Soobz

Also, you can easily catch squid from Port Hughes jetty, which would be another readily available bait.

Can't help with the beach/bungum worms, as I'm terrible at catching them. But there are two other types of worms that are easily collected, seaweed worms and a type of lug worm.
Seaweed worms are small worms that look a like garden worms. They can be found in the beds of seaweed washed up on the shore. You are looking for areas where the seaweed beds build up over time, not just what washes up after a big blow. You dig down to where the weed bed meets the sand underneath and will find the worms in the bottom layers of the seaweed. Don't be fooled by their small size, they are a gun bait, I've caught plenty of big YFW on these small worms.
The lug worms need a bait pump, but are also easy to collect and are definitely around Port Hughes. They are a bigger bait, but don't keep as well and can get a bit mushy. They also secrete a yellowy brown ooze that stains easily, making your fingers look like your a pack a day smoker.
The other option is pumping for nippers, which are plentiful around Port Hughes.

Mate went out yesty, on bait, 1 undersized and saw nothing else but puffers. Saw the netting pros out recently so likely the reason for no fish on such a good day for them. One day we will wake up and ban netting and long lines in the gulfs. Maybe.

That Tierra would probably suit you best, LXS=
L = Light
X = eXtra Fast action
S = Spin
ie a whippy light tip but more guts near the handle. I've landed 50cm salmon on it but it's light enough in the tip to feel tiny bites.

Mate went out yesty, on bait, 1 undersized and saw nothing else but puffers. Saw the netting pros out recently so likely the reason for no fish on such a good day for them. One day we will wake up and ban netting and long lines in the gulfs. Maybe.

Hi all.
I went out today. Just went local... Walked the out going and the incomming.. Was a long day....
Water was warm, clear and a little tape weed about.. Winds were all over the place.. Was 15ks first thing so a noisy lure was the go. As the wind dropped off I went to my searching lure..
Not many about,, They were not in groups.. Only one here and there.. And they were not really interested in lures. I managed 1 @ 36cm and fat.. Lost 2.. Me stuffing around with drag and weed..
Heaps of nice mullet about smashing lures. Nice sizes to.. 28cm and fat.. Lots of very small Silvers about.. Agressive little buggers today.. A few puffers about...
Seen heaps of decent YFW as the tide turned when I was walking in.. But way too much fast moving weed.. I tried and failed.. Same thing.. One here and there and not really in groups.. But they were big.. And a few nice KGW swimming about as well..
Lost 1 lure and changed spools 3 times.. Wind knots./snap off....
Was a good day....
Mike
 

Hi all..
Went out for a scout/cast today.. Tried some where new.. Walked the out going and incoming.. About 5 ks.. Not a biggy..
Water temp was warmish, Getting there.. Water was clear but patches of tape weed about....
Found a spot where they were.. Only were about where I found noodling holes... There wasnt too many of those either. They were concentrated in a few patches/areas only.. They were active, but fussy. Lure changers was the key. New lure = 1 fish, repeat.. Managed to get 6,, Not big ones but ok.. From 30-34cm.. Fat and healthy though.. Lost 3.. Weed tangles... At one spot they were hanging in the deeper gutter edge/run off area. I had to cast over some weed mounds to get them.. They were moving around that area.. I just stayed put and when they swan by Ide cast.. I was sight casting them.. Great fun.. They would hit the lure just as it hit the water and I started to retrieve.. Had to be quick as it was very close to the weed edge when they hit the lure..
After a bit they wernt taking the lures, just follow and turn away.. I moved on and found some more in roughly same type of area.. Got 2, lost 1 there.
It died down as the tide went low.. So I moved on and explored the area.. Mapped where I was and did some marks..
Plenty of salmon trout about, again? There every where.. Mullet, and some baby King George whiting.. Little buggers were smashing the lure in one spot.. Plaques of them.. I moved on.. 
I didnt see too many crabs.. Only in the one area.. Roughly the same area where the YFW were lingering about..
Lost another lure to a salmon trout.. First fish of the day and drag was too tight and it went under some heavy floating weed... Im loosing a few this season.. I didnt loose any last season.. Lucky I buy 2 or 3 each time.. Dont tell the wife..
Used 1 spool.. Snapp off.
All in all it was a good day, very promising area which Ill go back to later..
Mike









 

Haha - I remember watching those old classics on the ABC with the old man as a kid.

A few days before the water rations were put in place we spent a good 2 hours in the blazing sun, digging the 4wd out of the side of a sand dune.

