Pimping a tinnie!
March 25th, 2012
AVENGER
THIS ARTICLE FOLLOWS THE PROGRESSIVE STEPS OF TRANSFORMING OUR 4.2M TINNY INTO A WORKING FISHING BOAT.
From a basic shell we drew up a rough plan to build casting decks and floors,that could accomodate storage areas ,easily accessed for anchors,ropes etc in the bow including tackle and gear. Allowance for a bow chair and Minkota trolling motor was also taken into account.
The project was devided into three stages .
1/The bow area,2/Centre floor ,3/The stern and transom.
See attached sketch.Each area was measured and calculations on material and existing gear were allocated,as we had kept all the electronics,marine radio,sounder,gps ,seats and lighting from our old boat “Chilli”.
We purchased a Remco rm12 100dc deep cycle battery and a power tech plus 15amp smart charger from Whitworths and Jaycar respectively.
We included in our budget a 40hp Yamaha 4 stroke and a Minkota riptide bow mount model Rt55st terrova with i/pilot down the track.
The decks and floors would be different this time using heavy duty form ply 18mm(3 sheets 2.4×1.2) then waterproofing them with Duram multithane uv vertical with removable checker plate rubber matting on top,which would allow for easy wash down after a days fishing.
The plan involved leaving the existing bench seats and building around them to form workable fishing areas with a step up in the centre to a raised fishing platform.
The centre floor had been done by the dealer in a low budget way with thin guage floor and carpet.
This would be removed and replaced with the same system as the bow.Swivel seats would be added including bow and stern lighting.
Finally the stern bench would be altered to fit live bait tank ,bait station and battery storage.
Heaps of storage areas with removable panels ,stainless flush mounted locker pulls,that will allow us to leave a lot of our gear in the boat.
Links
Battery http://www.federalbatteries.com.au/RM12-100DC/
Charger http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView…r&form=KEYWORD
Duram waterproofing http://www.duram.com.au/
Hdw form ply http://www.misterplywood.com.au/Prod…d/FormPly.aspx
Carpet blue designer discord https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_searchresults.asp
Live bait tank https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_i…AbsolutePage=1
Bow pedestal and collapsible swivel seats http://www.springfieldgrp.com/
Minn kota http://www.chsmith.com.au/News/Minn-…-13-35-01.html
Locker latches http://www.conceptlatch.com.au/Acces…-T-Handle.aspx
Stainless draw guides http://www.drawerslidedirect.com.au/…tainless-steel
The casting decks are assembled cold and later pulled apart,sealed underneath,glued and fixed with stainless box head screws.
Jeez who would be a boatbuilder,scribe city!!!Nothing happens quickly with curves,just back and forth with the 3mm template.Anyway it’s coming along slowly but surely.
More soon in Pimp It!
Pimp It!
March 25th, 2012
Below are the pics of the progress.
Northern Beaches Liquidblue.
March 1st, 2012
Liquidblue
February 1st, 2012
Scrolling down through the site you will find it devided into different locations in and around Sydney and N.S.W,the gear we used to target different species and finally navigation, including our ancestory.
At the end of this scroll click on “Earlier Posts” for more pages on Swains Reef,Camden Haven and Lake Macquarie.etc.
These locations and Posts will be added to regularly with a new topic in “On Stage” which will contain most recent articles on topics such as lures and luremaking,boating,digital photography,navigation and latest product reviews.
Scroll down the site to the latest topic/Offshore Fishing.
On Stage Now(Click on the icon at the top of the home page)
Best Fishing Time!
Bream and Flathead On Lures!
Snapper Fishing Personified!
Dropshotting for Jewies!.
Lure Making! and more!
Thru The Gate To the Lake
January 1st, 2012
At the Southern end of Narrabeen Lake in Sth.Creek there’s a gate leading across a weir that winds along the golf course out to a sandy bar the family call “Fishermans Beach”.The bush track abounds in wildlife and has an excellent fishery for flathead and bream.Weed patches and drop offs can be perfect areas to target fish using S/ps,hard bodied and live or fresh bait,such as prawns and poddy mullet.The area comes to life on dusk with the run out tide.
