Softy

Heres the white one swimming bait fish style
 
 

The new fake Zman sand worms arrived - very impressed with strength, flexibility and best of all, the tail wiggle on the pause
 
 

Impressive...

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Dammit - just found a seller that does 50, 8cm, tpe worms for about $6.35 delivered

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...8daM514WE&mp=1

I'm out here now. Nuff said
 

Yeah although the soy sauce bottle lure worked - it wasnt because it was a good idea😉 

Basically had to burn it through schools of ravenous redfin and hope one didnt look at it too long before deciding to strike😉

So those lids were begging to be repurposed

 
 

Ive always used the pro cure bloody tuna. Seems to have made a difference for me. I'm sure there are better/worse ones out there.

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If any of you fine people are over here in the lower EP send me a message. Always looking for deckies for a fish. My local mates are pretty elderly so don't handle offshore to well with bad backs etc. It is not a charter so you don't have to pay for fuel. Just mates going for a fish.

Last night I was fishing at Glenelg; when I was leaving, I saw a few decent schools of YFW cruising the shallows. I hadn't seen them schooled up in such numbers this summer.
The other thing that caught my eye was an enormous flatty stalking the schools of YFW. I've never seen such a big flatty in the metro waters. If I wasn't on my way to catch the last tram of the night, I would have stopped and thrown a couple of lures at it.

No gut bruises off this guy tonight😉. He was hanging out with a bunch of perch 

A lot of tools you swing have a fat bit at the end - so do my rods 
I originally used fat bits of cork because my guts would get bruised during Jewie season. (I used to fish for them regularly with heavy live bait gear)
Jabbing the rod butt into your guts on the strike and holding it there during the fight can leave a mark with skinny,/poorly shaped or metal butt caps. 
 
I always fish around structure so you have to hit them hard and fight them hard when using heavy-ish bait gear. In one spot I have to strike, then run 30m up the bank, to change the line angle, so I had a chance at getting them out. It was a clumsy affair with lots of adrenaline based gut jabbing. So by the end of the season it was hard to find a spot that isn’t bruised, to rest the rod on. 
 
that’s when I started thinking about comfortable butt caps
The added bonus I hadn’t considered was the ergonomics of having a fatter butt while casting. My rods had slight tapers before I shortened them. But making the butt fatter means you don’t grip as hard. 
 
it not a huge deal but it is noticeable- and it was a pleasant surprise the first time I used one - even my bream rods have them now
 

I made up a few last night and it renewed my hatred of working with tiny split rings
So I made up these rings.
Too weak for attaching a hook to but plenty strong for the spinning blades
 

And the beauty of diy is - if you lose the prototype to a snag - you just need 10 mins to whip up a few more when you get home.

Guys have been getting some big reddies on jig spinners recently so I thought Id give them a crack.
Obviously Im not going to pay "TT" prices for them - so I bent up some wire and gave them a swim.
No huge ones yet but I lost it to a snag a couple of casts after this one
 
 

may aswell leave this here aswell - could be handy for more than just reddies
 
 

A sustained warm spell has held the Gulf water temperatures at around 22 to 23C for a few weeks now.
Since Christmas day the water temperatures in the upper gulfs have remained in the high range.
Nice Christmas present !!! This is about a month later than normal.
It is the sustained higher temperatures over a prolonged period that changes the dynamics of these gulf ecosystems, along  with the behaviour and physiological responses of its participants.
Currently the Yellow Fin Whiting have become voracious hunters and predators.
When water temperatures are at this level, It is a rare session when you will not catch a good feed of solid sized YFW.
With high metabolisms and big appetites any water movement in or out of their feeding areas triggers an aggressive response from these fish. So target YFW during these periods of water movement. Even on dodge tides where the fish are concentrated in a smaller water mass. Just a little movement produces a big response from the YFW.
I followed the late run off and early run in tide on this session for some quality fish on this session.
I kept 12 fish over 35cm. Three fish were around 40cm.
They are great fighters in shallow water on surface lures.
I was fishing a new spot so I did not experiment with many lures.
Intending to limit the variables for a good assessment of the new spot.
All fish were taken on the surface with the Sugapen 95 - Colour: MB16.
Happy Hot Sessions to all.
Cheers, Des

Sorry but I've been out of action for around 11 days now due to chronic back problems again which have been more frequent lately, I finally got out of bed yesterday & off to the doctors this morning 10:30 am. This video is from a few weeks ago when I had a reasonably good spin season in the Meander River... Hopefully I'll be back in a river again some time soon, not all that sure when that will be..
cheers
Adrian
 

I like fishing the Dodge tides for Yellow Fin Whiting.
 
I posted a detailed explanation of the factors in this post:
https://www.strikehook.com/index.php?/forums/topic/38765-dodgy-days/
.
So to start the New Year with a couple of days of dodge tides was something to look forward to.
It was a sunny day. The water temperatures were up there, at around 23C. The small tide was perfect to hold and concentrate the fish for me.
I went to work with my trusty Sugapen 95 in the MB16 colour. And there was plenty of interest straight away.
Pretty soon the polite enquiries towards my lure became full blown, “I’ll take that. Thanks.”
There was a purple patch in which I took 10 fish in the first hour of fishing. The temperature, the tide, the sun, and a perfect stiff breeze, all had the YFW at their aggressive best.
It got competitive with the YFW. What a delightful sight it is to see a gang of YFW all trying to shoulder each other out of the way, competing to be the first to jump onto your lure skipping on the surface.
Sometimes in a tight contest, there is close second. And so it was when two YFW hit my lure together.

