Very Very Basic Newbie Q's

[Gad]

barbless and turned down barbs on hooks..a lot of catch and release anglers use/or do this ,easier to release the fish,less damage to the fish`s mouth.Up to the individual angler.

If your fishing for afeed most leave the barbs intact.

[Rocket75]

toadfish.. are poisonous to eat and should not be kept (for that reason!), as annoying as they are throw them back so they can keep the river clean eating all the dead stuff and keeping the kids amused.

Winter Whiting have no legal size restrictions...Summer Whiting do (23cm). These are two different fish..not just the same fish at diff times of the year:P

Whiting are considered by many to be one of the better table fish in local waters, but you need a few to make up a feed unless you get a run of big summer whiting.

this is a just legal summer.....

[img size=448]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Cabbage_Tree_180408_010.jpg

Your book should have pics of a winter, if not we can show you some I'm sure.

[MoparKevUk]

Yep! Re-read me book and I had a summer whiting. If I did ever catch a fish big enough to eat I don't have the confidence or skill to despatch it, gut it and cook it. So unless there is an experienced angler near me I'll continue to catch and release! Also my missus is not a fish eater:(

[MoparKevUk]

1st time on a hardbody;

Got over to Baylands Park Tingalpa Creek and both platforms were taken. Ended up balanced on a rock, on the edge of the bend with me trainers caked in that claggy mud what doesn't come off and just adds about 2" to yer height after a few steps. Cast me lure and waited for it to drift under the overhanging trees, then done a slow retrieve with a bit of jiggling. Did this several times then as I was bringing it out of the water saw a fish near it! In the excitement to get the lure out again I stuck it in the tree!!! 10 minutes and a severely pruned tree later I cast it out and while it drifted down stream I started rolling a smoke. BAM! Fish on! Baccy/paper/pouch all stuffed back in me pocket, I reeled it in........A 10cm Whiting! First experience unhooking a treble, but the fish survived for another day! Folded down all the barbs for the next one....Didn't have any proper bait for bait fishing, just some pepperoni pizza, roast chicken, cheese and a packet of Cheese Twisties. Put a hook on, cast it out, on the retrieve I hooked something........A thick nylon line...........Landed a crab pot!!! Got a strike on some pepperoni and then chicken skin, then a cheese twisty but no hook ups. Finally got on the platforms and ended up losing a lure in another tree and a solid metal one in a bush........Still, the old motto "the worst day fishing is still better than the best day at work" holds true! Pleased to have got a fish on my first hardbody and the folk on the platforms didn't seem to be catching much anyways! Thursday is looking good for the tide, I'll be there about 9am, with some proper bait and my depleted selection of lures for a bit of fun when the bait runs out......

Next questions;

Solid metal lures: What's the scoop on using these?

Poppers: What the? Easy to use? What's best for a novice.

Soft plastics: Use as bait or lure or both. As lure do you us one of those hooks with a yellow/orange weighted head, no sinker. Then do you do a slow retrieve and jiggle?

Fish attractant: The Big Kahuna or Snake Oil?

Seems like there is so much gear out there that WE are ones being lured and hooked!!!

Thanks in avdance, this thread has been a great help for a Beginner FishermanB)

[Gad]

Hi PK,

I can relate to the baccy and paper timing.

good to see your still in there,trying things.

3 P`s..positives[even if it`s not working for you,you get knowledge out of it] patience,persistence.

Solid metal lures..apart from slugs to throw at tailor,mackeral and winding in like blazes,not a great user of them.I`m sure some one else will pick up on this for you.

poppers..short and sweet,is usually a floating lure with a scooped out front,so that when you wind it in,it scoops up the water in front of it causing splashing and jumping of the lure, across the surface.Idea is to give the effect of a bait fish jumping out of water fleeing from some thing that wants to eat it,and hopefully draws the attention of a fish that will eat it.

Soft plastics..there`s a number of SP guru`s on this site,I`m sure some will reply to your query,I`m still coming to terms with braid, switch blades,[i`m a bit of a dinosaur where technology is concerned].

[chubbstar]

MoparKevUk wrote:

Yep! Re-read me book and I had a summer whiting. If I did ever catch a fish big enough to eat I don't have the confidence or skill to despatch it, gut it and cook it. So unless there is an experienced angler near me I'll continue to catch and release! Also my missus is not a fish eater:(

Ok mate heaps of good advise being handed your way. Now lets put it into action. I live close to your area, I'd be happy to go fishing with you and give you a few tips. I'm no pro by any means but I may be able to give you some pointers? I have Thursday and Friday off this week if you are interested:huh: Oh if you want to go Thursday it woulld be better for me if it's early, as I finish night shift at 6am.

Jayson

[MoparKevUk]

ChubStar! Kind offer, mate! I'll be down Tingalpa Creek Reserve thursday morning about 9am after dropping me boy at School. I'll be at the fishing platforms at the end of Chadwell St. N5 page 183 in the UBD. Maybe see you there. I'll be the one tying another bit of rig on, probably! Camo NASCAR hat if it's busy!!

