Thursday 03 JULY 2012

Tackle specials and angling politics

from Downrigger Shop

First up, a gentle reminder that I’ll be at the Melbourne Boat Show from Friday to Sunday. If you’re visiting, stop by for a catch up, there’s nothing better than meeting our readers.

To fishing, and lots of excitement at news of a giant bluefin caught off Sydney last Wednesday – co-incidentally, the same day I was out there on Reel Thing. Adam Lovelee sent me a pic same day, for which I’m very grateful:

 

Mate of mine, Lee Rayner 145.5 kg blue fin caught last night at southen canyons south east of hacking pending oz record! Great effort.

 

Incredible, and exciting to think of what awaits us in the years to come Adam, as SBT numbers grow exponentially.

Al McG is always where the action is and with the bluefin passing Sydney, he was right in amongst it on Wednesday too:

 

Beautiful mate, I admire you so much.

Across the country and Peter Holtfreter is back from his latest excursion to Gnaraloo. The lads had a ball and caught some top fish, too:

Hi Andrew, just reporting back after our trip to Gnaraloo last week. Thanks for the colour-change - braid it worked a treat and the crew I was with were pretty impressed. Needless to say there will be some orders coming through for some more when I get them all sorted. One of the crew of 8 was my old man and at 81 he kicked our butts on quality fish as the pictures show. Mind you he was a bit wobbly in the legs and couldn’t stand and hold up the 9.5kg Red Emperor so I just told him to sit on the floor and I chucked in his lap for the snap.

The 50w’s performed great with the high speeds we were using on yellowfin to 15kg as the pics show. The best days fishing was the worst for weather with a stiff 30kt southerly blowing we decided to stay in close and in 30m of water we got Reds, Cod and some nice 10-15kg Spaniards just floating mulies out the back of the boat. Thanks again for your prompt service and I’ll contact you soon for some more braid.

Well that is just fantastic and I’m tickled pink to hear that both the reels and the braid worked so well for you. The idea of taking an 81 year old man – even your father – on an off-shore fishing trip is just amazing. What a man he must be, in the fullest sense of the word. Please pass on my congratulations, I really admire the bloke.

With our game tackle working so well on the west coast, and southern bluefin roaring up the east coast, it’s time for some details on the three game combos we offer, being 30, 50 and 80-pound:

30-pound combo, rod reel and line

Price: $340 plus delivery

 

Specifications:

16W two-speed lever drag game reel spooled with 400 metres of 30-pound colour change braid,

then a top shot of 100 metres of 30-pound mono.

Reel retrofitted with carbontex drag washers, drag preset at 4 kilos.

Matched with a Strudwick (SIB6025B) six foot Bluewater 24kg rod fitted with Fuji guides, gimbal and reel seat.

Load parabola, 4 kilo weight:

50-pound combo, rod reel and line

Price: $385 plus delivery

 

Specifications:

20W two-speed lever drag game reel spooled with 500 metres of 50-pound colour change braid,

and a top shot of 100 metres of 50-pound mono.

Reel retrofitted with carbontex drag washers, drag preset at 6 kilos.

Matched with a Downrigger Shop five feet six inch 24kg two piece bent butt rod.

Note: this rod can be mailed.

80-pound combo, rod reel and line

Price: reel and line only: $450

 

Specs:

50W two-speed lever drag game reel spooled with 1000 metres of 80-pound colour change braid and a top shot of 130 metres of 80-pound mono.

Reel retrofitted with carbontex drag washers, drag preset at 9 kilos.

 

Two rod and price options:

 

Matched with  Downrigger Shop five feet two inch heavy 37 kilo rod, with roller tip: $570

 

Matched with a Wilson Live Fibre (RWPG37) 5 feet 5 inch 37 kilo game rod: $740

Still in WA, and Craig Scott sends in some pics of he and his nipper out on the water.

 

Here’s a couple of shots of myself and my little bloke and a few of the fish we have been getting onto over the last 6 months. We adhere to the regs tightly, and between the 2 of us only ever take 2 fish on any one occasion. I figure if I back the catch down, I can get out more often!

 

 

 

I intend on heading out of the Cape (Naturaliste) over the next year, so at some point will hit you up for one of your electric combo’s, but a bit of saving is to come first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great work Craig, he will remember these times exactly the way I remember trips with Dad to Mungo Brush, all those years ago.

 

Every so often a special report comes through, and that is not to say that all the reports aren’t special. But this one has it all and goes to the deeper meaning of the sport we all love, being about accomplishment, satisfaction and passing the skills onto the next generation. Bruce R writes:

My dad Don and his neighbour Ron from Sussex Inlet fished the local Bream Tournament over the weekend. Sunday morning in his favourite spot in St.Georges Basin using 3lb braid mainline, 4lb Fluorocarbon leader, a 3g jig head with a number 1 hook and a Gulp Banana Prawn plastic he hooked into a 7.91kg and 930mm Tailor!

