WHAT MAKES A MASTER? - WELLO PT 15/08

[T1]

Hi fellow Ausfishers!

Who can deny that the last 4 weeks (since breaking the much publicised 'salmon curse') have been extremely kind to me? In this time:
TINN and I have bagged out on Squire in the Brissie River in 3 hours and within 2 mins from the F/Is boat ramp;
IBBO and i did a similiar trick at Wello Pt which included a new Snap PB for me;
2 separate trips in my boat to Wello saw IBBO and my close buddy SMERDO achieve Snap PB's, while i still scored a nice selection of fish;
A trip with ADAMY saw me break my PB again witha 64cm Snap and ADAMY achieve a new PB for himself;
And again a new PB of 69cm for me last week with ole mate TINN.
And not to mention that the amount of fillets devoured in my house and my parents has been consistent in that time (in fact i just polished of a couple of custard beer battered snap fillets with vinegar encrusted chips) ;D

A damn good 4 weeks if you ask me and one that has brought many accolades and positive comments from a heap of Ausfishers, including the term 'master'! Now if I said that I didn't enjoy the attention that has come with having a great time like this i'd seriously be lying! Who wouldn't? Why do we post? So we can share our joy with others and share the joy of others! But am I a master? No way! Just a commited fisherman who is keen to learn and achieve - like the majority of you on this site!

So last night when I was sitting in our usual xyz spot with good mate PV, well, he was snoring below below deck and I sitting there watching the half moon glisten on the glassy waters, it got me thinking as to what or who could be defined as a 'real' master, and what it would take for this to occur! To me, a 'master' would be someone who goes out and catches fish every single time they leave the boat ramp or step onto a beach or take that first step up a jetty. And that certainly is not me or the majority of people who fish! How many of us can honestly raise our hand to the question 'do you catch a good feed evertyime you go?' I bet it would be less than 5% of fishermen, even less perhaps! See, when I first came on to this site some 6 months ago, every post i'd read was about someone who'd caught this and that in this place and that place and i'm thinking, WOW, there's some serious fisherman out there. But stop for a sec and think, how often do we hear about those that don't catch anything? And there a lot of people in this category! Here's a recent example: Mr & Mrs WOPPA had an exceptional night on Friday night catching 4 fish between 55 & 61.5cm and taking home a total of 7 with the by-catch being tailor and about 10 big bream! Woo hoo I thought too, however they must have a better spot than me at Wello Pt! Damn! But how many of you saw the latest post on that thread yesterday from Mr WOPPA saying they went out again of Sunday night for only 1 fish? Same spot, same conditions, different result! Don't feel so bad after all! (In saying that I was seriously still ecstatic for your catch Mr & Mrs WOPPA :D)

Is it any wonder when i asked for a Deckie for last night I was inundated with requests from people like myself 6 months ago - people who are seriously keen to learn and catch a feed! Overwhelming indeed that people consider me a good fisherman because i had a good 4 week period! Damn flattering actually! But also count the hours that TINN and i have put in over the past 6 months trying different things, looking for certain spots, listening to other fisherman and reading these posts! Countless let me assure you! And that's just boat fishing! I won't mention how many years it took to become successful at beach fishing... So come last night and PV had seen all the photo's and read all the posts and finally managed to get his vessel on the water in the hope that i would get him on to a nice fish. Off to XYZ. Top conditions, incoming tide, no-one out there - all the ingredients for another successful outing! Except for one thing! What is the key ingredient/player in any fishing trip? Come on now, it's not that hard! That's right, you guessed it! FISH! That 4 letter word that seems to frustrate a lot of people, and brings joy to so many too!! The difference between the word 'fishing' being an adjective or a verb! Just ask CHARLEVILE! Charlie frequents Mud regularly - same spot 3-4 times a week! Does he score every time? We burleyed, we baited, we waited! We picked up anchor, we drifted, we flicked, we yanked, we tossed! I couldn't even get frost-bite last night! Master, don't think so!

Which brings me to my point! At the end of the day, you need some knowledge, no doubt - you need this in anything you do! and you can never acquire enough in my opinion! But ultimately, if the fish aint there, they just aint there! So next time you read a post about how well someone did in a spot, and you go there and don't do so well, perhaps it's just that the fish are simply not there!

