Trouble hooking hairtail

[PRED-ATOR]

Hi Guys,

When pishing ganged pillies under a float (aiming for big tailor and salmon), i get hairtail bites but keep missing them.

I know they are not squid, ive tried spikes and when bringing it in they are hairtail bites.

Ive heard of people using cotton string over the bait and trebbles. Anyone got any suggestions?

[boattart]

Try a tube hook rig. (my name for it). Tie a suicide hook to the end of your trace then place a length of plastic tube as a spacer to the next hook then alternate tube and hook. This way the hooks are effectively ganged but instead of the eye of one hook passing through the next the tube keeps them apart and allows them more flexibility. If you like you can even use lumo tube at night or beads. If fishing specifically for hairtail at night have a loop connection to a snap swivel and when you land a fish your simply unclip the trace and drop fish and trace all into an icebox and use a new one which makes removing the hooks from toothy mouths much easier after fish has been left in ice for 5 or 10 minutes.

[PRED-ATOR]

thanks boattart, so the hooks are not fixed with a knot? they are just spaced with lumo beads or tube?

[boattart]

Yeah that's right. Only the last hook tied on or twisted on light wire. It works well but can be hard to dehook a lively fish which is why 5 or 6 rigs on loops just left in the fish in the esky till they quieten down can save some dramas particularly in the dark.

[Scratchie]

That rig sounds interesting. But save yourself sometime and just knock it on the head!

Also a tip I have, when you strike for the fish when you feel the pull on the line, don't strike hard, it's more of a lift of the rod. This will result in more hook ups! Good luck!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[Formosan]

or put size 6 swivels in between each hook. start with open eye gamakatsu gangsters hooks and put swivel through them then close the eye with pliers.

[SargeRX8]

Ive seen a ton of different rigs for these fish. My most success is effectively a squid spike but a treble hook on the end slipped into half a pilchard. Ive got a few more rigs which have worked but take some effort to make.

[PRED-ATOR]

thanks guys, some interesting methods there. i might uise lighter line too, might help.

Cheers.

[LungFai]

I use a similar method to boatart.

Here's a Vid of the one i use.

http://www.fishingknotsandrigs.com/geoff-wilsons-knots-rigs/how-to-tie-an-adjustable-two-hook-rig

But i thread a lumo/glow in the dark tube 5cm or so onto the end line that then gets tied to the last hook. Gives the bait a glowing spine line and the Tailors have not busted me off yet.

Have not tried it on Hairtails but should work the same.

[PRED-ATOR]

Thanks for the vid LungFai, do you also use circles or J hooks?

Im thinking top hook (sliding hook) a J hook and the bottom a circle?

[LungFai]

I use Circle on both I don't really keep fish for eating and circles are so much easier to remove.

But yeah circle on bottom and J up top, great rig as it lets me switch between pillies to garfish to yakkas by just adjusting the top hook and i can draw in the slack between hooks when i mis judge where i hook the bait at night.

[PRED-ATOR]

Awesome mate ill give it a go.

i got heaps of input so thanks heaps raiders i got a few new rigs to try hahaha

[gianniz]

another quick tip, when it's pulling slowly, just tighten the light slightly and soon you will feel a heavier or stronger pull, this is when you gently strike.

[zmk1962]

Been years since I fished for Hairtail. I used a single 8/0 on the end of a wire trace with a big keyring about 3 feet up. Fitted a running sinker on the line tied off to the keyring. Used live yakkas pinned behind the head through the shoulder before the fin and lowered them down maybe 12-15ft. The trick i discovered was to use a 6 to 7ft rod with a VERY whippy tip (but a solid butt section) and the hairtail would hook themselves.

Looking at how the rod tip behaved.... this is what I suspect used to happen:

Hairtail can only swim vertically - up or down. They strike the yakka silhouetted against the sky from underneath (rod tip would lift)... and I suspect they chomp on the yakka a few times to pierce it with those pointy fangs so its basically paralyzed (tip would be twitching and bending about 6inches - very gently - strike now and you lose the fish)...... They then mouth the yakka and swallow it head first as they turn and point their toothy head back to the bottom and head down (rod tip loads up and arcs nicely and when the drag starts to bite all hell breaks looose!). All the Hairtail I caught had the yakka head down in their throat and gill area and the yakka was pierced all over. My whippy stick outfished any stiffer rod on any night as it had the give to let the hairtail take its time.

So long story short, consider that if this is how the hairtail feed and eat, your float would be pulling the pillie from the hairtail mouth as its trying to "paralyse" the pillie or swallow it (maybe try a lighter streamlined float)....also if you are using a pillie they are going to try to eat it head first... running gang hooks the traditional way you would for the slow retrieve for tailor or salmon works against being swallowed head first. Maybe if you know hairtail are around, chuck out a pillie baited ganged up in reverse - so it would retrieve tail first - but it would slip down a hairtail throat more easily.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

BTW if you are wodering about the keyring - it was an easy way to boat the hairtail as you could hook your finger through the keyring and lift.

[Formosan]

Top Post mate. Althought I use a different rig, I have to agree with the letting them swallow technique and whippy rod out fish the heavier tip.

Been years since I fished for Hairtail. I used a single 8/0 on the end of a wire trace with a big keyring about 3 feet up. Fitted a running sinker on the line tied off to the keyring. Used live yakkas pinned behind the head through the shoulder before the fin and lowered them down maybe 12-15ft. The trick i discovered was to use a 6 to 7ft rod with a VERY whippy tip (but a solid butt section) and the hairtail would hook themselves.

Looking at how the rod tip behaved.... this is what I suspect used to happen:

Hairtail can only swim vertically - up or down. They strike the yakka silhouetted against the sky from underneath (rod tip would lift)... and I suspect they chomp on the yakka a few times to pierce it with those pointy fangs so its basically paralyzed (tip would be twitching and bending about 6inches - very gently - strike now and you lose the fish)...... They then mouth the yakka and swallow it head first as they turn and point their toothy head back to the bottom and head down (rod tip loads up and arcs nicely and when the drag starts to bite all hell breaks looose!). All the Hairtail I caught had the yakka head down in their throat and gill area and the yakka was pierced all over. My whippy stick outfished any stiffer rod on any night as it had the give to let the hairtail take its time.

So long story short, consider that if this is how the hairtail feed and eat, your float would be pulling the pillie from the hairtail mouth as its trying to "paralyse" the pillie or swallow it (maybe try a lighter streamlined float)....also if you are using a pillie they are going to try to eat it head first... running gang hooks the traditional way you would for the slow retrieve for tailor or salmon works against being swallowed head first. Maybe if you know hairtail are around, chuck out a pillie baited ganged up in reverse - so it would retrieve tail first - but it would slip down a hairtail throat more easily.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

BTW if you are wodering about the keyring - it was an easy way to boat the hairtail as you could hook your finger through the keyring and lift.