gents and worms on hooks

[JaySedivy 0]

Fellas how is all, i am a lover of fishing but really struggle to catch anything, partly because i always take the wrong gear like rod to big or hooks to big, it seems to me the simplest setup seems to catch fish, last night i took my boys fishing down the foot bridge at pt noarlunga, we had floats and bottom lines going on, and i was using size 5 hooks, we got nothing in 3 hours but the man next to us with size hooks and a smaller rod caught whitting, i wonder if my 8ft rod is to big for that sort of fishing and i wonder if my bait style needs some work, im unsure how many gents to put on a hook and the same with worms, do you have to make sure the fish cant see the hook? any help would be awesome, me and the kids really want to start catching and i find their are so many variables invovled we need to get some of them on our side lol

[bjorn2fish 4,612]

I'm no expert on the topic by any means but this works for me with gents.With gents I usually put on about 6 to a size 8 long shank hook when targeting mullet, salmon trout and tommies. Quite often I'll have a size 4 long shank rigged and can't be bothered setting up a smaller rig that usually works fine too, I've caught quite a few bream with that setup and bait.Go as light as you can with tackle, rod n reel, float works well with the above, think I snatched a few whiting on that kinda rig too but bungum worms with no float seems to do well whiting in the Onk, I don't recall but think whiting eat from the bottom, giving the bait a little movement every now and then will help.The other guys on here will be able to help out with more specifics about rods, reels and tackle.1 last thing if you're targeting mullet, chuck out a handful of bread in small pieces and you'll see what happens the mullet go nuts then just chuck your bait in their path.

[Ugly4Life 41]

Rod: I find it doesn't matter as much about the rating of the rod (I fish with a 4 - 8kg Jewel mostly) but 8ft is a great length for land based fishing. I would not go less than 7ft if you can help it. What matters most is the tip. When fishing for whiting and other estuary species a sensitive tip is the best so you can see all the little nibbles. You'll catch a lot more fish with a sensitive tip than something that's reasonably stiff right through.Reel: Doesn't matter. Cheap and nasty will work fine for most bread and butter species. You can pick up something like a Shimano FX 2500 or 3000 for about $40, but what you need more than anything is good quality, light mono-filament line. Something like 8 - 10lb. Platypus Pretest in clear or yellow is a good one to start with. Once your more comfortable and start catching a few fish you can think about switching over to braided line.Bait: Fresh is best. Regardless of what you're using for bait, the best way to entice a fish is to present it naturally. So gents for example need to be pinned through the tail so they wiggle. Worms you can thread over the hook so only the barb shows and leave a couple of cm's dangling off as a 'tail'. Fish like Pilchard and Whitebait generally need to have the shank of the hook buried right through so that again, only the barb is showing. Rigs: This depends entirely on what you're fishing for. My advice here is to learn a couple of different knots (Uni Knot, Half Locked Blood Knot) and then do a Google search for rigs. So for example google 'King George Whiting Rigs' and you'll find what you need. Coupled with a basic knowledge of a few solid knots and you'll be a rig tying guru in no time. One last piece of advice for rigs; no matter what the rig, lighter is almost always better. Nothing scares a school of fish off quicker than a massive SPLASH when your 45g sinker hits the water. You only need enough weight to be able to cast and hold your bait in the general area.Hope that helps a bit.

[Juninho 0]

Generally off land based you don't need very large hooks to catch most bread and butter species. Long shank are generally the go and with whiting or other bottom species I'd tend to stay between size 4-8 and with top water feeders like Tommie's and garfish id go with size 8-12.Like others said google is a great resources along with this site for getting started on dofferent knots and rigs that you can apply to your fishing. Also a 7-8ft 2-4kg rod with a 2000-3000 size real will cover majority of fishing you find landbased. But as ugly4life mention sensitive tips are the key. Also braid is great for bait fishing you can feel everything that happens, added with a sensitive light rod and your in business

[Juninho 0]

