Yakka and yakka rigging

[elferoz777]

HI guys

I recently purchased some of those sabiki rigs to catch some yakka from some Wharfs.

As usual I have a few questions and hope someone can help me out..

1)Can anyone recommend a good wharf to catch them from around the Wollongong area? (was thinking the jetty at Bellambi boat ramp or the one at Belmore basin Wollongong...they are the only two I can think of)

2) What time of day/night is best.. if any?

3) What is the best way to rig them up to a hook i.e Single hook or gangs for livies?? what size hooks? and where does one insert the hook(s)? Is there any method to stop them flying of the hook like some smaller poddie mullet tend to do? (do I need beads or stoppers?)

I was thinking a size 6 hook about 3 mm down from the patch of skin located behind the head and before the fins.

Sorry for the wall of text but I want to make sure I get this right so I dont waste fish needlessly.

Thanks

El Feroz

[trentarena89]

HI guys

I recently purchased some of those sabiki rigs to catch some yakka from some Wharfs.

As usual I have a few questions and hope someone can help me out..

1)Can anyone recommend a good wharf to catch them from around the Wollongong area? (was thinking the jetty at Bellambi boat ramp or the one at Belmore basin Wollongong...they are the only two I can think of)

2) What time of day/night is best.. if any?

3) What is the best way to rig them up to a hook i.e Single hook or gangs for livies?? what size hooks? and where does one insert the hook(s)? Is there any method to stop them flying of the hook like some smaller poddie mullet tend to do? (do I need beads or stoppers?)

I was thinking a size 6 hook about 3 mm down from the patch of skin located behind the head and before the fins.

Sorry for the wall of text but I want to make sure I get this right so I dont waste fish needlessly.

Thanks

El Feroz

I'm terrible at catching them but,

Morning/afternoon night (when its not too light) off jetty's and wharfs are apparently the best times but I've seen people catch their limits in the middle of the day off the rocks

Depending what I'm trying to catch I usually use a size 8 owner live bait hook pinned just under the fin about 1m of trace to a swivel then a float.

Some people hook them through the nose, but I don't catch enough to experiment with it.

Hope that helps

Edited May 28, 2012 by trentarena89

[Benzeenees]

First up - some sabiki jigs work a LOT better than others. We have found Yamashita, Pro Sabiki, hook size 10G, model number WFN600 to be by far the best. Not that easy to find in tackle shops. You may have to hunt around for them.

A good way to rig yakkas is using a bait needle and rubber band. The needle goes thru just above the eye socket. There seems to be a channel thru the head - you need to search for it. Have a look here

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7286

[sam bros]

hi elforaz

the best way to catch yakkas is by berlying up with bread pilchards or any fish scraps you can find

the best way to use the jigs is by putting bait on every second hook and placeing it in the berly trail

you usually catch yakkas with this method but can also catch all other bait fish species espicialy slimy mackeral

the best way to hook the is their necks or even on their noses

make sure if you do place the hooks on their noses do not go to far up or you might get the brain so just near the nose is best

hope you find this usefull

sam

[Marcel]

I would recommend wollongong harbor in between the trawlers I fish bellambi jetty a lot (especially in summer for frigates ) and have really never seen yakkas there where I've seen them caught in Wollongong

[ginko]

From the sounds of it, you're casting these yakkas, as opposed to trawling them behind a boat. If that's the case, you probably need two hooks, size 6 or bigger, on a sliding snell. Put the "end" hook in first, between the head and the start of the dorsal fin, and close enough to,but behind (ontop of) the spine. Do not go through the belly-side of the spine as you'll puncture the swim bladder. Then the second hook (the one on the snell) goes through the tail-wrist, again avoiding the spine. Some people also put a small elastic band or even a zip-tie around the tail-wrist to hold that second hook on more securely for the cast. Slide the second hook so that there is almost no slack between the hooks. There should be about 6-8 turns on the snell to make it stiff enough to survive the cast without all the pressure going onto the end hook.

Try to get the first cast into the right spot, as each subsequent cast increase the chance that your bait will fly off.

If you are trawling, you'll need to go through the nose or bridle rig the fish, otherwise you will be pulling it backwards through the water. If there are tailor around, try putting a second hook near the tail of the fish. Tailor tend to bite the fish in half, so if you don't have a hook in both halves, you will likely end up with just a half-bait on your line.

Also, I find the multi-hook bait rig a disaster of tangles and not the best for catching yakkas. Much better to use a very light rod (kids' rods work really well) or a hand line, and a number 10 or number 12 hook, a tiny sinker or a big swivel, breadcrumbs or wheat-bix burley and small pilchard pieces on the single hook. Burley is the key: a fair bit to get the fish around and then light bits to get them on the chew. Many people use mince (ground beef) for bait but I find it not as convenient or effective as pilchard. If you are casting, try to get smaller fish, since the big yakkas don't cast very far.

