Josh9391 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Hi guys So recently I have been trying to get into fishing Sydney harbour more mainly on the chase for, flathead, kingfish, salmon, just wondering which lures and soft plastics work best for these fish. At the moment I have been thinking about getting the Halco Roosta Popper (105mm redhead), Rapala long cast (12 cm redhead) and the squidgy pro wriggler (100mm cracked pepper). Thank you if you can help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Welcome to the forum Josh. Plenty of info in here if you just use the search tab! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Hi josh there are hundreds of lures available that work just look on the walls of any tackle shop what works for me may not work for you with people using different tecniques and in different locations there is no magic lures ...the lures you have will work it boils down to being confident in them and getting your retrieves right...i have hundreds of lures and sometimes wonder what to take to certain places so narrowing down your choice may be a good thing...i would suggest getting some metal lures like spanyids or twisties as you get more distance and can work from surface to down deep changing retrieve and letting them sink hope you get some fish soon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, rickmarlin62 said: Hi josh there are hundreds of lures available that work just look on the walls of any tackle shop what works for me may not work for you with people using different tecniques and in different locations there is no magic lures ...the lures you have will work it boils down to being confident in them and getting your retrieves right...i have hundreds of lures and sometimes wonder what to take to certain places so narrowing down your choice may be a good thing...i would suggest getting some metal lures like spanyids or twisties as you get more distance and can work from surface to down deep changing retrieve and letting them sink hope you get some fish soon Some sound advice there Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Hi Josh, Welcome me to the forum. My suggestion, start with one target species at one location. Then work out what bait they are feeding on. Then consider how that bait moves. Then try to mimic the bait species. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 Hi everyone Thanks just wondering though like which soft plastics work in Sydney harbour on kingfish and flathead Thanks Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 SPs for kingfish include: 2.5" zman grubs, 3" and 4" powerbait minnows and of course, slapstix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryder Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 For flathead, GULP 4" or 5 " jerk shad in Nuclear Chicken or Satay Chicken on a 1/8th jig head with a smear of S Factor. This is where I started, some say they're not real plastics, but they will do the job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) Hi Josh, Lets start the other way - what gear are you using? While there is a degree of cross-over I use different lures for the bream gear than I would for the snapper gear. A lot of my kings this season have been on the bream gear as they were feeding on small minnows and the berkley powerbait in 3" and 4" does a nice job of matching the profile. Are you using a graphite rod or an older fibreglass rod? Are you fishing braid or mono? What test rating. There is a huge difference in the response between the two outfits. Fibreglass rod and mono can feel really spongy and you lose a lot of sensitivity. Regards, Derek Edited June 5, 2019 by DerekD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 1 hour ago, DerekD said: Hi Josh, Lets start the other way - what gear are you using? While there is a degree of cross-over I use different lures for the bream gear than I would for the snapper gear. A lot of my kings this season have been on the bream gear as they were feeding on small minnows and the berkley powerbait in 3" and 4" does a nice job of matching the profile. Are you using a graphite rod or an older fibreglass rod? Are you fishing braid or mono? What test rating. There is a huge difference in the response between the two outfits. Fibreglass rod and mono can feel really spongy and you lose a lot of sensitivity. Regards, Derek Hi Derek I am using a graphite rod (Daiwa Arid X 6-9kg) with a Shimano Sedona 5000 (with 20-pound braid) and usually use 20pound leader Thanks Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savit Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 I would add a few metal blades/vibes (in a several weights) to keep the lure closer to the bottom for flatheads and dissapoint leatherjackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Hi again, We have a good starting point to work with. I couldn't find the Daiwa Aird X 6-9kg but I did find the 5-9kg 2 piece model with 7-28gm casting weight. I'll move forward on that basis. Firstly it should make a nice snapper/kingfish outfit. BTW I'm also going to give you and excuse to get another outfit (Christmas, birthday, long weekend, fill your own excuse in here). I fish with a group of people and we did pretty well on shore based rat kings over summer. They are fun on the light gear and we were getting lots of hook ups. The poppers did pick up a few around dawn but as a group they were not the best performing of the lures. My experience is that you will probably struggle with the Roosta at this time of year but I am happy hear from any other Fishraiders that do alright on poppers in Sydney in winter. While I do have a preference for some particular brands I think the style of lure is more important. As @anthman mentioned above the Slapstix/Sluggo style lures do pretty well. I match them up with a bullet type jighead (e.g. TT) rather than a wormhook which allows me to work the full water column. You can make these dart from side to side if you can get the rod tip bouncing during the retrieve. You have curly tail lures as well. You can work these through the water column and bounce along the bottom for flathead. For flathead the metal blades/vibes mentioned by @savit are worth a look at. Just avoid using them in really snaggy areas. I think your 20lb rig is a bit of overkill for most of the flathead you will hook. Also worth getting some 20-30gm silver slices (e.g. halco twistys) in the tackle box. They will allow you to cover some distance and with a fast wind it will resemble a fleeing baitfish. Longer term consider a rod in the 2-4kg range with 4-6lb braid and a 1500-2500 reel. 2" grubs, 3 & 4 inch minnows are very effective