Live Bait Rig Advice

[Siesta911]

Hi Raiders.

I am taking my mates to the middle harbour and heads area by boat during the upcoming Christmas holidays for live bait fishing targeting kingfish.

We will be using live yakkas and squid.

My question is, what sort of rig we should use when targeting kingfish from the boat.

Should you use sinker to sink live yakkas? Should we use a float like when we fish from the rocks?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Captain Spanner]

Hi Raiders.

I am taking my mates to the middle harbour and heads area by boat during the upcoming Christmas holidays for live bait fishing targeting kingfish.

We will be using live yakkas and squid.

My question is, what sort of rig we should use when targeting kingfish from the boat.

Should you use sinker to sink live yakkas? Should we use a float like when we fish from the rocks?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I never fish Middle Harbour or the Harbour but when i fish inside and outside Botany Bay and Port Hacking i am usually slow trolling and just pin a livebait hook sideways through the nostrils of the bait. Hook size should be dictated by the size of the bait moreso than the size of the fish you are trying to catch. Leader weight i use anything from 40lb Fluoro up to 150lb Hard Mono.

To give you a starting point if you are using live yellowtail about the size of a mars bar on 50lb braid you might use about a 5/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu (i've only included brand because different brands are different physical sizes for the same size number) livebait hook on 80lb leader about 2m to 3m long. If the fish are smaller you might or you are fishing with 30lb braid you may use a 40lb to 60lb leader but still base the hook size on the bait size.

A longer leader gives you a better buffer zone for abrasion but if its too long it can be a hassle when the fish is boatside ready for netting. It really is easier if you can swim the fish to the net straight from the rod tip without having to handline the leader so just figure out what works with your rods and boat.

I normally slow troll one bait on the surface with the the reel in bait runner or ratchet freespool to prevent the loss of baits due to hesitant inquiries or missed takes (especially by those pesky salmon) but someone is always ready to pounce on the rod so the fish doesn't have too much of a head start. Alot of guys will fish lockup from the get go. I fish in fighting drag when using tiny livebaits baits, downrigging and squid baits. You can make a "poor mans downrigger" by tying a 2oz to 10oz snapper lead (depending on conditions) to one end of a swivel with light line or a rubber band and slipping the other end of the swivel onto the mainline like a running sinker or via a sliding sinker clip. The light line or rubber band joining the sinker to the swivel is like a fuse or insurance incase the sinker snags on structure or the bottom. Alternatively you could just use a large torpedo sinker. You can slow troll this along and when you see the fish on the sounder slow down to let the bait sink through the fish.

If you are anchored you can use similar sized leaders, hooks and sinkers or unweighted (i recommend at least one on the surface unweighted and one on the bottom). If in strong current i would still pin the bait sideways through the nostrils with one hook because they last longest this way before drowning and kings normally hit the bait head on anyway. Some guys pin the bait in the shoulder or back (do not pierce the spine or lateral line), some guys may use a two hook fixed or slider rig with the top hook through the nose and other towards the tail. If there is no current or fishing off the shore you may want to put the top hook through the tail end and the bottom hook sideways through the nostrils so the bait swims away from the boat. You can do this with either no weight, a float, a balloon or with a sinker rig.

Using squid for bait i fish a 2 hook slider rig, top hook through the tip of the hood or strip and bottom hook between the eyes if dead or bottom of the hood next to the mantle if live or through about an inch and a half or 2 inches above the bottom of the strip. With strips always have the point of the bottom hook poking out the side of the strip that used to be the outside of the hood because when it naturally recurls you dont want the hook point obstructed by the bait. For using just the had as bait i only use one hook unless it's a massive head. Same rigs as per livebaits.

If you search kingfish and jewfish rigs or baits on here you should find explanations and diagrams of rigs.

As mentioned i dont know the Harbour or Middle Harbour very well but from what i've heard: The Spit Bridge, North Head, and the major navigational markers throughout the harbour hold fish. Hopefully someone on here will have better info on spots tides etc. In general an hour either side of a tide change is good.

[steze]

I never fish Middle Harbour or the Harbour but when i fish inside and outside Botany Bay and Port Hacking i am usually slow trolling and just pin a livebait hook sideways through the nostrils of the bait. Hook size should be dictated by the size of the bait moreso than the size of the fish you are trying to catch. Leader weight i use anything from 40lb Fluoro up to 150lb Hard Mono.

To give you a starting point if you are using live yellowtail about the size of a mars bar on 50lb braid you might use about a 5/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu (i've only included brand because different brands are different physical sizes for the same size number) livebait hook on 80lb leader about 2m to 3m long. If the fish are smaller you might or you are fishing with 30lb braid you may use a 40lb to 60lb leader but still base the hook size on the bait size.

A longer leader gives you a better buffer zone for abrasion but if its too long it can be a hassle when the fish is boatside ready for netting. It really is easier if you can swim the fish to the net straight from the rod tip without having to handline the leader so just figure out what works with your rods and boat.

I normally slow troll one bait on the surface with the the reel in bait runner or ratchet freespool to prevent the loss of baits due to hesitant inquiries or missed takes (especially by those pesky salmon) but someone is always ready to pounce on the rod so the fish doesn't have too much of a head start. Alot of guys will fish lockup from the get go. I fish in fighting drag when using tiny livebaits baits, downrigging and squid baits. You can make a "poor mans downrigger" by tying a 2oz to 10oz snapper lead (depending on conditions) to one end of a swivel with light line or a rubber band and slipping the other end of the swivel onto the mainline like a running sinker or via a sliding sinker clip. The light line or rubber band joining the sinker to the swivel is like a fuse or insurance incase the sinker snags on structure or the bottom. Alternatively you could just use a large torpedo sinker. You can slow troll this along and when you see the fish on the sounder slow down to let the bait sink through the fish.

