Soobz

A good call about fresh water - I remember making a mistake while camping at the beach. I got my hair wet and rubbed a block of soap all through my hair, to wash out a weeks worth of slimy fish hands running through it.

That day I learnt that alot of soaps dont lather or dissolve in salt water😉

Nice! We went out, mate got 1 good size, plenty there but they were fussy and then vanished. I topped up dinner with a good batch of STs in that mid 20's size. To be truthful I wasn't sure which was the YF and which was the STs, but perhaps that's cos the chef was good.
I have to make myself a tub, the shoulder bag is limiting.

Hi all...
I went out for a cast.. First for the season.
Walked the outgoing and incoming left as the wind came in.. Got cold.
Went to a spot I know.. Found where they were.. Only fired up when the sun came out.. as the clouds builded they stopped.. I kept moving/exploring.. about 7ks
They were there in small numbers but very sluggish, wouldnt really commit, all nice sizes which is usual first start of the season. Managed to get 2, 39/36.. nice and golden, fat and heavy.. Beautiful fish.
Lost 3 due to floating weed/stuffing around setting drag, lost a very nice and heavy one. Got it close though.. It was big... Drag was too tight and got all tangled up in the only bit of floating cork weed about, pulled the hooks and was the first fish too! Wasnt happy..
Took everything I new to get them.. They would follow but not commit.. Was frustrating but I know they are starting to fire up.. need some HOT days...Were very active before lunch as the sun was shinning and it was warm.. died off when it cooled down.
Lots of salmon trout, Mullet were every were, bloody pain.. Seen heaps of gar in the shallows as well... Only seen 1 keeper crab but lots of small ones.. Water wasnt too warm.. but getting there.. not much floating weed.. Was a nice way to start the season..
Oh! lost 2 lures.. Bloody wind knots.. It was and old trusty and the other was a new funny one, it worked very well got 2 fish! Always happens with new lures and when I spool new line.. Oh well.. excuse to buy more.. Took 3 spare spools and used 2.. Happy with the new line.. Casted well after it settled down.
Mike

I'd be inclined to go thin and double up the carbontex as required, ie, 2 x 0.5mm = 1mm. This is all theory though.

I've only ever gone a rod length of leader.. Don't like the knot on the spool and possible memory in the leader being wrapped on the spool?
Actually surprised to hear you run that much leader Kuerschie..

I like to start a session with the knot just above my finger with my preferred amount of line between rod tip and lure, this is purely on personal preference.
I do well on lures compared to mates who prefer both longer and shorter leaders generally across most targets plus I always seem to be the one getting interesting bycatch, except on bream & yfw though for some unknown and immensely frustrating reason, bream are like my kryptonite for lure fishing, yfw sit at my feet and laugh when I am wading around with a lure tied on, I feel like they're punishing me for smacking them so hard on bait. 
I reckon, within reason, leader length generally has little impact on results.

I'm the same, I don't like the leader on the spool. The leader has a tendency to want to "spring" off the spool unlike the braid.
I no longer use flurocarbon for leaders and use a good quality monofilament. The price difference between flurocarbon and mono is significant, and I couldn't detect any significant improvement with fluro. I like how mono is more supple and I feel this makes my knots better.

Free whiting measurers for days

@JosephY Can I suggest you look at some easier places to get your experience up;
Snowdens beach - it's in the Port River, head south from the boat ramp, lots of salmon trout at times, a few bream, fish the edges and around the structure. Don't go NE towards Torrens Island in a big tide change, it really moves a lot of water past the marina over that way.
Garden Island - launch at the boat ramp area. On big tide swings the current screams through the Angas Channel, but if you hug the mangroves you'll be ok.
Seacliff - launch in front of the Surf Lifesaving Club, head towards the black pole to the SE. Good squidding there if it's clear water, no need to go past the pole. Keep an eye out for lazy/stupid boaties that sometimes come too close at speed and throw up big wakes.
Don't forget the reservoirs, some great freshwater fishing (get a license first though!), and pretty easy fishing in most conditions. Happy Valley, Myponga, Warren, South Para, all good fun.
Do yourself a favour and practice a capsize recovery in shallow/calm water before taking on any waves, particularly if you are not a strong swimmer.

