Catching slimy mackerel and pilchards?

[Fab1]

I need advice on how and where to catch them?times of year, what to look for, gear needed, etc?

I know I have small hooks and some Bait catching jigs and a few hand lines if that’s all that’s needed? So any info at all would be appreciated thanks.

  Heaps of bait schools on sounder yesterday but I wouldn’t have a clue what they were? Or might be.

 

[noelm]

Most times you will get them on small hooks and a bit of bait, use only a tiny sinker and plenty of burley. Bait jigs work, but tangle easily when you have a couple on. Pretty rare to catch Pilchards, though it has been done.

[Rob81]

When they're around, I just use small metals making sure to keep tension once they're on, They can come off easily with smaller hooks. If they don't seem to wanting the metal, try a slower retrieve or add a few pauses in between. On some days, they'll take anything and everything at any speed.

[Rebel]

@Yowie has a  bait school for beginners. Doesn't charge much for new clients.

Cheers.

[Yowie]

During winter and early spring, yakkas and slimies might be a bit scarce at times, but later spring the numbers will increase. 

Some days, but not currently, schools of pillies will sometimes appear near the boat. One day they will be on the bite, other days not interested in taking a bait at all. Pillies mainly feed on tiny fish, around the 2 cm mark.

I have brought them onto the bite with a little bit of mushed bread burley, and used a light handline, no sinker, small hook and small piece of fish bait. Cast out and give the line a few small jigs to encourage them to take the bait.

As for yakkas and slimies, same gear is needed.

I also fillet tailor as well (if I don't eat them), small tuna species are also excellent, even trevally and mullet fillets.

I salt the fillets in a tray, salt on both sides but more on the non skin side, lay them skin side down and into the fridge (covered in a plastic bag to reduce the fish smell in the fridge - try telling that to the missus 🤣). When the fillets dry out a little and toughen up (1 or 2 days depending on the thickness) I bag them into what baits I might use in a day's fishing, then freeze.

I have thawed them out for fishing, if not all gets used then re-freeze what is left (so long as it is kept out of the sun and heat) and used them next time out.

[Little_Flatty]

54 minutes ago, Yowie said:

During winter and early spring, yakkas and slimies might be a bit scarce at times, but later spring the numbers will increase. 

Some days, but not currently, schools of pillies will sometimes appear near the boat. One day they will be on the bite, other days not interested in taking a bait at all. Pillies mainly feed on tiny fish, around the 2 cm mark.

I have brought them onto the bite with a little bit of mushed bread burley, and used a light handline, no sinker, small hook and small piece of fish bait. Cast out and give the line a few small jigs to encourage them to take the bait.

As for yakkas and slimies, same gear is needed.

I also fillet tailor as well (if I don't eat them), small tuna species are also excellent, even trevally and mullet fillets.

I salt the fillets in a tray, salt on both sides but more on the non skin side, lay them skin side down and into the fridge (covered in a plastic bag to reduce the fish smell in the fridge - try telling that to the missus 🤣). When the fillets dry out a little and toughen up (1 or 2 days depending on the thickness) I bag them into what baits I might use in a day's fishing, then freeze.

I have thawed them out for fishing, if not all gets used then re-freeze what is left (so long as it is kept out of the sun and heat) and used them next time out.

Thanks @Yowie. I might use your oven tray/bagging idea - I've been using pyrex dishes until now which is mighty frustrating when you want to put on a sunday roast 🤣

@Fab1 - reading Yowie's and others reports, it seems like salted fish is a good bait in the port (and a lot of other places too). I love using salted bait because you can take it home after a session, put it back in the fridge/freezer and it's still good to use afterwards.

I've seen pillies in the port before at Gunamatta.

[nal]

4 hours ago, Fab1 said:

I need advice on how and where to catch them?times of year, what to look for, gear needed, etc?

I know I have small hooks and some Bait catching jigs and a few hand lines if that’s all that’s needed? So any info at all would be appreciated thanks.

  Heaps of bait schools on sounder yesterday but I wouldn’t have a clue what they were? Or might be.

 

I’ve seen pillies caught off my local wharf on bare small red long shanks just casting out with a small ball sinker attached and winding in at a reasonable pace, so I’d say they’d be interested in very small baitfish presentations 

[noelm]

I think some might be confusing Pilchards with those little Herring things that look like a Pilchard.

