Softy

Honestly the FG knot isn't that hard to tie once you get the hang of it.. 

Sad news reported today of Aussie fishing icon Alvey Reels shutting the doors permanently.
Link to original article https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/manufacturing/australian-fishing-reel-brand-forced-to-close-after-102-years-amid-drastic-price-hikes/news-story/63caad4108d0191fc1da4a3269ae64c4
 
Australian fishing reel brand forced to close after 102 years amid ‘drastic’ price hikes
Iconic Australian brand Alvey Reels will shut permanently after 102 years in coming weeks as a result of immense market pressures.
After more than a century in business, Australian fishing reel brand Alvey Reels will shut up shop permanently.
Increased cost pressures have forced the Queensland-based manufacturer to close its doors after 102 years, according to a statement released on Monday.
The company announced it had “made the difficult decision” to cease operation on June 30.

It cited issues with sourcing raw materials, “drastic” cost increases, significant and increasing domestic and global supply chain logistics issues, and staff shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company still had “significant supplies” to clear and has planned a “structured sell down”, the statement said.
“We anticipate running with warehouse/dispatch and administration staff with current stock on hand, which will carry us through to January/February 2023, but we will not be able to remain open after this time,” it read.
Products will remain available via its website, and authorised retailers will continue sales until they run out of stock.
Calls to company phones will be diverted to an answering service to assist the admin team.

“We at Alvey Reels deeply regret this difficult decision, and while we commit to supplying as many of our products as we can for as long as we can, our immediate priorities are our loyal staff, our dedicated retailers and passionate supporters and customers,” the business said.
“On behalf of the Alvey Team, we thank you all for your 102 years of support.”
The company experienced significant export market growth, product innovation and expansion as it entered its centenary year of 2020.
Its success came off the back of an announcement in 2017 from Bruce Alvey – a descendant of the man who founded the business in 1920 – that it would need to shut because of plunging sales.
When the news broke, there was an outpouring of support for the company that allowed it to continue trading.
It ultimately attracted attention from Con Athans, who expanded the business to include a broader range of gear, including high-end apparel.

Closure time: 14 May 2022 to 13 May 2023
Closure location: Spencer Gulf
from the Mean High Water Springs closest to 33°55’39.942”S 136°34’20.131”E (near Arno Bay) to the Mean High Water Springs closest to 33°55’39.942”S 137°37’14.527”E (Wallaroo Jetty). https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fishing/closures_and_aquatic_reserves/fishing_closures#toc5

PS - if you need any tips on how to make your first work bench -  just ask😉
 
 

Also looked into reel storage ideas as mine was a bit messy - the fancy photo From the Pen fishing page is taken on an angle to make it look more compact than it is.

Decided to just stick with the mess😀
 
 

What ?  The photo?
That's mine in the garage.

Out till 3am not catching Jewies😉

If you are looking for tools and are looking to do more diy -and dont want to spend a million bucks -  just bight the bullet and get a combo kit - much cheaper than buying piece by piece  - Ozito cordless arent up to scratch - they lack power across the range in my experience - but Ryobi one will take care of alot of DIY - and the 6 year guarantee is real - anything breaks - just take it back and get a new one on the spot (At Bunnings - not sure about other shops returns policy but Bunnings is very painless).

Ryobi make 100's of tools that work with the same batteries and the tools are cheap and good. Not trade quality but great for diy home use. I mainly work with pine and Ply and they can chew through that

Unfortunately this kit used to come with a jigsaw but no longer does. Even the tools I didnt think Id get much use out of become favourites after a while.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-18v-one-4-0ah-8-piece-combo-kit_p0344372

If you are handy with tools etc, you can easily make one from timber. Otherwise, if you cant be bothered then just buy one like the one on Anaconda. Can always spray can paint if you dont like the colour.  For $30 bucks each you cant go wrong for portable units & a can of spray paint.  

I adapted an old Ikea clothes rack. Using velcro cable ties up top. The attached picture is how I have mine set up.
They have them from $25 for a double sided (for rods) and on rollers. So easy to move around and access both sides. https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/rigga-clothes-rack-white-30231631/ 
You may be able to modify to suit your customised needs.