Deep Creek and Middle creek are great launching areas for kayaks , where poppers can be flicked over the sandbanks,polaroiding for whiting.
Half an hour drive North of Sydney, to the beaches, lies this fishos paradise.
The gear we use is a 7ft Shimano Backbone Elite combined with Daiwa Tierra 2500 spin reel,braided with 6lb Fireline and 10lb mono trace for flathead.
For bream a 6ft6 Daiwa imx7 Procaster rod teamed with a Daiwa Tierra 1500 spin reel,braided with 4lb braid and 3lb mono trace.
Growing up on the lakes where a trusty cane rod and small Capstan centrepin reel,loaded with mono was the norm it amazes me how far we have come in the styles of finesse fishing, during the last few decades.
Here’s a pic. of the Capstan and some Alveys!
Someone told me many years ago Golf courses leading to estuarine systems had a great blend of fishing opportunities!
The ramp at Jamison Park.The Bahai Temple in the far background is ever present .
Some pics of Lures and tackle used!Bream S/ps Flattie S/ps,H/bs , Carolina and Texas Rigs.
A picture of Bill Green my Dad in the 60s.Cane rock rod,old Alvey and fishing basket.
In comparison here’s some pics of the gear we use today!in the estuaries.
An improvised cake bowl makes an excellent poddy trap,combined with bucket and aerator.
The flatties love them as a live bait.
Getting a hand to pump nippers is always a bonus!Another excellent bait.A lot of people who are new to fishing ask me “Why don’t I ever catch anything”.My answer is fish as light as you dare and go live,it’s the best!
Pittwater and Broken Bay
December 1st, 2011
Launching outa Bayview ramp and heading on around Scotland Is. there’s a mirriad of fishing opportunities to be had.A couple of our favourites are Towlers and Lovett Bay .The latter is fed by a tidal creek with heaps of moorings and structure such as wrecks and reef.Top breamin’ spot using fresh squid strips and S/ps.
Time seems to stop still here.
The above pic. is out wide of Lovetts Bay.As you follow up into the bay towards the creek entrance there’s heaps of sand banks to look for nippers,which are excellent bait. Deep channels with dropoffs.The Kingies get in here and smash up the bait schools ,but come and go,vanishing as quick as they came!Below is a pic of Jono’s Samson and Bel with a nice bream.
Small chopper tailor hit the little River 2 The Sea surface poppers . S/Ps flicked near the older barnacled boats provide great fun on light gear.
Some nice big flatties can be targeted on live poddies and large S/ps.
The Hawkesbury
November 1st, 2011
Below are locations in this mighty river system.The Rail bridge,Flint and steel,Juno Pt,Cogra Bay.”Deliverance Country”,launching out of Bayview ,Moonee Moonee , Parsley Bay and of late Akuna Bay,Cottage Pt. 
Launching outa’ Parsley Bay near Moonee Moonee puts you right in the heart of this mighty river near The Road and Rail Bridges where another journey begins.
This thread will cover from Cogra Bay up past the different creeks/Berrowra,Cowan,Macdonald,Mullet,Webb,Mangrove and finally The Colo.
Leaving Parsley in our wake we ducked out to the left,heading up river,under the rail bridge and on to Cogra Bay.Real “Deliverance ” country but good fishing grounds.Oyster racks and mangroves make a good blend for breaming,and flatties.
On returning to the bridge we tried a hand at Jew fishing near the pylons,which has some nice deep holes.Probably better at night ,several days after the full moon.
Jewies on light gear will test you out!Big live baits or lures such as the Halco Laserpro-
On to Juno Pt. which is a well renowned big Jew spot and excellent drifting ground for flatties.Proceeding East for the arvo session to Flint And Steel.Boat traffic is a hassel at times!
