Just reading about the shark shield or similar devices to help prevent shark attacks on surfers. Now what is being discussed is the shark shield is potentially going to be subsidised by the government. As i see it & maybe i am missing something, but don't surfers have the decision to go out surfing just like us boaties decide on going out on our boat.

The safety requirements for me to go out on my boat are very expensive & are not subsidised by the government as far as i know. If that is not the case then i am at fault & i apologise.

These safety measures are put in place to try & save lives however we must adhere to them or risk being fined.

Sooo, why are surfers being considered for a subsidy for  their life saving equipment for their sport  by the government. Shouldn't the powers to be  just make it law that sharkshields must be worn if going surfing like what boaties have to abide by to keep us safe on the water & jetskies etc? If not law then surely there should be a subsidy for any sport that requires safety equipment??? In my opinion it could open a can of worms for other sports to ask for government subsidies.

It would be great to hear opinions on this.

For those who are thinking of heading over to Dirk Hartog island and have nowhere to park your cars and trailers, give Shark Bay Caravan Park a call, hey have space for your vehicles and trailers there at a small fee, as always with storage, they take all the care but no responsibility while its there.

 Righteo here we go ..

 With the recent events that has claimed boaters' lives this year, I am looking at my boat and stepping up the safety gear.  This is mores--so to "protect" people that come out with me, as well as myself.

EPIRB:  We all know its essential for anyone heading out on the ocean to carry an up to date EPIRB.  My question is,  can two EPIRBs be registered to one boat?  Yes, they come "tested" from factory and have test buttons, but when shit really hits the fan, I would want to activate two EPIRBs, just in case one doesnt work properly.  It might cost $250-$300 but most have 10 year life span.  Not much when you consider how much we all spend yearly on fishing gear!

Life jackets:  alot of people are moving to inflatables.  Do you recommend manual or automatic activation? I am considering auto activation, mainly for the benefit of passengers on the boat.  When a boat capsizes, a person who can't swim well will be in panic mode and he or she might not remember to "pull the cord"...

Thoughts please?

 Gday guys!

1st post, so be kind! :) hey was just after a few tips about boating in shark bay and exmouth.

my wife and i will be heading up end of april with our stacer 539. we are pretty new to boating (crazy for fishing but always been limited to shore based!) so was hoping to stick to more sheltered conditions/locations etc.

I have heard shark bay can get pretty windy. was just wondering what sort of conditioons to look for. i check the forecats pretty regulalry, but problem is i dont know what works for these areas, i,.e: i know around the metro area if there is a seasterly below 15knots i know usually il prob be ok. i dont really want to take any chances, so if anyone can give a rough idea of what sort of level would be considered a no-go (i.e: above 10 knots, nw etc) I would be most thankful!

cheers!

Iv just got back from a couple weeks up at Exmouth without cleaning the boat at any stage . 

Ive seen advice on this forum about using Mr sheen on clears instead of the more expensive products such as Vuplex and Plexus etc . I normally use Vuplex and had some on hand but decided to get some Mr Sheen and do a comparison . I washed down the clears with the hose but did not rub them down , just let them dry . Now for the test . Half done with Vuplex and half with mr sheen . Both products did a good job on restoring some clarity to the clears . There a few years old so not in pristine condition . But I must say that mr sheen did a better job than the other . Clarity was a bit better and seemed to get the dirt off easier and left a nicer polished feel to the plastic . At a quater the price of  Vuplex , I know what I'll be using from now on . 

Hope this helps someone 

cheers Paul

 40 year  mate of mine has a shack in keogh bay on west lewis island he is in his 70s now still lives in K town but cant get out to the shack any more  , he asked me if i wanted to take over ownership / maintance  of it , i said i dont think ownership is transferable any more and said best he  hand the paper work to his daughter who still lives in K town

my question is are the leases still transferable ? i dont think so  and think they havent been transferable  for 25 years  i hope i havent opened a can off worms as they used to change hands regularly and there has been disputes over ownership of them

well we've won the toss and having a hit, Virat e.coli hasn't come up and there's no Ishant Sharma, so hopefully we can get this done outright.

 all those millions $$$ those afl mutton heads are making and the match centre crashes game # 1

on ya, what a wonderful example of lack of planning and preparation 

www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-police-search-for-130-handguns-stolen-from-beckenham-shop/news-story/71c6b48f70f714b2ad062a8168ae7272

For gods sake , the cops must be having a fit , these things will be spread all over the black market here and over east for years.