Yeah ali express

Just put them next to a decoy 1.5 - fat wire is strong wire - and for $5 you'd get around 200 clips instead of 13

Also swapped the balls for barrels as I was worried about the balls getting in the way
 
also switched to the hacksaw after someone mentioned health concerns with the grinder and lead fumes
 
the smaller ones are 2 gram and the biggest is 10  - the middle are 7 gram

Couldnt find heavy enough split shot for my weed lees hooks.  So I had to improvise
 

Just a couple of upgrades
 

I've got a couple of pairs of diawa braid scissors which I got when I brought j-braid and they do a good job.

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Well done Des! some decent lizards for your efforts!

VISON versus VIBES
I was fishing the Northern Sandflats yesterday.
The whiting fishing was a bit slow, so I quickly shifted my attention to Flathead.
There was something on my mind. I was curious to know. Which sensory stimulus was most likely to attract a Flathead strike?
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I lean to vision being the most important sense that a Flathead employs in hunting prey. As all my successful Flathead fishing has relied on placing my offering in a highly visible “Strike Zone” above their eyes …  unconventionally under a float.
Yes I have taken the occasional Flathead, on a bloodworm intended for whiting, while trolling and dragging it along the bottom in sand. And I have caught a few Flathead, bouncing blades and vibe lures, across the sand. Again while targeting whiting. But these have always been incidental catches. Nonetheless, Vibes and movement along the bottom has produced the occasional result.
I have tried fishing the bottom for Flathead with a lot of intent and effort. Using blades as well as an array of soft plastics. Working, bouncing and retrieving my offering across the sand in front of Flathead. Success has been minimal when relying on vibrations and bottom movement. Where as capitalising on their sharp vision by keeping my presentation, above their eyes under a float has been enormously successful.
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I was keen to explore this further.
I was starting to assume that bounces, shakes and vibrations, meant little and it was all about vision. Flathead had a dysfunctional lateral line. Very little feel for vibrations, jiggles or bounces.
I asked the S. A. Flathead Guru and “Doctor of Yellow Fin Whiting” Bill Goh from Adeliade Uni. His reply:
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“ the flathead’s lateral line is very pronounced (even hard to get the scales off), and it is orientated closer to the top (dorsal). So when a flathead digs itself in, the lateral line is more exposed.“  https://www.facebook.com/groups/970345633507487/permalink/1095174604357922/
Maybe I had underestimated the effect of vibrations with Flathead. Now there was no option but to have a head to head comparison for the two senses in the one session, using the two different techniques. Floating a soft Plastic below a float (VISION) versus Bouncing, jigging and vibrating a paddle tail plastic along the bottom (VIBES) .
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THE TEST
Berkley Jerkshad 120mm was in the “VISION” corner, Versus Squidgies Bio Tough Paddle Tail 100mm in the “VIBE” corner.

 
Overcast skies yesterday, I felt would be putting the “Visual” presentation at a disadvantage. From the Flathead’s view looking up, there would not be as strong and contrasting a silhouette against dark clouds.
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The test did not need to be conducted too long. The slender fish like Jerkshad suspended under a float got all the fish! I am sure the most important sense for a Flathead is Vision. Make your offer most visual and obvious for the best results. I chose to use a float to do this.

TERRAIN
Is it all about the Habitat and Terrain?
On the Northern Sand Flats of the upper S.A. Gulfs, the terrain plays a most important role. With the bigger tide movements of the upper Gulfs, I find most Flathead in the faster tidal flow areas. Usually in weed filled channels, broken weed beds with sand patches, and along weed lines. Occasionally slightly reefy patches. But always in a high tidal flow area. The Southern Bluespotted Flathead, (Platycephalus Speculator) seems to love sitting in or around some structure, rather than being buried in an open sandy area, which occasionally happens.
I prefer fishing the run off tide. With the draining run off tide, baitfish get concentrated into these areas of structure. The easiest and most trouble free, snag free, way of covering this terrain, with the best visibility … is under a float.
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This terrain and heavy weed growth restricts the Flathead’s vision to a mainly upward line of sight. Making its hunting heavily reliant on its vision, in this habitat. The terrain and heavy weed growth would also somewhat dampen any of the other stimulating senses.
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Yesterday I managed 2 Flathead at 61cm and another 3 in the mid 40s. Along with half a dozen whiting in the low 30s.

