caine Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 i have got my fair share of jews over the last 12mths in sydney harbour. i was wondering a couple of things and interested in your opinion. Are sydney jewfish residents, do they spend there whole life in the river/harbour, if not where do they go? Why are they all the same size? I have never got an undersized jew in sydney, but heaps in the hawksbury. Does this mean they dont breed in sydney. As i have only ever got them at the top and bottom of the tide, where the hell do they go for the rest of the time. last night i lost a jew after he spat the bait! When using a bait runner on jews should you put it gear or not? the question is should you be more concerned with the fish feeling resistance when he pics up the bait. Or does leaving it in gear, better gaurentee driving the hooks home. what are your thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano1 Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 i have got my fair share of jews over the last 12mths in sydney harbour. i was wondering a couple of things and interested in your opinion. Are sydney jewfish residents, do they spend there whole life in the river/harbour, if not where do they go? Why are they all the same size? I have never got an undersized jew in sydney, but heaps in the hawksbury. Does this mean they dont breed in sydney. As i have only ever got them at the top and bottom of the tide, where the hell do they go for the rest of the time. last night i lost a jew after he spat the bait! When using a bait runner on jews should you put it gear or not? the question is should you be more concerned with the fish feeling resistance when he pics up the bait. Or does leaving it in gear, better gaurentee driving the hooks home. what are your thoughts My thoughts are ..... That jew fishermen are very secretive!! Dan. (never caught a jew) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 My thoughts are ..... That jew fishermen are very secretive!! Dan. (never caught a jew) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Zee Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 did any1 say jewfi.. SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook'm Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 Yeah ive never seen a jewie question thread posted with any answers to questions lolol!! BUT ....... where did u catch ure jewwies??(exact positions!!) What bait/day or night/....ahhh any other helpful details!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forever Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 good day raiders, as to fishing with the baitrunners,ive lost to many fish with the baitrunner on,so i stopped fishing baitrunner when fishing for those bastard of a fish.the only time i use baitrunner is when ive got a big livie out,only because those big jews will fiirst grab the bait,move a few meters,then they will swallow[from my experience],as for fishing with sqiud and other baits,i have the drag set,usaully the small jews wont muck around,they just smash it.all the jews where caught and landed have had the drags set ready to go,and we have lost heaps in baitrunner mode.we fish pretty much every week for them ,and a few other guys i now out there as well,will only fish this style.cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caine Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 good day raiders, as to fishing with the baitrunners,ive lost to many fish with the baitrunner on,so i stopped fishing baitrunner when fishing for those bastard of a fish.the only time i use baitrunner is when ive got a big livie out,only because those big jews will fiirst grab the bait,move a few meters,then they will swallow[from my experience],as for fishing with sqiud and other baits,i have the drag set,usaully the small jews wont muck around,they just smash it.all the jews where caught and landed have had the drags set ready to go,and we have lost heaps in baitrunner mode.we fish pretty much every week for them ,and a few other guys i now out there as well,will only fish this style.cheers yes that has been my experience also, baitrunner shall be renamed livie runner. i might try using the baitrunner mode but with as tight as it will go drag when bait fishing. that answers question 4. now for my 3 other very interesting questions that wont really help me catch more jew. But are very interesting none the less. -Are sydney jewfish residents, do they spend there whole life in the river/harbour, if not where do they go? -Why are they all the same size? I have never got an undersized jew in sydney, but heaps in the hawksbury. Does this mean they dont breed in sydney. -As i have only ever got them at the top and bottom of the tide, where the hell do they go for the rest of the time Thank you jewfish gods, I am but your humble servant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caine Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 My thoughts are ..... That jew fishermen are very secretive!! Dan. (never caught a jew) did any1 say jewfi.. SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! yes it true, but i understand why. It has taken me many many hours and cold nights just to get my knowlege to where it is now. And I only have 5 big jews landed on my boat (and only 2 of thoses where by me ) So i dont expect any jew fisherman to give away all his secrets, you have to earn your catch! I have enjoyed getting my knowledge to where I am now, There is nothing like going in with a plan learning as much as you can about your pray, and then finally getting that 1st kill. fishing is not just the fight at the end, its the whole process. mmmmmm come to think of it, learning on fish raider is part of the process. you are fishing right now!