Finally got the 4.5m motorised plant holder off the drive and into the water today after 10 weeks of breeding spiders. Not so much gentleman�s hours as �young ladies� hours as I took my daughter (12)  for a fish on the big muddy. 11.30 saw us on the water, having launched at Te Toro. We didn�t travel far as I did not like the look of the sheets of rain falling over the Sky tower and the easterly breeze was bringing them straight to us. We anchored in 4m of water, just about on the bottom of the tide.

 I rigger her up with a 3 hook flasher rig with squid for bait and I straylined a pillie (see Barrie, I can do it). First cast I got monstered (probably a ray) but Katherine showed me the way to do it. She landed 8 Kahawai to my 2 and we both had a great time till the weather closed in and was looking really squally, so at 3pm we upped pick and headed for home.

Biggest problem was the depth sounder (a Humminbird Wide 100) which only played when it wanted to, which wasn�t often, which is a problem on the Manukau at low water. It has a through the hull mounted transducer, which is a pig to get at. So what should I do? Biff the whole lot and get a new one with a hull/transom transducer? Or do I try and sort the existing one (other threads suggest the model is not without it�s problems)? If I go for replacement, what to choose and, more importantly, how to pick an effective mounting position?

Oh, and on the way home one of the Cocky's was moving his cows (fair enough) and I picked up enough fertilizer on the boat and trailer for a crop of tomatoes.

Chris

Good stuff Grounded, are you getting a good ribbing from your daughter of her exploits? If she wasnt hooked before, i bet she is keen now...... especially being able to outfish Dad ;) Believe me i know what thats like.

Also know about the "Green stuff" you mentioned, ;) but it still peeves me off when i have to scrub the damned stuff off. Hit a cow crossing yesterday, looked in the rear view to see the hull of the boat, guards and frame of the trailer covered in it.  Just cant seem to get away from it. :) 

good report grounded but I am not sure this is the place to be asking about mounting positions!  hehe just kidding 

Hya Wef

Six of them were good keeping size but we only kept 4 of them, great for fishcakes. Katherine is keen as when it comes to fishing. She really wanted to catch a shark yesterday, but she had a lot of fun with the Kahawai.

I think i will raise the "mounting position" in the boat shed.

Chris

Im waiting for C2C to get the courses going then I will also be in the market for a new sounder.

Grounded
Straylineing isnt done by takeing the sinker off a flasher rig and letting it float in the current. Maybe with the females in the forum, we could have a day out with Damian and decide on which gender is the is the best at fishing?
mmm May not be such a good idea, can you imagin the grief that could be dished out to the looses?

No Barrie No, we have to maintain the image that we are better than women at just one thing. Please don't take away that foundation (of clay.)