is it $70 post included right ?  i'll eft  it now and should be in your account tomorrow

 cheers, bret

 btw we have caught quite a few bluefin on them in the last two years. Heres one from Sunday (on a lure not a jig ) … we fought a monster on one for four hours last year but lost it when the "XXXX" reel carked it. Needless to say we don’t use them (that brand of reel) anymore…. I'll have a look through the photos to see if there is one with the jig hanging out of its mouth.

Please do champ because I would kill to see a pic of a nice SBT, caught on one of our jigs. Thanks for your order, too. Lads, the SBT are on fire. Don’t miss out this year, send an email around your mates, put a crew together and book in with Bret. Our Jervis Bay reporter Dave T says that despite the dirty weather, there’s been a few fish around:

Hi Andrew, not much action on the water with the terrible weather but a few hardy souls have been out. Steven and his mate caught these  ... a few bream and a 7and an 8kg groper off Plantation Point using black crabs gathered from the rocks at Wollamia boat ramp. A couple of other groper just straightened out the hooks and left. Have not heard of groper being caught on black crab before, usually they prefer red crab so l've been told!!!!

The off shore lads went down to Batemans Bay and at 2 thousand fathoms caught 5 Blue Fin Tuna , the largest being 69kgs and a 59, 57kgs and couple of smaller ones. They got back to Murrays ramp at 10.30pm and it took until 4am to clean the fish and then finish the filleting after a well earned rest.  Sorry no pictures...we were asleep!!!

 Regards from Sunny??? Jervis Bay, Dave and Kate

Beautiful! Pass on to that successful fisho that it’s one groper over 60cm, Dave?

I’m calling the one on the right for 59.5cm, best for him to be careful next time.

Mike Gleeson writes:

I read the article and was absolutely horrified by this complete load of rubbish. I am sending a letter to the editor and author. Thanks Andy.

Excellent, Mike.

As a member of Sydney Anglers I was extremely disappointed to read the opinion piece attacking fishermen in this month’s Rock Itt magazine. To view the picture comparing our sport with the slaughter of dolphins in Japan is simply disgraceful. Could I respectfully ask that you reconsider advertising in Rock Itt?

Too right it’s disgraceful and well done, Pete.

Hank from Warringah Anglers writes:

Amazingly over half the references you gave have fishing clubs associated with them: the Collaroy RSL Beach Club (Seahorses), the Time & Tide (WAC - us), Manly Fishos (Bluefish), Balgowlah RSL, Terry Hills Tavern, The Newport Arms (major non aligned club) and tied to the Dee Why Hotel (which used to have a formidable R & B based fishing club) via the owning family licensees - the Bayfields.  I'll get our people to bombard these establishments and also to get the contacts I have at the other fishing clubs whose sponsors advertise to bombard their own sponsoring pub / club.  Sadly this one is easy.

Please do Hank, if the angler haters are ignored they’ll only get bolder. Wayne:

You would have thought the Editor or others would have better control over things like that. Not a good way to keep sponsors. I noticed that there wasn't just 2 pages, there are others that go into animal welfare as well. I notice that one of the byliners that has a couple of pages also, is a vegetarian which explains most of the c#ap that was written. You have to feel sorry for them in the poor type of world that they live in. But then again, I don't.

Plenty of responses from the magazines’ principal advertisers, too:

Hi Andrew, you are speaking to a boat owner who is not opposed to a piece of fish now and again. I fear that if I were to take a stand and remove my advertisement from the Rock It magazine I would have to stop advertising our entertainment all together. From time to time all news papers local or metropolitan will carry some opinion pro life or otherwise. What we need are people to read between the lines. Speak of that I hope all yours are tight.

He he he. No need to stop advertising in Rock Itt, just an email to the editor will suffice.  From a major advertiser in the magazine:

I have just read the article and I totally agree. I have forwarded your email and a request to the editor that he should print an apology letter in the next issue.