Think of the damage that could be done , you would assume the gun shops would have to be safer than fort knox, but maybe not.

 Wondering where I can get trim tilt seal kits and thermostats for my old Evinrude 140HP. Will dealers order them in or are there better places to source them from, other than the USofA? Would prefer to go to a shop/supplier rather than ebay?

Evinrude wreckers in WA?

Also, the cowl engine cover hood seal is obsolute - any solutions how to replace?

Its time!

I am passing on the tipping comp, but will partake in the banter.

It starts with an absolute ball cracker of a game!

Richmond vs Carlton.   Hard to pick a loser in this one.  I will go with the tigers to win.

Pressure to grow on buckley when the bulldogs beat them.

Saints / melbourne, one of the better matches.  Going to go for the saints at etihad.

Swans to thump port

Hawks to beat essendon

Suns and lions.   Who cares?  Suns and micky barlow to star.

Roos and west coast.  Experts say if west coast win this they will firm as flag favourites.  Really? Its north melbourne ffs.  If west xoast dont win this, theyre pretenders, not contenders.

Crows and giants.  Another potentially good game, but the afl will ensure a giants win.

And freo v geelong.  I think freo will be competitive and this game closer than expected, but the team needs 6 months or so to gel.  Looking for freo's game plan to develop throughout the season.  Geelong will be too polished this time around.

 So about 8 months ago I went on a trip to gnarloo with Bodie and a couple of Other mates. Had an awesome trip with plenty of nice fish caught, even though the weather was average. Because of the rugged terrain and the fact we were in the middle of nowhere, I though it would be best to get my reels serviced upon my return. I sent a reel off to the direct competitor of shimano (I am sure you can all work that out). The reel was there for about 7 weeks and finally returned. Due to having the luxury of having a few reels of similar size, this was put in the drawer until needed next.

 fast forward to January 2017 and we were heading out for a demersal fish. The size of reel I needed suited what had just been serviced a few months prior (and yet to be used since) so I decided to take that out for the day. Hooked up to my fish fish of the day which was about a 4kg sambo and the handle starts turning in reverse all of a sudden, and the reel is making a horrid grinding noise. Needless to say it was retired for the day, and returned to the Australian based agent for correct reassembly and review. The reel then proceeded to sit in the que for some 7 weeks, before being reviewed once again. 6 interstate phone calls to Sydney and a rather comprehensive email and I finally get my reel back today. Unpack it, and low and behold the first thing I see is there is a specific screw missing out of the overhead reel side plate! Not only was I seeing red by now, it also had me wondering what else was left half arsed.

I then did what I should have done in the first place and stripped the reel myself (I wanted to maintain warranty so I sent it to them for servicing in the first instance). It looked clean enough inside with new grease where needed, that was until I decided to look at the drag washer stack. The washers were knackered and I actually made a point of highlighting the drag was less effective when it went in for the first service. 

So now not only have I been without my $600 overhead reel for 3 months, it has been serviced by the "professionals" in a shit manner, and I now need to replace the drag washers myself. I won't be sending another reel there no matter what, and wanted to highlight that although you may pay a reasonably high price for what is a quality reel, the service thereafter is average to say the least.

Was wondering what websites everyone out there uses when looking for 2nd hand 4wd. I have used 1 before that combined gumtree,autotrader,cars guide and numerous others but cant for the life of me remember the name

had a win already, won the toss and having a hit. 

 Morning gents, My young bloke is looking for a 4WD drive and has spotted a fairly tidy looking LWB 1988 4.2L diesel GQ  Patrol. It only has 155K on the clock. Just seeking opinions from anyone who owns or has owned one of these. Cheers

 It's official, the Ranchi track is going to be a howler.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/cricket/indian-pitch-doctors-take-their-craft-to-a-new-low-in-ranchi/news-story/e426b26e9ff9485cf82afa6b769e2ec6

 Well well well a big stash of handguns gets stolen.....

Well detectives out there on Fishwrecked who do we put our moneys on to be responsible for such a crime??

The responsible firearms owner or the outlaw bikie gang or the likes?

So now they'll try and squeeze in a few more rules and regs to keep us gun owners ( gun nuts apparently )honest but really it does fuck all coz like i say all the time, its not the fellas with a rifle or 5 locked in their gun safes you need be worrying about its the crime figures that will find a way to steal or import anything they want really...

looking to recarpet a house in Ocean Reef about 115 square metres
anyone on here can help.

