Old Scaley

Why are you wearing my shirt and shoes, not to mention my scaly old hands?

Hopefully the lockdown will end before the snapper closure starts.

As someone who really, really, really enjoys hooking a fish in the corner of the mouth and dragging it around the ocean until it is nearly exhausted then pulling it out of the water and sticking a sharp object into its brain before whipping a couple of fillets off it and coating them in bread crumbs and having them for dinner, I think it would be hypocritical of me to comment on fish cruelty. Maybe I have a problem?

We can arrange a hostage swap soon. It has been in the car the last two times I have seen you, and I have totally forgotten until I was halfway home.

Good looking seafood basket there, Sam. I have smoked the leaping bonito a couple of times and they were tasty, but never tried just fried fillets. Will have to give it a crack.

Looks like you are having a top trip up north, Mark. Congrats on the cod, it is a beauty in all senses of the word. Good to see Sheryl getting amongst them.

I just checked the 3 old Snyderglas surf rods that I have (light, medium and heavy) which were made for Alveys. The reel seat on all three starts at 22cm. I think it is more about the size and placement of the guides. Hamish, I would definitely take the rods to the shop for advice and to feel the balance of different combos. Surf fishing can be tiring and would be more tiring if the set up is not well balanced.

Arggghhh! Just stop it @Allnighter. You are making the rest of us look ordinary at best. Was that today? Had a trip planned but we cancelled yesterday because MetEye was showing mostly green. Very disappointed to see the actual wind during the day. Very nice fish by the way.

I guess if you have to ask how much that Tesla will be you can’t afford it, and if you have to ask how long it will be before they are available, you are already to old for it. Would be good to see the neighbours’ expressions when you are polishing your vehicle with a steelo pad.

IMHO you shouldn’t get your fishing licence until you have mastered using an Alvey with a 20 knot breeze blowing into your face.

Separate beer fridge and a large recycle bin.

The placement of the reel seats would be fine for an Alvey, Hamish. If they are 2 piece rods designed for Alvey they might not have runners on the bottom half, or maybe a large wire runner. At that length, I think a 6 inch or 6.6 inch reel would suit. The star drag models are great for the bigger fish but direct wind is fine. They all take heaps of line, but make sure that you spool it with mono rather than braid because you use your finger to guide the line evenly onto the spool and that would not be pretty with braid under pressure. Your best bet would be to take your rods with you to BCF and try a couple of Alveys to see how they balance. They are great for beach fishing because you don’t have to worry about the sand or salt water, just rinse them in the sea and keep fishing.

Holy dooley Hamish, that is not a report, it is a novel. Pics don’t work for me either.

Just the washer set-up Hamish. The foam washers seem to have become less durable over the years. Since I can’t seem to find an Alvey pump I will see if the Wilson pumps will take the Alvey washers.

You have come a long way in a short time @Kat. Fantastic boat, new job, catching fish - life is sweet. Do you work Monday to Friday? If you have some weekdays off maybe a few of us could arrange a tag along fish around Jumpinpin sometime?

Anyone seen Alvey yabbie pumps for sale in your travels? I seem to have lost mine and my spare has been dropped a few too many times and hard to make round again. Also the replacement washers only seem to last a couple of sessions before going hard and useless despite me always washing the pump in fresh water after use. Alvey have a new washer system these days that is supposed to be much more durable. The fittings don’t work on other pumps. I have had a quick look online and the places I have seen them advertised are out of stock. If you happen to see one in your local tackle shop in the Brisbane area can you let me know. Thanks.

I can’t see them on iPad either.

Why would you call him Sarge? Were you two in the army together? Another great session @Allnighter. @ellicat and I were on the verge of a similar session yesterday until the warning of the approaching storm came through and we scurried home with a dry ar#e and no fish. I hope you aren’t going back to work too soon - I will miss your reports.

That’s the one Robbie.

I don’t know anything about caravans except that they are fetching top dollar at the moment. But I would highly recommend Woody Head near Iluka as an easy destination to get to with a very pretty park and lots of fishing options very close.

I thought they were home. Exciting game, although I only saw the second half.

Another great fish @Allnighter. You have got the big snapper technique nailed!

Maybe there wasn’t enough tension on the braid when the reel was spooled? Did you put it on or was it done at the tackle shop? Maybe go down the local park, tie the braid to a tree, walk back as far as you can and then rewind with some tension on the line. Or maybe the weight you are casting is too light for your rod and line class?

Good to see you out and into them, @benno573.

Some nice country there @tiotony. Did the live bait in the second video do any good?