jack advice

[cuzzamundi]

g'day all,

just wondering why jacks are only usually caught in summer months in seq? are they still around in winter? also, what would be the best pound line to use? and is there any hope in catching one between bris and the sunny coast being land based? thanks heaps for the advice everyone, i always find it extremely helpful. all the best.

cuzza

[Girella]

I have seen a good sized jack caught in August on a ganged pilly rig fishing for tailor. So I guess they're still around, but I understand them to be a warm water fish meaning that they feed more aggressively in the warmer months. Sep - Apr

[MarcusD]

When a Jack reaches maturity is moves out to spawn and live in the reefs. This spawning run usually occurs at the start of winter. They can still be caught in the estuaries in winter, but it's usually luck or hard work as they tend to shut down. So far this year, I've caught one in June and another member Dylan caught one around the same time. Bring on summer! We should start seeing a few more in a few weeks when the freshwater from the rain flushes out and the temp rises. I've found the ideal water temp is 23 degrees and over.

They can be caught land based, but good luck! They strike on the way back into cover so this usually makes it more difficult to turn the Jacks head when fishing from land.

As for lines, I use a whole host of lines and rigs depending on where I am fishing. As an example for tight cover lure casting I use a 3-5kg rod, baitcast reel with modified drag so it can be locked tight, 30lb braid and 40lb leader. For more open water I use a 4-6kg rod, 4000 size threadline with 15lb braid and a 20lb leader.

Good luck.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

They are there. The cooler water temps slow their metabolism down - just like barra in cooler months.
Like Marcus said, hard land based but the creeks that run into the Bribie passage are worth a shot when it warms up - will be targeting them myself in another month or so in this area. MOZZIES are mad though. Just to wet your appetite, pic below is a sunshine coast winter jack.

[Girella]

Well if nothing else this thread has made me feel a little better about
my lack of success with land-based jack fishin.

This summer will be my third spent trying to catch the mighty red
at my local fishing hole. To date, the score is : Cod 5, Bust-ups 20,
Jacks Nil.

I can definitely testify to the fact that everything is in Jack's favour when
you fish from the rocks. On the plus side though, I've seen some incredibly
spectacular and vicious attacks committed against my innocent poddies
which I don't think you would see from a boat.

The high degree of difficulty (and Dave's picture) has inspired me to accept the macochistic challenge and have another go this year.

Wish me luck, I need it.

[cuzzamundi]

thanks heaps for the advice blokes! yeah girella, i'll bwe right with you mate. good luck sir, i hope you do better than i seem to have done in the past. do you place the poddies far away from the rock ledges? how deep does the water have to be? thanks once again.

cuzza

[Girella]

We fish into a hole which is about 3m deep at low tide. It is in an area just off a fast flowing channel. There is a rock wall which provides plenty of cover for jack (and heaps of ways to bust me off). I only chose that spot because I
had seen the aforementioned jack caught on pilly.

We cast out into the main channel about 10-20m and let the current swing
the bait around into the hole. Most hits have occurred around dawn.
A slow retrieve often invokes an attack that occurs right at your feet.

We've tried all sorts of rigs, float, sinker, free swimming. All have been hit.
Obviously after so many losses we have increased the strength of our
leader material, but the trade off is fewer hits.

We intend to do more jack hunting from our tinnie this year. We will probably head up your way for a try at some stage. If you hear of any action in Bell's creek, send us a PM and we'll take you with us.

GOOD LUCK.

[Girella]

We fish into a hole which is about 3m deep at low tide. It is in an area just off a fast flowing channel. There is a rock wall which provides plenty of cover for jack (and heaps of ways to bust me off). I only chose that spot because I
had seen the aforementioned jack caught on pilly.

We cast out into the main channel about 10-20m and let the current swing
the bait around into the hole. Most hits have occurred around dawn.
A slow retrieve often invokes an attack that occurs right at your feet.

We've tried all sorts of rigs, float, sinker, free swimming. All have been hit.
Obviously after so many losses we have increased the strength of our
leader material, but the trade off is fewer hits.

We intend to do more jack hunting from our tinnie this year. We will probably head up your way for a try at some stage. If you hear of any action in Bell's creek, send us a PM and we'll take you with us.

GOOD LUCK.

[Burley]

What time are you fishing? I've found the dead of night the best, much more activity than at dawn, but thats my experiance. I've got all of my Jacks land based. Found targeting pillons to be the best chance at pulling them out of the snag. Fish right above them.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

If you're catching cod then you're in the right spot.

[agnes_jack]

Girella
If you are getting lots of hits but very few hook-ups, I would suggest that you may need to allow them to swallow the bait a bit before you strike. I always fish with the rod tip held high, as you feel the take, lower the rod tip and lean forward,this should give him a couple of feet of line without any pressure, long enough to swallow the bait but hopefully not enough to get back to the snag. Fishing with a locked drag should then give you the leveridge to fight him out and hopefully into open water.
They are awsome fun, my favorite target species by miles!

Regards, Tony

[Girella]

Burley

Do you mean that you fish from the deck of the bridge ?

[Dylan_Rylatt]

i was lucky enough to get one in winter and i'm sure i missed the same sucker about a hour before i finally nailed him. i lucked the catch using 6pd leader straight onto the hook. i am lookin foward to the summer time catchin up with a few off the ausfish guys to share tips and hopefully get amoungst them. I generally fish land based from vicky point down to fishermans island so if anyone is keen for a land based fishing effort just message me.\

Dylan

[Girella]

Jack Fans

I have a mate who knows nothing of fishing. However at one time he came into ownership of a small mangrove jack in a fresh water aquarium. He quickly became a fan of what he calls a fish with "attitude". He marvelled at the way the fish would stalk anything else that was put into it's tank. He reckons what it did to a gold fish had to be seen to be believed.

I've checked out these "aquarium" fish but the sell for around 150 bucks. I reckon a fisherman might learn a few things by keeping one.

Has anyone out there ever had their own "pet" jack.
If so what are they like and are they hard to look after ?
Any advice appreciated.