It was a good reminder that when you're in a spot thats a long way from the nearest mechanic and has a rep for being tough on cars, you may be out there a bit longer than you had planned😉
 

"
It was a remote area, so our drinking water was still too important to waste on getting soap out of someones hair"
 
reminds me of a Ronnie Barker tv skit.
 
He  was a Britsh Officer serving in India.. bemoning that they nearly died of thirst...
" All the beer was gone, no gin left, whiskey finished weeks ago... we were down to our last 2 bottles of brandy"
" Sir... didnt you have any water...?"
"Of couse m'boy... but the situation was too serious to be concerned with cleanliness...."

You will have to make Mark II now...............

Try This...hope it works
 
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=623288336193672&set=pcb.3270620673267947&__cft__[0]=AZXAGc-E5j2yjsDt8SoOe07d2djQSZm9BSfN2AQ8tEvyynAmwVXNAaeo_TzDmTg8L2e6DfWN71YiNQ5ofRzm8aks8AmwvC2KMoQLkR-j-a630vdO6y3GdTBpGM1hDQfzthVmSUGgkzmYoBIFTYVg1n1s&__tn__=*bH-R

I watched a video recently, they used the old style and the new style with a camera watching the squid. The squid were far more aggressive on the newer style jigs and hooked themselves easily. The old style clearly works but maybe takes more skill.
I will be buying mostly the good lures now, mainly because I've decided the pointy bits are the most important thing when fishing.

Interesting stuff:
 
 

Interesting stuff:
 
 

Hi all...
I went out today..
Tried some where new.. Really a scout as winds and tides were good for me. Walked the out going and the incoming.. It was a long day.. Walked about 9ks today.
Anyways.. Water was coldish.. No warm bits really. Was clear but a lot of tape weed about...
Plenty of salmon trout about.. Says a lot!... Only found 1 patch where they were... There was a small group of them, all nice sizes.. Got one 36cm. Lost 1 about the same. Very timid/scitish.. They would only hit the lure once and go.. Change lure and again, hit it once. Then they would follow but wouldnt grab it, just turn away at the last minute. Frustrating... I recon I was lucky to get the one I did. Where they were was where I found some fresh noodling holes.. Muddy grew stinky mud..
I Moved on, walked about and as the tide started to turn I went there again on the way back.. and yep, they were there.. But same again.. Didnt get 1.. I couldnt hang around as the tide was coming..
As I was walking back to the car.. I was casting in the fast moving very weedy water, staying about shin deep.. I seen plenty zooming about, but I didnt have a chance to much fast flowing weed....
I didnt see one crab? Plenty of puffers.. Plenty of mullet and gar.. Too many salmon..
All in all it was a good day, found some new areas. Got a fish!.. and didnt loose any lures... Got 2 wind knots, 2 spools.. Ide rather change the spool when I get a knot I cant get out.. Way better than chancing a lure!.
Mike
 
 
 

 
 

I was always a user of cheaper jigs. But over time I've bought a few better ones just to see if I was missing something. Apart from build quality, the expensive ones do swim a bit better and don't get snagged as much as they are better balanced.
Then I thought I'd look closer at the barbs. I'll let you decide from the pics below. All are the same magnification 132x, some focussed a bit better than others, and some measuring lines just for a bit of reference.
First up, Duel Dartmaster EZ-Q Search #3.0

Next is Shimano Flash Boost (poor focus sorry)

Then for a bit of difference, a Ebay cheapie

Daiwa - the one with a bit of opal in the back

Neptune Tackle cheapie - well used I think

Aliexpress real fish type

Aliexpress bibbed minnow swim type, pointy but soft steel (next 2 pics)


 
We get screwed in Australia with jig prices, very tempting to go cheap, but if you do they will likely need a touch up with a diamond file.

I was always a user of cheaper jigs. But over time I've bought a few better ones just to see if I was missing something. Apart from build quality, the expensive ones do swim a bit better and don't get snagged as much as they are better balanced.
Then I thought I'd look closer at the barbs. I'll let you decide from the pics below. All are the same magnification 132x, some focussed a bit better than others, and some measuring lines just for a bit of reference.
First up, Duel Dartmaster EZ-Q Search #3.0

Next is Shimano Flash Boost (poor focus sorry)

Then for a bit of difference, a Ebay cheapie

Daiwa - the one with a bit of opal in the back

Neptune Tackle cheapie - well used I think

Aliexpress real fish type

Aliexpress bibbed minnow swim type, pointy but soft steel (next 2 pics)


 
We get screwed in Australia with jig prices, very tempting to go cheap, but if you do they will likely need a touch up with a diamond file.

