Mulloway (my next target)

[_Dan_]

Hi all,

Well i have been thinking this year is the year for targeting some mulloway or jews off the beach. And i thought i would look for some pointers from any people who have tried this painstaking past time.

In the past a have tried but not fully 100%, this year will be different. I have some points i am going to follow already but if there is anything else anyone can add please feel free to post or PM if preferred.

these are the main things i will base my fishing on.

1. The moon (will be fishing around the new or full moon) early mornings or nights and or after any large rain around river mouths.
2. Beach from anywhere from sth gold coast till iluka or there abouts.
3. Winter and cold maybe the around the times for the early run of tailor and salmon starting around may-june.
4. Fresh large slabs of bait or live bait based on conditions, i have a place where i can get fresh bonito and mack tuna and also use slabs of fresh tailor and salmon..
5. Using alvey with drag and 14ft pacific composite rod, with 20lb mainline with 50lb mono leader.

Basically thats it, also if there is anyone who fishes for these specifically and is looking for someone to join them, i would be keen as.

Anyways thanks in advance.

Cheers

[Pistol_P]

Where abouts you living Dan?

[_Dan_]

Hi Pete,

I live in Loganholme, in between Brisbane and the coast. But i am going to travel.

Cheers

[Freeeedom]

Hi Dan
Good luck in your quest. The jewies are the largest readily available fish to the shore based angler on this part of the coastline. Although they're not the greatest fighting fish - they make a couple of good runs and then give up, often coming in belly up - it's still a great thrill to beach a 15 - 20 kilos fish with their beautiful bronze colour and that great eye glowing in the torchlight.
A couple more tips that might help. The holes next to headlands or rocks are good locations to target them. They hole up in caves or around reefs during the day and then go out hunting at night. Fresh fillets of tailor, mullet or luderick are all great baits, but so is a whole surf worm, threaded over the hook and up the line. The worm is probably the best bait for them in daylight casting into rocky areas. I've attached an old photo of some nice schoolies caught on Fraser Island during the daytime - all caught on worms.
The other thing about catching them is that you do not strike on the first run when something takes your bait. Let the fish move off (it will go 20 - 30 metres) and then it will stop to swallow the bait. Then it will move off again - now is the time to strike. If you strike on the first run you will miss 9 out of 10 hits. If you strike on the second run you will hookup 9 out of 10.
The first run is very powerful, just let it go. I've seen guys trying to stop the fish on the first run and get busted off time and time again. Just wait until the fish slows down, then hit it hard. This may provoke a second run, but it will be very short compared to the first one. The fish will now be exhausted and it's easy to work the fish back in and beach it.
Cheers Freeeedom

[_Dan_]

Thanks Freedom,

I have heard about the first run etc. Also i am thinking about leaving on a tight freespool so they can take it and then hit.

The worm is definately a cracker of a bait, my grandad tells me about the logan river days when he would catch 50lbers on worms, but he says the pickers can be more of a challenge with them. Also i have heard of front cut luderick or tailor with guts and all just behind the head.

Thanks again, it will be a while i think before i manage to hit one but im prepared for it.

I have a few rocky headlands in mind on the far nth NSW coast i will be trying.

Also is winter a better option?

Cheers

Dan

[JEWIENEWIE]

I have been targeting these buggers ofr a while now with some sucess mate, patience is the key and waiting for the second run before striking to. It can be so hard to not strike on the first run as line will be peeling of your reel, your heart is racing but wait for the second run!
Jewienewie

[Pistol_P]

Hi again dan,
There are some awesome beaches and headlands in Northern NSW.
Like Freeedom said the holes and gutters around the headlands are great spots.
Remember they love sand so headlands with deep sandy drop offs are a great spot as are the gutters on the beaches.At night they cruise into these gutters looking for a feed.Dont disregard Squid as a top bait.On the beaches on the mid north coast of NSW squid outfishes every other bait you can think of.....It outfishes mullet,tailor,worms and fillets of blackfish etc.....they LOVE it.
If you wanna give the sunnie coast a crack let me know...
Here are some jew caught on all on squid.