Thank you! I would like to sincerely congratulate all our readers who had a go. Don’t think for a moment that this is a minor matter. The big story is of course (Federal Environment Minister) Burke’s declaration of 44 marine parks, in Western Australia:

Regular readers of our little report will recall that, two years ago, Enviro Minister, Peter Garrett banned fishing for mako sharks, then immediately took off overseas for six weeks holiday. Burke tried the same caper last week, announcing the marine lockups and then trying to bail for the Rio greenie gab fest. The timing was intentional, allowing Burke to both avoid criticism and media blow back here, while at the same time big noting himself in Brazil as to his greenie successes. Like so many other disasters it all blew up in his face, with the Opposition refusing to pair him in Parliament, meaning he had to stay and face the music. We start our round up of responses with Recfishwest’s take, on the lockups:

None, Dr Rowland. This is about political benefits – greenie preferences, at next year’s election. Geoff Ruse from Newcastle Ecofishers gets it right:

See attached for Federal Marine Park zoning, please remember virtual sanctuary zones are disguised under the terms like, special use zones, special purpose zones etc.etc.

Notice that there are virtually no restrictions around our capital cities where the majority our the population might be effected and therefore Labor might get even more hammered by voter backlash. Too bad for those who chose to leave the cities for a quieter life or those who just grew up in our regional towns and villages. Too bad also for those who want to get away to the good life in the future, or for their vacations.

I was part of the so called consultation, this single meeting to cover all Newcastle and the Hunter Valley consisted of twelve people, and we were told what was going to happen, they would not sit with us and map out any compromise. The so called consultation was a scam, planned meetings purely to lie to the public about our involvement in the decision making process.

Exactly, Geoff. The WA government is ropeable:

THE Federal Government's proposal to establish marine parks along the state's coast has been slammed as a 'dogs breakfast' by WA minister Norman Moore.

Scott Coghlan, in Western Angler magazine. This one’s really worth reading:

The truth is that recreational anglers have been flipped the bird(ie) by Labor in a desperate bid to curry favour with green voters and keep its powerful partners in the Greens Party happy.

Good one, Scott. Is there anyone left who thinks this is about the environment? Hank’s insightful take on the declarations:

The Tony Burke Commonwealth Marine Parks plan is just gobsmackingly staggering.  It looks just like a kid's colouring in book with join the dots.  Greenie Agenda: Get this stage 1 through.  Wait for a couple of years, making warm fuzzy murmurs about how great it all was and how it is achieving all its (unable to be measured in reality) goals and targets.  Ensure dissenters who protest by fishing are prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.  Wait for the fishing population to get used to being excluded from our traditional fishing grounds.  Now bring in a second set of marine parks joining up several of the dots to make even greater total area Marine Parks than the Coral Sea + Great Barrier Reef Marine park. Trumpet what a top achievement this is for the environment.  Wait and repeat every 2 - 3 years until there is no more fishing rights to anyone in Australia.

WA Greenies want more marine parks already Hank, 44 aren’t enough:

MEDIA RELEASE   Released Thursday, June 14, 2012

Marine parks proposal welcome but more needed: Greens

"The release of the final plan for Commonwealth marine parks is good news for the south west," said Greens MP Giz Watson.

Yep, that’s the pic she chose for her home page. Imagine the ones she rejected J. Meantime our self-appointed  ‘angling leaders’ are slamming the politicians who have fought so hard and so long, to stop these declarations. Jim Harnwell, on his Fishing World blog, announced only ten days ago that the marine park plans were ‘in limbo’:

http://www.marinebusiness.com.au/news/comment-burke-s-marine-park-plans-in-limbo

Then got stuck into the Coalition, our only hope of overturning the marine park closures:

It has to be said that the Coalition has so far failed to adequately differentiate between rec and commercial fishing. Instead it appears to be favouring a "one stop" solution to the issue – ie, a populist approach based on opposing the Burke plans while not really offering any alternative strategies or policies.

