Baits For Jewfish.

[Shark Bait]

Hi all.

In the past, I've rigged yellow tail & squid for jew on 5/0 to 8/0 sliding snell rigs 40 to 60 pound leader. I'd hook the yellow tail through the top of the mouth & out the nose with the sliding hook, & shallow in & out the side with the end hook. With the squid I'd hook them through the top of the tube with 1 hook, through the head with the other. Yellow tail were live, squid were dead. For years I didn't catch any Jewfish.

Since cristmas, I've been using squid strips (fresh, frozen or huge calamari tubes from the squid shop) on 2/0 circle hook sliding snell rigs on 20 pound leader, & I've caught between 1 & 7 school jew between 350 & 950mm long every outing in 5 outings.

Although I haven't had any success with live baits, I'd like to give them a try again. How do you people rig your live baits for Jew & how do plastics go on paternoster set ups. How do dead fresh squid go whole. I don't have a bait tank, so I put them on ice in a bag. I fish out of a half cab & I don't have an electric, so I fish for Jew at anchor.

Rick.

Edited July 4, 2007 by Shark Bait

[Guest Reely]

Thru the nose is fine, thru the back on bigger baits is better, big fresh baits will attract the bigger fish.

All the best.

K.

[jewgaffer]

Hi all.

In the past, I've rigged yellow tail & squid for jew on 5/0 to 8/0 sliding snell rigs 40 to 60 pound leader. I'd hook the yellow tail through the top of the mouth & out the nose with the sliding hook, & shallow in & out the side with the end hook. With the squid I'd hook them through the top of the tube with 1 hook, through the head with the other. Yellow tail were live, squid were dead. For years I didn't catch any Jewfish.

Since cristmas, I've been using squid strips (fresh, frozen or huge calamari tubes from the squid shop) on 2/0 circle hook sliding snell rigs on 20 pound leader, & I've caught between 1 & 7 school jew between 350 & 950mm long every outing in 5 outings.

Although I haven't had any success with live baits, I'd like to give them a try again. How do you people rig your live baits for Jew & how do plastics go on paternoster set ups. How do dead fresh squid go whole. I don't have a bait tank, so I put them on ice in a bag. I fish out of a half cab & I don't have an electric, so I fish for Jew at anchor.

Rick.

rick on your livies you seem to have the fish on back the front. the squid rig sounds fine except i myself secure the head to the tube by putting the bottom hook thru the top of the tube and back thru the head to keep the head intact.

if your sliding hook has the barb facing back to your rod the jewie can spit out without hook up.

the head hook simply must face the tail of a livie . i allow the bottom hook to simply float free alongside the livie if i determine it's not going to foul hook him or i secure it with a light elastic band to have him struggle that little bit more.

i also trim the tail fin to stop him swimming to safety on the surface and the bottom one to stop him hiding in cover on the river bed etc . they're not stupid and they don't want to be swallowed whole by their biggest nightmare, a jewfish, and that's for sure.

also you will get more jewie hook ups and more solid ones on the bigger hooks 8-10/0s including soapies.

hope this helps

jewgaffer

fish on

Edited July 4, 2007 by jewgaffer

[catchnrelease]

Pillies.

[inhlanzi]

Hey Sharkbait

Fishing in the Hawkesbury the best Jewie bait is FRESH Hawkesbury squid no doubt. Dead or alive. The double hook rig with the sliding snell is the go to catch the schoolie jews up to 10kg but not for the big fellas!

If you tell me what size Jewies you are fishing for I can give you a pretty good idea on what to use.

I use many different methods with live yakkas.

I think they are great as live bait as they are a very hardy little fish.

I find that different size yakkas suit different kind of rigs.

You can clip the dorsal or pectoral fins and different ways as well. (Depending on current )

You can use single hook and double hook rigs. You can use J hooks, straight hooks, circle hooks and treble hooks. Make sure they are sharp. Sizes from 6/0 to 14/0.

Check that the eye of the hook is well finished and there are no burrs on the end that bends back and touches the shaft. This is especially relevant for the snell rig if you choose to run the leader through the eye of the top hook.

Use good quality leader and learn some good knots.

You can hook them in different ways ( this is dependent on how strong the current is and how many rigs and how far out they are )

Here are some hook combinations and placements

1. Behind the head in the "shoulder"

2. Behind the dorsal fin

3. Top Lip

4. Top Lip next to the eye

5. Under the skin next to the dorsal

6. Bridal rig with elastic band through eye cavity

7. Double hook rigs with the head facing backward ( top hook behind dorsal bottom hook in shoulder )

8. Double hook rigs with the head facing forward ( top hook through top lip bottom hook under skin next to dorsal )

9. Double hook rigs and the second hook not attached to yakka ie free

10. Single trebble behind dorsal

Add to this different ways of attaching sinkers ( different sizes and kinds ) and swivels and you will have many ways to fish a live yakka...

If you don't have a live bait well no worries get a "keep net" and just toss it over the side of the boat on a short rope ( about $15 ) they rust but should last the season.

Many other fish will take a well presented live yakka as well.

The biggest lesson I have learnt is - the simpler the better

hope this helps

cheers

inhlanzi

[Shark Bait]

Thanks guys.

Inhlanzi, for now I'm happy to be catching jews up to 10kg. I've spent 3 years chasing them & I caught my first 1 in January. Took a while to get going, but I've chased them 5 or 6 times since & haven't missed out yet. I've struggled since May, but I still haven't come home empty handed. Beginers luck I guess.

When the schoolies get boaring, I'll chase bigger ones, but for now I'm having a ball.

I do have an aerated bait tank. It doesn't circulate water but it keeps yellowtail alive over night if I change the water often enough. From what I've heard, it won't keep squid cause they need circulating water, so I put them on ice & cut them into squid strips. Not the best way to go about it, but it catches me fish.

The yellowtail rig I've used in the past was a sliding snell rig with the top hook through the top lip & the bottom hook through the skin behind the dorsal. I used 5/0 to 8/0 hooks & 40 lb leader with a running snapper lead on a dropper. I tried for years to catch a jew with this set up & missed out. It wasn't till I fished with squid strips & 2/0 circles on 20 lb leader that I started catching them. Biggest fish I've caught yet was 8 kg, 950 long.

I suppose I'll try the yellowtail rig again on the 40lb leader. How do I bridle them with an elastic band? Would this be a better set up?

Thanks,

Rick.

[inhlanzi]

G'day Shark Bait

Here is the bridal rig yakka with the elastic band.

cheers

inhlanzi

Edited July 5, 2007 by inhlanzi

[Shark Bait]

Thanks Inhlanzi.

[Tony Soprano]

Very good diagram Inhlanzi, did you draw it?

If so, good stuff mate, very detailed.

[inhlanzi]

Hey Tony Soprano

Yes mate I did draw it.

Much easier for me to explain things with drawings than words!!

cheers

inhlanzi