'Hooking up a Storm' @ Tinaroo 10-17 Oct

[black_sheep]

After delaying our Tinaroo trip in Easter by nearly 6 months due to heavy rain and the dam spilling over, we arrived in Cairns to 25K SE’s and showers:( . This is typical for us so we weren’t at all surprised:-/!

The weather pretty much remained like this for the first 5 days before clearing up Wed lunch time to some sunny skies and lighter winds – unfortunately, the wind did not abate and actually increased to about 30k on Thurs and Fri.

For those that don’t want to read all the boring detail further below, I’ll surmise;) .

We only caught 13 fish for the week but some quality PB’s in there. All fish caught on Storm Wildeye SP or 16A Bombers. We did try a range of other lures from surface presentations to deep divers and everything in between, but mainly stuck to what Joe (old Uni mate and our guide for the week) is confident with and has been successful with at Tinaroo.

The tally was as follows:

Joe:
Sooty: 55cm.
Barra: 70, 110cm

Navi:
Barra: 35, 87, 118 and 121

Vin:
Sooty: 45cm.
Barra: 70, 75, 110, 114, 116.

We lost about the same number of fish due to the usual – straightened owners, line breakage, spat lures etc. We did loose a few really big fish that felt and looked like they would have pushed the 120 barrier.

Highlight of the trip for me was my 121 and 118. Highlight for Vin was catching a 116 at the base of a rapids:) .
Another highlight was me loosing a big fish followed by Vin landing a 110 no more than 5 casts later. Released Vins fish and before I could roll up the truth mat, Joe hooks a 110 next cast – all this happened in 5mins.

Low point of the trip for me:'( >:( (pre-rehearsed for TheMissus!!!!).

Vin decided that my 121 which equalled his Mondy PB had to be beaten any which way possible. So he tried sight casting at a 172!!! He hooked up but the 172 (ME:o!!!!!!!!!) didn’t put up much of a fight after wearing an owner in the back of the skull. Unfortunately, well past the barb (Theo may post the photos as my camera was dead). Lucky for me, I was already drugged up on a combo of codeine and alcohol from cracking and chipping my sternum at basketball 2 weeks ago, so that helped;D. Pulled it out and kept fishing - not happy KIM;).

Because the fishing was tough, we fished it HARD!!!

We hopped off the plane in Cairns Friday nite, drove to Yungaburra and before we could unpack our bags, we were launching the boat at 10pm (Joe lives literally 3mins from the ramp). Off the water at 2.00am and back at the ramp at 4.30am! This set the pace and scene for the next 7 days. Most days we fished from 3.30am to 10.30pm with a couple of hrs off the water to help Joe at their café and to stock up on ice AND triple shot coffees. We averaged 4hrs sleep a night with some nights only squeezing in a quick 2hr powernap. We look like zombies in some of the photos8-).
Like Ben always says ‘sleep when you dead’.

So, although we caught some real quality fish, it would have been nice to get a bit more quantity – even rats for the hours we put in (not that I’m complaining).

Before I go into the boring stuff, special thanks to Joe for putting us up and feeding us for the week as well as giving us the car and the boat for the week when he had to work – he’ll regret it as it’s now part of our yearly agenda.

Theo – a huge thanks mate for showing us around the dam on Mon and Wed. It was great to check out the Northern end. Vin and I are still feeling bad that you hardly fished. We are indebted to you for guiding us around the dam. Also for giving me a selection of barra lures to try at Mondy – THANKS MATE!!!!

Matt and Andrew - a huge apology to for not getting a chance to meet up:( – I was so looking forward to meeting Matt for the first time and catching up with Wheezer. Unfortunately, a combination of limited Optus service, flat mobiles and unpredictable fishing hours made the task even harder. I think we spotted each other on the Sun morning as we were leaving and you guys were just stealthing into a spot so didn’t want to come over and disturb you and ruin your spot.
Matt – Joe said he thought he saw you on Sat in Rainy and blowy conditions?? Did you get anything?

Boring bits for those who care:

Conditions: As mentioned, windy and rainy for most of the time. When the sun did poke its head out, the dial reached 30 degrees. Most mornings and nights were cold though requiring a jumper and spray jacket. Wednesday was probably the nicest day with wind dropping off to about 15-20k. One great thing about Tinaroo is that you can always find some protected areas up the creeks or rivers away from the wind.

