Weird/strange Or Not?

[breamhunter]

hi guys just wanted to run something past you, i fish landbased at bobbin head/apple tree and berowra waters. Now over time i maybe see once or twice people using surf rods in this area , and i thought they were crazy at first until a few days ago this man was fishing from bobbin head wharf with a 12ft+ rod and he was casting out yakkas a fair distance compared to what i could do with my 8ft, and he managed to catch a decent 70cm jewfish, biggest fish "ive' seen caught from land at bobbin head, just wondering is getting this extra distance with a surf rod give me a better chance? he caught it on his 2nd cast as well

[BTK]

hey mate

i cant answer if it helps you catch fish or not, but i know where ever i go land based fishing i always take my beach rod just because im attached to it lol, get some wierd looks sometimes but its my fav set up and most comfortable to fish with.

Cheers

Cory

[slinkymalinky]

G'day breamhunter,

A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that to catch good fish you need to cast out wide. Often, the biggest and best fish can be right by your feet. Bream at high tide will often push right up into the shallows to feed, big predators will cruise a beach gutter in close to the sand, etc.

There are lots of reasons you might choose to use a long rod but casting distance is the one of interest here. From that location, there might be a good deep hole or drop off that can only be reached with a longer cast. Wherever you fish you need to try to think where the good fish are likely to be... Is there structure somewhere, food sources, etc? Then use gear that will get you fishing in the right spot.

It's no good fishing at your feet if the fish are out wide but it's also no use fishing out wide if the fish are at your feet.

Cheers, Slinky

[jewgaffer]

......... i fish landbased at bobbin head/apple tree and berowra waters........

.......this man was fishing from bobbin head wharf with a 12ft+ rod and he was casting out yakkas a fair distance compared to what i could do with my 8ft.......

.........he managed to catch a decent 70cm jewfish, biggest fish "ive' seen caught from land at bobbin head, just wondering is getting this extra distance with a surf rod give me a better chance?

Hi breamhunter

Using a 12' plus beach rod off a wharf and casting a live yellowtail up in the air tells the story in a glance of a jewfisherman fishing where he needs to get variable casting distance and have the leverage advantage required to hold a fish off structure provided of course that he has enough room to work a rod of that size..........

Being a beach rod, the strength in the rod and the leverage in the length speaks for this chap's previous experience and his hopes and aspirations........ He has matched the rod with the size of the fish he expects to catch and it is quite possible that he has knowledge of where he needs to cast to give himself the best casting variation without compromising on tackle size so that he can control the run of the big mulloway that he is hoping for and expecting to land...........

.........The advantages of using a strong beach rod are having enough strength in a rod to tire the fish and being able to get the leverage benefit so that the fish can be held out of structure.......

If you you live close Bobbin Head Rd, it's a spot well worth fishing in general. Good flathead move up there after the baitfish and big jewfish have been pulled out of Bobbin Head at night in the warmest of summers when the tailor run.........

Cheers

jewgaffer

[breamhunter]

thanx guys for the info, i was thinking of purchasing a cheap $30 beach rod so i could start out on some beach fishing but might try my luck down at bobbo with a yakka and see how i go, can anyone tell me how i should hook a livie and which size hook i should be using or tell me the whole rig as im new to fishing with live bait apart from using some poddys for flattys, also what would be the best conditions to go down there?, thanx

[jewgaffer]

thanx guys for the info, i was thinking of purchasing a cheap $30 beach rod so i could start out on some beach fishing but might try my luck down at bobbo with a yakka and see how i go, can anyone tell me how i should hook a livie and which size hook i should be using or tell me the whole rig as im new to fishing with live bait apart from using some poddys for flattys, also what would be the best conditions to go down there?, thanx

Hi Bream Hunter

I use 40lb mono on Alveys and 80lb braid and 65lb leader on spinning reels and use two short shank 8/0 live bait hooks rigged about 6-8 inches apart for larger baits and 3 or 4 inches apart for average size baits whether they be dead or alive and I rig finer, strong 5/0 hooks closer together for smaller live baits... I do not use an adjustable top hook.........

