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Morning All
Me and the "Dart" left the boat ramp about 5.00am. Turned south and fished off the reef in about 4 mts. Conditions were close to calm and the tide just starting to run out. Using squid and pillies for bait + secret recipe berley.
Caught about 8 or 9 fish - all undersize, mostly Grassies. I use 2 hooks snooded together for the larger squid and managed to catch a grassie on each hook at the same time. At the time of hook-up I was certain that this fish was a keeper.
I had a pillie floating out the back and it went off at one stage. The fish was heading for Green Is and was half-way there before I gently tightened up the drag...then nothing. I thought it must have bit me off, but it just spat the hooks.
Same thing happened shortly after, but this time after a short run I struck so as to set the hooks.......same result...spat the hooks. I was a little unhappy at this point!!! Figured I would go back to plan A (ie letting fish run) but didn't get anymore hits like that. Open to some advice at this point.
Pulled up stumps around 9.00am when I ran out of bait.
try a half pillie (tailend use the rest as burley) on a single chemical sharpened with a half hitch to hold it on.
If you use gangs, look at the hooks from side on (the skinny side so you can't see the gape just the thickness of the shank if you know what I mean. Most hooks for ganging have a sway to their style (I think thats called the Kirby pattern) that angles the pointy side of the gape off to one side of the shank as you look at it thin side on. When you insert the gang in the pillie to the top of the pillie as most folks do you should aim to have this slight angle pointing up in relation to the shank which is running along the fishes length. If you place the gang low in the pillie have the points angle down. This puts the hook point clear of the pillie & does increase your hookup rate especially if the fish are being picky. The same applies to live baits incidentally.
I hope you can understand, its far easier to describe in person with a hook in hand.
I reckon your mystery fish were rays / shovel nose. They both have small mouths & tend to naw on a bait rather than take it all in or hit with a big chomp.
Tis a little complicated but I'll go and get a set of ganged hooks and study them as I re-read your note. I think I get your drift.
Don't think my mystery fish were rays/shovel noses - they took off like bullets (the Penn was screaming - I do love that sound!) and they stayed sorta on the surface. I have caught sharks (river whalers maybe) in that area and it was a lot more like that sort of shark than a ray.
Appreciate your comments and will buy some chemically sharpened hooks next time I am at the tackle shop.
Giday Phil....I reckon they could have been mack tuna or spotted Mackerel....Sharks run fast but not a screaming run like you say.
Not sure what size gangs you were using but try ones slightly smaller next time and use a frog mouth pilly as bait.
Mate we have never caught good fish at Wello when the wind is from the northeast.
If the predicted southeast change comes through on Saturday night you can be sure i will be out there fighting those squire and grassies!!!!!!
Better luck next time mate.
Cheers Brent
I was using 4/0's - on fairly large pillies. They were leftovers from tailor fishing on Fraser Is - the gangs, not the pillies. What size hooks would you suggest. I recall you saying something about using 3 hook gangs rather than 4 hook gangs. Is that correct.
I live near the bay and its blowing a gale at the moment. Would have to be around 25 kts. May ease up first thing in the morning but I suspect you will need to be up real early if you are going fishing. I am going to sleep in and will look forward to reading your post.
Aquarius - are you using big baits for the lippers? I was using big strips of mullet and squid but found that they were mouthing the bait and very hard to hook up. I switched to a smaller strip of mullet (1cm by about 3 or 4cm) with a single 2/0 mustad baitholder c/s and have had a little more luck since. one thing I have noticed is that the legal lippers wont touch a pilly and rarely squid, even though the squid we are using is of eating quality (bought from a fish shop or caught fresh). For squire I have been using two snooded 4/0s with the whole midsection of a pilly which seems to work ok. You are right about the northerlies, I was out on monday morning from about 2am to 7.30 and caught plenty of small squire, but nothing legal. I also lost a decent fish which i'm pretty sure was a mackerel after seeing your photos from earlier on. I'll also be out on sat night/early sunday if the wind changes. Have you guys found the tide to have any effect on the bite?
Hi Sharkbait....yes those big sweeties are smart....They drop your bait as soon as they feel weight on the line.
Thats why i use a baitcaster on freespool to let them run and run and them wham the fight begins or the coral bottom snags you!!!
I use small whole squid or a half pilly tail half hitched.....The squid is my prefered bait as its a bit harder to get off the hook when they run.
Or as you mentioned a piece of mullet flesh half hitched.
Phil i use number 3 gang hooks in a 3 gang set up.
For a pilly tail or mullet strip i use number 3 Big Red chemically sharpened.
The small hooks must be strong ones!!
You know the old saying about catching a big fish on a small hook.
Not sure about sunday morning...the wind change may come to late for the early morning tide.
10 TO 15 knots will be fine but the forecast is saying 15 knots.
Might be wasting our time.
I' ve found to best time to catch good fish at Wello is when the morning is calm and the sea glassy....and the wind must be from the South.....This is my view only.
Cheers Brent
So whats with the photo brent. please explain definitely not a wello catch. However it appears to be a waste of marine life, a shark that size should be left to live, i'm not a greenie but to see a waste of such a magnificant creature goes beyond words after all they are a part of the food chain that makes fishing, fishing.
cheers.
Yeah Jaybee i agree with you...That pic was put there by mistake...should have been a sweetlip!!.
Going to Try our luck at Wello in the morning....hopefully there's no sharks that big around or im throwing Jack overboard while i make a quick getaway.
Cheers Brent
Brent, Any bloody shark with sense wouldnt eat jack, the bones would get stuck between the gaps in their teeth, then you would have to pull the bones out so they can go on living, not to mention he has no meat on those bones But then jacks smile would equal any sharks eh. ROFLMAO
cheers.
after all they are a part of the food chain that makes fishing, fishing. 
But then jacks smile would equal any sharks eh. ROFLMAO