Nomad Squidtrex

[NAGG]

The fuel to run your motor probably a bigger cost.
That's a lot of pillies a day, I buy solid blocks to cut up as berley (often lasts 2 trips) and then only take out 2kg IQF for bait. We do jig for yakkas and slimmies on way out to supplement our bait.
We used to camp on NW Island for 10 days and each person got 10 pillies a day as starter baits, we just didn't have the storage or refrigeration available for more, these days with solar panels we probably would have but it changes the way you fish.

Edit: lost too many $25/30 lures first drop to unstoppables to buy them now, bad enough losing hooks that cost a fair bit these days.

Yes - we do go through a hell of a lot of pillies at Evans Head - particularly at our honey hole aka "Carnage Corner"

This is a shallow (5m) location where we fish whole (quality) Large IQF pillies for bait ...... When the fish are on a pillie wont last 5 mins - sometimes it's measured in seconds. We've had sessions (plenty) where we could only fish 1 rod each. So when they are on you could be going a 2kg bag every hour ($15) . .... we usually buy a 15kg box of IQF & bag them up.
On top of that - we use 1-2 blocks of pilchards for cubes a day.

One memorable day last May - by 2pm we were scrounging every pillie we could get our hands on .

The big pillies work an absolute treat - be it on the snapper , mackerel , jew , cobes etc etc & whole pilchards much better than halves .

Most people are surprised at how well the "big" pillies work for us up at Evans ...... Personally I believe it was due to the lack of slimies up there over the last couple of years. (couldn't catch one in the last 2 years).

Chris

[Volvo]

Have to admit would hardly go out without at least one block of Pillies , though mainly floating out for Lipper.

[Lovey80]

Yes - we do go through a hell of a lot of pillies at Evans Head - particularly at our honey hole aka "Carnage Corner"

This is a shallow (5m) location where we fish whole (quality) Large IQF pillies for bait ...... When the fish are on a pillie wont last 5 mins - sometimes it's measured in seconds. We've had sessions (plenty) where we could only fish 1 rod each. So when they are on you could be going a 2kg bag every hour ($15) . .... we usually buy a 15kg box of IQF & bag them up.
On top of that - we use 1-2 blocks of pilchards for cubes a day.

One memorable day last May - by 2pm we were scrounging every pillie we could get our hands on .

The big pillies work an absolute treat - be it on the snapper , mackerel , jew , cobes etc etc & whole pilchards much better than halves .

Most people are surprised at how well the "big" pillies work for us up at Evans ...... Personally I believe it was due to the lack of slimies up there over the last couple of years. (couldn't catch one in the last 2 years).

Chris

Funny you say that. I've noticed a severe lack of slimies on the Sunshine Coast over the past few years also. Go back 5 years and there was tonnes of them around.

[NAGG]

Funny you say that. I've noticed a severe lack of slimies on the Sunshine Coast over the past few years also. Go back 5 years and there was tonnes of them around.

Prior to the Feb 2020 floods - I had a location that was a consistent producer .... & there were a couple of reefs that the schools would show up & you would catch them then & there ...... I've done 3 trips & about 18 days on the water ...... not one slimey just yakkas.
It was interesting a couple of years ago I pulled up at a garage just north of Coffs - the lady behind the counter asked if we got any spotties ...." yeh about a dozen " did you get any slimies ...... nope ! - cant get em down here either she said

My guess - now days they are a commercial species

Chris

[Dignity]

And the yakkas are getting bigger, quite a few have been around 30cm and the odd one bigger still. Had to upgrade my bait jigs for them as a string of them was enough to snap the jigs. There is a spot 5 mins from the ramp that used to be my go to but it only produses them around 75mm but further out getting the big ones. Can't get a bait past hhem for a decent reefie, have to move away from them. Slilimes are rare as mentioned. Still occasionally get the odd pilchard though, these got wiped out when the Qld Govt permitted netting of them for a 2 year trial. That was enough to make them a rarity here.

[NAGG]

And the yakkas are getting bigger, quite a few have been around 30cm and the odd one bigger still. Had to upgrade my bait jigs for them as a string of them was enough to snap the jigs. There is a spot 5 mins from the ramp that used to be my go to but it only produses them around 75mm but further out getting the big ones. Can't get a bait past hhem for a decent reefie, have to move away from them. Slilimes are rare as mentioned. Still occasionally get the odd pilchard though, these got wiped out when the Qld Govt permitted netting of them for a 2 year trial. That was enough to make them a rarity here.

