JDP

Headed into the mountains, air temp -5'c, water temp 2.5'c. Firstly I hate the cold which is the main reason for leaving the UK, however I still like the occasional reminder of how cold it can be and we aren't even in winter yet. Target species were brown and rainbow trout which move upstream for the spawning this time of year. These fish are an introduced species first brought here by early European settlers. It can be a busy time of year with many anglers trying their luck at the bigger up to 90cm 14kg specimens. I had decided to put the effort into hiking well upstream away from the crowds which involved quite some effort climbing some rock sections. Two other families had decided to join the party and all the youngsters were keen on heading upstream after I told them what a good session I had last year at a water hole well upstream. Apart from really feeling my age on icy slippery rocks all went well and we all reached the magic spot!!!!!! I must admit feeling under pressure after talking the spot up around the campfire the evening before but the pressure soon faded away when we had a triple hookup on solid brown trout from the youngsters. I pretty much sat back and left it to them as they clocked up around 70 fish mostly in the 55-65cm size bracket. A truly magic session we will all remember, with even a large stag samba deer walking in on us and getting quite a shock. One of the young lads had been working hard landing (netting) all the fish so had missed out on the rod action himself which made him feel disappointed, not helped by the teasing from the other kids. Around the campfire that evening in freezing temps one of the parents was keen to do the hike, which meant the lad who missed out had his chance. This day was even colder and my water bottle that I filled before I left camp had frozen solid before I got to the spot. My first nymph fly hit the water for a decent 60cm brown which I kept for the smoker. After that my gloves went on and I left it to the others, like I said I hate the cold!!!) The young lad hooked several fish before he actually landed one but once he did there was no stopping him. At least another 50 fish were caught this day before we headed back with smiles on our faces. While camping I sleep in my rooftop hardshell tent (Motop mk5 also available in the UK). This has a 12v electric blanket, led lighting and plenty of power points which are all run off my lithium battery and solar, I even have a DVD player for movies if it rains!!!! So cold but still comfortable.

Normally I catch bait as I fish, I see it as part of the challenge, however I’ve decided to try things differently in order to concentrate more on larger target species. So headed to the beach with my son in the hope of finding tailor or as some call them ‘bluefish’. You don’t simply rock up to a beach and hope for the best, it’s more a case of stopping on headlands, then scanning the beaches for worthy looking deep gutters with channels to deep water. Found what looked promising and my sons first cast proved we were on target. Another 20-30mins and we had enough bait for tomorrow evening where we will have the usual crew of kids along for some after school after dark hopeful rod bending. I’ve knocked the fillets off as small bait sized and the head gut sections will be used by anyone keen on targeting sharks. There have been some very large hounds to 25kg recently and one of the young lads has his hopes on a large one of those. Might end up a biteless evening but I’m sure @JonC will be urging us on for a top catch report so all we can do is try our best. Bait is vac packed in the fridge.

Isn't it a warranty issue ?

You might get it soon, its only been available for around 6 months here, so might filter its way to you guys soon.

Ive been using a fair amount of Shimano grappler as a budget line, costs the same as Daiwa J braid only far better in my opinion. Very little difference between this and the ocea braid which is more than double the price. Berkeley 131 is still one of my favourites but unfortunately comes with a very high price tag.

Do you have victron over there ? very popular here and the USA. Ive never had an issue with their products, many have multiple battery types such as deep cycle, calcium. lithium, etc as well as bluetooth connectivity which comes in handy. The salt environment is extremely hard on electrical gear and wiring, so using marine wiring (zinc coated copper) and trying your best to keep any moisture away from connections etc is always going to be a struggle on most boats. Just checked and you do have Victron over there https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjployp7OT-AhVTt5YKHZokD_QYABA6GgJ0bA&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESauD2MQNkPgwwFAcedK_oarMpsJUEQpWr7Qzwm_p4LljARI6klgQEf1jEsa_VoYNJuXIJLHGS8fROQ1z7ivtENQcrTu7EfOcXLSfBhi-IrYRix7js2U8ISzzKVA8uSPdF3BW5-TyU_qsbJFc&sig=AOD64_36jiMPJFtgs-wgPhD_6LbcHgSVtA&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjC2oSp7OT-AhVgt1YBHYbNC4EQ0Qx6BAgKEAE&nis=8&dct=1

Been a week of 4am starts, long drives and long boat runs over the past week. Sea conditions haven’t been great and now turned to 5m swell and gale winds, so a week off the water. The 60km boat run down to where the divers are collecting shellfish has been incredible with the amount of pilchards and small tuna along the way, fish busting the surface the entire run everyday. For anyone thinking Aus is all sunshine and bush fires, this was yesterday. Still a long way off the cold months. Already looking forward to heading north beginning of September for some heat.

