Cubing

[frankp]

Hi guys

Just want to see if anyone can help me out. I have never gone fishing for yellowfin, but have read a bit about it.

I have always thought that the best way to catch them was to troll for them with lures, although i have noticed in the last few reports that people have been cubing for them. I have no idea what cubing is and what it involves. Could someone please explain the process

regards

franco

[Geoff]

Hi guys

Just want to see if anyone can help me out. I have never gone fishing for yellowfin, but have read a bit about it.

I have always thought that the best way to catch them was to troll for them with lures, although i have noticed in the last few reports that people have been cubing for them. I have no idea what cubing is and what it involves. Could someone please explain the process

regards

franco

Franco Cubing is basically cutting up pillies or other small fish , slimies , yakka etc & laying a burly trail

There ae several baits / rigs , the most common is to have 1 or 2 live yakka swimming around or near the burley trail

Geoff

[wettingaline]

gday frank,

As far as im aware, you get a s#$@load of pillies, cut them into cubes, chuck them out the back of the boat like a berley trail. Then put a cube on an unweighted hook and float it into the cube trail and then hopefully you hear your drag screaming its nuts off.

Cheers

[netic]

There are quite a few different ways to do it and the ones that Geoff and wettingaline said are pretty much on the mark.

The process can take some time and does require some patients, but it can be very rewarding as some recent reports will show.

[frankp]

There are quite a few different ways to do it and the ones that Geoff and wettingaline said are pretty much on the mark.

The process can take some time and does require some patients, but it can be very rewarding as some recent reports will show.

Thanks very much for that. My brother has just bought a boat, and we were thinking of heading out for the YFT and i just wanted to know a little more because as i said i thought trolling was only the real way.

thanks again

[kingpig]

The process is exactly as described. Chop your berley into fairly small pieces (pilchards in about 5 pieces). You can rig a whole pilchard as the bait or a strip bait. Either way make sure the bait is bigger than the berley. Fish will nearly always the larger bait first in preference to the berley.

If you rig a pilchard then your need to insert the hook through the mouth or gill case pull it through and then tuck the entire hook into the bait. Leave none of the hook showing. If you use a stripped bait it is a good idea to use red hooks to help disguise it in the bait. Stripped baits with lots of blood are the best. Stripped Tuna or Slimy Mackerel.

Berley hard from a berley pot and then start putting a few cubes at a time down the berley trail. Small amounts often. Introduce the bait and let it drift down the berley trail as naturally as possible, and wait.

If you decided to use the pilchard as bait then when you wined in the mouth of the pilchard will most likely open and make the bait look un-natural do not use it like this, put on a new bait and try again.

This type of fishing can be a long waiting game. I have spent whole days doing this for zero result however on the day you get a result be prepared. Make sure your gear is up to scratch and that your drag is set properly before you start, 30% of your line breaking strain . A good gimble harness and well balanced short stroker 15kg outfit would be the minimum.

Good Luck

[REKLESS]

Gidday frank,

The way that we have done it in the past is by trying to locate the fish by trolling first until you have either picked one up on the troll or have seen some kind of action ,ie birds on the water or watching bait schools getting harrassed or just bait showing up on the sounder.There is not much sense in burleying where the fish are not likely to be .Also try and work two hours either side of the tide change-either side .

depending on the drifts speed we might put out a sea anchor as well,then chopping up a pilchard into four - five pieces just throw one out ,wait until it dissapears then put another down,if the mutton birds are around eating all your cubes you can tell them to piss offf by putting some tuna oil out in a bottle with a small hole punched in it or as we have done in the past ,use a length of poly pipe to get it in down in the water column a little.

Two or so liveys out ,one say 12 ft down under a balloon out 30m ,and another with a heavy breakaway sinker under any thermocline that ,if you muck around with the sensitivty on the sounder should appear as a dull scratchy horizontal line.

Feeding baits out the back.-I use either whole or 1/2 pillies ,start with a trace that is around the 100lb mark,a 9175 SHARP mustad in 7/0.I usually only have a 2m trace and dispence with the snap swivel for just a straight BB swivel.A bit of fuse wire wound once around the eye of the hook will allow you to secure the head of the pillie on the hook with its mouth closed

.I usually feed the hook through the mouth and then have the point protruding through the pectoral fins .This should allow you to get a few drifts before it desintegrates on you.

If you are using trap pillies ,use them as the burley and get two blocks of "A" class WA pillies as bait.

If you are using heavy gear ,I usually drop the rod in the rod holder and PUT ENOUGH DRAG ON TO PREVENT AN OVER RUN.Then I just strip into the water trying to kepp a "bow in the line".After 100m or so ,put it into strike and wait a few minutes then wind it back.

I usually have an icecream bucket with chopped pillies ready to go,if you get a run,keep

the cubes going as the chances are that there will be a school up under the boat competeing for the cubes.This can be hard if you are struggling with rodbuckets /etc etc.

The fish can get really leader shy and we have resorted to cutting the double off on 15kg and using 4/0 snapper hooks for a hook up.A lot of people prefer 150lb traces ,the question of trade off I guess comes into play,I would much rather be hooked up with a chance then non at all.

Check your line,your drags and your knots.

simon

[martinc]

Peter Pakula had some good tips at the boat show -

fish get smarter as they get older - why - fish continue to grow till they die. It follows that thier eyes get bigger, and more optic cells, and therefore much better eyesight than a smaller fish. Go for a lighter leader first, and then use a heavier one once the fish are around.

Cut pillies into 3 - you want to create a curtain of berley - the head, tail and middle of the pilly will sink at different rates. Toss one at a time, when the last one disappears from view.

fight one fish at a time and the school will hang around. (Though not in my experience - tripple hookup cubing and about 30 x 30-40kg fish in an exceptional day on Billfisher a few years ago).