Yak jigging for jewie in Akuna Bay

[Powerofwill]

Hi All,

This is my first post so a bit self-introduction: my name is Will, just bought a second hand hobie mirage sport kayak with fish finders and stablisers installed. First yak fishing was 29 October in Akuna Bay, I didn't plan to target anything just to test my new kayak and fish finder, so I only took the cheapest Costco abu garcia rod+reel combo, and a 15g metal. But it went suprisingly successful, I ended up with a 80cm Jew, 35cm Tailor and a big flounder. It pumped me up and I couldn't stop thinking of another trip, so I went there yesterday again, but with better gear. The condition was pretty similar I reckon, full moon, 13km wind, water temp was slightly higher 28 degree yesterday compared to 23 degree one month ago. But there was no action at all... I tried all the techniques, slow jigging, fast jigging, soft plastic, and bait... But nothing, not even a hit. Wondering what went wrong... I'm struggling with the more expensive gear, I caught everything decent with those cheap costco gears, but nothing comes off Zodius and Vanford...

[mrsswordfisherman]

Hi and welcome @Powerofwill 

While you wait for members to comment, feel free to use the search engine to look at the thousands of posts.

Check out the Articles section written by members for some great reading. 

Glad you had success on your first outing in the yak.

 

[XD351]

Hi Will , welcome to Fishraider. 
I doubt the new gear is causing a problem - the fish can’t tell what gear you are using ! The answer may be the spike in water temps 23 to 28 is a big jump and this may have been caused by the recent rain . The fresh water is lighter than salt so it sits on top , it may be 28c on top but down deep it could be 15c especially in places like Akuna which is deep slow moving water . Also the change in salinity levels after some rain can drive small bait fish away from an area and the predators follow them. The trick in this situation is to note this in your fishing diary ( if you don’t have one I recommend you start one ) and try a different spot - go looking for the fish and if you find them note this in your diary as well because when  this happens again you can draw from that knowledge pool and it will help you to find the fish again . It may be just a short move towards cottage point or even further up coal and candle creek to find fish , fish like Mulloway , flathead and bream will move towards a creek that is flowing from recent rain as it forces things like prawns and mullet  out of the creek where as fish like snapper and  kingfish like cleaner water with higher salinity so they would move towards the main section of Cowan creek which cops more of a tidal flush from the ocean  . We all have donut days and that is actually a good thing as it makes one think about why they had a donut day and how to solve that puzzle which inevitably will make you a better angler.

edit: I forgot to mention barometric pressure which has an effect on fish as well but that is a long and tedious story for you to investigate in your own good time !

Edited November 27, 2023 by XD351

[Powerofwill]

Thank you so much for your time and the insights! 
 

Just checked air pressure history, it was pretty low last Sunday, around 1010 hpa, Google says anything under 1017 would be considered low pressure, which leads to low activity level of fish. And I think it does make sense because by when I was wrapping up I saw big tailor and maybe mullet flowing on the surface near the marina. I thought they were maybe resting or waiting for an easy meal or something but now it makes me thinking they were suffocating. 
 

Salinity level also makes sense, as the spot was quite narrow and shallow, depth changes from 14 meters to 2 meters. I saw quite a few yakka, mullet, and small bait fish there, so I thought mulloway must come here to hunt them, but apparently low salinity level and air pressure didn’t have the same impact on small bait fish than to the bigger predators. 
 

Does that mean a low air pressure day is unfishable or there is some strategy to stimulate fish’s actity?

[Powerofwill]

8 hours ago, XD351 said:

Hi Will , welcome to Fishraider. 
I doubt the new gear is causing a problem - the fish can’t tell what gear you are using ! The answer may be the spike in water temps 23 to 28 is a big jump and this may have been caused by the recent rain . The fresh water is lighter than salt so it sits on top , it may be 28c on top but down deep it could be 15c especially in places like Akuna which is deep slow moving water . Also the change in salinity levels after some rain can drive small bait fish away from an area and the predators follow them. The trick in this situation is to note this in your fishing diary ( if you don’t have one I recommend you start one ) and try a different spot - go looking for the fish and if you find them note this in your diary as well because when  this happens again you can draw from that knowledge pool and it will help you to find the fish again . It may be just a short move towards cottage point or even further up coal and candle creek to find fish , fish like Mulloway , flathead and bream will move towards a creek that is flowing from recent rain as it forces things like prawns and mullet  out of the creek where as fish like snapper and  kingfish like cleaner water with higher salinity so they would move towards the main section of Cowan creek which cops more of a tidal flush from the ocean  . We all have donut days and that is actually a good thing as it makes one think about why they had a donut day and how to solve that puzzle which inevitably will make you a better angler.

