Last two nights livebaiting spot x

[nathank]

With my lack of success fishing for the big offshore pelagics i decided to take it back a notch and fish one of my favourite spots targeting jacks, this spot is pretty unique in the fact that there isn't many snags.. For some reason though the Jacks cruise past here when the conditions are right. The first night my partner Tracee comes with me and we deploy a few big live silver biddies and wait....and wait...and wait. I always put the biddies under floats so things on the bottom wont get them and the next thing Tracee's rod takes off put there i no surface explosion.. It takes a decent first run but i had no idea what it was.. after a really good tusstle up pops a 70 odd cm flattie that took a bait off the surface in 3m water!!! Pretty hungry for it to have come up that high.

The next night (last night) the lounge was to comfy for Tracee and just had to go one more time... This time i managed to get a few nice sized mullet as well as the biddies, again i waited and waited.. I just knew though there would have to be one swim by at some stage, i took the live mullet off the float and threw him back out. I was using a symetre 3000 with 4kg line a short double into a 20lb flouro leader fished in strike drag, withing 1minute off the float coming off the reel screams to life and i knew what it was... after a very tense 10minute battle and big long runs (they fight completely different over sand with no structure) i got this awesome looking fish to the bank, quick pic at 57cm and back he went.. Pretty stoked to say the least.99696

[sharkymark2]

Nathank your awesome. If it had been my fish that I let go my wife wouldn't have spoken to me for 3 days:).

[thelump]

That's a big Jack. Well done. Don't want to start a shite fight but just curious on the release.? I hear they go alright on the chew.

[snapperbasher]

Top Fish mate!! I had my first bustup on a jack for the year last friday night.....they really get the heart pumping hey!

Macca. Jacks are great on the table! they are also great sportfish it is always a tough decision for me to release or keep for a feed....Some dont make it back into the water! and really that fish would have been just about ready to head to the offshore reefs never to be seen again I wouldnt have seen a problem to keep it for a feed.

[thelump]

Top Fish mate!! I had my first bustup on a jack for the year last friday night.....they really get the heart pumping hey!

Macca. Jacks are great on the table! they are also great sportfish it is always a tough decision for me to release or keep for a feed....Some dont make it back into the water! and really that fish would have been just about ready to head to the offshore reefs never to be seen again I wouldnt have seen a problem to keep it for a feed.

Yeah no dramas Lochie. Just curious for different peoples reasonings that's all. I don't mind either way.

[nathank]

I let them go because they are just awesome fish and i cant bring myself to kill them, ive eaten one or two but have caught over 100 of them over the years. they release really well if you swim them a bit and usually take off at a million miles an hour. I've caught one before that broke me off right at my feet after a long fight on 6kg only to catch it again two nights later with my 2/0 and 20lb leader in its gob.. They are tough! Snapperbasher is right though there is a good argument for keeping one this size rather than a smaller one as they head offshore never to be seen again in the rivers. Ive kept a 53 (first one i caught) and a 59.. they are just amazing to eat.... but not as amazing as they are to catch.

[wayno60]

...............................

[wayno60]

Nath any where I know??


just about ready to head to the offshore reefs never to be seen again

yes but that's where they do all their breeding.

My first really big jack, 60 cm, I kept and got raked over the coals for doing so on two different forums.
Im with nath now....caught the holy grail of jacks so now ill let the big one go and keep 50 and under for a feed.

[snapperbasher]

Nathany where I know??



yes but that's where they do all their breeding.

My first really big jack, 60 cm, I kept and got raked over the coals for dongso on two different forums.
Im with nath now....caught the holy grail of jacks so now ill let the big onego and keep 50 and under for a feed.

Yes I realisethat Wayne. The fact is they are relatively safe once they make it to the reefsto breed. Not many are caught off the reef for different reasons Hence mycomment about them never to be seen again. Unlike some other estuary fish whonever leave the estuaries and are a target for their whole life and probablymore so throughout their breeding years.

Many manyMangrove Jack make it to the reefs to breed relatively uninterupted Therefore Idon’t see a problem with people keeping some for a feed. Each to their own Iguess and I infact let more go then I keep but there certainly is no harm inkeeping some.

