peatop

You gotta support your local bloke cause in the end he will support you

I almost always buy online but only buy from anaconda or bcf when they have specials as i find they are almost alway more exspencive than my locally own and operated fishing store. 

I don't like to support any chain stores as they don't offer good advice and seem to be answering questions without reel (pun) knowledge, i was at bcf looking at jigheads with the idea of attaching a 4" sp to a 5/0 or 4/0 3/4oz for casting at bustups while chasing tuna, one of the sales guys comes over and asks "can i help" i said no thanks im just checking out jigheads after some time he asked what i was looking for? So i explained what i was thinking about and he said for a 4" sp i needed a 1/0 to 4/0 form 1/20 to 1/8oz i asked do you thing that this is suitable for catching and landing a 30kg tuna offshore? He looked at me puzzled and said for tuna you need bigger! You need 7 to 9" sp's for tuna! With that i said but what if they are only eating bait fish that are 4"? You have to match the hatch if you want to catch? Lol it was then that he could see he did not have the required experience to help me in what i was there for but hung around and learnt new from a novice 

I even get similar responces from the guys in the local tackle store but they in most cases start to understand within minutes of what im getting at and then offer ideas on how to do whats required

I've joined a Victorian fisheries program called the recreational fisherman's diary program, anyway to cut a long story short!! When searching the fisheries website searching for information on studies done or ongoing all i can find is very old and mostly irrelevant information, so when i contacted the authority i brought this up with them and suggested that people (fisherman/women) would better understand why you make certain areas, limits, and sizes if they were able to access current relevant information on whats going on with the fishery, maybe some publicity in the local newspapers publishing the results, instead of just printing on all there paraphernalia "your license fees at work" as this gives no actual account of what they do

Today i rang them again about a study on snapper and flathead they asked me to do, while discussing snapper i remarked on the ban in S.A. and after some general discussion on the subject he told me that a group of our guys are in Adelaide at the moment having discussions on how to manage the recovery, he also said it was a number of reasons that caused the issues and in summary a few bad spawning years coupled with overfishing is what lead to the problems that are faced at the moment, he told me that here in port phillip bay almost suffered the same issues a few years ago, but the interventions setup and monitoring of the stocks via radio receivers to track the breaders gave them the information needed to secure a sustainable fishery.

After my discussion with the fisheries guy he thanked me for the work im doing to help them in their job and said hopefully i can pass some of the information on to other fisherman/women, being the person i am i wondered how could i best get the message out there? Anyway a couple of weeks ago i went to the "gone fishing" day and while there had a chat to some of the guys from the local fishing club, i had been thinking about joining one for some time and tonight i went along to their monthly meeting and joined, on the program for tonight was a discussion on how to target snapper, kings and tuna. This was a very informative night and this also got me thinking about whats been going on in the fishing sector for the last few years and the responce by people as to the affect it has/was going to have on them (both good and bad) "your license fees at work"? The comment by me that the information was not getting out, the comment by them saying that they hope i can help to get more people on board and information out?? Why don't i invite fisheries to come an speak at a meeting and give us the run down of what they are/have been doing with all the information gathered from us the fishers and their scientists? 

Rather than a night finding out how we can catch more/bigger fish why shouldn't we find out how we can help and how the information we could/are collecting for them is used to better maintain the fishery we love to relax in while exerting ourselves reeling in that fish of a lifetime? Could this be a way of getting the information out there to the people who it affects the most? Sure not all fishermen/women are in a fishing club but they do talk to other people at the ramp or cleaning table and pass on information when discussing things that are going on.

I've decided that i will bring it up with both parties and get the ball rolling as i think it's better to know why things are done and when things are going south before they happen rather than after im guilty of complaining about changes they did back when the marine parks were marked out stopping us from fishing in some of the most productive areas, however now that i know why im happy they did it, instead of telling us we are doing it cause we are, they come tell us we need that area as it's were the unicorn seahorse breeds, then we can say well ok take it because i like eating them so let them breed lol

I hope im not ranting too much i just think if we can get them to give us.. no keep us better informed then when things start going south it doesn't get as bad as it has now?

