Just the one mackerel - but what a cracker !!!

[Ratman]

Craig,

Is there any action in the bonito rigged this way. (dead baits) I see there's no weights required and they still swim upright, I take it, off the release clip.

cheers mate,

Mick

[liltuffy]

Mick, don't think there is much action at all, they just tow along straight and get pulled straight off the release clip.

[business class]

Towing a dead bonito that way would be near impossible to swim upright u would think, u might get a few kicks then it would tumble, but with no weight at tow point it would have to spin. Do u find you line is very twisted on your down rigger once u finish the days fishing? But if that rig works well for u for dead bait then ur a genious And nice fish bye the way.....

P.S the Swell was cracking on the weekend with a solid 5 foot on the bar with some awesome sets coming through..... Saturday was the pick of the two as sunday just rained .....

[bushweek]

Ratman, 50lb shogun main line to a rolling swivel, from the otherside of the swivel a number 10 hook on 8lb mono, 75 mm long. Tied to the swivel again about 300mm 75lb wire to a 1/0 owner 4x treble.

The wire and 8lb mono tied to the same side of the swivel. The number 10 goes through the lips and the wire runs loose down the bottom of the fish to where one point of the treble is inserted about the anal fin - if you can follow that.

Craig

why do you have 50lb main line bu tonly 8lb mono connected to your first hook ???

[business class]

why do you have 50lb main line bu tonly 8lb mono connected to your first hook ???

I will clear this up he is using the 8lb mono as a break away hook system which goes from swivel to the nose of the bait, so the nose hook (ie. Kepper Hook) is there only to act for a tow point to keep bait straight, and once the bait gets hammered the small hook either ends up in mouth or on the bottom of the ocean. Hope this clears this up for you

[liltuffy]

Towing a dead bonito that way would be near impossible to swim upright u would think, u might get a few kicks then it would tumble, but with no weight at tow point it would have to spin. Do u find you line is very twisted on your down rigger once u finish the days fishing? But if that rig works well for u for dead bait then ur a genious And nice fish bye the way.....

P.S the Swell was cracking on the weekend with a solid 5 foot on the bar with some awesome sets coming through..... Saturday was the pick of the two as sunday just rained .....

Thanks mate, it does in fact swim upright but you are correct in saying it does kick just a bit - more correctly it seems to just roll from side to side with the odd spin. The line generally is not twisted up at all, I do take a lot of care in hook position and making sure everything is straight (especially the bait). The rig used is more for live baits and the secret if there is one is to tow as slow your boat will go .

Also you are dead right about the "break away" tow hook. I have found the lighter the tow line and smaller the tow hook the better the bait travels through the water.

Craig

[BLOOEY]

Interesting concept with the breakaway lead hook. As B.C. says, on a dead bait i would expect it to spin but a livey would probably go really well on it. I tried to rig up a dead tuna (around 2kg) on the weekend with a chin rig and trebble stinger and found it very difficult to make it not spin even with the weight under it's head. Ben

[BLOOEY]

................Perhaps i'm rigging the baits to my spec's not the spano's?

[business class]

Rigging a bait with a chin guard is very easy what u might have to do with an un fresh tuna is be a doctor and stitch it up.... Belly through to kills and mouth. Break all back bone also or remove it, this will make it swim like a live one.....

Cheers
matty

[business class]

Craig, havE u ever had ur livey loose his nose hook?

Cheers
matty

[Vitamin Sea]

Rigging a bait with a chin guard is very easy what u might have to do with an un fresh tuna is be a doctor and stitch it up.... Belly through to kills and mouth. Break all back bone also or remove it, this will make it swim like a live one.....

Cheers
matty

Hey Matty

Do you use the actual chin guards? I think that they would be just the shot for bigger baits, been looking for them but can't find them down here. Like Craig I've been using dead bonito when I have not been able to get livies, been having trouble getting them to swim properly as well. Also Have trouble breaking the backbone without tearing the flesh, is there a trick to it?

http://www.townsvillegamefishclub.co...hin_guards.pdf



Cheers

Bill

[business class]

Hey Matty

Do you use the actual chin guards? I think that they would be just the shot for bigger baits, been looking for them but can't find them down here. Like Craig I've been using dead bonito when I have not been able to get livies, been having trouble getting them to swim properly as well. Also Have trouble breaking the backbone without tearing the flesh, is there a trick to it?

http://www.townsvillegamefishclub.co...hin_guards.pdf



Cheers

Bill

If ur breaking the flesh ur either bending it too far when its not defrosted enough or ur bait aint frozen right, or been de frosted and frozen too many times...

No i dont use the chin guards u buy from the shops, however u can buy them down here (gold coast) at most good tackle shops, we have our own set up my old boy made when we do use them, which is similar to the chin guard just more refined though, the trick to making them swim straight is WEIGHT at the tow point.

If u dont have a chin guard u can also use just a bean sinker tied under the chin, this is very affective and its very easy, but remember when towing tuna u need to go a touch quicker then just in gear as if u were towing a gar otherwise it wont swim it will just slowly rock..... u can also remove the back bone buy using a small hollow steel tube, insert it through the mouth and then push it in along the spine then pull out, your bait will then become spin free.

When using chin guards u need to push the keeper needle through the front part of the nose so the bait sits in there nicely, use a rubber band too keep head down on the guard, then insert the hooks into the fish. If u wish to do this set up prior to fishing so u use one rig per bait, rip the guts out remove backbone set it up as usual but insert one hook out the anil and one out the gut cavity and then sow it up.

Also u can run ur thumb down either side of the spine and pinch it as this breaks it aswell. Hope this info helps you.

Cheers
Matty

[liltuffy]

Craig, havE u ever had ur livey loose his nose hook?

Cheers
matty

Matty, very rarely. I do get some issues occasionally but given the increase in hookups associated with absolute minimum hardware, I put up with it. I've found the lighter tow hardware makes a tremendous difference.

Given your input to this thread I can see you have a depth of experience - thanks for your comments.

Craig

[Vitamin Sea]

Thanks Matty

All good info, I think the speed thing is the problem, as they run straight enough ok but do rock, will pick up a knot or 2, think also I'm trying to bend them to much, frozen fresh croyovaced (is that a word) will give it another go.

Thanks

Bill

[Mattg68]

good mack Craig. glad to see you didn't waste time with your avatar either.

appreciate all the pointers on towbaits as well (craig & matty). always good to hear from experienced anglers when it comes to fine tuning these things. i just may put your rig to good use this weekend Craig.

well done again.

matt