And so to my final question - who's a and what makes a 'master' - simple really! FISH!!!

Take Care T

PS: I did manage to add another piece of knowledge to fishing Wello last night! The wind has to be blowing in the right direction! No point having your lines and burley going the right way but your boat in the opposite direction - see, always something to learn! It will never stop!

[Pitsta]

Great post T1
shame about the night hey :( SEEMS 2 BE FLAT SEA .. NO FISH ...!

Mark

[mickstar001]

You're very right T1, guess i have never really thought about it in depth as much as you have. Wont feel like S**t now when i dont catch any fish in the morning with Tim ;D ;D. Master or not T1, you sure know what the hell you are doing ;)

[Got_the_Fever]

T you do have a way with putting thoughts into words, just like Charlie. None of us can surely stop learning. Your posts are always a great read and pleasure. As I said to Charlie when I first started reading here you are a true gentleman.

I enjoy reading your adventures and even if you dont come up with a fish it doesnt matter, you put in the time and effort and share them with us.

THankyou

Kel

ps. you mightnt have caught a fish mate, but at least you where trying. Good luck next time.

[Dirty]

Hey there T1.

What makes a master aye?!! Well, thanks for such an interesting and down to earth post. I was expecting photos and stories accompanied by big cheesy grins :D to accompany equally big fish!!! Everyone else was probably expecting the same and I'm saying this by way of your fantastic reports and catches from your recent posts (Excluding the last two!). However I will have to add, your report regardless of the desired results, it was a fantastic read!!

I always thought you must have been a long time poster and you seem more experienced than many. Even though you didn't catch anything and probably wont be able to hit the water as much as you would like, it basically sums up fishing (regardless of the type). There are plenty of factors to consider and you are spot on with everything you said about this 'art' or 'sport'. It was never meant to be easy and I guess that is what makes it more appealing to many, especially when 'the big one' is caught. The fact that most of the time, you are suprised, i.e. fishing for one species and expectations blown out of the water when another by-catch breaks the surface of the water, or speculation arises about the one that managed to get away!

I too am new to this chat forum and have been fishing for years learning from my uncles, however mainly fishing for bream of the rocks! I have met interesting people along this journey and even though I rarely eat the fish I enjoy the game for many reasons! Ever since venturing from land and getting onboard boats I have learnt that fishing was never meant to be easy and yes your right... your always learning... With that said, I still havn't bothered to start a fishign journal and record elements such as wind, knots, fish caught, location, moon phases, baits used, etc.

I guess a masterin my opinion is a victor, and certainly one can only do that by learning from ones mistakes and that you have down with plenty of trophy fish and PBs smashed with stories to share with others and photos to proove it! In doing that T1 you are taking others along the journey and giving them an idea about how and where to fish for what! You are indirectly teaching ausfishers this special craft independently. So well done for your good efforts! ;D ;D ;D

Keep us posted!

George.

[Adamy]

Nice post T!!! But mate thats fishing... you can do everything right, but if the fish dont show then they just dont show.... But you already knew that - its when preparation meets opportunity that you get to take home the goods. But if opportunity arrives and you're not prepared.... you go home empty.... You're still "The Master" T ;D (gotta keep it up) ;)

Great post mate - did you eat that squid?.... I would have... too good to drown!

[solwota]

Yeah, good post T1. I too look at all the posts here abouts and get deflated. I've been having a good run of late also and i think there in lies the secret. When your on a purple patch enjoy it. Getting the runs on the board while everything is in your favour sure helps you feel better about your results when the fishing is tough.
I go fishing when i can afford the time which does not always mean the tides are good or the moon is good. It is at these times when you know you are doing right things and you keep your eyes open and look for opportunities that even average results can be extremely rewarding. I can think of quite a few trips when conditions were far from favourable and only one or two fish were caught. These trips are sometimes the most rewarding as you know you have still produced the goods even when the fishing is extremely difficult by reading the conditions right and fishing the right way.I spent 6 months of fairly fishless trips while living in bamaga looking for a permit on fly but i finally caught 2 in close succession. They were among the sweetest captures ever for me. Given their status as a fly fishing holy grail I was quite the envy of my fly fishing mates for a while. But i spent 3 months in fishing paradise catching very few fish while my mates were cleaning up on other species.Success finally came but it was hard earned .If i had been on ausfish at the time my reports would have been few and far between.However if i had of made a post when i finally succeded i'm sure the congratulations would have flowed freely.What none of us see are everyone elses fishless trips. These trips when things don't go so well though, are the trips where we often learn things which make us better anglers.
As to what makes a master angler i don't know i just keep thinking anyone who who thinks they are could well deserve the title "master baiter"

cheers
richard

[Scalem]

