Blackfish bait

[squidjigga]

How do you guys obtain cabbage weed for bait? Do you head to beach every time to gather it from the rocks beforehand? Is it available to purchase somewhere? Do you ever have success with other baits for luderick? Like maybe small bits of peeled prawn or something similar?

[Green Hornet]

If you want to keep cabbage weed, it will last a couple of weeks in a bucket of saltwater if you keep it aerated. Longer if you change the water weekly.

Assuming you’re referring to blackfish from the ocean rocks, they’ll often take cunji or bread. Bread is quite effective if using a bread berley and good fun if you can get them feeding off the surface.

In the estuaries along with string weed and to a lesser degree cabbage, they’ll eat squirt worms, yabbies and prawns, particularly just after spawning and other times at night.

[squidjigga]

Thanks for the answer @Green Hornet.

Do you reckon I should peel the prawn and yabbies and cut into small pieces? I've heard their mouths are only small so they can't eat larger baits.

And they're good for fishing at night I'm estuaries? I've been trying to catch some in a creek right next to the ocean but haven't had much luck with prawn pieces (and during the day).

[Burger]

Luds are primarily vegetarian, so string or cabbage will usually be the best bait for them.

As GH says they do take worms, prawns etc after spawning. I think I read somewhere they are after quick protein to recover after spawning.

[Steve0]

4 minutes ago, Burger said:

Luds are primarily vegetarian, so string or cabbage will usually be the best bait for them.

As GH says they do take worms, prawns etc after spawning. I think I read somewhere they are after quick protein to recover after spawning.

My experience matches that. Generally I use cabbage off rocks (taken from rock pools in the vicinity). At Bemm River, early November (breeding time) they took sand worms. Far South coast, early November I targeted them in an estuary using Nippers. However, I also caught them at other times with nippers, so it's not a firm rule. In estuaries, I like a craggy bottom and good tidal movement, preferably with lot's of weed about. Terminal tackle stealing country. If water is relatively clear, look for belly flashes.

[big Neil]

6 hours ago, Steve0 said:

My experience matches that. Generally I use cabbage off rocks (taken from rock pools in the vicinity). At Bemm River, early November (breeding time) they took sand worms. Far South coast, early November I targeted them in an estuary using Nippers. However, I also caught them at other times with nippers, so it's not a firm rule. In estuaries, I like a craggy bottom and good tidal movement, preferably with lot's of weed about. Terminal tackle stealing country. If water is relatively clear, look for belly flashes.

Hi SteveO. Just curious. You know a fair bit about the habits of the Luderick and you mention Bemm River. Is that a regular place you fish. Supposed to be really good for big Bream.

Cheers, bn

[Green Hornet]

10 hours ago, squidjigga said:

Thanks for the answer @Green Hornet.

Do you reckon I should peel the prawn and yabbies and cut into small pieces? I've heard their mouths are only small so they can't eat larger baits.

And they're good for fishing at night I'm estuaries? I've been trying to catch some in a creek right next to the ocean but haven't had much luck with prawn pieces (and during the day).

I haven’t used prawns for bait for a long time and can’t say I’ve ever caught a blackfish using one. If I had to, I’d peel them and use smallish pieces, just like you say. As for yabbies, use them whole and whether you break the nipper off or not is up to you.   
Blackfish do have small mouths, but a legal size fish will have no trouble taking a size 4 hook, which is a perfect size for yabbies and you could possibly drop down to a 6 for prawn pieces.

That being said, you’d be far better off trying to locate some string weed and fish that under a float, through a berley mix of chopped up weed and damp sand during the day.

Look for string weed in places like storm water drains, ponds, older style ocean swimming pools and ocean rocks, particularly those that get a bit of storm water seeping over them. Google earth is a good way to scout out possible spots.
 

 

 

[Steve0]

1 hour ago, big Neil said:

Hi SteveO. Just curious. You know a fair bit about the habits of the Luderick and you mention Bemm River. Is that a regular place you fish. Supposed to be really good for big Bream.

Cheers, bn

Bemm River used to be an annual trip for me but not for quite a while now. We exclusively targeted Bream down there, so Luderick were surprising by-catch. Surprising because we used 2/0 hooks. 

My father introduced me to Bemm River many years ago. He'd been going there with mates for many years. When the Bream are on, the only way to describe the fishing is spectacular. My first year they went crazy with many very large fish landed. The Cormorants competed keenly for hooked fish. When they managed to take one, break the line and surface with it, Pelicans harassed them until they dropped it. Massive Goanna fed on heads and gut where we cleaned the fish.  

In those days, we were only interested in meat so, no photos and no measure. Many would have been well over 40cm. A trip to the tip had a significant impact.  There were a lot of dead fish there and it reeked of them. All I can guess is people were too lazy to clean all they caught. Deeply affected, I fished upstream for Trout the following day.

The most enjoyable time was out late one balmy night fishing with light, lit floats. Fish constantly bumped the float. I was never able to repeat that.

Anyone who goes there needs to be aware storms roll in VERY quickly. The lake is shallow,  the waves grow quickly and get very peaky and conditions become dangerous. The old pub (burnt down years ago) had many photos of 'submarine' boats. 

The other thing to be aware of is Sydenham inlet is not always open to the sea. When closed, the water level rises and covers low-lying land, thick with tea tree. Bream would follow the food chain into it.