The Upper Hawkesbury presents some great fishing with heaps of creeks and tributaries.Some interesting reading can be found in “Cruising Guide to The Hawkesbury” by John and Jocelyn Powell.
Bass and Estuary Perch can be found in numbers in it’s upper reaches.
A pic of a Daiwa “Livencicada” from Japan.
Below some Hawkesbury Bass,Hairtail and John Dory
Mangrove Creek a trib. of the Hawkesbury and Weissemans Ferry,Spencer are very special fishing spots.
Spencer “The Hub Of the universe” and a cold one at “the Weissemens Ferry Inn”
Click on maps for zoom!
Clic on Earlier posts for more topics
Sydney Harbour
October 1st, 2011
As an introduction to fishing this area, I will begin with just to the West of The Harbour Bridge around the dock area to Darling Harbour.There’s a major shipping line and deep drop off to set a live squid in search of those ever illusive Kingies!Good bream ground with heaps of structure around the pylons.
We trialled a heap of different lures and found the “Luhr Jensen” in white a good lure in the mid/crank bait range.Berleying up is a must.The small “Vibes”from www.kingstonlures.com.au were good and Jackal TN50s which all come under the bibless range.There’s endless opportunities around the Harbour.
Our boat “Chilli”
Coming from the Northern side of Manly, we launched out of Manly,Roseville and Cammeray dropping out under the Spit Bridge and on to North Head via The Quarrantine Station,Old Mans Hat and Northern Marker,sometimes venturing around the corner to Bluefish Pt.There’s numerous spots to fish on the way out including Pickering Pt.,Balmoral Beach (driftin’ for flatties) and Dobroyd Pt. to name a few.
Gettin’ on to live squid or yakkas when on the move,trolling or downrigging top to mid water produces good results.Gar fish stinger rigs skipped back behind the boat wash work as well.
This Aussie Salmon fell for a metal slice ,using a Daiwa Saltist 15to30lb rod and Shimano Navi PG 8000 reel ,loaded with 20lb braid and 80lb leader.
Aussie Salmon
Somewhere in a rod stack you would have to find an Ian Miller T/Curve.Coupled with a TLD.
Above Yamashita and Yosuri squid jigs.When it get’s hard, try trolling these “River 2 Sea” lures!
Tryin’ to track down squid can be tough at times-try www.squidfish.net/ for some good info.
Chasin’ Kingies around the Harbour can be great fun and sometimes frustrating !!!Downrigging live squid or yakkas can be worth the wait.Invariably when you hook up,it’s generally near structures or my worst enemy!Moorings!.Here’s a few pics.of our set up and a nice Sydney King.
Garfish rigs can be skipped or weighted accordingly.
Check out www.blackpete.com.au in your tackle shop the Kings rate them as one of there favourites.
We use an Abu Ambass.7000 BG with a 6ft stoker rod that has a bit of give, allowing the tip to load up on the down rig.20lb braid and 80lb trace.Lever drag!
Seriola Islandi the Latin derrivative , is probably short for “bandits” or “Hoodlums”
!
Click on maps to zoom in!
Some more of the gear we are using of late is the Daiwa Saltist 5000 spinning reel and Saltist overhead 30.
Penn Slammer and Penn Spinfisher reels.You can’t beat these tough, no nonsense reels.
The 50lb multi coloured depth braid coupled with varying mono leaders of 40 to 80lb does the job well.
Rock and Beach
September 1st, 2011
The Nthn.Beaches provide numerous spots for land based fishing!
Little Narrabeen to Long Reef
The Basin Long Reef
Nth Head
Old Mans Hat
Balmoral Beach
Blue Fish Pt.Manly
You never know what to expect,Flatties,Tailor,Bream,Whiting or Snapper,to name a few.
Click on map to zoom in!
Some pics of medium to heavy gear we employ!
Estuary tackle and targeted species.