For many I unusually use two sets of Assist hooks on my larger lures. I have Atomic Trick Bitz #8 hooks on the rear and Ecogear ZX hooks in the middle. In about 40% of cases the YFW will hit the middle assist hook. And when there is competition and a close race you wind up with a Double Header on a lure ! 

A special experience that I have been lucky to have had a couple of times previously. In the past, they have been mostly the smaller supper eager inexperienced fish.
Today they were quality fish. It was a struggle bringing them in … oooh! maybe a new PB. It turned out to be two quality fish at 35cm and 38cm. Both well hooked on the same lure.

I enjoyed that purple patch, for not long, as soon the wind came in stronger and stronger and the fishing got harder and harder. When it got to 20-25 knots wading got impossible and the fish no where to be seen.
I was able to bag 17 fish before the wind shooed them all away.

This is the prime time of the year for big YFW whiting. As the high water temperatures hold a lot of new season’s juvenile prawns in the shallows. And they are the right sized meal for the big ravenous YFW. Most fish caught were over 35cm and 3 fish were around 40cm.

Can’t wait for the next dodge tide. Hopefully the weather and wind will also be favourable.
.
Happy New Year and Tight Lines to all.
.
Cheers, Des

ONLY A FEW, BUT GOOD FISH
An afternoon session today did not realise a lot of fish, but they were all quality.
The Zipbaits Fakie Dog DS lure did the damage.
A couple of 40cm and a 43.5cm Yellow Fin whiting make the 32 and 35cm fish look insignificant.
Cheers, Des

Fished the dodge tide on Saturday. 

Unfortunately the wind and air pressure conspired to negate what little water movement there was. Rather than accentuate it which is what I was expecting. 
Nonetheless got 16 from 32 to 40cm. Sunday was a blow out !
 


 
 

Vietnamese style salad with pickled squid, topped with crispy fried onions (I buy a large container from the local asian supermarket)

It has been one of the slowest starts to the Yellow Fin Whiting lure fishing season here in S.A.
Adelaide finally got it’s first 30c degree day in 7 months, this November.
It has been a disappointing weather pattern. As soon as we have a warm day, it is followed immediately by a cool change and several days with temperatures in the teens. A sustained warm spell is needed to put some deep set warmth into the water. At present water temps, still hover around the teens.  Well short of the 20+C that makes those big Yellow Fin Whiting rabid hunters. The hotter the better. My favourite YFW spot has the Big Mamas ravenous at 22C.
Nonetheless we have to get our fishing fix and take what is available.
There are plenty of YFW about for the bait fisher. And sub surface lures like the Ecogear ZX are more productive in cooler waters.
At present the most common catch on surface lures are Salmon Trout. In good sizes too, not your small summer sprats.  Their presence is a clear indicator of the cooler water temps.
Flathead are providing a good option to break the monotony of unproductive casts for Whiting.
They don’t mind the current water temperatures. Too hot and the baitfish along with the Flathead disappear from the wading shallows.Whereas the hotter shallow water see the juvenile prawn population thriving and the YFW voraciously feeding on them.
The Ecogear ZX gives you both options. It will take Flathead and YFW. Although you will need to modify your retrieve depending on which fish you want to attract. With whiting it is always the continuous retrieve of a fleeing prawn. For Flathead it is the high lift, pause, retrieve, repeat. For Flathead it is all about the “hang time’” above their eyes. A not infrequent by catch is the odd Flounder. Tasty when cooked fresh. Should you come to a Flathead holding hot spot, my go to lure at present is the OSP Bent Minnow which certainly attracts their attention. These catches in current conditions, necessitate you target a variety. And for those keen on Salmon Trout, you can certainly come away with a full bag.
Mixed bags are what I am getting in these “transitionary” conditions.
But I am keenly looking forward to a heatwave !!!!
Cheers, Des.
 

Hi all.
I went for a cast today. Went some where I havnt been so far this season..
Walked the out going and the incoming.. 8.7ks and 8hours.. Long day..
Water was clear, winds were good and not much floating weed about.
Managed to get 3 @ around 35-36cm.. Nice fat and healthy. Lost 2.
Lots about but they were very scattered and not really in groups... Makes it harder as there is no competition amongst them.. They were not really interested in lures,, Theyd casually follow them and turn away when they got close to me.. Over and over it happened... Kept changing lures and only the 1 type/colour worked today... The ones I got smashed the lure as soon as it hit the water.. Happens often.. Must startle them and they grab it..
The tide was low enough for me to get right out to a sand bar I know there... There were plenty of them, casually swimming about, not a care in the world, but not feeding and didnt really run from me, just kept their distance... I didnt get any here. I tried and tried.. But had to leave as I was out a ways and didnt want to get caught out.. I left that area in frustration.... Next time..
Plenty of small YFW about in large numbers and they were hitting the lure... I kept moving when I found them as they are a pain..
Lots of puffers hitting the lure, Lots of small crabs and a few bigger ones.. Lots of mullet feeding. Lots and lots of small stuff about.
I learnt something new today. I managed to startle a prawn out of its hole.. I got it... This is what we are trying to mimic guys..... I let it go and watched how it escaped me.. I took note how it moved. I did some casts to see if I could do the same.. Got it in the end and the little YFW went spastic. Pitty this happened when I was nearly done for the day as I didnt see any big guys.. Next time..
Used 3 spools and no lost lures.. I tried a new line today.. Very thin and casts for miles..
All in all it was a good day out..
Mike

yabbies and reddies couldnt compete with the Pilchards on the undersized/just size pinky schools we tried them on. They got convincingly beaten - I wont try them again

I don't think we will ever have good weather again....