I agree to a certain point T1, but I think that certain rules apply to having a successful trip. The following rules should be a checklist every time I go out, but for some reason I am bound to lose a fish because I have failed to follow one or more of them. Sure, sometimes you don't get any bites, and obviously because the tides are not right, or something in the environment you are fishing is non condusive to big fish numbers. But I can think of a few things that I do wrong that excludes me from being called a "Master." Here's a list that affect my catch rate. Most of them are directly related to how much time I actually have a line in the water. It's like selling. It's a numbers game. Less time fishing = reduced catch rate.

**Be at spot X before 1st light. Make sure you fire the outboard up at home before your trip, so you don't waste time trying to start it at the ramp.

** Always wash hands after handling fuel or sunscreen

** Have all leaders/jigheads tied and ready to go the night before.

** Make sure bait is adequately defrosted before you get there.

** EVERY time you wind in your line, check the leader for damage and make sure the tip of the hook is razor sharp. If not, carry a sharpening stone. Replace either if necessary.

** Two trips ago, I fished wello by my pat malone, had a 55cm+ fish at the boat, but spent too long trying to flip my thong out of my landing net - long enough for the fish to spit the hook >:( I should have had that sorted out before I even cast out my line!!

** If anchoring, don't bump the chain over the side of the boat, or drop things on the floor. You may as well say it's the biggest advertisement for fish underneath you. "The dumb fisho is paying us a visit!!" :D

** I bought my own boat for a reason. The people I used to fish with always thought that the fishing might be better "Over there" Trouble was, they would only stay in the new spot for 10 mins and be moving to yet another better spot. At the end of the day, the statistics would read something like 10% fishing, 90% motoring to another spot.

Anyhow, I know that you would know all these points and there's no reason to keep adding to the list, there's a heap more. What I am saying is that there are fewer "secret spots" or "secret baits" than most of us would like to admit. If you know the general area, your sounder shows fish, you have the right gear, the points above will make all the difference, and it's easy to overlook one of them. I try and think about these sorts of things before coming up with my excuse when returning home without a scale. "I dunno, there just were'nt any fish."

Scalem

[solwota]

Had another thought!!! the guys who really impress me are the ones that see a fish (that i cant see) read the situation right and make the cast and nail the fish. i remember walking a beach with Greg bethune and he could spot a fish by the slightest suggestion of movement, pick it's direction and make the perfect cast all in the blink of an eye. Completely amazing to watch.

cheers
richard

[Dirty]

Thanks for that information Scalem. Much appreciated!

I would have been classified as a "dumb fisho" but now I know better... and I was thinking that the hook doesn't have to be that sharp!!!! BUT now I know better... and then again I herd rumors about noise and thumps onboard making a big difference and now its confirmed!

However ... my mate tends to like fishing with the stereo on... would that make that much of a difference?

What about beer! I herd you can drink too much of the stuff and depending on your tolerence it can improve your fishing ability..... as in my case I lost a jewie which was on the side of the boat because I was underestimated the power of GOLD. XXXX.

;D

Thanks!

[dinky]

still a good read none the less. :)So much for me to learn,so few fishing days :(

[Great_White]

T1 good post and good points on fishing which is the common denominator for us all on ausfish :)

I agree with Scalem's report and I am guilty of some of those points myself ;)

I guess we can all strive to be masters or a least the best we can be :D

One thing is for sure Webby is the bench mark :)

Peter :)

[Bundy_Burp]

Just read you post T an excellent post and I have to agree if the fish arent there they just arent there thats all there is to and yes I dont think it would matter what the age of the fisher person there is always something new that can be learnt .
It would be a very foolish person who thought he knew all there was to be learnt about fishing it wasnt too long ago SPs were an oddity now they are common place in the tackle box .
Fishing a never ending learning experience .