for the species you are chasing once you learn how to fish them well/properly. BTW the Rapala long cast will be more effective when the big schools are around. You should pick up the occasional tailor but it relies on you finding where the fish are schooling. Regards, Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) Hi @DerekD This has been extremely helpful thank you so much, just wondering what particular brands and model do you prefer for kingfish, and what jig head size as I have some 1/6 oz jig heads for the soft plastics im thinking about and the ones you reccomend Thanks Josh Edited June 5, 2019 by Josh9391 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Look up a couple of my past posts on chasing kings. In particular I did one for a gentleman called Michael which I think was kings in the moorings. Found it: https://www.fishraider.com.au/topic/86184-how-to-fish-sydney-harbor-moorings-for-kingfish/ The how rather than the what will be far more important when chasing them. A lot of what I covered there can be done shore based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Josh9391 said: what jig head size as I have some 1/6 oz jig heads for the soft plastics im thinking about and the ones you recommend The following advice is based on what has worked for me and the people that I have taught over the years. I generally don't fish ultralight (think 1/32oz). I'm also basing it on the gear that you have. You are fishing 20lb so you will lose casting distance trying to fish 1/6oz. On my bream rod the lightest (there are exceptions) I will go is 1/8oz and I will go up to 1/4oz or even 9gm but my rod has a 3-12gm lure rating. I also own a daiwa wicked Weasel which has a 2-14gm lure rating. My snapper rod recommends lures of between 15 and 45gm. These ratings depends also on how you fish the gear but stick within them and you shouldn't be damaging gear. Your rod has a 28gm (1 oz) rating so work your lure selection around that. Based on that consider the 6" slapstix with a 3/8oz bullet head TT jig with a 3/0 to 4/0 hook. Whites and pinks work well. Don't buy the blue as the plastic tears a little more easily and it feels stiffer. Z man makes some nice 5inch minnows which work well with the TT bullet head headlock series. Careful storing different brands of plastics together as you can get chemical reaction leaving at least one of the brands worse for wear. Another lure which has been fun this season is the Bassday Sugapen. I own them in all four sizes and I've had some very nice fish on them this last season. Got a mate addicted to them but he has had so much fun with all the surface strikes that I think it is now one of his favourite lures. Youtube Sand flat fishing to see them in Australian conditions. I can point you at a number of different lures but the learning curve will probably hurt unless you find a mentor. I've had people tell me that plastics don't work but then after a 15 minute demonstration of the gear, the retrieve and hooking up a fish they turned around and said that they would give them another go. Edited June 5, 2019 by DerekD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 At the moment I am learning a lot of stuff from my mates who are a lot better then me and I’m also watching heaps of YouTube videos so the learning part isn’t a problem. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) Sorry @DerekD So you are recommending the 6" slap stix with a 3/8oz jig head or the Zmans 5" minnows with the 3/8oz jig head, any other final ones that work great on kingfish from your experience Thanks Josh Edited June 6, 2019 by Josh9391 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) Hi Again, My go to is the Slapstix as they have worked for me and a number of others I've shown. Since they worked consistently for over 3 fishing seasons (read extended summers) I bought them in bulk and use them more often. Problem is that with TT headlock jigheads I found they usually get ripped up when the king hits them. They used to last longer with the older TT jig head arrangement. The Z-man are slightly shorter and the material seems more tear resistant. The slightly shorter profile will probably give you a better chance at other species (like the flathead). I picked up a nice 70cm plus jewfish on one of these from the kayak on the Cook's river a year or so back and I think you'll do better on the flathead with the Z-man. The Z-mans seem to take a beating a lot better than the Slapstix. Depending on where I get them I find individually the slapstix are better bang for the buck. BTW I also use the 9" Slapstix and match them up with a 1/2oz TT bullet head jig and usually a 5/0 hook. Hold the head and hook up against the body to see if it looks right. Make a small nick in the body where the hook should come out. Not rigging plastics dead straight can really impact on how well it swims and how likely it will catch fish. The other is the Sugapen but it might be summer before they really come into their own. I was fishing the 70mm (4.3gm so on bream gear) on some sand flats about a month ago. I had three big surface strikes in less than three seconds and it was on the third it hooked up. I ended up landing a nice salmon which had engulfed the lure. For your set up look at the 120mm which I believe is 19gms so should cast well with your rod BTW - which part of Sydney are you in? Edited June 6, 2019 by DerekD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh9391 Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 Hi @DerekD I live up a bit north near the spit bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Just now, Josh9391 said: Hi @DerekD I live up a bit north near the spit bridge Perfect. I fish Mosman. I'll send you a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Hi Josh. Pay attention to what Derek tells you. He has a massive amount of knowledge which stems from his own trial and error method of targeting various species. He is an excellent tutor, very patient and forthcoming with information. Good luck with your pursuit. Cheers, bn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack123 Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 6/6/2019 at 8:30 PM, DerekD said: Perfect. I fish Mosman. I'll send you a PM Hey @DerekD, i have just started out fishing in Mosman and would love any tips if you had a spare minute to help me out. I have tried to fish the Spit Bridge a few times with no luck. Thanks!! Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 (edited) Hi Jack, PM sent. Regards, Derek Edited October 31, 2019 by DerekD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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