[MoparKevUk]

First time with Mullet Gut. New PB!

Who's idea was it to package Mullet Gut for bait? It's 'orrible! And now me rollies taste of it too!!! Anyways, never used it before so I thought I'd give it a go. After a few casts and nothing, Bam!, fish on! Messed about a bit getting used to the drag with a fish on the end, it felt like a good size fish! Reeled it in, hoiked it out. 25cm Bream!! NPB for meB) how do you get yer fish sitting still for a pic, it was all I could do to hold it and disgorge it, let alone get me camera out and take a snap!! Safely back in the water, no worries. Did a few more casts when, Bam! A 23cm Bream! Caught a small Bream a bit later, but the fish were biting on the old Mullet Gut. Even brought some home for the freezer (mullet gut, NOT Bream!). (Hope the missus don't mistake it for a stew and serve it up one night!!) The 25cm was caught at about 1pm in Tingalpa Creek Reserve, pretty low tide. I was using a lighter sinker today and seemed to lose more rig than when I use a heavy sinker. Reckon the tide was carrying my stuff into snags etc. Roll on Thursday morning. Where do I buy Mullet Strips as I only seem to come across Tweed Bait in my local Servos.....

[MoparKevUk]

Another 2 Qs;

Spooled, getting spooled, the fish spooled me;

As I understand it you run out of line. Does this mean the fish is tearing around with 200m of line trailing from it's piehole? Never having got to the end of my reel, I don't know if the line is attached or not. If it is, where does the line break? At the hook and front end rig? Seems a lot of line to be swimming round in the ocean from a conservation point of view.

Red line;

My sister in law back in the UK is coincidentally also a beginner fisherwoman. She is on about red fishing line being the hot ticket at the moment. I assume fish can't see red, hence red Mustad hooks, is she on to something?

[Feral]

Usually only happens to the unwary or the inexperienced. Generally when its looking like your going to run out of line the experienced angler will either screw up the drag, or palm or thumb the spool to lock irt up. Generally you'll eirther turn the fish or the line will break. 9 times out of 10 it will break at the leader knot or the hook / lure knot and you keep your line.

When you get "spooled" what happens is that the knot holding the line onto the spool will break, its also a weak point. Dont ever let it get that low unless you do want to loose the lot, particulary painful if you have expensive braid on there!

[adri4n]

I've read some stuff about the red line, apparently the deeper you go underwater, red light is one of the first to be filtered out and hence the fish can't see the red line. Personally I don't see the difference as the 'red line' is usually braid and we'll attach a leader anyway which could be fluro... but i suppose in theory it should spook less fish, though i'm not thoroughly convinced its as important as having a good leader.

and yes, if the fish does spool ya, it means it gets all your line off your spool, so it would be swimming around with hundreds of metres of line dangling from its mouth.

[Rocket75]

Hey Kev, well done on the bream PB!

You will find that underneath all that line, yes it is tied around the spool...otherwise it would not hold tension and just spin around the spool when you wind.

If you are lucky enough to find a fish that can "spool" you against a properly set drag, and unlucky enough to have it get away, then yes, for a bit he may well be swimming around with $7.50 worth of monofilament in his wake...not good for either of you:(

That said, most all hooks you can buy today are carbon steel hooks (not stainless). This means that the hook will rust away quickly and then the fish will be rid of both.

Most times you get snagged or busted off, the line will fail close to the fish/snag as that is where the knots are and that will be the week point.

Red is the first colour to dissapear underwater, in our river it's not a big issue to the most part as visibilty is limited anyway.

With clean deep water and skittish fish it may be some help.

[MoparKevUk]

Anyone done an experiment to see how long a carbon steel hook takes to rust away in a jar of saltwater? Or is that my job???

Aldi sale tomorrow. Do I need a stainless steel glove? What about that pliers set? I've used me Leatherman on fish. Are those big pliers for bigger fish that I'm unlikely to meet in the estuary? Gonna get some lures, I suppose:S

[MoparKevUk]

mono/fluro/braid

Well? What's the difference. Just read a post "fluro or mono". It's all Greek to me!!!

Here's how I see it;

Mono; mono filament line (just a single nylon line) most common line available in all lb-age.

Fluro; Same thing but glows in the dark!

Braid; Some sort of new fandangled line that is many small fibres of nylon "braided" together to make a tougher, yet thinner line, therefore allowing a lighter/thinner line to be used getting more line on your spool.

Am I close????

[Shrimpo]

Kinda the mono is your standard nylon line fluro is a lot more abrasive resistant and is less seen by fish in the water its meant to be used as traces and leaders, Braid is what you say, Its got like a cottony type feel to it, Super strong and thin.

[Rocket75]

Fluro = flurocarbon

Braided type lines also have very little if any stretch giving better feel and hook setting.

[Cowfish13]

The braid is not made from nylon, it is made using dyneema fibres (in some cases, others using other, similar fibres), so it feels alot different, kinda like cotton as shrimpo said, but doesn't stretch and gives great casting ability.

