Jewfish Tactics

[4x4fisherman]

Well said mate.

Some cracking jews at the singing bridge. I personally haven't caught one there but i havent put much time in either. Seen some 50lb fish caught there and heard of bigger.

I know the spot at apple tree near the ramp. Some big bream there but jews? Its pretty shallow and narrow but at the entrance, after a little rain at night or during low light jews could certainly be there. Did you ever land one of them? Would really be something if a 20kg+ fish was pulled from there!

Cheers, Tom

Never even looked like turning one of them! First couple of times I thought maybe small hammerheads or rays but I've been quick enough to get to the jetty without getting wrapped up and kept pressure on until I was just about spooled and there was a noticable tail beat. On 1kg line it doesn't have to be too big a fish to beat me up. I only every fished there Wednesday or Thursday evenings which are the quietest. Watching the sounder coming into the ramp there's a couple of sudden depth changes in there and I've heard of jew being caught on quiet nights off the jetty. Personally it's somewhere Ive overlooked when looking for bigger fish.

[Scratchie]

I'm no expert at all but after listening, reading,researching and chasing these beautiful fish for the last year, I have learnt may things. Everytime I go out targeting jewfish I learn something new.

From my experiences, they are as elusive as everyone has mentioned but I have studied the area I fish and it does improve your chances.

My last 4 outings has yealed 5 Jews ranging from 4kg to one monster weighing in at 26kg.

My tactics to add to this forum are:

Tide: all my fish were caught on the ebb tide 2hrs before low during the day or night.

Gear: big fish= big gear.... If u do catch that monster you don't want to loose it!

Area: most common report is that big Jew live in deep holes. All mine were caught in 12m of water. However it was the deepest point but near structure. So find structure, find fish.

Bait: the size of the bait doesn't appear to matter. Squid seems to work the most consistant.But I would agree that fresh is best. I have caught 1 with a hole squid that went 5kg and the latest 26kg on just a squid head about 5cm long.

So for me, I apply the 7 P theory!

Proper preparation prevents poor performance as long as you have patience and persistence!

Tight lines,

Cheers scratchie!!!

[Guest Aussie007]

over the weekend i found something that turns off the jews and we all fill up at the petrol station as i was filling up the boat fuel tank i squirted fuel all over my foot and thong water doesnt wash fuel off so we were fishing i scratched my foot and was wondering why the other two guys on my boat were pulling up jew after jew one mate even had double hook up's yet i wasnt even getting a touch than i remembered the mishap at the servo

so i put down a rod and let a mate use it and he pulls up a nice flat head could my day get any worse lol than the only fish i catch for the whole day its a hawkesbury catchfish

ive found the last week has been producing small jews on chicken breast and california squid and its not even a full moon

[Guest Aussie007]

caught my first and second jew yesterday i was happy as larry all i done was swap from braid to mono and i was on within minutes

[Serena]

Hi Guys

One thing I've heard but yet to try is when you find predators feeding particularly tailor as they leave a lot of scraps in the water is that Jews quiet often will be found underneath feeding off the scraps as mentioned earlier they are lazy fish and will take to scavenging. Makes sence really.

[cowan-cowboy]

Firstly thanks all for your contributions. I have read this thread numerous times and still enjoy it.

I am looking at purchasing my first jewfish outfit

I will be fishing Cowan creek, Juno point and the hawkesbury bridges. I have been speaking with one of the local takle stores and they have recommended a 10-15kg rod with a shimano 8000 oc bait runner.

What are you thoughts?

[fish_feeder]

What's the best way to rig up a line for Jews I'm thinking of heading out this weekend maybe Saturday arvo/night but not sure haven't looked at the tides yet

[Paul]

Hi Raiders

Since this was one of my main sources of jewie information, I'd like to give a little back.

From my last few estuary outings with several different techniques from live bait to fresh dead bait and plastics, I'd like to share the tactic that has been most consistently successful for me hooking up to jewies in the double digits ranging from 55cm to 80cm. Not the monsters that everyone dreams of, but a good place to start. I'm sure the same tactic would work when the larger jewies pass through, just upsize the baits/hooks a little. Please excuse the poor diagram.

Tides: Run in or out

Moon: Didn't matter

Rod: Anywhere between 1-5 kg

Line: Anywhere between 3lb to 8lb. Lighter more fun obviously but heavier increases chances of landing the fish and not busting off. Leader is important especially since I land quite a few bream that jump around on deck and can nick the line every now and then so keep an eye on it.

