Female Gc Newbie - Loving It!

[Kat]

Hi All

I'm Katrina and haven't fished since I was about 20 back in NZ - 20 something years ago. Back then it was fishing with the boys and all I learned was one knot and how to cast.  I loved it so much I decided it was time to take it seriously and learn the sport. I purchased my gear last week and have been obsessed ever since.  I have been watching YouTube clips and reading fishing knot books.  There is so much to know.  I am hoping other members may be able to share knowledge, tips and maybe even offer to buddy up for a trip or two occasionally. 

I would especially like tips on snags (how to avoid them), cleaning gear, and threading bait.

I am land based around the GC but also have family on an Island in Moreton Bay with a boat so intend on exploring the fishing there too.  

I caught a Bream on my second trip (1st fish caught in Aussie)! Also scaled, gutted and filleted it myself (also a first)!

Would love to hear from anyone with good land based spots for beginners?

Cheers

Kat

[ellicat]

Welcome to the forum, Kat.

I'm sure you will pick up some tips and tricks from reading the reports or just by asking a question.

Enjoy.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Kat

First up, welcome to the forum. There is SO much good information on here, just use the search bar in your top right corner. Type in a key word, look through the results and you're bound to find a bit. 

Nice job on cleaning the breambo too, you did a good job. 

In general, when using live baits, (i.e. mullet, herring, silver biddies), you will pin it through the nose or mouth. When using shrimp or prawns, through the tail. 

Other things, i.e. dead prawns, pippies, etc, I just pin it through twice. The main thing is to make sure you have an exposure of the hook tip. This helps with hooking up to fish. 

Snags are hard to avoid, but if you fish the same location the same time a few times you will normally figure out where to cast/where not to cast. If you are using lures, a weedless soft plastic will not get snagged. This is basically a soft plastic lure with no hook exposure. Here is a link to rigging - 

I don't know many GC locations, but any public jetty or sandy beach is a good starting point. 

Cheers Hamish  

[Kat]

Hi Hamish

Thanks for the tips.  You mentioned live bait and so have a few videos.  I don't have a yabbie pump but I know that they are  within walking distance of my house.  Do you catch your own live bait?

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

2 minutes ago, Kat said:

Hi Hamish

Thanks for the tips.  You mentioned live bait and so have a few videos.  I don't have a yabbie pump but I know that they are  within walking distance of my house.  Do you catch your own live bait?

Hey Kat

Yes, I catch my own live bait. In a cast net. I am based in Brisbane and mainly fish the Brisbane River. 

A cast net is a tricky task to learn. It will take a while to get it right. I still can't make a very good throw. Yabbies would probably be a better bait for bream, whiting, flathead, etc while a live fish would most likely get a trevally or jewfish. 

There are plenty of people who know more than me on this. They'll be happy to help.

Here is a little video on pumping yabbies on what you might want (just a couple tips mainly) - 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+pump+yabbies&rlz=1C1GCEB_enAU886AU886&oq=how+to+pump+yabbies&aqs=chrome.0.0l8.7196j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_djchX_TrF-Kf4-EP2eC7gA428

Cheers Hamish

Here

[Leosonfire]

Welcome Kat! Utube is great for knots. I mainly use uni knots which I find great for braid and easy to master. I moved to Brisbane 2yrs ago from the goldy where I lived for 7yr. Beaches are good for tailor when in season, you just need to find a good gutter (utube how to look for those) the spit jetty is pretty good but can be busy and they charge a couple bucks to use it. Canals can produce at times, my dad lives on the canal in mermaid waters and catches bream, whiting and flathead. If your keen on adventure then mermaid reef is easily accessible by kayak (15-20 paddle) On a good day u will see a heap of boats out their. Paddle to the shark nets and your half way there. justpick a day with no swell so u can beach launch off mermaid beach and wear a life jacket. If u want a fishing partner then make sure u tag Gold Coast. 

[kmcrosby78]

Welcome to the forum Kat and good to hear the fishing bug has struck again . Do a search on here for reports from @Daryl McPhee - he does very well landbased for whiting, bream, flathead, etc. Not sure how often he logs on but if send him a PM (personal message) he may be able to divulge some info.

Looking forward to hearing some of your adventures.