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I am not fully indoctrinated into jews yet so I can answer some of the questions! When fishing for jews, I always leave my reels in gear. None of this crap about letting them run. IF they like the bait then they will hit it like mike tyson on steroids. If they don't then nothing will get them to take it. Simple as that! As for the residency of sydney jewies, they do tend to be very sedentary and stay in a particular spot. That is why jewie fisherman are very secretative about where they fish. However, jewies interbreed with other jewies around the country otherwise we will get the development of subspecies. As for the size, I catch a LOT of small jewies in the harbour and parra rivers. It all depends on where you fish. The upper reaches will get you smaller fish. ALso the hawkesbury has a larger jewie population. It is a bigger waterway so there are more juveniles in the area. WHere do they go when they aren't feeding? that question was partly answered by the sonic tagging programme in the georges river. Basically they go doggo and sit around doing nothin! They just sit in their holes and caves. When the tide slackens especially around dusk, they come alive and go hunting. WE knew this behaviour from fishing for them but the scientists have put it down on paper. I see jews sitting around ALL the time on my sounder but getting them to bite is something else! But like all jewie fisherman...SHHHHH ! CHeers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen801 Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Zenmans jewie tips, Only ever caught them on a low or high tide in deep water in middle and sydney harbour. Biggest one off the beach was right on high tide. I Dont bother fishing for them any other time. When high or low is on or around dawn or dusk go for it as its prime jewie time. Never got them on a full moon cycle myself as most ones landed ive seen has been the new moon cycle. Other tip i have is i put a variety of baits either live or fresh slab down to the bottom. I also think that this time of the years is best although my biggest jewie was taken last year in October. It took a salmon slab one hour past dusk dead bang on high tide. It was lurking in a nice gutter. For anyone who knows me from fishraider i can PM ya with my favourite spot in Middle Harbour. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numbnuts Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 They come into the harbour in late Spring/early Summer and hang around in suitable areas where they spawn.When you catch them you end up with milt everywhere if you are not careful.When they are in this frame of mind they are too easy to catch, that is one reason why Jewie fishermen are so secretive.In the harbour the fish are generally around the 3 to 10 kg range, although I have seen a few over 30kg.I always fish in free-spool with ratchet on, the take will usually be a long steady run, don't panic, just put the reel in gear and wait for the rod to buckle into a steep curve before striking.Then enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemmm Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Not sure if this is true but I have been told that Jews will frequently strip a livie of their scales before taking them. I have pulled poddies back up that have been taken for a run that are clean of scales. This would mean baitrunner open allows them to have a second go with no weight. Problem is that occys do something similar, they suck on a bait and then move. you can bring a big octopus all the way to the top, have him/her spit the bait and end up with a live mullet with no scales. Not that an occy swimming is counted as a run. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OWZAT Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 G`day Fellas , Matt Taylor , a member on This site would be the most qualified to answer this question , so Let`s hope he reads it and sets the record straight . I believe that large schools of jewfish migrate up river to spawn , and the young fish , after hanging around long enough to "beef up" a bit , head back out to the deeper waters and reefs etc , etc , and do what they do. But just like Tailor , there are always a heap that Remain in the system as Residents , which is why you can catch them all year round . Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtail Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Al McGlashan wrote a good story on Harbour jew last year that will answer some of your questions. Kelvin's nailed it: they hunt actively at slack water, are sedentary and hold out of the current at other times. Word from the diving community is they ALWAYS hold on the shady side of structure, never on the sunny side,very tight to the structure. I suspect that like Spanish Macks Jew pupils are fixed and they can't comfortably handle light. They can be caught at these times (daytime) but you'll need to drop your bait within a metre or two of the fish. My tip: locate shipwrecks/current deflecting ledges in deep water & strong current. A top shelf sounder is your best friend. They have huge swim bladders for body size and are very sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure. An approaching storm front combined with a tide change really seems to bring em on the chew, a bit of dirty water even better just like Macks...hmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Priceless info there mate!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caine Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) thanks all i might add an interesting observation i have made. A 10 kilo jews heart is about the same size as a 40cm bonito, This I expect ! explains why a jew can only manage a couple of good runs before he gives up. But a bonito is still thumping when he hits the deck. After noticing how small a jew fishs heart is.... When i want to slyly sledge someone at work, i now tell them "You have the heart of a mighty jewfish" and they think i just paid them a complement Edited April 9, 2007 by CaineS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrykrocker Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I'm no expert but regarding whether to let them run or not i'm with kelvin. They have large mouths and would just inhale most baits in one quick gulp. unless using a really big livie that one may have trouble getting down I really don't see the point of letting them run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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