In 40 plus years of serious offshore fishing ...... it was only 4 or 5 years ago that I caught my first pilchards - (down off Batemans bay) What a magnificent looking fish when alive ......what a live / fresh bait

Only had the one experience though

Chris

[Dignity]

We had heaps off the Sunshine Coast until netting trial wiped them out. They were as you say a beautiful looking fish compared to WA pillies but they weren't as good as bait as they had a lot less oil content.

[NAGG]

We had heaps off the Sunshine Coast until netting trial wiped them out. They were as you say a beautiful looking fish compared to WA pillies but they weren't as good as bait as they had a lot less oil content.

When fishing slows ..... I still dip my pillies in tuna oil - this trip I have a syringe to inject the pillies

chris

[chris69]

When fishing slows ..... I still dip my pillies in tuna oil - this trip I have a syringe to inject the pillies

chris

Now all the secrets are coming out,cat biscuits in tuna oil in the berley can just got to remember to pull it in when a fish is on.

[Dignity]

Now all the secrets are coming out,cat biscuits in tuna oil in the berley can just got to remember to pull it in when a fish is on.

Hang the berley can off the bow, doesn't get in the way and tends to disperse the berley a bit deeper. I usually have a rope with a carabiner attached to it so I can pull it up from the stern to refill or pull in when leaving.

[NAGG]

Hang the berley can off the bow, doesn't get in the way and tends to disperse the berley a bit deeper. I usually have a rope with a carabiner attached to it so I can pull it up from the stern to refill or pull in when leaving.

I found that fishing with cubes of pillies as burley improved my results - it attracts less of the rubbish

the only time I use other things - like cat food or chicken pellets is if I'm trying to catch live bait

Chris

PS - I think we got sidetracked

[Dignity]

I found that fishing with cubes of pillies as burley improved my results - it attracts less of the rubbish

the only time I use other things - like cat food or chicken pellets is if I'm trying to catch live bait

Chris

PS - I think we got sidetracked

Back to squidtrex or crankbaits, do you still berley with pillies while using them or using other style jigs. I do, I use the block pillies as berley by small cubes thrown over as you do and fill the berley pot with cubes and bits and pieces. It's good to spread the scent as it does tend to bring fish closer to the surface. I will berley from 25m to 65m.

[Volvo]

Using Pillies for Berly ??, good for short term i found otherwise gets a tad exy??. Can one still buy big bags of Pollard or Chook Pellets and at least keep the bait about the Boat which in turn brings their predators around ??.
Pellets or Pollard i know isnt for deepwater but for surface where schools of Yakkas or slimies may be about does the job ..

[Dignity]

Using Pillies for Berly ??, good for short term i found otherwise gets a tad exy??. Can one still buy big bags of Pollard or Chook Pellets and at least keep the bait about the Boat which in turn brings their predators around ??.
Pellets or Pollard i know isnt for deepwater but for surface where schools of Yakkas or slimies may be about does the job ..

I'll use them in water up to 65m. Left overs that have defrosted get cut up for berley or solid cheap blocks if I've run out.
Back on track I was at Caloundra Bait and Tackle and their shelves were absolutely full of the Squidtrex lures. I'm tempted use a 92gm one as the weight for a paternoster rig in the deeper water this weekend although I wonder why they didn't have any side fins similar to the chasebaits.

[NAGG]

Back to squidtrex or crankbaits, do you still berley with pillies while using them or using other style jigs. I do, I use the block pillies as berley by small cubes thrown over as you do and fill the berley pot with cubes and bits and pieces. It's good to spread the scent as it does tend to bring fish closer to the surface. I will berley from 25m to 65m.

No I went away from banging on berley pots many many moons ago - back in the day I did use chicken pellets etc , minced fish etc . While it works it also brings around the rubbish fish .
When I started fishing down around Shell Hbr (The crank) in the late 90s I started to use small pilly pieces & floating / lightly weighted pilchards on baitrunners - My results improved big time & the snapper or kingies were often full of my cubes .

So my technique in <10m is to cast 20m or so back of the boat ....... throw those cubes in ( a couple every minute or so ) . Reels are bit runners & placed in those 3 way wire rod holders. Fishing this way also brings around Mackerel , Cobes etc Fishing this way has proven it's self to be an absolute winner .

If I fish lures ( not often) - it's generally in a bit deeper water & done in conjunction with floating baits - with cubes

Chris