Berley Question

[Grantm]

Talking about estuary fishing mainly, but when I berley I usually use a combo of bread, tuna oil and mashed fish, but it tends to and up being more of a bread thing than anything.

This invariably attracts a lot of baitfish to the boat whether it be mullet or garfish or whatever.

My question is does having your boat swarming with baitfish affect your fishing. Does it increase you chances of a good catch or work against you ?

[Guest MarkD]

Thats a very food question Grant. I've read more than I have practiced but by all accounts small fish will attract big fish, in saying that the by-product of attracting small fish is that they will decimate your baits, if your fishing dead baits..Look forward to more educated replies

[mottyman]

Grant,

I've never really hung around long enough to find out, we normally get a few yakka or whatever and move off to other grounds.

One day on the pick at Shark Island gathering bait we had Yakka all around the boat catching them on six hook bait jigs. All at once the Yakka seemed to vanish and guess what, the skipper hooked a kingy on light gear that busted him off so yeah, I guss all those bait fish and activity do attract the decent fish if they're around.

If you're boats surrounded maybe try chucking a few lures that match the bait fish out and around the edges or undernieth them to imitate and inured one. Have to be worth a shot I reckon.

Cheers,

[Boof]

I've done a little scuba diving, and I have seen the Kingy's swimming happily with the Yakka's

So I don't know what turns them onto the bite.

[Grantm]

I should have added that I fish mainly with lures but because my boat is a runabout style I tend to fish deeper water weedbanks holes and drop offs etc and try to bring the fish to me as opposed to chasing them under electric power style boats.

I do this fishing for Bream as well and its worked well at times. And yes I know perhaps lure fishing and berlying is cheating but you gotta work with what ya got and I need all the help I can get

[Guest iain]

Mark,

Remember what happened to that baby flatty you accidentally caught at the bait grounds that time?

For everyone else, Mark caught a 2" FLatty at the bait grounds by accident. Naturally he chucked it back and just as it was swimming out of visibility a large shadow came through and smashed it.

If there's baitfish around the boat, send one down with a 6/0 in his back.

[inspin]

When gathering livies for bait it always pays to drop the first one caught back down with a hook in its back...we have caught numerous john dory, kingfish and a few jewfish like this when we least expect it.....probably 1 in every 30 bait gathering sessions results in a hook up on the livie...it doesnt always happen but when it does its always a bonus and a great way to start the day.

Whenever we are fishing baits we always bring a block of pillies and just throw cubes down a trail every now and then....we dont burley heavily but we do it constantly...apart from that i usually will burley what i am using whether it be off cuts of the squid, fillets or prawn heads.