[Fab1]

All taken on board guys.So at different times of year they can basically turn up anywhere?

 To catch them ranges from small metal slices (I have some of them) to using a small baited hook via a light rod / hand line?

 I have a hand line set up that may fit the bill.It caught yakkas the last time I used it ages ago set up the way it is near a pontoon if I recall using frozen burley and probably a pinch of prawn. I’m talking like 15yrs or more before I even joined raider).

This is the hand line I have which I assume will be on the way it is or with just the sinker?As for the bait schools I see in sounder I just throw baits around the area and never target them or even know what they would be to be honest.Maybe next time I put a pinch of bait on that hand line and lower it over the side to find out? 
 

  As for slimy mackerel I have seen them once in the Swa in the hacking surrounding the boat and as quickly as they were  there they left.I didn’t have anything ready to try to catch them.They probably we’re gone in under a minute.

 Also when I go to hacking at night and am driving along I see stacks of prawns scattering away from the bow( some leaping right out of the water) of the boat and seen hundreds of garfish on the surface looking like they are asleep on their backs.

  I really need to have the gear ready and put more effort in as it’s too easy to just get store bought bait and start fishing.

  It’s a different world at night I love it!!

Thanks for everyone’s advice and reading this saga.

[Larkin]

The slimies will generally be in schools off jibbon point and at the back of the bommie. I use larger hooks for these around size 1 or 1/0 long shank.

Inside the hacking I always see schools of yakkas on the sounder from around the marina next to tonkin park ramp and along the front of Gunnamatta wharf. As others have said tiny hooks are the go on these. No weight or tiny split shot - I find a hand line works better for catching these small yakkas.

next time you see them on the sounder just burly a little with bread/pillies and toss the bait line out.

Alternatively you can buy whole bonito from some bait shops frozen - filleted and salted it makes a gun bait.

[Restyle]

yakkas are at cronulla ferry wharf and yowie almost all the time, i only catch my slimies among the moored boats at lilli pilli, but they are hit and miss. its ether yakkas or slimies there. Pilchards cruise up and down yowie bay and eat small cubes of pilchard on a size 8 or 10 hook, they never stay in the same spot and tend to move along quickly, even with a heavy berley trail

[noelm]

That handline looks way too heavy for bait (but it might be just the photo) tiny hooks and little to no sinker on 6lb line (max) 

[campr]

I always have 2 4inch hand casters in my boat spooled with 8lb line and size 12 stainless long shank hooks with different sized split shots to suit conditions.  These are only stainless hooks I use as they stay sharp and don't rust so they are always ready for use.  Burley is chook pellets in a pvc dispenser with small holes.  I also use size 12 bait jigs for small yakkas and larger size 1 for slimies.   At times frog mouth pilchards swarm in Pt Hacking that can be caught by casting size 12 bait jigs across the surface and slowly retrieved.  I also use poddy mullet caught in traps and by hook and line.  Being competent in catching a wide range of baitfish and having the right gear to keep m alive will greatly improve your catch rate.  Ron 

[Oscarthebeagle]

Pilchard schools come into the Hacking during summer, sound around looking for bait schools and drop a bait jig. Best bet is to put a big hook in them and fish it back around the school, pretty much everything eats pillies.

[Fab1]

3 hours ago, Restyle said:

yakkas are at cronulla ferry wharf and yowie almost all the time, i only catch my slimies among the moored boats at lilli pilli, but they are hit and miss. its ether yakkas or slimies there. Pilchards cruise up and down yowie bay and eat small cubes of pilchard on a size 8 or 10 hook, they never stay in the same spot and tend to move along quickly, even with a heavy berley trail

I was amongst the moored boats too yesterday.

[Restyle]

34 minutes ago, Fab1 said:

I was amongst the moored boats too yesterday.

i find slimies there mostly as the sun rises and then they disappear quickly. theres always yakkas there down a few meters

[Restyle]

2 hours ago, Oscarthebeagle said:

Pilchard schools come into the Hacking during summer, sound around looking for bait schools and drop a bait jig. Best bet is to put a big hook in them and fish it back around the school, pretty much everything eats pillies.

nothing beats a live pilchard - provided they stay alive haha