Nice little catch on the beach - Night time session

[MudRiverDan]

Well I went out this evening to try my luck, turned up at the beach around low and fished the low and incoming tide.
Had two set-ups, a 4000 Symetre on an old 9 ft Daiwa glass 2 piece, and a 10ft 2 piece Gloomis surf with the VS-275.
I had the Glooomis setup heavy with a wire trace (don’t think fish like wire traces) and mullet chunk as I got bitten off twice in the afternoon, once on 20lb fluorocarbon and once on 30lb fluorocarbon doubled up (dropper loop to a Palomar), so I figure there are still the odd Tailor marauding around and either they were of a good size or just had good dentists.

There was a tonne of mullet in the shallows and after a while a group of dolphins showed up, so I moved just before dark down to Pottsville beach.
Threw a pipi on the old glass rod and got belted and snapped of by something in the shallows, after a while that brown slime weed that sticks to your line showed up and clogged up the rod and I ended breaking the Berkley FireLine exceed I had on it (crap braid), so put it aside for the evening.

Set the Loomis up with #4 surf sinker between two swivels and a nice long seductive leader about 80cm of 20lb Daiwa Nitlon fluorocarbon (good stuff), with a Mustad bait-keeper #4 hook.
Baited it up with three fat pipis and sent it out.
The line had hardly hit the bottom when thump, up comes a nice 40cm Tarwine, I have never caught one before.
10 minutes later another around 41cm was pulled in, then after that one at 36cm.
Fish must have cleared out and I didn’t get a bite after that, though I did not want to stay there all night, I think if I had stayed till the tide had gone out a lot more it might come on again, but it was getting too late.

Rods and reels are great, mind you the braid is a bit trying on the graphite rod in the surf, it has little shock absorption and I was at times holding the rod lightly to allow it to fight so as not to exert too much on the fish.
I have lost a lot of good fish especially Tailor on this set-up because they just go off and throw the hook.

Would like to know of something that has flex but the diameter, cast and strength of 50lb spectra braid.
Fighting a fish on the old glass rod is so much nicer as you do not have to worry so much about bumping the fish off.
Though the set-up has a lot of good points, I just need to get the right line.
I was only casting about 40 meters out max, I figured incoming tide at night, the target fish would be foraging in the shallows on the first half of the incoming, and for once I got a result, they aren’t Jewfish but at least I have finally broken in the new rod and reel with more than 1 fish.



I dropped one too and by the fight it would have been a 40.



The weed took its toll.



Both setups, both catch fish.
Actually the Daiwa is over 30 years old and needs the guides and thread overhauled.





Dan

[wayno60]

now isnt that a better nights entertainment, than sitting in front of a puter or the idiot box...

[MudRiverDan]

now isnt that a better nights entertainment, than sitting in front of a puter or the idiot box...

Relaxing too, the Christmas heat and being temporarily out of work = bills mounting, has done my head in, sometimes I just go and sit down on the beach in the wind and night sky and it clears my head, catching a fish is a bonus.

Cheers

Dan

[Funchy]

Good one Dan, nice evening for sure

[goat boy]

Nice I read a few posts of yours where you were lamenting the beach fishing scene recently, haha. Its good to know your persistence paid off, congrats.

[MudRiverDan]

Yeah, Had a crack again yesterday arvo about 6pm, tide just starting to come in.

Surf was light so I used the 9ft Daiwa with an Excellor 4000.

I noticed last nights high tide had shallowed out the hole I was fishing in with sand, but still managed one on 41cm.

Also caught a dart , and I never keep them but this one looked "ok" size, but when I tried to skin and gut it, it stunk, a lot, so I gave it to next doors cats, never again.





Dan

[MudRiverDan]

Nice I read a few posts of yours where you were lamenting the beach fishing scene recently, haha. Its good to know your persistence paid off, congrats.

NE and N winds have been slowing it down + water temps.
Water was a bit cooler on the first day, so some cooler currents must be sneaking in.

