Hoodlums

[injay]

G'day raiders

anyone got any hints on how to catch hoodlums ESPECIALLY when u can see them cruising around and their not taking livies or fresh and live squid?

swear they were all 1 metre in length, couldnt believe me eyes till my mate saw them as well.

today was so damn frustrating, spent the day land based in the harbour

the main target was kings, however we did get nice 3kg snapper (couldnt believe it didnt have a hump).

The kings just wouldnt take our bait! we got follow ups, we got them up when we burleyed, even spun an unweighted squid head straight through em (just turned and looked)

Like WAT DA!

any help/ideas from fellow raiders would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers Jin

[The Poacher]

Hi,

I am trying to find kings like that- (anyone got any tips??) I can't get anything bigger than 80cm. If I did fidn them- I would be trying a large live bait, squid or pike, with a popper to stir them up.

Poacher

[Yeeros]

G'day raiders

anyone got any hints on how to catch hoodlums ESPECIALLY when u can see them cruising around and their not taking livies or fresh and live squid?

swear they were all 1 metre in length, couldnt believe me eyes till my mate saw them as well.

today was so damn frustrating, spent the day land based in the harbour

the main target was kings, however we did get nice 3kg snapper (couldnt believe it didnt have a hump).

The kings just wouldnt take our bait! we got follow ups, we got them up when we burleyed, even spun an unweighted squid head straight through em (just turned and looked)

Like WAT DA!

any help/ideas from fellow raiders would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers Jin

Hey Injay how you doing.

Mate all i can say is that sometimes they will do that. The only thing that i have found to work on something like that is a whole super fresh unweighted squid with two big 9/0 hooks in it. Or a yakka live spun in front of em. But other than that sometimes they arn't in the mood.

[andrias]

damn where you fishin mate........it must be a unique experience looking at hoodlums swimming around in front of you and trying to catch it. Better luck next time mate, just keep trying and those hodlums will finally succumb to temptation

cheers

[andrew399]

if they are not interested in your baits try throwing some 6-9inch sluggos at them, heaps more fun on lures as well!

[netic]

Mate you just gotta try different baits till you find the right one...i have found a garfish is hard to resist for them....

[Flightmanager]

There are big kingies in the Harbour , we had a 1m model follow up a chopper we had caught , it bumped it on the back , and ripped its fin off ! It was so close , if we had have thought of it at the time , we could have gaffed it!!

I guess ( and thats all it is , is a guess ) they are either on the chew , or they are not. If not , it wouldnt matter what you put in front of them they wouldnt take it.

Ross

[roosterman]

i would be trying all baits i had etc including lures as they might be hugry for something particular..... as other have said.....

from what i know of kings (which is not much ) they can be very inquisitive and curious beast and could be just checking out the bait lure etc ...

[injay]

thanks guys

gona try a bloody lot harder next time thats for sure

[sanger]

thanks guys

gona try a bloody lot harder next time thats for sure

He injay first things first! Where were you??????

Secondly kings will often need to get turned on to feeding mode! I have seen poppers used by a certain pittwater charter operator to get the kings fired up! AS someone else already suggested kings are inquisitive and will often come up and inspect noise etc! Keep trying different things as we have had kings at the boat and dropped yakkas, live squid and sluggos right on there noses all to be rejected but finally have one fall to a squid strip with one of those cheap octopus skirts over the hook ripped up as fast as you can through the school!!!!! But somedays nothing will work!!!! Just mix it up untill you find what works on the day!!!!

[skunga]

The kings have been VERY finicky lately - I have been having big schools chasing my lures and even snapping at them - so much so i've been putting a stinger hook in the tail of my plastics.. but to no avail.

This is the trend with lots of reports of frustrating days - even the fly dudes can only pick up one or two.

I had a few runs on the weekend on squid strips and baby yakkas free spooled.

They will be on thick and fast soon, but unfort we are just going to have to wait it out.

At least there are some BIG schools going around - and a few that are holding 10-15kg fish..

again just going to have to wait it out a little.

tip: sometimes when i rock up to a marker I bash the christ out of my tinnie with a big screwdriver... quite a few times it's woken them up and first placcie to hit the water gets nailed.

[sanger]

tip: sometimes when i rock up to a marker I bash the christ out of my tinnie with a big screwdriver... quite a few times it's woken them up and first placcie to hit the water gets nailed.

Thats a top tip and one that has worked for us in the past. Also whipping your rod tip through the water sometimes works although watch out for tangles!!!!!!

Skunga if you ever need a company for one of your post work arvo missions count me in!!!!!!

Edited November 19, 2007 by fishlexic

[skunga]

Skunga if you ever need a company for one of your post work arvo missions count me in!!!!!!

Anytime if you can put up with small 'tinny' fishing.

Edited November 20, 2007 by skunga

[Bigfoot]

How about dropping a jig past their noses to the bottom and

jigging and ripping it all the way back up.

Has worked for me.

Catch ya

Bigfoot

[skunga]

How about dropping a jig past their noses to the bottom and

jigging and ripping it all the way back up.

Has worked for me.

Catch ya

Bigfoot

really... in the harbour? what size/colour jig mate?

I have tried in the past with no success

Edited November 20, 2007 by skunga

[Bigfoot]

No, Not in the Harbour.

Down the Sth coast in 25m but it really got them going,

found that 200gm white and red was most popular.

I reckon they just liked chasing something that they hadn't seen before,

What do they say?? " Curiosity killed the cat", why not a kingfish.

I don't know much but i am ALWAYS keen to EXPERIMENT,

Try something that you wouldn't normally, What have you got to lose???

You might actually enjoy it AND catch some Better fish.

Good Luck

Catch Ya

Bigfoot

[gretsch]

Skunga is right.. we make a hell of a noise when we turn up somewhere.. bash the anchor around and make a big splash with it...

I was out with a pro last season who used to spray the water with his wash down hose.. he would fan it out around the boat. More often than not, something happened. Also flicking a slugo around when bait fishing is a good way to get some attention.

They are inquisitive fish the Seriolas!!

[Aloosh]

Jin,

hows it going champ ..bad luck about the hoods, ud make the whole of sydney hear ur screams if a hood took ur line lol. Just vary it up as much as u can. Try and have one or two spare rods with poppers or sp's rigged on em on the side ready just incase a hood comes up. As for baits, slimies and gar work really well with the bigger kingies - thats if u cant get ur squid.

In any case, maybe the kingie u saw was the resident ? or was that the snapper u got

Good luck champ.

aloosh

[Thunder]

The more they are caught and released the smarter they get.

They don't grow to be hoodlums if they are dumb and attack the first thing they see.

You have to fish smarter and try different methods.

Cheers

Greg

[andrew399]

Mate you just gotta try different baits till you find the right one...i have found a garfish is hard to resist for them....

How do you rig them Netic? On the surface or same as a yakka down deep? Your talking livies yeah?

[CR@ZY OS@M@]

drop them as livies down to the depths you see them at .