[Brodie_S]

Welcome to the forum Kat the first things I would learn is

tie a uni knot 

get information on forums fishing mags or YouTube for the species you want to target

learn how weather and tides effect fishing for example for bream Fishing I like 2 hours before high tide 

fish lighter when I first started fishing 2 or so years ago I started with a cheap shimano fx 1000 and a short telescopic rod with 4lb mono . Note my gear is 50 times better now but in the beginning cheap and light is the way to go you will be able to catch good fish but as you get more experience with fishing roughly 6 months- to a year you might want to upgrade to something like a lure setup with braid 

And if you get snagged what I do is losen the line the pull back on it and flick the line like a bow and arrow . Kind of hard to explain but you can look it up 

hope that helps after fishing for awhile I would recommend starting to fish with lures as you generally get more hookups and better fish but for now just start with bait because both work extremely well

also I will add if you’re right handed swipe your reel handle to the left side or if your left handed swipe your reel handle to right as you will get more casting accuracy and some other benefits I did it a few weeks ago and it’s a lot better

hope that helps 

[Kat]

11 hours ago, Breaming with bro said:

Welcome to the forum Kat the first things I would learn is

tie a uni knot 

get information on forums fishing mags or YouTube for the species you want to target

learn how weather and tides effect fishing for example for bream Fishing I like 2 hours before high tide 

fish lighter when I first started fishing 2 or so years ago I started with a cheap shimano fx 1000 and a short telescopic rod with 4lb mono . Note my gear is 50 times better now but in the beginning cheap and light is the way to go you will be able to catch good fish but as you get more experience with fishing roughly 6 months- to a year you might want to upgrade to something like a lure setup with braid 

And if you get snagged what I do is losen the line the pull back on it and flick the line like a bow and arrow . Kind of hard to explain but you can look it up 

hope that helps after fishing for awhile I would recommend starting to fish with lures as you generally get more hookups and better fish but for now just start with bait because both work extremely well

also I will add if you’re right handed swipe your reel handle to the left side or if your left handed swipe your reel handle to right as you will get more casting accuracy and some other benefits I did it a few weeks ago and it’s a lot better

hope that helps 

Thanks.  Great advice and now I have even more research to do . 

I was lucky to be given the book Hamlyn Fishing Knots.  On advice I am using the Albright for joining my braid to mono leader.  From reading the book I chose the clinch knot (half blood knot) for hooks and swivels and the Rapala knot for my soft lures with jigheads.  So far they have all held really well.   

Why does everyone on the forum keep saying uni knot?  Because of ease or strength or both?

[ellicat]

Double uni knot is great for tying braid to leader. Simple and strong.

[kmcrosby78]

11 hours ago, Breaming with bro said:

also I will add if you’re right handed swipe your reel handle to the left side or if your left handed swipe your reel handle to right as you will get more casting accuracy and some other benefits I did it a few weeks ago and it’s a lot better

Personal opinion but if you have swapped hands and managed to throw further, I reckon you must have been casting with the wrong hand all your life. There's no way in hell if I swapped hands that I could cast anywhere near as far left handed as I can with my right hand - same as throwing a tennis ball. UNCO  

[Brodie_S]

Yeah uni knot is good for connecting hooks and swivels because it’s a lot stronger then a blood knot and for joint braid to mono/FC Albright is fine 

[Kat]

Thanks.  Uni knot looks easy so I will start giving that a go. Cheers!

[Kat]

12 minutes ago, ellicat said:

Double uni knot is great for tying braid to leader. Simple and strong.

Thanks ellicat.  I will have a look and give it a go.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

23 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

Personal opinion but if you have swapped hands and managed to throw further, I reckon you must have been casting with the wrong hand all your life. There's no way in hell if I swapped hands that I could cast anywhere near as far left handed as I can with my right hand - same as throwing a tennis ball. UNCO  

Very much agreed, kmcrosby78. I can barely reel/cast a line left handed. 

Kat, do what flows best for you. Whether you reel left handed or not, you will still catch fish!

Cheers Hamish

[Daryl McPhee]

 

Hi Kat. I am happy to help. We are coming up to some good time over the next few months to fish landbased on the Gold Coast. Here are a couple of fishing videos for your enjoyment. 

 

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Daryl

Those are some good sessions there. You really can catch them all on the GC!

Cheers Hamish

[Daryl McPhee]

Hi Hamish. 

Yep. Those videos are all land based on the GC!

Daryl 

[Kat]

Yep.  I tried to find some of those spots two days ago and caught lots of weed

[Daryl McPhee]

There is a bit of weed there this time of the year but if you scout around a little you can generally avoid. The fish aren't too far away from where the weed is usually. I'll be having a fish tonight as hopefully there will be some good whiting starting to poke around and their will still be some tailor. 

[Kat]

Cheers Daryl

Maybe next week.  I have just arrived at McLeay Island and going to try and find some land based fishing here for the next few days.  Still have no idea what I am doing but getting out there anyway.  Wish me luck!

[ellicat]

Good luck.

[Kat]

Apparently good sized tiger squid are about so heading down to fish off a mates beach at about 10pm.  Hope to be posting pics tomorrow

[ellicat]

That'd be worth it. A feed or bait ?