Yeah hotmelt is something i don't have but i think it would be a handy thing to have

I've been using rubber cement to stick everything down the stuff you apply to each side and let it dry before joining, like sikaflex it would stick your boat to the trailer if put on the guides but a lot cheaper

Yeah for sure when i first started kayak fishing i was using berkely sp's and they are the worst for bite offs they catch fish really well but i don't think they are cost affective, there are some sp's that definitely out fish others but i would probably only use them in tournaments or offshore where they will catch what im chasing hmm or whats chasing my sp lol

My choice of sp's are zman as they last and catch, and then i use scent which helps fire up the bite, up till now I've been using x factor but the zman scented use pro-cure so this time i bought some in squid, but im interested in trying some of the other flavors aswell

I've been sceptical on both sides of the coin as far as the affect on the lure, can the fish see the clip and another weak point. I called into my local fishing shop yesterday and while looking around i had an interesting discussion with one of the owners about different clips, knots and split rings for lures, he was one of the local commercial fishermen in days past but the summarized version is tie the line straight to the lure no split rings, clips or swivels, one of the things he mentioned was swivels create bubbles. But hey this is his opinion, when im changing lures in the bay all trip long i think im still going to use clips, but for offshore im going to just tie a loop knot from the leader to lure

I've been using a quick change lure clip that you twist you lure on, i started using a similar one for squid jigs until i came across these that i now use

The lures work very well on them but find the thicker wired lures and big jigheads 5/0+ can be difficult to get on, then everthing I've read and watched on vids tend to say fish with big eyes can easily spook using clips (understandable imo) i am by no means an expert or experienced for that matter but if i use a fluoro leader so the fish can't see it why add a clip that the fish can? But i do use the clips whenever i intend multiple lure changes, i also have a couple of fluoro leaders with a good quality split ring tied at one end for my offshore lures.

I have also asked the guys in my local kayaking forum about the use of clips and lures, the responce was the majority said no clips, and loop knot to the lure however this was more in responce to fishing for pelagics. Another thing to consider about split rings is they damage the line so it should be checked often for wear at the loop or knot.

@Aussie Dave yeah im hoping to do the SWR trip this year/season sharks don't bother me, i seem to catch my fair share of toothies, i did purchase a shark shield this year and adapted it to run off my 17.5 Ah kayak battery, after talking to minni in portland about near misses and it has also been heavily discussed in vyak at times, but yeah it all about the release, how to release them with no injuries to them or myself a lot of my fishing is done with circle hooks so it's a matter or cutting the line as close as possible to the hook count your fingers after it's done lol

I don't know why the fishos have waited till now to complain, it's been on the cards since all other commercial fishing in sheltered waters has been under scrutiny, i have fished the lakes there and it has always been worse than anywhere else i have ever fished. And imo as soon as you introduce any commercial activity into a natural resource it's almost impossible to keep it sustainable, my hat come off to the state government on taking this hard ball initiative, before commercial fishing if someone wanted fish they had to get of their fat ass and go catch it lol now they can eat the shetty farmed fish

I was going to say they must live amongst the kelp, pun intended like jm said I've also heard of the same black snapper and recall them being around 50-60 cm so i doubt it's one of those but im no expert, but interesting i shall ask around

Yeah bucktail are another version usually named as buck tail fur is used, but i have seen many designs which include buck tail fur, how well did thise work for you?

I often watch fishing show on tv and youtube and one that i really like (although in it's last season)is big angry fish, one of the guys has been developing these scoots (as he calls them) basically they are saltwater flys tied onto a sp jighead, these are nothing new they've been around as long as i can remember in on form or another, i bought some tinsel, thread and glue some time ago but kept forgetting to make them until i was watching an episode the other day were they went scoot fishing (no bait).

I pulled out the gear i had bought and some craft supplies i had got from my daughter and proceeded to make a few test ones.

These are what I've made and thought i would share, and ask if anyone has done anything similar for saltwater use?