@Wert Yeah it wouldn't be a day on the flats usage, though I do wonder if the ease of casting, when skilled, makes up for the lack of distance. BC reels are on par weight wise, and the spools are lower friction than ever, but certainly not as well sealed as a spin reel. The upside to that is they are quite easy to self service if you're mechanically inclined.

Vector maths says larger and longer spools will have less friction, but I think it's very small in percentage terms between each reel size jump. I think the rod makes way more difference. Most importantly the distance, height, and size of the first eye to the reel. But overall I expect the rod length and loading ability is likely going to be the most important thing.
I've bought a lightweight baitcaster for the same reason @SurfcaztR but yet to use it. I look forward to birds nests as I didn't go with a DC cos I thought the sound they make would give me the irrits .
But I'm with TL, I think weight vs retrieve speed is my most important consideration due to lure fishing needing way more casts.

As TL explains most long term casters find a happy medium with spinning reels,but after going through hundreds of casts in a day i just found it easier to switch to low profile bait casters.Light weight no wind knots,and having shoulder and upper back issues i switched from RH to LH winding using light weight rods and reels which are pricey.Now depending on species i can cast 3 to 4 casts per minute,just gave me a longer trouble free run in continuing fishing.

With everything else being equal, longer casts boil down to less resistance on the line as it leaves the spool. Essentially the less times the line coming off the spool has to either change directions (long vs standard spool) or less times it is wrapped (spool diameter) the less resistance. 
Whether these factors are tangible or not is a different story.
Personally I enjoy the effortless casting of my 1000 on a UL 7'6 over the same reel in a 2500 on a standard 7'3 - they both cast the comparable distance (noting different blank actions). However, if I could find the same balance on a 2500 I would take it. Higher retrieve rate and in my experience less wind knots than on my 1000.
 

Went from a 1000 to a 2000 and noticed I got better distance.. Same line, same rod.. Had a long cast spool and standard with the 1000 reel not much difference.. Might change with heavier lures, but Im like Des and cast 2-7 gram lures.. I have a long cast surf reel, which has a smaller diameter spool and I have a similar reel with a wider spool.. They wider spool seems to cast further with 30gram weights.. Same line. same rod.. Maybe its just me????

Salt Strong looked at reel size. Using identical 7'6" rods, one with a 1000 Diawa Fuego and the other a 3000 Diawa Fuego, both spooled with 10lb Power Pro and using the same weight. They conclude there was a noticeable difference, but it looked pretty negligible to me.
They were casting what looks like a 28gm teardrop weight, so different to your use. I suspect the difference would be even less with lighter weights.
When I go fishing, if I'm fishing from the shore or with a tub in tow across the flats, I often carry a spare reel in case I have a session ending wind knot, then I can just swap reels (if only spare spools were readily available and affordable!). On the occasion when I have swapped out a reel, I haven't noticed much difference when swapping out a larger reel for a smaller reel.

What MAH said.
Larger longer spool will give slight distance advantage, I feel this is less noticeable as line diameter reduces but smaller reels perform better else where, I'd personally favour comfort over an extra metre or 2 cast distance 99% of the time.
The rod & caster do the real work with casting if you want more distance I reckon you'll get much more by getting skinnier slicker braid assuming you're not already at the limit for that.

If you want more speed then a higher gear plus getting a compact body shallow reel could be the answer as they have higher retrieve rate due to the larger spool but not much extra weight and sometime none.
eg. JDM Luvias retrieve gear weight drag capacity bearings handle
LT2500-XH       87     6.2     175     10.0     0.8-200    9 / 1     55    
LT3000S-CXH   93     6.2     180     10.0     0.8-200    9 / 1     55
Des, I'm with you, I like high gearing. A higher gear is always slightly harder to to turn though, so often the manufacturer puts a longer handle on them, eg. the 5.2 standard gear Luvias has a 50mm handle. I have come to the conclusion that to get high gear yet smooth and light means going higher end, and my hands/wrists are worth it .

