Newcastle - beach fishing

[DaveTheBoy]

Decided to brave the holiday crowds this morning as I had a later start at work.  Headed over to Stockton to find the beach as heavily trafficked as I can remember seeing it - must have been a fisherman every 25m as far up the beach as I could see. 

In any case there were still fish to be found on the upcoming tide, I kept 5 whiting for the table, ranging between 35cm-40cm. Also caught a few chopper tailor, flathead & dart which were released.

All fish were taken on pipi baits (which were just rolling up on the beach with the rising tide).  Paternoster rig, 10lb trace to a #2 long shank hook.  You don’t need to cast very far for the fish, just over the whitewash is plenty - I cast right on to the sandbars when the tide is up, the fish seem to like feeding there.

Whilst there were heaps of people fishing, not many of them seemed to be catching anything - just folks out enjoying their holidays.  I have found a good system of using the crowds to my advantage, I look for a small group fishing together using pilchards for bait.  They are effectively just creating a steady burley trail as their baits break up, so follow the current down to the next sandbar from them & pick the fish up there! 

If you’re heading down to a beach, don’t be afraid to fill up your bucket with plastic/garbage on your walk home!  We can all do our bit to help keep the beaches clean during these busy periods.

 

[beachwormer]

Totally like your approach Dave, including the rubbish pickup.

Those are some healthy whiting, great job. I've always thought 10 lb is too heavy to get bites for whiting, but it doesn't seem to stop you! Here I was last night in Botany Bay with live nippers and 5 lb trace and couldn't get a bite, even though I know there are whiting there!

[DaveTheBoy]

36 minutes ago, beachwormer said:

Totally like your approach Dave, including the rubbish pickup.

Those are some healthy whiting, great job. I've always thought 10 lb is too heavy to get bites for whiting, but it doesn't seem to stop you! Here I was last night in Botany Bay with live nippers and 5 lb trace and couldn't get a bite, even though I know there are whiting there!

For sure I totally understand, it’s a different fishery altogether which requires much less finesse. These fish are coming out of the surf which offers a bit of latitude I think with the white water & sand reducing the need to fish so light.

I was at Narooma a few weeks back & had to use 4lb fluro leader to entice them to take yabbies. That was in calmer waters with less movement - I guess it’s really about adjusting the approach to suit. 

Hope you get some whiting soon!

[big Neil]

Nice report there Dave and a very useful tip for others to try when fishing at this time of year. Good onya for sharing it. Cheers, bn

[masterfisho7]

Well done Dave some top fish 

[beachwormer]

3 hours ago, DaveTheBoy said:

For sure I totally understand, it’s a different fishery altogether which requires much less finesse. These fish are coming out of the surf which offers a bit of latitude I think with the white water & sand reducing the need to fish so light.

I was at Narooma a few weeks back & had to use 4lb fluro leader to entice them to take yabbies. That was in calmer waters with less movement - I guess it’s really about adjusting the approach to suit. 

Hope you get some whiting soon!

Hey Dave, thanks. Got one tonight about the size of yours - a good feeling after a long break from fishing! And it was on 10 lb trace in the surf!

[DaveTheBoy]

7 hours ago, beachwormer said:

Hey Dave, thanks. Got one tonight about the size of yours - a good feeling after a long break from fishing! And it was on 10 lb trace in the surf!

Good on you that’s awesome!

[The Poacher]

Great approach, and a great attitude DaveThe Boy.

BTW - fillets of whiting in garlic and parmesan cheese are unbeleivably good.

The Poacher

[Rock&Beach]

Good feedback Dave. 

Great advice on the lighter leader. 

Tight lines, R&B

[tunanocrust]

Hi Dave, 

great work with the whiting!
I'm keen to get out and give it a go, just wondering if you need a light surf rod or will something a bit shorter also do the trick?

Cheers! 

[DaveTheBoy]

On 1/7/2019 at 10:15 PM, tunanocrust said:

Hi Dave, 

great work with the whiting!
I'm keen to get out and give it a go, just wondering if you need a light surf rod or will something a bit shorter also do the trick?

Cheers! 

Mate I use a 12ft light action rod, but I don't see why something around 8-10ft wouldn't work equally well.  You don't need to cast very far to find the fish (in fact - I reckon most people are casting out well past them!).  Try a slow retrieve too with plenty of pauses.  This will remove slack from your line, and the whiting seem to like a bait that moves a little.

[Berleyguts]

On 1/7/2019 at 10:15 PM, tunanocrust said:

Hi Dave, 

great work with the whiting!
I'm keen to get out and give it a go, just wondering if you need a light surf rod or will something a bit shorter also do the trick?

Cheers! 

I like a light surf rod (I use a 10ft 4 wrap rod with a 5 inch Alvey) but the whiting can often be right at your feet and they can be caught on 6-7ft rods, depending on the conditions. Find a good gutter on a rising tide with high tide just after dusk and use live beach worms and you should nail a few. I might have a crack myself when the holiday crowds have gone home.

[tunanocrust]

Thanks @DaveTheBoy & @Berleyguts for the advice!

I grabbed a new 10ft light surf rod and some beach worms today and headed up to the entrance today to try my luck.
Im still a novice at reading the surf but using the slow retrieve method I did manage to pull in this fella!
not an elbow slapper like yours Dave but a good starting point.

Just 1 more question, does the size of longshank hook make a difference? 
I was using size 6 hooks.

Cheers
 

 

 

[Berleyguts]

28 minutes ago, tunanocrust said:

Thanks @DaveTheBoy & @Berleyguts for the advice!

I grabbed a new 10ft light surf rod and some beach worms today and headed up to the entrance today to try my luck.
Im still a novice at reading the surf but using the slow retrieve method I did manage to pull in this fella!
not an elbow slapper like yours Dave but a good starting point.

Just 1 more question, does the size of longshank hook make a difference? 
I was using size 6 hooks.

Cheers
 

 

 

Well done! Size 6 long shanks are OK. I use a little bigger - size 4. Also, try using a short length of red plastic tubing above the hook. It’s an added attractor and provides some protection from the teeth of flathead, tailor etc.

[DaveTheBoy]

16 hours ago, tunanocrust said:

Thanks @DaveTheBoy & @Berleyguts for the advice!

I grabbed a new 10ft light surf rod and some beach worms today and headed up to the entrance today to try my luck.
Im still a novice at reading the surf but using the slow retrieve method I did manage to pull in this fella!
not an elbow slapper like yours Dave but a good starting point.

Just 1 more question, does the size of longshank hook make a difference? 
I was using size 6 hooks.

Cheers
 

 

 

 

Good work you've got the idea!  Size of the hook shouldn't make too much difference (I use #2 or #4 depending) - I think you can always catch a big fish on a small hook!  Long shank is the right type to use here.

[jenno64]

Awesome session Dave with delicious results!!

[tunanocrust]

On 1/10/2019 at 9:39 PM, Berleyguts said:

Well done! Size 6 long shanks are OK. I use a little bigger - size 4. Also, try using a short length of red plastic tubing above the hook. It’s an added attractor and provides some protection from the teeth of flathead, tailor etc.

 

On 1/11/2019 at 1:32 PM, DaveTheBoy said:

Good work you've got the idea!  Size of the hook shouldn't make too much difference (I use #2 or #4 depending) - I think you can always catch a big fish on a small hook!  Long shank is the right type to use here.

Thanks alot for the advice guys!!!!

Cheers