I watched a video recently, they used the old style and the new style with a camera watching the squid. The squid were far more aggressive on the newer style jigs and hooked themselves easily. The old style clearly works but maybe takes more skill.
I will be buying mostly the good lures now, mainly because I've decided the pointy bits are the most important thing when fishing.

If anyone wants to try an expensive jig but at a wallet friendly price, I have some #3.0 Shimano Flash Boost jigs for $12 each.

I spend quite a bit of time squid fishing. I have lots of expensive jigs (but I don't pay the expensive prices 😉). If fishing a new area I'll put on a cheap jig until I'm confident that I'm not going to just get snagged all the time.
When squid are plentiful, it doesn't really make much difference what jig you use or even what technique you use.
But overall, I do think the more expensive jigs make a difference, particularly when land based fishing. Firstly, they are better balanced, so are much less prone to tumbling when casting and you get better distance. They are also better balanced in the water, so when working the jig you get a better darting action which can get more strikes from timid squid. The build quality of the expensive jigs is also better and tends to last better, the crowns are less likely to rust and I find the cloths get torn up less (not an issue if fishing nude jigs).
But I'm not paying $20+ for expensive jigs, I'm paying $10-$12.

Great pics
 
I don’t pay over $2 a jig
 
im not what you’d describe as a serious squid fisherman
 
my cheapies have no problem penetrating squid flesh. A jigs effectiveness seems entirely based on who’s line it’s tied to in my limited experience. 
 
3 blokes using the exact same $2 jig. 1 guy gets none - 1 guy gets 3 - and the last guy gets 8 over the same time casting at the same water. 
 
so the guy who got none will go out and buy $20 jigs the next week because the $2 dont work. And he will get better over time and start attributing the suckers to the new jigs.
 
But the guy who got 8 about as quick as you can catch squid can stick with $2 jigs because it would be harder to catch squid faster than he already catches them

Me too. Cheaper the better. Still get squid. Nothing beats a tommie on a skewer jag if all else fails.

I was always a user of cheaper jigs. But over time I've bought a few better ones just to see if I was missing something. Apart from build quality, the expensive ones do swim a bit better and don't get snagged as much as they are better balanced.
Then I thought I'd look closer at the barbs. I'll let you decide from the pics below. All are the same magnification 132x, some focussed a bit better than others, and some measuring lines just for a bit of reference.
First up, Duel Dartmaster EZ-Q Search #3.0

Next is Shimano Flash Boost (poor focus sorry)

Then for a bit of difference, a Ebay cheapie

Daiwa - the one with a bit of opal in the back

Neptune Tackle cheapie - well used I think

Aliexpress real fish type

Aliexpress bibbed minnow swim type, pointy but soft steel (next 2 pics)


 
We get screwed in Australia with jig prices, very tempting to go cheap, but if you do they will likely need a touch up with a diamond file.

I was always a user of cheaper jigs. But over time I've bought a few better ones just to see if I was missing something. Apart from build quality, the expensive ones do swim a bit better and don't get snagged as much as they are better balanced.
Then I thought I'd look closer at the barbs. I'll let you decide from the pics below. All are the same magnification 132x, some focussed a bit better than others, and some measuring lines just for a bit of reference.
First up, Duel Dartmaster EZ-Q Search #3.0

Next is Shimano Flash Boost (poor focus sorry)

Then for a bit of difference, a Ebay cheapie

Daiwa - the one with a bit of opal in the back

Neptune Tackle cheapie - well used I think

Aliexpress real fish type

Aliexpress bibbed minnow swim type, pointy but soft steel (next 2 pics)


 
We get screwed in Australia with jig prices, very tempting to go cheap, but if you do they will likely need a touch up with a diamond file.

I was always a user of cheaper jigs. But over time I've bought a few better ones just to see if I was missing something. Apart from build quality, the expensive ones do swim a bit better and don't get snagged as much as they are better balanced.
Then I thought I'd look closer at the barbs. I'll let you decide from the pics below. All are the same magnification 132x, some focussed a bit better than others, and some measuring lines just for a bit of reference.
First up, Duel Dartmaster EZ-Q Search #3.0

Next is Shimano Flash Boost (poor focus sorry)

Then for a bit of difference, a Ebay cheapie

Daiwa - the one with a bit of opal in the back

Neptune Tackle cheapie - well used I think

Aliexpress real fish type

Aliexpress bibbed minnow swim type, pointy but soft steel (next 2 pics)


 
We get screwed in Australia with jig prices, very tempting to go cheap, but if you do they will likely need a touch up with a diamond file.