Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I thought I'd start a thread on berley as an easy to find go to thread for those who want to know where to start.

 

What ingredients do you all use for certain species? e.g. Blue swimmer crab shells for snapper, squid and cockle shells for whiting, aniseed, bread curry, what ever it is.

 

How do you create your delicacy? Do you mince with an old school meat grinder or mix up with a kitchen mixer/grinder?

 

Do you put it all in a ice cream container and freeze or do you only use fresh?

 

Do you have a special way of distributing your berley? Did you make a home made berley cage or do you launch berley balls with a sling shot?

 

Let us know  :fish:

 

 

 

Underpants - Carp for Berley

 

post-4462-0-11954000-1405845057.jpg

 

bjorn2fish - My first attempt at DIY berley blocks

 

post-1-0-47468700-1407927933.jpg

 

 

Kangaroo_Island_Fisherman - Making a Berley Pot Cam!! now I need help identifying a mysterious fish

 

post-11108-139623862123.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

I rarely ever berley, probably due to me using lures mostly. However, if I am after tommies, gar, salmon trout or even carp I simply use a loaf of bread in various ways. For the first three, simply leaving the bread out to dry and then rubbing a slice between my palms makes lots of little crumbs and some larger pieces. This results in some of the bread floating and some of it slowly sinking, and therefore works the whole water column. You can also add some aniseed bran as well if needed. Alternatively you can create dense breadballs with some aniseed oil or bran if you want to target fish not around the surface.

 

For carp I just make breadballs or doughballs and throw a heap out at a time and then cast my bait in the same area. Can also use corn kernels or even creamed corn for carp in similar technique.

 

Although I don't fish for snapper or boat species often, in the past I have used block pilchards mixed with squid pieces and oil dropped in a berley pot if deeper water than 10m or same berley kept in a bag next to the boat in shallower water.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nothing fancy, a combination the first two plus whaterver else is available :

  • frames/heads/skin/guts of tommie, mullet, ST ect
  • old bait, especially stuff thats been unfrozen and refrozen a few times and becomes too soft.
  • crab shells, prawn shells, juice
  • razorfish guts & juices

Usually all gets frozen untill as there is enough accumilated to knock up a batch. The soft stuff usually goes thru a hand mincer on a coarse grind (18mm holes), shells broken up roughly by hand.

 

Or more recently carp thru the garden mulcher.http://www.strikehook.com/index.php/topic/24886-carp-for-burley/

 

A liberal dash of tuna oil, oil leftover from jars of anchovies and a bit of bran(tommies, LJs & sweep love bran!) if things are too juicy! Frozen into 2lt icecream or 750ml takeaway containers.

 

Distributuion 'system' is the tricky part and where im still struggling to learn! Needs to be in the right scenario where it isnt just washed away from where you are trying to fish.

Im a LB fisho so currently a bag made of gutter guard, onion bag or the like. Anchored via a rope with rocks for weight or 1/2 a house brick extended from the roap tail.

 

The latter is great to wade out and drop in a tidal flats hole/gutter on the dusk rising tide with a float & glow stick attached. Sit back and cast in the dark to the perfect spot.

 

All said, nothing wrong with a tin of Black & Gold sardines catfood, a dash of tuna oil and 1/2 doz handfulls of chook pellets (old bread, bread crumbs, bran ect). Great to throw out by hand into the feed zone or mash into a feed spring/sinker.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

A good berley should contain different densities of ingredients, so that it completely fills the water column.

 

-cockle or crab shells which sit in the bottom

-fish flesh which suspends mid water

-cereals which float near the surface

-oil to bind the berley and spread the scent

 

A berley trail must be ongoing and unbroken, which the fish can follow to your boat, so if berleying by hand, small amounts frequently.

 

A berley should be used to attract the fish, not feed them, although it can contain chunks of whatever bait you are using to help hide the fact that some pieces will contain hooks.

