Seeking some advice / Questions

[LuckyPurpleFish]

Hello,

First time poster here. just wanted to get peoples advice/input on a few things.

I am relatively new to fishing(a year and a bit) and i am land based only.

However i really struggle to catch fish. Like out of every 10 times i go fishing, i might catch 1 or 2 fish. Is this normal for land base fishing?

For a bit of context, i primarily fish rocks and beach. (12ft rod, 4000reel, 10-15lb braid, 15-20lb trace)

Tried various different baits and varies locations, but i just cant seem to find any consistency. 

Also is running a rig where the sinker sits ontop of the hook bad? (like hook attached to the trace and then the sinker strait ontop of it then just connecting the trace to the main line) I have also tried Hook>trace>swivel>sinker?mainline. But i absolultes hate tieing lines to the swivel as they tend to allways break. Is sinker ontop of the hook an ok thing to do? or will my succes rate go up using the other rig.

 

Also was just wondering peoples opinions on the whole braid vs mono thing. In your opinion is the significant price gap worth it?

 

 

 

[big Neil]

Welcome to Fishraider LPF, I can probably offer you some advice to get you among the fish. Firstly fishing can be a very frustrating sport and it's not unusual to go out many times and catch nothing. Obviously we don't want that as an outcome though, so what can you do to change it? 

Your set up of rod, reel, braid, leader is ok and won't be responsible for NOT catching fish. But there are a few things which I can suggest trying that may help shift the balance in your favour. Let's start with beach fishing. TIMING is very important. Early morning and late afternoon (low light times) are definitely the best options here. The fish are more likely to feel safe swimming into the gutters to feed at these times. Cast where the fish are likely to be (in the gutters). Gutters are like deeper holes and can be spotted by watching the waves come onto a beach. Where the water is shallower the waves will form so the gutters are areas where there's a break in the waves (deeper water). These are often not far from shore so you don't need to do whopping great casts.

Learn (youtube) how to make a paternoster rig. It consists of the sinker at the end of your leader and 2 droppers coming out at right angles from your leader, each having a hook or set of hooks. Using this will enable you to use 2 different baits at the same time and it's not unusual to catch 2 fish at one time, either. You can use any combination of bait, 2 at a time to double your chance of hooking something. The sinker needs to be heavy enough to hold the bottom and the rod tip should be kept high.

Today it's very easy to learn about the different methods we can use to catch fish. Make use of Youtube to learn what you need to know...rigs, knots, hook size, best baits. Everything is there to be learned. Try to find somebody who shares the same interest and learn from each other. Nothing wrong with posting on here to find someone who can join you in some fishing. Most importantly...DON'T GIVE UP. Fishing is a sport where patience is the most needed attribute, followed by knowledge and persistence.  

getfishing.com.au/dropper-loop/

Give that a try and I'm sure you'll get some more positive results. I'm not a big fan of rock fishing so will leave that for somebody else to tackle. Good luck, look forward to reading of your successes. BN

[rickmarlin62]

try putting a small piece of rubber tube between sinker and swivel  it stops the lead from damaging the knot..rick

[mrsswordfisherman]

An excellent reply Neil

Welcome to FR Lucky

While waiting for replies please use the search engine (top right) or the little magnifying glass on your smartphone to research.

There have been many posts on your queries. FR has all the info you will need  

Read our articles section too

http://www.fishraider.com.au/articles

[Koalaboi]

Hi,

Some great advice above.

I think the challenge and fun of fishing is working out when and where to go so that most times you are successful. This comes about over a period of time where you try different spots, using a variety of techniques targeting a variety of species.

You need to be thoughtful and observant things like:

1. Location: note the wind strength and direction, swell size and direction and tide.

2. Timing: time of day and tide as well as the season.

3. Water: depth, clarity, temperature

4. If it's not working, change it up.

Over time you can work out what spots to go to and when to go that will reliably produce fish safely.

You'll also work out what kinds of fishing you like doing: soaking a bait and waiting for a bite, watching a float, flicking a lure etc Most of us generally end up with a few favoured styles of fishing for certain species. I like blackfish and flathead fishing. Used to like spinning off the rocks and beaches but the lure of the luderick ensnared me and it keeps me pretty happy over winter and in the warmer months I chase flatties.

All that said and done, even the best of us have lots of days when the fish refuse to cooperate but that doesn't matter. Just getting out there is often enough to keep us happy.

Have fun, experiment and tight lines.

KB

[Wellzy94]

Hey LPF, welcome to Fishraider!

As Big Neil and Donna said, there are plenty of resources both here on FR, and also on Youtube to teach you the basics. One thing I can't recommend enough is to learn all of the main knots! 

For a paternoster rig, I personally prefer using a snap-swivel, as I can premake a bunch of paternosters with loops at both ends, and if I lose part of (or all of) a leader, I can just open the snap and replace it in seconds. However a lot of people just tie their paternosters on to the swivels as well, which is also fine.

For braid to tackle knots (ie mainline to swivel) I recommend a Uni knot. Easy enough to tie, and it'll hold well compared to even a modified blood knot. Braid line is a thinner profile to mono, and is very slippery in comparison, and I've noticed that blood knots just slip with braid.

I'm only just considering starting beach fishing, so if you want company, feel free to PM me, and we can organise a morning or evening to hit the beach!

Cheers,

Wellzy

 

[LuckyPurpleFish]

9 hours ago, big Neil said:

 

In regards to the rig you mentioned (paternoster). I have a few pre-made wire ones that came with a tackle box I bought last year. Woukd this be too heavy/overkill to use?

[big Neil]

9 minutes ago, LuckyPurpleFish said:

In regards to the rig you mentioned (paternoster). I have a few pre-made wire ones that came with a tackle box I bought last year. Woukd this be too heavy/overkill to use?

They would certainly be worth trying. The only downside would be if you didn't get any bites, you wouldn't be able to say if it was due to the wire being highly visible, or not. Not hard to make your own up with the 15 -20lb leader. If you do catch up with Wellzy he can show you how his paternoster rig is set up with a snap swivel. Good luck mate.BN