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Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 4:21 pm
by Itsagixa
Hi Guys,
Just moved back up to Darwin after 15 years (left when i was a boy) now i have a 4.1m allycraft rhino 410..
Also packing a lowrance elite 5 dsi and lowrance mark 5x, have loaded the FFF gps points etc...

What am i doing wrong, i can not get a even a nibble on any of my lines, i have tried, Gulps,lures,squid,pilchards,prawns all around the harbour (USS Pery, West Arm, catalinas etc...) and i am getting absolutely nothing...

I did have a thought that ,aybe the radio on my boat may be scaring away the fish but i am not sure, can anyone help me out with some advice be it, electronics setup or good fishing spots in the harbour/east arm

Matt

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:36 pm
by Lats
No one can do it right all the time. Just keep trying. Talk to tackle store owners who will freely give you good info. Use the search engine on this site where you will find a plethora of information. Bottom fish on hard bottom on smaller/medium tides or the tide changes on bigger tides. Barra/salmon on the flats on bigger tides. Tuna/macks when the water is clearer during smaller tides. I dont think there is any hard and fast rules. Me personally, havent even come close to cracking decent fish on regular occasions in the harbour. Fresh/live bait is always a winner... and when all else fails, take a few crab pots, cold beers and your set

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:45 pm
by CharFin
I never have a huge amount of success in the harbour but not getting much of a nibble is a bit rough. Couple points I've learnt is find where the bait are shallow or deep water and the fish won't be too far away. I prefer low tides when bait and fish drain out out the mangroves. A few metres can make all the difference so if nothing is happening pull up and move unless waiting for a certain part of the tide. Don't be afraid to fish shallow water like wickham point rocks accross from East Arm Wharf , down to about a meter with baits and flicking lures. For me I find sept the toughest month and just when you think you have worked something out the fish or lack of them prove you wrong.

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 12:26 am
by mako
Itsagixa, you will find it easier fishing in the creeks especially as the temperature starts to rise, fish around the spring low tides when the fish have vacated the mangroves and are concentrated in the main channel, use your sounder to locate reef, especially on the downcurrent end of holes, stick with bait until you have success before trying lures, pilchards, sardines and mullet are your best friends here.

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:07 am
by Itsagixa
Thanks guys,
So what I am hoping to do is fish the outgoing tide in a creek up east arm using squid and pilchards (how does everyone manage to keep the pilchards on their hooks?)
should I use my sinkers and bottom bash?

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:32 am
by Lats
If you wanted to use baits up in the creeks I would be investing in a throw net and using the bait from it. Dont get me wrong, you will get some really quality fish from time to time on squid/pilchards up the creeks but fresh live/dead baits you cannot beat. Soft plastics I would be using small squidgy fish, yum money minows or z-man swimmers (there are poop loads more that would work). Even zerek prawns or thready busters apparently dong the fish but I havent brought myself around to paying for them to try myself. Hard bodies, my preference would be small B52's, xraps or a bomber.

With pilchards, if you were to float an un-weighted pilchard cube into some oyster rocks you would be in with a chance for a bream, jack, grunter or goldie. Or use a small sinker just to anchor it in front of the rocks also works