I stopped following football once i left school, however i never liked watching most sports on tv, i often went to games at the MCG with school mates and loved the atmosphere, these days it's a no brainer if it's suitable to be on the water that's where i want to be

Lol PP a man after my own heart, i too search the bargain bins, and if your really lucky you find older lures out of manufacture that you wish you had heaps off. Yes marketing is a funny thing these lures will catch you these says the sales rep! Hmm as you walk through the checkout he thinks "well that lure sure catches a lot of people, not sure about fish though" lol, when im in a tackle store and the sales person tells me "oh this lure looks real nice" i just say yeah but what do the fish think about it?

I went into bfc (killing time) and was looking at jigheads and sp's for tuna and kings but i wanted something in the 50-75mm sp range (a match the hatch sort of thing) so i was looking at the jigheads pondering if the hook would be strong enough to hold a 15-25kg fish, a sales guy comes up and says can i help you? After a short partial explination of what i was doing he picked a 6/0 jighead of the shelf and said this is what you need, i just looked at him and laughed, he looked at me puzzled and i said, do you think you can get a 75mm sp to sit nicely on that jighead? Oh no you need to use a bigger sp hmmm.

Although the term match the hatch is a good rule of thumb, I've found a better rule, don't be surprised, don't be surprised when you catch the fish of a lifetime on a lure meant for something else or a lure you thought will never work, I've been given lures that the person thought they would not work or didn't work only to put it on and catch a fish with them saying can i have them back now lol

38 minutes ago, Softy said:

Tried some Zman 2.5" Slim Swimz today... Avid 2.5" Grubz user as mentioned but thought i'd give them a go. Never been a fan of paddle tails but loving the action on these, didn't catch anything on either today it was a hard slog  But they will be going in the 2 plastic rotation from now on!  

Different actions work on different species at times, try using all types, my collection of sp's although not wide does include many tail types, although i often feel i need more paddle tails, lol of course the action we provide is often the key to enticing the fish to bite, i watch many youtube videos on fishing and i often come across a method I've not seen before, colours are another thing you will struggle with, again try different colours, different shapes, i was given a few packets that included different coloured prawn/yabbi styles great for bream at a guess but why wouldn't a nice big red bite on them? They will be part of my sp arsenal over the next few  months chasing snapper out in the channel

Another youtuber uses a pink and white flick bait, he drops it down next to his yak and uses it like a jigging lure but not as fierce, he often hooks up in seconds, another was Nigal from AFN on a video used for promotion by zman using sp's to catch spotted/spanish Mackerel offshore, i love bait fishing, but sp's and hb's have come a long way over the years and im hooked

I don't mind loosing lures as this is part of the game, however in the past my lures only cost $1-2 (slices) however now the majority of my lures are mainly for offshore (hardbodies) so i try not to buy cheap ones (unless recommended) as i would hate to loose a fish of a lifetime to a badly made lure, not to say that the more expensive lure are better as often it just the reputation that makes them expensive, and it's the same with soft plastics, the choice imo is totally personal, why buy brand x? If you find they last longer or out perform brand y, then use them, however it doesn't matter what you pay as long as they work for your intended use, and you are willing to pay the asked price

When i buy my gear whatever it is, im usually buying a cirtain amount that I've save for, i then search for specials, if i can't find a decent special i wait until i do. The Internet is an awesome tool to locate item/s for much cheaper than the RRP, if items im buying in aus are made overseas (which sadly most are) i don't mind buying them from overseas if i get it cheaper, like braid 2000m $50 why wouldn't you buy it for that? However items that come with warranty i buy here as if you need to claim, sending it back makes it doable.

If buying something i need or i can't find it cheaper anywhere else, my local tackle shop  (not anaconda or bcf) a shop that only sells tackle is my one stop shop, and i often find good advice and better prices than those chain stores.