 

For my berley I always used whtever was at hand at the time. Old bait, out of date fish, cockle or crab shells, prawn heads and shells, then I'd raid the pantry to add cereals (bread, corn flakes, etc), cans of sardines, dog food, whatever I could find.

 

I'd shred my berley in the wifes food processor, add some tuna or fish oil, then freeze it in individual containers which were the right size to fit into my berley pot.....as the berley thaws in the water a constant trail is let out.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My snapper/shark/reef fish berley is crushed pilchards, old frames of any kind in a berley cage one the bottom. I don't use berley for KGW.

 

My all purpose berley for tommies, mullet, salmon etc off the beach or in the boat is chicken pellets soaked in a blend of tuna oil and pilchard oil in about a 3 to 1 mix (more tuna oil).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Here's my burley selection for different species:

 

Snapper: frozen burley block from the tackle shop.

 

Tommies / gar: off the shelf chook pellets soaked in tuna oil

 

Whiting: pilchards, old cockles, squid heads. Basically anything but pellets as I find pellet burley on the bottom just brings in the crappies and tends to spook the whiting.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I just put the whole snapper block in a scaler bag mate. It's weighed down with a 9lb dive weight as they tend to want to float when still frozen solid.

 

The whiting burley I leave chunky and use a wire mesh cage style burley pot. I find with whiting the smell will keep them close as much as the food itself. Plus if u leave it chunky the wire cage will break off small particles. I find if I mash it up it doesn't last long enough.

Link to post
Share on other sites

G'day

I haven't made burley much in recent years but when I do, I save up the left over fish guts or in the past I have liaised with a fish shop and got them to fill an esky with fish frames.  Then leave it in the esky to partially thaw, put it through the mulcher and generally in to 2l ice cream containers, but have sometimes used plastic drink containers for small ones to fit in a 90mm pvc burley tube.  Then into vacuum sealer bags (but not vacuumed),   I use some plastic garden mesh for a burley cage and if I think the burley is going to dissipate to quickly I leave it in the plastic and just make some cuts in it.

Cheers

Rod

Link to post
Share on other sites

Everything I catch & take home gets used 1 way or another. Eat the fillets then the frames go in crab nets or Snapper bait. Squid heads, old re frozen bait, and frames I put in Super G's kitchen wiz. you know the one with the clear bowl? Last time decided to throw a handful of cockles in to make a smorgasbord for the fishies. Well that was clever, they stayed whole for a while and scored the hell out of the inside of the bowl so much ya can't see through it now. 1 happy G? not really. :angry:

berley goes in a 4" X 8" PVC weighted pipe cage made by 1 of my plumbers and down to the bottom to attract the self inflating whiting :lol: 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...

I've just emptied my freezer and am about to make up a batch of berley.

 

I had a thought, probably impractical but I wouldn't mind trying it just for the hell of it... Has anyone tried making their own berley pellets?

 

I found a video on Youtube of a bunch of what looked like villagers making berley pellets on a larger scale than I was planning but looked doable.

 

I'm thinking bread/cereals, curry powder, old pillies, cockles all the usuals but something to thicken up the mix a bit? Then I'd have to dry the pellets.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't make pellets just crab, prawn, yabbies and oyster shells, that I introduce to "Mr ANGRY" A long neck Rover muncher that makes a joke of the above left overs and is choice for all types of fish you are chasing. I can make 10 litres in about 20 seconds (sounds like a 747 starting up) Google it at trading place or Gumtree.

MR ANGRY 001.JPG

MR ANGRY 002.JPG

 

Great playing the destructor with this "toy"

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've got a mulcher you can borrow Bjorn, it's nowhere as powerful as Pangas but I only paid $30 for it so I don't care if it dies. I've mulched frozen squid, salmon frames and cockles etc and it worked pretty well. I like to throw in bran and pollard with a splash of tuna oil to thicken it up. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

You guys reminded me as I have just come over to the shack so checked out the freezers as I know Mr A is wanting some exercise so I feed him just now.