Bundy 8-)

[Floyd2006]

nice read T1, I put a lot of effort into my fishing and when i dont catch anything I am so dissapointed. Its nice to know that there are others who put in effort but dont always catch fish. And when you talk about constantly learning, that is so true.



Floyd

[Got_the_Fever]

Baby Bream. My first rule about safety in the boat is NO booze. It is up to each skipper to decide whether or not they want to have a drink in the boat but for me it isnt on. Too many things can happen very quickly.

When I was a kid my dad and I where down the pin and a fishing club turned up. As usual half of them were drunk. One of the guys was feeling no pain and went base over apex into the water. He was half way to the pin bar before he was found by the mother vessel half drowned.

Im not preaching about boating and drinking, if you drink in the boat please becareful.


Kel

[Mullet_Musketeer]

Excellent Post - I am shored based and always completely perplexed when I go to the exact same spot, same time and can't find em.

However sometimes when watching from the banks I can't help thinking how accurate post above is (repeated below):

"I bought my own boat for a reason. The people I used to fish with always thought that the fishing might be better "Over there" Trouble was, they would only stay in the new spot for 10 mins and be moving to yet another better spot. At the end of the day, the statistics would read something like 10% fishing, 90% motoring to another spot."

I think this is absolutely spot on. Hope thats not me if and when I get a boat.

[White_Steenbras]

I think you just have to have good squid jigs to become a master?????

Yup, squid jigs ;D

[woppa]

It's a funny one isn't it! I find it amusing to hear people say you must fish on a certain type of tide and a certain moon... yes I do understand that all this helps but at the end of the day it's up to the fish whether they want to bite or not! According to some, our conditions when we caught our fish on Friday night weren't optimal... but our catch says a different story.

I think the key to good fishing is being able to read your sounder well, good conditions, use bait and hooks to suit the fish you are after and patience!

Happy Fishing!

Mrs Woppa.

[ratherbefishin]

T1, Webby, Solwota, all the others, you're all so right.
It is just a numbers game, and the 'masters' if you want to call them that just have higher hit rates than the rest of us. They do all the things to improve their AVERAGE but in the end it is still just an average and there will be hot and cold patches.
Think of it this way if you have a fair dice and you throw it often enough then each number will come up 1/6th of the time. If you bias that dice just slightly towards, say, the number 6 and keep rolling it, there will still be some 1s, some 2s, some3s etc etc but there should be a few more sixes than normal. That doesnt rulle out the odd time when you foll ten 1s in a row, it can happen. but in the long run there should be more 6s than before and more 6s than any other result.
Thats what being a 'master' is improving your average (biasing your dice) until there is a noticeable number of 6s. And that includes being able to recognise when to play the game and when not to.
Tides/moon/wind not right = someone else's bias on the dice => don't play or your average will fall.
Being a master is not being perfect it's just having an average thats far above everyone else's by consistently making those incremental improvements and recognising when/where to play the game.
Thats what we all aspire to and thats why we are on here sharing our knowledge and tips and trying to improve our sport.

BTW if was all science and no artform, some japanese geek would have invented a computer to tel you exactly how/where/when and then there'd be no fun and no challenge in it. It's a bit of science a bit of art and lot of sport and fun!!!!!

[Murks]

Well T1, I have said it before and I will say it again, this just proves that your human after all ;D
Thanks for all the tips fellas.
My trouble is that the fish are ALWAYS at the spot that I fish irrespective of being in the Broady, Pin or the Bay ............ the problem is we just dont go there on the same days :o
But I tell ya what, ;) its gunna happen and when it does there won't be any room left on the reports section because my post will be bigger and better than War and Peace :D [smiley=laola.gif]
(I do live in a dream like state or daze or something)
All the Best
Brett

[Jiggit]

best situation ever witnessed. 100m past the first bar of moreton ,thick bals of sardines , spin up a bonito to the boat ,throw it back just to see a 60kg marlin 1m out from the 4.35 seajay tinnie and cuttin laps arround it , we both dove to the live bait tank simultaneasly, before i could even pull a livie from the tank me mates ratchet is screaming off, hes pulled his hooked it up and his on, all in seconds of sighting it.... marlin on, marlin in the boat 15meters of water.. thats what i call great fishin......master :o

[Dogbream]

T1,

IM glad you stuck this report up, gives me the chance to say stop buggarising around brissy river and wello point and get ya backside up to the barwons, you'll turn your bag out of 35-40cm squire into bigger, stronger (safer eating) models ;D ;D ;D thats just my opinion when it comes to squire in moreton bay/bris river region ;)

I say bring back the VB singlets, budgie smugglers and get that boat out in the open water :-X :-X

Bring back the biff 8-)

Cheers,
The Dog.

