Memsmullowayhunter

On 14/06/2023 at 2:04 PM, mangajack said:

Good session there.

Threadies can and regularly to abrade leaders through leaving a well sanded bit of leader. Very large conger eels can too but unlikely to get through 40lb leader though.

Jew have different teeth that will nick lines without the sand paper effect.

Big shovels do abrade line like sand paper but seldom enough to part 40lb.

Interesting you are still on the prawns this late in the year.

The prawns are still thick in the river, mrs bagged almost 4 kilos worth last night.

1 hour ago, mangajack said:

Good session there.

Threadies can and regularly to abrade leaders through leaving a well sanded bit of leader. Very large conger eels can too but unlikely to get through 40lb leader though.

Jew have different teeth that will nick lines without the sand paper effect.

Big shovels do abrade line like sand paper but seldom enough to part 40lb.

Interesting you are still on the prawns this late in the year.

I've never seen a jew do this to leader, and after chatting with a few people I am leaning more towards a Threadfin. 

Hello fellow fishers!

 
Just wanted to provide an brief update on a recent Brisbane river land based session we had.

Me and the mrs decided to head up to a land based spot for some prawns, which were in decent number (couple per cast).

Considering we were catching enough for a feed I decided to throw some larger models out as live bait.

Had two rods out, one was a distance cast to get as close to the channel and a closer cast (this also avoids tangling on my own line)

About half an hour before the change of tide my baitrunner started buzzing with sound, with a few LARGE tugs and rod tip stayed loaded.

Hooked onto what felt like a potentially medium-large mulloway or threadfin on the rod that was casted out further.

Managed to bring it pretty much to the pontoon and my line had snapped as I saw a touch of colour (however still unsure on what species).

I noticed that my 40 pound leader was frayed in a very odd manner.

It is hard to explain but the bottom 5-10 cms of my leader felt like it was sanded down and there was discoloration.

Anyways fixed up my line and cast out another live prawn.

On the tide change that beautiful sound of the drag started again however this time was a solid run.

Strike and the fight commenced, after a short period was able to bring a medium-large mulloway (either just legal or just under so not huge).

This is where things went horrible wrong, the hook was just pinned by the lip, concerned that the lift up to the pontoon would of ripped the lip.

Unfortunately didn't have a net on hand, one of the fellow fishers on the pontoon tried to assist in bringing up the jewfish on the pontoon.

This is when the mulloway decided to head dive down and go for another run before I could loosen my drag and the line snapped.

While the chaos was occurring my other rod also went for a small run, stopped however the rod tip was loaded.

Brought the other rod in to catch one of the biggest eels i personally had ever caught, would of been well and truly over a meter.

Released off to annoy another fisherman.

You win some you lose some, only makes me hungrier for another Brisbane river mulloway.

Still went home with almost 2 kilos of prawns, so happy days!

Date: 12 June 2023

Tide times: Just after top of tide

Moon phase: Third quarter

Bait: Live prawn

Species caught: Mulloway

Size: 70-75cms (was unable to measure as line snapper while trying to bring it onto the pontoon)

Barometric pressure: 1020.24

Rods: Penn Prevail II 10 ft and 9'6 ft

Reels: Shimano Baitrunner 6000 and Penn Live Liner 6500

Line: 30 pound braid

Leader: 40 pound

Hooks: 4/0 live bait hooks

Sinker: 60-70 gram star sinker on slider.

Solid effort mate! we should tee up a session together.

Hey guys,

Just a quick one, BCF are having a sale on atm, Yamashita squid jigs are going for $5 down from $20.

Hey guys,

I am currently in the market for my first boat, super excited and about time! 

What are some sources/websites I can utilise to source a second hand boat, besides Facebook groups and dealers?

Also any advice is well appreciated as mentioned this is my first boat!

Budget is 10-15k and mostly thinking aluminium boat as I will be using a newer model sv6 to tow, so nothing to heavy.

I won't necessarily be taking the boat out too far, but would love to be able to go out to Tangalooma on a super calm day.

Mainly harbour and estuary fishing.

Any motor brands to avoid? anything I should be double checking before spending my hard earned cashed, etc.

Thanks in advance.

FISH: Oh look his using a Stella with a shimano grapler, I definitely want to be caught by that expensive set up. 

All jokes aside generally my combos are usually between 300-500 (I am a bargain hunter so generally look at the second hand market)

I also think it depends on target species and type of fishing.

If I was to ever chase larger/harder fighting species like GT or big kingies, I would be more at ease with a quality reel like a Saragosa (brand new i think like $330) as opposed to Something on the cheaper side.

