SMn

Where to begin?!? Hahaha... Set myself a goal around Christmas time to catch a jewie this year and just scored my 1st one tonight off the beach! Measured up at 71cm and weighed around 4kgs! Unbelievable! Still fist pumping every 10 minutes or so and the wifes already sick of me talking constantly about it... hahaha... So have been seriously targeting these fish for a few months and have pretty much thought of nothing else. Received lots of great advice from fellow raiders on this site, you're all a bunch of bl00dy legends and champions! With the full moon and good tides falling this weekend I thought it's as good a time as any to have a crack. Went down Friday arvo and the surf was huge with a howling wind. The few people that walked past must have thought I was crazy, I did to until I scored a staunch sambo on a squid and 6/0 designated hopefully for a jew. The salmon was 60cms and put up a brilliant fight coming through the surf. Nothing after that, apart from my bag being swamped and the fish almost washed back out to sea when a boomer took me by suprise as I was bleeding fish... almost became a very expensive salmon indeed... headed home about 1hr after. Headed back down the beach again this arvo about 4pm. Packed a lot lighter than the previous arvo, taking only the Butterworth, Alvey 650a5, knife, bait bucket and rod bucket on my belt. Had 6kg line on the Alvey with a 60lb trace and a snelled 6/0 and snelled 2/0 as a stinger. Whole squid (Cali squid in the blue box) and a few pillies as backup. Spent an hour stretching the line and the arms on bl00dy seaweed, was using a paternoster setup but was getting caught up with weed almost instantly. Was butchering the rig to use as a running rig when a suprise visit from the missus and kids raised the competency stakes a little... hahaha... So I finished the hack job on the rig, 60lb line can be a b@stard to cut with a knife! Baited up with a juicy squid and cast back out. Followed the current up the beach a bit and felt a twitch on the line, 1st thought was seaweed, but line started to peel off so I let run just feathered the spool a bit. The line stopped then a second later took off again. A quick wind and I lent into the rod and rewarded by head shakes, thought another stonker sambo. I start playing the fish as the swell as still large, plenty of little head shakes but no leaping out of the water to throw hooks. It struck me this might actually be it! I kept winding but while there was weight on the line there seemed little fight. At the shore was certain I had been duped by seaweed, when zzzzzzzz! Solid run right at the break, winding backwards on the alvey so as not to snap the line, had to let go and palm the spool a couple of times as the suck back from the shorebreak was intense. Finally had the most beautiful fish I have ever caught on the beach, I was gob smacked, didn't know what to do. Next minute I was screaming for a camera and making all kinds of sounds! Here it is... Just incredible! So stoked! Thanks for all your help guys! Thought once I'd caught one I'd lose the fever... no chance! Now it has to be one over 1m... can't think of anything else until I do... hahaha... Cheers! Phil.

Well done mate! Pays to have spare bit of kit around...

Hi mate, haven't seen that particular brand around... As long as it does what you need it to do and the price fits your budget, it's the right one for you. I currently use a Cobra Tandem, super stable and lots of room but a bit slow for outside... overall it's perfect for what I need, however, in the future my next one will be peddle so I can fish more effectively and further out. Test paddle your kayak before buying, everyone has different impressions of different yaks and most of it is simply personal preference.

Cheers mate, been trying a popper off the rocks for tailor lately but no luck. Glad to see some excellent fish can be caught that way! I'll keep trying...

Brilliant mixed bag mate, well done! Facinated by the tailor on the popper, what action and speed were you using? Good luck with the Jewie, hoping for a winner myself! Good job!

Can't believe such a thing would be considered by anyone!

Flatties will take a ganged pillie, so will salmon and tailor. I usually use salted pillies as they stay on the hooks longer, just as good as any other type of pillie, have caught excellent fish on them.

Sounds like you've got the line on right, with an Alvey you hold the rod left handed and wind with the right hand if you're right handed, which would mean winding in a clockwise direction. Check out this website for more info http://www.surfcasters.iinet.net.au/UsingAlveyReels.html Also: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=HE-IU8T8H2I&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DHE-IU8T8H2I this is the Alvey dvd that shows you how rig up and cast. If your using a float the sinker shouldn't be free running to the hooks, so it shouldn't be able to touch the hooks. Swivel at the top then float and sinker, another swivel and about 60cm trace line then a gang of hooks or a double or a single hook. They take a bit of getting used to but you get over the learning part they are unbelievable to use. Avoca is one of my local spots and this rig is successful off the rocks, however, just starting out I would give the beach ago. Nice big open spot to practise casting and you can really let rip. For beach fishing a float is not required just have a swivel up top, 30cm of line with a sinker (bean or ball) running on it, another swivel, 30 - 60cm of trace line and a set of gangs 2/0 with a whole pillie. Keep on asking questions and look on the web for info, that's what I did... I now have 7 Alveys and use nothing else. There's something special about using their technique for fishing, I wouldn't use any other reel, even for high speed retrive I have the 650gbrc model...