 
It was a great day. It could have been brilliant if I had not lost a further 2 good fish today. Both bust offs. They get very angry in shallow water! I am still using my ultra light and well worn whiting lure gear and line. Time to step up and gear up seriously to target these guys over Autumn.
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Cheers and Tight lines, Des



 
 

Gar are definitely bigger in Winter and although I have no idea on many of the questions you ask Des, I still always use a float.
On my local jetty at Pt Noarlunga, Gar are mostly caught towards the end of the jetty during warmer months (all on floats).  Although the Gar can be caught in the shallower water as well, but are smaller.
It is also better to have some ripple on the water and depths of hook will vary depending where the Gar may be holding on the day.
Over the weedy spots you'll generally have more success too.
Burley is always well worth using to 'bring in' the Gar.  You can make up all sorts of concoctions but I just use cheap chicken pellets mixed with some tuna oil. The pellets slowly break down. Or they can be soaked night before to soften quicker.  I also use old bread (processed up) mixed with tuna oil bit of curry.  (some people use canola oil cat tuna tins mixed into burley).
Have a good burley stream going but don't overfeed them - once they come in, lighten off the burley to a tickle.
I only use 1 hook as 2 hooks can cause too many tangles with Gar.  Most ppl use a hook size 10/12 long shank. Long shank is good for hook retrieval although I use 'Diiachi' size 12/14 small medium shank.
During Winter, the deeper depths of the jetty don't produce as many Gar (on a float), but successful catches are caught towards the shallows on a float.  There is no need to use a sinker/cork as the float/leader is enough due to shallower water depth.  If fishing toward the end of the jetty, then as Rybak mentions, a sinker/cork combo would be useful.
Gents are a great bait with 'long life' available mostly everywhere and about 350 gents in a container.  Keep in the fridge (I put container in a zip lock also - just in case of a couple escapees), where they become docile.  I take out once a week a give a little water spray and let them move around for a bit then back in the fridge - seems to keep them even longer.
Sometimes Gar will not touch a gent, so other baits such as a slither of chicken, slither of red meat or slither of Gar flesh can work also.  A couple of very successful fishos on the jetty use dough - their little secret ingredients work very well.
And, always best to have wind at your back for better casting and current in same direction - to keep the float 'out there'.
When Gar are finicky to take a bait, it is worth trying different methods to excite them into 'attacking'.
That can be slight jerks of your rod to give that slight movement of the bait - or a very slow retrieve, stop, slow retrieve - or jerk, slow retrieve, stop, slow retrieve - anything else you can try to excite them etc.   
If wind/current is in your favor, you can also try just the hook without a float/sinker/cork etc.
Many a time you will see them in schools and all around your bait, but no matter what you do, they will not commit.  When you throw in a little burley, they will take that, but not your bait.    If nothing works to hook them, just enjoy the day on the water
Also, if you intend to return any Gar (undersize, too thin etc), always handle them with care due to their very delicate scale.
Using a wet hand (or wet cloth) whilst holding them will help reduce loss of scales.
For the keepers, hold Gar around head/gills and with other hand, grip and run hand down the flesh - this will take off much of the scales and easier to clean at home.   Also, run your thumb down the stomach towards the bum which will push out most innards - point towards water and not yourself   Acts as a bit of burley too.
Gar is one of the tastiest you will enjoy - I rate them better than KGW.  And once you start bringing some home, you'll soon get the hang of butterflying them (although single fillets are ok, they can be a bit small at times).
Hope that helps and look forward to your catches  
 

I'm probably like most people been using right handed since i was a kid and it's what i know. I could try left handed but doing the right hand swaparoo after casting doesn't bother me.

Float fishing plastics for FH... That is definitely not something I've heard of before! It does make sense though.

