queensland Bit of surface fun

[Kiwi_pete]

Its one of those days I was wishin I was fishin so thought I would put up some pics of my latest surface catches.

Ive been having alot of fun these last few weeks throwing out poppers and walkers for Bream and Whiting had a lot of donuts but no shortage of strikes and dropped fish does get frustrating so I down sized trebbles that improved my landing rate..

I have now found a spot that produces every morning so the hard yards have been well worth it I am now a surface addict and only fish top water.

Working night shift on Bribie rocks when every morning I can head out to spots like this at first light in search of some action anyone whos not tried surface fishing for these species is missing out on alot of light tackle fun so get into it!.

My current favourite lures are walkers in particular the Austackle Joeys but my only lure to use at the moment is the Berkley Pop dog awesome awesome lure it gets so much attention.

First Whiting on a popper

Small Tailor

28cm Whiting

Cant beat this time of day

22cm Bream

30cm Bream

Love mornings like this

Austackle Joey

Berkely pop dog

Im also thinking of running may be 4lb straight through fluro on my 1000 quantum smoke reel for my surface fishing any one got any experience or tips for wether I should do it or not beside the obvious fact fluro sinks Ill use vaseline to counter it been using long fluro leader now with no troubles.

Cheers

Pete

[Kiwi_pete]

First Whiting on a popper

Small Tailor

28cm Whiting

[Kiwi_pete]

love mornings like this

[Alexx]

Hey Pete,

I do a bit or surface fishing in bream tournaments, as recent as last weekend, with decent success.

The move of downsizing your trebles was a good call, what size are you running now? For bream you can go 14-10, 14 on quiet days to ensure when you do get a strike the fish should take. The problem with 14's is that bream will bite through the trebles. I had 14's on the other weekend, after landing only a 31cm bream, i found it had taken off 2 of the 3 trebles with the last the only thing holding him on! 12's are a good all round size IMO. 10's are a bit big but if your lures come standard with decent sharp size 10 trebles, they should be ok to try for the bigger fish, but i would change them out for 12's.

Another option is to upgrade to a more expensive and sharper treble. I run Decoy Trebles which cost about $12 for 8. it really makes a difference, whether its surface, shallow and deep cranks, or even assist trebles. You find you will pick up a fish on that first strike, rather than the 2nd or 3rd. The only downside to the sharper trebles is that they will catch on the bottom or structure alot easier, so make sure of those casts!

As for your fluro idea, IMO its not the best option, due to fluro not being a floating line as you said. Vaso will work to keep it up but it will make your line heavier and some vaso's do have an odor which might detract the fish. Going a setup like 3lb fused braid to a 4-6lb floating mono leader would be a better option. This is due to the mono being alot more buoyant than its fluro counterparts, which will give your lures a more natural action by sticking the surface alot better. It's also cheaper, easier to maintain and run, and IMO the better setup for surface fishing. Fluro is great for cranks, or anything where you are in contact with the lure the whole time.

Hope that helps, nice spot and fish by the way!

Alex.

[Kiwi_pete]

Cheers Alexx great info not sure on the treble size just smallest I had in my tackle box but they are owner.

I was running 4lb Daiwa td sensor braid but gave me to many issuses with getiing tangled on rod tip when walking lures so now runing 6lb braid no issues now. Im also using 8lb fc rock leader its working well looked for floating leader but no luck yet I ask tackle shops for a good mono to run as leader but they just tell me not to bother what Im running is best.

[Alexx]

It shouldn't be tangling with any line you use. Either your action is too aggressive or its your rod. What rod are you using? People will tell you this and that rod is the best but If your action is working (and it seems to be) maybe you just need to find a rod that suits and matches your style of action. For me its a light rod with a medium action for example.

Yea FC rock is fine. Look i use a small amount of the 4lb fluro leader for one of my surface setups and it works just as well as the mono stuff i have since they are both so light anyway. With the light lines it doesn't make that much of a difference IMO. If you're finding your lures are trying to sink due to the fluro (pointing downwards), you could always tie some knots onto the ring of your lure at the bottom of the connecting ring(closest to the bottom of the lure), break them off and use them as 'spacers' so that your line and the knot that connects to your lure is as close to the top of the connecting ring as possible. This will help the lure go more horizontally (maybe slightly upward if your action is too aggressive) and appose the fluro that is trying to pull it under the water.