That's not the Australian model as that is available from Tackleworld only and does not have a spare spool, plus the colours are different. I do wonder about those Aliexpress reels, as in are they actually genuine Daiwa?
Also currently at sub $200 delivered consider the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM)  it's 175g, 76cm retrieve, fully magsealed, long cast spool, monocoque body, very well built - it's the same reel as the Ballistic MQ as sold in the US. The JDM version has the higher gear ratio we don't get in AU. As far as I can see, a second spool from JDM is available as a Daiwa SLP Works Alpha for around $50 or the proper Caldia for around $80, but you'd want to check on the compatibility. At the Vanford AU price you can have a Luvias, no contest this is a much better reel (ignore I-Fish on youtube if researching comparisons, his old video seems to pop up and he has since said he likes it). Both should be in AU tackle shops, though not at the same gearing and certainly not at the same prices. PM me if you want more info.
FWIW, I am a Daiwa fan, though also a Shimano one, the magseal oil is available if you did want to service your own reels.
 

Headed to Marino Rocks this morning. Water was reasonably clear. Weather was a bit average, wind started to pick up and there a slight drizzle.
I had waders on so was able to get out to a nice little rock ledge and start casting around jigs.
I used slow sinking jigs, but still snagged a couple of times. Luckily I was able to clear the snag each time.
Caught 2 squid over 1.5 hours, not great but better than a doughnut.
As the tide dropped I saw a lure wedged in a rock, which turned out to be a 10g Halco twisty. Nice little find.
A good way to spend the morning.

Brilliant post Des. If the garden hadn't wrecked my back yesty it would have inspired me to be out today.

The Yellow Fin Whiting season is fast approaching. As the seasons and weather conditions change we have to think about and adapt to the changing behaviours of the Yellow Fin Whiting.
The most important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is knowing the fish!
It’s physiology. It’s habitats and ecosystems. Also it’s behaviour in all weather conditions and seasons.
The next most important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is knowing your spots. The geography and terrain.
There is always a right spot, for every weather and tide conditions. When do the fish go to a given spot? In what weather? On which tide? And what food is available there in these conditions?
The least important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is … lures !!!
Find the fish first. Before worrying about finding the right lure and technique.
 
Your chances of success will depend on assessing the weather and tide conditions on a given day and then understanding the behaviour of YFW in those conditions. YFW will be found in different locations, in different weather and tide conditions.
There is nearly always a good fishing spot available. Almost regardless of the weather conditions.
We are lucky to have the two gulfs and the Yorke Peninsula. It provides us with a variety of options regardless of the weather and which way the wind blows.
These are some weather and location factors that I consider, before I go lure fishing for YFW
 
TEMPERATURE
Early in the season air and water temperatures are critical for lure fishing. With the rising temperature their metabolism, muscle functions and locomotion increases.
At the start of Spring, I usually pick a day at the end of a series of warmer days. The water would have warmed up a little by then. It takes a while for the water temperatures to change due to thermal lag. And even then I prefer fishing the warmer afternoon on these sunnier warmer days. A smaller tide on these days is a bonus. Less water to warm up in the shallows. Bigger tides can bring in cooler deeper water into the warm shallows. However this dynamic is ever changing and does go into reverse in the hottest months. Stay alert to the different water temperatures at different water depths at different times of the year.
By November, water temperatures are now consistently over 20c. Low water temperatures and a low metabolism in the YFW is, no longer a factor. A chilly morning in summer may just dull the fish’s appetite. But by mid day as they gather in the deeper areas after the morning run off they will be back to their aggressive best.
Yes the water temperature can get too hot after a hot spell. Then the obvious thing is to fish the cooler mornings.
Also pick deeper water locations during hot weather spells. Where the fish can find some relief from the hotter surface water temperatures of the shallows. If fishing the afternoon incoming tide, you will need to fish back deeper in the tide. Where the water is cooler on those very hot days.

…… Early in the season blades work better, as fish stay deeper and are less likely to rise for a surface lure.
 
WIND
Given that water temperatures are good, wind is the next most important factor for stimulating YFW surface feeding.
The perfect wind for lure fishing YFW on an open sand flat, is in the 6 to 12 knots range. Perfect to stimulate YFW feeding as they feel a lot safer under the cover of a heavy ripple or light chop on the surface of the water. The chop sufficiently obscures their vision, so they are not too discerning with lures in these conditions. Although too windy and too choppy, will stir up the sand and dirty the water. Fish will move to more protected and cleaner water.
Strong winds are okay. In fact can be brilliant for concentrating fish in certain spots.Your spot selection in these conditions becomes critical. The geography of the Yorke Peninsula and gulfs gives us a myriad of options regardless of which direction the wind is blowing. With the gulfs and peninsula, you will always have a section of coast with an offshore wind.
In strong winds, a lot more fish are gathered on the leeward coast, as they move away from the open rougher waters.
Less floating weed and accumulated weed wracks on the leeward side is also a bonus. So strong winds are great for concentrating fish in certain areas.
….  A video of the ideal wind when lure fishing YFW
 
 
….  Both fish and their predators can be found sheltering from the wind in mangrove areas.
 
