I've heard about Yabbies (LUCKY YOU!!!), Great Whites, and Crocodiles - but have next to NO idea what kinds of fish can be had elsewhere around the place...

I'm an avid fisher in my home state over here, where we can count on several kinds of trout, bass, and catfish amongst many other varieties.

In some areas (especially rivers) the waters are unfortunately polluted beyond any hope of recovery any time soon.

How is it where you are?


~Dutch

*This post finds me at the beginning of our fishing season in and around western Tennessee when the weather is finally warming enough to bring fish back out to shallow waters in our lakes and reservoirs. I imagine fishing is as popular in Australia as it is in the "UPSIDE DOWN" part of the world, although from what I understand DEER hunting has difficulties...

(Some sort of disease that strikes local deer populations down) I mention the deer because in Tennessee your hunting license and fishing license are linked together.


I suppose a hunting thread wouldn't be a bad idea too - but I fish, so it fascinates me. Either way a sound truck would be an advantage.

 

G'Day Dutch
Like you I am also an avid fisher. Over here fishing can vary from cold ocean to tropical. Where I live inland fishing is very limited. You can catch Black Bream in the local lakes they not bad eating. Further west of here there are trout in a few selected rivers. I prefer to catch marron which are a freshwater lobster with big claws.



Most of the time I go beach fishing when the weather is ok. We catch Salmon, Trevally, Flatheads, Mulloway, and some species of shark. The best part of beach fishin is geting there. We drive on the beaches and fish off the back of our utes.
This is a Carpet Shark my largest catch. I used a seven foot rod with 6 kg line no bull




This is my favorite catch a Pink Snapper off the beach. These are normally deep sea fish but we are lucky here

 

I remember what it was like in southern california to go out and bag what we call "Yellow Tail" and Bonito (Bonito is a spanish word that means "PRETTY". I can't argue that at all...)

There are Red Snapper in south california with a similar name, but a different kind of fish really. They are slimmer in the length.

I hope to put up some pics of the trout and bass as well as catfish we find around here as the waters warm up - I'm no longer in an area with beaches available....

Those Yabby you have over there just make me drool...

We have crawfish that are tiny by compare (also called crawdads or crayfish) that are like a miniature lobstar or shrimp. They can be found all over the place, and the striking thing about them is that their shelled tails make for the very best fish bait you can ask for...

But nothing like the size of a yabby. Regardless, many people collect them until they have enough to make a freshwater shrimp dinner out of. Suprisingly - many people from elsewhere in the country find that distasteful. I suppose because crawfish are most commonly found in ditches or other areas that are considered polluted. They are still nothing more or less than fresh water shrimp - so that attitude is kind of shortsighted.

I'm expecting to have an aluminium boat soon as the government hands back to me what I overpaid them, and with a lake nearby that I can trust as not having water in it that is poisoned I'm going to spend all year fishing if I can help it - I'm a retired guy! I can do that...

In talking to the people who have been going there, I hear that there are catfish over thirty pounds or so (14 kilos?) and bass that will be worth having. We also have several varieties of trout in lakes, reservoirs, and impounds that can be had. I'll share with you what pictures we take of all of it.

Also what rigs we use, and an explanation of why we do that.

Maybe if we share back and forth we can find things we didn't know that will work out better than what everyone else has been doing.

I doubt it - because usually what works best is what works. New stuff that makes a difference is rare... For all I know what does the job in Australia and vice versa might not be possible to switch.

Those are some phenominal looking catches!

Do you FLY FISH much over there?
It's a very old method that uses a heavy line to carry a light line and odd bait which simulates an insect landing on the water to lay eggs. Traditional in some ways - it fools the fish into striking. Done well - the results can be amazing!





I envy you, by the way. Those are some very pretty blue waters...
I miss the beach.

I also had no idea salmon went that far south


"MARRON" now - I take it that it's a special variety of yab's?

And I wull say this: a man who knows how to set his drag right and make use of the rod can land fish that are far heavier than the line could normally take! It's truly said that a patient man is rewarded....

 

Dutch I like the way Crocodile Dundee fishes. With his DuPont spinners.

Ya ever get up this way I will take ya deep sea fishing. King and Silver Salmon, Halibut and all the Dungeness crab and shrimp ya can eat.

 

Yeah - but if you fall in the water you are DONE in about fifteen minutes....

The lake near me is at 46 degrees right now. That's enough to strip your body heat away in no time (a thing they taught us at length in basic training for the NAVY).

I still think of fishing as having three levels:
1) I'll use a hook and line
2) If the fish don't bite, I'll start throwing a net.
3) If the above don't work and I am so fortunate as to have a mask and flippers and a spear - I'll go in after them!

But I no longer have a mask and flips, there's no wetsuit available, and I'd have to trust your boat-craft.


Kripes, WHY NOT?
If I get out your way - YOU'RE ON!!!


I still love stream and brook fishing more than anything else. Spot a ripple, and plop a baited hook upstream from it. The results are reliable....


I dunno if I mentioned it before - my Momma drove all the way across Canada in an Oldsmobile with a lady friend of hers, and even sent me a "MOOSE" coffee cup and a Fairbanks Alaska T-shirt to me while I was on a west-pac cruise one year. Now, if she could do that, why shouldn't I?

I owe it to her... After all, who's son am I?
I'm sure my late father would approve as well.

