keenist

Gents, have been fishing the Bay all my life and I have to say a small lightly weighted SP stick bait (squidgy, gulp or similar) will out fish any metal 10 to 1. The problem with metals is that they need to be retrieved fast. Most times they will only get hit if cast in the same line as the feeding school, and retrieved back in the same line as the fleeing baitfish. This takes a lot more thought in the approach with the boat... With a lightly weighted SP, the degree of leniency is increased, and successful approaches can be made from different angles. This is due to the SP not really needing a retrieve to get hit - I have lost count the number of times the lure gets smashed almost immediately after the cast, without even a turn of the handle! Other deadly lures for this style of fishing are the slider topwater lures. There are a few around designed for american bass by Japan houses such as megabass, but some australian lures are starting to show up (squidgy / bushy for eg). These lures again dont need a fast retrieve so can be cast in to the school from most angles and twitched on the surface, imitating a dying baitfish. We have also noticed that when using these lures the precise "match the hatch" theory applies, but to a lesser degree. I recall times when I was left only with a 6" Sluggo, rigged on a wormhook, as I ran out of all other ~5cm options and still caught fish... Guess its a matter of getting out there and trying different techniques Tight lines!

... on like donkey kong in a sarong playing ping pong?

Yakkas are pretty consistent at the breakwall. SE corner. Keep motoring around til you see them on the sounder, then drop bait jigs.

"The strip of squid is the only bait that can make it to all of these types of gutters. Whats the point in a salmon slab or live tailor if you can't make it reach the gutter that's only 50 meters away? " One lesson that continues to bode true is the old adage, "Big Bait, Big Fish". This has been proven again and again, particularly on big beach jewie haunts such as the far west coast SA. A good way to rig large, softer baits is by using 2-3 half hitches around the top part of the bait with the trace. That with a two-hook rig should keep the bait on for a big cast. Another casting tip is to use a sliding swivel and 30-40cm dropper to the weight, and a 60-100cm trace. This way the weight and bait are closer together and if weighted correctly will allow for bigger baits to be cast a mile (without the lead sliding up the main line). To help, I have sketched the rig, see here: The looped dropper also allows for easy weight changing as conditions require (remember, a bait that just rests on the bottom, and is allowed to move around a bit will 10:1 outfish a bait anchored to the bottom with 5lb of lead). Using a 30cm slab, or kg + dead / livebaits (inc big squid) will increase your chances of that 30kg Jew. Just remember to fish your smaller rigs in parallel as many hours pass waiting for big jew hits. Good luck!

Mate do you have any photos?

Mate, have you tried Mustad Penetrators? They are a fine guage hook and have significantly improved our hook-up rate on schoolies... Another method that may help is a fine guage owner treble as a stinger. Of course, the hook size depends on the size of the bait you are using...

Mate, most consistent place for livies is at the breakwall. Head there on any tide, but fish on the upcurrent side. So fish the eastern corner on the run in, and the western corner on the run out. With live bait jig ready, crawl around until you find patches of bait on the sounder, then simply drop the jig in the school and twitch it around. You should get enough for a session in quick time. Funnily enough, good spots for kingies are where the bait is, so quickly get a livie out near the bait schools and you will be in with a chance. Other spots to try for kings are the third runway wide, channel markers between the runway and the breakwall, henry head, the drums in the middle, and the oil wharf. I hear the hot water outlet is also holding kingies. Good luck

boys we caught a squillion of those fluteys jigging for kingies last season... love knife jigs, fight like a wet sock

Been off the site for a while, thought I would add my 2 cents Whats the story with swap and sell? I have used that forum several times, and always check, er, checked it for anything interesting every time I visit. I have sold and bought goods many times without issue, even interstate. To say I am disappointed is a severe understatement Damn shame it came to this... Have the mods looked at options? Some other sites use a centralised selling area, where sellers are forced to fill in fields to ensure all info is standardised, and people forced to utilise the function properly? Bring it back

Cheers guys Good guesses, close but no cigar Jewy caught in the Bay, on bait - 30cm fresh squid. To be honest, I was a tad disappointed, thought with a bait that size a 20kg big mama would be on the cards!

Ye ol Mulloway 10-11kg New PB for me ! You dig?

Nice fish boys. [insert lame comment here] ha!

Sea Urchin are good also, hooked my first marlin a few years ago with those guys...

Big lure Big fish

Nice capture, she is a bid girl Shame you didnt release her - that one fish could equal 10,000...