HABITATS
The varied marine habitats and terrain also provides a few options for windy days. There are habitats that provide sheltered areas regardless of onshore strong winds. A spot behind a mangrove forrest wall will have less chop and cleaner water. This area attracts and holds a lot more fish as they shelter from the rougher conditions outside. Often these strong on shore winds will produce a bigger tide, due to a storm surge. The fish take advantage of this as it provides access to fresh feeding areas around samphire beds behind the mangrove wall.
 
Flooded in shore lagoons on a high tide are calmer and protected from the heavy churning chop. They will hold more fish in windier conditions. There are plenty of sandy bays and coves on the Peninsula that exist because they are sheltered, always in the leeward side of the prevailing strong winds. The water here is always cleaner and clearer, with fish more abundant in this location during windy conditions. Persistent strong winds are good. Don’t curse them, use them to your advantage.
You may need to travel to the other side of a gulf to do this. Or even a trip down to the beautiful calm and sheltered waters of Hardwicke Bay, Point Souttar and Corny Point.

…  An area sheltered by mangrove walls, that will hold more fish in stronger onshore winds.
 

…. These fish were taken at the entrance of some mangrove areas
TERRAIN
Windy days on the open sand flats, will find fish sheltering in the deeper channels that will offer protection from the wind chop in the shallows. You will also find the leeward protected side of weed banks will hold more fish. Conversely should the winds be very light the windward side of a weed bank will have more food stirred up and hold more fish. What ever the wind does, there is a suitable spot to be.
A windy day bonus - long casts downwind, always catch more fish. I avoid fishing on calm days if I can help it.

… Channels and weed banks provide some shelter
 
TIDE
Any water movement provides a feeding stimulus for YFW. The tides are the most common cause of movement and will always influence fish behaviour.
However even on a dead dodge tide, SW wind surges, afternoon seabreezes, or changes in atmospheric pressure can create enough stimulating water movement, regardless of the poor tide predictions. A small stimulus on an otherwise listless day often produces a disproportionate stimulatory reaction from the fish.
Given that the main opening to the Gulfs face SW most tides will be boosted by a SW wind. Low atmospheric pressure will also draw in a larger tide. Factor these in to the published tide predictions, as there always is always a great deal of variation in tide heights on the sandflats.

…  An old tide book explaining the factors that can effect tide height.
 
The small dodge tides can be taken advantage of. The small tide holds and concentrate fish in larger numbers in a smaller area, rather than a big tide dispersing them over a large area. At times fishing these conditions can be more like “shooting fish in a barrel”.
Big tides provide fish accessibility to new feeding habitats. Big YFW love the small Haswell crabs that live in the Samphire beds, behind the mangrove forests. This food becomes accessible to the YFW during the big tides that cover the Samphire beds. The YFW are a much easier target when they make their way in and out of the samphire beds, in a dropping big tide.
Wether it be a Dodge tide or a big Spring tide, or light winds or strong winds, you will always be presented with a few different fishing opportunities, with the different conditions.

…. Some of the largest YFW are taken on the biggest tides when they were chasing Haswell crabs in the Samphire beds

…. Crabs in the gut contents of YFW
CURRENTS
Some locations with deeper major channels, that drain the sandflats have increased water flows. The localised currents, can stimulate fish feeding. It is a good location in a dodge tide when these channels can amplify water little water movement there is in the tide.
These channels will usually bring in water of a temperature that offsets the existing shallow water temperatures. The deeper water also provides a refuge in either temperature extreme. In ambient temperature conditions they are also the tidal highways for fish.
 
There are also major ocean currents that come into play. In winter the major Leeuwin current flows across from WA and effects the lower Spencers Gulf water temperatures. Boston Bay in Pt. Lincoln is well known for winter YFW.
I have caught bags of YFW in the middle of winter on southern Yorkes when the locals tell me you won’t see them till October.
A Northerly wind with a following Westerly change will flick in the warm water flows of the Leeuwin current and bring with it schools of YFW.  Maintain a fishing log. They are a great reference.