[Kat]

On 06/08/2020 at 6:54 PM, ellicat said:

That'd be worth it. A feed or bait ?

No squid night or morning.  No yabbies.  1 barely legal Bream and two sliced fingers! Still loving it. Trying a different spot tomorrow...

[ellicat]

That;s a pretty regular days fishing. haha

Keep at it.

[GregOug]

3 hours ago, Kat said:

No squid night or morning.  No yabbies.  1 barely legal Bream and two sliced fingers! Still loving it. Trying a different spot tomorrow...

I hope that’s the breams blood on the rocks near its mouth?

[GregOug]

Hi Kat,

If you want fish for dinner just do what I do. Follow another boat to their secret spot, still catch nothing, look downcast and eat the fish they give you when they see how pathetic you really are.

cheers

Greg

cc @ellicat, @Old Scaley, the dentist

[kmcrosby78]

That bream looks decent to me, any idea on length?

[GregOug]

Also Kat, in your introduction I noticed you were seeking advice on a few things. So here goes:

 
Snags- now this one area I am a specialist in. If there is a snag anywhere in the immediate area I will find it. After much consideration I have come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with snags is to fish as light as absolutely possible. That way it is easier to break them off. In fact if you can find 1lb line go for it.

Cleaning gear - sorry, can’t help you there. Never done it.

Threading bait - not sure about this one at all. Once again, don’t think I’ve ever done it. What are you threading it with? Cotton? Wool? I just put it on my hook.

Hope I’ve been of some help.

cheers

Greg

 

[GregOug]

15 minutes ago, kmcrosby78 said:

That bream looks decent to me, any idea on length?

Hi KM,

I think that all depends on the size of the rocks around it.

cheers

Greg

[Kat]

The Rock is huge.  Like I said barely legal.  Yeah fish blood - mine came later in the avo.  Put it this way the fish bled less than I did.

[GregOug]

Hi Kat,

You are welcome to come out as deckie on my boat sometime if you like. I have taken my current deckie out twice now for absolutely no keepers. Not his fault of course. I could take the current Australian Fishing Champion out and still catch nothing. However, I have suspicions that he thinks I have ‘problems’, which I didn’t think he’d catch on to so quickly. Also, I had to spend a hundred bucks to buy a thicker anchor rope because the cheap thin one I originally bought cut one of his fingers off. I mean, some people! There’s just no keeping them happy. 

Anyway, just let me know if you’d like to come out. Oh, and bring light line (preferably 1lb or less) and wear gloves. Still not sure if the anchor rope is thick enough. 

cheers

Greg

P.S If your husband is a 6 foot 6 possessive body builder please disregard the above invitation. 
 

P.P.S Happy to bring my current deckie along to show you the ‘ropes’. Ha Ha

[Kat]

Would absolutely love to come and be a decline.  But need to be taught how first!  My hubby passed a couple of years ago so no worries there! Currently pretty free, not working -some volunteering and babysitting for my sis.  Let me know when and where!  But I am pretty attached to my fingers....

[Kat]

**** - auto correct - was supposed to say deckie

[GregOug]

1 minute ago, Kat said:

Would absolutely love to come and be a decline.  But need to be taught how first!  My hubby passed a couple of years ago so no worries there! Currently pretty free, not working -some volunteering and babysitting for my sis.  Let me know when and where!  But I am pretty attached to my fingers....

That’s okay. I was only joking about the fingers. And he’s a pretty good deckie really. I’m free most days, just need some good weather.

[Leosonfire]

28 minutes ago, Kat said:

Would absolutely love to come and be a decline.  But need to be taught how first!  My hubby passed a couple of years ago so no worries there! Currently pretty free, not working -some volunteering and babysitting for my sis.  Let me know when and where!  But I am pretty attached to my fingers....

Kat you seem to be a legend good on you for getting out their and having a crack! Definitely take up a deckie spot this forum is great for that, heaps of legends willing to help. 

[Kat]

Cheers Leosonfire

[benno573]

Welcome to the club of hurting self more than fish! a trip is a win if I don’t manage to hurt myself in some way.

 

as far as avoiding snags - it depends a lot on where you are fishing. Some areas regardless of what you do you will rock on at some point. A lot of it is watching where your line is at all times and kind of making a good guess at where a snag may be and making the two not meet - it’s not a perfect science though. I just got better and faster at knots and had lots of spares...

 

locations - plenty of options around paradise point that are worth a look landbased. Use fresh (live if possible) bait and the lightest gear you feel comfortable with. Incoming tides usually fish better.

 

look forward to reading more reports from future trips.

[Drop Bear]

On 29/07/2020 at 5:59 PM, Kat said:

Also scaled, gutted and filleted it myself

Thats a pro filleting job too. no waste.

welcome to the forum, I hope you have many successful trips.