Peak bite time was definitely the morning session from 4.30am to 6am, mainly due to lighter winds. By 6.30am, the wind would pick up and not drop off until after 9pm.
We used Certate 3500HD’s on Egrell S10H’swith 30lbs braid for the flats and points. In the tighter structure, we used baitcastors spooled with 78lb braid.
Retrieves were either a slow roll/pause for the Storm SP’s or a twitch/pause for the Bombers.
Vin and I used mostly 80lb Penn 10X or 60LB YGK Fluorocarbon for leader. I was lucky to hook my 121 and 118 in the lip. I followed Joe’s advice and changed to a knotted dog leader – just in time as you can see in the photo – next fish I hooked was deep down its throat.

Sorry about the lengthy spiel:-X .

[Steve B]

Navi and Vin,

The weapons of black destruction strike again!!!! Great report mate. Very entertaining as only you blokes are!! Pitty about most of the weather.

Love the pics, particularly Vin at the rapids. you would swear that was in the jungle somewhere!!!

Sounds like you had a great trip, sleep deprived and all. Word had filtered back south about the trebble in the head incident....hope its all good!! ooooch

cheers steve.

Big Ren dropped by yesterday enroute to Awoonga. I hope that houseboat is ready for it!!

Weather has turned perfect for the boys. I think the ranger will get some slime on it this week!!

[Little grey men]

Good report Navi, some huge fish, a beautiful location and good mates sinking hooks in the back of your scone. What more could you ask for.
I'm not sure if that bit was meant to be funny, but I chuckled just a little.
And way to go with the 121. What a beast. :o

[black_sheep]

cheers steve,

awesome dam steve - once you get into the actual creeks and rivers, it's like fishing in a wild tributory - as you said like jungle/rainforest feel.

Surprisingly, the head is healing pretty quick mate - no pain no gain!! more likely, no pain, no brain.

Big Ren should be out with JM as we speak. Reckon the ranger would be slimmed by now;D .

[TinarooTriumph]

Hey fella's,

Had a great time showing ya's around the place... pretty funny pair of fella's to fish with! Shame I have Mr Beatties P-Plate shit to deal with, otherwise we would of drank a bit more while we were out there (superstition... brings on the fish!). Very suprised that we didn't hook up more on the Wednesday... Taylor's Bay and DPI looked smoking hot. That fish we motored under up the Rapids that 'nibbled' your Lure was pretty cool though... you would of had another meterey in the Boat I reckon if it nudged again.

Got some classic pic's of you with the Bomber in imbedded in your Cranium. I knew the very second what had happened... the noise of the Reel (backlash) said it all. Not to worry... I've snagged 172's (bigger!) in the past, but they would outweigh you!

Definetely give those Lure's a go down at Monduran mate, I am more then certain they'll pick you up a few fish.

Cheers.

TD

p.s. That fish of Vin's up the rapids would have to be the deepest fish I have seen caught from up there... awesome fish.

[black_sheep]

LGM - The hook in the scone wasn't funny for about 10 mins but once we got it out, I could see the smeaks on vins and theo's face trying not to laugh - it was pretty funny and was always going to happen sooner or later. The day before Joe got me too but lucky it was with the Storm SP which only had 1 set of trebles in it - thank god they didn't find the mark. Think I had an 'X' painted on my mellon. Will have to catch up at NPD soon.

Theo - I had so much I could have included in that report such as that metrey at the base of the rapids - think I would have rated that fish over my 121 purely for the terrain. 121 off shallow point with no snags isn't as challenging as a barra in tight rapids. Wish we got that on video - save that for next year hey;) . I noticed some of the fish had an injury near the tail but I'm now thinking it may be some sort of skin disease? Any clues?

P.S. Can you chuck some of the treble shots up - TheMissus (and the mondy Muster Crew) gets a good laugh out of our misfortune.

THANKS AGAIN THEO!!!! Vin send his love :-*

[TinarooTriumph]

Will try and post those pics up over the weekend mate... camera is back at Wondecla.

As for the Tails... not quite sure. No one is ever really sure! I notice with many Barra from the Dam that quite a few of them have very reddish/purplish crease marks at their Caudal fins... never thought too much about it... is this what your reffering to? Perhaps that Beer spillage of mine on the front deck could of had some effect on the tails :P

Say G'day to Vin for us. Hope he is getting some sleep... he looked dead on Wednesday.