[Freeeedom]

Yeah - agree Pistol_P, a whole squid is a great bait and not so favoured by the pickers, although most of the pickers disappear after dark. I've also caught plenty of good jew (15kg average) on whole yellowtail pike which I can catch myself and keep frozen until needed. Any squid I catch go into the wok rather than the bait freezer!
Cheers Freeeedom

[nigelr]

Don't discount the first and last quarters of the moon.
Where I live, (Coffs Harbour area) I find the neap lows produce best, first 2 hours of run-up.
I use a whole squid bait when I can, but also happy with large slabs of mullet or tailer.
I rig these on a 10/0 Gamakatsu suicide with a 3/0 keeper hook to keep the bait straight.
I prefer to strike straight away, here the jew seem to hit like a ton of bricks, rather than just pick up the bait and run.
I find fish to 10kg or so will often run directly at me once hooked, so that I have to run back up the beach and wind as fast as possible to keep the line tight!
They're tricky bu$$ers! Larger fish tend to head out wide, using brute strength.
Great fun to catch and superb eating, though I do prefer the smaller fish 3 - 10 kg myself. Nothing quite like the sight of that first LARGE mulloway washed up on the sand!
Cheers, good hunting and enjoy!

[Wayne_Red]

Hi all
my old man fishes a fair bit for jew off the beach near wooli. Uses methoed beach worms. He reconds methoed one fish better than fresh ones. alway fishes with the drag done up and doesn't let them run at strike. Uses 20lb line, patenosta rig with one dropper. Very soft 3 or 4 wrap rod.
He caught 145 of them last year with a 4 month break for an operation.
Good luck dan i am sure you will get one
Wayne

[LizardLord]

from what i've read it appears there is a trend towards chasing mulloway on soft plastics. is this more of an estuary thing or do people take it off beaches and breakwalls?

[_Dan_]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the tips, they are very much appreciated.

I have heard of saft plastics etc being used but on the beach fresh bait and live bait is superior (supposably).

Pistol_P. I would be keen as mate, we will tee a time and date up and will have a go. Let me know.

Cheers

[Siminikish]

re Freeeedom

I must admit i was disgusted with your photo! To catch that many schoolies is atrocious! No matter what size party of fisherman. The Jewfish is an illusive and majestic fish and deserves the chance to mature. Your photo illustrates the reason why so few fish are caught in the 60+ pound range nowadays. I hope you adopt more modern attitudes and only keep one or two in the future.

[Pistol_P]

re Freeeedom

I must admit i was disgusted with your photo! To catch that many schoolies is atrocious! No matter what size party of fisherman. The Jewfish is an illusive and majestic fish and deserves the chance to mature. Your photo illustrates the reason why so few fish are caught in the 60+ pound range nowadays. I hope you adopt more modern attitudes and only keep one or two in the future.

There is actually a good argument against that theory there mate.
Whats worse?......taking 10 small Juvenile Jewies OR taking one 25kg Jew capable of producing hundreds off offspring...... .

[robyoung2]

If you want to try something a bit different try using oversized nilsmaster invincibles painted black on a full moon.

I've never really got carried away with fishing for jew, but was always there when dad was at it. I'd fish for Tailor or Bream while they all sat around freezing, and was always keen to help gaff fish, but never got into the long waits between runs myself.

But what I found the most interesting way was when I lived at Brunswick Heads. The local jewie brigade got carried away making their own nilsmaster invincible look alikes (although they make a huge one now commercially I believe).

I can't say just where else these would work, but they'd cast them from surf rods with large alveys of course. They'd fish the north wall on a south easterly blow, so there was a lot of good sloppy white water for the black lures to stand out against. And of course, they used a full moon, for exactly the same reason.

Some nights there'd be 20 blokes along that wall, all belting huge lures into the surf, and it was without doubt the most successful style I personally ever saw.
It became so successful no-one that lived there used anything else for the longest of times, and I'd even dare to say it's still the go.

Live bait, surf worms, slab baits.. they all work alright, so far as I saw. But this was more like fishing in my mind.

cheers, good luck.
rob