Offshore Jews

[Larkin]

Gday Raiders,

Target species today was Jewfish. I hadn’t fished for Jews since last year and I heard that they were on the bite offshore.  High was at 8.40am so gave me a couple of hours leading into high to target them. Headed out of Port Hacking up past Maroubra. First bait got snagged - broke off the sinker and reeled in the livie. Tossed out a salted bonito strip bait on my second rod, and within a couple of minutes I was onto my first Jewie. A nice 80cm fish came up - from this depth they don’t do well. 10 minutes fishing and I have my bag limit of one. I throw out another livie and strip bait hoping for a kingy too - but unfortunately get a double hookup on a couple more Jews. I bring one up and try to release as best I can but it’s floating. At the same time my second rod has another good jewie on the end. I keep it down low not reeling in to try and get it off - let out some slack line and it finally managed to dehook itself from the circle after 5 mins. I really don’t want to hurt fish for nothing, so I move to a different spot.  I try the drift over some reef for snapper, I get a few good bites but no hook ups. I decide to change plan and go to my trag spot instead. After 10 mins the first comes up - a 60cm trag. Followed by a 56cm fish. 
With enough trag I decided to head back to Cronulla and try for kings. Toss out a livie and within 20 mins the rod does the kingy dance and buckles over - to my error I had left the drag very low and when I grabbed the rod with slack line, the circle didn’t connect and the fish was lost taking off with my livie. Could see more there on the sounder, but very finicky and not touching any other livies I tossed at them. 

 

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Some solid meat on those fish! Are the trags similar eating quality to jewies?

[Basil D]

Thanks for revving me up lol

was going tomorrow but the winds up 8am, Oh well, next week

[Yowie]

46 minutes ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Some solid meat on those fish! Are the trags similar eating quality to jewies?

I prefer the trags over jewies.

[Yowie]

Nice bag of fish Chris.

I was on a fishing charter in W.A. several years ago. A large cod was pulled up - it had to be released as it was over the size limit. Pulled up from about 55 metres, eyes were bulging a bit. A large metal hook (not a fish hook) attached to heavy cord with a large snapper sinker above the hook, was placed in the bottom lip of the cod. The cod was dropped back over, quickly heading to the bottom, then a jig of the line and the hook pulled out of the cod's mouth. The deckie said the cod had a much better chance of surviving and staying on the bottom, rather than floating about.

I have released jewies in the Hacking which have floated away. Pushed them down, they swim down a little then float out from the boat. Some do eventually swim back down, others float for a while.

[Larkin]

8 hours ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Some solid meat on those fish! Are the trags similar eating quality to jewies?

Trag are one of my favourite eating fish. With a nice crispy batter, can’t be beat!

I find Jews have a very similar smell to snapper - they both have that internal belly fat that has that distinctive ocean smell.

8 hours ago, Basil D said:

Thanks for revving me up lol

was going tomorrow but the winds up 8am, Oh well, next week

Haha

Did say I’d send you some pics if the Jews were on the chew lol

the wind’s been up and down - yesterday was nice out there - It picked up at midday though. 
 

7 hours ago, Yowie said:

Nice bag of fish Chris.

I was on a fishing charter in W.A. several years ago. A large cod was pulled up - it had to be released as it was over the size limit. Pulled up from about 55 metres, eyes were bulging a bit. A large metal hook (not a fish hook) attached to heavy cord with a large snapper sinker above the hook, was placed in the bottom lip of the cod. The cod was dropped back over, quickly heading to the bottom, then a jig of the line and the hook pulled out of the cod's mouth. The deckie said the cod had a much better chance of surviving and staying on the bottom, rather than floating about.

I have released jewies in the Hacking which have floated away. Pushed them down, they swim down a little then float out from the boat. Some do eventually swim back down, others float for a while.

Thanks Dave! A few trag showing up too. It’s been a while since my last catch of these.

I think fisheries have some of those kits. My mate answered a question they posted on Facebook and they sent him a release kit. Not sure if they sell them or if they’re available from any tackle shops. Good for some species from depth that dont do too well.

 

[R E G I C Y C L E]

18 minutes ago, Larkin said:

Trag are one of my favourite eating fish. With a nice crispy batter, can’t be beat!

Sounds tasty... pity they don't come into the estuaries like jews to give the dry boot brigade a chance at them.

Will they take a lure or only bait?

[Larkin]

3 minutes ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Sounds tasty... pity they don't come into the estuaries like jews to give the dry boot brigade a chance at them.

Will they take a lure or only bait?

Occasionally some smaller ones will venture in, but mainly an offshore species. I’ve caught on soft plastic in the past. They will take plastics, live bait and regular baits like strips or pillies.