 

Luckily it was hooked in the outside of the mouth and what followed was a 30min battle as the fish nearly spooled him and they had the electric motor humming on the Quinnie as they chased it around.

 

Subdued, they got it up to the boat, but as they were chasing Bream they had no large net and no gaff. They ended up getting some lip grippers into it and then got their arms under it to lift into the boat. They measured and weighed it and tried to release it, swimming it for 10 mins but the fish was beat. The capture will be either an ANSA All Tackle or Length National Record.

He has now caught 4 big Tailor over 3.5kg in the last 18 months. This is the largest fish he has ever caught in this estuary in nearly 50 years fishing here and beats a Flathead from 1979 which was 7.6kg.

Don and Ron also got 7 Bream today - upgrading twice and finished 6th overall and first unsponsored and local boat in the comp. Not a bad way to start the new fishing year. Pretty proud of the old man.

 

What a fantastic story. You know mate I get a lot of great stories coming through via the email, and this in the top five this year. That Don has been fishing the waterway for 50 years and this is his biggest fish from it, is a very special moment.

Arthur has a helpful update for our Sydney northside readers:

Hey Andrew, went down to the Roseville ramp on Sat, 30/6, to check out the progress. As you can see it's still a bit of a mess. The new finish date is 6/7. Yeah right! Just saw the pig squadron do the famous fly over. Regards, Arthur

 

 

Blimey. I do not like the look of that, better reserve judgment until we see how it all pans out.

Mark C needs thin carbontex sheet:

 

Awesome report mate I would also be very interested in the 0.5 carbontex sheet when u get some. Just fitted 2 reels with them and they’re smooth as, super impressed

 

We have ordered some with our next shipment Mark, and have a bunch of inquiries backed up for the thinner sheet. Will send everybody an email as soon as it arrives.

Dan Selby from Sydney Sportfishing is incredible the way he gets top results from our hard fished waters. This is the best estuary perch I’ve ever seen:

 

 

 

Dan, I also heard on the grapevine that your presentation to Pitt Town Fishing Club was just brilliant.

Well done, champ.

North coast reporter Marc Sams has been out off Ballina and kicking a few goals, despite the weather challenges.

Mate do you ever have a bad one???

Last weeks’ issue had a question from a reader regarding where to locate an unusual type of rod holder. Helpful reader Ken Flintoff has the answer:

 

In answer to Dan  A’s question, I think this is what he is after!

 

http://www.escapin.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25&products_id=1690

 

That looks the business. Thanks, Ken!

Graeme Henderson was nearby at Iluka for the long weekend, and got the boat ramp pelicans pretty excited:

Gday Andrew, late pics fro the June long weekend, we fished Illuka and had a ball. Plenty of good fish caught just not many pics taken.

 

 

I added a pic just in of my Dad holding a lovely pair!! He's 83 and although having fished much of his life had never done much good. He caught about a dozen or more on the Saturday morning fishing the run up tide on light gear and we kept 5. We ate plenty of fresh fish over the weekend, all just crumbed and shallow fried, and he lat r confided to me that he had never in his life eaten fresh fish before! I was shocked!

 

Well done Graeme and glad to see you got a weather window. That last comment is a bit of a surprise. By crikey we have got some top blokes reading this little report, men who take their dads and their kids out fishing whenever busy schedules permit.

Rod & family stayed at Coffs Harbour, for the Queens’ birthday weekend:

 

 

Hi Andrew, just a few pics of our recent trip to Coffs. we stayed at the Aqualuna beach resort. We took the Yellowfin 5700 out twice while we were there. We had a ball and managed a good feed of fish. We fished at spot called The Patches. A heap of squire there. Some nice mowies and I got a nice pearl perch. Hope you like the pics cheers Rod

 

 

 

 Beautiful. The mowie’s not too bad, either!

Sam and his mates took a small boat out onto Cowan Creek, in Sydney’s north. Just like I found in Cowan last week, if you match the gear to the fish size, you can really enjoy yourself:

Gday Andy, just thought I’d flick a few pictures through of a fun Cowan session last week. Not massive fish but a couple of PB tailors for me and my mate, all fish caught on little 10g chromes, fish were busting up everywhere!

 

 

Heard rumours of kings still around Cowan too that's initially why we went out but these guys were still heaps of fun on light gear. Cheers Sam

 

Top sesh Sam and hasn’t your tailor darkened up, after a few days in the Creek?

On the City’s southern side, Joel Duggan took a beaut bag of Calamari and Arrows:

 

 

Hey mate, headed out to Port Hacking and boated a few nice squid.

 

Blimey what a barbecue you must have had, that night. Grateful for the top pic, Joel

 

To politics, and Trevor is ropeable about the greenies who trashed a Datsun 180B in last week’s report:

 

Hey, I am a Datsun 180B guy too.

 

First one I had was even the same colour as this one – but the second one sky blue with the matching Aunger colour-toned hot wire mags was the car that won over my Catholic school girlfriend back then – aaarrrhhh – those were the days – playing Bob Dylan, Carol King, Fleetwood Mack, ELO, Supertramp and those other real artists.