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:54 am
by olfart
With sinkers,use the lightest you can get away with, every time it lifts off let out line until it touches down again, your bait will cover a lot more ground.
With hooks, most times a 4/0 size will do the job, and they must be needle sharp.
I use mainly gamagatsu octopus, and mustad penetrator.
The mustad is a finer gauge, but very strong, good for softer baits like pillie, prawn, and skinless fish cuts.
Bait presentation is the key to enticing fish to bite, especially when they're not particularly on the chew.
With small pillies, herring, and mullet, slice diagonaly through from the gill case, and thread the hook so that the point sits exposed in the cut area, a half hitch aroung the tail wrist will keep it from bunching up on the hook.
Use it unweighted, or run a small bean right at the hook.
With the small (2-3 inch) squid, thread the hook through a couple of times and bring the point out through the eyes, there's a fair bit of juice will come out and act as an attractant, half hitch the tip of the mantle to keep it straight.
Cut squid lenghtways, making triangular strips, split them about halfway up the point of the triangle, fold over and put the hook through the folded part, when finished, it should have two trailing 'tails'.
Fishing the 'lift and drop' method mentioned, will get results.
Larger squid are deadly for jew rigged the same on an 8/0 paternoster, or you can make a 'cockinasock' by putting a pillie inside the mantle, when you thread the hook, make sure you go through the head and body of the pillie to keep it in, again, point through the eyes of the squid and half hitch on the tip of the mantle.
A very good single dropper paternoster set up for jew is to make the sinker loop, come up about half a metre tie on a strong swivel, on the same eye tie on a dropper about the same length with an 8/0 hook, tie your leader to the top eye, or alternatively, if you are a slack arse like me you'll have a solid coastlock on the leader, and just clip onto that.
I rarely use anything more than 60lb Schneider or Black magic clear for jew/ heavy bottom bashing rigs.
The long single strand dropper allows you to tie on another hook in case of a bite off, without having to remake the whole rig.
I generally use halco b/bearing coastlocks, and have never yet had one fail, even on biiig lemons (my everlasting nemesis).
For general bait bottom bashing/trolling I stick with 50lb Fins/50lb leader 6' & 6'6" Ugly Stiks, TR2000 Charter Specials.
For everything else I like to use light spin outfits. ( yes DOUG, I still use my old ABU outfit, mainly for 'mud mullet'. :) )
I'm far from being a 'guru', but, sometimes I catch the odd fish or two. :wink:
As Lats pointed out, fresh is best, but, I hope some of this helps in some way.
graham.

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 11:38 am
by Ben Jam
For Barra, Jacks, and threadies.

Spring tides, work the last half of the low and the first of the incoming tide, use lures or live bait and fish the snake drains or rock bars. Pick a place with the most bait, it can be a catch22 if you going to throw a cast net but I'd suggest not throwing the net were you intend to fish later. I find fishing the short mangroves on the incoming tide really good to, normally the short mangroves will be located on the sides of creek mouths and can be fully submerged at high tide.

Dont keep moving around, pick a few places within a short distance from each other, the fish will come on at some point, sometimes you only have a short window and your better off having a lure/bait in the water.

For Jew and Goldies,

Middle arm is good for jews and goldies, I have found that they can be caught on any tide, however the only time I have had any luck is the hour before and hour after hide tide. Look for the rock channels and rock bars (the FFF book has most of them in it).

Tuna and Macks,

Neap tides, last half of the incoming tide anywhere out the front of the harbour, look for the birds, there will be queenies and trevs with them. Use vibes, metal slugs or float a bait. If the birds are there, they should be feeding on the surface throw your slugs at them. If they go down low find them with your sounder and start jigging for them, with jigging sometimes you will find you might get reef fish as by catch following the bait school from underneath.

But thats how I fish harbour, others have different ways and success. Now, I only stick to the above timings when fishing the harbour otherwise I find I'm wasting my time.

Best of luck mate, the harbours are sometimes the best places to fish and its right at our door step.

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 12:05 pm
by mako
Itsagixa wrote:Thanks guys,
So what I am hoping to do is fish the outgoing tide in a creek up east arm using squid and pilchards (how does everyone manage to keep the pilchards on their hooks?)
should I use my sinkers and bottom bash?

Cut your pilchards just large enough to cover a 1/0 suicide hook, put the hook through so it goes around the backbone, 30 cm/45 lb running sinker rig will outfish the paternoster in shallow water, just enough lead to hold bottom. Pilchards, sardines and mullet will outfish squid in the creeks anytime, and don't be surprised if a barramundi grabs your small piece of sardine.

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:18 pm
by Itsagixa
Thanks heaps guys, lots to take in hopefully I can put it all to use next weekend

Re: Hi; what am i doing wrong

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:48 pm
by blw
Hey mate i fish rockbars a fair bit with bait. Ive found the rising tide to be most productive. Squid and pillys are the goods. Get the odd jack. Mainly cod and golds

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