I see people spending $1000 on a squid combo and think to myself why?

On 15/05/2023 at 11:44 AM, Bretto77 said:

PS. How does one correctly pronounce @Thorbjorn Hale's name???

In "Australian English" I mean. I can't ask @Kat... Kiwis make a mockery of the english language

Its pronounced as Thor-fishwhisperer-yorn  

Hi guys, another quick tutorial for beginners.

Target species: SQUID.

As a fisherman this has been one of my fav species to target, tastes absolutely amazing and is in my opinion one of the best baits.

Before I write up my tutorial, I do want to add I am no expert and always learning new things, this is just what has worked for me in the past.

Where to find squid?

First and foremost, squid love clean water.

This means that upper reaches of rivers, brackish water etc will not hold any squid.

If there has been a massive down pour of rain, this will definitely shut down squid activity.

They are predatory species who hide amongst kelp beds waiting for prey to move past these kelp beds.

Therefore any areas with clean water, patches of kelp/weed beds on sand is the most ideal location.

Furthermore any areas with well lit up piers/jetties/etc (with clean water) should hold squid at night.

What rod, reel and line to use?

This will be determined by where you are fishing however for the most part it remains the same.

Most people tend to use lighter gear, 1000-3000 size reels with a nice graphite rod to suit.

Considering you will be continuously jigging for them, it is not recommended to use heavy rods.

I have been using a 2500 reel with a 7ft graphite rod to match.

You may look at using a longer rod depending on if you need to cast your jig further out to reach target area. (longer rod=further cast distance)

The varying factor for squid fishing is your line class, as squid tend to hold up in kelp/weed beds, you do tend to get snagged a bit.

I generally stick to my 8lb braid directly tied to leader that is a little heavier (anywhere from 10-20lb)

What jigs to use and when?

Your squid jig is the most important tool when it comes to catching squid and as such the correct colour and weight needs to be thought out.

Starting with the weight of the jig, on the smaller side we have jigs that are 1.5-1.8 and on the larger side 3-3.5.

The depth of water and the current will determine what weight jig you will use.

For example in shallow waters and water where the current isn't too strong, I stick to smaller jigs.

If the current is strong and/or deep water I use the larger jigs sometimes even multiple jigs (paternoster rig in deeper water).

When it comes to what colour jig to select, this is where things get more complicated with a lot more choice.

There are a few things to consider with colour choice, are you fishing day or night? Is it overcast or bright clear skies?

Generally if it is a nice sunny day with clear skies, I tend to lean towards natural looking jigs, such as a blue pilchard yamashita jig or something similar in colour to the bait around the location.

If I am squidding at night I tend to use bright colours like a pink and orange.

Further to this a lot of companies such as yamashita or yozuri make a large number of glow in the dark jigs which are designed for night fishing.

You can use a UV torch or your head lamp to charge up the glow.

Please note with squidding if you know the area holds squid and a particular colour is not working, don't continue to use the same colour.

Some sessions I find myself using a multitude of different colours and sizes.

To make my life easier, I use a jig clip at the end of the line and say everyone 10 or so casts I will swap out my jig.

There are many other things to consider when it comes to colour, including cloth colour, foil colour, cloth patterns etc.

There are plenty of jig colour charts you can find on the internet!

What technique do I use?

First and foremost as squid hold up in kelp/weed beds it is evident that they tend to be at the bottom.

Once you cast out your jig, pay attention to the line making sure it hits the bottom before jigging.

Once you have noticed that it is at the bottom, remove the slack in the line and commence jigging.

From here there is no one correct way, at different times different techniques will work.

To keep it simple for beginners, I generally do 1-3 whips/jigs with my rod, then reeling in the slack and letting it hit the bottom again.

Shallower water = less whips, deeper water you can do up to 4-5 jigs.

After this reel in the slack and let the jig hit the bottom again, rinse and repeat.

Sometimes if the activity is slow, I might do a slow reel in keeping my jig near the bottom.

Sometimes if I am squidding on the boat, I may cast out my jig, keep it near the bottom and let the rocking motion of the boat "jig" for me.

Mix it up and have go of different jigging techniques.

For reference I have included the video below, from the squid king himself.

Before I wrap up my guide, there is one thing that I want to address.

Many, MANY times I have heard people saying squid are only active during the night.

THIS IS FALSE! Although more common at night, I have had some bag out sessions during mid day.

GOOD LUCK AND TIGHT LINES!