Tulz

Thanks mate!

Just after some advice regarding squid. When live baiting with them what's the preferred approach? One hook through the tip of the hood or on a two hook rig.

Yeah Tailor are responsible for destroying plastics and i've been on the receiving end of this a few times. Just the way the lure got hit had me thinking something other than a Tailor. That color is a favorite of mine when targeting Flatties and is a bit of a "go to" when nothing else is working.

I hit Lake Illawarra again early this morning. High at the bridge was at 530 so I was up early and flicking my first plastic right on 5. I've been trying to land my first Jew on plastic and that was my plan of attack again this morning. Although I haven't had any luck with Jews on plastics, Flatties are always willing to jump on a lure intended for a Jew and make for a welcome by-catch. I'm finding it more enjoyable than soaking bait for a Jew. The conditions were great with a few fish jumping around although I didn't manage anything again. Only a couple of bumps on the plastics including one massive hit that shook the rod tip. It destroyed the plastic and unfortunately missed the hook. I couldn't tell what it was but it was solid. Someone more experienced than me may be able to tell looking at the pic below. It left some nice teeth marks right down to the tip of the tail. I'm thinking either Flattie or Jew.

Decidede to hit Lake Illlawarra last night with the plan being to chase some Jew. Bottom of the tide was just after 11pm however it was only a small tide so the odds were against me. Armed with some fresh squid and my favorite plastics I set my bait rod up and began to flick my plastics around from the edge of the bank. I started off up near the caravan park off one of the little break walls. The squid was just being picked apart and I wasn't gettting much action on the plastics, only the odd nudge here and there. After moving up and down the rock wall I decided to move down towards the bridge right on low. I swapped over from a 6" Zman Swimmerz Gizzard Shad to a Squidgy Mongrel Boof Mullet. There was more activity down towards the bridge with the odd Mullet and Tailor jumping around. I managed a couple of undersized Flatties before I got a thumping hit on the plastic. As I got it closer to the shore I saw a cracking Flattie on the end of my line. I got it to my feet and bang she took off, I suspect I didn't have the hook set properly. I was spewing as it would definately have been a PB for me. It's these kind of moments that keep us going back for more right? After that it went quiet so it was time to head off home. There were some other guys fishing off the bridge but it didn't look like they fared much better than me.

Thanks Witha. One estuary I fish a bit is the Clyde down at Batemans Bay. There are parts of the river which get down to around 12m.

Just looking for some advice on jig head weights to use when fishing faster flowing estuary systems. I'm starting to feel that in some estuaries I need to use up to 1oz jighead or more to find the bottom when fishing for flathead, jews etc. I have always fished as light as possible so to use this kind of weight seems like overkill to me but I struggle to find the bottom in some systems. Should I fish as heavy a jig head as needed to find the bottom? Would appreciate any advice from the gun plastic fishos out there. Cheers

Nothing better than a fresh feed of squid. They also make one of the best live and fresh baits going around so it's handy if you're good at finding them!

Sounds like a fun trip. What live bait were you using?

Nice work, and a sneaky Blue Swimmer as well. Thats some good eating.

42cm Whiting is a cracker. The 27cm looks tiny next to it! Good stuff and a such a great table fish.

When fishing the beaches mate don't restrict your fishing to one part of the beach. You need to keep moving sometimes if you aren't getting any action. Sometimes the fish can be holed up in only one gutter along the beach so if you're getting no bites, move.

I've only ever kept salmon for bait. Every so often i'll turn them into fish cakes but only after being heavily seasoned. Don't be afraid to through a whole Tailor out, even if you think it's too big. You'd be surprised what they'll fit in their mouth!

Try this link calvinching. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/regulations/sw/sw-bag-and-size It lists size and bag limits for saltwater species. When you buy your fishing licence online, when your licence is sent out it comes with a copy of the fishing rules and regulations etc.

I was using Squid tef1on.

Awesome vid mate. The under water footage of the lures is amazing. Shows how well they work and look under water.

Unlucky mate, I know how you feel! Yeah the wind started to blow quite early here. I'm loving my beach fishing at the moment. It can be tough going at times but the rewards are there with persistance.

Hit the beach this morning for a couple of hours. High tide was just before 9am and it was around the 1.9m mark so I thought it might be worth a shot. Wasn't much happening until half hour before the high when my rod goes off. It felt like a Sambo and this was confirmed when it decided to put on a bit of an aerial show. Unfortunately on one jump the hooks came free. Then right on the top of the tide I see tap tap tap and bang the rod buckles over. Line starts peeling off and I'm hoping it's my target species. Set the hooks (or so I thought)and more line peels off and then I feel some nice head shakes which has me thinking Jewie. I take a couple of winds and then nothing. I wind the line in fuming. Not sure if the it spat the bait or the hooks were too small. I'm thinking the latter as I had 2 6'0s on my snelled rig. Regardless of the doughnut it was still a good morning to be on the sand.

I considered that however when i've done so in the past chasing Jewies i've had no luck. Have you used them as bait and if so how? Live? Fillets?

Decided to hit one of the Wollongong beaches this afternoon and chase some Jewies. The high tide was coinciding with sunset and with a few nice gutters on the beach things were looking good. I set up my bait rod with some fresh squid and put it in the rod holder whilst I threw some metal lures around in the hope of a Tailor I could use for live bait. I couldn't find any Tailor along the beach and the Squid wasn't getting a touch either. About half an hour from sunset the bait rod buckles over and I'm on. Whatever it is is making a good account for itself but it's no match for the 20lb braid. Within no time I beach a Salmon measuring 45cm. A new squid goes on and almost immediately the rod buckles again and another Salmon is on, this one puts up more of a fight but again is on the beach in no time. This one measures a little bigger at 50cm. Whilst I love chasing Sambos it's not my target this afternoon and on my heavier Jewie gear they'r just not as fun. And besides, I'm losing all my Jewie bait to them!!! After that all goes quiet and I don't get any action so I head home. At least it wasn't a doughnut and it was an awesome afternooon to start Summer.

That's a cracker Jew mate and on 6lb line. Sheesh! What did she measure?

We fished just inside but have heard that they have been found whilst trolling within 100m of the cliffs.

The Kings are there, just not in large numbers as yet. A few guys have nailed a few recently around the 10kg mark. We went a couple of weeks ago and there was plenty of bait in the water but we found no Kings.

A question for the Snapper fishos, particularly those who target them with plastics. What action do you impart into the lure? I predominantly chase them using bait but have been getting into using plastics whilst chasing them with varying levels of success. I have also been using the Shimano Lucanus jigs with some success. With these I simply place the rod in the rod holder and let the rocking of the boat impart the action into the lure. Any advice on techniques with plastics whilst chasing Snapper would be appreciated. Cheers

This time the year you can expect to catch tailor and salmon. Around the washes in close you will find bream, drummer, trevally and the odd groper and snapper.