Also with the hooks most of the time you want the barb on the hook free

[fridge 6]

ive out fished others on whiting quite often using a stiffer rod,depends on how their biting on the day,with a lighter tipped rod you tend not to feel the line pull/tension increase slightly imo and results to prove it and i dont take photos

[JaySedivy 0]

Ive got the abru garcer gold edition rod not sure on reel but it seem ok, thankyoy for the tips on bait, i do need to get my line better with better nots, as to the sinker i find the line always drifts and loosens the line is it inportant to have a tight line?, im gonna google the nots today and perfect my rig... again thankyou

[Ugly4Life 41]

as to the sinker i find the line always drifts and loosens the line is it inportant to have a tight line?

The line doesn't have to be 'tight' as in pulling straight from the tip of your rod to the water in a straight line. As long as it's not bowing right out in the wind a little bit of slack is not a problem. Here's a really' date=' really dodgy drawing that kind of illustrates what I am talking about... a bit hard to convey it through text.

[Ranger 48]

Sounds to me as if you're making the same mistake most of us did when first starting out. ie: trying to use too heavy gear to catch the big fish!Always fish as "light" as possible, and keep it as simple as possible!Use the lightest line which will enable you to catch the desired species. You dont need 20lb line to catch a whiting, and if you choose to use it, your catch rate will decline.....Whiting weigh 2lb, and they will not be fooled by that heavy tackle presented to them.Use the lightest weight which will hold your bait down in the position you cast it.Use the least amount of knots and joins in your rig.Use the smallest hook size suitable for the species.Choose fresh bait which is local to the area, and take a little care placing it on the hook, so that it looks natural and sways in the current.Keep your line tight so that you can feel those small nibbles as the fish test the offering prior to swallowing.Get some berley in to the water to create a smell, to attract the fish to the area, and to get them feeding, as your little piece of bait is gonna be difficult for them to find by itself.Following this, it's a game of quiet and patience.You do not need state of the art gear, as plenty of fish have been caught on handlines, and you dont need deep water to catch fish.From there the learning curve starts, where it's up to you to do your research, finding out what fish inhabit the area, what time of year they are around, what are the best times of day, tides, moon phases and weather conditions to fish....we're all working on that one, and we all have our own ideas!A little tip! Every local jetty has a resident "jetty rat!" He's a little old guy who doesn't walk to the very end of the jetty, but will plonk himself down closer to the shoreline in the shallows. He'll have his hat pulled down over his ears, and he'll keep to himself, but if you watch him, you'll see him quietly adding fish after fish to his bucket, creating little fuss or attention to himself.He's the guy who's been fishing the area for donkey's years, and he's the one to go to for advice! Whatever he's doing, copy it, and when you see him pack up to go home, peak time will be over, and you may as well pack up and leave yourself!If that guy on the footbridge is catching fish and you're not, then he's doing something different to you! Be polite, let him know that you're new to the game, and ask his advice.....if there's one thing fishermen love, it's the chance to brag, and show others how good they are! ;)If you're using gents, stick about half a dozen on a very light gauge hook, and pin them at the thin tail end not the thick head end (they'll stay alive longer and wiggle around in the water).If you're using worms, get a nice length to fill the hook.Always keep the barb of the hook exposed with bait fishing, and ensure your hooks are sharp. If it's old or blunt, sharpen it or replace it, coz that point has to get through a hard and bony mouth, or you'll have no chance.If you dont catch a fish, you've still had a day out, you've done some fatherly bonding with the boys, and they'll still appreciate fish and chips on the way home! Try again next week!

[yorke_angler 0]

Well said Ranger, and so true about watching the older locals on jettties, it can help alot! most are quite willing to give you some tips, but theres also the few that think they own the place and are just rude and arrogant (brighton is one jetty in particular), had one guy even move his bucket so people couldnt see what hes catching! I'd be more than happy to show off my one measly whiting lol

[Milmo 116]

If i have to choose Brighton or Port Noarlunga jetty, i prefer P. Noarlunga. The older people there more friendly and easy to talk.