Catching Livies In Middle Harbour

[bjneville]

Hi all,

First post!

I've moved this year and have been fishing middle harbour for about 9 months. Doing ok on the flats and around the drop offs (like Clontarf) for flatties, but I'd like to get into live baiting for some of the bigger hoodlums out there.

Trouble is, I don't know where to start.

Can anyone suggest a couple of good spots to chase up yakkas, squid etc.? I know how to pin squid if I can find them, but I've never gone after yakkas before - any tips there very much appreciated.

Thanks all!

Qwyjibo

[andrew399]

Hey, welcome to fishraider!! You can try for yakka's and squid around the rocky 'island' at blamoral, also yakka's around the baths... you mentioned you fish clontarf a bit, there are usually a few yakkas around the pool if you berley them up... good luck!

[bjneville]

Hey, welcome to fishraider!! You can try for yakka's and squid around the rocky 'island' at blamoral, also yakka's around the baths... you mentioned you fish clontarf a bit, there are usually a few yakkas around the pool if you berley them up... good luck!

Thanks Dicko.

Is bread a suitable berley for Yakkas?

[Davy]

Thanks Dicko.

Is bread a suitable berley for Yakkas?

Definitley. add a touch of tuna oil also.

Try using the search button on the site. 'live yakkas' or something, it shud help u out as there have been plenty of posts on live baiting.

with squid u can use a snelled rig one hook through the top and one just piercing the flesh above the head.

Cheers

[bjneville]

Definitley. add a touch of tuna oil also.

Try using the search button on the site. 'live yakkas' or something, it shud help u out as there have been plenty of posts on live baiting.

with squid u can use a snelled rig one hook through the top and one just piercing the flesh above the head.

Cheers

Thanks Davy. I'll try that.

[Thunder]

Bread crumbs with tuna oil is great for yakkas.

Use one of those Japanese bait jigs (available from Fishfinder Tony or Watto's - forum sponsors) and dump balls of the berley next to your bait jig. If the hooks are in the burley you will catch them easily.

If you do a search on yakkas or squid rigs you will find pictures as this topic has been covered many times and the squid pictures are very good to show you how to pin them.

Cheers

Greg

[henryinnis]

CAT FOOD IS BEST BURLEY!

We use match head sized prawns on a 12/0 sized hook.....

we can usually pick up 20 in an hour

[abiasin]

i use bread crumbs bought in bags from woolies or franklins and find it works a treat.

[Thunder]

The last time we were out there were hundreds of yakkas swimming around and they wouldn't bite.

We threw out pellet burley, cat biscuits and bread crumbs and nothing worked.

I put some tuna oil in a bucket with some water and mixed in the bread crumbs.

Each time I threw over a golf ball size lump of burley the yakkas went into a frenzy and we were pulling them up 3 at a time.

As soon as the burley had disappeared, so did the yakkas.

The bags of bread crumbs are a bit over a dollar for a bag at Woolies or Franklins and well worth it. Bags of pelletised burley are around $10 a bag and don't work as well.

Cheers

Greg

[amkulic]

Another question on the topic......

I was at Clifton Gardens last week and burlied up with bread and the yakkas came no problems, but I put my bait jig in the bury where they were gonig off and I only got 2 in the hour.

Am I doing somethng wrong....as the people next to me where catching dozens with a small hook and sinker and some bait.

Any advice?

[arif]

Hi all

I come from a culture where yellowtail are prized table fish (don't ask i have no idea why) so they are often specifically targeted.

I have found very lean mince mixed with some bread crumbs soaked in tuna oil is an excellent bait for them if you can get the mix right you just need to grab a large handful in your hand pull the hook through it and just use what ever is stuck on the hook when it comes through without touching it, we have found that this outfishes the rigs.

Arif

[Flightmanager]

We use cat food (tinned) and Hyabusa rigs with a TINY piece of squid on each hook. Let the cat food start to break up , then when the school starts its feeding frenzy , lower (dont drop) the rig into the burley. Easy to get upwards of 20 - 30 yakkas in under an hour !

Ross

[roosterman]

Hi all

I come from a culture where yellowtail are prized table fish (don't ask i have no idea why) so they are often specifically targeted.