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BYCATCH to MAIN CATCH … Season’s Change to FLATHEAD
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I have picked up a Flathead on each of my last 4 Yellow Fin Whiting lure sessions.
There are still plenty of YFW about for the whiting bait angler, however they have slowed up for the whiting lure fisherman.
The water is cooling a bit for YFW on lures. But is also the reason for the increasing presence of the Flathead.
The cooler Autumn water temperatures now have the ambient conditions to hold a larger number of baitfish in the shallows.
And along with the baitfish arrive a lot more Flathead, in these cooler waters of Autumn.
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UNCONVENTIONAL TACTICS
I have always taken a skeptical view, of some assertions made by some fishing experts.
It’s best to do your own trials and testing and arrive at what works for you … for the areas that you fish.
There are claims of many must do techniques. Most based, I feel on false assumptions. And in the main anglers have quietly and benignly accepted them.
With Yellow Fin Whiting there was even an ‘expert” that asserted a surface lure mimicked a fleeing Benthic (bottom) dwelling Clicker on the surface !!!  All fishing techniques have to consider the target species, their morphology, behavioural traits, their prey and the habitat in which it has all evolved. So when it comes to some “expert” techniques, it must measure up against these factors. When Flathead fishing with soft plastics, people have often claimed; “Always bounce the soft plastic in the sand to create a puff of sand to attract a Flathead”
… Nah! Nah! Nah! Never !!!! This has a detrimental affect, when I fish wading the shallow sandflats.
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I employ some unconventional tactics for catching Flathead  … I float fish them.
Do not bother bouncing lures along the sand. I have FLIP-SIDED the whole concept and suspend Soft Plastics and Bait under a Float. Always presenting them above the Flathead’s eyes !!  It is where they can see it the easiest and react the most. Their Strike zone. Their area of Binocular vision.
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Having viewed underwater footage of FH taking soft plastics. I noticed they were repetitively taken at the top of the lift when the SP was bounced. Always well above and out in front of their eyes. In their “Binocular Vision Strike Zone”. So I decided I may as well put my Soft Plastics there in the first place. Drawing it past them … under a float.  I do not use any jig-heads.
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Some more alert experts are now agreeing, that in fact disturbing the sand in front of Flathead is counter productive.
Karl Attenborough of the “Sand Flat Fishing Australia”  YouTube channel says:  “Touching the sand with your lure in shallow water spooks the fish.”
Refer: 9.35min in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NHJ02NUoiQ
Or in this Doc Lures Podcast : https://doclures.com/nsw-mid-north-coast-flathead-attenborough/  … Refer ~ 17min 10sec onwards.
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As fisher-people we are always trying to present, a favourite food in the most irresistible and obvious manner, to our target species.
I have been floating Baits, Gulp Minnows and Jerk Shads under a small split turnip float for a long time. With great success.
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MORPHOLOGY
Prey usually have eyes on the sides of their head so they have a large field of view, from which to avoid predators. Predators usually have eyes in front of their head so they have better depth perception.  Benthic predators, like Flathead have eyes arranged so they have a binocular view of what is above them as they lie on the bottom. Their field of vision is strongly biased to a bait or lure being presented out front and above them. Rather than it bouncing in the sand ahead of them.
These great videos clearly illustrate the Flathead eye placement and function:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC7Ig4NJmtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrCjZJWGFHI
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HABITAT
The other most important factor for using floating baits and lures is the sandflat Habitat in which the Flathead hold.
In the upper gulf sandflats that I fish, Flathead are most often found on;  broken weedy ground, in and alongside weed filled channels, or alongside mangrove edges full of aerial roots. Here they lay and wait to ambush any prey that passes above. It is very hard to get a weed free, snag free retrieve over this terrain. So the most effective method is to present and draw a bait or lure over them, suspended under a float. There are some suitable floating lures, but their trebles foul easily on the floating ribbon weed.
 
Flathead most commonly lie on the leeward side of a weed hump or structure in a strong run off. I rarely come across them on clear open sand flats. They have a preference for the bigger and faster run off tides. I find the best strategy is an overhead bait/lure presentation, suspended by a float, drawn across their likely lies behind structure.
 
The weed line or “blue line” which can also channel a stronger flow of water, will also hold them. The irregular weed line will frequently obstruct and hide your lure if you are working the bottom. Under a float, your offering can easily work, over, across, in and out of the weed line, with out fouling. Weedless rigs worked lower are never as effective for me.
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RIGS & LURES
Today the very successful floating Glide baits and swim bait lures, do exactly that, swim above the eyes of the Flathead. Stay out of the weed and never touch the sand. I have yet to given them a try.
My favourite lure is Rapala Shadow Rap a floating lure with a small bib and a shallow dive.
It is interesting to note how many Flathead have been taken on a floating Squid jig.
But I have taken the most Flathead (along with X Large YFW) on Soft Plastic Minnows or Jerkshads simply fed onto a #4 long shank hook that I have been using for YFW.  under a float.