Oh yeah, true story... hooked a fish on that WW off the Ramp (you know which one!). That was last Sunday evening. Your right about those Decoy's you know...

TD

[Whitto]

Navi...we have been hanging out for your report Ben and Paul have been feeding us with bits and pieces as they came to hand.....Most of us look for our PB catch of course in your case u had a PW (30cm Barra) and the treble in the scone....I guess we are all happy that you all are still alive....this looks like a great trip and great piccies...Thanks Boys......7/8/9 is looking like a Mini Muster u know your welcome if possible;D

[black_sheep]

Thanks Whitto,

took me a little while to get pics uploaded.

I used the 30cm to live bait the 121;D .

The boys have already booked for Mondy but it 05 to 08/12. never know mate, I may be able to sneak off. Will keep you posted.

[black_sheep]

Theo, no probs with pics mate, only if you can. I'd prefer to not see them;D .

The red chaffing around the cordal is exactly what I was referring to.

The WW hey - never thought possible but just proves that they'll eat anything when in the right mood;D . Main reason I don't like decoys is they look weak but I also figure that the more trebles a hook has (4 in the decoys), it gives the barra a better chance of leverage on the others therefore resulting in straightened hooks. Just my opinion as I have never tried them. Hard to go past owners. I hope Vin never tries decoys - reckon I would have ended up with 2 of the 4 hooks in my head which would have been near impossible to get out - sticking with owners (don't tell Vin that I've crushed ALL his barbs).:o ;D .

[NAGG]

A top read Navi ...... 6 really good fish taken over a week - in shite conditions rates a big thumbs up:thumbsup: - By all accounts you put in the hard yards & reaped the benefit:)

Ouch on the treble ...... you guys are truly the real deal & I can see a Sitcom written around you guys;D

Hey I have to agree with the barra caught from the rapids ...... awesome !!! It's one magnificent & diverse impoundment ............ & so nice having mates up there to take you out - BONUS:P

Good stuff

Chris

[black_sheep]

You said it all Chris. Joe is a top bloke. He is solely responsible for Vin and my addiction to sportsfishing. 20+ yrs ago, he introduced us to fishing for native fish using artificials - never looked back mate and have learnt a heap of Joe.

As I said - it's now part of our yearly tour - woohoo.

[Steve B]

Navi,

Tried the decoys (quadelles we called them)....very sharp..but couldnt stay connected to barra....pulled hooks over half the time, back to owners.....no pulled hooks. Cant explain why..just happened.

steve

[Whitto]

Just to put my 2 cents worth in Steve Iv'e had a look at the decoys and they look under gunned too frail:(

[eotbmg]

Hey mate
Congrats an a great trip. All the effort you go yo mate you deserve to finally catch some quality, and quality is always better than quantity!!!!! I swear that fish of Vins looks like a wild fish, but its not i know, but maybe cos its thin????? Not sure. Havent heard from Young Pauly, dunno if its an ominous sign or not....... I am a big starter for next year so watch out....maybe no sleep at all.

Looking forward to Awoonga, in fact cant wait. Weather look ok eh!!!!
Well done again mate, good to see you arrived safe and well and all rods are the same as they went up there.....in tact.
Interesting you got em on storms, just so happens i bought them today and done the little adjustment that you showed me....hopefully hopefully.......
Cheers
Ben

[BR65]

Loven your work mate, great fish in tuff conditions, pics are gold, specially the fish at the rapids, how good would that have been, well done.
Ouch about the hook in the noggin

cheers
brian

[Dick Pasfield]

Great report there but where's the shot of the fish of the week, that stonker sooty8-);D

[Barraboss]

Navi,

Thanks for the report. Great read and we were waiting for the mishap to appear somewhere in there :)

A real shame we missed each other while you were up. Bloody mobile phones hey. Ah well at least you got into a few, and good quality fish which is great to see. The weather has not let up and the dam was rough on the weekend to the point of being ridiculous at times.

Next trip we will make certain to catch up. I will take some time of and have a fish so you can show me how its done. The fishing that is, not the head catching

Cheers
Matt

[wheezer]

i'm glad you acheived what you came for, a new PB and finally getting 1 up on Vin...shame we didn't catch up, we were fishing hard as well, only the one decent fish hooked (and dropped) i was up there this weekend for 3 days camping up the northern end with the family, it was even colder! wet and windy too, didn't bother fishing much although sussed out some great looking spots for the next trip, gee i love living up here!!

catch up soon

[SeekingBarradise]

Vin & Navi well done guys great to see you had a fun trip and got some great rewards for your hard work. Nice to see plenty of help offered from switched on locals as well mate that's what it's all about.

