drummer & northern beaches

[faker]

Hi guys,

I had a couple of attempts on drummer now and no success. need some ideas on when to fish them in the area. Really want to see if its the tasty fish people rant about. have been using standard float iso rig.

Edited July 15 by faker

[noelm]

To target Drummer specifically, I would suggest peeled Royal Red Prawns, bread or Cungi for bait, fish with no sinker, or just a very small ball sinker, about a number 1 hook and look for a kind of hole or gutter that has some wash. A bit of prospecting will find suitable locations, tide is not important except for finding a suitable spot, places that have a bit of exposed reef with a deep gutter on the shore side are prime spots

[faker]

13 hours ago, noelm said:

To target Drummer specifically, I would suggest peeled Royal Red Prawns, bread or Cungi for bait, fish with no sinker, or just a very small ball sinker, about a number 1 hook and look for a kind of hole or gutter that has some wash. A bit of prospecting will find suitable locations, tide is not important except for finding a suitable spot, places that have a bit of exposed reef with a deep gutter on the shore side are prime spots

Yea I have been trying where I know people caught them in past but 2 trips donutting. Not sure if bad luck or doing something wrong 

[Green Hornet]

1 hour ago, faker said:

Yea I have been trying where I know people caught them in past but 2 trips donutting. Not sure if bad luck or doing something wrong 

Daylight and dusk are the prime times, plenty of berley as well. Soaked and mashed up bread is hard to beat, fishing a bread or peeled prawn bait through the trail.

If there’s waves washing up over low ledges and flowing back into foamy water deeper than 3 metres, fish in hard against the edge. That’s where they’ll be picking up all the scraps. Throw handfuls of berley on the ledge and let the waves wash it into the zone.

Edited July 16 by Green Hornet

[faker]

1 hour ago, Green Hornet said:

Daylight and dusk are the prime times, plenty of berley as well. Soaked and mashed up bread is hard to beat, fishing a bread or peeled prawn bait through the trail.

If there’s waves washing up over low ledges and flowing back into foamy water deeper than 3 metres, fish in hard against the edge. That’s where they’ll be picking up all the scraps. Throw handfuls of berley on the ledge and let the waves wash it into the zone.

But what type of bottom? I was hanging around curl curl doing it

[Green Hornet]

Rocky, they like to hole up in crevices and small caves when not actively feeding. Can’t help you with locations though, I’ve never fished around Sydney.

Edited July 16 by Green Hornet

[Fried Rice]

Green Hornet has given excellent advise, I never had much success on the Northern beaches, only occasionally targeted them but got a few. A wafting bait (light sinker) in the wash at Curl Curl, Dee Why headland etc. Plenty of bread berley and bread, cabbage weed or peeled prawn as bait. 1/0 hook.Get out & try some spots. Stay safe.

[XD351]

You might be fishing too far out and or too deep . The sinker isn’t there to take your bait to the bottom or for casting weight  it is there to help you stay in contact with your bait and to keep it below the surface . The pigs sit right in tight up under the white water looking for food that has been washed off the rocks . I have caught a few from south palm beach -not big but ok for a feed . I used bread for bait and berley as it was just easy . And I will have to put in my usual safety note / disclaimer, if you don’t know what areas and or conditions are safe - don’t go ! There is a well known guide on the northern beaches that specialises in rock fishing and if you want to learn how to fish the stones safely I highly recommend a trip or two with him . 

[faker]

On 7/17/2024 at 4:49 AM, XD351 said:

You might be fishing too far out and or too deep . The sinker isn’t there to take your bait to the bottom or for casting weight  it is there to help you stay in contact with your bait and to keep it below the surface . The pigs sit right in tight up under the white water looking for food that has been washed off the rocks . I have caught a few from south palm beach -not big but ok for a feed . I used bread for bait and berley as it was just easy . And I will have to put in my usual safety note / disclaimer, if you don’t know what areas and or conditions are safe - don’t go ! There is a well known guide on the northern beaches that specialises in rock fishing and if you want to learn how to fish the stones safely I highly recommend a trip or two with him . 

I will keep that in mind, will try again with luderick 

[LuckyFil]

Its essential you fish where there is white water that is near deeper water and preferable has weed/cunje growth on it (which can make it snaggy!). No wash = no fish.

The water is very clear at the moment so if there's little or no swell I wouldn't bother except for a few spots that can still have wash  and are usually unfishable in bigger conditions.

Otherwise I agree with all the advice from others. 

Also worth remembering I've fished plenty of times when conditions look ideal with all the right bait in locations I know hold pigs and still caught nothing other than sweep or kelpies - they can be a mystery sometimes.