The Correct Way To Hook Up A Jewfish

[jewgaffer]

If you have ever been hanging around a waterway thinking you are fishing for jewfish and have not been able to catch one, this information could be all it takes to to get you right into actually catching jew.

For starters you will get your jew results in the right places provided that you always get every single bait presentation perfectly right. Take your time to do it , expose all hook barbs fully, use tandem hooks and it's a great idea to have a set of trebbles hooks as well for a better hook up rate.

Owner trebble hooks can be the lowest part of your rig and you can have the trebbles just trailing away freely alongside or just behind your bait.

Jew are extemely independent in finding and cornering there own food supply. They eat like horses and are very fussy, lazy and self supporting feeders .You must use fresh Hawkesbury squid coz the local jew are aweful fussy about out of area squid and old squid from your own tightwad fridge supply are only a good shark and ray bait in the Hawkesbury with only an occasional 1 in 10 jew take happening in frenzy time on out of area fresh calamari. So the odds as you can see are well down in the 1st place.

For all jew fishing on dead baits and small livies use tight 3/4 line strength drag. Always have an untouched rod in a solid rod holder do the hook up work without any chance of going too early and the resultant hook up failure by interfering with it in your own excitement or by the urgings of your "expert" mate.

Jew really do like a good tug o' war game and they hook themselves, never strike hard at a jew , never strike at all. Again just let your rod do the work. A good rod is designed for flick back memory recall against the force of the bend!

Just watch your rod tips for bites from other fish so that you will always know the status of the bait on each rod. Refer to your rods in numerical order and if they have been sitting untouched for too long retrieve them a few metres and jig them up and down quite a few times so that the bait lies in a new position and there's a a good disturbance to the bottom as the heavy snapper rig is dragged thru it and puffs up the sand.

Do not touch a biting rod until you see the full solid bend then simply take up any line slack and lift against your fish slowly and solidly. Do not strike hard at any stage . Do not use circle hooks whatever you do . Do not believe believe whatever you've been told - Circle hooks are not the least bit suitable for jew as jew have a hollow cavity mouth.

On very large livies trim the tail fin at the top side to prevent the bait swimming up to find their own safety zone - Bait fish are not all that stupid in jew territory and nor should you be by not crippling your livies.

Use loose drag on only large livies and just enough to make them struggle in panic trying to swim against the weight of a very heavy snapper sinker, no matter where you're fishing for jew.

When a live bait is a larger variety, say over seven or eight inches long, to be determined in your own mind as you bait up.

With very large bait fish a jew will grab the bait from below, underneath the dorsal hook and if you strike early jew will spit the livie out real fast but if you do nothing at all, maybe just watching your rod bends with your mouth open would do the hook up more good than harm and the jew will run off with a live baitfish completely regardless of the weight he has to drag along.

Jew are a snatch and grab specialists and as I said they love pulling things free and this is an absolute fact with small occies wrapping themselves tight around rocks when attacked by jew and that is just one example of jew tug o' war for starters.

Allow them to stop and turn the bigger livies around and count to ten as they run off away from the other jew to inhale the live bait away from all competitors.

Only during that run off after the pause to turn the livie around and inhale it should you lift your rod up and drive your hooks in and then oh boy, hang on to your hat , you've done it all right and you're back in business again.

That's all for now folks! and I hopes this helps you all.

cheers

jewgaffer

[Jewhunter]

Some great info there Jewgaffer.

Are you referring to boat or landbased fishing?

I know that I do things a little different from the shore. Especially for big fish.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Mondo Rock]

I love it - what awesome advice for the novice Hawkesbury jew fisho (i.e. me).

Shame about the need for Gould's squid though - I have a freezer full of freshly frozen Maroubra calamari that I was hoping to use. Guess I'll just have to keep trying for a jew off Maroubra eh?

Thanks again JewGaffer. You're a most generous and consistant source of interesting fishing info!!

[sanger]

Kingies have been my poison this year but these damn jew's that i keep hearing about are starting to get my attention!!!!! Loving all the words of wisdom you are passing on to us simple folk jew gaffer!!! Keep it up and i reackon there is a few of us that might owe you a or 5!!!!

[Jewhunter]

Or a slab!

Info like Jewgaffer provides is very hard to came by.

I hope you are all taking notes!

Cheers,

Grant.

[CR@ZY OS@M@]

that is some really good info to share with all the fellow fish raiders,top stuff mate,look forward to reading some time down the track with someone following all your advice and actually landing their first jew.