Why I use two hooks is because the neck hook shank and the stand up line can be pulled down onto the body of the bait to provide a free path for a head taker.... that can be done by pulling down on the leader in between the 2 hooks before pinning the bait with the tail area hook....

If the leader distance in between the hooks is a llittle short for the bait it doesn't matter that much... if it is too long it can be threaded into and wrapped around a fillet or threaded thru a butterflied bait at each side........ I also cut one fillet off a butterfied bait andd pin it around the opposite way so that the flesh and blood are showing below the head on both sides of the fish bait........

......I am a believer in neck or dorsal hook positioning on dead or live baits and having the hook facing the tail of the bait with the tail area barb turned around to face the neck barb so as to hook up a fish that attacks the gut area or anywhere near the centre of the fish.....if a fish pulls at the bait and let's go for instance such as can happen if you strike too early, having a hook barb at either end and facing one another, will increase your chances of hooking up two fold.

Good nights to go out are nights when everyone has the urge to go out of the house for a stroll or something especially during week nights which are a good quiet nights to go down for a fish at Bobbin Head wharf particularly as the tide comes up and brings bait fish with it and then starts to run back out again where predators like jewfish are waiting for the bait to come out with the tide.

Hope this helps

Cheers

jewgaffer

[Jewhunter]

hi guys just wanted to run something past you, i fish landbased at bobbin head/apple tree and berowra waters. Now over time i maybe see once or twice people using surf rods in this area , and i thought they were crazy at first until a few days ago this man was fishing from bobbin head wharf with a 12ft+ rod and he was casting out yakkas a fair distance compared to what i could do with my 8ft, and he managed to catch a decent 70cm jewfish, biggest fish "ive' seen caught from land at bobbin head, just wondering is getting this extra distance with a surf rod give me a better chance? he caught it on his 2nd cast as well

Arse beats class on this occasion I reckon.

There is no need for a rod that big in that general area. 8-10ft would be max I reckon. I could cast better & for longer with a shorter outfit from that spot. It's not like he has to clear a shorebreak or weed beds there.

Slinkys' spot on. You are more chance of nailing a jew by swimming a livie in against the dropoff than in the middle of a channel most of the time.

Cheers,

Grant.

[breamhunter]

Arse beats class on this occasion I reckon.

There is no need for a rod that big in that general area. 8-10ft would be max I reckon. I could cast better & for longer with a shorter outfit from that spot. It's not like he has to clear a shorebreak or weed beds there.

Slinkys' spot on. You are more chance of nailing a jew by swimming a livie in against the dropoff than in the middle of a channel most of the time.

Cheers

Grant.

Thanx Jewhunter, im getting swept up in the excitement of catching a jew down there even though its small compared to what others are catching ive only caught flattys around the 70cm mark and rest have been 40cm bream, etc. So seeing that guy catch one near me , got the thoughts running through my head, i have no clue where these "drop offs" are if im fishing from near the wharf where about should i be casting? just straight out into the middle?, sorry for the questions as this is the only landbased spot i can access during this month and all the talk of jewfish is making me crazy

thanks

Breamhunter

[Jewhunter]

I'd put one rod wide & one in close.

You can get a feel for the depth of the area by throwing a few big, heavy plastics around. You're sure to find a rise or dropoff after few casts & might even nail a good fish or two.

In general fish are around an area with structure, like a wharf, because of the structure. A wharf attracts baitfish which attracts predators so why wouldn't you fish closer to the wharf?

Just my thought anyway.

Cheers,

Grant.

[breamhunter]

hmm yeh ive been a bit hesistant ever since they built the new "floating" type wharf before i could land 30-38cm bream which would be hiding under there now i have no idea what to do, or if they are still under there as its hard to get the bait down under, also yeh i know its meant to be for "boats" as many people keep telling me everytime i complain about it