 

I been on theses waters for 30 years. Commercially and sport. Was in it twice and got fished out near dead. Ya about 15 minutes both times. I take a lot of folks fishing. My kids included. Aint lost anyone yet and don't plan too. I got way to much respect for mother Sea folks tell me. I may be a little over cautious. But we still have a lot of fun and the boys can't wait till spring when I will launch the fleet again. The 22 footer is Ford powered with a 351W. Don't get any better than that. Numberdummy keeps saying he is going to stop by but never has. Just waves from the cruise ship he is on.

 

I can't argue with your experience.

You do know that I am struggling with my own situation down south - so I can't promise when it may be.

For all I know I may be an old man - I have my puppy to think of too, you may think it a stupid consideration, but there is only me and him. If I can't even be loyal to a dog I'd hate to even consider what I would think of myself.

But one day I will ROAD-TRIP again, that much is unavoidable. I may even WORLD TRIP...

I'd be a fool not to - I can take space available flights on any military aircraft leaving the continental united states...

WORLD TRAVEL is a very real possibility

But I care for Rufuss as I do myself. I have to think of a way to take care of him first.
I saved him from freezing to death in 20 degree weather when he was first born, and will not abandon him now.

We have that bond, and it is why he is so close to me. I fed him drops of milk from my finger until he was strong enough to suckle from his dam

maybe now you know why the Rufuss is so special to me

 

Understand your loyalty to Rufuss I also share that loyalty to my pan licker called Wally. He was a working dog helping me with moving sheep when I worked in the shearing industry. He saved me alot of sweat and now its time to look after him in his retirement. He also loves comin fishin he will play on the beach all day.



He is an Australian Kelpie and my best mate

 

My best Mate was a Queensland Blue. Even after he was blind and lost his hearing he would still hunt with me. Was hunting when his heart stopped. Never be another like him. But always will be another. I can't even think what life would be like without a "panlicker", I like that. Always room in my home and boats for family Dutch. Even is they have 4 legs and lick pans.

 

Hey Arctic you must live in the most amazing place sooooooooooooo different to here. I never seen snow and if it gets under 15 deg C which is about 60 in your lingo I am locked up inside with the heater on. The bush must be amazing over there with mountains and all. We only have little hills Aussie is very flat. Our biggest hill is trying to get up off the beach up the sand hills. We do have bigger hills over east where it does snow. Do you go 4 wheel driving much?
In Esperance you gotta have a 4x4 or you can't get anywhere but its only soft sand or mud. We do have pretty rough tracks though if you want to get to those far away places.
Ya don't wanna take your flash rig or it'll get all scratched from the bush. Some blokes overe here have some cool off road rigs it must cost em a fortune. I only have a Mazda Bravo with a little 2.5 tubo diesel. Its light goes pretty much any where and can carry me swag and all my fishin gear. I am thinkin of replacing it with a Ranger when she dies I like the rangers what do ya reckon?
The Ford Rangers overe here are made by Mazda any way is that the case over there.

 

Yes Dutch they do fly fish but mainly in the eastern states. There are some rivers over here in the west with trout in them and a few people would fly fish for them. Years ago my mates and I used to go camping on this river and one of my mates was a local to the area. He had a canoe like those indian canoes you see in the movies. Anyhow we were camping one time and he said if you paddle down the river very quietly and where the creeks trickle into the river sometimes you will see a trout there on the surface. I said we could shot em with a shotgun with small shot. So thats what we did and with success. Very difficult to stand up in the canoe and take the shot. The other guy has to jump in and catch the stunned trout. I do have a pic of one but not in digital. That is fair dinkum story.

 

Ranger and the Mazda B series are pretty much the same truck, but what I have in mind for a bit farther on is to mount a Ranger cab and bed on an explorer chassis that's had a 351 engine set up in it.

The advantages of the explorer chassis are four wheel disc brakes, extra stability, and four wheel drive already set up in it. I was told I could get my hands on a chassis with the body stripped off and no engine for right about five hundred US $. That was a few months ago, when I priced them out at a wrecking yard.

Got two engines waiting to be built up already: one is a 351M, the other a 351 Windsor. I have a 0.500 lift cam for the windsor already set aside.

 

Are they compatable?
I am also building an engine at the moment. Its a 351 cleveland, I have started with a bare block right from scratch. I have an American crank which have more steal in them than the aussie ones, 4v heads and no cam as yet. I am only planning to use this engine as a spare for my ute. When I have finished building it I will put it in my ute and then play with the engine out of my ute. I have yet to decide on a cam I am not an expert on cams and I have conflicting info but I need one that will work down low. Compression will be 9.9:1 780 cfm carby. I wish you could still get the sigerson TQ 20. I had one in a 302 and it was brilliant for my purpose.

 

Not looked at the frame mounts yet - but there's a load of info at a site called the Rangerstation. It did look to me like the same wheel base - and anything else can be modified.

That one is a ways off yet, for now I have a limited slip rear axle out of an Explorer (one of the other nice things about them) temporarily bolted up under another ranger frame. I have a lot of prep work to do on that one until it's ready to work with it. The entire cab has to go away because of heavy damage. The Explo axle is the same width but the spring saddles have to be moved from the bottom to the top of it to bolt on the way I want them. (I never want an axle slung above the springs by U-bolts. That's the stock way they mount in explorers).

I've been collecting the parts of this project for a while now...

 

I did here a vicious rumor F.P.V. (Ford Performance Vehicals) who are a seperate company to Ford Australia but are supported by Ford as in tech stuff and wot ever, are going to bring out a ranger with the new coyote engine and it will have all the fruit ie; spoilers and stickers just more stuff to wipe out when going through the bush. Should go ok up the sand dunes with the V8. Thats my number one criteria if you can't climb sand dunes its no good to me. Utes excepted.

Ill try and track down pic for ya