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Hi Guys, Just a quick update regarding my experiment with single hooks as some of you expressed the interest in the results. I 'made' 5 different HBs with single hooks on the lure bottom and tail. I tried them on a short 1 1/2 hour session on the usual estuary spot last weekend night . Unfortunately I arrived in the middle of run-in tide with the most current. Usually I do not catch anything on lures at strong current, and there was no difference this time. Anyway, I tried HBs with single hooks, Blades, SP, even some US sinker>swivel>leader>SP rig (to keep the lure closer to the bottom), different retrieves, with and without scent (x-factor) during the fishing session. No bites this time. I will provide further updates later to the topic when I have them.

Johndory - thread line rod. Cargo05, nickb1111- thank you for responses and video. I might be wrong, however my theoretical thoughts were: less guides -> less frictions -> more casting distance. As I mentioned this is for metal lures which are relatively heavy and should remove the slack in the line in the beginning of the cast. The remaining half/partially-full reel spool should maintain some tension in the line to avoid line tangles during the end of the cast (when the lure is just falling at low speed).

Hi All, There were a lot of general discussions on the fishing forums about wide gap / kahle hooks which are sometimes referred as best of two worlds (standard shape hooks and circle hooks). My questions are more specific: - Should be the wide gap hooks set (like any standard shape hook) or not ( like circles) when fish takes the bait? - When would you likely use wide gap hooks? e.g. for which fish species (besides flatties), in what rigs and for which bait? Thank you.

Hi All, Just trying to understand how the quantity of the guides in a spin rod would impact the lure casting distance and tangles probability - e.g. 6 guides vs 9 guides similar spin rod? Also, would be the answer the same or different - for braid and mono line? Thank you.

Good suggestions Budzsta. I would also suggest: - avoid run-in tides in the beginning of your rock fishing (just get any a free tide app for your app to know where the tide is at the moment. Some of the apps even work offline. I prefer good tide watch), - avoid slippery wet/weed rock areas. - check the new fishing spots areas initially without fishing tackle - for stability. - keep your belongings (bag/bucket etc) far away from water even if it looks very calm - so, in case if something wet happens you dont have to think about them. Snapper81, you might want to: - try different bait e.g. chicken, bread, prawns, worms or other live/fresh bait etc - try casting unweighted bait (no sinker). It might not be easy to cast. - try fishing under float. Make sure that float is large enough to keep the bait and heavy enough for casting - get a few metal lures with different weight and cast them with fast retrieves for predators.

Thanks Matt. Do you mind to answer 2 more questions: How often do you apply S-factor to lure? Do you use it for HB and blades lures as well? Just wondering if anyone used successfully scents with metals ( e.g halco twisty/streakers) on the beach?

I noticed several times on the forums - people are stating that is Gulp is more bait rather than plastic due to 100% biodegradable and made of 100% natural ingredients. That might also partially explain bites when sitting lifeless and a short product life. I do not know much yet about UV attractants however I presume these products might be more efficient for depth / night fishing where normal colors are less differentiated . It's a good idea to apply scent to 'hide' the strong chemical smell in SPs. Thank you, Towlersbay boy. Will check my SP with UV squid torch in the evening for UV reflections.

Thanks Marty. Some people think that WD40 is the best fish attractant since Kerosene times. Is anyone using silica gel desiccants bags (small shoe packets) in the lure box? I understand that it will not wash the lures however may prevent excessive moisture in the lure box when changing lures frequently on the beach close to the water or in the rain (I love challenges).

Thanks again Crossfire63. A few more questions please: - What size of sinker do you find sufficient for beach slide fishing? Do you use sinkers other than grapnels? - Are there any issues to get a live bait down to the end (brass ring) for beach slide fishing? -What hooks types do you use for beach slide fishing? Are the circles ok? I presume there is no much chance to set the hook properly in the fish unless the slider is locked at the end.

I am not really suprised about rust in trebles as those are welded hooks (lots of processes involved etc), however doubles are single-piece hook like single hook. I did not wash hooks (my fault), however quite often there was no much difference in hook condition whether it was no-name, halco or some other brand lure/replacement hooks.

In regards to Scratchie's life jacket PFD 1 suggestion: Lots of people dont give a ... about safety on rocks and some are quite comfortable just in shorts, thongs and heavy Tiagra or Penn Int'l while LBG fishing e.g Tubes, Jervis Bay in summer. PFD 1 provides protection in and outside of water: -It is thick and soft and so it hurts much less if you fell accidentally on the rocks in some wet areas. -it has high insulation and is very warm in winter/at night or open/windy areas. I prefer to put on a light rain jacket on top of PFD 1. Rain jacket takes all the punishment like salt, bait smell, dirt and hooks and can be easily washed. -there is no need to inflate it.

It makes sense. I still remember the squid pieces on my squid jigs when I was chasing squids with faster action rods in the past.