Bait or Lure: Fresh is best. Large prawns, tailor, yakka, herring strips or fillets. I'm sure squid works too but haven't tried. For lure, something with gold or silver flecks e.g Z-Man MinnowZ (gold rush or opening night)

Rig: Braid to leader with your knot of choice to a jighead. Hook size can vary but I like to keep mine small as I target bream at the same time. Weight varies as well, the general rule I like to stick to is heavy enough to hit and bounce around the bottom but light enough to feel the bites (In my case I use 1/4 or 1/6).

Technique: Please see the diagram below. From the cast area, wind in slack with the drift so you can keep the line tight and feel the activity of your bait and lure at all times in the strike zone. If you feel a jewie take it, STRIKE and STRIKE HARD (make sure your drag isn't locked or you can pull the hook). The rest is just fighting and keeping the fish on the line by keeping the line tight, reeling it in and landing it.

Kept two for the table last night

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Paul

Edited May 30, 2013 by Paul

[whitewash]

hey guys does any one know the general movements of jewies…..

i.e. the bloke at my tackle store has said that the jews will be around headlands mouths of rivers/ creeks as they follow the mullet run that is going on at the moment…

so does this mean if its true that in summer they tend to be up stream? and in winter down stream?

just trying to figure out where I am going to target them?

[Guest Aussie007]

hey guys does any one know the general movements of jewies…..

i.e. the bloke at my tackle store has said that the jews will be around headlands mouths of rivers/ creeks as they follow the mullet run that is going on at the moment…

so does this mean if its true that in summer they tend to be up stream? and in winter down stream?

just trying to figure out where I am going to target them?

i target jews but never catch any been told a similar thing the jews coming and go from the georges river depending on season

[Scratchie]

hey guys does any one know the general movements of jewies..

i.e. the bloke at my tackle store has said that the jews will be around headlands mouths of rivers/ creeks as they follow the mullet run that is going on at the moment

so does this mean if its true that in summer they tend to be up stream? and in winter down upstream?

just trying to figure out where I am going to target them?

Your pretty much on the money there. Although you will get resident Jew in the same area year round, this time of year during the mullet run is the best time to target them off the beaches and headlands. Bay's and estuaries are more productive on the warmer months!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[portstar]

Great job on the input guys this is great thread very informative. On the 20th of Sept me and a mate will be heading out from boat to chase some Jewies for the first time, we are going to launch from lower portland at first light and fish the run out tide. Any one got some advice for fishing this specific area, fished it before for ep and bass. I am going to try to catch a few mullet the day before.

[olic33]

Awesome thread! So much info, I might have to read it all over again just to make sure I don't forget anything! Cheers everyone!

[APEX]

hey guys just throwing in my first post for this forum and what a way to start with my favourite catch!

After fishing since baby days on boats for bream and snapper i was 18 years old when a friend of mine taught me how to target "Jewfish". And i was hooked ever since.

Always fishing land based and 5 years later ive bagged 2 Jews (both at 71 and 73 cm) at around 3kgs that happened to be last year at my most common spot, which is around the harbour waters off a wharf.

Previous years was a big learning curve for the magic mulloway and im nowhere near being an expert but since starting ive never fished for anything else apart from baitfish and squid.

My gear at the moment im running is a Snyder Glas 8 wrap 12'9"" which i just purchased in Christmas with a Shimano Baitrunner 6500B.

First couple of years chasing jewies was using the cheapy jarvis walker nasties and technique was always butterflied yellowtail and taylor, rod leaning on a bucket loose drag and then just going around the wharf trying to keep the bait bucket full of yakka waiting to hear that spool run. And problem was we were never next to the rod when it went off. I'd get the biggest screamer of a run and then get to the rod its gone! Spat it...Spewing! I reckon I could have had 10 jews under the belt if I changed tactics. I know i needed to up my game!

Magazine after magazine studying left right and centre i started looking deep into the tactics of other fisho's gameplans and rigs...The effort of grabbing the spool - reefing it back for a hook up then tightening drag at the same time was becoming a big miss...Especially when your sitting in the cold air for hours at a time with nothing going on waiting for a rod to scream, I found it too much effort, needed to resolve this!

THE BAITRUNNER! was a dream come true, had a Penn Spinfisher IV rod with a penn 760 Slammer before picking up the big Shimano (still bring the Penn out occassionally teaching my brother the trade), Even though this resolved the muck up issue of the reel I honestly never caught a jewie, again for not being around the rod...And this is when I started throwing on 10-0 Gamakatsu Octopus Beaks to get a better chance of hook up but then didnt let the smaller yakka's look attractive...all good for the bigger baits but didnt get much action...

