SMn

G'day, I've read through the thread on Jew Fish Tactics numerous times and find it a great source of info, but I'm after some specific tips for jewies off the beach. Soapies up to the big girls... 1. What line class should I be using? I have a dedicated reel (Alvey 650e5) spooled with 20lb mono, usually use 12lb mono on a 650a5 for beach work. Should I be using heavier or lighter line? 2. Any type/style/brand leader should I use? Currently using 20lb flurocarbon or 40lb mono, but these last only a few moments when a shark hooks up. Is there any compromise where I can at least wrestle with a shark on hookup, but still light enough to be appealing to jewies? Or should I go a lighter fluro and just suck it up when I bust off on sharks? 3. Hooks, circle or suicide or another style? Have been using mustad big guns 4/0 - 6/0, are these suitable? Also after dark have been switching to circle hooks so I don't need to see the rod tip as the fish hook themselves. Anyone had experience with these hooks for jew? Sizes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Fished my local beach Friday and Saturday arvo/night on the prowl for jewies, lost more tackle than the last time I hit the rocks! Hahaha. 2 sets of gangs and 4 snelled 6/0's (two hook rigs) on 20lb and 40lb leader on Friday night and 3 4/0's and an 8/0 on Saturday night same leaders again; 5 enviro sinkers are also disintergrating in the briney blue. Everytime I had a run and put some weight on the line 'pop' hooks gone. Each leader was well frayed and only lasted a minute or 2 each run. I only saw 2 suspects a smaller one that thrashed in the shore break and swam away on Friday, about 2ft long and it's big sister on Saturday arvo just before sunset. This one was substantial, the run was unstoppable! It was lucky the line gave way or I could be respooling my Alvey now! Again when I put a bit of pressure on the line gave out, but I saw it breach 15m from where I was fishing as its head shake sliced through the line. Would have been a great tussle if I had 100lb leader on, but the 20lb leader may as well have been cotton! Tailor slabs and heads were definitely on their menu and were taken almost as soon as they hit the water. At least I managed 2 good sized tailor on Friday night so I had good jewie bait for Saturday, but same story. Bloke next to me scored 7 tailor and a soapie. So there are a few punk sharks with lip peircings swimming around the Central Coast today. Hope others had better luck from the beach.

I know it sounds gruesome, but I always spike even when my kids (daughter 6, son 3) are with me. Main reason why is I hate to see the suffocate and also my daughter gets a bit freaked out and wants to put them back if they are flipping about on the beach. Slurry approach is best especially for a boat, but I always fish with what I can carry (usually walk to the beach or rocks) and an esky full of ice is the last thing on my mind. Usually have one of the kids on my shoulders on the walk home; wading bag over shoulder, one kid on shoulders, one holding my hand or running around in circles and my beach rod and reel in the other hand. Buggered if I know what I'll do if ever catch anything bigger than my wading bag can hold! Hahaha...

Love the a5 model Alvey mate!

I keep the odd sambo - spike and bleed immediately and thorough gutting and cleaning the inside. Then bake whole on the bbq (about 20mins) with lemon, chilli, garlic, onion, salt and pepper placed in slashes down the skin. Than using chopsticks or fork remove the white flesh place on rice paper with rice noodles and salad leave and roll up like a kebab. Dip in mix of hiosin sauce, crushed peanuts and chilli... Bl00dy tops! (mother-in-law is Vietnamese). 50cm sambo feeds the family no worries... I think most people automatically reject these fish because their grandparents and parents always did. I know my parents and grandparents think I'm crazy until they tasted it... But i reckon most of that was before readily accessed herbs and spices that just weren't a normal part of Aussie tucker in the 70's & 80's... As well as properly dispatching and cleaning these fish... But unless I plan to eat it straight away after catching than I usually throw back... Each to their own though!

What Alvey have you decided on? I have quite a few models, but find I always come back to the 650a5 version, it has no drag but is so simple to use. A good all round drag model for beach and rocks is the 650be or 650c5 - be has the handles on the reel, the c5 has them unattached to the reel. I feel more comfortable with handles on the reel especially on the rocks, but have used both successfully on some good sized sharks, rays, etc... Haven't scored a jew yet but is my target at the moment - will be using the 650a5 spooled with 7kg and 10kg leader and the 650e5 (same as 650be except stainless steel back) spooled with 10kg. Would like to hear how you go! Cheers.

Nice fish mate congrats! Next in line its cousin the mulloway hahaha... Well done.

That would be perfect! Hahaha!

Hahaha yeh mate had my son and daughter with us as well... Was a cracker I thought I got excited when I catch a fish, but to see the kids sprinting around doing a victory lap is something else!!!

If your after a bit of flake, small bronzies and schoolies are great as well, only these have teeth which it is best to avoid... Most beaches usually have a few, around the 1m mark is best from my limited experience. Have only kept 1 and made the best old school fish and chips, green curry and marinated BBQ fillets, no bones the kids loved it! I now release those I catch when targeting them or by catch.

Top stuff mate! Well done!

What a feast! I usually use much shorter lengths on my paternoster rigs, will definitely try longer sections and droppers next time. How good are Alveys! Hahaha...

