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Woronora RSL & Citizens Fishing Club |
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SPECIFIC SPECIES FLATHEAD BEST BAIT: Live bait - small mullet, yabbies, prawns, white pilchards, also lures. The flathead in our estuaries are essentially daytime feeding fish, which are more prevalent in summer months. Many fishermen never make flathead fishing a specialty, preferring to fish a heavily weighted line with huge hook loaded with an unwieldy slab of fish flesh. This unit is put into the sea with the hope that a flathead will come along and catch himself. On occasions they do oblige, so the "sleeper" line as it is known, has become popular with pastime anglers. They are not aware of the quantities and class of flathead that can be caught by the fisherman who goes out with the single purpose- to catch flathead. The fish is lazy, preferring to lie partially buried in the sand, awaiting food to come to him. So the flathead must be searched out, and presented a moving bait, particularly if by weaving the rod tip the bait is made to swim in a jerky movement, giving the appearance of a small maimed fish. Convince the flathead that the bait is alive, but unable to escape, and it will rush the bait and take it in one gulp. The subsequent struggles throw pieces of bait around and arouse other flathead in the vicinity, making it a good policy to cast back into the same area as quickly as possible. The most encountered size of flathead is the "schoolie" of from 1/2 to 2 kilos, so the rig is designed to accommodate it, yet be successful if a bigger fish comes along. The rig is a No. 2/0 fine pointed hook on a 30cm trace attached to the main line with a No 12 swivel. This small free running swivel used above the lead weight will keep the line free of twist from any cause whatsoever. The main gear alteration is that a running sinker is not preferred as it slides along the line causing the bait to sink unnaturally. A split shot, clamping down to the trace about 16cm above the hook is all the weight necessary and being fixed allows the angler to swim the bait forward and down in a most realistic manner. Practice this bait movement by lifting and lowering the rod slowly, in shallow clear water until it is perfected, for this is the main part of the technique. In any estuary fishing, do not resort to wire traces as they are stiff and take all the natural movement from the bait. Traces of lighter breaking strain than the line are also not favoured as this deludes the angler on the breaking strain of his gear. The same size nylon, perfectly clear, is preferred. Some anglers take the precaution of using a 30 cm trace of heavier nylon, but the sawing action by the head of the flathead mainly takes place on the surface, and if the fish is kept submerged as you are playing it, you will rarely have trouble. The favoured baits would be white pilchards, yabbies and fresh prawns. Fish flesh can be a tempting bait if cut into small triangles and left free to move on the hook by inserting the point through once only at the broad end of the bait. The bite from a flathead is entirely different from other fish. The first indication is similar to being snagged, so it pays to treat all obstructions as flathead, until proved differently. The flathead will turn its head and give the well known bump, and a pause must elapse before you wind the fish and lean. While not a strong fighter, he does save an extra burst for that period just before beaching or landing. If you don't rush him you can usually count the fish as yours. To handle the fish, which has spikes on each side of its head, it is well to remember that a sharp blow 3 cm or so behind the eyes will stop its movement. In fact many big fish have been landed without net or gaff, by knocking them out with a rowlock, short piece of pipe, or wooden waddy, while it is still in the water beside the boat. In using a landing net, always place the hoop of the net around the head of the fish. It is obvious that any attempts to net from the tail will result in the fish continually swimming out of the net. Flathead feed near fast running water, so look for any different features such as a change in formation, meeting of currents, or sand spit edge which will just keep them free of tide. Remember you catch big flathead in very shallow water, close to the shoreline. Do not wade in until you have tried these places. FLATHEAD SURF ANGLING Small surf gutters and holes close to the shoreline very often have good size flathead pocketed in them. The use of an estuary rod and reel, loaded with 4 kg line, smaller hooks and a minimum of lead weight, is adequate here. In this type of flathead fishing, the rigs, baits and methods used, are similar to those described in estuary flathead fishing. It is still a matter of searching the fish out by working the bait through the holes and right to the shoreline. A nylon trace with a size 2/0 hook is again the normal rig. Never wade into the water before it has been well tried, as the flathead could be in very shallow water. BREAM BEST BAITS: Yabbies, worms, fish flesh, mullet gut and pilchard. Bream usually inhabit rough, snaggy areas, 2 m to 6 m in depth. They feed together in schools, usually around areas which give them some protection, such as sunken logs, oyster bases, eroded banks or the base of rock walls. During the winter months they congregate in the deep fast running waters, somewhere near surf bars where rivers and estuaries empty into the open sea, and bite best during the night and at dawn. Favoured nights in the winter months would be the big tide nights which correspond with the periods a few nights before and up to the full moon and new moon. Round running sinkers are used to give maximum bait movement, sizes from No.00 ball to No.3 ball, dependent on the tidal run. The best rig has the sinker directly above the hook, with a small No.10 free turning swivel about 1 metre above the sinker. The sinker on hook gives you direct contact with your ball whether fishing into or against the tide and is easier to remove when snagged. It does not lessen bites when bream fishing, and the bites are better registered to the angler. To fish the right area, the angler must be prepared to lose rigs through snagging. Bream do not like clear water, and it is rare to be able to catch any fish which is visible to you in the water. Therefore off shore, windy conditions do not produce good fishing, but the fish reappear when a sea breeze brings turbulence and cloudy water. When fishing piers or jetties, do not neglect to cast under the structure. The bream feed and shelter around the piles, often right under where you are standing. The wind and lean method is most important when bream fishing. Never