I'm to uncoordinated for sit in, so sit on is my preference. Much better stability on a sit on. When it's cold I wear a wettie, hot boardies, so the elements aren't a big deal for me. Also the kids like jumping off into the water on occasions so sit on suits my needs best. What brand are you thinking of?

Hahaha that eagle dominated. He forgot to palm the spool!

How did you go with Alvey mate? Any luck with the suggested rigs? Off the rocks I use the same float setup Fisholb and Fishingphase described, sunrise and sunset are good times to have a bait in the water and it's vital to always put safety 1st...

Surf popper have been great for me at the moment, green colour, have caught salmon, trevalley and bream on them, ganged pillie on the dropper near the star sinker. Most fish I've caught have been just beyond the shore break so a far cast isn't always required. Star sinkers on a paternoster will cast further and hold the bottom better, but generally a running bean or ball sinker to swivel, then a trace of 30-60cm to a set of 3 ganaged hooks 1/0 up to 4/0 and a pillie is enough. works well on flatties, sambos and tailor.

$8 sounds pretty reasonable I'll give it ago... got to be better than the pink stuff I've come across from other brands. Really need to find the time to catch some fresh. But cutting it fine at the moment will only have 1 opportunity this week to have a crack at a jew, would rather spend that time with a bait in the water hahaha...

Good to know thanks, was thinking of the blue box or Hawkesbury squid if I can find it.

A good way to spot gutters and holes is to look for the spots where the waves aren't breaking, they just roll over or the areas where the wave breaks into white water than reforms into the shore break. The area between the breaking waves is usually a gutter, deeper water that fish travel along looking for food stirred up by the broken wave. A lot of my fish, especially whiting and flathead have all come from the gutter closest to my feet, just behind the wave breaking on the shore... It's amazing how close some of the sharks I've hooked up were to the shore... I still cast as far as I can to cover more water on the slow retrive, ensuring the closest gutter gets as much attention as the furthest.

Has anyone used California squid as bait? I don't have any fresh squid left and I won't be able to catch any before I head out next time...

Thanks PatW and one fishes... I'll keep one reel spooled with heavy stuff and another with lighter line. I'll give the bigger hooks a crack to. Cheers!

Using black magic soft fluoro at the moment in 20lb, has been great for tailor and as you say knots really well, but shredded pretty quick on the sharks. I also noted that the 20lb mono I was using as main line was getting nicked as well, so I think it was more their skin than their teeth. What line weight are you using in the black magic?

Hahaha my daughter calls everything snapper! Makes me feel like a gun when she tells people I keep catching snapper, when its usually sambos and tailor... My little fella thinks every fish is a shark and my ego builds even further! Hahaha... Well done mate! A great read!

Thanks mate I'll try the dogtooth and compare it to the black magic...

Nice one! The new moon had plenty of action. I was hunting jewies as well but ended up losing a fair whack of tackle on sharks. Cracker mullet Hahaha!

Cheers mate, I've used gama occys before when targeting sharks specifically they are deadly. I've been fishing on the cheap lately hence the mustad big games which are less than $4 a pack, I think it's time to up the buget a little... The missus will be so pleased! Hahaha... What brand 60lb mono? Just cheap stuff or top notch? Any colour?

Thanks a lot! I always fish as light as possible but it seems I might be fishing too light in these circumstances. I only fish the 1 rod as I end up running around like a headless chook with 2, so I think I'll spool another reel with 40lb as well and that'll give me another line option. Good to know I can go heavier on the fluro, while the target is jew I don't mind stretching the arms on sharks while waiting. Any preferences for fluro brand? Using black magic 20lb at the moment which lasted about 0.256 seconds on a toothy critter last night... Cheers mate.

The small one I saw was definitely a bronzie and the big girl was either a bronzie or a bull quite dark on top and stocky with a blunt nose.

Yep was my thoughts also so Saturday night put a bunch of pillies on another 8/0 with 100lb leader at about 9pm but no takers. Love catching sharks but prefer a bit of a battle before the bust off... Hahaha...