yellow door 1

Yeah I gave it my first try the other night and was very impressed with the results

Yeah getting pantsed is predominantly a micro pinkies on plastics problem. Heaps of aggressive hits that dont hook up when you strike is the issue.

But I specifically bought the ZMANS to target pinkies that hang around bait schools so white is a half decent match - it could be better but it will do

I recently went through a rather exhaustive search on what superglue people use to attached ZMANS to jigheads.
The glue is to stop fish yanking your plastic off the hook or pulling it off the keeper - or "Getting Pantsed".
This is a serious issue when getting 100's of hits that dont hook up, while chasing small snapper.

Here's what I learnt

1 - most people have never heard of using superglue with ZMANS
2 - those that had, like loctite gel super glue
3 - Most people use TT Headlock jigheads with ZMANS and claim getting "pantsed" isnt an issue
4 - Some claim getting pansted is still an issue with TT head locks

but the biggest revelation was this method that doesnt require glue and will work with any jighead - even those that arent specifically designed for Zmans.

They run a hook through the zman and pull it over the eye of the hook.

https://m.facebook.com/video_redirect/?src=https%3A%2F%2Fvideo.fsyd3-1.fna.fbcdn.net%2Fv%2Ft42.9040-2%2F53220768_2026084804170678_2193141491113656320_n.mp4%3F_nc_cat%3D109%26efg%3DeyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InN2ZV9zZCJ9%26_nc_eui2%3DAeFzUhCiWECAqVuxy576_WYjCcdczq_tmVXDc1979xsV6_Lj1AmC4iKAyQMaIo67-UcQwOO2gm8qbSwWSR2IRYrKxlTk0I82OAhWSev7DhtLkw%26_nc_ht%3Dvideo.fsyd3-1.fna%26oh%3Def80a7b29be7264ad2892f2d00276a1f%26oe%3D5C84B305&source=misc&id=579318495873707&refid=52&__tn__=FH-R

I recently went through a rather exhaustive search on what superglue people use to attached ZMANS to jigheads.
The glue is to stop fish yanking your plastic off the hook or pulling it off the keeper - or "Getting Pantsed".
This is a serious issue when getting 100's of hits that dont hook up, while chasing small snapper.

Here's what I learnt

1 - most people have never heard of using superglue with ZMANS
2 - those that had, like loctite gel super glue
3 - Most people use TT Headlock jigheads with ZMANS and claim getting "pantsed" isnt an issue
4 - Some claim getting pansted is still an issue with TT head locks

but the biggest revelation was this method that doesnt require glue and will work with any jighead - even those that arent specifically designed for Zmans.

They run a hook through the zman and pull it over the eye of the hook.

https://m.facebook.com/video_redirect/?src=https%3A%2F%2Fvideo.fsyd3-1.fna.fbcdn.net%2Fv%2Ft42.9040-2%2F53220768_2026084804170678_2193141491113656320_n.mp4%3F_nc_cat%3D109%26efg%3DeyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InN2ZV9zZCJ9%26_nc_eui2%3DAeFzUhCiWECAqVuxy576_WYjCcdczq_tmVXDc1979xsV6_Lj1AmC4iKAyQMaIo67-UcQwOO2gm8qbSwWSR2IRYrKxlTk0I82OAhWSev7DhtLkw%26_nc_ht%3Dvideo.fsyd3-1.fna%26oh%3Def80a7b29be7264ad2892f2d00276a1f%26oe%3D5C84B305&source=misc&id=579318495873707&refid=52&__tn__=FH-R

I've never tried squid but I have got them on small squares of limpet, so I can imagine squid working well. My techniques rely on working them into a frenzy and getting them to compete over a small bit of berley with my bait in the middle -  so they may be more open to less desirable baits. If I wasnt using burley, I would probably pay more attention to the quality of my bait.

If I had to guess - I'd say live sandworm would be the ultimate bait - but they will eat red meat, chicken and dough pretty readily when fished in a burley trail.

Hook size and bait size are 2 things I pay serious attention to, as yellow eye mullet - especially the little ones I want - have small mouths

 

Good call on the toughness of the bait - the mullet I chase are very good at taking bait off hooks - So I get a chicken drumsticks, peel back the white flappy skin and there is a outer coating of tough skin underneath (like silverside) - I make sure my baits have a silver side backing. If I use the normal flesh from inside the drumstick they find it much easier to rip off.

I spose its a bigger issue for me because I chase small mullet on tiny 3mm by 3mm baits 

There can be many different sizes within the same school - the ones under 4 inch can be a real pain and waste alot of precious seconds dragging my bait around and keeping it out of the mouth of the bigger ones - they're also great at ripping off soft baits

The days when they are so fired up they will take "white flappy" chicken skin are the best - they find it very difficult to rip that off and you can catch heaps of the one bait - but they do show a preference for the flesh over the skin. And a piece of flesh thats been sucked on a few times isnt as attractive as a fresh piece.

