Launched at St Heliers just before 7pm; back at 9pm - 8 keepers 35cm to 55cm all good fun on 4kg. Bite on from time we arrived on both squid and pilly (compliments of Gourmet Baits). Small baits preferred. No berley used. Started with throw backs and 'small' bites on ledger. A change to strayline made the difference and size improved. Bites start as tentative nibbles, then run taking 5-10 metres, 'hook up', head thumps start - then DROPPED. Time after time on 7/0. (Any advice welcome!)

Fish in 7 m, temp around 20 degrees, about 50 m off shore between Barges and Rangi shore.

All in all, a good 2 hours fun on light tackle.

Keith

Was fishing Penetrator Joseph.

Tonto, I find the recurves a bit difficult to set with 4 kg line set to 1.3kg drag. Have not yet found a fine gauge recurve.

Cheers

Keith

Keith

Was having the same problem yesterday. Fishing 4kg off the yak , 2 x 7/0 Gammies fixed couple of inches apart.  Using whole pillies. Having good tussle with fish and then slack.

Front hook bare but back hook often left with tail end of pillie.

Pland

keith are you leaving the reel in strike when you use the recurves or are you trying to set it by striking? im a gammie man and i have that problem to mate and i changed my rig and had no problems after that...also if your using smaller baits try a longline hook size 32...

pland...leave one hook running free

talking to a member yesterday he was getting nibbled of heaps  and was letting the fish run, was getting jack all and then just started striking hard and hooking up...might help

Tobes, I fish recurves on the ledger rig and even tried with the rod standing in the rod holder. That didn't seem to help and the rod tip would just rattle away until the hook was clean. Was dropping the fish on the 4kg strayline and Penetrators.

Cheers

Keith

well guys it happens to all of us at times....... fish dropped after a good run just when you expect everything to be a ok....... but this happens its part of fishing.......

ive been there i know what your going through Keith C these things wont go away.......

different times of the day when they are not hungry they will nible and piss around with your bait or sit on it and sucking it like a lollypop.....

and then you get this hot bite and everything is devoured as its been dropped to the bottom they run like hell and peel line off your reel with it in gear and then let go.......

try things like half a pilchard instead of a hole one.......... as the competition is so great at times amongst the fish that they just grab and run and dont swallow until they feel safe to eat it without being hassled..... watch what happens to a bunch of birds when you throw your left over bait to them same thing applies..... 

by staying in touch with your bait at all times is the only way to feel those lollypop fish..... 

There are also times when you feel nothing and after a few minutes you just give it the big strike and hook fish anyway. This is very common when fishing on the sand at Omaha (which I do a lot).

Thanks for that Lethal and Bender. Bender, the fish were biting like you mentioned during December/early Jan in the Motuihe Channel. You felt the weight come on but no bite as such.

Now at least there are bites and runs but no hook setting.

Keith

I find also Lethal's technique of dropping the bait size to work quite well when the bite is shy. They swallow the whole thing (in theory) rather than take a bite and run with it.

i think you should look at the area you are fishing before coming down from a 7/0 to a 5/0...... if you have only caught 3 to 6lbers then by all means come down in size but dont let them run or you may have a undersize fish with a hook in its gills........

but the truth be know i dont very often use anything bigger than a 6/0...... but i most always stay in touch with the bait so when a fish starts to run i strike, as i have two hooks on my side this gives me twice as many chances of hooking it up......

i find big hooks get bent or broken depending on strength and size of cut behind the barb snapper have wickedly strong mouths as most of use know........

lalandi....... do you leave your rod in the rod holder or are you fishing with it in hand all the time???????

its just that i cant come to grips with a hook i have to let the fish hook itself on......... as you never know in which way its moving away with your bait before reel it in...... if the bait is some distance out the back then the fish has to swim away from you before those hooks will work........

unless of coarse you use a heavy weight and keep it below the boat then it do's not matter i guess which way it swims.....  

I fish it in typical strayline fashon... but instead of a solid strike when the fish is running I just thumb the spool and when I feel the weight come on lift the rod up gently...

In situations described above then I will put both snelled recurves at the front of the pillie, one in the head and one in the guts, half hitch around the tail.

rod holders are for trolling or while shifting spots... or for those who think they will catch more with two rods (as if!!!)

sounds good lalandi........ may have to get them out again and give em ago....

normaly only used them with a long trace and running sinker or a dropper rig of which i hardly ever use these days except in the Manukau or over the bar when bottom bouncing..... 

ask KSi if two rods catches more fish lala...rod holders are fantastic...can drink beer, play with burley, 'spark it up' for you smokers, etc

whats a snelled recurve hook?