August 1st, 2011
The Gear we have for light finesse fishing is a blend of Daiwa and Shimano in a range of sizes.The Tierra reels come with spare spools which can be loaded up with 4 to 6lb braid and varying mono leaders from 2 to 10lb.A simple Uni Knot will take care of the business end.
S/ps,hardbodied and live or fresh bait is the go,berleying modestly.
Expect to catch Flathead,Bream,Tailor,Whiting and heaps more estuary species,fishing the right tide and moon phases.
The above pic. is my Avatar from “Tacklebox” a wonderfully informative fishing forum with an excellent cross section of fishing genres.Check out www.tacklebox.com.au
Rock and Beach Gear-
You can’t beat the Alvey range for a tough,no nonsense reel.From Black fishing to beach,with lever drags on the med.sized models.There’s an ol’ Capstan centre pin in the top corner.Some people collect floats or make there own like Mark from Narrabeen Bait And Tackle which is the spot for all your fresh bait and gear at www.nbtackle.com.au
Blackfish
Luderick, Girella tricuspidata, or blackfish and parore, range from Hervey Bay to Victoria, Northern Tasmania and Kangaroo Island. They are also well known in New Zealand around Coromandel on the North Island.
Luderick have a number of close relatives, members of the genus Girella, which includes rock blackfish (G. elevata) and bluefish (G. cyanea).
Luderick are found in a wide range of environments including rocky headlands, estuary and river training walls and breakwaters, jetties and wharves, and along the deep snaggy banks of lower estuaries. In the larger rivers of NSW, luderick travel upstream where they are often taken in good numbers. Commercial fishing records indicate that large catches come from shallow seagrass flats, areas that are seldom fished.
The late Jack Alvey once told me how he had watched anglers on the Californian coast using floats baited with green peas catching fish that looked like luderick. These fish were opaleye (G. nigricans), and Californian anglers chase them around ocean headlands and kelp beds. They use bobber rigs similar to those used by headland anglers here. Opaleye anglers usually visit ‘slime ponds’ to collect green weed on the way to their favourite spots and it’s common for them to take along a packet of frozen peas as alternative bait.
So on my next trip to Short Island at Jumpinpin, I was armed with some pristine Redcliffe weed and a couple of pods of homegrown peas. To my delight, the peas worked well but luderick still preferred the weed. It was also difficult to keep the peas on the hook.
Marine plants make up the bulk of a luderick’s diet so recreational fishers often use some form of plant life as bait. Green weed, black weed, sea lettuce and sea cabbage are the most popular, but in some conditions yabbies, worms and prawns will also produce. I remember when the hole near the bridge at Hastings Point was a outstanding luderick hot spot. When luderick were on, on the late ebb tide, fish would devour yabbies. As soon as blue oceanic water arrived on the flood tide, the fish would immediately switch from yabbies to green weed.
When it comes to choosing the most suitable marine plant for bait, choose the one that the fish are naturally seeking in that environment.
The broad leafed sea lettuce and cabbage thrive along the edges of rocky headlands and river-mouth breakwaters. In rough conditions, lettuce and cabbage fragments break away and become good baits. In calm conditions, blackfish will move into the headland face or rock wall’s algal growth and catch rates will decrease as they have little interest in free-floating baits. The best times to fish from headlands is when there is enough sea running to form a wash loaded with algal fragments.
The green weed (filamentous algae) comes in a variety of forms, from flat ribbons to fine filaments. Ribbon weed is often found on headlands and is as good as cabbage in that environment. An important part of the ‘trade’ of a luderick angler is to know where to find good quality green weed.
In NSW you can usually purchase weed at most bait shops when it is available, but I understand that its sale is now prohibited in Queensland. Quiet estuarine foreshores, particularly where there are rocks, shells or mangrove roots for the weed to cling to, are good places to look.