[elferoz777]

From the sounds of it, you're casting these yakkas, as opposed to trawling them behind a boat. If that's the case, you probably need two hooks, size 6 or bigger, on a sliding snell. Put the "end" hook in first, between the head and the start of the dorsal fin, and close enough to,but behind (ontop of) the spine. Do not go through the belly-side of the spine as you'll puncture the swim bladder. Then the second hook (the one on the snell) goes through the tail-wrist, again avoiding the spine. Some people also put a small elastic band or even a zip-tie around the tail-wrist to hold that second hook on more securely for the cast. Slide the second hook so that there is almost no slack between the hooks. There should be about 6-8 turns on the snell to make it stiff enough to survive the cast without all the pressure going onto the end hook.

Try to get the first cast into the right spot, as each subsequent cast increase the chance that your bait will fly off.

If you are trawling, you'll need to go through the nose or bridle rig the fish, otherwise you will be pulling it backwards through the water. If there are tailor around, try putting a second hook near the tail of the fish. Tailor tend to bite the fish in half, so if you don't have a hook in both halves, you will likely end up with just a half-bait on your line.

Also, I find the multi-hook bait rig a disaster of tangles and not the best for catching yakkas. Much better to use a very light rod (kids' rods work really well) or a hand line, and a number 10 or number 12 hook, a tiny sinker or a big swivel, breadcrumbs or wheat-bix burley and small pilchard pieces on the single hook. Burley is the key: a fair bit to get the fish around and then light bits to get them on the chew. Many people use mince (ground beef) for bait but I find it not as convenient or effective as pilchard. If you are casting, try to get smaller fish, since the big yakkas don't cast very far.

What kind of set up works best?

Do you put a float , no float, sinker types and configuration e.g a paternoster is probably not going to work as well as something else...I was thinking of a pendulum rig where the star sinker holds the bait out far but the fish has a large range of movement on the line.

[fisholb]

What kind of set up works best?

Do you put a float , no float, sinker types and configuration e.g a paternoster is probably not going to work as well as something else...I was thinking of a pendulum rig where the star sinker holds the bait out far but the fish has a large range of movement on the line.

using live bait off rocks, I use a large float with a no. 5 ball sinker between the float and the swivel. Around 2m trace with no 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook pinned on the front dorsal fin. Hook size depends on the size of the bait. Small live bait is always better.

Live bait off the wharf, I use a star sinker attached to a sliding easy rig. Trace is around 1m. Hook size is 2/0 to 4/0 circle.

Catching live bait

I use no 8 long shank hook with small ball sinker. I use chicken or prawn for bait. Berley with bread. Sometimes I use small float with around 2m trace.

[fisholb]

HI guys

I recently purchased some of those sabiki rigs to catch some yakka from some Wharfs.

As usual I have a few questions and hope someone can help me out..

1)Can anyone recommend a good wharf to catch them from around the Wollongong area? (was thinking the jetty at Bellambi boat ramp or the one at Belmore basin Wollongong...they are the only two I can think of)

2) What time of day/night is best.. if any?

3) What is the best way to rig them up to a hook i.e Single hook or gangs for livies?? what size hooks? and where does one insert the hook(s)? Is there any method to stop them flying of the hook like some smaller poddie mullet tend to do? (do I need beads or stoppers?)

I was thinking a size 6 hook about 3 mm down from the patch of skin located behind the head and before the fins.

Sorry for the wall of text but I want to make sure I get this right so I dont waste fish needlessly.

Thanks

El Feroz

to

Try port Kembla outer breakwall at night. We usually catch plenty of yakkas during winter.

When using sabiki, berley hard with bread. Put small pieces of bait eg chicken prawn pilchard on some of the hooks.

[elferoz777]

to

Try port Kembla outer breakwall at night. We usually catch plenty of yakkas during winter.

When using sabiki, berley hard with bread. Put small pieces of bait eg chicken prawn pilchard on some of the hooks.

When you say outta breakwall to you mean the south wall or the coal terminal side wall?

And is it ocean side or harbour side??

just want to minimize my chances of going for a swim...

I see lost of smallish fish near the rock edges when I fish there..would they be Yakkas or slimies or do I need to cast out far for them?

Thanks

[fisholb]

South side...ocean side...

[fisholb]

South side...ocean side...

[fisholb]

When you say outta breakwall to you mean the south wall or the coal terminal side wall?

And is it ocean side or harbour side??

just want to minimize my chances of going for a swim...

I see lost of smallish fish near the rock edges when I fish there..would they be Yakkas or slimies or do I need to cast out far for them?

Thanks

Use floats to catch the yakkas so u avoid getting snag...cast just far enough so u don't get snag...just be careful specially at night...