Prawn and Live worm are a bit exotic for me to use all the time - but if I have had a tough session recently - I will grab a couple of big prawns from the supermarket just in cases they arent smashing the chicken - but the dirty old chook usually gets me what I need quick enough

As others have noted mullet is honest  'simple' fishing.
They respond particularly well to burley. Nothing fancy required, a simple bread/pellet base is fine with a bit of tuna oil...minced fish bits ect. The challenge is the consistent distribution of said burley to bring and hold them in which really depends on the scenario. Im a big fan of a onion bag jammed full of all old saved bits an pieces.
I have fond memories of an April mullet session over near Pt Turton, where i waded out on the incoming tide and dropped my onion bag jammed full of goodies. 1 end tied to a brick the other end a ball float and a large glow stick. Hight tide was an hour after sunset. The mullet came in and were a fish-a-cast. Then a heap of smooth rays came in and it was all over...crazy as they would take anything and were almost fighting to get to the burly bag.
Rig wise : basic double patternoster with #8-10 hooks and a burley spring sinker (depending on your 'burly' scenario/method). I do like mrfish's suggestion:
That would work well in the surf.
Bait wise i like to use small pieces of red meat!! They hold on the hook really well unlike the 'old school' mince & semolina mullet mixes. I usually use heart (deer, saved from another pastime ). Lamb heart would be fine. Have also had good success years ago on rabbit roadkill . Kangaroo is great and a mate swears by fillet steak

This is for rivers and still water scenarios

I do 99% of my mullet fish from an elevated position, like a jetty. I Berley them up to the surface so I can watch them eat the bait

I use them for livies, so I want to get 20 really quick.

Small 3mm squares of chicken or prawn on a size 12 long shank hook. And I use a "Flatty Flicker" or just hold the hook upside down really firmly and 9 times out of 10, the mullet will wriggle off the hook, so I dont have to touch them and mess with their slime coat.

I wouldnt catch many at all without a bread crumb and canned cat food berley - I mix it with water in a bucket so its just sloppy - And add a 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, once I've got the school to my feet. I try to time my bait landing just after the half teaspoon of berley hits the water. I keep it unweighted so it sinks at the same rate as the berley.

If there is no wind - I dont use a float but if the wind gets up, the float is mainly there to add casting distance and stop my unweighted bait being dragged around by the wind.

I have found a gently sinking bait is much more effective in an active berley trail - A static bait sitting under a float, can be all but ignored, while a moving bait will be doing all the damage - So I keep my bait moving by raising it up and letting it sink. The mullet I chase love a moving bait.

Even pulsing it back like a soft plastic, can help get the schools attention. They seems really keyed into movement and when one chases it, it fires up the school and they compete much harder for the bait.

Finding a spot where they naturally hang out is also very important to my methods - If I get things right - I can have the school at my feet in under 2 mins - some days it seems like they were watching the first spoon of berley flying through the air

 

This is for rivers and still water scenarios

I do 99% of my mullet fish from an elevated position, like a jetty. I Berley them up to the surface so I can watch them eat the bait

I use them for livies, so I want to get 20 really quick.

Small 3mm squares of chicken or prawn on a size 12 long shank hook. And I use a "Flatty Flicker" or just hold the hook upside down really firmly and 9 times out of 10, the mullet will wriggle off the hook, so I dont have to touch them and mess with their slime coat.

I wouldnt catch many at all without a bread crumb and canned cat food berley - I mix it with water in a bucket so its just sloppy - And add a 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, once I've got the school to my feet. I try to time my bait landing just after the half teaspoon of berley hits the water. I keep it unweighted so it sinks at the same rate as the berley.

If there is no wind - I dont use a float but if the wind gets up, the float is mainly there to add casting distance and stop my unweighted bait being dragged around by the wind.

I have found a gently sinking bait is much more effective in an active berley trail - A static bait sitting under a float, can be all but ignored, while a moving bait will be doing all the damage - So I keep my bait moving by raising it up and letting it sink. The mullet I chase love a moving bait.

Even pulsing it back like a soft plastic, can help get the schools attention. They seems really keyed into movement and when one chases it, it fires up the school and they compete much harder for the bait.

Finding a spot where they naturally hang out is also very important to my methods - If I get things right - I can have the school at my feet in under 2 mins - some days it seems like they were watching the first spoon of berley flying through the air

 

This is for rivers and still water scenarios

I do 99% of my mullet fish from an elevated position, like a jetty. I Berley them up to the surface so I can watch them eat the bait

I use them for livies, so I want to get 20 really quick.

