Infomation on Catching Rats

[Laurie Schulz]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if someone could give me a few tips on how to rig for trailing for small marlin, what lures to use and best time of the year to go looking for them. I live in the Gladstone Area and have seen the odd beaky here and there.

Any help or info would be great, as I've always wanted to hook one of these guys.


Cheers and Thanks Heaps

Laurie

[finding_time]

Nows the time Laurie there at 1770 on the bait grounds atm. Your best bet is just to jig some live bait and float one down lightly weighted on a 6/0 circle hook! If you really want to troll just use some 6 inch pushers in differant coulous , some light some dark! You'll only need light gear say 6-8 kg line and some 50 lb fluro carbon leader!

ian

[Laurie Schulz]

Nows the time Laurie there at 1770 on the bait grounds atm. Your best bet is just to jig some live bait and float one down lightly weighted on a 6/0 circle hook! If you really want to troll just use some 6 inch pushers in differant coulous , some light some dark! You'll only need light gear say 6-8 kg line and some 50 lb fluro carbon leader!

ian

Thanks Ian! Mate how long of a Leader do you think and is any wire required?

Cheers

Laurie

[sleepygreg]

Dont even go near wire. Look at a leader of about 1.8m of mono/flouro carbon...my preference is jinkai about 80 - 120lb, though about 100 others on this forum will offer differing suggestions. Get hold of a Lumo 6" pusher, and a purple/black 6" pusher, and experiment with the others. 8 - 10 kg main line is all thats needed...make sure your drags are working properly, then work the bait balls/tide changes/current lines.


Cheers
Greg

[Laurie Schulz]

Dont even go near wire. Look at a leader of about 1.8m of mono/flouro carbon...my preference is jinkai about 80 - 120lb, though about 100 others on this forum will offer differing suggestions. Get hold of a Lumo 6" pusher, and a purple/black 6" pusher, and experiment with the others. 8 - 10 kg main line is all thats needed...make sure your drags are working properly, then work the bait balls/tide changes/current lines.


Cheers
Greg

Thanks Heaps Greg!

Thats some great pointers to get me off and started mate.

Thanks for Pointing me in the right direction guys. All day tuesday will be spent dragging some pushers around the ocean.

Cheers

Laurie

Laurie

[finding_time]

If your going to pull lures dont make the big mistake made by many newbys and run your lures to far from the boat, as Greg stated get your self a purple / black lure and run this no further than about 20 feet behind the boat and on the other side run your fluro back about another 10 feet from that one and try and get it into clearer water if possible! If you run a third run it down the middle again only about another 10 feet behind the last. Your boat is what attracts the fish then they see the lures dont separate them to far!
If you get rigged lures of the shelf see if you can get some Gamagatsu SL12s in 7/0 and replace the lures hooks with these , you'll get more hook ups!
Ian

Ps Greg the little blacks there getting up there atm are mostly belows 10kg that's why i only recomended the 50lb leader.

[Laurie Schulz]

If your going to pull lures dont make the big mistake made by many newbys and run your lures to far from the boat, as Greg stated get your self a purple / black lure and run this no further than about 20 feet behind the boat and on the other side run your fluro back about another 10 feet from that one and try and get it into clearer water if possible! If you run a third run it down the middle again only about another 10 feet behind the last. Your boat is what attracts the fish then they see the lures dont separate them to far!
If you get rigged lures of the shelf see if you can get some Gamagatsu SL12s in 7/0 and replace the lures hooks with these , you'll get more hook ups!
Ian

Ps Greg the little blacks there getting up there atm are mostly belows 10kg that's why i only recomended the 50lb leader.

Thanks very much Ian, I'm as green as they get when it comes to chasing these little guys. I think its the opportunity to catch a fish you have never caught before, so I'm going get out there and learn as much as I can and give it my best shot.

Just one quick question, would you recomend the 6" Pluger for the Rats we have around here?
Laurie

[finding_time]

I would run somthing like a cockroach in purple and black, a zipper in fluro, and maybe a uzi in blue angle , there all pakula's so the patter should be in your local tackle store but similar shapes will be fine, run your lures at about 6.5 knots!

Ian

[TimiBoy]

Have you seen any Billies off Brisbane yet Ian?

Cheers,

Tim

[Midnight]

Have fun out there Laurie!

Tim,
Smithy reported some Sails off Mooloolaba and Stripes and Blacks outwide I think.
Im gonna head out for a look when I get back from work later in the week. I will post in the reports section on how it goes. Some good water turning up though, just gotta get rid of the wind!

Cheers,
Myles

[Laurie Schulz]

Have fun out there Laurie!

Tim,
Smithy reported some Sails off Mooloolaba and Stripes and Blacks outwide I think.
Im gonna head out for a look when I get back from work later in the week. I will post in the reports section on how it goes. Some good water turning up though, just gotta get rid of the wind!

Cheers,
Myles

Cheers Myles, It looks like Wensday is going to be the day for us in CQ, variable winds to 10 knots. So I'll be out there having a go and learning everything I can.

Good Hunting Guys

Laurie

[finding_time]

Laurie

just one more bit of advice, where ever you find the bait that's where the billys will be , so go to you usual bait spot and when you find good shows stay there , if the baits deep, live baiting will be the go, but if the balls have worked themselfs up the water colum troll round them and over them. If your bait shows have vertical edges or there being split into several balls of the main bait ball, your in with a good show! Remember dont leave the bait!!!

[Laurie Schulz]

Laurie

just one more bit of advice, where ever you find the bait that's where the billys will be , so go to you usual bait spot and when you find good shows stay there , if the baits deep, live baiting will be the go, but if the balls have worked themselfs up the water colum troll round them and over them. If your bait shows have vertical edges or there being split into several balls of the main bait ball, your in with a good show! Remember dont leave the bait!!!

Thanks Ian, mate are you based at 1770?

Cheers

Laurie

[finding_time]

laurie

i'm in brisbane

ian