Fluro (flurocarbon) has a similar refractive index to water, so the light doesn't bend as much as it does for normal line, making it harder for fish to see. Basically just gives you a better chance at hooking finiky fish.

[chubbstar]

MoparKevUk wrote:

ChubStar! Kind offer, mate! I'll be down Tingalpa Creek Reserve thursday morning about 9am after dropping me boy at School. I'll be at the fishing platforms at the end of Chadwell St. N5 page 183 in the UBD. Maybe see you there. I'll be the one tying another bit of rig on, probably! Camo NASCAR hat if it's busy!!

Ok mate you're on! I'm not feeling to bad/tired, So theres a good chance I'll be there around 9:30. Look for the Big fella with blood shot eyes:blush:

Jayson

[Little Grey Men]

Good onya Jayson. MoparKev will learn more in one morning of fishing next to you than a month of asking questions. Eye's to the front and pay attention now Kev.

[Gad]

Chubbs&PK,wondering how you guys went today??

cheers

[chubbstar]

I gotta go shopping, If Kev dont post I will when I get back;)

Jayson

[MoparKevUk]

Met up with Jayson and Rob over the Creek. Picked their brains some, very interesting and 2 top blokes. We had a bit of a yarn, and checked out each other's tackle boxes. Jayson put me onto some cheap bait, which is cool. He even donated his left over bait to me!! Rob managed to rescue my lure I lost in a tree the other day, cheers mate!

Fish score? Rob 0, Jayson 0, Pommy Kev 2 Bream, one a fair size. Jayson showed me the ins and outs of holding it for a pic. The fish didn't seem to be biting much today, and I'm sure the boys were too busy helping me out to bother catching anything. Gave Jayson the option of giving me $10 to keep quiet about the score, but he reckoned he could buy a fish for less than $10 and get a pic of him with it!!!! We all had a go with some hb lures to no avail, and a bit of sp jigging, but my mullet gut won the day!!

Thanks Jayson and Rob, it was a top days fishing. This is a top site, with top blokes, it rocks! B)

Hey Jayson, hurry up with the boat, I wanna go out on the water!!!

[Rocket75]

good work fellas:)

[Gad]

well done fellas,

PK,you sure your the one that needs help,haha

PK,get some Bran and mix some into some of the mullet guts,it helps dry up some of the juices,firming the guts up a little,and acts like a berley when you get your bait in the water,it may or may not increase your numbers,

cheers

[chubbstar]

As kev already said was a good day, No friggen fish for me though:blush: The pom has won the ashes back from 2 Aussies:ohmy: Both Rob and I scored Golden Ducks:blink: . Was the poms home turf though. Next time Kev, I wont let you win:P :laugh:

I'm happy to have met Kev, another top bloke from this site. Damn this site is full of top blokes. Any ways We'll have to do it again Kev and when I get my boat you'll be more than welcome, But if you catch more fish then me, you'll be swimming home and we all know how poms hate water:P :laugh: :laugh:

Here's one of Kev's Bream.

[img size=500]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/16102008114_AFO.jpg

Jayson

[Mack_attack]

Good work guys

Down on that muddy platform in the top left of the pic there is always a few mullet there and if you put one back out on a 2/0 or 3/0 suicide hook there's a good chance of a cod grabbing it. Be ready for it because if you give it any head start it will have you in the rocks in no time at all.

Also try a float with the tiniest hook you can buy and a tiny peice of peeled prawn and the mullet, bream and herring will keep you amused for hours. Try about about 40cm of leader between hook and float.

[MoparKevUk]

Top Tip, Mack-Attack! Sounds like a bit o' sport!

Wouldn't have mattered if no one caught a fish, it was a great dayB)

And not only do I drink coffee, not tea, I love a bit of swimming and bodyboarding, so I'll still try and out fish yer, Jayson!! (As if:unsure: )

[EMP]

Awesome session, guys.

Kev, I sure am glad to know that I'm not the only one asking questions here. There are a whole bunch of us here apparently!

EMP

[ellicat]

MoparKevUk wrote:

Top Tip, Mack-Attack! Sounds like a bit o' sport!

Wouldn't have mattered if no one caught a fish, it was a great dayB)

And not only do I drink coffee, not tea, I love a bit of swimming and bodyboarding, so I'll still try and out fish yer, Jayson!! (As if:unsure: )

You might change your mind a bit after you've done a few successful sharking expeditions :woohoo: :laugh:

Glad to see the day went well and Chubbs and Rob found you weren't a psychopath and are back safely:P .:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Jason1978]

I have just read this thread and besides being hillarious to read it is absolutely unreal. Apart from Kev it has been very helpful to me as well as i have not looked fishing gear or fished in over 16 years. Theres so much good info on this site ya just gotta look. Thanks to all the guys who helped out not just Kev but to all those other people who read wanting the same info. Im so glad i joined this site, thanks again guys