…. The Leeuwin current brings warm water temperatures to the southern Spencers Gulf in winter
 
SUNSHINE !!!
On sunny days you catch more fish! It probably is the extra warmth and the better visibility of the lures. But it does not matter if you don’t catch fish theses beautiful days !

… It is always good fishing in the sunshine
 
So you either you pick the best weather days for your regular spot, or you pick a new spot to suit the weather and tides on the day.
One way or another you should be able to catch a good feed of YFW on lures. Regardless of the weather.
 
Tight Lines,
Cheers, Des

I have been using bungee leashes for a while, they are reasonably tangle free, cheap to make and you make them to suit the item being leashed.
eg. the basic leash

It's a bowline loop at each end. the carabiner end is a smaller loop usually, and the larger loop is for rods/handles.
eg.


I've found the bungee holds on to the EVA great if you make the loop snug for your rod, and I don't usually slide it very far down, but you can if the rod butt allows.
I did try putting it around the reel stem for super security but it gets in the way. I've never had the bungee accidentally come off the rod EVA, I don't have a cork butt rod so it might need some experimenting there. Smooth butt rods like Sephia/Zodias I'd have a tighter loop.
The carabiners I clip to my seat and the leashes stay on there permanently, so you could possibly even do without the carabiner and tie the bungee to the seat.
You can make these leashes for under $3 each. I was using the Pinnacle 5 x 50 snap hooks at around $10 for 12, but they are not available atm. Next best seem to be
https://www.bunnings.com.au/taskmaster-5-x-50mm-316-stainless-steel-snap-hook-2-pack_p0237922 at $2.35 for 2
4mm shock cord seems to work best, it's certainly strong enough and doesn't tangle easily
https://www.bunnings.com.au/grunt-4mm-x-5m-black-shock-cord_p4310533 $5.20 for 5m, or get 20m for $16
I leash pretty much everything:
2 x rods - about 1.2m of bungee seems right, it will allow fishing on both sides
1 x net - probably a similar length but depends where you store your net
1 x dry bag - long enough to get it to my lap from behind me, less than 1m, uses 2 x carabiner
1 x phone/key IP68 box - this is under my seat, and it's short, maybe 0.5m, uses 2 x carabiner
 

I have been using bungee leashes for a while, they are reasonably tangle free, cheap to make and you make them to suit the item being leashed.
eg. the basic leash

It's a bowline loop at each end. the carabiner end is a smaller loop usually, and the larger loop is for rods/handles.
eg.


I've found the bungee holds on to the EVA great if you make the loop snug for your rod, and I don't usually slide it very far down, but you can if the rod butt allows.
I did try putting it around the reel stem for super security but it gets in the way. I've never had the bungee accidentally come off the rod EVA, I don't have a cork butt rod so it might need some experimenting there. Smooth butt rods like Sephia/Zodias I'd have a tighter loop.
The carabiners I clip to my seat and the leashes stay on there permanently, so you could possibly even do without the carabiner and tie the bungee to the seat.
You can make these leashes for under $3 each. I was using the Pinnacle 5 x 50 snap hooks at around $10 for 12, but they are not available atm. Next best seem to be
https://www.bunnings.com.au/taskmaster-5-x-50mm-316-stainless-steel-snap-hook-2-pack_p0237922 at $2.35 for 2
4mm shock cord seems to work best, it's certainly strong enough and doesn't tangle easily
https://www.bunnings.com.au/grunt-4mm-x-5m-black-shock-cord_p4310533 $5.20 for 5m, or get 20m for $16
I leash pretty much everything:
2 x rods - about 1.2m of bungee seems right, it will allow fishing on both sides
1 x net - probably a similar length but depends where you store your net
1 x dry bag - long enough to get it to my lap from behind me, less than 1m, uses 2 x carabiner
1 x phone/key IP68 box - this is under my seat, and it's short, maybe 0.5m, uses 2 x carabiner
 

The wife's Emeraldas MX with Pitbull+ PE0.8. I fully admit to aiming for a pretty+light setup for her, though the 68g Murasame rod is still on it's way. Awesome drag on this reel.

The wife's Emeraldas MX with Pitbull+ PE0.8. I fully admit to aiming for a pretty+light setup for her, though the 68g Murasame rod is still on it's way. Awesome drag on this reel.