Hi, I have fitted a VHF radio in my boat, when ever I switch it on it prompts me to enter an mmsi number Which I don't have. Do I have to be licensed to get one?
Is it necessary to have one?
Is there any way of getting one without being licensed?
Thanks in advance Col.

 i would suggest if virat kohli made his cheating sugesttions  30 years ago against aussie crickerters he would be now eating his meals through a straw

Crew,

Has anybody purchased any Japanese knives online or elsewhere?

I've always been a bit of a knife man but have never lashed out for quality, I think it might be time to grab 3 or 4 high quality damascus Jap knives but its hard to know where to look...

I know the style of knives i'm after so i'm more so looking for advice on where to find them?

Has anyone here purchased good quality Jap knifes that might have an opinion on where to get them?

Boon

 Hi fellow Fishwreckers,

A couple of colleagues of mine are (crazy but also)  doing this rather awesome fund raising event this weekend up along the shores of our local beaches. 

A race between swimmer and paddler. Matt will start at Fremantle and swim the 25km distance to Hillarys Boat Harbour, while Huey will paddle a 50km round-trip from Hilary’s to Fremantle and back to Hillarys.  These two are bloody awesome guys (they have actually completed a couple of Rottnest channel swims as well).  If you see them don’t start casting 100g sinkers at them!

If you feel you would like to support this worthy cause please click on the link.

 http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/jeffjago  if that does not work try

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?RegistrationID=664418

I knew Jeff for over 30 years and was a true gentleman and professional.  Even during his darkest days he had a positive attitude and was more interested in your wellbeing than you asking him about his own.  A remarkable person.

(Mods- if in appropriate please delete, I do apologise).

Thanks

 Not fishing related but a sad day for satire and cartoons that got up politicians and other noses.

AUSTRALIAN cartoonist Bill Leak has died of a suspected heart attack. The award-winning artist's work was a fixture in Australian media for more than 30 years.

http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/cartoonist-bill-leak-dies-aged-61/news-story/6de32e4334557f94ff8086db2fcc236d

See some of his cartoons at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/bill-leak-had-equal-measures-of-wit-and-courage/news-story/98567179a47cdc107b1760e9627893cc#&gid=null&pid=36

 Crew,

Does anyone use near maps and if so how recent can you get overhead pics?

TB

 why do we put up with the lose of our historic land based fishing platforms eg  Robbs jetty , great spot for tailor back in the day , still remeber those days kero lanterns and ding sangas , carnarvon jetty (well the last 150 meters of it) burnt by shit heads and probably the best mulloway spot in wa in its day , sampson jetty yes flattened  by a cyclone but could have been rebuilt , it was a spot you could catch a big spanish mackeys with out needing a boat  , i can remember the days you could drag the swan on a  stinking hot saturday night for prawns with the bonous of a few cobbler in the net and your dad would always  put you on the deep end of the drag net  ahh bugger i am getting old

G'day

Figure there would be some fish keepers on the site, I have found over the years that the two hobbies tend too overlap at times.

I have been keeping and breeding stingrays for the last 5 years. Started out with just regular Motoro's and went from there. At the moment I have 4x (1m 3F) hybrid rays - Mantilla X Motoro X Leopoldi. Really enjoy the hybrids as they morph and change a lot as they mature. Always interesting to see pups change as they grow, picking a winner out of a group of pups can be challenging and it takes a keen eye to spot potential at a young age.

FW Rays are a lot more maintenance then your average aquarium fish - their prehistoric digestive/metabolic system produces a lot of waste ammonia - filtration needs to be top notch and they can be particularly sensitive to poor water quality.

This is my boy, currently just shy of 12months old and about 25cm across the disk. Should be a great breeding stud. His claspers have just started to roll (sign of maturity) and should be fully mature in the next 6 months time. Still has some morphing left in him.

Some pics of the girls -

and some of the girls -

 Heading to ledge point in a couple of weeks. Just want to see if any reports on what being caught. Have 4x4 so beach only options.

Thanks

 i have voted all ready just a  question  if you have voted already  how did you vote , i voted labour if your not happy saying how you voted just say if you have voted aparently over 150k people have already voted at early polling stations not to mention postal votes    

If you have problems with the above mail software then there is free software prog that my ISP bloke told me about - Mozilla Thhunderbird.

It is  a piece of cake to download the executable file and then use that file to install the program.