Long toms

[Swaz]

The few times I have been fishing in The Entrance channel I have seen a school of 1 foot + Long Toms. They chase my SP's but the hooks are far too large. They went crazy for my Berkley Gulp 3" worm, but again didn't get anywhere near the hook!

I would like to see if I can hook one, especially seeing as they seem to be around and willing to bite when nothing else will.

Considered a size 12 hook unweighted with a segment of prawn, but haven't had a chance to give this a go yet. How do people usually catch them?

[aeb870]

Long time ago I used to see people catch them under a float in Lake Illawarra, it was your basic black fish rig but instead I think they used pilchards as bait.

[Wriggler1]

They have a very hard bony mouth that is almost impossible to set a hook into. Your best bet it to either use bait like a prawn and let them swallow it down deep, or use a harbodied lure and hope all their teeth get tangled in the trebles. Either way, they fight amazingly well and if you fish a light drag you should get a few electric runs and a bit of tailwalking action.

[A.dawg]

Size 6 hooks light trace and a fillet of the tail bit off a phillies always picks up the long toms whenever I see me.

Make sure u skull drag me in when u hook up. They make short work of your trace but if ur leader is heavy they will not take it

[Yowie]

Drifting in the shallow water around the sand banks of Port Hacking, I catch the odd one on nippers, around the 40 to 50cm mark. They will take the nippers from the bottom as I drift for whiting, or on the retrieve but are hard to hook. Some will jump during the fight.

Once landed, a few of them have tried to bite me, they wriggle like a snake and are hard to hold on to, with the snapping jaws a danger to inexperienced fishermen.

The big ones are a different proposition. The biggest I have seen was from Lake Illawarra and it was 4 foot long, or 1.2 metres, with teeth that would put a piranha to shame. A wire trace would be necessary for that size.

[Rich P]

Cast poppers and walk the dog lures with a fast retrieve.Absolute fun but you lose alot of lures.Lake mac is great for this too.

Rich

[Swaz]

Thanks everyone. I have a surface popper and a small Halco 5g slug that might work. I noticed that when they had my SP they only took it on the move, and when they had it I flipped the bail arm up and let them take it. If I can get them to take the hook in their mouth and then turn and swim away from me I might be able to strike and hook them.... hopefully!

[brickman]

there also not bad to eat just don't be put off by the green bones cheers gary

[Swaz]

Well, I got one!! As true to my current form of catching the young of all fish species I caught one about 20cm long. Foul hooked the poor thing whilst whipping a Halco 5g slug. took me a few mins to free it and got some nips on the finger for my trouble. I wouldnt want to handle a bigger one without gloves.

They are a beautiful looking, slender fish. I don't like what they do to my Gulp worms though!