I noticed a lot of activity like mullet, bait-fish, pippis, darts, whiting and bream, on the first session, and the water was cooler, no northerly blowing.

Its when the cool meets the warm that things start hotting up, might be a good sign for upcoming weeks, keep an eye on the tides and wind.

I am surprised none has mentioned anything about the Tarwine, I have never caught one.
And all of a sudden 4 stonkers, same place, same time.

Dan

[michael_mad_fisho]

nice fish dan especially those tarwhine havent see too many around stonkers too, stick with the braid mate you will feel a heap more bites especially in the surf, and the lack of shock absorption you talk about thats what the reels drag is for. When i first started using braid i felt the same way as you, Everytime i hooked a fish i was always scared i would pull hooks due to the no stretch of the braid and sensitivity of it, but this is all in our heads braid is super super strong usually breaks a third over its rated breaking strain especially fireline and the reason i think we feel like we are going to pop them off is that you feel absolutley everything with braid and the fish sometimes feels about twice the size of the actual size ofthe fish. stick with the braid try some stuff called sunline super pe in the fluro green colour, its one of the cheaper braids compared to others out there but is top notch. braid gets a bit of getting used to especially if you are used to fishing mono and i know your frustration with wind knots and taking metres of line of the spool due to tangles, braid is a nightmare in that aspect.

cheers mike

[Flash the toad feeder]

A few years ago I bought some leader that was very stretchy. Sorry I can't give you any details but it might give you something to look for.

Even if you have to use wire to prevent bight offs you can run the stretchy leader up higher.

[MudRiverDan]

A few years ago I bought some leader that was very stretchy. Sorry I can't give you any details but it might give you something to look for.

Even if you have to use wire to prevent bight offs you can run the stretchy leader up higher.

Yeah maybe the stuff they sell as 'shock leader' has more stretch, I just use standard 30lb fluorocarbon for my shock leader, maybe I should be using the stuff called 'shock leader' or 30lb mono.

As my shock leader is only for casting, the last 70cm can be what ever I want.

Dan

[MudRiverDan]

nice fish dan especially those tarwhine havent see too many around stonkers too, stick with the braid mate you will feel a heap more bites especially in the surf, and the lack of shock absorption you talk about thats what the reels drag is for. When i first started using braid i felt the same way as you, Everytime i hooked a fish i was always scared i would pull hooks due to the no stretch of the braid and sensitivity of it, but this is all in our heads braid is super super strong usually breaks a third over its rated breaking strain especially fireline and the reason i think we feel like we are going to pop them off is that you feel absolutley everything with braid and the fish sometimes feels about twice the size of the actual size ofthe fish. stick with the braid try some stuff called sunline super pe in the fluro green colour, its one of the cheaper braids compared to others out there but is top notch. braid gets a bit of getting used to especially if you are used to fishing mono and i know your frustration with wind knots and taking metres of line of the spool due to tangles, braid is a nightmare in that aspect.

cheers mike

I have 50lb spectra and it untangles real well (don't rate the Berkley exceed for the beach everything seems to stick to it), overkill for your basic fish but is more robust for rocks and tangles, at times I have run a 10lb leader off it, but usually run 30lb - 20lb -15lb.

Might have to try some SunLine soon.

If anyone is interested I did catch them on Pottsville beach between Pottsville and Black rock, there was a large hole there and simply by throwing a line in on low and waiting for the tide to turn did the trick.
The fish seem to move into the holes as the new water rushes in, after half way to high, I never got a bite, was mainly the low half of the incoming when the fish moved in to feed on the undisturbed food, once the water washes everything out the fish clear off and go elsewhere.
Cast was 30-40 meters max, dusk to evening.

Was at Hastings Point Lookout the other day and looking South there seemed to be a few nice holes forming, I was just observing, this bloody heat is getting to me, but I did manage a quick dip in the ocean before I left.

Dan