Spoke to my mate and gave me the best idea that lead me to my first Jew...strap up the rod to something with occy straps and keep the drag tight...Caught 2 jewies and a big flattie so far! Anything that hits it will get the hook up! Only lost one fish a couple of metres from surfacing...wasnt hooked properly...

First Jew was caught on a live yellowtail, second was a butterfly yellowtail, mate of mine has bagged more than me he has been more successfull on butterfly yakka but we know if the fish are around they'll take whatever comes up in the hole lol!

So thats my story using x2 Gamakatsu 7-0 i find is a good size hook for the bait i use, got 60LB shimano power pro 8 strand braid ( I use my one rod all the time hoping for that dream Jewie LOL ) 60Lb Fluorocarbon leader good size round sinker or star sinker for beach.

Hope to start going on some boat trips in the future chasing the big silver ghost and hope to soon crack on to my first kingie in the near future!

Cheers, Nicko!

[APEX]

Oh and I always find the new moon after an overcast day 2 hours after high tide during the runout (at night) a couple of days after light rain is when ive had the most success with bites...it might not be the most proven method but has worked best for me!

Edited January 23, 2015 by Nickolas

[olic33]

top post man..great info!

[bmp075]

For me the lighter the tackle the better. My preference is to lure fish these majestic fish. However if I was to live bait, I find that the live bait used must be what you will find in a particular location you want to fish. This sounds pedantic but no point taking a Long Tom from the mouth of a river and deploying it miles upstream. For livies go local and your chances may improve.

Edited January 28, 2015 by bmp075

[bobbie hogan]

thank you for all your help with these posts , my daughter & i are going out fishing from wisemans ferry tomorrow hunting for her first fish , hopefully a jewfish ,so thanks again for sharing information .

[Greyfox]

Just finish reading this topic, thank you to all who have given advice, like a lot, the big jew is my dream catch, and this advice and knowledge gained hopefully will see me getting that once in a lifetime fish.

I think my main problem is lack of paitence, as I am a very active person, I need to relax and slow down whilst fishing, every fishing trip I get better at this.

I have improved my berley mixture and method, my baits are in better condition before hooking up and on the hook, I am constantly looking at and taking advice when I can, so the time is getting closer for me to hook up that big jew that has my name on it.

[sapphirejewel]

Hi Guys,

I've read this forum over and over and have been catching Jewfish on soft plastics for a couple of years now and recently started fishing my local beach on the new and full moon tides down. Great gutter and good tides during the nights.

I'm confused and frustrated. I use fresh mullet, 6/0 Octopus Hooks, Two hook snell rig with 60lb leader and 30lb braid.

I've hooked up the past 3 nights and for some reason I'm not catching the Jewish. I've been reading up on when to strike the fish and tonight I had a good run and I had my reel on bait runner and I let the fish run and then started to reel with a tight drag to set the hook, though the line went slack? What this an instance of the jewfish dropping the bait once running with it first?

Can someone please explain to me a detailed outline of ...

WHEN DO YOU STRIKE AND SET THE HOOK?

HOW LONG DO YOU LET THE FISH RUN WITH THE BAIT?

DO THEY ALWAYS DROP THE BAIT AFTER PICKING IT UP, SHOULD I WAIT FOR THEM TO DROP THE BAIT BEFORE STRIKING?

Sorry for the Caps, though I'm confused and so passionate about these fish.

Cheers Guys!

Edited May 19, 2016 by sapphirejewel

[Guest]

Hit em straight away and if in the rod holder use enough drag to set the hook

[Scratchie]

I agree with swordy! If the baits in their big mouth, then so is the hook!

However, if live baiting is a bit different. A quick count to ten, then set the hook. Just my opinion!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[Jewhunter]

It depends on how big your bait is.

I've found that just dropping the rod tip after the first bump

while the reel is in gear & then waiting to feel weight & hitting them hard achieves

the best results.

It does mean standing there for a long time with the rod in your hand, but it

works for me.

[HellenicRambo]

It depends on how big your bait is.

I've found that just dropping the rod tip after the first bump

while the reel is in gear & then waiting to feel weight & hitting them hard achieves

the best results.

It does mean standing there for a long time with the rod in your hand, but it

works for me.

[HellenicRambo]

That works the best for me,

As long as your close to your rod.Also grab to feel whats going on,

Because with braided line you can feel if they are swimming close to bait.