Hi Mousse, shame about the previous report mate. Nice work on the fish, are you still using the Alvey 650a5?

Yep I was suprised both times I've caught trevally off the beach, but a welcome by catch none the less, they give you a run for your money. It always motivates me to stay that bit longer or get up that bit earlier when I have mulloway on the mind. I dream about it when I have a good bait, wife thinks I'm crazy when I save the heads from tailor or keep a fresh squid for bait, when it should be salt and peppered served up on the table.

Thanks mate but it wasn't to be tonight. However did score a couple of tailor and flathead with my dad though, so some great fish for dinner again and some solid bait for another attempt tomorrow night... Hahaha... Looking forward to it again!

That's my second and gee they give you a good go! Thought it was a sambo at first, straight up hit and 2 nice little runs a light tussle at the beach break, was very suprised when I saw what it was. Cooked up very well too.

Thanks mate it's great to have some quality time with the kids while your doing something you really enjoy. No jewie but some good tailor a small shark and a flattie. Was great!

Wamberal gave 4 good fish again this evening. 1st up a 47cm Flathead my dad (visiting from the South Coast) scored on an unweighted ganged pillie. Every time he's up he scores off the beach, bloody legend with the Alvey 650a5. 2nd up was a small school shark, I got this on a paternoster rig - surf popper and ganged pillie - he took the pillie. Self release as the gang gave way, so I grabbed him by the tail and head and speared him back into the surf. I was using an Alvey 650e5. 3rd was fat little tailor, dad again on an unweighted pillie, measured in at 37cms. 4th was a stonker 41cm tailor I got on a slab of tailor I had ear marked for a jewie. The poor bugger swallowed the 8/0 circle I had on it and it was protruding from behind the 1st swim fin. Cast out a tailor head, lots of little bites but no jewie... Oh well I have 2 fresh heads for tomorrow night and brilliant feed for tonight! Cheers!

I regularly lob big baits on my alvey setups chasing sharks and more recently the elusive jew. Butterflied, whole or the heads of mullet and tailor no probs. Also on the reverse they cast light weights excellent as well...

Great idea Fishingphase. When attached to the rod I usually make a small dropper knot on the end of the line and place on the nut on the back of reel and wind until tight, tension the spool and done. Or the same when not on the rod but the dropper over the reel seat and wind. I find that with this I then have a loop to attach the swivel without stuffing around when rigging back up...

Yeh salmon and tailor seem to be my standard off the beach apart from last night, certainly not complaining though! Have some IQF pillies, tailor head and fresh squid strips to have another crack tonight. Fired up just thinking about it hahaha...

Hahaha don't write it off as a fluke reubs, a baited hook in the water is there to catch fish... If that fish just happens to be a species that people spend countless hours trying to catch, it is just emphasizes your fishing genious! At this stage I'll need to max out my rods to ensure I've got all baits covered, each session! Hahaha... I think just about everytime I catch something is a fluke!

Cheers Fisholb! Hope you get yours too. I've been following moons/tides/sunset/sunrise and tried a few different baits, had a few big runs on tailor heads but I think they were big rays, nothing on the fresh squid apart from a few tailor... Just read a report where pillies seemed a winner, so something else to try among the many, many different ideas and experiences.

Geez sounds like I need to include quality pillies to list of baits for my jewie adventure. Thanks for the tip fellas and well done of the jewie mate.

G'day, Had an absolute shocker last night from the beach, one disaster after another saw only one cast in 40 minutes of stuffing around and a lot of swearing. So I was a little put off tonight as I walked down with my daughter (6yrs old and stoked about everything). Had two rods tonight which I rarely do, cast out the 1st with a surf popper and pillie paternoster on the Alvey 650a5, then lobbed out a butterflied tailor on the other rod with a 650e5 (I have dreams of a jewie off the beach this year). The pillie and popper had only been out for minute when my daughter starts telling me the tip was bending on the rod, my pesimistic mood lingered from last night and I dismissed a fish on out of hand. I grabbed the rod and swapped it with the one I was holding merely to humour my daughter and felt the weight almost straight away. 5 minutes later a beautiful sambo at least 60cm, it really got the blood flowing and blew away any more thoughts of my disaster the previous night, released a minute or two later after a good look and a reasonable plea from my daughter.Taken on a blue surf popper. 10 minutes later I swapped the rods again and felt two solid taps and a brief fight a 33cm bream joined us on the sand, I didn't give my daughter a choice this time as I dispatched the fatty immediately. My 1st bream off the beach so a PB, really happy about that, also on the blue popper. Cast back out and was in the process of changing back to the jewie rod when I get a nice little run on the paternoster rig again. A great fight from a 35cm trevally and my daughter and I were super stocked! By now my daughter being a typical 6yr old was completely soaked and covered in sand so the tough decision was made to head home. Couldn't complain 3 fish 2 keepers and shrugged off the shyte effort last night. Also on our way home along the beach another chappy had landed a nice flattie and tailor. Good to see some fish! Jewie bait untouched however, all fish caught between 4.45 and 6.10pm.