Bait presentation

[Fishinmishin]

Re: Bait presentation

pic3

[Fishinmishin]

Re: Bait presentation

Sorry about the pics. The camera turns everything white when the flash is on and everything black when not). Anyway, I gave drawing the line a go to help explain.
Simply, the 1st pic is what I use if fishing with wire for macs or tuna with yakkas or slimies. I tie on the 1st hook then from the eye of the 1st hook, I tie(or twist with wire) on a small length to the other hook. Or just leave a long tag from the 1st hooks knot to tie the 2nd hook. Very simple.
When not fishing with wire I seem to have success with the 3rd pic. I feed a hook running free on a double on the leader(stinger). I then tie a hook onto the tag left over from the knot. The hook from the tag of the knot is for the shoulder or nose of the bait and the hook on the double is for the ass(allows a free swiming action). Ensure that when the bait pulls tension on the leader, that the hook at the front carrys the weight and the stinger has no tension distrubuted to it.
Depending on the size your targeting, the structure where your fishing and the setting of your drag I couldn't give a lb line to try. Experiment with 8-12lb. If getting busted off, increase the line or fish lighter drag. If still no success then I've just wasted your time or try another fishing spot.
ps- ensure your sinker just gets the bait down with still being light enough for the target to pick it up without too much weight felt.

[notts_so]

Re: Bait presentation

Jeffo had the most important point off all in dead baiting every fish has a central tow point find that and thats half your problem solved there are lots of little things in towing baits that that make it all the better;ie poping flesh from back,pushing guts throu arse with finger,cutting out eyes,tying gills closed all these thing help in there own way but if you havent got that tow point its no use and once you find it you could make a flatty swim so take care take time and always test your baits beside the boat before running out

[cuzzamundi]

Re: Bait presentation

g'day fishinmishin,
that was a great help mate - thanks a swagload. i can now see where i think i need to lift my game. thanks once again mate.
cuzza

[devocean]

Re: Bait presentation

I always try hard to present my bait well, however I have been out with people who have no idea about hiding hooks and presentation and catch lots of fish. My cousin who lives in Lucinda reckons if it is fresh it dosnt matter what it looks like and I have to say he catches a lot of fish. I reckon it comes down to how heavily the ara is fished. If it cops a hammering then you will need to go the extra but if not a slab of stripy hangin off a hook will do

[jeffo]

Re: Bait presentation

you dead right there... the less fish the harder they are to catch.. there for attention to detail is the key!!

[DICER]

Re: Bait presentation

My favorite is the live hardy head for trevally - preferably nicked 1/4 behind the dorsal with a bait holder hook (pictured in the far right of the first picture). As discussed earlier the tow/drag of the line has to be central behind the fish. The bending in of the eye is most helpful to this. Using a small as possible hook, should allow the hardy head to be whoofed down, and furthermore enables centrallity. I cut the line if the hook lands in the guts, and re-rig.

Another favorite is a lump of cunejevoi, mainly the red tissue, placed also on a baitholder hook but with the point slightly through. Easy to get, and doesn't cost anything.

[Sergio_kutz]

Re: Bait presentation

They then show their young and pass it on through generations.

No offense Mini, but that's a load of hog-wash. Fish have a memory of 3 seconds, how can they 'teach their young' if they can only remember something that happened 3 seconds ago? and lets say they did teach them somehow. How can the young fish remember what they have been taught if they can't remember a thing that happened more than 3 seconds ago. If fish did remember things, i'm sure that there would be a lot more lures out on the market today.

Bait pesentation, looks natural = gets eaten. Sometimes people can overcomplicate things. as long as it looks right to a fish, normally they will have a go at it. I agree about hook placement being significant in actually hooking up a fish.

My 2 cents in. And mini i wasn't having a go at u, just saying that fish aren't as smart as we sometimes thing, but then on the flip side, they're often smarter than we give them credit for.

Sergio

[mini696]

Re: Bait presentation

I never take offence to criticism when its due. And it is probably due here.

I know some fish have short term memorys, I'm sure others can be slightly longer... but that's not my point.

A bit of wrong choice of words.

I stick to this... Its all instinct. There is no thinking done on the fishes behalf.

One final thought tho. How come my Oscar will go to the corner I usually feed him when I pass his tank... and get confused if I feed him in another spot?? How does he learn to do this??

I'm sure there are books on this... Maybe I should go searching!!

Mickk

[Sergio_kutz]

Re: Bait presentation

hmmmm... good point, no idea

what kinda fish is oscar? sounds interesting keeping a fish at home, i might get one myself as soon as i move out of the old folks place. I don't think they'd want me to have this fish in the house that i wont let them eat...

[mini696]

Re: Bait presentation

They are african cyclids, or maybe american? I always get confused between the two.

I'll post something in the Freshwater forum.

[Mick]

Re: Bait presentation

Sergio, don't under estimate the capabilities of some fish mate. Memory of 3 seconds is hog wash. Fish learn where and how to hunt, where to hide, where to find a suitable mate for reproduction, where food will be found in different tides, there able to associate smells to certain food groups, where there predators may be hiding, which direction to migrate when temperatures change, they can even change sex to suit reproduction, change colour to fool predators, learn what prey is tasty and what prey is poisonous and can use different types of defence methods to convince preditors they are something that may be harmful to them.

For example, Ramora's (sucker fish) attach themselves to the under belly of sharks and larger fish because they have learnt this is a way of finding food. If they only had a memory of 3 seconds they wouldn't be there.

I don't think fish are dumb for chasing a bit of plastic with sharp metal hooks hanging off it or a peice of food with a hook in it. Do we think a grey hound is dumb for chasing an artificial rabbit?

[gunna]

Re: Bait presentation

There is a marine in Middle Harbour here in Sydney which has a heap of bream under the pontoon where you get fuel. We have thrown left over berley to them while we fill up. They will shoot out & skoff that quicker than you blink. We have put a hook in it & done the same - they shoot out, check it & ignore it. Now I dunno anything about memory or instinct - but these cunning buggers sure know something is wrong. And we were doing this because the people who work there had challenged us to catch one - cause they can't either !!!

[Sergio_kutz]

Re: Bait presentation

I'll just say this, fish have instinct, they have a will to survive and a need to reproduce, they also have some small sort of intelligence. But they do not learn. God gave them a lot of things, but not really an ability to learn. Otherwise all of us would probably have nothing to do during our spare time.

[mini696]

Re: Bait presentation

Just for a laugh, if anyone hasn't seen "Finding Nemo" you MUST see it.

Dory (one of the main leads), has a short term memory and is god damned funny to watch.

Mickk