In Queensland, the Redcliffe Peninsula, Sandgate, Nudgee Beach, the mangroves at Wynnum North, Victoria Point and Redland Bay have been good weed producers for me over the years. It’s also worth checking out any shallow pools that have formed between the land and mangrove forests, and also rock pools on headland platforms, especially if they get some freshwater run-off.
In Northern NSW there can be an abundance of green weed in the brackish channels that drain sugar cane fields near the lower reaches of major rivers. Cool, dry winters are best for weed in the cane drains as small amounts of nutrients from farm fertilizers reach the drains. If there is a big fresh in the system, weed can be very difficult to find so it’s best to have a contingency plan. Green weed works well across a range of habitats but isn’t as effective as cabbage is around the headlands and breakwaters. It comes into its own a little further upstream along training walls and snaggy banks.
My first encounter with ‘black magic’ was on my first visit to Collis Wall in the Clarence River at Iluka. Armed with the very best silky green weed from Clontarf, I expected to have a ball with big spawning fish that were supposedly on fire. They were certainly on fire, but only for those who had this uninviting-looking black weed. Anglers with the black weed were making a killing; it was embarrassing to leave the wall with only two fish. So finding some black magic became a priority. The top guns on the wall weren’t too helpful, but I eventually managed to find some in a quiet mangrove-lined backwater farther upstream.
Clarence River black weed is the most uninviting looking bait but it works in river systems. Its springy nature makes it difficult to use, however. One experienced angler explained that you need to roll some as tightly as tobacco would be and then to weave the hook in and out of the roll.
After experiencing how productive black weed can be, I decided to try a few different varieties. The yellow-brown alga that hangs in lichen-like growths around the bases of mangrove trees in south Queensland appears to be closely related to the black weed of the Clarence. Its colour ranges from yellow through brown to black. It’s slightly coarser than the weed I used in the Clarence and just as difficult to use. I have had success with this variety, particularly under the bridge across the boat passage near the mouth of the Brisbane River. Here you can collect enough weed for a day’s fishing less than 100m away in five minutes.
Although there are lots of local variations, the equipment and terminal gear used along our East Coast has a lot in common. My starting point was the set-up used at the Taronga wharf, but since then I have adapted it to suit the wide range of locations and conditions that I have come across while chasing luderick.
The classic luderick outfit includes a light rod of about 3-3.5m with good tip action but no shortage of strength down below. This is usually matched with a light centre-pin reel. In the right conditions, and in the hands of a well-practised angler, this outfit is a delight to use.
A great variety of other reels are used in luderick fishing. Among these is the range of purpose-designed fixed spool and side-cast models produced by Alvey. The side-cast blackfish reels can be used as traditional centre-pins with the flexibility of distance casting when it is needed.
Other anglers prefer to use light spinning reels and baitcasters, and this is fine – the important thing is that the angler has complete control over the balanced outfit. The rugged conditions of open rock platforms and breakwaters often demand more robust equipment to control the more specialised terminal gear as well as being able to lift fish without the aid of a net.
The illustration shows the elements of terminal gear for luderick. Basically, a running float keeps the bait suspended at a determined depth, that setting being controlled by a movable line stopper mounted on the main line. For years we fiddled around with bits of wool and other twines, tying movable knots around the main line. Thankfully, synthetic float stoppers are now available in tackle shops. They come in batches of 10 or a dozen, each being mounted on a fine wire loop. Then it’s just a matter of running the main line through the loop and easing the stopper onto it. Cheap as chips! When required they will pass through runners with ease without movement. Once mounted, a single stopper could easily outlast a busy blackfish season.
The choice of main line depends on the territory you’re fishing. Rock fishers would probably prefer 5-6kg mono while anglers fishing the quiet estuaries will go for 3-4kg. My choice is for one of the reputable brands in a soft and subtle variety. Except when fishing open rocky platforms, it’s unlikely that the main line will need to be extremely abrasion resistant.
Floats come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from fine pencils to large, bulbous and very buoyant models. As a general rule, the lighter the conditions then the lighter the float should be. A good float should be streamlined enough for easy casting and for easy movement through the water when a ‘down’ (a bite) is observed.