My experience with purchased bait: Supermarket bait: - squids - tried several times - no fish touched it. - fresh beef ( it still had some blood in it) - tried once - nothing special - cheap fish (leatherjackets) - tried once - no fish touched it - chicken - quite often it works. I prefer thigh fillet to breast fillet as it keeps stronger on the hook. Some people suggest to salt it and freeze it, I prefer always fresh. I used to catch even whiting on it. - prawns - it is ok however relatively expensive -bread - good when fresh to catch a bait fish. -corn - used to be good for carp fishing servo/tackle shop bait: -fresh worms - yes, it works. -frozen worms - it is ok however useless after 2nd freeze. - frozen squid - similar results to supermarket squid at a higher expense. - frozen fish - nothing special other than a lot of smell once it melted. Not reliable on the hook. Again, a lot of smell. - frozen prawns - it is ok, however nothing special and it is more expensive comparing to supermarket local fish market: - prawns - nothing special and it does not stay long in the fridge. It gets black and begin to smell rather quickly. However it is cheap. - fish - relatively cheap, relatively works. - earthworms (bait'n'go' vending machine) - it looked funny at night , other than that - no positive results in estuary.

Thanks Crossfire63. In regards to beach fishing: Do you have to make sure that the slider reaches the sinker area (I presume it may take a while) or it is common to catch the fish with slider half way to sinker?

Thank you Howard for further explanation. It's good to know that I can use the scents on flies as I had not much luck with them yet. I found yesterday an old interview with someone from Sax Scent :the remaining scents - Abalone and Wasabi (garlic and aniseed) are suggested for freshwater fishing.

Blood Knot, Tastee - thank you for answering my questions. I started to rinse the lures after use. Just wondering why trebles and doubles rust faster comparing to single hooks - they are supposed to be made from the similar materials.

Stevefish, Crossfire63 - thank you for the explanation of short stroker. I intend to keep a short stroker and 1 longer slow rod for squid fishing and will sell the rest of slow rods to fund the addiction.

Cargo05, Bluefin - thank you for the comments regarding hooks direction. I am looking forward to next weekend to try them. Ads, yes, the issue with trebles hooking each other - was with one of the cheap small Blades. I fish 95% at night, so loosing bottom-action lures can be quite regular and costly. From my experience, using smaller trebles might not be the best solution while targeting large mouth fish (flatheads - in my case) - I think is partially supported by your comment about large predators earlier in this topic.

Thank you Howard. I hope to get Sax scent from my local tackle store. Bloodworm flavor seems to be most popular among scent addicts. I used S Factor for a while with success. It is 'free' complement in many Squidgy SP bags so no additional investment is required. Yes it a bit watery - the benefit was that the consumption was quite low, disadvantage - it had to be applied more regularly and it did not stick well to HBs and Blades. I noticed differences in S factor batches color in the store and even checked the production date for that reason. Both light and dark S factor tubes worked for me. Do you mind to share which Sax scents worked for which fish species from your observation? Also, did you apply Sax scent to non- SP lures (e.g HB or metals) and what was the fishing result and how long the scent remained on non-SP lure comparing to SP lure?

Is slide baiting efficient on the beaches (or only from piers/wharfs/rocks where there is a substantial depth for proper line angle)?

Several questions please: 1. How are Sax Scent results comparing to X-factor for estuary fishing? 2. How often do you apply scent to lure? 3. Can be Vaseline melted on a gas stove or only in Microwave, and can be Microwave be used for traditional purposes after that (i.e. no smell in it)?

Cargo05 - I had issues with trebles hooking together on blades as those are small lures - so I just replaced those successfully with doubles. Do I understand you correctly that treble was at HB lure tail and single at lure belly? bluefin - Do you remember how you attached the single hooks to the lure - all hook points up / down/ same / opposite direction? Adsy91 - The reps and large stores may have only contracts for supply with specific brands, however the small / independent tackle shops should not have issue what brands to stock otherwise it smells illegal business practices - particularly anti-competitive behavior/exclusive dealings. I have to learn how to quote - Can anyone explain how to do that?

Try to search 'read beach' on YouTube and watch several videos in advance. Gutter is a hole in the water. It may be called differently if the video is not from AU. As for lures - probably I would start from metal lures at this rod length. Have a look at shimano website for the suggested lure weight for your rod model. Just wondering - did you make the decision regarding line/braid/ leader Lb rating for your beach bait or lure fishing? Too light or too heavy - might mean disappointment later on the beach.

Adsy91, I hope the HBs will impact at least the bite rate as the usual bait, SP and Blades stopped working for flatheads for some reason recently - that's why I decided to open again my rusty HB box. So, I got the idea now about single lure hook shape from internet images and will use a pair of split rings in order to attach the usual(bait) hook at correct angle. I do agree that it may/will impact the lure action. Hope to try it when I fish next time (might be next week). Just wondering why Owner trebles are particularly suggested - are they much different from / better than Gamakatsu, Mustad, VMC, Eagle Claw or some other hook brand trebles?

Hi All, Most of my small plastic HB's hooks have rusted, so I have a dilemma - either to invest in new trebles or consider singles, or may be something else. I would prefer not to go totally trebles way, as I had very unreliable hook up on trebles for flatheads which are 95% of catch on lures in my usual estuary fishing area. So, the question - would you suggest / what's your experience with singles on small plastic HB lures ? If yes - then what hook size/shape would be most appropriate for 30-50 cm flatheads ? I saw already the recent discussion about singles on blades on the forum. Thank you and have a nice fishing weekend!