The fish pics are great and you did well on such little sleep...Crikey it's a wonder there weren't more funny stuffups!!!

I hope to catchup with you guys at Mondy or Awoonga this summer for a yarn or 2.

Cheers Lyndon.

[Roo]

Great report there but where's the shot of the fish of the week, that stonker sooty8-);D

Yeah C'mon Theo, Show us the big Sooty!!!LOL. perhaps Navi has relinquished his wicked R.A. ways to become the "deadliest catch"....If he wasn't sleep deprived and sedated, he might have put up a huge fight on Vin's tackle:-X.:o

Well done Boys, Always a good read whether it is double didgits or donuts'. glad you both pinned a couple in difficult conditions. the Jungle shots are great....just need a more powerful flash for night photos! or maybe a big cheesy smile;D would do the trick.
Cheers Roo.

[black_sheep]

Steve/Whitto – Decoys, Dale uses them and hasn’t had a problem yet but I agree, they look weak and quadelles (qebles as I call them) just gives barra a chance to straighten 4 hooks instead of 3;D.

Ben – No busted rods mate but did lose his Egrell S10H to Joe. He loved it so much, he took it. As you know mate, I’ve been flogging those Storms at Mondy with little success so it was good to finally see them work. I got my 35cm on a Bomber but all other hits and hook ups were on the Storm.

Brian – Thanks mate, was an awesome experience fishing such different water. Once you get out of the main basin, it’s like river/creek fishing in the wild. That 120+ I lost was at the rapids at night. Hit me about 2 mtrs from the boat and immediately went aerial in the moon light – that was gold, until it straightened the treble and spat the lure into the side of the tinnie:-/ ! THAT’s BARRA!!! DOH! DOH! DOH!

Dick – I will or I’ll get ben to post a pic of that 55cm Sooty just for you mate;) . It too was taken in the rapids and is one stocky fish. It had a slight deformation of the jaw but don’t know if you can see this in the pic. We tried really small lures hoping there would be a huge school of them at the rapids but only got 2 for the week.

Matt – I heard the weather is perfect today!! Definitely fish together next time and put Vin in a boat by himself :o – unless you prepared to wear a stack hat and riot gear or fish with a morphine drip permanently in your arm;D .

Andrew – You guys are spoilt rotten!!! My 121 pb is not quite up to yours guys standard. Matt =128? You=127 and Joe with a 135!!!!!!! I’ve got a while to go yet;) .

Lyndon – cheers mate, certainly came back more the wiser. Was great to see how Theo and Joe attack the dam and certainly added a few more strings to my bow. Especially the points fishing. As you say, that’s what it’s all about – learning and sharing. Oh, and a few beers;D . Looking forward to catching up with you and Kel this summer.

Thanks again to all.

Mondy in 6 weeks!!! I know, I’ve got it BAD::) !

[black_sheep]

Cheers Roo,

We thought the full moon would have helped with those night shots:) .

Don't worry about Vin - I think we square now mate so it's my turn next!!! Reckon I'm going to upgrade to Owner ST76 and use a 10/0! See if Vin can straighten that;D .

I'm not touching his tackle:o . It was Joe that liked his rod;) .

[Roo]

Dick – I will or I’ll get ben to post a pic of that 55cm Sooty just for you mate;) . It too was taken in the rapids and is one stocky fish. It had a slight deformation of the jaw but don’t know if you can see this in the pic. We tried really small lures hoping there would be a huge school of them at the rapids but only got 2 for the week.

LOL, I thought the pic of the big sooty was referring to the cranial-treble incident...silly me.
Try the Decoy Big GT Specials next time.. only $46 per pack of 4 for 10/0's:o :o :o It would wanna be a horse!!!. Dunno if Vin would be so keen tho':-X

The Storm wildeye shads your using. are they the suspending ones you had at mondy in June? I remember seeing the top hook straightened out on one of yours that weekend.

Cheers Roo.

[themissus]

Great read Navi!! We have been hanging out for the report.