I have found very lean mince mixed with some bread crumbs soaked in tuna oil is an excellent bait for them if you can get the mix right you just need to grab a large handful in your hand pull the hook through it and just use what ever is stuck on the hook when it comes through without touching it, we have found that this outfishes the rigs.

Arif

i have to agree with arif, mince with breadcrumbs and even a little flour to help it hold together and drag a size 10 or 12 hook through it and the yakkas go nuts for it.. i picked this up as a kid about 25years ago watching some old europeans filling there buckets with yakkas while i was getting the odd one here and there....

ive never put tuna oil in though but would only make it better i suppose..

cheers..... steve...........

Edited June 27, 2007 by roosterman

[bjneville]

Some good ideas coming out there fellas. I'm learning heaps. Now I just need to try it out.

Has anyone caught yakkas higher up middle harbour - like in Long bay or Bantry bay?

Do they hang around any particular structure?

Last question Do they show up on your sounder at all?

[Robbielites]

Some good ideas coming out there fellas. I'm learning heaps. Now I just need to try it out.

Has anyone caught yakkas higher up middle harbour - like in Long bay or Bantry bay?

Do they hang around any particular structure?

Last question Do they show up on your sounder at all?

Hi Mate.

You can get them at Figtree point long bay, just along the wall past the last jetty.

They show up on my sounder like noise or interference because there are so many of the little buggers all over the place.

Cheers.

Robbie.

[bjneville]

Much appreciated Robbie!

[Jimmy C]

In case they are in a picky mood, keep some really small hooks on you and only use the smallest thin slither of bait (like peeled prawn/pilchard or yakka itself) on the hook, in a fine berley trail.

Its only a small bait but they will have no trouble finding it and when they do you will increase your chances of a hook-up.

I actually use fly hooks that are only as big as the "J" on your keyboard. Because they are so small the yakka has to mouth it near the barb and then presto they either hook themselves or you can jag them.

I use this method as just get frustrated with bigger baits - they are good at nudging them off the hook.

Hope you get plenty....

Jimmy

[sparkles]

Hi all

I come from a culture where yellowtail are prized table fish (don't ask i have no idea why) so they are often specifically targeted.

I have found very lean mince mixed with some bread crumbs soaked in tuna oil is an excellent bait for them if you can get the mix right you just need to grab a large handful in your hand pull the hook through it and just use what ever is stuck on the hook when it comes through without touching it, we have found that this outfishes the rigs.

Arif

Arif,

I agree whole heartedly. Fishing with mince is the go for yakka's. And as ross said lower your baits in rather than cast them. keep pressure on the line as the small hook can be spat easily. If you can see them hit the bait you are laughing.

But do not go and bye "mints" instead of mince meat, as my country cousin once did, after i sent him to get bait.

he has spent the last 10 years trying to land a fish on XXXbreath mints. funny stuff happens when you fish.

[KingsRule]

But do not go and bye "mints" instead of mince meat, as my country cousin once did, after i sent him to get bait.

he has spent the last 10 years trying to land a fish on XXXbreath mints. funny stuff happens when you fish.

I have never had much luck with yakkas on bait jigs apart when fishing deeper water offshore.

Small splitshot size 00 , size 12 mustad luderick hook is my usual setup on a light handline.

Yakkas can and will turn up just about everywhere in the harbour , just gotta burly them up.

[Thunder]

Arif,

I agree whole heartedly. Fishing with mince is the go for yakka's. And as ross said lower your baits in rather than cast them. keep pressure on the line as the small hook can be spat easily. If you can see them hit the bait you are laughing.

But do not go and bye "mints" instead of mince meat, as my country cousin once did, after i sent him to get bait.

he has spent the last 10 years trying to land a fish on XXXbreath mints. funny stuff happens when you fish.

You should have posted this in the "Bloopers" thread

Cheers

Greg

[abiasin]

i recall late april the yakkas at balmoral were ultra tiny and would berley up well but no hook imaginable would have been suitable a mate an i managed 2 in an hour which we believe be hanging onto the bait not actually hooked. they were small enough to fit through average net holes.