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Berkeley Gulp Sandworms


Wiskas

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Hi all

I’m looking at trying the Berkeley Gulp Sandworm soft plastic rigged on either a paternoster or running sinker rig as I would a live beachworm for beach fishing targeting Whiting/Bream/Flathead. From what I’ve read on the forums this method has been successful in the estuaries but would like to know if members have had luck off the beaches with this setup. I fish an Alvey 55 on a 12 foot Gary Howard Surf Special. 
 

many thanks

Wiskas

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Welcome to the forum Wiskas, great mob of people on here with plenty of experience and good advice.

I do this all the time and often outfish guys using live beachworms. Personally I fish a simple, running sinker rig with trace about 45cm and don't bother with a jighead, just a #6 short shanked hook pinned once through the Gulp worm"s head.

The secret is to ever so slowly retrieve the line to keep the worm moving and your Alvey outfit is perfect for this.

I like the 2 inch Gulp in bloodworm colour, but have caught fish on most colours in the range.

I target whiting using this technique, but catch plenty of bream and flathead too along with the odd dart.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Green Hornet

Regarding your method above, you mention using a number 6 short shank hook pinned once through the head of the sandworm. Could I ask why this is better than threading the hook as you would a normal soft plastic? Also, are there any hooks you can recommend by brand that you’ve had the most success with?

many thanks

Wiskas

 

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The red, Mustad suicides work well, but I normally use Daiichi 2171's, simply because they double up as a good blackfish hook and I've always got plenty laying around.

I pin them through the head to give the sandworm maximum movement and hook exposure, plus its easy to replace one quickly. They're that small and thin I often have trouble getting them straight, if I try to thread them on.

Whiting on the beach usually aren't too fussy and hit pretty hard, at least where I fish, so I don't find pinning them once is any drawback at all.

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Although I haven't tried the method myself from what I have seen others do there is no reason not to put a SP on a paternoster surf or any other bottom rig as long as its on the right shaped hook & sitting in the water properly. 

 

If you look at some pre made 3 hook surf rigs they include 1 popper, that's an attractor that does catch fish, so a long shanked plastic could do well.

Just have to be wary of the spin with some SP's I recon?

Its worth a shot when not much is happening 😁 

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  • 10 months later...

Hi all

i was wanting to post a report much earlier than this but plans changed earlier in the year due COVID. 
 

however, I have just returned from my experiment with the Berkeley Gulp Sandworms with success. I’m at Kingscliff at the moment and got down to the mouth of Cudgen Creek (wind was up a little for beach fishing).  My set up was my 10’6” live fibre, Alvey Ripfighter spooled with 4kg Platypus Lo Stretch running sinker to 12lb fluorocarbon leader. The hook I went for was the Mustad suicide number 4 with the sand worm pinned once through the head (as per Greenhornet’s recommendation). And the method used was a slow retrieve after casting (again, thanks Greenhornet)
It wasn’t long before I had my first hit and after a few more casts I landed a nice flathead, bloody excited! 
Still very keen to give this a run off the beach for whiting. 

cheers all

Wiskas

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