Salted yakka cutlet

[chokpa]

Anyone have experience using this?

I caught some 30cm yakkas and decided to salt and use them as bait. I chucked some decent cutlets out on a 2 hook snell rig and they didn't get a single bite, not even from pickers! Though it was a slow fishing day anyway, i did know the area i was in was full on baby snapper and trevally.

I'm wondering if it will appeal to a king, as i'd like to break my duck this summer. Surprisingly I couldnt find too much about it. I read some articles about butterflying them but surely if butterflying works, cutlets must work too?

 

Cheers

[anthman]

Could work but I think there might better ways of increasing your chances at your first king (I presume you mean it's your first ever or perhaps first for the season?).

 

Some other ways include:

* Sluggos and minnow sps

* Slow pitch jigs

* Surface walkers when they are busting the surface

* Catch and use fresh squid baits

* Fresh/Live nippers (my personal favourite from last year)

 

Good luck mate!

 

[chokpa]

Thanks!

I usually have 2 rods out, one baited and one with lures.

Catching squid isn't reliable at my spot but maybe those California squid will be my backup instead.

I just figured that if they are live yakkas salted would be ok too?

Do you always present your baits under a float? I find the bottom has too many pickers

[mii11x]

1 hour ago, chokpa said:

Thanks!

I usually have 2 rods out, one baited and one with lures.

Catching squid isn't reliable at my spot but maybe those California squid will be my backup instead.

I just figured that if they are live yakkas salted would be ok too?

Do you always present your baits under a float? I find the bottom has too many pickers

Why dont you try go out the night before for a few hours landbased and gather some squid? 

Just put them in some ziplock bags and in the fridge to use the next morning. Strip bait them, use the heads(cut in half length way if they are big heads even).  Small squid id use whole, but if you dont have many small squid use the hood and head as seperate baits, or even strip the hood and use the head.

Even if you have a sinker on you dont have to let it hit the bottom.

[Mutch22]

If your catching yakked just send one live out under the float while your spinning! If the kings are around and if they aren’t too fussy it shouldn’t take long before you get a hook up!

[chokpa]

2 hours ago, mii11x said:

Why dont you try go out the night before for a few hours landbased and gather some squid? 

Just put them in some ziplock bags and in the fridge to use the next morning. Strip bait them, use the heads(cut in half length way if they are big heads even).  Small squid id use whole, but if you dont have many small squid use the hood and head as seperate baits, or even strip the hood and use the head.

Even if you have a sinker on you dont have to let it hit the bottom.

Do you 2 hook snell a strip or use a single hook?

How far beneath the surface do you generally present the bait? I usually do around 2m

2 hours ago, Mutch22 said:

If your catching yakked just send one live out under the float while your spinning! If the kings are around and if they aren’t too fussy it shouldn’t take long before you get a hook up!

I do do that sometimes but it can be inconsistent on the day. 

[mii11x]

8 hours ago, chokpa said:

Do you 2 hook snell a strip or use a single hook?

I believe most would just single hook.  I have never fished for kingfish though.  

I'd make sure its a solid single hook and depth may vary under a float, I guess I would be keeping an eye on my sounder to see what depth returns are and set the depth accordingly.

I would more or less do the same if I were to use livebait.

As for inconsistent.......mate that can be fishing sometimes.  Most times I fish (90% of the time) is for mulloway, so I know all about inconsistencies.  One day/night they would smash everything I present them with, other times they are finicky, but trialing/using different techniques and presentations I usually have success.  I doubt kings would be any different.  I just remember what I do when they are finicky and go to that when the fishing does get tough.

Hope some of this helps you get the results you desire.

Mick

[Mutch22]

Yes it can be inconsist but like mii11x said That’s fishing! But depends what they are feeding on as well! I find on one of the ledges we fish inside the harbour we catch yakkas there if you keep your  burleying consistent and keep them around it normally attracts the kings , I like  too keep one under a float around the 2 metre mark and another yakka unweighted just doing its thing (pay attention to it tho because they have a tendency to swim back too the rocks! Hope this helps abit! 

[chokpa]

What berley mix are you using and how often do you throw it in the water? I'm using prawn crush, bread and a dash of tuna oil. Might mix in some oats in the future to give it a bit more body.