Geez, you make me sound like a sadist::) ::) Did you at least give Vin a few headshakes before removing the bomber? :-* :P

Congrats on you PB, your reports are always a fantastic read!!
Cheers Kim.

[black_sheep]

Roo – yes mate, we did actually catch some sooty’s ;)
Vin isn’t worth the $46 mate. Next time he is in the water retrieving a rod, I may just gaff him instead:o
Correct on the Storms mate – Wildeye suspending shads. We actually cut the single hook off them. The one you saw at Mondy actually had the treble ripped out of the body – it wasn’t a big hit either so I’m hoping it was a one off and just a dodgy lure. I took it with me to show Joe – he has never had the trebles pulled out. In fact – he has caught up to 10 barra on the one lure before it lost its action. I had about 6 hooks ups and landed that 121 and 118 on the same lure – talk about value for money!

Kim, thanks on the PB. That 120 mark has been teasing me for a while now. No head shakes either, I may have got blood on Joe’s boat;D. Besides Theo had the boga’s out too quickly for me to go aerial. The photos Theo will post later were specifically taken for you!! Yes I do think you enjoy our near death experiences::) !

[themissus]

:LMAO:

Cheers Navi, I feel really special now!! Did you get one of the treble and boga grips insitu??? That would have been gold!!;D ;D
I REALLY am glad you both got home in one piece.

Now about that book.......8-)

Cheers Kim.:-* :-*

[Steve B]

Just to put my 2 cents worth in Steve Iv'e had a look at the decoys and they look under gunned too frail:(

Hey Whitto,

Yeah they look weak, but straightening didnt happen....just dropped fish...possible leverage issues...or poor angler ability:-/ Rob is working on a modification on a few slickrigs...I have donated mine to the cause....looking forward to the results.

Navi,

I still have the storm suspender shad you gave me!! gets a run every now and then....I heard they were a worker at Tinaroo, should do OK here too. I havent had luck yet, but i havent given a good run...might rethink that now;)

I forgot to congrats you for the PB.....120 is yours for the taking soon I reckon!!
That will be a day to rememeber in life I can assure you.

Steve

Hows the Paul and his red rocket going....any reports????

[eotbmg]

No reports yet Steve,
Mind you he turns his phone off as soon as the sun pokes its head up..... But i dont think there is reception on the house boat. or much on the dam for that matter....Or just that Paul has a juicy big Doughnut Eh......
I will give the updated stormies a good old fashoined flogging at Awoonga hopefully they are ok. Weather looks ok too.
Sorry to Hijack the post Nav...
Where are the pics of the Sooty, its a solid number, Joe is a gun fisho, would love to have a clensing ale with him.
Ben

[NAGG]

Navi ....... They love those Storms up at Tinaroo - Hey ....... In that greyish colour
Matt introduced me to them at Tinaroo ....... too::) Must be a rite of passage

I tried the slow sinking curl tail one at Mondy - 36947- - Trout loved it specially when smothered in peanut butter :(

Chris

[black_sheep]

Kim - book and pictures are in draft. No bogas in pic unfortunately.;D

Steve - those storms certainly will work at Mondy. Remember that very first spot you fished in paul's boat just past B Bay where Vin and I met you guys. Wind blown bank with fairly constant depth (8ft). That's the sort of area that they will work best. Shallow points and flats too. I have no doubt that they work as I had 90% of my action at Tinaroo on them. In saying this, you have to use them in the right places as there are better lures to use in the timber at Mondy.

Chris - Curly tail looks good. Better if they suspended like the storms. Joe has cut a few tails off other SP's (including curly tails) and adapted them to the suspending storms they work well too. He didn't try peanut butter though:o .

Ben - that 55cm sooty is on your camera. It's the fish that Joe is holding up near the rapids.

Up date from Paul - fishing is really tough. Blowing strong sthly. They have only boated 2 fish (80 and 90) and that was when they were on the JM charter. They have dropped a few - still early days. It's looking good for you Barb.

[NAGG]

[quote=black_sheep;917094]


Chris - Curly tail looks good. Better if they suspended like the storms. Joe has cut a few tails off other SP's (including curly tails) and adapted them to the suspending storms they work well too. He didn't try peanut butter though:o .

quote]

They actually sink quite slowly ..... specially with the hook snipped off the top ( Even with a 2/O Owner swinging off it)

Here is something I tinkered with ...... Drill a little hole in the body & give it a very small squirt of expansion foam ........ makes them suspend after adjusting split rings.

