The Bottom At Browns

[jason baker]

G'day guys,

I am planning to start getting out wide to Browns in search of a few tuna.

But I also wanted to have a crack at the bottom bashing out there as it seems a good way to get a few nice fish there as it seems the tuna can be a bit fickle and also and acquired skill.

I was wondering what the cheapest way of getting to the bottom was.

Seems like you need at least 150 lb braid to start, after that? Some sort of snapper winch I can put on the side of the boat?

I know electric reels are the go but the budget will not stretch to that so it is going to have to be the armstrong method for now.

The budget is being seriously blown by a trip to Huey to get set up. Dual batteries, new sounder. Can't wait...

Of course couldn't go for the budget models, so coming home at least 3K lighter but well excited, I'm hoping I'll be able to see the fish fart. Sounders on sale at Huett at the moment.

So tips for a budget method to get down there would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Jas.

Edited August 11, 2009 by peschi boi

[jason baker]

Concrete boots...

[Kiwi]

Tie a short bimini twist on the end of the braid.

join via uni/albright knot 100lb trace 5m then tie on dropper 100-150lb with 2 droppers/hooks or buy pre made rigs. 8/0-10/0 circles or chem gamagatsu with squid, very hard bait not picked off by small fish and small cyalume light sticks, glow beads-damm dark in 300m plus

use a 1m piece of 50lb (breakaway if snagged in rocks) tie on sash weight/1.5kg wieght.

sort out drift back up boat into current to keep line vertical and take out drift.

let line down takes 5-10 min.

when line hits bottom feed out line as needed to keep in bottom feeding zone.

when got hook up spend 20 min winding up. have break/heart attack ciggie

do it all over again

[Penguin]

Tie a short bimini twist on the end of the braid.

join via uni/albright knot 100lb trace 5m then tie on dropper 100-150lb with 2 droppers/hooks or buy pre made rigs. 8/0-10/0 circles or chem gamagatsu with squid, very hard bait not picked off by small fish and small cyalume light sticks, glow beads-damm dark in 300m plus

use a 1m piece of 50lb (breakaway if snagged in rocks) tie on sash weight/1.5kg wieght.

sort out drift back up boat into current to keep line vertical and take out drift.

let line down takes 5-10 min.

when line hits bottom feed out line as needed to keep in bottom feeding zone.

when got hook up spend 20 min winding up. have break/heart attack ciggie

do it all over again

I bring my sash weight back up 15-20mtrs or so off the bottom to avoid snags,

the fish still attack the baits.

cheers

[Robbielites]

I am with penguin stay off the bottom and save your lead

A mate was using a Stella 20000 and a Smiths rod on the weekend with 500g jigs and a wire trace. It was by far the easiest manual retrieve I have seen, expensive but easy

[warnie]

So tips for a budget method to get down there would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Jas.

Jas

We use an outfit (pic attached) which consistently fishes as good or as to even outfish our other methods these been both a deckwinch and electric....

I put this down to the fact that we run 80lb braid on the reel and the lightest sinker achievable in getting your bait down and settling invitingly near the bottom and on that particular day that being a snapper lead get yourself a rod with a bit of a backbone and a reel with a big spool capacity with out it costing you an arm and a leg.........and you will be in buisness...... The way it is at the moment though i doubt you will get through the Gemmies. Good luck....

Cheers Warnie

[jason baker]

Thanks Warnie,

Sounds good. Seems a bit more like fishing than a brick, 200lb line and a large powered winch.

Slightly hard work but as they say that never killed anyone (not quite convinced about that actually).

Now to just just sneak a couple more 'essentials' into the budget, burn a few receipts and find some new hiding spots.

Cheers,

Jas

[prawn*]

alvey reef queen is the best way to keep fit just ahave a couple mates with u and take turns haha 10m winding is fun only when u have a fish on... haha and use 1000m of 100lb braid must have circle hooks to prevent fish droping off and use a few lumo squid inbetween baited hooks to help shed alittle light around,

i use this and have 3kg weight on it via 40lb but never hit the bottom and stay always wind up a few metres.

[tuna1]

Hi mate hope this might help a big alvey is a must I,ve tried game reels and its bloody hard going especially if there is a current or a bit of wind and you have to use really heavy wieghts and hook up on a big blueeye or something big its just to hard so alvey is the go with 150 pound braid and I have attached that to about 20 meters of 300 pound nylon trace and then attach that to the 400 pound tracees that I made up with 10 to 15 o circle hooks and like all fishing use fresh bait.

[Fisherman5]

mate cheapest set up bottom bashing browns we've found - Alvey 825 or 925 , short stubby broom stick of a rod and 500+ metres off braid , Baught the whole set up for $315 last year

fisho5

[dpinta]

I was just wondering if anyone ever fishes with bricks setup on a breakaway system. I was thinking of tying 2 or 3 commons together and then attaching them directly with mono. My theory is thay the sharp edges of the bricks will wear through the mono and they will just fall to the bottom. The only thing I have to figure out is what strength line to tie the sinkers on with to get them down and hold on for 10 or 15 min (enough time to complete a drift) and then snap off.

Does anyone do anything like this? Any thoughts on whether the idea might work by people who fish the mountain would be greatly appretiated

[AndrewNR]

Use housebricks with the holes in them. Have a dropper on your line at say 20lb and tie the brick through the hole. When u make bottom yank it and it should break the bricks off. Make sure your dropper is long for numerous drops so you can re tie and make sure you use braid as mono has too much stretch and the line won't breakat the bricks. I would even use a 15lb dropper. I don't think the bricks hurt the ocean either it probably if anything will make a home for something. Cheers Andrew.

[dpinta]

Use housebricks with the holes in them. Have a dropper on your line at say 20lb and tie the brick through the hole. When u make bottom yank it and it should break the bricks off. Make sure your dropper is long for numerous drops so you can re tie and make sure you use braid as mono has too much stretch and the line won't breakat the bricks. I would even use a 15lb dropper. I don't think the bricks hurt the ocean either it probably if anything will make a home for something. Cheers Andrew.

Have you tried this or is it in theory? I think 20lb would probably wear through on the way down. I would like a line to get me down there and hold on for 10 or so minutes and then snap off so as to hold the bait in the "zone" for a while.