Adrian, you could open a tackle shop with all those lures but my answer to your sweet collection is you can never have enough

All my rods are ugly stiks as l buy them on special for the same price as some of the cheapies, last time was 5 for $150, reels although l only buy these on special being a kayak fisherman l have to buy reels that withstand the punishment they get being so close to the water, as l dont work anymore and had to buy completely new gear for kayak fishing, l bought cheap combos to start, and have been replacing them as l can afford, I've been buying penn slammers as these although not sealed can be easily made water resistant and for a $75 reel you can't beat them, once I've upgraded all my cheapies with slammers or better, l will then look into upgrading them for sealed reels, my light rods have fin nor lethals l was lucky to get them for $50 each and my overhead trolling rods have fin nor lethal ltl 20's which l got for $169 each so they should last for a while.

I often hear the comment if they are hungry the will eat anything, although this is referenced to squid jigs, although this is a true statement it cover the times they aren't hungry l use Yamashita for my quality jigs, l also have jigs perchased from the post office for $5 these are all plain colours while the Yamashita are patterned, now my goto are a red rattle Yamashita and the white post office jigs, they both catch similar amounts, sometimes one works and not the other, it all comes down to what they want on the day but the post office jigs have the same action as the Yamashita, those ones in kmart well lets just say the squid need to be starving lol

It's the same with any lure, it needs to have the right pattern and action to not only attract it's intended prey but make it bite, it's for this reason my goto hb are Rapala although l do buy others when l cant get the style or colours in Rapala, l bought some Aldi lures sometime ago which work well but the colours wore of after little use

I've used quite a few types of sp's and although most work well, l now only buy zman for a number of reasons, they work, they last, cost affective, why dont l buy the others? The only reason l dont buy other brands is you shouldn't mix sp's in the same container and being a kayak fisherman l don't have the room for mutiple brands, l read further back that someone said only use motor oil colour, if motor oil is the only sp work for you then your doing something wrong (not having a go at anyone, this is just fact)

There are many brands of both hb and sp lures on the market, they all work but some better than others, l know of people that buy overseas stock as either they are not available here or no longer available here.

Some very interesting information, I've only ever caught 2 mulloway, landed one, i recently tried locally but had no luck, it seems the methods, everyone has said seem to be the same everywhere but the times of year differ, in W.A (where i caught mine) it was late spring through summer, here in vic it april through winter, the one common sign is slack water.

As the story goes "fresh is always best" however if it freezes well, it's better to have it when you want it than not, although i have never frozen crab, i do freeze a lot of seafood, when i go out fishing i eat fresh and freeze the rest, but i don't take everything i catch, your better off catching what's needed that more than needed, there is no use asking other people the best way to prepare to freeze as it's often different for everyone, the best way to freeze would best be found on a food preparation site (authority, such as government health standards) or similar, some cook books (cookery the Australian way) may have this information.

Im not saying other peoples recipes are wrong but you need to taste it to know if it's for you, where if you follow the safe practices then you can alter the way you process it before freezing, vacuum sealing doubles the shelf life, freezing in salt water, or salt is sometimes used, i usually do a net search to find all my answers, but beware of the bs on the net 

Tradtionaly we bought canned or fresh, canned is heat preserved in the can usually using a salt, salt and sugar brine, this can be done aswell using glass gars, but all care needs to be taken to do it right.

I used to catch them many years ago when soft plastic first cam out, although this was just over the border in vic, but they were lots of fun on sp's, thats a cracker of a fish

Everytime I've caught toothies they've always broken the fluoro, but the last one had to come for a 3km peddle before she broke the leader, she was a bit feisty and didn't feel like trying to remove my hand oops cut through the line.

Yeah i think the 2 way removal would be the better option

Looked pretty good to me, i think a ss or aluminum shaft, fiberglass or carbon fiber would be to week if things went south, so far I've been lucky enough that they've bitten through the fluoro leader not sure what I'll do when i go chase some Mackerel and hookup to a toothy? Lol maybe a pair of long handle bolt cutters or a dental drill and scare them to death

Tinker, i know a younger version of Adrian that uses everything for his trout sessions and does really well.

I've got to agree that just getting out in these places your visiting is well worth it, and to land 6 fish in an hour and forty-five is a good bonus, befote i gave up fishing it was a 50/50 for relaxation and to catch a fish, having found i can kayak fish has been like a new lease of life, but if i can get out on the water it's something else, i wish i had discovered it years ago