hey guys just throwing in my first post for this forum and what a way to start with my favourite catch!
After fishing since baby days on boats for bream and snapper i was 18 years old when a friend of mine taught me how to target "Jewfish". And i was hooked ever since.
Always fishing land based and 5 years later ive bagged 2 Jews (both at 71 and 73 cm) at around 3kgs that happened to be last year at my most common spot, which is around the harbour waters off a wharf.
Previous years was a big learning curve for the magic mulloway and im nowhere near being an expert but since starting ive never fished for anything else apart from baitfish and squid.
My gear at the moment im running is a Snyder Glas 8 wrap 12'9"" which i just purchased in Christmas with a Shimano Baitrunner 6500B.
First couple of years chasing jewies was using the cheapy jarvis walker nasties and technique was always butterflied yellowtail and taylor, rod leaning on a bucket loose drag and then just going around the wharf trying to keep the bait bucket full of yakka waiting to hear that spool run. And problem was we were never next to the rod when it went off. I'd get the biggest screamer of a run and then get to the rod its gone! Spat it...Spewing! I reckon I could have had 10 jews under the belt if I changed tactics. I know i needed to up my game!
Magazine after magazine studying left right and centre i started looking deep into the tactics of other fisho's gameplans and rigs...The effort of grabbing the spool - reefing it back for a hook up then tightening drag at the same time was becoming a big miss...Especially when your sitting in the cold air for hours at a time with nothing going on waiting for a rod to scream, I found it too much effort, needed to resolve this!
THE BAITRUNNER! was a dream come true, had a Penn Spinfisher IV rod with a penn 760 Slammer before picking up the big Shimano (still bring the Penn out occassionally teaching my brother the trade), Even though this resolved the muck up issue of the reel I honestly never caught a jewie, again for not being around the rod...And this is when I started throwing on 10-0 Gamakatsu Octopus Beaks to get a better chance of hook up but then didnt let the smaller yakka's look attractive...all good for the bigger baits but didnt get much action...
Spoke to my mate and gave me the best idea that lead me to my first Jew...strap up the rod to something with occy straps and keep the drag tight...Caught 2 jewies and a big flattie so far! Anything that hits it will get the hook up! Only lost one fish a couple of metres from surfacing...wasnt hooked properly...
First Jew was caught on a live yellowtail, second was a butterfly yellowtail, mate of mine has bagged more than me he has been more successfull on butterfly yakka but we know if the fish are around they'll take whatever comes up in the hole lol!
So thats my story using x2 Gamakatsu 7-0 i find is a good size hook for the bait i use, got 60LB shimano power pro 8 strand braid ( I use my one rod all the time hoping for that dream Jewie LOL ) 60Lb Fluorocarbon leader good size round sinker or star sinker for beach.
Hope to start going on some boat trips in the future chasing the big silver ghost and hope to soon crack on to my first kingie in the near future!
Cheers, Nicko!