[Dirty]

Hey Kel,

Thanks for the advice brother. I appreciate it. I totally agree with you, it has to be safe and in moderation. I don't mind a few from time to time, but I agree with you and whoever the skipper is. Booze of no booze, I will still enjoy myself! :)

g.

[T1]

Hi All!

Gee, didn't expect this amount of responses to my babble but great work fella's and some great tips too!

SOLWOTA - Richard, i'm still in stitches about the term 'master baiter'! [smiley=laugh.gif] I met one such 'baiter' once! We were at the annual Greenback Tailor comp at Cabarita in the late 90's! At the weigh-in and we happen to be within a meter of the guy that caught the winner and he was about to be interviewed by the local paper for his effort! Well we thought, maybe we can get some tips from the guru so lets listen in! Man, what a load of 'baiting' this guy did! 'Ohh, you just ask my friends, whenever we go fishing, i always catch the fish! I am the guru! I know my sh%t' and on and on! He baited like i'd never heard anyone (sober) before! We were so amused that we hung around for the presentation just to see what volume of 'baiting' he was going to exert in his acceptance speech. To our disappointment, he came up with 'this time it was me, next time it could be you!' Gee, must have gone too hard at the Journo! Still, if they'd had an award for The Master Baiter, hands down it was his!

I note you lived in Bamaga. A good mates bro is the local mechanic up there in Saica - Mark P. Do you know him?

SCALEM: Brian, i agree with what you say wholeheartedly and reaffirm that the list you compiled is just a short one as there's many things we can do better to improve our chances! But i also stick by my comment that sometimes, they simply are just not there! Lets not forget that fish are nomadic, and like us, they're not always hungry! Ever tried to force another chip down your throat after you've just finished a 1kg T-Bone? It's not fun let me tell you!!!!

GOT THE FEVER: I'm with you Kel on the booze - I believe it should be treated no different to Drink Driving on the roads!

RATHERBEFISHIN: I think Bill Gates (American) would have probably founded something first... Only problem would be that you would have to constantly 'reset' your environment because it would continuously 'crash' as you were about to land your 'bigun' >:(

MURKS: Brett, I look forward to the day when you put that post up! In fact, i'd be more than happy to lend a hand! ;D

DOGBREAM: The Dog, I don't think my fuel tanks have the capacity to get me to the banks! However if you have the vessel and the capability, then i am more than happy to hop on board anytime... Plus, I am not one to take a 4.5m old boat out into open water - I know people do it, but i aint your avergae person! Not worth the risk for a few fins to me... ;) Plus, what's wrong with Brissie river Squire? And where did that twitch all of a sudden appear from?

BABY BREAM: George, you sound like a bloke who'll go a long way in life champ! Look forward to meeting you in the near future!!

Thanks everyone else for your valued input! I hope to catch up with all of you too at some point in the near future ;D We need more M&G's...

Take Care T

[drawn]

My 2 cents worth. I haven't fished QLD for a couple of years now as I'm in SA but the rules are the same as far as I'm concerned. A "master" does come home with the fish 99% of the time because: when their best spots fail to fire they have back up spots, for instance if the wind and tide aren't working together and they feel it is needed for the fish they are after they move to a spot where the tide moves in a different direction to suit the wind, like when it is disturbed around a reef or island or around a bay, or they can effectively fish a wind against tide situation, they have a back up plan for virtually every situation- that's a "master"
oh yeah and I'm not one either :-[

drawn

[Brad_H]

Hi Guys,
I only stick my 2 cents in when I feel its worth it, so here I go :)
firstly I hate the term 'Master' I reckon it should be put in the same bucket as 'expert' and 'guru', all of em mashed with the muncher and sent out with the burley trail ;D

Fishing is an ever evolving learing experience and if you take note of what you do in your surroundings and the result in your catch effort, then store it away mentally or in a journal of some sort, then you will always be better prepared for the next trip on the briney blue.

