7 Mile Beach

[mottyman]

Hi all,

I was down at Seven Mile Beach staying at Shaolhaven Heads with the family last weekend and I've been thinking about this for a little while and thought I'd ask the beach fishos if this beach is renowned for its "Bait that lives in the sand" or did I just walk onto a nice patch??

The kids and I noticed heaps of pippie shells on the beach so we took the shoes and socks off and started doing the "Pippie Twist" and low and behold, they started coming out of the sand everywhere. There were so many and of such a big size we started picking them up.

While collecting the pippies, we also noticed lots of little sandworms as well. They were only small (about 10 - 15cm long) but they came out of the sand as well.

To top it off, I was twisting away in sand as the water was going out and quite a large brown crab came up and swam off with the receeding water. I tried to catch him but he got away. He had "swimmers" at the back and looked just like a blue swimmer except brown.

So... is all this activity the norm for this time of year / location and do all beaches normally have all these critters living in the sand???

I've only been beach fishing a hand full of times and don't know much about it so was quite surprised to find all this stuff.

To top it off, there was a large sand bar out the back where the waves were breaking, then a very deep channel and another sand bar closer to the beach where the waves were breaking again. The channel went for ages in either direction and would have been well within casting distance but I didn't have any gear at all, let alone my beach rod!!!!

I suspect there would have been a fish or two out there somewhere!!!!

Cheers

David.

[Dorado 2]

Hi Mate the last time I went to shoalhaven was when my eldest son was around 7 years old, lets see he's 24 now not home anymore time sure flies. Anyhow at that time I found all this bait as you mentioned we had a great time collecting some pippies but I realised that there were some big ones to be had if I ventured a little bit into the water and at a lillte over knee lenght I was collecting some nice ones. That is how I discovered how to also catch crabs and every so often I felt a crunch on my toes and sure enough another crab and mate they don't let go of that toe!!! Just thought I'd mention it just in case you need a crab or two

Cheers

[mottyman]

Thanks Dorado,

Good to know that it wasn't just a fluke and the bait is always there.

Next time, I'll be fishing for sure.

Cheers,

That is how I discovered how to also catch crabs

p.s. I know other ways to catch crabs but this is a "family friendly forum"!!!!!

[Guest Big-Banana]

Lucky bastard!

Iam dying to learn how to catch baits off the beach, next thing to do on the list anyways.

[mako1]

Seven Mile Beach has always had a good population of beach baits.Every time I have fished it I have found it

quite easy to pick up enough baits to have a great fishing session.The pippies are straightforward and easy to collect,but the worms are a little bit harder but once you get the hang of it you can get quite afew.I find the pippies are there all year round but the worms seem to be more prolific during the summer months.The crabs are called sand crabs and are also easy to catch.I get a keeper net and fill it with fish frames and leave it in the deeper water tied to a stick.When the crabs come on it slowly pull it to shore.These crabs are great to eat especially in the larger sizes(very sweet).I've also read that these crabs are used as snapper baits of the beaches after a big blow as the snapper come in and feed on them.Great beach to catch bream,whiting,dart,tailor,salmon and jewfish.

[mottyman]

Hi Mako,

Thanks for all your info.

Next time I'm down there I'll take my beach gear and give it go.

Cheers

[madasacutsnake]

Seven mile is my home beach. The bait is always like that down there. The pipis went a bit thin for a while a few years back due to people coming down on weekends and taking garbage bins full home. Fisheries then made a limit of 50 pipis, so they just brought huge families down and continued to strip the place clean. They are now banned and you now can't even take a dozen home for a feed! You can still use them while you are on the beach for bait but as per usual, a handful of people wrecked it for all of us who just took a few for a feed or bait elsewhere.

Fishing is good down toward the southern end near the heads surf club. Some good jews. Tailor and salmon come on pretty thick at times and there is ussually a good supply of flatties, bream and whiting.

Kingies used to be good at the northern end "the hole" but the bottom has changed over the years.

Cheers Stallo

[caine]

we use to have a caravan at 7 mile,

when I think pipis I think 7 mile

also when I think white pointers I think 7 mile sand dunes.

on another note I was once swimming in the surf there and saw a yellow fin tuna right in front of me when the waive went back. not a big one but about 120cm.

imagine getting a yellow fin off the beach. that would be awesome

I think 7 mile is similar to stockton beach. long and swallow....and both beaches have pipis I was wondering if long and shallow is the pipis preferred habitat

[mrelxr6]

irt is also my main fishing spot.parents have a house down there .not far from the fish club..always a good stumble home and to top things off we never come home empty handed.believe it or not that littl river isnt to bad for prawns as well (for bait)

[Mondo Rock]

Ahh the South Coast of NSW - my favourite hunting ground of all!!

Mottyman - you'll find that most of the beaches down south have good populations of pipis, worms and sand crabs. You'll also find that most of the beaches fish very well using two of those three baits (never used crabs myself - but the tip from Mako re the Snapper is well worth a try).

Also, your description of that gutter has me drooling!! Sounds like it would have been a great chance of some big winter tailor or salmon, and the sand bar right at your feet whould have been an even better chance at some nice whiting.

It seems to me that there is a very large appetite amongst many fishraiders to learn the art of beachworming. Perhaps during the next beach social we can incorporate a 'technical session' - maybe we could even do it at 7 mile?