Wednesday Afternoon at Peel...

[Peter4]

With perfect conditions forecast and cooler weather we headed out to Peel around 2.00pm to see if we could find any early season snapper....

We arrived at Peel to find no other boats about and calm conditions.;D First drift and we manage 5 fish. A 40cm snapper and a small maori cod to Kyle and a 30cm snapper and 2 maori cod (one 35cm) to me.

Second drift sees Kyle land another small snapper and me land another small snapper and another maori cod.....breaking the tip on my Daiwa Procaster Rod while doing so....grrrrrr!>:(

Third drift see Kyle land another 35cm snapper. 9 fish in three drifts!

The boat traffic started to increase and the bite went quiet so we moved to our next mark. A steady stream of fish came aboard including a 35cm tuskie, a fringe-eyed flathead, a sand flathead, some grinners and a few more small snapper.

Again things went quiet and so we moved to our third spot right on dusk. This mark went crazy. Amid bust-offs and bite-offs we managed a few more small snapper, some more bloody grinners and a small tailor....

The dolphins then showed up for dinner and it was like a switch was flicked - we didn't get another touch. We motored home in the early evening content with a busy afternoon/evening's fishing.

Final tally was about 15 snapper (3 legal size), 4 maori cod, 2 flathead, 1 tailor and 1 tuskie - plus the usual vermin - all released unharmed.

A great fun session....

Regs

Pete & Kyle

[Bennywise]

Sounds like a great trip!! Hope I have the same luck as you tomorrow!!

Ben

[tropicrows]

pete,

I assume you were using plastics

[Peter4]

pete,

I assume you were using plastics

Yep - all caught flicking soft plastics around the reef edges.....

Zoom flukes and super flukes in baby bass, watermelon seed and goldfish and bass slider grubs were the main plastics we used.....

[NAGG]

Sounds like a nice way to spend a afternoon :P

good stuff Pete

Chris

[tropicrows]

Pete I live in birkdale, you might like to come out my boat, and you could teach me how to you use those bloody things. To date all I have caught on them is catfish around mud.

[catfishkid]

Top effort pete,I still havent managed to get my head around the plastics yet either.I have tried but always seem to give up and go back to bait,live and dead.
Bruce maybe you dont burley enough from your boat,after reading tims story I reckon you must be good at it;D.


Cheers Craig

[SummerTrance]

Nice one Peter, gota love those hot bite periods!

tropicows, Thats interesting to hear, as i've never seen a catfish at mud. Just a guess, but maybe your fishing a bit too shallow.


Catfishkid, the best way to work out plastics, is dont take bait. Keep at it and sooner or later you'll get it sorted.

[uglyfish]

i dont have the paitents for them,thats my problem

[MickThe]

In my experience Dolphins are great for kids to look at, but terrible for the fishing when they rock up. :'(

Mick.

[Peter4]

SummerTrance is right, guys....the best way to have success with plastics is to leave the bait at home.

We stopped using bait in August 2007 and have never looked back. We always manage a few fish around Peel. The key is to work your plastic all the time.

Having said that I usually work one rod and have a deadstick out as well and the catch rate is about 50/50.....

Pete

[tropicrows]

I keep saying I'm not going to take bait, but when I'm loading the boat it always finds it way in there. I don't want to take any but I just can't leave it at home.

[Peter4]

I keep saying I'm not going to take bait, but when I'm loading the boat it always finds it way in there. I don't want to take any but I just can't leave it at home.

Check your PMs tropicrows.....

[SummerTrance]

Having said that I usually work one rod and have a deadstick out as well and the catch rate is about 50/50.....



I do the same and have about the same catch rate. Although interestingly at Mud on Tuesday, I didnt catch one fish all day on the deadstick rig. That was a first for me. I usually have two trusty plastics I always use on the deadstick, and they always produce, but nothing on tues. I even tried downsizing leader. In the end I think i was struugling to keep the sp on the bottom, and it was dragging mid water due to the fast rate of drift. That was using a 1/6th jighead. I tried upsizing to 1/4th but then kept getting snagged.

[Peter4]

I usually have two trusty plastics I always use on the deadstick, and they always produce, but nothing on tues.

Interesting ST....usually my dead stick goes off at the same time as the rod I am working (school of snaps, I suspect) or while I am bringing a fish in.....

I tend to deadstick a plastic that is dramatically different to the one I'm working though I tend to rotate anyway...i.e I put my working rod in the holder and recast the former deadstick, work it for a while then rotate again....that way both plastics are being worked at least some of the time.

What are your 'trusty plastics'?;)

Pete

[Pete62]

Nice way to spend an arvo Pete, Kyle still teaching u a bit about fishing??;D

Pete.

[Peter4]

Nice way to spend an arvo Pete, Kyle still teaching u a bit about fishing??;D

That's it mate, sink the boots in!!;)

[SummerTrance]

First one is a gulp 4" minnow lime tiger and the other is secret :-X While I do change them if getting nothing, the're always the two I try first.
I tend to not touch the deadstick at all, unless checking it hasnt been biten off. I really just like to concentrate on the main rod, as it seems whenever I pick up the deadstick the main one gets hit.