Owner stock trebles aren't too bad. The sharper ones are just an option to increase your hookup rate. It looks like most of your sizes are 10's, so if your start dropping some fish, that's always an avenue you could explore.

As i said some people in tackle stores will tell you this and that is better, just like i am haha. End of the day just try everything and see what works best for you. The only thing i can say though is that the fluro straight through is an expensive option, you might want to leave it to last.

Cheers

[Kiwi_pete]

Rod is a G-loomis 1-3kg 7 foot 6 fast action before that was using nordic stage sharpshooter

[Alexx]

Whats the model of the loomis? I had a problem with my loomis tangling up, wondering if its the same rod, as i know what the problem was!

[Kiwi_pete]

TSR901-3

[Alexx]

Hmm not my version, but similar. Your rod is made for freshwater trout fishing, usually around snags and deeper water. The problem might be the spacing of the guides. If there are too many guides, with the last guide too close to the handle, you can sometimes experience those tangles. I cant exactly explain why, but after having having my 5th guide completely removed, my 6th moved to where my 5th was, and the bottom guide moved up 2.4 inches, i no longer get those loops. Its because both our rods weren't primarily designed to be casting rods, more to just flick lures into snags off the side of a boat. I use my loomis for jigging soft plastics primarily now, and got another rod for surface/cranks.

If you still have the sharpshooter, you might want to use that instead if you are still getting those loops, otherwise maybe look into more of a light(or ultra-light) and medium action rod. The medium action helps by not being as responsive as the fast/ex-fast style of the loomis's, so when you get those strikes, it helps prevent pulling hooks by sort of 'cushioning' the take and not ripping the hooks out of the fish's mouth. Just another thing you might want to consider.

[Kiwi_pete]

the issue was just with the super light 4lb braid with the 6lb theres no issues love the rod walks lures like a dream the sharpshooter is stiffer and takes wee bit more effort to work so luckily Ive got no issue or would have been a massive waste of money buying it

[Alexx]

Yea i did that too. I changed up to 6lb power pro and that fixed the problem most of the time. But then i realised on days when the fish weren't biting as well, and my boater was still getting fish using the same techniques, was that the line was a bit too heavy. He lent me one of his spare setups with 3lb + the same techniques and boom fish on. So if your loops get more frequent and fish start dropping off, its another option to look at.

If the sharpshooter is too stiff like you said, it might be worth looking into a medium action rod.

Its not a waste, the loomis blanks are amazing and only and extra $25 (a little more to shorten the handle on mine but that was a personal preference) to modify my rod to get it perfect for me and no more loops. Its just good to know all your options.

Anyway keep up the good work! and look into those sharper trebles!

[Angus]

Just wanted to comment and say what a great read this was. Exactly what I come on here to read.

On a side note I'll have to feel one of these loomis rods as "stiff" is a word I have never heard used for the existing areal range. If anything I would have called them very slow and wobbly actioned...

Great report as well kiwi... Just about the best way to Fish.

Angus

[Kiwi_pete]

when I say stiffer Im comparing it to the loomis I still love the sharpshooter to bits just found the loomis to be bit easier to work lures and being a longer rod works great on the flats.

[Doobsy]

Great thread.

Had some real fun yesterday on surface walkers with good Bream, Trevally and Sweetlip lip all smashing surface offerings.

In terms of gear, I like a softer tip and slower taper.

Cheers.

[adambris]

awesome read guys, have never thought of having mass produced rods changed by design, will defiantly be using this option.

Alexx, who modifies your rods?

[Alexx]

If you're in brissy, go see the guys at Tackle Warehouse, they will sort you out.

[pancakes_and_haggis]

Not read much lately as havnt been fishing but its great to see someone with clear experience and knowledge sharing it.

Thanks