If you are anchored you can use similar sized leaders, hooks and sinkers or unweighted (i recommend at least one on the surface unweighted and one on the bottom). If in strong current i would still pin the bait sideways through the nostrils with one hook because they last longest this way before drowning and kings normally hit the bait head on anyway. Some guys pin the bait in the shoulder or back (do not pierce the spine or lateral line), some guys may use a two hook fixed or slider rig with the top hook through the nose and other towards the tail. If there is no current or fishing off the shore you may want to put the top hook through the tail end and the bottom hook sideways through the nostrils so the bait swims away from the boat. You can do this with either no weight, a float, a balloon or with a sinker rig.

Using squid for bait i fish a 2 hook slider rig, top hook through the tip of the hood or strip and bottom hook between the eyes if dead or bottom of the hood next to the mantle if live or through about an inch and a half or 2 inches above the bottom of the strip. With strips always have the point of the bottom hook poking out the side of the strip that used to be the outside of the hood because when it naturally recurls you dont want the hook point obstructed by the bait. For using just the had as bait i only use one hook unless it's a massive head. Same rigs as per livebaits.

If you search kingfish and jewfish rigs or baits on here you should find explanations and diagrams of rigs.

As mentioned i dont know the Harbour or Middle Harbour very well but from what i've heard: The Spit Bridge, North Head, and the major navigational markers throughout the harbour hold fish. Hopefully someone on here will have better info on spots tides etc. In general an hour either side of a tide change is good.

Beautiful Info mate!

[Siesta911]

Wow. Impressed.

Thanks a million Captain Spanner!

You seem to have covered everything!!

I think I will try everything you shared and let you know how it goes.

Very happy to know someone there like you who help out people!!!

Cheers,

I never fish Middle Harbour or the Harbour but when i fish inside and outside Botany Bay and Port Hacking i am usually slow trolling and just pin a livebait hook sideways through the nostrils of the bait. Hook size should be dictated by the size of the bait moreso than the size of the fish you are trying to catch. Leader weight i use anything from 40lb Fluoro up to 150lb Hard Mono.

To give you a starting point if you are using live yellowtail about the size of a mars bar on 50lb braid you might use about a 5/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu (i've only included brand because different brands are different physical sizes for the same size number) livebait hook on 80lb leader about 2m to 3m long. If the fish are smaller you might or you are fishing with 30lb braid you may use a 40lb to 60lb leader but still base the hook size on the bait size.

A longer leader gives you a better buffer zone for abrasion but if its too long it can be a hassle when the fish is boatside ready for netting. It really is easier if you can swim the fish to the net straight from the rod tip without having to handline the leader so just figure out what works with your rods and boat.

I normally slow troll one bait on the surface with the the reel in bait runner or ratchet freespool to prevent the loss of baits due to hesitant inquiries or missed takes (especially by those pesky salmon) but someone is always ready to pounce on the rod so the fish doesn't have too much of a head start. Alot of guys will fish lockup from the get go. I fish in fighting drag when using tiny livebaits baits, downrigging and squid baits. You can make a "poor mans downrigger" by tying a 2oz to 10oz snapper lead (depending on conditions) to one end of a swivel with light line or a rubber band and slipping the other end of the swivel onto the mainline like a running sinker or via a sliding sinker clip. The light line or rubber band joining the sinker to the swivel is like a fuse or insurance incase the sinker snags on structure or the bottom. Alternatively you could just use a large torpedo sinker. You can slow troll this along and when you see the fish on the sounder slow down to let the bait sink through the fish.

If you are anchored you can use similar sized leaders, hooks and sinkers or unweighted (i recommend at least one on the surface unweighted and one on the bottom). If in strong current i would still pin the bait sideways through the nostrils with one hook because they last longest this way before drowning and kings normally hit the bait head on anyway. Some guys pin the bait in the shoulder or back (do not pierce the spine or lateral line), some guys may use a two hook fixed or slider rig with the top hook through the nose and other towards the tail. If there is no current or fishing off the shore you may want to put the top hook through the tail end and the bottom hook sideways through the nostrils so the bait swims away from the boat. You can do this with either no weight, a float, a balloon or with a sinker rig.

Using squid for bait i fish a 2 hook slider rig, top hook through the tip of the hood or strip and bottom hook between the eyes if dead or bottom of the hood next to the mantle if live or through about an inch and a half or 2 inches above the bottom of the strip. With strips always have the point of the bottom hook poking out the side of the strip that used to be the outside of the hood because when it naturally recurls you dont want the hook point obstructed by the bait. For using just the had as bait i only use one hook unless it's a massive head. Same rigs as per livebaits.

If you search kingfish and jewfish rigs or baits on here you should find explanations and diagrams of rigs.

As mentioned i dont know the Harbour or Middle Harbour very well but from what i've heard: The Spit Bridge, North Head, and the major navigational markers throughout the harbour hold fish. Hopefully someone on here will have better info on spots tides etc. In general an hour either side of a tide change is good.

[johnv]

wow Captain, thats some realy useful informatoin there which every body can use.... very good of u for shareing this info WELL DONE

cheers john