Then attacked Senator Colbeck – who fought so hard and successfully, to overturn the mako fishing ban – and Senator Boswell, who was fighting greenies when Mr. Harnwell was in Kimbies:

This is disappointing to a degree as any angler with an eye to the future realises that phasing out unsustainable industrial fishing operations is key if we want to develop viable sport fisheries. Senators Colbeck and Boswell don't seem willing, at this stage anyway, to adopt that line of thinking.

The minute they adopt your line of thinking we’ve lost, Jim. On the topic of unsustainable industrial fishing operations, your pal Burke approved the FV Margiris fishing in Australian waters. There’s a petition website to fight that now, and thanks to Trevor for sending me information about it. Heading for 3000 signatures already:

http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-giant-fishing-trawler-in-tasmania?time=1340005902

This line from Harnwell beggars belief:

If he remains as Environment Minister in a new Labor government, Tony Burke has demonstrated that he has listened to angler concerns.

44 marine parks, Geoff Ruse says the consultation was a scam, but Burke is ‘listening to angler concerns.’ Here’s Harnwell post limbo, on June 14th:

TONY Burke has bowed to pressure from anti-fishing groups by locking anglers out of iconic reefs in the Coral Sea, as well as significant areas in the south-west and north of WA and remote areas of SA.

But the federal Environment Minister has lessened the blow by avoiding closures around major population areas in southern Queensland, NSW and Victoria. ... Angling leaders now see working with the Government on the format of the management plans as the main challenge. Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation spokesman Allan Hansard said the Government should seriously rethink the plan in the context of access to marine reserves for Australia's recreational anglers.

Brave Tony Burke ‘bowing to pressure’, from the Greens. And angling leaders, ‘working with the government.’ Jim, you, Allan and Martin got all giddy about your imagined influence with Burke:

Put your energy and intelligence into the fight against marine parks, not into apologising for Burke. He’ll be gone at the next election, I’d hate to see your credibility go with him. What’s to be done, my friends? Here’s what the government’s saying now:

In the coming weeks, the Director of National Parks will release a public notice inviting comment on the proposed proclamation of the final Commonwealth marine reserves. Once the notice has been published in the Commonwealth Government Gazette, the public will have 60 days to provide comment to the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

Hopefully none of our readers are naïve enough to think that Burke would take the slightest notice of any comment provided. The answer, as always, will be political. One immediate option for WA anglers is to attend the meeting to form a WA branch of the Shooters & Fishers Party. That will be held this Saturday at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle at 1:00PM sharp. Fitz writes, from WA:

My name is Peter Fitzgerald, I have financially supported Sea Shepherd since 2008, both with support at fund raisers, handing out pamphlets, writing letters to the paper supporting the anti-whaling cause, and placing a couple of coin collection cans at a couple of shops in Bunbury..

It was seeing whales often when I was at sea in Geographe Bay when I was fishing that brought me to Sea Shepherd, and it’s ironic that fanatical American based PEW ideology will cause me to stop supporting Sea Shepherd because of the green push to ban me from catching a feed of fish in my back yard. I am sure that Sea Shepherd will, and has lost any support from the West Australian amateur fishing community for supporting the Gillard-Green marine no-take lock up areas in Western Australia.

What cash and coins I have collected up to today the 16/06/2012 will be forwarded onto Sea Shepherd, but as of tomorrow, I will be withdrawing my coin cans from the Bunbury area. I will be continuing to oppose the Labor-Green no take zones, and will be supporting the Shooters and fishers party in the 2013 election. I resign from Sea Shepherd.

Well done Pete, you’re a man of principle. Please – send us some pics and a short report, on how the Fremantle meeting goes this Saturday? The motivation behind the marine park lockups is political, and our response must be political. In next week’s report we’ll have two draft letters our readers might consider copying and sending, to their local MP. Sorry to bombard you with politics this week but these marine parks are a big deal and if we don’t fight them we’ll be locked out forever. Until next week, thanks to all our readers, and double special thanks to those who take the time to contribute reports, pics, and political opinions to this little newsletter. Please don’t stop! Cheers,