Small 3mm squares of chicken or prawn on a size 12 long shank hook. And I use a "Flatty Flicker" or just hold the hook upside down really firmly and 9 times out of 10, the mullet will wriggle off the hook, so I dont have to touch them and mess with their slime coat.

I wouldnt catch many at all without a bread crumb and canned cat food berley - I mix it with water in a bucket so its just sloppy - And add a 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, once I've got the school to my feet. I try to time my bait landing just after the half teaspoon of berley hits the water. I keep it unweighted so it sinks at the same rate as the berley.

If there is no wind - I dont use a float but if the wind gets up, the float is mainly there to add casting distance and stop my unweighted bait being dragged around by the wind.

I have found a gently sinking bait is much more effective in an active berley trail - A static bait sitting under a float, can be all but ignored, while a moving bait will be doing all the damage - So I keep my bait moving by raising it up and letting it sink. The mullet I chase love a moving bait.

Even pulsing it back like a soft plastic, can help get the schools attention. They seems really keyed into movement and when one chases it, it fires up the school and they compete much harder for the bait.

Finding a spot where they naturally hang out is also very important to my methods - If I get things right - I can have the school at my feet in under 2 mins - some days it seems like they were watching the first spoon of berley flying through the air

 

Yeah I'm not really set up for keeping large quantities of fish - it holds up ok in the freezer bags but I tend to give away excess on the odd occasion I have to keep a big fella. So it gets used pretty quick (its only happened twice when I couldnt revive the fish)

The one in the photo was 1m long on the dot - but legal size is 60cm and you can keep 5 of them in Vic

Yeah with the Jewies I tend to fillet on the spot - skin when I get home - and freeze what I cant use in the next couple of days.

But I only kill the odd one that doesnt swim off after attempts to revive - the Yarra isnt the most pristine river to eat apex predators from😉

But if they are going to die - they dont go to waste - they still taste great but the Government suggests you only eat a max of 400g of fish from Melbourne rivers a week.

 

i catch the fish so my wife can bloody scale it ☺😂

Foot step on the back of the Hiace!

No worries - And heres a vid by a professional bait collector, on trouble shooting pump problems and how to make a replacement plunger out of silicone and old gumboots - He talks about dings in the metal tubing - bent plunger rods - and lubing your pump every 15-20 pumps with vegetable oil

 
 

No worries - And heres a vid by a professional bait collector, on trouble shooting pump problems and how to make a replacement plunger out of silicone and old gumboots - He talks about dings in the metal tubing - bent plunger rods - and lubing your pump every 15-20 pumps with vegetable oil

 
 

Haha I think I have an old pair of thongs that suffered a bust out so I might give that a try.
Thanks for the tips and the link 🤙

Some guys just use a circle cut from a rubber thong to the replace the plunger - just press your bait pump down on the thong and it will leave an imprint - or you can buy a replacement kit.

One thing I learnt too late, was turning the wing nut fine tunes the suction the pump delivers
 
 

Thing is lofty, I could show you a picture of a massive x fish on a certain reel, yet still Not rate it as highly as another reel I've used purely based on user friendliness and a certain level of luck being needed to land a decent fish.
 
I've just had a quick scroll through my phone gallery, was going to upload photos but it is a bit much work... any way. 
 
BG
8kg snapper + others
75cm snook
25lb murray cod + others
Surf salmon to 45 cm and trolled fish to 8lb 
Big Callop
 
Aird
Mulloway to 80 something cm + many many more
Big redfin plus many more
Big carp
52cm Waitpinga salmon
Rainbow trout
KG whiting to 50ish cm
Many cast salmon to 52cm
Bream to 42cm
 
Seido 
Big carp galore
Heaps of school Mulloway to 70cm
Redfin big and small
Big 3lb plus rainbow trout
Kg whiting and pan snapper 
 
Symetre 
Lots of yellowfin whiting including 40 + cm fish
Big carp to 3ft long
Rainbow trout to 6lb
Redfin 
Bream to 35cm 

Now all those reels have caught good fish, but I would recommend the symetre ahead of the Aird and seido purely as it is just as  capable and has been a finer reel to use, and hence has been used in more finesse applications. The BG by contrast is a beast of a reel in its' build, but that's why I tend to use it on bigger targets even if it isn't that much larger than the others. It just isn't as good to use and I don't need that full aluminum construction etc etc on fish that I Chase on flick sticks; just as I don't think underpants will by his description.
 
Bloody long type up but I hope I got the message across.  

I'm definitely a skinner. Haven't caught a decent sized fish for a while though.

Yeah his testing rig is slightly more sophisticated than mine😉 - and using Standard uni knots definitely weakens the line and is not a true test of the lines actual breaking strain - but it gives me a base line I can work from.

I was able to achieve higher than stated breaking strain results by passing the line through the eye of the hook twice before finishing the Uni - so it shows the importance of knot selection in line strength tests

Heres my rig in action on some snaps