[wayno60]

I agree.......

[thelump]

I let them go because they are just awesome fish and i cant bring myself to kill them, ive eaten one or two but have caught over 100 of them over the years. they release really well if you swim them a bit and usually take off at a million miles an hour. I've caught one before that broke me off right at my feet after a long fight on 6kg only to catch it again two nights later with my 2/0 and 20lb leader in its gob.. They are tough! Snapperbasher is right though there is a good argument for keeping one this size rather than a smaller one as they head offshore never to be seen again in the rivers. Ive kept a 53 (first one i caught) and a 59.. they are just amazing to eat.... but not as amazing as they are to catch.

Thanks mate. Well done on a stonka. That is one fish that has eluded me although I must say I haven't really targeted them. Probably need to do that first eh!

[Saltboy]

With my lack of success fishing for the big offshore pelagics i decided to take it back a notch and fish one of my favourite spots targeting jacks, this spot is pretty unique in the fact that there isn't many snags.. For some reason though the Jacks cruise past here when the conditions are right. The first night my partner Tracee comes with me and we deploy a few big live silver biddies and wait....and wait...and wait. I always put the biddies under floats so things on the bottom wont get them and the next thing Tracee's rod takes off put there i no surface explosion.. It takes a decent first run but i had no idea what it was.. after a really good tusstle up pops a 70 odd cm flattie that took a bait off the surface in 3m water!!! Pretty hungry for it to have come up that high.

The next night (last night) the lounge was to comfy for Tracee and just had to go one more time... This time i managed to get a few nice sized mullet as well as the biddies, again i waited and waited.. I just knew though there would have to be one swim by at some stage, i took the live mullet off the float and threw him back out. I was using a symetre 3000 with 4kg line a short double into a 20lb flouro leader fished in strike drag, withing 1minute off the float coming off the reel screams to life and i knew what it was... after a very tense 10minute battle and big long runs (they fight completely different over sand with no structure) i got this awesome looking fish to the bank, quick pic at 57cm and back he went.. Pretty stoked to say the least.99696

Hi just wondering what live bait rig you use?

Dave

[nathank]

It's true when they make it to the reef they are a very rarely caught fish. Saltboy, the rig used at this spot (sorry Wayno its not the spot we fished) is something very different to what you would normaly use given the terrain. I (included in the original post) used 4kg mainline short double tied into a 20lb flouro leader 2/0 gamagatsu octopus hook, bait was a recently departed mullet of about 12cm.
Most spots i would use 15kg main doubled into a 40lb flouro leader and i like to anchor the bait to the bottom so it really panic's.... and you can still get dusted.

[MrNanks]

Great stuff mate. They are a magnificent fish.
I have only caught 2 and the biggest was 43cm. I got absolutely smashed earlier that night by a truck model.
All within 8 m of someones backyard.
Each to their own on eating or releasing.
I will be giving my live baits a run before too long.
Cheers and thanks for the effort in the report.

[84mick]

Nath, when will you come over to the dark side and use lures?? ;)

[nathank]

yeah yeah Mick lol, when i trade my boat in for a tinny with an electric motor or god forbid buy a kayak hehe

[cuzzamundi]

Just wondering how you rigged the dead poddy? I have great success in the far north just hooking a dead poddy through the eyes, but doesn't seem to be as good on the coast/s. Interested to hear what you do. Great fish, mate.

Cuzza

[84mick]

Get a yak you rich ****er ;) It's a lot harder casting plastics, fighting the current and the jacks on top of everything. It can be game over very quickly! Good fun though.

[nathank]

i hook them lightly 3/4 of the way towards the tail, i mainly do this because the bream will usually find a dead bait first and the first thing they do is attack the head... either that or actually through the backbone right near the tail.. After today offshore Mick i might just get one and come do some "quiet" fishing

[wayno60]

you didnt head down the palmy did you....

[nathank]

Nah wayno to mermaid reef.. could only manage one livebait.. it was a desert at my usual spots, i shoulda castnet some mullet lol you out today mate?

[wayno60]

nar worked....my next fishing chance will be tue arvo wed morn...