attempt to set the hook by striking with the rod, or every fish swimming across or towards you will be lost. The bream has been given credit for being a wily or clever fish, yet in reality is one of the easiest to catch. he only time it indulges in picking at food, is when the angler is not presenting the bait properly. Fish correctly and its biting method rarely varies, and the action to catch it remains constant. While bream will feed on many types of baits, studies prove the yabbies to be vastly superior to all other baits in this type of fishing. Peeled prawns would be the next best, with such baits as white pilchards and fish gut being used by the angler who is prepared to wait for bigger class of fish. The yabbie is easily procured with an Alvey Super Suction Bait Pump, and will stay on the hook well if baited as shown, cast with a smooth action without jerking. BREAM SURF ANGLING: Small surf gutters and holes close to the shoreline very often have good size bream, whiting, flathead and swallowtail trevally pocketed in them, and this type of fishing is neglected by many anglers. The use of the estuary rod and reel, loaded with 4 kg line, smaller hooks and a minimum of lead weight, can be productive and entertaining. The fish come in unbelievable close, at times with less than 60 centimeters of water over them. Bream fishing in the surf does vary according to locate. When fishing around a rocky bottom, the favourite haunt of bream, it still pays to use the sinker right on the hook to alleviate constant snagging. However, when fishing a sandy gutter it has been found an advantage to use a 40 centimeter (approx.) trace below the lead weight. Hook size would be either No.1 or 1/0. Top baits in the surf would be yabbies when no great distance has to be cast, eugaris, strips of sea gar and fish gut. Cunjevoi is also a good bait around rocks and small pilchards often give a good result. WHITING BEST BAITS: Worms, sea, blood, wriggler. yabbies, pippies, prawns, small black soldier crabs. The whiting likes to search the sea bottom for tasty morsels on the shallower, cleaner banks, where the tide is not running so fast. Angling for whiting is made more interesting because their method of bite is not always consistent, and has to be assessed on the day. Whiting are shy of a lot of weight directly on the bait so a trace is used, about 40 cm long, but in some instances up to 1 m. To keep the bait just on the bottom, a small 00 ball sinker is used on top of the bait. But in bright sunshine fishing, it has been found that a substitute of 50 mm or 80 mm of red plastic tube on the trace will give colour attraction and increase bites. Any further weight necessary, which should rarely be heavier than a No. 1 ball, is placed above a small No. 8 swivel or ring used as a sinker stop. The usual method to lure whiting is by creating bait movement by a slow retrieve with the reel. When the initial nibbling type of bite is felt, the bait movement is continued until the weight of the fish bends the rod. To set the hooks increase speed of winding, at the same time leaning on the upright rod. Do not try to strike a fish by jerking the rod. At times when whiting prefer to rush a stationary bait, a little slack line left between the reel and the bait, will help give the angler time to position himself to hook his fish. Even if it bites wildly, do not let this make your actions frantic and wild. Still do not strike, just turn, wind and lean. When fishing from a beach lift your fish to bring it ashore, as whiting are adept at throwing a hook if allowed to tumble in a breaking shore wave. Whiting dislike very clear water, so are best sought on an ebbing tide, when water is discoloured in most areas. Any ripples or turbulence at meeting tides is worth investigating as it clouds the water, and stirs the sand, unearthing food particles. They can be in water as shallow as 45 cm, particularly over a bait bank on the early ebb tide. If fishing areas with weed look for clear patches of sand which form amid these places. When wading, a shoulder-bag saves unnecessary movement to and from the water, which disturbs the fish. With compartments for bait and fish caught, the bag makes the angler better equipped to search for fish. Yabbies are a good all round bait, but wriggler, rock and bloodworms are excellent bait. Eugarie and surf worms seldom bring best results in stillwater estuaries, but are regarded highly for whiting fishing from surf beaches. A fine pointed French hook size 2 is used with yabbie bait, a size 3 with worm bait. These are areas where the unpredictable whiting is successfully fished with an anchored bait in a fast running tide. This departs from every principle of good fishing, but if you find these conditions you may have to adapt yourself. This fish cannot be easily recognized by its biting habits. WHITING SURF ANGLING: Whiting work up into the shallow corner of V shaped gutters, and again a rig with a trace is favoured. When using any trace in surf fishing, always rewind a few turns immediately the cast lands, to lay the trace out so that it will not become tangled. Whitting are often located close to the southern side of a rocky headland. MULLOWAY (JEW) BEST BAITS: Live poddy mullet, beach worms, yellowtail or tailor fillet, whole small squid. The first thing you require when fishing for Mulloway is a great deal of patience. Mulloway are usually targeted by an angler and many hours can be spent trying to catch one of these impressive fish. Deep surf gutters, rocky headlands and deep river holes are best spots to seek a Mulloway, at night (new moon) and on the top or bottom of the tide. From May until September is the preferred time. Cast out and then play a waiting game. Remain alert. If a Mulloway picks up the bait and starts moving, lean and wind to set the hook. (Do not jerk or the bait will be pulled out of the fish's mouth.) Once hooked a Mulloway will make at least one good run, possibly two. Line will have to be released but the angler should apply controlling pressure to the spool so that not too much line is taken. When the fish tires, start winding, turn the fish and bring it in. Be alert for the second run as the fish comes in close. Repeat the previous procedure until you land the fish. A large Mulloway is a very highly prized catch by all anglers and certainly tests an angler's skills and equipment to the maximum. (SPECIAL NOTE:- When you have landed a Mulloway and long runs with a lot of line involved, the line pressure on the spool could be excessive. The line should be run off as soon as possible and wound back onto the spool under normal pressure to avoid damage to your reel.) Note: To rig live bait insert single hook through flesh behind the head. (Do not pierce backbone.) |