Whilst that statement maybe common sense to a lot who inhabit these pages, how often do we see the same guys, going to the same spot at the same time/tide with the same bait/lure and end up with the same result, be that good or bad. The difference between good and bad results is as simple as be open minded and observant, when someone else is catching and you aren't. Case in point is T1 and crew and the excellent reports they post here for 1 and all.

On the otherside of the case is the example of misguided posts about wether certain baits/lures are better at certain times and evrybody will have an opinion to air. Evry fisherman will have a preference as to the personal favourite, which isn't to say thiers is the best, but what works for 1 guy may not work for another.

In fact I saw an excellent example over the weekend of Aug 18-20 when I made 2 trips to Mud Island, 1 at Midnight Friday and the other before dawn on Sunday. Friday night saw 3 of us venture out from Sandgate in ideal conditions 5-8 knots easy trip to Mud and we hit the eastern reef first. The tide was not huge and we figured on fishing thru the change till about 6am.

The first few hours were pretty slow, with a few undersize snapper, a good bream and several moses coming in. We used a variety of plastics, mainly Assassin 5" shads which are our favs for that area, as the larger profile works well in darkness which we had with the small amount of moon left. We switched over to slimmer profile worm style lures, mainly Slider 4' worms and the new Reaction Innovations 4.95" Flirt Worm.

Almost as soon as we switched lures we started getting better results, a 75cm, 39cm and 40cm soon had the three of us smiling in the predawn light. The interesting fact was that the large fish came from the deep water (23') and the 2 smaller fish hit the lures just under the surface as the sun just peeped over the bottom of Moreton Isl. we headed home soon after sun up, happy with our effort.

Armed with that information, a trip on early Sunday was hatched. It was my eldest sons B'day on the Monday and we do a traditional trip to Mud to celebrate it. The other reason was to christen the new boat on Snapper. Whilst we had a good run out of the river, the wind hadn't dropped as much as we had hoped and we arrived a little after prime time to see 18 other boats parked along the reef, all anchored over their fav spots obviously . We on the other hand drifted with the tide and wind whilst casting ahead of the boat.

My first cast was snaffled almost as soon as it hit the water and a nice 41cm Snapper hit the livewell, 3 casts later I was on again, but at 34cm he went back to grow a lil more. Looking around the boats (now numbering 24) and having the odd chat as we drifted past, we saw little activity other that a few well bent rods snagged on the bottom ;D. In fact I hooked up on the bigger fish as we drifted past a bit 6m Quinnie and they watched the tussle with interest. When they saw the fish there were a few claps and well done's called over.

As we adjusted position with the electric we had a chat with them and the couldn't believe we were using such light tackle to catch our fish. Whilst we were outfitted with spinning rods up to 8lb and only using 1/8oz heads, they had the broomsticks and overheads and using up to 4oz snapper leads. We imparted the information about the fish being mid water and they should try drifting with lightly weighted baits, which they sorta looked uncomfortable with and we left them to their spot.

We decide to head on in a little later and as we passed them they gave us a wave, but they were still anchored, still had the heavy weights on and still hadn't scored a fish. ::) WONDER WHY !!!

Anyway before this turns into a short novel :D In the last 5 trips to Mud, I have never NOT caught a legal Snapper, but does that make me a 'MASTER' I think not, simply a thinking fisherman, who uses all the resources available, including this board, to increase the odds in my favour. Forget about who is good, better,best and share the info, the enjoyment of our sport and the challenge of the chase rather than the fillets at the end :)

Brad H

[chief]

.I 'll put my 2 cents in as well and well done for bringing up a good question T1
i reckon the only one you need to impress at the end of the day is yourself. Every one to their own, i spent enough time 10 years ago catching fish on cobweb and thinking catching the biggest fish you could catch on rediculous line classes and going through mood wings because i didn't achieve, I'm sorry to some of you guys out there but i've seen to many beautiful fish fought to near death for my fun. i stopped fishing for years ,sold my boat i went hard on motorbikes for 8 years, but always taking a casual trip here and there. mass kills of fish still to me doesn't produce a master either. you take what you need to eat or you release it. If at the end of the day you got a feed and you've had a good time than you've achieved. you take it all in, what you see happening on the water. tides, moon, current lines, seasons and birds and hopefully things might come together. i think it would be s$#t if i knew i was to catch fish everytime that boat left the trailer. I fish to much for that to happen, there are times ive gone to fish when in your gut you know you'd be better off staying at home, your cold wet and shagged ,come home with not a scale but hey even a warm shower then feels like paradise and its all good. you know i've always got fish in the freezer my wife loves fish and will eat it 4 times a week , when its comes down to it sometimes your a winner sometimes your not but let the benchmark be your own personal one and enjoy yourself. Bikes or fishing or no matter what you do attitude will f%#@ it every time. go and have fun and if its not fun then why do it.