The float should also have a long upper stem that allows fine weight adjustment and can be easily seen. Most commercially produced floats have fluorescent upper stems, while some of the larger floats include a weight wrapped around the bottom of the lower stem. Many ardent luderick anglers gain a great deal of satisfaction from crafting their own floats.
After passing through the float, the main line is attached by a small swivel to a top (or weight) trace. Many anglers use a small piece of plastic tubing between the main line and this trace to act as a shock absorber and to prevent a knot jamming in the lower float eye.
The weight trace has the important function of setting the float so that when fishing, only the top stem, or part of it, is above the surface. I use a good quality abrasion-resistant mono of breaking strain similar to the main line.
Weight traces can be made up in advance, complete with weights and two swivels, if you know the weight that is needed to set the float correctly. I prefer to use splitshot because the various sizes allow precise adjustment and splitshot is well behaved when longer casts are required.
The float and the weight trace must be correctly matched to each other and matched to the fishing conditions. When fishing from the ocean headlands and outer breakwaters, the rig should be balanced so that the float remains quite high in the water. If the rig is too delicately balanced in those turbulent conditions, the float will dip frequently in the currents, giving the false impression of downs.
Successful luderick fishing requires the bait to be in the feeding zone for as long as possible. In fast running water, a reasonably buoyant float needs to be used so that it can be balanced with a heavy weight trace so that following the cast, the baited hook will drop into the feeding zone quickly. This is particularly important when fishing a steep bank between two sets of snags. If the float is only lightly weighted, the drift could be finished before the bait reaches the required depth.
The lighter the conditions, the lighter the float and weights should be. In almost still water, fish tend to be very tentative so large floats and heavily weighted traces just don’t work. In water conditions that would normally warrant very light floats, a strong wind can really wreak havoc. Using a larger float makes control of float and trace more manageable as a larger proportion of the rig is under the water and under its influence, rather than being dominated by the wind.
The bottom trace consists of a length of line with an attached hook, maybe with a small splitshot clamped about 10cm above the hook. There is no ideal length but 25-30cm is a good way to start.
The breaking strain of the bottom trace should be significantly less than that of the main line and weight trace. For most of my luderick fishing, I use 3.5kg main line and 2.5kg bottom trace. If snagging occurs or if a hooked fish heads for the sharpies, it is most likely to be the bottom trace that will give up. With the adequate supply of bottom traces, a new one can be tied on quickly and little fishing time is lost.
In recent years I have been using fluorocarbon for the bottom trace. Its transparency pays off when fishing very light conditions and when fish are fussy.
Until recently I used a Mustad 542 hook in size 8 for my luderick fishing. Since this became unavailable I have been on the hunt for alternatives. Last season I used SureCatch nickel size 8 suicide hooks which lived up to all my expectations.
The hook can be attached by using either a simple locked half blood knot or a loop passed through the eye, then over the barb. The loop is particularly useful when using green weed. A fine strand can be passed halfway through the loop, then each half wound around the shank with a tail of filaments hanging below. This usually solves the problem of having a clump of weed gathering at the bend of the hook.
I should stress, however, that the loop method should be discarded if fish are very fussy, particularly in very quiet water. Although the loop can be used with other baits, there is usually little to be gained.
Anglers will often need to make a few local adaptations to their terminal gear configuration. In a few of the top blackfish estuaries that I visit, the string of splitshot of the weight trace is replaced by a single ball sinker or perhaps small pieces of sheet lead. In other locations there is no separation of top and bottom traces, or anglers place floats with highly visible spheres as part of the stem. Interestingly, in a particular spot, most of the locals and long-term visitors use identical terminal arrangements. It’s easy to pick the outsider by what they have on the end of their line.
Click on earlier posts at the end for Lure making,Blackjack,Navigation,Ancestory,Botany Bay and more locations.