Anyone get those messages ? Well this one is real, is this you JonC ?

Yes repairing new sounders isn't done normally. I shattered my Garmin 8410 just a few weeks after installing from hitting waves on my local bar crossing, ended being a throw away item. Garmin shouldn't make glass screens for boats if they can't handle boating use. Second hand gear is pretty much worthless here. I offered my lowrance hds 12 gen $300 (150 quid) with transducers and nmea kit and didn't get a single enquiry so gave it to a friend, same with the simrad evo 3 I took out of my little centre console. I suppose it comes down to a smaller market gets a higher price in the UK.

Ah thanks for the reminder the weekend is here again!!!!!!....just gotten back from commercial abalone boat skippering and looks like the 4m swell and strong wind will keep me off the water with my little boat. I need a break from it, my body is seizing up.

I had a couple experienced young boaters on my boat for spearfishing comp last weekend who couldn't believe how bad the bar crossing was and how glad they didn't tow their own boat here for the comp (900km each way). Even though I enjoy the adrenalin rush crossing it when the conditions are poor, you never feel 100% confident you will get through and crossing after dark is next level bum clenching!!!!!!....not that many will attempt that. Most successful rescues from here are done by young lads who are often out the front of the entrance surfing big waves, however they can also get in the way at times when you are trying to get a boat back in at some bar crossings.

When are they ever ? Not even sure why he's on a fishing forum going by his posts. Im thinking it's more for the outlaws part and male companionship.

The bigger brush tail ones are.

Just found this cute little ringtail possum in the garden. Sounded like there were a few in the bushes. There’s been something in our roof the last few weeks, no doubt this is the culprit.

It always surprises me how much like the UK your posts are. Warm clothes, old boats and species very similar.

Well I didn't want to work doing anything I don't like doing after 40 and I stuck to it. It's not all clear water and sunshine though, it does get dark at night here!!!!!....also noisy with the surf hitting the beach the other side of the lake. I did this little video two nights ago to show how dark it gets and how noisy it is from my my house. You will need to turn the sound right up as my phone didn't do a fantastic job of it. On the plus side is, I can hear when the sea's are to big without getting out of bed!!!!!

After another death of a boater crossing our local bar we now have the reputation of the deadliest crossing on the east coast. When you consider the east coast is some 4200km with hundreds of waterways, that's a hell of a reputation to have. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/narooma-bar-deadliest-crossing-in-nsw/102239844

Hey Andy, are you planning getting in the water now the weather is improving?

Just a few screenshots from my last time in the water. I did get a little underwater footage of Risso dolphins but the fact they were around 30m away didn’t show them up to well. My daughter missed out filming a good sized tiger shark, thinking she had turned on her head mounted GoPro, while in fact she’d turned it off!!!!! The blue water is the view looking down into the deep water beyond the continental shelf, staring down watching beams of light makes shapes and colours is extremely relaxing for me. The other fish on shallow reefs is what most of any shallow structures look like around my area. Often these shallow reefs will have large schools of pelagic species and plenty of sharks feeding on them. I’m skippering a couple of lads on the weekend for a spearfishing comp, so most likely won’t get chance for a swim myself. This is a bit of a boredom post, having had a quiet day of doing Bugger all.

Just gotten back from a walk with the dog searching out fungi. Took a few pic’s last night as this one glows in the dark. Also a group of caterpillars on a tree close to the fungi. I’ve seen the caterpillars in bigger groups huddled together before, not sure why.

I’ve bought plenty of saragosa reels over the reels but never noticed this little packet of clear strips before. Nothing in the paperwork in regards to them, any ideas.

Salmon will often beach themselves when sharks or dolphins push them onto the beaches.

I found one, happens to be that walrus you humped from your other post.

The video was only filmed two days ago, its most likely you've seen similar as its quite a common thing. Where I live 1500-2000km south we tend to have larger sharks feeding on what we call Aus salmon of 3-4kg rather than those small tope sized ones feeding on bait of pilchard size.

Not sure if this link will open for these small sharks feeding on baitfish along the beach. https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=3420504238209334