edit: I forgot to mention barometric pressure which has an effect on fish as well but that is a long and tedious story for you to investigate in your own good time !

 

13 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Hi and welcome @Powerofwill 

While you wait for members to comment, feel free to use the search engine to look at the thousands of posts.

Check out the Articles section written by members for some great reading. 

Glad you had success on your first outing in the yak.

 

Thank you both! I moved to Sydney only 4 years ago. I used to fish fresh water with my dad in Shanghai, and I thought it was boring. But fishing salt water is a completely different game, I tried once and totally lost in it, addicted. And I feel like I actually enjoy planning and researching more than fishing itself. 

[JustJames]

54 minutes ago, Powerofwill said:

Does that mean a low air pressure day is unfishable

Air pressure and fishing is a furphy.

 

The first 10 metres downwards of the water column weighs the same as the entire atmosphere above it.  A small wave passing overhead will make WAY more difference to the water pressure on a fish than even the fiercest change in atmospheric pressure.

 

Changes in air pressure may be proxies for other things that affect fish, but will not affect fish directly.

[XD351]

I think there might be a few bass fishos that would disagree with you - maybe the fish can sense a storm front coming that will have an effect on their food source or  something , ants and birds can sense atmospheric changes before it rains - one thought is they can sense barometric changes - how I dunno . I just added it so the OP has another avenue to investigate and to point out that barometric pressure should be noted in their fishing diary - sometimes a pattern will emerge over a period of time .

[Powerofwill]

20 minutes ago, XD351 said:

I think there might be a few bass fishos that would disagree with you - maybe the fish can sense a storm front coming that will have an effect on their food source or  something , ants and birds can sense atmospheric changes before it rains - one thought is they can sense barometric changes - how I dunno . I just added it so the OP has another avenue to investigate and to point out that barometric pressure should be noted in their fishing diary - sometimes a pattern will emerge over a period of time .

So for a fishing diary, what information is essential? Sorry I am a newbie never done this and saw someone doing this as I fish alone. Thank you again for replying. 

[Green Hornet]

I’ve been keeping a diary for around 45 years and this is what I keep a record of. All kept on my PC using Microsoft Excel and importantly, backed up to an external hard drive or two.

Date, location, species caught, fish size, water depth and temperature, lures, the weight and color they were caught on, jighead size if using plastics, sunny/cloudy, wind speed and direction, barometer, moon phase, including rise and set times, any relevant rainfall, plus a comment column for other things you’ve noted specific for the day like water clarity, presence of baitfish etc, or how the fish were taking the lure.

It’s also important to record those donut days as, you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes.

I’ve definitely gained knowledge on the habits of most species of fish in my local waters, which often helps me decide what fish to chase and when according to the prevailing conditions.

My take on the barometer debate is it’s more about some species instinctively predicting foul weather with a low barometer and feeding up before things turn ugly. There is a definite trend for this in some fish and not so much with others.

 

[bessell1955]

Welcome to this this wonderful site and I do know you will enjoy the wealth of information that is contained within.  By know, after  reading the replies, you will gained an understanding of friendship and assistance that emanates from members.  Oh an 80cm Jewie on your first outing, I am so jealous.  

[Powerofwill]

41 minutes ago, bessell1955 said:

Welcome to this this wonderful site and I do know you will enjoy the wealth of information that is contained within.  By know, after  reading the replies, you will gained an understanding of friendship and assistance that emanates from members.  Oh an 80cm Jewie on your first outing, I am so jealous.  

This is almost like win your first try in a casino, and that’s the start of losing money for the rest of your life. Lol. I can’t stop thinking about fishing now.