First time off to Swains! Big Mackie Methods Anyone???

[poddy mullet]

G"Day all! Well, two weeks and counting till we are off the the meca- Swains Reef!:o Just wondering if any one can tell me what the best method is to get hooked up big mackies? Any advice would be greatly appreaciated!!!

[Kendall249]

Live bait them, using red-bellied fusilier as bait. They have bright blue body and a yellow tail. Put it under a float, experiment with different depths. Shouldn't be hard find fusilier, berley up in the shallows. These things are jelly beans for big spanish.

[poddy mullet]

I am really only a freshy by trade mate, used to flickin spinnerbaits for murrays, so I am quite the simpleton when it comes to the salt! I am guessing that we catch these livies on light gear in the shallows and rig them up above the lateral line on a set of 6/0 gangs with a wire trace?

[Kendall249]

Yeah you do it that way, or use a two hook rig, with about 10cm between the hooks, make them with wire using crimps. Place one hook through the lip and the above the lateral line near the tail. You could use 6/0 to 8/0 hooks.

The fusilier need a relatively small hook and I find squid a good bait. They often school up in large numbers.

Which reefs are you going to?

[trueblue]

I like to use a 2 hook rig ganged with the bottom hook backwards and fully exposed. It is in the Geoff Wilson book and I got it from there. I use VMC hooks to make them.

Pic attached. Macks will usually hit the tail first, but this bait got clobbered by a baracuda and they don't care which side they hit first.

Most of the time the free hook that does not sit in the bait does the damage

cheers

Mick

[thirks]

what boat will you be on?

[poddy mullet]

M.V Vactioner , K & B Charters mate, Know anything about them? We all live a long way from yapoon so we are pretty green on this reef fishing scene, but hopefull of having our arms well and truly pulled out by somthin huge!

[thirks]

the only boat i can recomend(because its the only 1 ive been on) is the tsmv Kanimbla from gladstone but i think it is very hard to get a spot onboard

[hooknose]

Mate,
Just float a pilly out the back of the boat while you are bottom bashing for trout etc. Put it on 3 ganged 6/0's with a wire trace. Proven simple method of getting a Spanish at any reef.
Cheers !!