[arpie]

Woohoo!! Can't wait to hook up to one of the silvery monsters, hopefully with Jewgaffer by my side!!! Had previously thought my only chance would be off a beach somewhere, as I'd been busted off the breakwalls here a few times already! (Not that I could lift the big ones, even if I tried!) I take a gaff in the hope that someone else will be there to help me!!!

I know ...... not entirely fair, but hey!! I am only 5ft 3'' & have arthritis!

See ya there,

Roberta

[jewgaffer]

Some great info there Jewgaffer.

Are you referring to boat or landbased fishing?

I know that I do things a little different from the shore. Especially for big fish.

Cheers,

Grant.

Hi Grant I am referring to boat fishing with solid s/s rod holders and ignoring all bites, shakes and bends and just letting the rods do their own thing.

Whenever I beach fish I use a loose drag all the time feeding more line out into the wave pull or the current as required. When I fish off the rocks I prefer the tight drag if I'm not using big livies, balloons or big water floats.

Have you had much of a chance to have a good crack at the jew in the Tweed yet, Grant?.

Jimmy tells me he has been stopping in at the right times near Balllina Headlands and getting a few good jew which he told me the other night have been around the 15kilo mark at the south wall entrance to the Richmond on his way home from town.

It looks like you have very big southerly winds up there today, ay?.

Down here we are expecting another cold front upon this present cold front and bigger than ever south easterly winds are forecast from tomorrow so off go the fish again.

It's been a never ending quick swing back to the south this winter and the coastal currents have been cold south , south and more south.

When it tries to correct itself we are getting bombarded with a change to the westerly direction first even via a short burst of north and this of course only means cold surface air from the western slopes and ranges are added to the big freeze we already have and then only more cold air gets pushed in to the rivers.

It's been not much of a fishing winter down here this year and Grant you are'nt missing much old mate and living up on the tweed is ten times as good anyway.

From reports though it seems mainly hardier blackfish and trevally are doing very well at the moment, with an improvement in the flathead catches as the day settles to calm for a short burst.

The first signs of smaller salmon are just starting to appear around all three heads, you know where I mean.

I don't know whether the big late winter school jew are going to come in this late but we have had a fair amount of rain lately, so Narrabeen lake for example is probably still pretty dirty and I wouldn't mind taking a drive up to the mouth of Narrabeen where you caught those monster jew on soft plastics that you sent me the photos of.

I reckon jew would love the brown water and would be pretty active paricularly during rain in the night up at the mouth of Narrabeen after big rains and that's for sure.

Speak to you later, mate.

Cheers

Jewgaffer

[Bigfoot]

Always willing to give away what takes so long to Earn.

Thanks for the Education Jewgaffer.

Shame about the need for Gould's squid though - I have a freezer full of freshly frozen Maroubra calamari that I was hoping to use. Guess I'll just have to keep trying for a jew off Maroubra eh?

See you our there Mondo,

You're not the only one Trying Land a Good Jew at the 'Bra.

Bigfoot

Edited August 21, 2007 by Bigfoot

[Jewhunter]

Jewgaffer we are getting absolutely smashed by the weather up here atm. The front yard is almost under water.

I've been too busy with work to get out much lately. I've heard the reports from Ballina. There have been some nice fish coming off the south wall.

The mouth at Narrabeen would be well worth a spin on the runout tide. I've spun some nice Jew there in August after rains ( a bit smaller than the ones in the pics I sent you). I'm planning to spin the end of the north wall at the Tweed bar as soon as the winds & seas back off a bit. I've got a good feeling about it. I'll give Jay a call & see if he can make it.

As for hooking jews from a boat I couldn't agree more. Absolutely the way to go.

Cheers,

Grant.

[nargse1]

thanks for the advice and education. will take it all in

[leaky181]

Hi Jewgaffer,

Thank you for all you advice, pointers, ideas and knowledge.

it is so great to see people freely give away what they have learnt over time

so others can have a chance at catching all type of

As always your posts are informative and helpful and always make me look at what

and how we do things and how we can add your tips into our routine to catch the P.B every time.

Thank you again

Cheers

[Bigfoot]

top advice jew gaffer . as for mondo and big foot , im from down the bra n iv have always considered goin for a jew off maroubra but no one has reccomended it or i havnt heared any reports . hav use ever got any ?

There are Jew There.

I will say no more.