HAPPY MR ANGRY 002.JPG

HAPPY MR ANGRY 003.JPG

HAPPY MR ANGRY 004.JPG

HAPPY MR ANGRY 005.JPG

HAPPY MR ANGRY 006.JPG

 

My angry happy cleaned but still wants MORE.

This model has reversible blades but after a years working hard they are still sharp. 

 

20 Kilo + of Kg, snapper teasers hopefully soon

HAPPY MR ANGRY 005.JPG

HAPPY MR ANGRY 007.JPG

Link to post
Share on other sites

After visiting Panga, I loved the idea of Mr Angry

 

I bought mine mainly for my mully/ beach fishing so mainly not to feed the seagulls.

 

But this is a batch of whiting / general that I knocked up using yabbies both cooked and green, shrimp,crab,cray,pillies,squid, chook crumbs and pellets with a dash of tuna oil.

 

_20170507_180253.JPG

 

This is then frozen in pvc tube that been cut to suit my burley pot

 

DSC_0282.JPG

 

Now just have to go fishing to try it out, hopefully one day

 

DSC_0306.JPG

 

Pick this masport up with reversible blades and a 2hp motor $75

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Similar Content

    • By xMint
      Going up for a fishing trip, the guy who always smoked the Tommy's wont be with us so I went and bought a fish smoker. It comes with 3 burners and 2 racks. I know how it all works just dont know what I need to do in order to cook the tommy right. Do I use all 3 burners, do I have the smoke vent open, how much woodchips and for how long? I know this probably varies but maybe the adept amoung you can shine some light on this topic for me?
    • By The Fishing Guru
      Hey Guys.
      As many of you are aware, I am really trying to ramp up the videos of late. One of the things that is really bugging me lately is seeing people not necessarily doing the right thing when it comes to size and bag limits so this is our way of trying to promote the correct behaviors throughout the fishing community. I know that obviously most (if not all) of you guys will not necessarily fall into that category but thought I'd upload this one for those that may wish to use it as a how to guide to make some cool little measures up for yourselves
       
       
      The measures actually come up really well and look pretty cool too

       
      If any of you would like the template to print, you can find it here:
      Blue Swimmer Crab Measure Template - THE FISHING GURU.pdf
       
      Cheers for your time Hookers.
    • By The Fishing Guru
      Hey Guys.
      As many of you are aware, I am really trying to ramp up the videos of late. One of the things that is really bugging me lately is seeing people not necessarily doing the right thing when it comes to size and bag limits so this is our way of trying to promote the correct behaviors throughout the fishing community. I know that obviously most (if not all) of you guys will not necessarily fall into that category but thought I'd upload this one for those that may wish to use it as a how to guide to make some cool little measures up for yourselves
       
      The measures actually come up really well and look pretty cool too

       
      If any of you would like the template to print, you can find it here:
      Cockle Measure Template - THE FISHING GURU.pdf
       
      Cheers for your time Hookers.
       
    • By The Fishing Guru
      Here we have a really quick tutorial on how to measure Goolwa Cockles / Pipis when collecting for food/bait.
      Please note that the current size limit in this area (Goolwa SA, December 2017) is 3.5cm minimum and the bag limits are as follows 
      - 300 per person
      - 900 per vehicle (4 or more people)
      - 1200 possession (total allowed in storage/freezer)
      Keep an eye out for a new video coming shortly on how to make a basic cockle measurer out of an icecream container lid
      Don't forget to hit the "Subscribe" button to catch our new videos as they are uploaded and feel free to check us out on facebook:
      www.facebook.com/TheFishingGuru
      Thanks for watching 😁
       
       
       
    • By bjorn2fish
      As @The Fishing Guru is a little shy about telling people about his crabs I thought I'd post this up for him.
      Check out The Fishing Guru's other videos on YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/user/gourmetfishingguru
       
×
×
  • Create New...