Will try it out on my next trip👍

Yeah I hate it when the livies swim back. Drives me nuts

[Berleyguts]

Getting back to the original question re “salted yellowtail cutlets”, are you taking cutlets, i.e. cutting across the fish, through the backbone and salting them, or fillets, i.e. slicing fillets off along the backbone? Fillets would waft in the water a lot better and should be quite enticing. Cutlets would just be big chunks with not much “flutter”.

I ask because when my mother-in-law talks cutlets, she means rissoles! 😂

[chokpa]

Yep I mean cross sections of the fish, so round cutlets not fillets. I've seen people use tailor cutlets for mulloway so figured it'd translate to king's potentially

[mii11x]

2 hours ago, chokpa said:

Yep I mean cross sections of the fish, so round cutlets not fillets. I've seen people use tailor cutlets for mulloway so figured it'd translate to king's potentially

I'd never use cutlets for mulloway.....ever.  

Sure you might get lucky once or twice, but if you want results consistently, I'd butterfly or fillet a dead yakka or tailor over a cutlet.

If I had a choice.....

1.  Live bait (take your pick of the species)

2. Fresh squid (whole, stripped, hood or head)

3.  Butterfly fresh dead fish bait or fillets (3 baits per fillet, 2 sides and a head)

Im sure the same would apply to kingfish with the addition of cuttlefish.

I would never use cutlets for kings if I began targeting them as the above mentioned options seem so more appealing in their presentation to me.

[Volitan]

On 10/27/2019 at 10:15 AM, anthman said:

Could work but I think there might better ways of increasing your chances at your first king (I presume you mean it's your first ever or perhaps first for the season?).

 

Some other ways include:

* Sluggos and minnow sps

* Slow pitch jigs

* Surface walkers when they are busting the surface

* Catch and use fresh squid baits

* Fresh/Live nippers (my personal favourite from last year)

 

Good luck mate!

 

Fresh live nippers for kingfish? First I’ve heard of that. Can you elaborate on how you fish them ?

cheers

[anthman]

21 hours ago, Volitan said:

Fresh live nippers for kingfish? First I’ve heard of that. Can you elaborate on how you fish them ?

cheers

As you would a piece of fresh squid - running sinker rig set at the depth the kingies are moving through - mid water for me. Put in rod holder and wait. Size 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook to avoid gut hooks (needs big yabbies).

Dead also works, but needs to be firm!

[chokpa]

On 10/30/2019 at 5:10 PM, mii11x said:

I'd never use cutlets for mulloway.....ever.  

Sure you might get lucky once or twice, but if you want results consistently, I'd butterfly or fillet a dead yakka or tailor over a cutlet.

If I had a choice.....

1.  Live bait (take your pick of the species)

2. Fresh squid (whole, stripped, hood or head)

3.  Butterfly fresh dead fish bait or fillets (3 baits per fillet, 2 sides and a head)

Im sure the same would apply to kingfish with the addition of cuttlefish.

I would never use cutlets for kings if I began targeting them as the above mentioned options seem so more appealing in their presentation to me.

Cheers

Do you pin the head via the nose and lob it out? I'd have thought head would have similar issues to a cutlet? It'd be a hunk of meat that doesn't have much action/movement?

[mii11x]

 

1 hour ago, chokpa said:

Cheers

Do you pin the head via the nose and lob it out? I'd have thought head would have similar issues to a cutlet? It'd be a hunk of meat that doesn't have much action/movement?

Hahaha yeah I guess it would almost be the same......a head does have more of a tapered profile however.  

If I ever strip bait I always try to make it a bit trianguler and pin the hook in the pointy end

[mii11x]

I pin a head up the the bottom jaw and out through the nose (between the eyes) directly above, if that makes sense

[chokpa]

13 hours ago, mii11x said:

 

Hahaha yeah I guess it would almost be the same......a head does have more of a tapered profile however.  

If I ever strip bait I always try to make it a bit trianguler and pin the hook in the pointy end

If you strip bait you only use a single hook?

 

I've been hanging or snelling mine. Can't decide what's better. Sometimes gangs snap, but Snell's can be bitten through.. hmm

Guess will try both

So in summary, fillet instead of cutlet. Two sides and a head. Suspend about 2m below the surface

[noelm]

A long thin bait will generally out fish a "blob" (cutlet) almost every time