Hey ...... I like the idea of grafting tails > I'd like to see a much bigger paddle tail on those suspenders:P

Chris

[black_sheep]

Expansion foam - That's a great idea Chris. I will have to get a couple of packs of the curly tails. Not sure if Joe knows about them??

Once you upgrade the paddletails, they sink very slowly too.

Grafting attempt of Joe's is perfect - Vin has done it too on flatty SP's. Just melt the plastic a bit, stick and hold - simple as.

Just saw your other post - boy you have been tinkering! Thanks for sharing mate.

[NAGG]

Expansion foam - That's a great idea Chris. I will have to get a couple of packs of the curly tails. Not sure if Joe knows about them??

Once you upgrade the paddletails, they sink very slowly too.

Grafting attempt of Joe's is perfect - Vin has done it too on flatty SP's. Just melt the plastic a bit, stick and hold - simple as.

Just saw your other post - boy you have been tinkering! Thanks for sharing mate.


Thanks Navi

The expansion foam is a cracker ....... just dont over do it !!!
Here is a little one for you ........ Remember those lures that sink like a stone when you upgrade to owners & double splits:( - - - - - squirt squirt ....... better than Viagra;D
Yeh love to tinker with the barra gear ....... just lookin for an edge

Cheers

Chris

[black_sheep]

Thanks for the tips mate - that little edge usually makes all the difference.

Anything to help me get one up on the boys and Vin:)

[TinarooTriumph]

Those pic's are coming soon Nav... just on my way up home in a few hours.

That WW - when I first saw it I knew it would produce fish. When I first swum it, I was pretty excited. Perfect shape and size for when the fish are a little dormid and looking for something smaller, and the action is effortless through the water. Gives out plenty of sensitivity through the water which it was made to do. Didn't work to good at that Rapids that arvo did it hehe... those Decoy's are atrocious at picking up snags or leaves etc. Owner has been fitted.\

A few tips with those Storms. Yeah Joe knows about the Wildeyes... he has caught fish on them like I have. I don't particuarly like them, for the main fact that they don't look as realistic through the water. Nav - that fish that stole the treble etc off yours must have been hinged hooked. Joe might have showed/told you of a fish I caught in the Severin that was hinged hooked, not only did it straighten an Owner but it tore the whole tail and half the plastic off. What was left on the Plastic was its head, internal rattle body with fleck and a Treble. I have also had two other fish that have done the same thing, but not as bad - all hinged hooked. If you are going to buy a few more in future, look out for the ones with the stiff tails in some packs... most work, but you get some faulty ones. The ones I have brought in Cairns have all been excellent, but I have had a few bad tails - I think it could be temperature related. Best way to solve that is when you got spare time e.g. Teli, drinking Beer, whatever... pick those ones with the crappy tails and hold them by the head and flick the tail like crazy... they come good after awile.
When you use them heaps you will start to get better at thumbing the spool on touchdown... when I first started using them I was blowing holes in the water the size of VW's. Joe has perfected it, I have nearly got it but with low Rod casting angles and zero belly in the line when casting you can get the impact to sound like a Bony Bream being driven to the surface (fish that is not the Lure). You are definetely right when you say they have their own time and more importantly place (they work a treat wherever Joe showed you) but when a Barra's food source is so dam friggin rich like it is up here, they work anywhere. I have caught fish in every different part of the Dam with them... rocky Barron, weedy Severin, timbered Taylor Bay, muddy DPI. They are so versatile too its scary.

Hope this helps mate. I can't see why more people arn't using them at Mondy.

T

[black_sheep]

Stick with that WW mate – I don’t doubt that it works especially when they feeding on smaller baits or just a bit finicky. Mate, you certainly have one diverse dam up there with plenty of options to tackle fish - lucky buggers.

I have no doubt that the fish that I lost was definitely hinge hooked. Doesn’t matter what hooks you upgrade to, if they hinge hooked, they could bend a crowbar ;D .

I will try the flicking thing with the tail. Others have mentioned cutting out a wedge in the tail wrist and reattaching with heat. Makes them a bit more flexible, therefore the tail swims better.

Theo – Shhhhhhhhhhh about the storms:o ;) .

I still haven’t seen my scone so I’ll check those pics out when you get a chance to post them.

Thanks Theo and talk soon mate.