beach fishing

[danfish]

Hi Guys

I've been getting into beach fishing lately, mainly targeting the northern beaches (so far narrabeen and mona vale) Does any one else find it hard to find a gutter along narrabeen?

I have all the correct setups and know how to look for gutters.

Has it been slow on the beaches or am i doing something wrong?

When it comes to wind direction and speed is there a particular direction beach fisho's look for? Last few outings I have fished in easterly/southerly winds with not much success.

Also a question on sinkers. I normally use a paternoster rig with gangs and a 110g/140g star sinker. Last few times on retrieval the sinker becomes so buried under the sand that it feels like a snag to get it out of there. Is this due to the swell/current/wind?

Should i be using a running sinker while beach fishing, as i thought that if a tailor or salmon took the bait, they couldnt have made any run as the sinker would have been buried 1m in the sand.?

Usually I plan to catch a tailor or salmon and then fillet them and then throw out a fillet bait.

Any feedback appreciated.

Cheers

Dan

[Longfish]

There were some nice and very easily located gutters at the northern end of narrabeen (near where the lakes comes out) the last time I was there about 2 weeks ago.... very easily seen they were so well defined... maybe try up that way.

[krause]

Have to agree with sordfisherman. Ive really gotten into the sand of late, with the pelagics being away and all. Used to run 3 hook (2 surf popper, 1 gang) paternoster on 55lb trace, but have recently switched to a running star sinker and single gang on 20lb trace. Fishes like a dream, casts even better. Catch many more fish on the running rig as apossed to the patternoster. Placed them side by side on different rods in the same conditions and the running rig allways out fishes. I think it is the extra movement that does the trick.

I use a 80g sinker, but that is more because i cant cast much more on the rods that i have. It serves just fine for ganged pillies, mabey trying the lighter sinker for salmon and tailor might help, then step it up to the 140g for the slab bait. Vary your pattern and see what works.

I was on curlcurl the other day. There is a messy gutter (full of holes and sand bars, only good for high tide) on the north end. Nothing there that night, though i did get distroyed by somthing. Spooled me on locked 20lb drag in about 30 sec. Most likely 150kg+ of black ray, still good fun. It has been slow on all fronts reccently.

Wind sucks, but we make do. N/E/S/W is no good as a reference as beaches face different dirrections. Wind less than 10 knot is what i prefer, however ive fished 20+. Dont do that, its no fun.... I think the stiller the better as there is less wind interference upon casting and no wind slack issues. A tail wind, that being one heading out to see, can be usefull for cast distance, but you get sand blasted of the dry dues behind you.

Goodluck

[danfish]

Thanks guys, I'll try both set-ups and see what works best on the day,

[quochuy]

Since spring the Northern Beaches have been very slow. On Narrabeen whitings are starting to get bigger though. If you go to Dee Why, there are couple of good gutters from the second pathway to the beach till the pole on the beach. But I also find that gutters are not as good as in the last winter, might change now with those tides and swells.

I personally prefer running sinker rigs and use a 3 oz no-roll sinker.

And gang hooks