Tight Lines.
Cheers, Des

I'm starting the long research for a cod reel. Going low profile baitcaster mainly for the ease of repetitive casting and peppering snags. I'd like something useful for the salt as well. I plan to do a fair bit of travel when I get the boat so something for Barra and possibly even a bit of jigging.
I originally thought maybe a Curado DC but 5kg of drag might be a tad light when you're wanting to get the fish out of the structure fast.
I won't mention any other thoughts yet, curious what you guys might suggest, but must come in a left hand wind

JOIN A FOOD CHAIN
No, No! … Don’t get a job at “Maccas” … but find the Yellow Fin Whiting’s favourite “Maccas” ! Their food chain.
 
Recently I have been getting consistent results when targeting Large Yellow Fin Whiting.
It was after I studied the YFW diet, by regularly inspecting the gut contents of fish caught in different locations. Developing an understanding of their food preferences, movements, behaviour and the habitat in each location. Subsequently I have been fishing these habitats with the food preferences for that location. Fish in their “Macca’s” !
 
Large YFW’s Morphology and Diet
Larger YFW are built differently, behave differently and feed differently, to their smaller mates.
The morphology of the bigger YFW enable them to predate on a number of alternative food sources.
Bigger means stronger, faster, and most importantly they have a bigger mouth to swallow their prey.
Prey that is much, much larger than the worms they were weaned on. Not that they will pass up an available worm!
The bigger YFW are aggressive predators. No longer the docile benthic grazer of worms, nippers and cockles, that it was when it was smaller. They can now chase down prey. They can grasp it, rip it, immobilise it, and swallow it whole.
 
The different sizes/ages of YFW practice what biologist refer to as Resource (food) partitioning.
Which means the big ones don’t steal the young one’s food. They don’t all compete for the same food resources.
Larger YFW move on to aggressively feed on a lot of Crabs, Prawns, and Minnows.
Regularly inspecting and recording their gut contents and the areas they were caught in, provides a great insight into their diets.
And a good indication of the likely habitats in which to find the larger YFW. And more importantly what lures to use where.
There is also a degree of “Habitat partioning” with the YFW.
In summer I find, a lot more of the larger YFW remain in the upper gulfs. It holds their preferred food.
Whilst most of the smaller ones move on to southern gulf areas that hold more worms and small cockles.
 
The Habitats & Food Chain
Through out the upper regions of the two gulfs, the samphire beds are the start of a series of very productive areas to find large YFW
Haswell’s Mud Crab (Helograpsus haswellianus) are abundant here. They feed on the film of diatoms and algal slime which coats the surface of the mud flats. Through the warmer months the crabs spawn. Their abundant zoea are then fed on by the juvenile Prawns.
In that warmer half of the year, Juvenile prawns thrive in the, food rich, high salinity and higher water temperatures of the upper gulfs . Post-larval and juvenile prawns settle into the shallow environments of the upper gulfs for the warmer months. Before eventually moving on to deeper waters as they mature. The juvenile Prawn and Haswell’s Crab populations are the primary reason why the upper gulfs hold more large YFW.
 
So often I find the large YFW with their stomachs bursting full of small mud crabs, along with juvenile prawns.
And these YFW are often taken in low water in the outgoing tide. On the higher tides, the Prawns will move in to feed on the crab spawn and larvae. The big YFW are not far behind, hunting down prawns. But they also hang back in the very shallow water of the littoral zone, as the tide drops. Waiting for the small mud crabs to emerge from their mud holes, that are under and around the samphire beds. Then the YFW feast. The big YFW are unbelievably aggressive in the shallow out flowing water, during these frenzied feeding periods. Water flowing out, off the Samphire beds, often through mangrove creeks, will hold large YFW that have spent the high tide feasting on prawns and crabs.

   - Haswells Crabs in the YFW guts
 

   - Prawns upto 100mm found in YFW guts.
 
I have managed a couple of YFW with the Cranka Crab. But no luck using the soft plastic crabs. But the stand out success in this area, has to be the stickbait surface lures that mimics the movement of fleeing prawns in this habitat. Sugapen 95 is the most successful for me.