 

She was gorgeous too. Yes mate – I agree it is personal – slam them!!!!

Well mate if you insist! Here’s what happened on Sunday, I got slammed myself actually but all in good fun. Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann planned a rally in my suburb, to protest against NSW Premier O’Farrell’s deal with the Shooters & Fishers Party (SFP) allowing feral animal control, in selected national parks, by volunteer hunters. Readers of the weekly report know that Faehrmann is the main greenie in the NSW parliament pushing for more marine parks, via the phoney grey nurse shark campaign:

I’m not an SFP member but have known Rob Brown (the Shooters & Fishers MLC) for a long time, and consider him a dear friend:

Back to Sunday’s protest. The rally was supported by the greenies’ funding and recruitment arm being the National Parks Association, who receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funding, every year:

The greenies can dish it out but they can’t take it, as you’ll see. Assembling some basic kit – a banner, a megaphone and 50 pamphlets on the facts – off I went into the beautiful sunshine at Wahroonga Park, on Sunday morning.

 

Putting up the banner wasn’t well received. A handful of greenies took it upon themselves to block it from view:

Since the only other people attending were greenies, I’m not quite sure whose sensitivities they were protecting J. I started handing out pamphlets. That received an even worse reception. From the page given out:

 

The facts: Australia has the worst record of species loss in the world. Over 30 species have become extinct since the arrival of Europeans in 1788. Small Australian marsupials are not equipped to evade or defend themselves against introduced pests like foxes, and feral cats.

 

Kangaroo Island has a koala plague. They destroy so many gumtrees they need to be culled. Why?

 

No foxes.

 

In NSW, koalas have disappeared from much of their original range. Why?

 

Too many foxes.

 

Typical of their screw ups – for instance, pink batts - the greenies PA system wouldn’t work. Meaning the introduction of main speaker Cate was almost inaudible:

It was time to break out the megaphone, and let them have a taste of their own medicine.

 

‘APOLOGISE FOR THE CARBON TAX, CATE.’

 

‘APOLOGISE FOR THE DEAD REFUGEES, CATE.’

 

‘APOLOGISE FOR DESTROYING FARMING ON THE MURRUMBIDGEE, CATE.’

 

Not well received, as you might expect. First of all, some argy bargy:

Then I was crashed tackled by a feral. Had my eye on his manoeuvring, but was unprepared - because he had his little boy with him, and I never thought a father would do something like that, in front of his own son:

After scuffling on the ground – all of which was filmed by a press photographer – the greenie was dragged away by his women folk, small boy in tow. Which at the end of the day is just sad:

Standard stuff from the greenies, and nothing a dab of Dettol didn’t fix. But take care if you ever meet the one shown below, also seen in the two pics above. She spits:

Numbers attending were small, especially considering the thousands of dollars in free ads the ABC gave their greenie mates, for this one. But those attending weren’t locals. I mean, c’mon. Purple and brown?

Two of my friends also from Wahroonga who were on hand did not recognise one local, in the smallish crowd. So altogether a very worthwhile hour spent, and happy to rain on their parade.  What it all means politically is for experts to interpret, but three things are clear:

 

Faehrmann can’t draw a decent crowd on a sunny Sunday morning, on Sydney’s North Shore;

 

The greenies need to get themselves a 12-volt PA;

 

Barry O’Farrell – and Shooters and Fishers – have nothing to worry about.

 

Hope you enjoyed this week’s report my friends and please – keep the pics and reports coming in! It’s all interesting – what you’ve been doing out on the water, some pics of your boat, your take on fishing politics, anything at all you care to share. Thanks to our readers and especially our contributors,

 

Andrew Hestelow

Managing Director

UPDATE:

 

Some press coverage, and a short Youtube clip sent in by a friend:

 

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/07/01/503175_politics-news.html

 

Hunting rally hijacked by carbon protester

AAP | July 1, 2012

A LONE carbon tax protester has hijacked an anti-hunting rally on Sydney's north shore.

 

About 200 people had gathered at Wahroonga Park this morning to protest against the NSW government's decision to allow recreational hunting in 79 national parks.

 

But while NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann was addressing the crowd, a man with a loudspeaker stepped out from the sidelines and began demanding "apologise for the carbon tax" and "apologise for the dead refugees".

 

Ms Faehrmann, who was giving her speech without a microphone, could not be heard over the loudspeaker.

 

The man was booed by the crowd with one protester screaming "apologise for yourself".

 

He refused to leave when asked by organisers.

 

Several men pulled him away from the crowd and he was tackled briefly by one protester.

 

The man later left the rally.

 

Protesters had organised the rally in Premier Barry O'Farrell's electorate to show their opposition to his deal with the Shooters Party to allow hunting in national parks.

 

Meanwhile, demonstrators were gathering at Sydney's Hyde Park in the CBD to protest against the tax, which comes into effect today.

 

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