitimate concerns about just allowing it to decay and fall apart. These concerns are shared by the Government (who are within their rights to ask Mobil to remove the Jetty before signing off on the lease) and by Mobil (who don't want the bad PR / responsibility down the track if something goes wrong) I agree with Des; about the confusing of issues; fisheries compliance or bag and size rules are completely different issues to this and they should be dealt with separately. In my view a Recreational Fishing License with fees held in trust to fund fishing education, greater access and opportunities for the average angler (jetties, reefs, fish stocking) as well as increased resources for compliance officers is the way forward.Cheers,Davewww.facebook.com/savetheportstanvacjettywww.savetheportstanvacjetty.com

Good point mate.My local bream spot will soon be over-run by the white bucket brigade.Happens every year, every man and his dog will be taking bream home.Many of those fish won't be legal size.I understand why many folks voted no, now I'm in two minds about it.

Depends on $$$ you want to spend and how often you are wanting to go sp fishing. The more you spend the more you need to justify using the reel and the better you need to keep your reel, washing it everytime you use it.For me $0-50 i would go a shimano sienna or cazna, both nice little reels i have both and both are almost identical in performance and specs.$50-100 shimano sedona - i have two of these reels and they are great, 7kg of drag in a 2500 reel is practically a snapper reel.$100-150 - Shimano symetre - as Damo said, this is probably the best value for money reel, ultra smooth reel. I have a 2500 size which i use for kg whiting and rugger snapper,$150-200 - Shimano Saros - good snapper reelMore then $200 you get into the good stuff, stradic fj, stradic ci4+, Sustain,,,,,Yes i am a shimano fan, but i also have a few daiwa reels, Aird, Opus Bull, catalina.My pick..... sedona or symetre

waspy have a look at these, great little reels, and should be able to grab one fairly cheap about now...Come with spare aluminium spool as wellLooks just like a Stradic

Plankton and crusher are right on the money waspy, even the lower end shimano reels are a class act, beautifully balanced and super smooth winding and drag mechanisms.any of the reels they suggested are great, but for smaller species the sienna would be a mighty fine reel at a fine price ($60.)Only thing i've found with the lower end shimano reels is that you can't let them take a salt bath, and you have to be diligent about rinsing them, i know this from having seized one after using it as a kayak fishing reel in the summer! :c

As one of the ex big bream fishers on this forum said years ago on another forum, every bream system in SA has 50+ fish in it I've done my digging around and there have been many more caught than people think. They just don't get posted so often nowadays, as the bait brigade go and fish them out as soon as they get wind of spots...