   - A few YFW taken on Sugapen 95 Col# MB16
 
The next promising area, are the sandflats. Which lie adjacent to the mangroves and samphire beds. The organic rich tidal flows, coming off the samphire beds provides the food source for many detritivores living in the sand flats. Large YFW particularly love lingering over the sand flats that hold Clickers. The smaller tides when water covers the area for a longer period, is a particularly good time to find them feeding here. Big YFW love big Clickers. The Ecogear ZX 43, a sub surface lure, on retrieval, has an action that mimics the movement of a fleeing Clicker or prawn, across the sandy bottom. It is irresistible to a large YFW when presented in these sand flat areas. Again SP imitations of clickers have had disappointing results for me.

   - A few YFW taken on the Ecogear ZX43 Col#402 (UV)
 
The sand flats finally meet the weed line. The ribbon weed beds hold and offer protection for a number of the YFW prey. Prawns will retreat with the tide and shelter in the weed beds. Likewise, it provides a safe haven for Minnows that shelter from predators here. Along with Flathead laying in ambush, big YFW are always patrolling the weed line looking for prey, should they stray out of their shelter. The Stick-bait surface lures, worked along the surface areas of the weed line, provides the top water action here.
And Soft plastic Minnows worked along the bottom of the sand flats - weed line edges, will also find you catching the larger YFW along with a few big Flathead.

   - A Few YFW along with some Flathead taken on Gulp Soft Plastic Minnows and Shads
 
To find big YFW, find the habitat that holds their preferred food.
To catch Big YFW on lures, use the lures that imitate their preferred food.
“Match the Hatch” and Increase your catch!
 

   - When you crack the Food Chain, catches of 10 or more 40cm plus YFW are a regular possibility in your bag.
 

   -  A Few sessions with 7 to 10 40cm Plus YFW in the bag
 
Tight Lines!
Cheers, Des
 

This will be a series of posts about Southern Garfish (Hyporhamphus Melanochir), starting with basic information on fishing limits. Other posts will cover feeding habits and different approaches to catching these mini marlins.
This information is accurate as of 13/04/2022, please check the PIRSA website for updates.
Minimum legal length: 23 cm measured from tip of the upper jaw to the tip of the tail. Personal daily bag limit: 30 Daily boat limit when 3 or more people are fishing on board: 90

A common principle of fishing is to try and match the hatch, or in other words, use bait that is the same or similar to the target fish diet; but considering the primary dietary components of southern garfish are seagrasses of the family Zosteraceae and planktonic amphipods, it's not really possible.
Instead, generations of fishos have used substitute baits for southern garfish including;
maggots bread chicken slivers of garfish Which bait to use seems to be a personal preference (I stick with maggots and chicken).
Maggots
Maggots are probably the most common bait used for southern garfish. Apart from the "yuk" factor at the thought of maggots, they are a great bait to have on hand, they don't, smell, they last for months in the fridge and you get a tub of approx 350 maggots for $6-$8. When fishing maggots, they also stay on the hook well and it takes quite a few bites before you need to re-bait.
Bread
Cheap! Readily available. Can be used both as bait and soaked in water for burley. If you have non-fishing partner, they will not complain about bread in the house (as opposed to a tub of maggots). Downside to bread is you need to re-bait more regularly.
Chicken
It was an old timer on Largs Pier that taught me about chicken for garfish (he also fished off the bottom, not under a float). He used chicken breast, so I have always used chicken breast. Once you have bought the chicken, put into the freezer. When you want to go fishing take it out before, let it partially defrost, so it makes easier to cut even thin slices. I like to take these slices and pat dry with paper towel, to remove as much moisture as possible (the more moisture you remove, the firm it will be and it will stay on the hook better). Next, take the slices and cut them into small slithers ready for your hooks, then put in a container with some breadcrumbs (the breadcrumbs absorb more water and add to the burley trail when fishing). Sometimes I will put some tuna oil on the slithers before adding to breadcrumbs. This is a great bait to have on hand, it's cheap, readily available, you can keep it in the freezer and not yuk out anyone else in the house.
Slivers of Garfish
I've never tried this, but I've heard good reports of taking a few slivers off the first garfish you catch and using this as bait. This is suggested as a way to mix up your bait if the garfish are being timid.