[zmk1962]

You’re a champ Chris- that’s a very nice mixed ocean bag…. Wife must be happy -  you were even allowed to put the fish on the kitchen bench top. 
cheers Zoran 

ps - 7 doors down (8 to go) 

[Larkin]

29 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

You’re a champ Chris- that’s a very nice mixed ocean bag…. Wife must be happy -  you were even allowed to put the fish on the kitchen bench top. 
cheers Zoran 

ps - 7 doors down (8 to go) 

Haha, she wasn’t laughing. 
 

Mate, get those doors up - fish are out there waiting.

[Little_Flatty]

Nice work Chris. Looks like you found a good school there, alas too many were interested!

Good feed for the weekend!

[bessell1955]

A great days fishing, well done.

[noelm]

11 hours ago, Yowie said:

I prefer the trags over jewies.

My personal taste, Trags are good, better than Jewfish….until the Jew gets big, a decent sized Jewfish (10kg+) will (in my opinion) leave a Trag for dead.

[Ledge]

Have to move spots as hooking too many Jewies….. Way to rub it in mate 😂 

You’re a gun, well done.

Edited 4 hours ago by Ledge

[whiskey299]

Well done Chris to release jewies suffering barotrauma  you can use the needle from game fishing tags, insert the needle behind the pectoral fin and this will allow the air to vent from the bladder. Most ppl will pierce a hole into their stomach which is sticking out of their mouth which is not the correct way to do it. If they still fail to swim back down I use a home made release sinker 500g attached to a blunt gaff hook. I also entered that FB comp and won a kit your mate Vu also got. The sinker they supplied is way too heavy 1.5kg which I will probably melt down to make smaller sinkers. I mean come on 1.5kg is what you would normally use for deep dropping!

My plan is one day to get an offshore jewie on the yak I just hope they are within reach and not too far out.

Using the release sinker

Edited 3 hours ago by whiskey299

[Larkin]

2 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Nice work Chris. Looks like you found a good school there, alas too many were interested!

Good feed for the weekend!

Haha - yes could see a large school of them on the sounder.

Plenty to share with family. Battered trag tonight - haven’t caught one in a while. Been craving it.

2 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

A great days fishing, well done.

Thanks Bessel - fish were biting, good fun 

1 hour ago, Ledge said:

Have to move spots as hooking too many Jewies….. Way to rub it in mate 😂 

You’re a gun, well done.

Haha,

Big school of them on the sounder - another boat arrived, pulled up a couple then left after 10-15 mins too. 

 

1 hour ago, whiskey299 said:

Well done Chris to release jewies suffering barotrauma  you can use the needle from game fishing tags, insert the needle behind the pectoral fin and this will allow the air to vent from the bladder. Most ppl will pierce a hole into their stomach which is sticking out of their mouth which is not the correct way to do it. If they still fail to swim back down I use a home made release sinker 500g attached to a blunt gaff hook. I also entered that FB comp and won a kit your mate Vu also got. The sinker they supplied is way too heavy 1.5kg which I will probably melt down to make smaller sinkers. I mean come on 1.5kg is what you would normally use for deep dropping!

My plan is one day to get an offshore jewie on the yak I just hope they are within reach and not too far out.

Using the release sinker

Thanks Brad!

I might have to make a release device - that design looks good. Been thinking about getting some tags too.

Andrew gets them out there on his Yak, but need a motor, bit too far to paddle unless your an Olympian lol 

Vu and another mate are heading out tomorrow - will see how they go.

[Basil D]

should have went out, wind is nothing today, they got it wrong, better safe than sorry but Im spewing 

[whiskey299]

55 minutes ago, Larkin said:

Haha - yes could see a large school of them on the sounder.

Plenty to share with family. Battered trag tonight - haven’t caught one in a while. Been craving it.

Thanks Bessel - fish were biting, good fun 

Haha,

Big school of them on the sounder - another boat arrived, pulled up a couple then left after 10-15 mins too. 

 

Thanks Brad!

I might have to make a release device - that design looks good. Been thinking about getting some tags too.

Andrew gets them out there on his Yak, but need a motor, bit too far to paddle unless your an Olympian lol 

Vu and another mate are heading out tomorrow - will see how they go.

Yes I’ve seen Andrew’s posts and very impressed with all his catches. I have an electric motor and pedal as well. I can cover a bit of distance with the electric but just slow going that’s all, average speed about 3knots lo, I can push it to 4knots but that’ll drain the battery quicker. Might have to PM for some marks in close. 

[whiskey299]

21 minutes ago, Basil D said:

should have went out, wind is nothing today, they got it wrong, better safe than sorry but Im spewing 

I want to go out every week but my friend who owns a stabicraft can hardly spare any time to fish, apparently a common side effect when you have a successful business.

Edited 1 hour ago by whiskey299

[Basil D]

54 minutes ago, whiskey299 said:

I want to go out every week but my friend who owns a stabicraft can hardly spare any time to fish, apparently a common side effect when you have a successful business.

Thats a big part of the problem for me as well🤣