Bait Gathering

[jim77]

With average weather and water temps, and only 000s of bonito and pesky rats being caught in the harbour we deciced to leave the boat at home today and go for a dedicated bait gathering session from the land.

With a trip to jb coming up next week we wanted to try and get some gars with a hope that we can convert them into some XOS kings down there, or whatever else might fancy taking a trolled gar!

Went to a wharf where we knew there had been plenty of gars in the past and started burleying up. It took a while for them to come on in numbers but once they did we were catching them pretty quickly and easily. Good fun sight fishing for them! After a while one of the biggest bream i have ever seen came cruising through the burley trail. It would have been nudging 50cm and was so wide across the back! It disappeared for a couple of minutes then it came back and casually came up and hoovered up my bait. I gently lifted the rod tip and he was hooked. The fight lasted all of about 3 secs. I was using a length of 5 lb line tied straight to the end of an 11ft light rod - just using it as a pole with no reel, to swing the gars in. With no extra line or drag etc it was no match for a fish like that - still a buzz to see and hook it.

I quickly started to rerig and just as i was doing so a big school of Kings came charging through and the gars came showering out of the water as they fled - a great sight to see.

Not surprisingly after that the Gars shut down but we had already caught a pretty good number so we were pleased with our efforts. A fun 90 minute session and a nice change from scratching around looking for Kings.

Just vacuum packed them - now got to wait a week to get em wet and see what they can tempt...

Good luck if you're heading out.

[gobbledock]

Nice haul of bait Jim. Squid hasn't worked so well maybe the gars will make the difference

[jim77]

Jeremy - I reckon when they are live they are on a par with squid ... And a few people i know swear by them when trolled dead, so hopefully we can convert a few of them into decent fish!

[prawn*]

Jeremy - I reckon when they are live they are on a par with squid ... And a few people i know swear by them when trolled dead, so hopefully we can convert a few of them into decent fish!

well done on the garfish jim certainly got some qaulity bait there!

i got my mate his first king on live garfish i caught one whilest gathering yakkas and lasted about 5minutes before we got our first king yakkas didnt get touched!

[bangus]

With average weather and water temps, and only 000s of bonito and pesky rats being caught in the harbour we deciced to leave the boat at home today and go for a dedicated bait gathering session from the land.

With a trip to jb coming up next week we wanted to try and get some gars with a hope that we can convert them into some XOS kings down there, or whatever else might fancy taking a trolled gar!

Went to a wharf where we knew there had been plenty of gars in the past and started burleying up. It took a while for them to come on in numbers but once they did we were catching them pretty quickly and easily. Good fun sight fishing for them! After a while one of the biggest bream i have ever seen came cruising through the burley trail. It would have been nudging 50cm and was so wide across the back! It disappeared for a couple of minutes then it came back and casually came up and hoovered up my bait. I gently lifted the rod tip and he was hooked. The fight lasted all of about 3 secs. I was using a length of 5 lb line tied straight to the end of an 11ft light rod - just using it as a pole with no reel, to swing the gars in. With no extra line or drag etc it was no match for a fish like that - still a buzz to see and hook it.

I quickly started to rerig and just as i was doing so a big school of Kings came charging through and the gars came showering out of the water as they fled - a great sight to see.

Not surprisingly after that the Gars shut down but we had already caught a pretty good number so we were pleased with our efforts. A fun 90 minute session and a nice change from scratching around looking for Kings.

Just vacuum packed them - now got to wait a week to get em wet and see what they can tempt...

Good luck if you're heading out.

well done

[ALFY]

Hi, What is a good burley for gar? I didn't use burley before and I can only gather the gar as they come and go. Sometimes the gar will come but all disappear with 10 minutes....

[FISHARK]

nice haul of gars yes i would say one of the best bait fish around !!!

[PPSGT]

Thats why we didnt catch any yesterday..... You'd caught them all!

The all look like seagars, not the river gars we caught yesterday.

I think the seagars are more agressive and generally bigger.

I've never eaten river gars, but the sea gars are tasty!

the kings dont seem to mind either way - the surface strike from that rat yesterday was pretty cool to see

Edited December 20, 2010 by Burley King

[giangnguyen]

Nice work there...

I'm heading down to JB during new year period also.

I don't have any garfish. Reason being is I dunno how to catch them. I'm sure they're good bait.

But been trying to gather squids and yellow tails instead.

Hopefully this JB trip doesn't disappoint. hehe

Snag-King.

[Trapper Tom]

Hey Jim.

Top Garies there.

I don't know how you use them but will provide a absolute killer method for you and other fishraiders.

Basically invovles using a ganged hook system. And what you are trying to achieve is to make/present the thing live again for the kingy's.

1. Cut off most of the beak but leave a small bit sew beak closed or other method ie small rubber band.

2. Manipulate the fish so the backbone is broken in multiple places, aids in a flexible swim presantation.

3. Cut the tail off.

4. Insert ganged hooks as appropriate for size and lenght of the Garfish.

5. The last hook at the tail attach a soft plastic, believe it or not I still find the old Mr Twister double tail lime green the best for this. Its just the perfect action for a bait this size.

Can be used as is for the surface or as I prefer, I always add a lead to the front to get it near the bottom, lead size depending on depth of course. Then wind like hell!!!! like a fleeing baitfish.

Absolute killer method, has worked for me on various fish from NT to Vic.

Confirm very successful in JB, middle ground, north shorline and at the Tubes and the Botany Bay Kingies cannot resist it.

Note the method is not suited to trolling, but structure targeting or if drifting over known structure that holds kingfish

Good Luck and enjoy.

Cheers

Trapper Tom

[MichaelJordan]

NICE gars, hope they convert into something even better! good luck