Bigfoot

[Frantic]

I know with good jewies off the rocks your pretty much on full drag right from the get go as most

of them are hitting your dead bait at speed and you dont really have time to strike.They got big mouths

so most baits are gulped down pretty easy,and its funny how they rarely seem to head into open water

they just want to bury you in rocks that you are standing on .

craig

[jewgaffer]

I know with good jewies off the rocks your pretty much on full drag right from the get go as most

of them are hitting your dead bait at speed and you dont really have time to strike.They got big mouths

so most baits are gulped down pretty easy,and its funny how they rarely seem to head into open water

they just want to bury you in rocks that you are standing on .

craig

Hi Frantic,

Craig Well said. I agree because I believe there is always a good case of where and a when for varying drag pressure and especailly with jew to use a good 3/4 of line rating in drag for an eyeballing hook set to prevent the usual no brainer of getting buried in rough ground or as you say in the same rocks you are standing on.

cheers Craig

jewgaffer

[Webby]

Hi Grant I am referring to boat fishing with solid s/s rod holders and ignoring all bites, shakes and bends and just letting the rods do their own thing.

Whenever I beach fish I use a loose drag all the time feeding more line out into the wave pull or the current as required. When I fish off the rocks I prefer the tight drag if I'm not using big livies, balloons or big water floats.

Have you had much of a chance to have a good crack at the jew in the Tweed yet, Grant?.

Jimmy tells me he has been stopping in at the right times near Balllina Headlands and getting a few good jew which he told me the other night have been around the 15kilo mark at the south wall entrance to the Richmond on his way home from town.

It looks like you have very big southerly winds up there today, ay?.

Down here we are expecting another cold front upon this present cold front and bigger than ever south easterly winds are forecast from tomorrow so off go the fish again.

It's been a never ending quick swing back to the south this winter and the coastal currents have been cold south , south and more south.

When it tries to correct itself we are getting bombarded with a change to the westerly direction first even via a short burst of north and this of course only means cold surface air from the western slopes and ranges are added to the big freeze we already have and then only more cold air gets pushed in to the rivers.

It's been not much of a fishing winter down here this year and Grant you are'nt missing much old mate and living up on the tweed is ten times as good anyway.

From reports though it seems mainly hardier blackfish and trevally are doing very well at the moment, with an improvement in the flathead catches as the day settles to calm for a short burst.

The first signs of smaller salmon are just starting to appear around all three heads, you know where I mean.

I don't know whether the big late winter school jew are going to come in this late but we have had a fair amount of rain lately, so Narrabeen lake for example is probably still pretty dirty and I wouldn't mind taking a drive up to the mouth of Narrabeen where you caught those monster jew on soft plastics that you sent me the photos of.

I reckon jew would love the brown water and would be pretty active paricularly during rain in the night up at the mouth of Narrabeen after big rains and that's for sure.

Speak to you later, mate.

Cheers

Jewgaffer

Hi Jewgaffer

I tried your tips last night - tight drag and not touching the rod until well after the strike. I was off the beach, burleyed up well. Didn't get any Jewies but hooked up a couple of fairly big sharks via this method. Only had pillies on gangs though & not live bait

Next time!!

Here in Newcastle it will be an excellent few nights for Jew - heaps of squid & full moon are always good signs.

I was wondering do you have any comments about tides? Many who target Jews tell me to target the top of the high tide?

[jewgaffer]

Hi Jewgaffer

I tried your tips last night - tight drag and not touching the rod until well after the strike. I was off the beach, burleyed up well. Didn't get any Jewies but hooked up a couple of fairly big sharks via this method. Only had pillies on gangs though & not live bait

Next time!!

Here in Newcastle it will be an excellent few nights for Jew - heaps of squid & full moon are always good signs.

I was wondering do you have any comments about tides? Many who target Jews tell me to target the top of the high tide?

Hi Webby.

Jew which I call "Marauding Jew" coming in from outside, yes the couple of hours or so before and after the top of the tide for best results for jew ambushing bait fish in coastal areas.

But in the Hawkesbury, a rare one that's colonized by it's deep sea nature, any old tide but for me it is well noted and I can try to pick the eyes out of it and make sure I stay on for marauders that come in to the Hawkesbury as well.

I prefer the 3/4 line rating drag as I have outgrown the no brainer of having jew spit out the bait.

Hope this helps Webby and pm if you like as I'm starting to get a bit on the tide (tired side today.

Regards

jewgaffer