[ibbo]

Gday T1, yes I'm back the computer is fixed FINALLY!!!!!!!

Great read mate, I love fishing with you and also really enjoy reading your bloody posts. I think you've become an AUSFISH celebrity.

Now what makes a master? Good question mate.

Is anyone a master of fishing? Harro, Rexy, Starlo, Bushy just to name a couple, are they really masters or do you just see the best bits. These guys spend (or used to) an obscene amount of time on the water so of course they will catch fish.

Spending so much time fishing and talking about fishing will hone anyone's skills, but its the quality of time put into fishing that makes the difference it's not just roll up throw the anchor over bait up lay back and start drinking beer.

These guys know what to look for on sounders, know the right tide for the targeted species, best time of year, know the best bait/soft plastic and know whether to fish day or night for the best chance of catching that fish. Now most times these guys will catch fish, but sometimes they wont, why not? who knows, that's just fishing.

I guess my point is it's all about wanting to learn, and getting rid of bad habits. Anyone can become a very good angler, I really dont think anyone is a master of fishing.

If any of you in Ausfish land every get the chance to go fishing with T1 you will see he is no master, he is just a bloody good bloke, a passionate fisho and a gentleman.

Hope this doesn't make his head swell too much.

See ya soon mate

IBBO

P.S all the best to J1

[castlemaine]

Good post T1. Mate, my father-in-law must come close to MASTER. He has an uncanny ability to fish an area unknown to him and get fish. When I've asked him why he'd chosen that particuler spot, he has a hard time explaining it to me. Natural learned instinct from years of fishing. It is a marvel to watch someone anchor a boat while judging land marks off trees, mountains, houses, and water tanks while still taking into account wind and current (No GPS). He never used burley but always came home with good fish. I still can't do it. It's always his way or no way though. A mate of mine fished with us once and made a comment " he's a great fisherman but has little tolerance for those who aren't". Something for us to aim for.

[richieboy]

Gday
If any of you in Ausfish land every get the chance to go fishing with T1 you will see he is no master, he is just a bloody good bloke, a passionate fisho and a gentleman.

Hope this doesn't make his head swell too much.

See ya soon mate

IBBO

P.S all the best to J1











Well said Ibbo. T you're champ mate. All be it one with a queezy stomach (pidgeon incident). Always great reads when you post. Jsut one thing tho. Get your jigs and hit it with me and Barnsey and then you'll graduate to be the "Ultimate Master". Can't go wrong with good tutorlage. ;D ;D ;D
All aside tho I belive the so called "CURSE" is truly gone. Catch up soon bro.

Rich ;)

PS: Hows the sleep debt going?? ;D

[pegasus]

Thanks guys- for a thought provoking read - so many good points- all a continual learning curve- an fun- I think fishing is one of those sports that lend itself to no boundries between people. It covers such a vast array of opitions or choices- weather its walking the bank with fly rod,fishing sp s on shallow reefs, up early heading into the sunrsie chasing pelagics or looking for something out wide. The young lad on the jetty with a handline and bread or the guys going out in the 100k rig out wide and all in between.

I dont think I have satisfactory answer for that master question-maybe its someone who knows the quarry-habits,location,favourable conditions he's after, perserverence, attittude/thinking etc- but maybe its just a label , a term- no offence- but one persons idea of a master is not necessarily anothers. May be its a case of our own personal standard.

At the end of the day- chances are I have a great day maybe matched the challenge in an ethical manner, an caught a fish or two -maybe a fresh feed for the table,released above that requirement so those fish may benefit someone else. If no fish - well theres always next time an more learning :)

I sort of remember a saying- something like- time on the water is not taken into consideration in our life span- live longer - spend more time fishing :)

best regards and tight lines
lew