Old Scaley

Nice grunter @subtlefly. What part of the world are you located? Not specifically, just what region?

So, is it a good thing that not many fish were caught in a pest fishing comp?

Geez @Drop Bear Midgey must be tiny, she makes Pipi look huge. Surely Pipi could clean up the poo.

Lovely fish @tiotony. Do you measure them to the fork or tail? Thanks for sharing.

Nice grunter. Interesting rig you designed but not sure about a couple of things. Is steel really biodegradable? I imagine it would take a long time to rust away. But it would certainly be more inert than lead, and so better for the environment. Presumably you would need to make them about 30% bigger than lead sinkers to make up for the difference in weight per volume? And why not put the scent on the bait if you think it helps rather than potentially luring the fish to the sinker and risking a bust off when the fish grabs the sinker? Not trying to be critical, just thinking aloud.

Grinner.

Shame we didn’t get into a patch of fish @AUS-BNE-FISHO, but that’s fishing. Always a pleasure to fish with you Hamish. Your manners are as impeccable as your written expression. You are a human sponge and take everything in and store it away for next time. Looks like your next lesson will be filleting. Thanks for doing the report.

@SuperHans, not sure where this is heading. First you are imagining @Angry51 in chaps, then you want to “poke the bear”. Maybe it is true what they say about soccer players. Just kidding mate, but the title of this thread would probably tell you that you’re not likely to get any converts here.

Thanks for taking the time and effort that you put into your post @SuperHans, but Rugby League is, and always has been, the greatest game on earth. Sure, soccer is skilful but so is solving the rubix cube. Doesn’t make it a great spectator sport though! I like union, but it is only great at the very top level. AFL is a good game and good to watch live but nothing gets the pulse racing like a good game of league at most levels. Each to their own I guess.

I have pan fried fillets with and without flour or crumbs, and also in beer batter. They were really good. Just as good as golden trevs in my opinion. I bought some fresh mullet fillets on Straddie this week. I had forgotten how good they taste fresh. Didn’t mean to hijack your thread @benno573. Nice little morning session. When are we going fishing again?

Hope you still got a fish in @ellicat I made it to the ramp one day without any rods. 40 minute drive back home then another 40 minutes back to the ramp.

I reckon they would tame most critters Ray. You don’t see too many people with blacksmith skills. Does he make knives as well?

That is a stonker bream Daryl.

30 seconds is nowhere near enough, Mark. Oh wait, that is how long my first beer lasts when I get home from fishing.

I was also told 10 minutes minimum.

Good for Gar. Also good for rays and toadies.

I think you can rest easy. Nothing will go to waste in that household. No problem with stocking the freezer as long as you stay within the possession limits, which you can be very confident that Mark will.

I had a quick look at a couple of these strategies and can’t say that I would disagree with what they are trying to achieve, which is maintaining fish stocks at sustainable levels so that fishing is rewarding in the short and long term. Of course the devil will be in the detail which will become apparent when the strategies spawn actions. The 2 that I looked at (mudcrabs and the inshore fishery) would have the biggest impact on commercial operators because they account for the majority of the catch for most species. Just like epidemiologists during a pandemic, I am willing to trust the marine science and comply with whatever is enacted. Not that we have a lot of choice in that anyway. We can’t complain that the fishing has dropped off and then complain when someone wants to do something about it.

Some of the worst officiating of the year this weekend. And that is a big call. Chronic underaction followed by acute over-reaction meant a few teams had every right to feel they didn’t get a fair shake of the sauce bottle. Also, I am getting tired of seeing players lying on the ground clutching their necks only to bounce back up once the inevitable penalty is blown. End of rant.

I’ll be back Greg. 2022 is the season where the Qld teams will win every round and the Sharks and Roosters will lose every round!

Magic trip there Mark and what a delicious haul. You sure know how to pick those weather windows.

You can bet it will be a classic case of a few morons spoiling it for everyone else. Council probably got sick of cleaning up needles, broken bottles and who knows what and decided to shut it down. What a shame.

Great Spaniard there @GregOug. Love the understated report. You really built the anticipation as you described the preparation, the hunt, the capture.

Thanks @ellicat, and thanks @rayke1938. I was just looking at the store. Prices are amazingly cheap. Ray, have the hooks ever let you down?

Just putting this up as advice to other boat trailer owners. I went for a fish on Friday morning with my son (nothing to report - just some undersize snaps and one decent bream). I thought I had heard a sound from the trailer wheel a day earlier when I took the boat in for a service but couldn’t find any problem. When we were leaving the ramp on Friday we had the car windows down and I heard the swishing noise again. My son hopped out and walked beside the trailer to confirm the noise was coming from the passenger side trailer wheel. I doubted it would be bearings because I had checked them the weekend before and they are fine. The trailer is only 3 years old and I take really good care of it. A quick run of the hand over the tyre told me the tyre was out of round and the steel belt was starting to fail. No problem I thought, I have a spare so we will just swap it over. Every now and then I loosen and retighten the wheel nuts to make sure I can get them off if required. What I didn’t know was that the alloy wheel can fuse to the hub and be almost impossible to shift. Ended up having to call RACQ for help. The mechanic got it off after a bit of a struggle with a large rubber mallet and a metal bar. He told me it was not uncommon, even on cars. I spent a few hours over this weekend trying to get the other wheel off so that I could make sure I could do it in an emergency. No dice. I have tried every trick that the internet has to offer so it will be off to the tyre shop this week to let them work their magic. Then I will be looking to run a slight smear of grease between the hub and the wheel, and remember to take the wheel off whenever I have the trailer jacked up to check bearings. I don’t like the idea of being stuck somewhere with a flat tyre and having to wait for help.